Visit from WABC in Timisoara

Shane Bowling and a group from Washington Avenue Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN visited us in Timisoara and met with some of the Romanian pastors they partner with (some for over 12 years).

Basketball camp in Timisoara

Christ Church of Oakbrook and Lawndale Community Church from Chicago, IL area have sent a basketball team and coach for a sporting outreach event in Timisoara. On the Romanian side the event was done in partnership with the youth from Bethany Baptist Church. Sports are a very efficient evangelistic opportunity. Romanian youth were very much drawn to engage in basketball with good players from the US. Then they were open to talk about life and faith and connect to the local church in Timisoara. We pray that the Gospel seeds planted in this way in the hearts of many young people will grow in their hearts and help them to encounter God.

VBS in Campeni area

Pastors Florin Botar and Aurel Rodean organized a Vacation Bible School in Campeni and the surrounding villages. More than one hundred children attended, the majority coming from non-believing homes. Grace Church from Normal, IL is partnering with the pastors and the work in Campeni area for many years now.

The church in Sohodol held a special service of thanksgiving on its 10^th anniversary of the new building. On this occasion Pastor Eugen Groza was invited to preach at a special evangelistic meeting.

The Church in Babadag ministering in the Nursing Home for Seniors
One of the regular ministries of the church in Babadag is to the elderly in the local nursing home. There are 114 people in the nursing home, and Pastor Cornel Mos-Man leads a group that visits them on Wednesdays and Saturdays every week. On Sundays people from the home who wish to take–part in the worship can get a ride to church and have lunch, 28 of the elderly came on June 21″ for a special day of celebration with the church. Pray for this outreach of the church in Babadag. Pray also for their summer outreach to children in the area. The children work takes place outdoors every week in the summer with games, songs and Bible lessons.

Christian Center for children in Campeni area, central Transylvania
In February 2009 Pastor Florin Botar and the church in Ponorel started a new project – a Christian Center for children. Activities include English lessons, as well as games, Christian songs and Bible studies. This outreach started in a public school with twelve children and the number has now increased to thirty. Pastor Florin has planned two Vacation Bible School events in two other villages in the area, Sohodol and Bara de Aries. Pray for this work especially as they are considering planting a church in Baia de Aries.

Leadership Conference in January – Zionsville Presbyterian Church, IN has facilitated for the S’h year consecutively a conference where pastors, elders, missionaries and Christian workers from three cities in the south of Romania – Giurgiu, Alexandria and Fetesti – come together to receive teaching in Scripture and to share and learn about the ministry in every area. Jack Jordan from IN taught from 2 Corinthians about Christian Ministry. Thank you ZPC and Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, IN for investing in growing leaders in the churches you partner with.

The church in Bicaz area
Pastor Beni Handaric ministers in three towns in Bicaz area, north east of Romania, since the early ’90s. Pastor Beni brings together leaders from all three churches to be trained as part of MLI’s Church Based Leadership Development program. This year it feels like a fresh start in the churches as seven people have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

Family focused ministry – Pastor Viorel Dumitru and the church in Giurgiu have taken a few days in February to minister especially to couples and families. They went on a retreat and had a Romanian couple, a pastor and his wife, who led the retreat looking at the Biblical perspective on marriage as well as discussing medical and social issues. We witness a dangerous threat to family life around the country especially as many choose to work for extended periods of time outside of the country leaving children with relatives or single parented.

Florin Iosub

Again thank you so much for making the MLI Conference a reality. The best way to find out what it meant for us is to let you read few of the thoughts of some of the participants:

The conference was amazing. The biographical study of the lives and work of the disciples of Jesus Christ was Biblical and complete, and also challenging and encouraging. Studying Psalm 22 has overwhelmed us through the richness of the Word and reset us in Jesus’ sacrifice and love. We admire and respect our brothers from Northern Ireland for their seriousness and Biblical knowledge.  Pastor Marin & Doina Tifrea, Piatra Neamt

Thank you very much for inviting us at this conference. For me and my wife this is the only opportunity per year when we can be on our own. This short vacation is very good for us and our three children; this way we can treasure more one another. Also, meeting the other pastors at this conference is a good opportunity to share our experiences. Thank you so much for the excellent accommodation offered to us and thank you very much for everything you have given us. May God richly bless you!  Ionut & Cristina Handaric, Piatra Neamt 

My dear brothers from MLI,
These days of worship from Sinaia have been a great blessing for us. We have felt God’s presence in every moment, and our souls have been refreshed. We really needed encouragement and spiritual food and the Holy Spirit’s flow in our lives. I am sure that in Heaven these days were marked down, and that our Father will open the flood gates of Heaven and He’ll send a rain of blessings on all of us (MLI, our brothers from Northern Ireland, the families that were present.) In the name of our Lord, Jesus, thank you from the depth of our hearts for everything.  Pastor Florin & Magda Botar, Campeni

It was a privilege for me to be at this conference, a blessed time spent together. The Biblical messages were relevant and inspiring for us. We were in the shadow of the cross and on the peaks with Jesus’ disciples. Thank you very much for the material blessings also. May God bless you! Ioan & Adi Asaftei, Botosani 

My dear brothers from MLI,
Both my wife and I were extremely honored for the invitation to this conference. With all the liberty in Jesus Christ we can say that we were deeply moved and above all we could feel God’s love and presence in an extraordinary way. The time that we’ve spent here with you almost stopped, and I can say that we were not only in a resort, but in an oasis full of grace. Someone said once: ‘You can only decide about the time that was given to you.’  I leave content from this conference and together with my wife, I want to thank you in the name of Jesus, our Lord, for the time of spiritual encouragement that you have given us throughout these days! May God bless you and keep you in His hands! Daniel & Mariana Ghuizela, Zlatna

I felt extremely honored to be invited this year at the conference organized by MLI. I thank God for the days spent together with my brothers and sisters. I was truly blessed by Dr. Stanley Barnes and Dr. John Morrow’s messages. Besides improving my knowledge, I was blessed with encouragement and spiritual growth. I will never forget the messages from the Messianic Psalms and the messages about Jesus Christ’s disciples. I pray that God’s blessings on our brothers from Northern Ireland who have served us through the Word of God, and also for those who have financially supported this conference. I thank God for Missio Link and I pray that He will send many blessings to MLI and especially to brother Eugene Groza, who leads this foundation, and to brother Florin Iosub, who helps him in this ministry. May God continue to bless you so that you can organize this kind of blessed events. Pastor Viorel Vuc, Bolvasnita

We thank God and the ones He used to make this conference possible! God has blessed us with rich spiritual food. We appreciate the good organization, the excelent accommodation and dinners and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May God bless you, your ministry and your families! Through this conference we have grown closer to one another and together we have come closer to the Lord. May God abundantly bless you!  Pastor Dumitru & Maria Condrea, Dorohoi

I was touched by God’s presence at this conference. I felt God talking directly to me through His word and through our brothers Stanley Barnes and John Morrow. I was encouraged to continue preaching and inspire my church in Sambateni, Arad and also to get involved more in Bible study and national camps in our denomination Oastea Domnului. May God be blessed and may he repay the efforts made by our brothers who have visited us and by those who were behind the organization of this wonderful event. Emy Cara, Arad 

We participated for the first time at the conference organized by Missio Link International and we were fascinated by everything that has happened over the past days. It was a time of spiritual growth and also a time of relaxation. The speakers were lead by the Holy Spirit and I understood the importance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and we were motivated by the disciples’ live of service. The organization of the conference had all the high standards and we had the opportunity to meet other evangelical workers from several parts of the country. We thank God and everyone who made it possible for us to attend this conference. May God bless you all!  Pastor Ghita & Cornelia Campean, Sibiu 

The conference at Sinaia was a real blessing for our family. After a period of walking ‘through the valley of the shadow of death’, the Lord called us to worship ‘on the mountain’, to encourage us, teach us and give us new blessings to help us in our ministry. By the example of the brothers and sisters who have served us this week, God reminded us ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’ and that every disciple of Jesus is called to get involved and give with joy. Thank you for your sacrifice and may God fulfill His promises in your lives, giving you everything you need to accomplish His purpose in you! Be blessed! Valentin & Dana Apostoaei 

We thank God for the wonderful days that we have spent at this conference. There were great moments from all points of view: spiritually and physically. We have felt the Holy Spirit’s presence. Personally I was encouraged through the Word brought by our brothers from Northern Ireland. The messages were extremely powerful, challenging, and consistent, that brought comfort to those who attended. We want to thank all those who made this conference possible, those who got involved and organized and those who supported it financially and spiritually. May God bless you and reward your sacrifice and from what you have given, may He multiply a thousand times. It was a special conference and we would like to have more of these blessed meetings and we pray that God will make this possible. May the Lord’s blessing and grace be with you all! Pastor Lazar & Florica Arnaut, Borlova

We have been so blessed through you! We were glad to be together, to worship and to be encouraged. Thank you for the spiritual food, for the special accommodation and for the financial support, and for helping us in the ministry that we are doing for the Lord. May God bless you! – Pastor Daniel & Nely Furdui, Alexandria  (Philippians 4:19-21)        

Greetings to you all in the wonderful name of Jesus our Lord.  MLI Pastors Family Retreat this year took place on September 03 – 07, as it was planned. Once again God blessed us in an amazing way! The teaching was great, the weather was very nice, the fellowship was warm and the whole conference was excellent. I am thankful to God for His grace and His provision for us but also my heart is filled with gratitude towards each one of you. Thank you for your prayers, support and generosity. Because of your love and generosity about 42 pastors and their wives were able to attend the conference. Once again I was overwhelmed by the goodness and the sovereignty of God. It is amazing how He coordinates all things to bless us. He knows the needs of each one of us and prepares the right people and the right messages to encourage and challenge us. Pastor Stanley Barnes, Pastor John Morrow and their wives, Ina and Norra, from Northern Ireland, were used greatly by God to teach, encourage and challenge us. Through them God gave us exactly what we needed. Thank you from the depth of my heart for being so kind, so generous and for understanding how important such retreats are for the Romanian Pastors and their wives. Most of these pastors are working in the poorest areas of Romania. For some of them this time at Sinaia (a wonderful mountain setting) was the only time of vacation for the whole year.  Please take few moments to read what some of the participants had to say:

My dear brothers from MLI, these days of worship from Sinaia have been a great blessing for us. We have felt God’s presence in every moment, and our souls have been refreshed. We really needed encouragement and spiritual food and the Holy Spirit’s flow in our lives. I am sure that in heaven these days were marked down, and that our Father will open the flood gates of heaven and He’ll send a rain of blessings on all of us (MLI, our brothers from Northern Ireland the families that were present.)  Pastor Florin & Magda Botar

I had the grace from God to participate at this conference together with my wife and with other families of God’s servants. In a natural environment of rare beauty, we have spent this time receiving teachings from the Word which have redirected my life. My dear brothers and sisters from Northern Ireland and all who have supported spiritually and financially this conference, thank you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through your love and generosity God has blessed and touched our lives!  Pastor Moisuc Stefan

As a family we have had a year filled with personal and professional events; some have consumed us a lot, and maybe some have tested our limits. I confess that every time I couldn’t make it anymore I would think that God would give us a time of relaxation and rest in September at the conference organized by MLI, and it was like that this year too. This conference is already a part of our lives and we perceive it as a blessing from the Lord…and we deeply thank you!  Pastor Remus & Patricia Runcan

Thank you very much for inviting us at this conference. For me and my wife this is the only opportunity during the year when we can be on our own. This ‘short vacation’ is very good for us and our three children; this way we can treasure more one another.  Ionut & Cristina Handaric  

I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now….It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart.  Philippians 1: 3-7

Your brother in Christ, Eugen Groza