In a Roma village called Tinca, there was a father who was known for his dependency on alcohol. His family was no stranger to abuse, and his son recalls nights when he would be thrown out on the streets. This is a story that is normal in many countries, and it often seems like a hopeless situation. It wouldn’t be surprising for the father to die an alcoholic and his children to follow in his footsteps. But the future of this family changed when Dorin heard the gospel through a street evangelist. As this father was transformed by the gospel, others in the village saw and turned to Jesus. Today, Dorin pastors a church in Tinca, and he has a passion to spread the gospel in other villages that are unreached. He has already planted churches in a few villages and is praying about where to go next.
Dorin’s son, Adrian, studied theology and returned to Tinca to do ministry. He and his wife love children and want to impact the children in their village. As they teach the children Truth and show them what love looks like, they also hope to plant a desire in their hearts for education. Most Roma children see no value in going to school and nothing is pushing them to do it. Adrian hopes to see these children embrace better futures and see their potential. Children go to the church every afternoon, and when they met our team, they embraced us instantly. They are so ready to accept love. As I spoke with Adrian, I noticed one girl who sat watching the other kids playing. I sat down and tried to ask a couple questions in Romanian, and I realized that the language in that village was not similar to Romanian, so she didn’t understand. Despite this, she pressed in to my side and wrapped my arms around her. She held on to me until we left, even when we played duck duck goose. It was so clear that this church is a safe place, and it was so encouraging to see the impact that Adrian’s family has.
Another dream that they have for this village is seeing women become Godly wives and mothers. Women who respect their husbands and love their families when it’s hard. Adrian said that he can’t do it himself, but he would love to have other women join his wife in discipling and pouring into the women of Tinca. I hope that in the future, World Race teams can come to serve the women of Tinca.
Please pray for Adrian’s family and their ministry. This Christmas, they hope to invite the children from the village to the church. The problem is that they don’t know how to get the children to come. Many people who turned to Christ don’t really understand what it means to follow Him and they are not very committed. Since church and the gospel are not very important to parents, the kids don’t have drive to go either. Please pray that the kids will be excited to join the church for Christmas and that they will hear the good news and give their lives to Christ.
