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

In March I had the privilege to visit many of our friends and partners  
in the USA.  An important part of the trip was the forming of a team  
to focus on Alpinis.  We met for evaluation and planning in Knoxville  
and were hosted by Alec & Pati Woodhull from USAffairs.  After a few  
days in Knoxville, I spent time with a variety of church and  
parachurch groups in Midland (TX), Toledo (OH), Nappannee, Zionsville  
and Indianapolis (IN), Nashville & Memphis (TN). Thank you dear  
friends for your participation in Alpinis and for your great  
hospitality.

Church groups and leaders in Romania are increasingly aware of Alpinis  
as a beautiful place for retreats and camps.  However, our needs for  
operations and edevelopment are far from being met.  We still have  
some critical needs before having the “OPEN” sign on the door.  We  
need to put in a sewage system that can handle the new capacity of the  
cabin, insulate and finish the cabin on the outside; to develop the  
sports field, and to upgrade the kitchen with commercial equipment.

We have the funds for the kitchen, thanks to Lois Mitten Rosenberry  
from Toledo, OH, and it is critical that we at least do the sewage  
system before the summer.  We have camps and retreats scheduled at  
Alpinis throughout the Summer and into the Fall.  I invite you to pray  
with us and participate in making this work possible.  Please contact  
our MLI/USAffairs office in Knoxville, TN if you would like to receive  
more information about Alpinis and if you consider coming to serve  
with a team on a camp or work project.

The city of Sibiu receives a lot of attention this year as it has been  
appointed Cultural Capital of Europe.  Hundred of cultural events,  
expositions, concerts, and conferences are taking place in the  
medieval city with a rich historical and cultural heritage. One effect  
of this is the number of tourists going up, and hopefully this will  
mean more infrastructure development for the area around Alpinis.  One  
good news is that a new ski slope is being developed very near our  
cabin.

A group from the Evangelical Free Church from Craivoa, south of  
Romania, came to Alpinis for a retreat in the winter with youth pastor  
Dan Vieru and had this to say:
“I am very grateful for the time at Alpinis ? for experiencing so many  
wonders, the supernatural view of the mountains covered with snow, the  
wind blowing in flute-like tunes, it was a dream.  I could communicate  
with God through all these wonders, His greatness has no limits.  I  
look forward tdo come back and I hope other young people will  
experience at least the same joy of being with the Father here as I  
have.”        –Sorina Stanceanu, Craiova

Emil Toader

Doru Racovicean continues every week to faithfully minister to  
children and students with difficulties from the children homes in  
Recas and Lugoj, and the juvenile prison in Buzias in western Romania.   

A team from Stonegate Fellowship Church from Midland, TX came to  
work with Doru for a week in March.  The group worked with the  
teachers and children in Recas for two days doing games, testimonies  
and other activities all centering on introducing the Gospel message.

A special group of 11 college students emerged out of the group Doru  
worked with over the years.  He knows the students and was involved in  
their lives since they were 12-14.  The highlight of the week was a  
three-day retreat to Alpinis with Doru and the Stonegate team, the  
college student group and a group of thirty children and teachers.  We  
really appreciated the time at Alpinis, we had Bible studies, worship  
and testimonies, dramas and time for personal discussions.  The group  
from Stonegate had a great impact on all who took part.  Thank you!

Three hundred children from Recas, Lugoj, Buzias and Timisoara took  
part in a special Easter service and lunch at Bethany Baptist Church  
in Timisoara. In all that we do, we aim to touch the children and the  
students with God’s love.
Thank you for your prayers and support in this work.

Please pray that we would be able to continue to bring the love of  
Jesus to those who are less privileged in our communities.

Doru & Rodica Racovicean

There are fourteen girls now living in the two Deborah houses.  The  
last girl came a few weeks ago and she is still getting used to the  
place.  This is a difficult time as she has left her town, her high  
school and classmates, her friends, her life.  Girls are of a variety  
of ages from 11 to 21, everyone is unique with different needs and  
capabilities.

Gratiela is the oldest, she finished a vocational school and now she  
has a full time job.  Gratiela also continues to study in order to  
complete her high school.  Estera is 19, she will finish the  
vocational school this summer and then she will leave the house, we  
will continue to walk with her and help her get a job and set in the  
new life.   She will need a place to live starting with the summer.

Gabi and Vicky are sisters, they are learning to become seamstresses  
in a vocational school and we are helping them to learn hair styling.  
Alice is 15, and she would like to work in the field of tourism and  
commercial service, she love playing guitar.  Alice?s sister, Adelina  
is 14 and she will have a difficult exam to pass this summer ? she  
love sports! Alina (15) is Estera?s sister and she wants to go to Art  
School in Timisoara.  Simona is 18, she is now in 10th grade and she  
had a great time studying in the US for one year. Tunde (13) and  
Sorina (11) are the youngest.

At Deborah 2, Lavinia is 14 and she attends a special school called “Second Chance” where she can study two school years in one calendar year, she is 4th grade now. Daniela is 17 and she is learning to be a seamstress and she takes hair styling classes, she loves painting. Adelina and Elena are both 17, they are the 10th and the 9th grade and are both very good students.

We share this with you to give you a glimpse of life in the Deborah homes and to invite you to pray specifically for our needs. Pray for the staff and parents from Deborah and their families.

Another Way You Can Give A Girl The Freedom To Dream, To Love & To Hope
Deborah House Center is now a proven, successful program.   The  
changes in the lives of our rescued girls are both uplifting and a  
blessing to all who help support this program.

You have been supportive with your prayers and by sharing God?s  
blessings with your gifts.  And, for this, we say thank you even as we  
ask you to prayerfully consider introducing your family, friends,  
co-workers, and acquaintances to Deborah House Center.  Will you share  
the uplifting blessings you receive from supporting this ministry with  
people you know  Will you offer them the opportunity to be involved  
with this life changing ministry?

With two houses now in operation, additional girls are being rescued  
and placed into the Deborah House Center program.  Yet, with two  
houses and additional rescued girls, the reality is we have additional  
operating expenses for 2007.  In order to meet the increased cost of  
operations, we now ask of you something as valuable as your continuing  
gifts.

Thank you for your continued support of the Deborah girls!  Your  
prayers and gifts are making a real difference in their lives.

Lorena Rusovan and the DHC Staff

Agape - Meals on wheels

Many children and elderly people continue to receive a daily meal and  
personal support through the MLI Agape project.  There are many  
elderly people who cannot do anything to improve their situation.  
They have a very low income, their health is very bad and they are  
very lonely people.  Through a daily meal and contact with support  
groups from Bethany Baptist Church we try to care for some basic needs  
and express God?s love in a very practical way.  One characteristic of  
this program is its regularity;  please pray that we will have wisdom  
in selecting the people we can help and that God will continue to  
provide the resources for us to continue.
Luminita Barbulescu, Social Worker

Dear Friends of MLI,

About seventeen years ago, in December 1989, God has changed Romania  
in only a few days.  God did in a matter of days what we thought  
nobody can do.  The bondage of fear and hopelessness was gone after  
forty-five years of communism. For the first time, we were free to  
speak out our thoughts and the hopes of a better future overwhelmed  
us.  We expected great things to happen overnight.
Many people, most of them young, gave their lives for us to gain the  
right to hope, to dream and tell the truth.  Many monuments were  
raised and dedicated by the living to the memory of those who gave  
their lives for our freedom.  While this is good and right, it  
recently made me think of what President Lincoln said during his  
amazing Gettysburg Address:

“…in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we  
cannot hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who  
struggled here, have consecrated to, far above our poor power to add  
or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say  
here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the  
living rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they  
who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.  It is rather for us  
to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from  
these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which  
they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly  
resolve the these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation,  
under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of  
the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the  
earth.”

He was right! We dedicated monuments to them but we failed to dedicate  
ourselves to carry on their dreams as we should. At the end of last  
year for the first time, our President officially condemned communism  
and the crimes of communism in Romania.  This is one of the reasons  
behind the impeachment of the Romanian President by the Parliament.  
On May 19th we had a referendum in Romania regarding this impeachment  
and 75% of the people voted against the Parliament’s initiative that  
the President should stay.  The former “securitate” is behind this  
impeachment.  This shows how the country is going through turmoil and  
political crisis at various levels. I think we are at an important  
point in our history.

At the beginning of this year after seventeen years of “transition”,  
Romania just got accepted into the European Union.  What that means  
for us it is still hard to know!  What we can say for sure is the fact  
the cost of life is going up fast, the poor are getting poorer and the  
rich (they are not too many) are getting richer.  Euro and USD value  
less and the life is getting more and more difficult for most people.

For us as Christians, it is the time to pray, hope and work hard for  
the things to get better.  I thank you so much for your friendship and  
partnership for so many years.  Thank you for being along side us  
during these difficult times.  I appreciate you so much!  I want to  
encourage you to continue to pray for us to be God’s people in our  
country and to have the wisdom from God to understand the times.

Blessings to you and your families!

Yours in Him!
Eugen Groza