Please see the following PDFs to read about this past month’s Pastor’s Retreat:

• 2007 Pastor’s Retreat Newsletter
• 2007 Pastor’s Retreat Participant Reflections

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

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

Greetings from Missio Link International (MLI) in Romania and from USAffairs/Romania Ministries. For our friends in Romania, it has been a long and hard winter. Nonetheless, the Spirit and work of God continues through his chosen servants and friends who are living in Romania, a dynamic and emerging country. As Spring 2006 is slowly approaching, the effects of their recent long winter are beginning to be replaced with renewed life. As God reminds us, as all that are with Him, there is not only His Presence with us during our own Winter seasons, there is always a God-ordained Springtime that comes from Him that is intended to be for our restoration, renewal, refreshment, and re-creation. The landscape in Romania is again coming alive - renewed externally - as always symbolically displayed, matching the internal re-creation within. This is an important and vital season to be in Romania and to be in close touch with our friends in Christ faithfully living for Him there. There is much more to be done, meanwhile we rejoice as much has been done, in the Name of Christ. We are very honored to be their longtime friends from the beginning and to this day.

I was in Romania the last two weeks of March. After the first week in Romania, a study and friendship group arrived from Stonegate Fellowship Church, Midland Texas. They experienced a full week of in-depth visits with the Romanian Christians engaged every day at least one of the five different points of direct ministry being fulfilled by MLI, based in Timisoara, Romania. The Texan Christians personally witnessed first-hand the fruit of and the present status of Church Partnerships, the Deborah House 1 in full operation for local, domestically abused girls, and visited the nearby soon-to-open Deborah House 2.

After a rigorous cross country van-drive, including visits to historical and cultural points of interest, we rested at the Alpinis Villa near Sibiu – a camping and retreat center now under development - located high in the Transylvanian Mountains in Central Romania.

Back in Timisoara they had great visits with the families being served by the Agape Project, which provides meals and fellowship for the isolated elderly and infirm. Our new friends from Texas visited the various ministry sites of Doru & Rodica Racovicean, declared by MLI as the Harmony Project. Through Harmony, the life, love and dynamic hope found in Christ is introduced to hundreds of otherwise neglected, orphaned, and abused children now living in state-run orphanages. In cooperation with the staff and directors of these facilities, Harmony brings music, hope and the personal love of Christ to these young people. The renewing musical messages and personal touch of Harmony is now reaching beyond the state-run orphanages, but also into the local prison and a nearby youth detention center. God is expressing His Love and Hope from His faithful servants in Romania. We are honored to be with them in this noble enterprise.

An added special personal and spiritual blessing for the girls and staff at Deborah House was the arrival of Lauren W. Clevenger CPNP, from Knoxville, Tennessee, also serving on the newly formed Deborah Team USA. Lauren, an advanced trained and certified medical resource focused her time with the staff and girls now living at the Deborah 1 Center. It was a very special time for all involved.

At the end of the day it was a great trip for all of us from Tennessee and Texas. USAffairs and MLI are now looking forward to working closely with this dynamic and versatile community of Christians from the Lone Star State.

Friends from around the USA are invited to join us. If any have any interest in coming alongside us in ministry with our brothers and sisters in Romania, please contact Rhonda Ward or Alec Woodhull us at our Maryville, Tennessee office (865-980-1980) or by e-mail: rhondaward@usaffairs.org or alecwoodhull@mindspring.com.

The work and personal ministry of USAffairs/Romania Ministries and MLI continues with vigor and with constant gratitude to our gracious and dynamic Lord and Savior King Jesus.

For all with MLI and USAffairs,

Alec Woodhull