 |
From Stowaway to Leader: a Hero's Journey in Process
In July 1968, Gabriel was born in Mironeasa, Romania, then a Communist-controlled country. It was a time of exploitation and repression for the people of Romania. The last born of five children, he knew early that he had the drive and instinct to be more than his deprived surroundings offered. "My Dad always told me I was very special and powerful," he said. Could he awaken to wholeness in an emotionally deprived environment, where hard work and no play were the standard; where his Orthodox church imposed piety, but where self-fulfillment was void? How could he find his soul, and become the best he could he? Like all heroes, Gabriel's success didn't come easily. As a boy he was restless. At the same time, his abilities were evident. In seventh grade, after his mother and father divorced, he moved to the city to live with his sister. There he went to the high school of construction, which led him to his jobs in the field.
Like Gabriel, many of his young friends desired escape from their rough and disadvantaged lives in Romania. They looked to Canada for freedom. But, Romanians were not welcome there unless they had family or friends in North American territories. But, that didn't stop them. They heard of other young Romanian men who put their lives on the line to escape Romania by being sealed into transport ship containers going to Canada. Many of them were caught by the authorities, but they tried again and again. In an article from The Gazette in Montreal on February 16, 1994, a reporter wrote. "Since 1990, hundreds of desperate Romanian immigrants have used (France's largest container port) as a gateway to the New World, sneaking inside Le Havre containers before the freighter's departure, hitching a free—if perilous—ride to a new life in Canada." Some suffocated to death. Yet, Gabriel saw this as his only way out, his only way to freedom. While Gabriel and his friends were working in Lisbon, Portugal, they checked the docks and trains for containers going to Canada every day for months. They hid in containers ready for shipment four times and got caught, and were taken before the judge, fined and released. Finally, on May 19, 1993, Gabriel and seven other young men found themselves sealed in a 20' x 8' x 7' container being shipped to Canada. They took crackers, chocolate, Italian sausage, water, candles, matches, and a manual drill, hammer, and chisel. They talked. They slept. They prayed. Their sealed container sat on the pier for six days in the sun. The heat inside the container was stifling. The sweat poured off their bodies. The stench grew. Anxiety grew. Were they ever going to get on a ship? Were they going to die on the dock? On the sixth day, , a loud noise pierced their con- tainer. A huge machine had grabbed the container and hauled it slowly forward, sideways, and up. It landed with a thud. Then everything got quiet. When the ship started moving they heard squishing noises, as the metal containers rubbed against each other. Now that the men were loaded onto the ship, they were relieved. They were in fear. Would they be caught and sent hack to Portugal? The container was dark. Their matches wouldn't light. a signal that the oxygen was diminishing. They had two choices: suffocate or get caught. With hammer and chisel, they carved out a dolor. They found themselves under two other containers below deck in the hull of the ship. The welcomed the stale, but ever present air. They stayed hidden in the container for four more days until they saw land. Then they stepped out of their chosen prison onto the ship. The men decided to let the Captain know they were on board. Gabriel demanded that everyone act peacefully and not cause trouble. "No one gets hurt," he said. "We take our chances." When they informed the Captain of their presence, he told them he would have to report them to the authorities. But, he let them stay freely on the ship for the next three-days. They were able to wash up and get food—and fresh ocean air! Fortunately for them, the Captain never turned them in. On June 2, 1993 they arrived at the Port of Montreal, where they requested political asylum from the immigration authorities.
Canada did not want illegal aliens and found ways to get them out of their country. Their ruse wads to have political asylum seekers go to an interview with the consulate of Quebec in New York City to fill out paperwork to immigrate legally to Canada. Once they were out of Canada, the consulate denied their applications, and they were not let back in. On August 20, 1995, after two years and three months in Canada, political asylum was declined. Gabriel and one of his friends left Canada for the United States on foot, walking 15 miles to cross the border. There they were apprehended by the Border Patrol of the United States, fingerprinted, interviewed and released. By the time they arrived in New York, Gabriel was 27 years old. He was now an illegal on free soil, again looking for work and refuge. His first jobs in the United States were in restaurants in Manhattan. Then construction in But, there, the bosses mistreated their workers. So he left to go west to Mesa, AZ, where he knew someone who had a restaurant. When he arrived there, he felt immediately at home. As Gabriel adjusted to yet another new place to live, something inside nudged him to seek higher ground, a better way. Spirit was speaking to and through him. That's when he discovered New Thought Church. He did menial jobs to earn some money to live, and became a member of the Church. He even attended introductory ministry training for three months. He staved in Mesa for one year. Dr. Blaine and Betty Mays, and Dr. Mimi Ronnie of the New Thought Church and of the International New Thought Alliance welcomed him. Eva Grace taught him meditation. Dick Mullen gave him a trailer to live in for free, and Gabriel took care of his yard. Ray Farr gave him a $20 bill and told him to go multiply it. Others helped him. He felt the energy of common good. He returned that energy with the spirit of helping, and of wanting with serve. He gave with great faith and expectancy. Blaine said, "We saw within him a great potential and I'm grateful to see it is coming forth. We saw him as a person who was choosing to evolve and progress in a spiritual and human way to succeed in life. When he first came to New Thought Church, he wasn't aware of his spiritual side, but he was responding. He dismissed the hard times and hard ships. He felt, he did what he needed to do to move forward. He held no anger toward anyone. We love and appreciate Gabriel," said Blaine. "I also appreciated the spirit in which he functioned," said Blaine. "Every day there are people who want handouts. He didn't come about asking. He was always about giving of himself." "Blaine worked hard to help me Get my legal status," says Gabriel. "He went with me to the immigration authorities, got lawyers to support me, and stood by me." But, Gabriel's status went unchanged. Gabriel moved back East to work on construction projects with his friends, first in Florida, and then Atlanta, where he met his wife, Gwen. After they got married, he started remodeling and renting out houses. In 2000, he started his own construction company. By 2006, he had used his brains and his brawn to increase his net worth from zero to $1.9 million dollars, through construction, real estate, and investments. With his can do attitude, he plans to be a mega-multimillionaire in the near future. On May 19, 2006, thirteen years to the day that he was first loaded onto a transport ship to Canada, Gabriel became a citizen of the United States. "That was a proud moment for me," he said. Recently, on a trip back to Arizona, he visited his old friends and supporters at New Thought Church. He was especially pleased to tell Blaine, "I'm a U.S. citizen now." Gabriel is a man of passion, determination, fearlessness, and resilience with God's oversight and protection. He continues to grow from the inside out as he helps others succeed. Watch and learn from him. He is a hero in process. New Thought (2007). An artice written by Gloria Dunn |
Gloria Dunn is an organizational behavior and management consultant. She is the author of the award-winning book, From Making a Living to Having a Life, and she has appeared on the radio, television. the web, and in press nationwide.
After the fall of communism in 1989, Gabriel continued to work as a heavy equipment operator in a channel between the Danube River and the Black Sea. In March of 1991, in search of better work, he took his first trip with friends from Romania to Yugoslavia and Greece, then to Germany and Portugal. His earnings were meager—$5 a day with room and board—breaking stones, cleaning brushes, cutting wood, repairing fences, and working at various other odd jobs.
Once on land, the men needed to work to earn food and shelter. At first, Gabriel did odd jobs. Then he found work in a Greek restaurant and learned the language. He also took French classes so he could integrate into French Canadian society. But, on August 20, 1995, after two years and three months in Canada, political asylum was declined.