| We
returned from Romania on July 15 weary, but joyous over what our Lord
had done on this mission trip. This was my fifth trip to Romania, and
my best crusade yet. Although the number of professions of faith have
been higher in times past, never before has the Romanian church
involvement been greater. Our eight-person team (four men, four women)
saw 438 professions of faith, over twenty Romanians walking with us,
numerous home visits, and over 200 Romanian Christians (Baptist,
Pentecostal, and Brethren) attended our victory rally at the end of the
crusade.
Romania 1996: Field
of Souls
I never know what to
expect on these crusades, but I know God is in the business of saving
men, women, boys, and girls, causing them to be born-again into His
family and kingdom. As we drove from Otepeni airport northward to
Campina, we saw fields of corn ripening, row after row of tomatoes
ready to be eaten, and then, quite by surprise, a combine--the wheat
was ready for harvest. Romania's wheat production is down sharply this
year (over 50%), but the quality of the crop was unchanged. The heads
on the stalks were full and ripe, assuring the harvesters healthy seed
for a promising future. Our Lord made several references linking fields
of wheat to the field of souls, and I hoped this endeavor would see a
good harvest, and that the fruits of our labor would give growth to the
Romanian churches.
Our mission began
with ministry to the churches. For the second year in a row, we held a
leadership training seminar. The goal of these seminars is to equip the
local church leaders to reaching and discipling new believers. Many of
the tools we use in the United States are unknown to them. Small group
Bible studies are unheard of in this part of Romania. One-on-one
discipleship is not practiced, either. The churches in Romania have had
a fortress mentality for 50 years, and were suspicious of newcomers
(possible agents of the secret police). The seminars we lead are to
help the church members move to a harvest and growth mentality, using
Biblical principles of discipleship. We hope to hold a seminar on
follow-up ministry and programming in 1997.
The week of
evangelism began in the presence of a record-setting heat wave. Daily
temperatures soared over 100 degrees, and in a land without
air-conditioning, fans, or well ventilated buildings, it was stifling.
Our work in the streets and homes slowed greatly in the melting heat.
This went on for two days, praying each day the Lord would send relief.
On Tuesday night, our prayers were answered. A cold front, complete
with rain (the lack of which was the chief cause for the decreased
wheat production), moved upon us, dropping the temperatures by twenty
degrees--we had to sleep under a blanket at night! This mild weather
held throughout the remainder of the week, and we saw the number of
decisions rise, as team members and interpreters regained their
enthusiasm and energy. Our church services on Wednesday through Friday
nights were more pleasant as well. The church in Filipesti (where I
ministered) did not see the same sweat-drenched preacher they had seen
on Sunday night. The Filipesti team saw 152 decisions for Christ,
and at least twenty-five of these attended the weeknight services. God
was indeed awesome in His provision.
We also, for the
first time, conducted special children's programs at the churches. The
results were incredible. We saw 377 children in five services, held in
three communities. Lack of resources and time prevented us from
doing more. The children were so excited and are so beautiful! They
were so eager to learn that a team of two Americans and their
interpreters were able to lead over 100 children. While this is not the
preferred student-teacher ratio, it highlights the ministry need to
children. We would love to run a Vacation Bible School in these
communities concurrent with the evangelism effort. This would require
twice as many Americans as we are now taking.
The churches were
more involved this year than in previous years. Believe it or not, too
many of the Romanian believers are content to sit back "and let the
Americans do their thing". This is changing. Not only did we have as
many Romanians walking with us as we had in the previous four trips
combined, but we also had many more involved in providing home visits
with their families, friends. and neighbors who are lost. This was a
sign of encouragement to us, as it demonstrates spiritual growth and
widening vision in the churches. Three churches also have building
programs underway. You can perhaps see why I regard this year's trip as
the best ever. Our church and community penetration was deeper than
ever, and we had a solid number of decisions for Christ.
A Personal
Experience
We had lunch with an
84 year-old brother and his wife. After lunch, his fifty-something sons
and their wives came over. Brother Neai explained that his sons
formerly attended church, but had married 'women of the world', and had
turned away from Christ. I shared the gospel with them, and although
all were teary-eyed, not one would commit their lives and souls to
Jesus. Brother Neai wept openly over the lostness of his sons, and
after prayer, we departed. We immediately encountered three teen-age
boys, and a young man in his twenties sitting at a well. My
interpreter, Adina, and I began to share with them. One of
Brother Neai's daughters-in-law followed us to the well. I gave an
invitation, and all, including the woman, wanted to receive Christ. All
prayed aloud to invite Jesus into their hearts. The three teen-age boys
were the sons of Brother Neai's daughter-in-law--his own grandchildren!
The Lord led us to many other souls that day, but none could match the
graciousness and irony of God as the meeting at the well.
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