Bringing the Hope of Christ to Romania

Buna Ziua! (Boo-na zee-wah)

It has been a crazy good time here in Craiova, Romania! We are so blessed to have been busy with so many ministry opportunities!

We are partnering with Hope Church to continue planting and expanding the church through evangelism and disciple-building. In addition, they offer the community several other types of ministries to find and grow in the hope of Jesus!

We begin each morning with an hour of prayer and intercession, and then another two hours of either training or ministry preparation. In the afternoons and evenings, we do ministry out in the community!

Here are some of the ministries we’ve been able to be a part of and some ways you can pray for them:

Street Evangelism

About 6% of the population here consider themselves Christian. The Gospel needs to be spread! We’ve had the opportunity to simply go out on the streets and share about the love of God to the people in Craiova!

It looks different every time – sometimes we pass out blessing bags, handing out a printed version of John & Romans, talking through a booklet laying out the Gospel in four steps, giving info about plugging into the church, giving invitations to events, or simply just walking up to people and begin chatting.

This has been a real area of growth for me, but also has been a beautiful way for me to see God work in the hearts of the people here! Many relationships have been developed through coffee dates or dinner outings as well as social media connections.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That hearts will continue to be opened and softened to the Gospel and many souls be saved.
• That Hope Church will continue to have the means available to provide blessing bags to those in need.
• That missionaries will continue to be equipped and reliant on the Holy Spirit when going out on the streets.
• Many of the translators that go with us are not believers …. yet. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in their hearts as well and open doors to conversation.

Roma Community

This has been my favorite ministry to be a part of. A couple times a week, we send a team to go out into the Roma community. Some of these communities live in severe poverty.

We share a bible story about Jesus and do some songs with the children. They love the attention, and we love giving it to them! Then, we pass out necessities such as clothing, shoes and/or food for the families there.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the community sees and feels the Lord’s love for them.
• That the church will continue to have the means to provide for these families in need.
• The church is looking for a full-time missionary for this ministry. Please pray that God will prepare, call, and send someone to go.

Children’s & Youth Ministry

These ministries meet daily for the younglings in the community. This includes fun games, teachings, and love for all! Then hopefully, they take what they learned back home to their families.

I personally think it’s awesome that they provide this for the children and youth every day!

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That they experience the love of God in a radical way and that they burn with a desire to share about that love.
• That the leaders in these ministries are actively seeking the Lord in all that they do.
• That the families of the children and youth are impacted as well.

Medical Ministry

I’m so grateful that I got to be a part of this! We did this as a daycamp one day where people in need could come in, be prayed for, recieve a free checkup from a doctor, and given a pair of eyeglasses if needed. What a neat thing!

I personally got to participate in the eyeglasses part of the day. It was so cool to see God restore sight in the form of eyeglasses. Excited to read again, they received part of the Word for them to read with their new pair of glasses!

In addition, several people came to the Lord through prayer on this day. The Lord met them right where they were!

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the Lord will continue to provide the fund and materials needed to bless the community in this way.
• That the people leave hungry to read the Word with open hearts for the Lord to work.
• That these people continue to have their physical and spiritual needs met.

Digital Ministry

This is a neat ministry in which their sole purposes are to storytell the good work the Lord is doing and to use social media to bring people to Christ.

We’ve had people on our squad working with photography, videography, social media coordinating, testimonies, interviews, storytelling, etc.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That this ministry reaches a lot of people in divine ways.
• That the Lord will continue to provide people willing to minister in this way.
• That new ideas and inspirations will continue to have the creative handprint of God.

Church Planting

Overall, Hope Church is still developing ministries and growing as a body of Christ. Through disciple-making and relationship-building, we are able to make connections between the locals and the church. Events and classes are held to foster growth as well as one-on-one discipleship. In the long run, the church hopes to send out more people to share the Gospel!

The squad has been preparing to host two American events for the people in the community to come learn about our culture as well as what we believe in. One for the youth and one for the adults. We will have food, dancing, games, testimonies, and spiritual conversations.

Our hope is for the people to come and have fun, learn about Jesus, and get connected to the church through these events. Many of the relationships we’ve been building these past few weeks have been invited!

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the Lord continues to bless and provide for Pastor Raul and his family.
• That the Lord blesses the church through growth, unity, and strength.
• That these events will be fruitful and that the Lord’s presence will be evident.
• They’re hoping to physically expand the church building. Please pray that the Lord provides financially for this and sends workers to help build.
• Many of the missionaries associated with the church need both financial and prayer support. Please pray that the Lord continues to provide in this way as well.
• When we leave Romania, another squad will be coming to continue partnering with Hope Church. Please pray that the Lord prepares their hearts and equips them spiritually to make an impact here in Craiova.
• The church is also preparing for another baptism for those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Let’s praise the Lord for the good work He has been doing here!

Wow! After God made it so evident that we were meant to come here to Craiova instead of South Africa, it has been a blessing to see and be a part of all that He is doing!

What a beautiful opportunity to witness such a fruitful season of the race. Just a sweet reminder from the Lord that He is sovereign and that He will always be working!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! May the Lord bless y’all for choosing to partner with Him and His Kingdom!

Much Love!

---

Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:8-9