“A graveyard for pastors and missionaries…” Those are the words that have been spoken over the region of Romania in which we are living this month.
It has been called this because of the deeply rooted syncretistic Orthodox traditions of southern Romania, mixed with superstition and witchcraft. In this part of the world, turning away from the Orthodox Church can mean being cut off from your family and isolated by your community.
When talking to a man in a nearby village, he told us, “I am Orthodox. I was born Orthodox. And I will die Orthodox.”
This is the mindset of many people here in Olt County.
But this place is not a graveyard.
No, this place is a field ripe for the harvest.
I have seen so many signs of life in Draganesti-Olt. This month, we having been working with Hope Church, and they bring so much actual hope to this community. And the community is hungry for that hope.
I have seen that hunger in an Orthodox priest who allowed us to pray over him as we were handing out New Testaments. I have seen that hunger in a man with no legs who longs for the hope of joy. I have seen it in widows, longing to see their granddaughters and just wanting someone with whom they could share their story.
I have seen it again and again—people searching for hope—a hope that can only be found in Christ.
In Matthew 9, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
The harvest is plentiful here in Romania, so here we are: 55 workers, coming for the harvest.
Our ministry has looked different every day, but each day has been full of incredible experiences and encounters with God. So far, our team has handed out New Testaments in a nearby village, cleaned up trash around Draganesti-Olt, hosted a sports and kids event, brought groceries to widows and visited them in their homes, led worship and shared testimonies in a house church, relaid a brick courtyard, and helped our ministry contact clean her apartment.
Through each ministry opportunity, we have met incredible people, heard incredible stories, shared the Gospel, and prayed for hope for the men and women of Romania.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. They are making a huge difference here in Romania.
Financial update: I have hit 75% of my goal! This is a huge blessing! However, this means that I still have around $4,000 to raise before January 1st in order to be fully funded. If you would like to financially support me to keep me on the race, click anywhere that says “support me.” Thank you so much to those who have poured into this ministry so far!
