Romanian Nazarene Receives U.S. State Department Hero Distinction

by Gina Grate Pottenger
Where Worlds Meet - June 2014

Bucharest, Romania – 21 May, Monica Boseff, the Nazarene who founded and leads The Open Door Foundation, the only emergency shelter for sex trafficking victims in Romania, was honored with the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Hero distinction, an annual award that recognizes only 10 people worldwide who are committed to the fight against human trafficking.

The honor was presented to Boseff at the Romanian-American Foundation in Bucharest by Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of the U.S. vice president Joe Biden, in a short ceremony. Boseff will travel in mid-June to the United States to officially receive the Hero distinction in Washington, D.C. when the U.S. Department of State releases its annual report on global human trafficking.

Boseff told the media who were present that the distinction represented not just her own efforts, but also the work of the shelter’s residents and the staff who are dedicated to supporting them.

“Not for a split second have we done anything for any kind of award or recognition,” she said. “We’re giving our best. That’s everything we learned from Christ.”

Prior to the ceremony, Mrs. Biden and her team held an intimate 40-minute meeting with the shelter’s staff and the seven current female residents in a private location. The guests listened to the women’s stories before presenting the residents with personalized gifts, including signed notebooks and silver angel necklaces.

“It was just an exceptional time, very emotional,” Boseff said. “I wanted them [Mrs. Biden and her team] to know it’s them [the survivors] you need to focus on, they’re the real heroes.”

Boseff said that Biden was very gentle with the women at the shelter. “Our girls were thrilled, they felt like princesses.”

When the U.S. Department of State flies Boseff to the U.S. for two weeks in June, they will also send her to Cincinnati and Los Angeles to meet with government officials, journalists and directors and representatives of other similar shelters. The complete schedule is not yet available.

Monica Boseff of The Open Door Foundation and her staff and residents met with U.S. vice president Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, in May. Pictured from left to right: Vicentiu Patrascan (guard), Betty Chirila (psychologist), Loredana Stanciu (social worker), Kim Vranceanu (board member and volunteer), Monica Boseff, Silvia Tabusca (law professor and advocate for human rights), Simi Cristea (administrator), Cristiana Stanciu (house management), Dan Cristea (guard) and Mirela Podoiu (lawyer).  Photo courtesy Vicentiu Patrascan

The Open Door Foundation began operations in 2013 and has so far supported 25 survivors. The majority of employees are Nazarene young people who attend the Bucharest Blessings Church of the Nazarene, where Boseff is the pastor’s wife. Today, they fill the roles of psychologist, administrator and security. And some of the survivors from the shelter have been integrated into the life of the church, participating in youth activities or singing in the worship team.

“When thinking about human trafficking, the easy thing is to stay overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue and by how awful it is, and think that the church cannot make much of a difference,” said Jay Sunberg, field strategy coordinator for the Central Europe Field, of which Romania is a part. “This is not an option for Monica and the Bucharest Nazarenes. They get involved and begin to make a difference in the lives of dozens of people. It is amazing to see how the Bucharest Blessing church has embraced these people and to see how lives are being changed. What Monica and her staff face on a daily basis is not easy and we need to support them in much prayer.”

To learn more about Open Door, read the article about how the Bucharest Blessings Church is integrating trafficking survivors into the life of the church.

Please pray for safety, wisdom, compassion and financial support for the team at The Open Door Foundation in Bucharest, Romania, as they love the survivors of human trafficking who have sought refuge at the emergency shelter. Pray for God to use the Hero distinction to increase the team’s influence and voice against trafficking. Pray also for God’s hand of healing on the survivors.