One of the primary goals of MLI’s Church Partnership Program is to  
develop leaders in the churches and area where we are involved.  Soon  
after the ?89 Revolution we could see in Romania a hunger for the  
Gospel, the new freedom opened the door for many new churches to be  
planted in towns and villages across the country, and also for  
Christian pastors and leaders to openly practice their calling.  
Seventeen years from the revolution we find there is still so much to  
be done.  Many churches are having a hard time supporting a pastor and  
many pastors are finding it increasingly difficult to just be a pastor  
and not have a second job.  Through the Church Partnerships we are  
addressing the need for supporting leaders and pastors as well as  
investing in the development of new leaders.  We are very grateful for  
your support and participation in this work and we invite you to pray  
that God will raise more leaders, more people who are called to serve  
and invest their lives in the Kingdom.

Leadership Development Retreat in Sinaia

Every year the partnership between Zionsville Presbyterian Church in  
Zionsville, Indiana, and the churches in Giurgiu, Ftesti and  
Alexandria from the south of Romania reaches new dimensions.  We very  
much appreciate how these churches have understood to come together  
and learn from each other and support each other.  At the end of  
January the pastors and elders and workers from all those churches  
have come together for a three-day retreat in Sinaia.  This was the  
first such retreat where we were able to have the partners come with  
their spouses. Pastor Jack Jordan led the retreat based on a theme  
from Ephesians, The Spiritual Battle: How to be prepared and how to  
lead a victorious Christian Life.  Hope Jordan & Joan Gall led the  
Ladies sessions.  This is a great way of developing leadership in  
local churches.

Christian Witness in remote mountain areas of Transylvania

Grace Baptist Church from Normal, Illinois, is partnering through MLI  
with pastors Aurel Rodean and Florin Botar in Campeni and Abrud, two  
small mountain towns in a mining area in central Transylvania. We are  
honored to be of help in the advance of the Kingdom in this area,  
especially as the two pastors are involved in eight small towns and  
villages scattered in the mountains around Campeni.  We will ask for  
your prayers for the new start of a church in Carstea, a small gypsy  
village where there is only one Christian family.
Pastors Aurel and Florin also minister in the Abrud Children Home for  
more than 50 children with various handicaps.  They visit the children  
twice a month, on Saturdays, and have a great impact teaching them  
songs, poems, and Scripture verses.  At Easter they had a wonderful  
time celebrating the Resurrection together with the children in a  
special event.

Prayer and Fasting continues in Vatra Dornei

On March 16, it was one year since Pastor Vasile Hoblea and the church  
in Vatra Dornei, in northeast   Romania were called to a time of  
fasting and prayer. During this time, various Christian pastors,  
leaders and lay people came together to fasts and pray for the work in  
Romania.  The church in Vatra Dornei is in partnership with Highlands  
Community Church from Seattle, Washington, and under the leadership of  
Pastor Vasile, the church is very much involved in planting new  
churches in the area.  The church building is equipped with  
accommodation facilities in the back and many brothers and sisters  
coming to or through the beautiful mountain spa of Vatra Dornei stop  
here to refresh their relationship with God.  This year in March, The  
Association of Christian Policemen in Romania had a three-day retreat  
in Vatra Dornei with the same focus on prayer and fasting.

A group of 24 people from Northern Ireland, mostly from Hillsborough  
Presbyterian Church, came to celebrate Easter with us in Romania in  
April.  We very much appreciate the partnership of the church in  
Ulster as they have been involved with the Deborah House project and  
with churches in Romania for many years.  The group was led by Sharon  
Craig and Edwin Poots, and they visited the Children Home in Recas and  
the girls from Deborah.  The group went on a day trip to the Danube  
with the girls from Deborah and some of the young people from Bethany  
Church in Timisoara.

Florin Iosub