Lesley Butcher 1946 – 2025
Many of you will know but it is with huge sadness that I inform you that Lesley passed away to be with her Lord on the 11th February.
This is a very brief story of her Romanian journey!
Lesley first started getting involved with Romania when a group of us from Horley Baptist and Wales started taking aid out to Romania in 1993. She used to help sorting clothes etc and loading lorries and in 1996 she came out with a group to Dorohoi and went on to accompany me (Peter) – becoming my “truckers mate”. Although at that time we were taking aid out to the villages and orphanages she felt there was a real need in the town of Dorohoi, and 1999 felt God was calling us to make a greater commitment to the people in need in Dorohoi. We felt that there was a need to provide somewhere the poor and needy could come out of their drab existence and receive an understanding ear, a shoulder to cry on, a place where they would know that someone cared and we could demonstrate that they are loved by God and that He cares. So the Centre was born and after we had found and bought some land building started and we opened the Centre in 2002.
We had already been working with a few families before the Centre existed and when we opened we provided a “public office” where people could come and because they were mainly women and wouldn’t open up to a man, Lesley ran the office. Due to many of the life experiences that Lesley had had in her youth she was able to empathise with people and to show sympathy and concern. It was also in the office that, without the aid of lessons she gradually mastered the Romanian Language and became fluent in the language – so much so that she used to tell me that she was dreaming in Romanian!
She was also extremely generous and frequently after we had bought new clothes for her I would see people we were helping walkng down the road in her new clothes. She was loved by all – at her funeral a friend from Romania remarked that she became “Mother to the poor of Romania”!
People were able to come for meals, food bags and other help – all arranged by Lesley through the office.
Lesley started the Saturday Children’s Club and was helped by some Romanian teens from the local church, where they not only played games but learnt of Gods Love for them.and it was very common to hear the children calling for “Tante Lesley” – and many of the Adults called us “Mama si Tata” even if they were older than us.
She always had time and love – whether it was for the children and she was often to be seen sitting on a bench with children cuddled up to her or for a young heavily pregnant ex-orphan who had been sleeping in doorways and was in desperate need of a shower but needed Lesley’s help.
There are so many stories and those of you who have visited the Centre will have your own stories of Lesley. Stories of Lesley visiting families and sitting listening and then the opportunity for us to pray for them.
Sadly two years ago Lesley was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia and rapidly declined and went into care a year ago when I started chemotherapy. Up to just a few weeks ago I would often go into the home and see her talking about the work in Romania to other residents and if spoken to in Romanian she was clearer in her response than in English!
If you would like to make a donation in memory of Lesley then please go to the Support page for details http://centreofhope.org.uk/wp/?page_id=50
