Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
May 31 - June 11, 2009
LETTER #1
"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Timothy 2 15)
Sunday/Monday, May 31 June 1, 2009, A group of 24 “Ambassadors for Christ” (12 men and 12 women) from various parts of the US traveled to Bucharest , Romania on another Family Radio tract distribution trip. We plan to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the people here during the next ten days by distributing thousands of the Family Radio Does God Love You? tracts and hundreds of Bibles in the Romanian language.
As is customary on these trips, the tracts were printed locally and contain the current Family Radio broadcasting schedules for this area and a reference to the multilingual website. The Bibles have been purchased here as well.
We currently have 225,000 Romanian Does God Love You? tracts and about 50 Romanian Bibles in our hotel, and we can order more of both, as needed. We also have many booklets and CDs of Family Radio’s Bible teaching materials in Romanian and some tracts and booklets in other languages. Some members of the group brought the Family Radio materials as checked baggage.
Romania is located on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe . It is bounded by the Black Sea and Moldova to the east; Bulgaria to the south; Serbia , and Montenegro , and Hungary to the west; and Ukraine to the north and northeast. The current population of the country is close to 22 million people, and Bucharest is the capital city with about 2 million.
The religious makeup of the country is mostly Christians with 70% of the population Romanian Orthodox, 10% are Protestant, 10% are Greek Catholic, and 5% are Roman Catholic.
We are looking forward to sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Christ with the people of Romania , and we are praying that God will perform a mighty work of grace in the hearts of many in this part of the world.
After traveling between Sunday and Monday (in some cases almost 24 hours), by the grace of God, our group arrived safely in Romania. We had dinner and retired to bed, to prepare for an early start tomorrow (Tuesday).
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. lessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #2
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (I John 3:18 )
Tuesday, June 2, 2009. After a good night's rest by God's mercy, we were refreshed and ready to start our first day of sharing the gospel of grace with the people of Bucharest, Romania. We had our usual logistics conference, primarily to apprise the four new ambassadors of our mode of operation on these trips. We broke up into six teams of four members each, all of whose assignments were to work at six different transfer points on the four line metro system, which is the primary means of transportation in and around the city of Bucharest.
One team went to the Piata Obor Metro stop and reported good success sharing the words of life at this very busy subway outlet, at which there was also a market place. Two of the team members stayed at the street level of the metro station, working at the busy traffic crossing, while the other two members walked a short distance away to a walkway where there was a steady flow of pedestrian traffic entering and exiting the marketplace. This mini team, after working at this walkway, scoped out the area and found another entrance/exit to the marketplace that proved to be more fertile and they were able to share many of the "Does God Love You?" tracts to a reasonably receptive people.
While sitting in the park for a little break, a mother and daughter sat next to the two ambassadors. They noticed that the mother was reading her Bible and after a few minutes, the ambassadors shared the tracts with them, which they graciously accepted and promptly started reading. Upon reading the information about not being in a church, they sincerely asked, in their halting English: "Why don't you go to church anymore?" The ambassadors had the opportunity to point out to this mother daughter, in their own Romanian Bible, the Matthew 24:15 16 and Revelation 18:4 verses that speak about God's command to leave the churches. The ambassadors witnessed with them for a little and showed them the section on the tract where they could order additional material to help them to better understand what God's word is teaching us today. These two ladies were very thankful for the information and when the ambassadors were leaving they said: "Let us pray for
each other, to which the ladies responded: "OK". May the Lord's hand of mercy be on these two Romanian ladies, in accordance with His will.
Another team went to the Gara de Nord metro stop. This is perhaps largest and most busy subway stop on the Metro System because it is the terminus for about six different speed rail lines and also a major bus terminus. Accordingly, there were large crowds of people coming and going, hurrying to make connections with these various modes of transportation to get to different points in and around the city and its suburbs. Two team members worked the street traffic, while the other two members worked along a walkway that led from the speed trains to the metro.
After working there for a while, they were stopped by security, who told them that they had to have permission to share the tracts at that location, but did not volunteer any information as to where to go to get such permission, more concerned about shooing them off the premises.
Nevertheless the team was able to continue sharing in the metro station, and on the street level. During this time they encountered a taxi driver who was keenly watching one of the ambassadors busily working the pedestrian traffic. The taxi driver called the ambassador and asked him what is it that he was sharing and he responded that he was sharing a message from the Bible. The taxi driver asked incredulously, and with genuine naivete: "Bible?" What is a Bible? The ambassador was able to witness with this man, telling him that the Bible is God's word to mankind, telling us about salvation and judgment. The ambassador gave him the last "We Are Almost There!" teaching
booklet, which he warmly accepted and said that he would most definitely read it to learn more. Let us pray for God's mercy on this young man.
The remaining teams worked at the other metro stations and everyone reports relatively good reception of the tracts and FR teaching booklets, with the young people surprisingly more inquisitive about the message.
We thank the Lord for the day's blessings and seek your continued prayers for God's work of grace in the hearts of many of these dear Romanian people.
"“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #3
"I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments." (Psalm 119:60)
Wednesday, June3, 2009. Today is our first full day of distribution and the Lord blessed us with very wonderful weather (high 70's), after a very big thunderstorm last night. The refreshing weather seemed to have contributed greatly in lifting the people's spirits, because thankfully, we had quite a productive day of distribution. The teams rotated and revisited five of the six metro stations/transfer hubs that were visited yesterday, while one team's assignment was to visit the Bucharest University complex.
Whereas yesterday the security personnel at the Gara de Nord station were very rigid about not sharing the words of life at the high speed rail terminus, by God's mercy, today they were more relaxed and allowed distribution at this location, and here is the team's report of their activities there.
"Our prayer before leaving the hotel was that God would soften the hearts of the authorities so that they would fully submit to our cause, and that the people would be inclined to retain the tracts. While two team members remained at the street level getting the people exiting and entering this busy subway station, the other two went downstairs to the first level where they were greeted with a hive of activity at the high speed rail terminal with trains arriving and departing continuously. One ambassador stayed at the entrance by the ticket booths, the other went into the belly of the terminal to get the passengers immediately as they stepped off the trains."
"Not long after the other ambassador began distributing tracts at the terminal, a high ranking manager questioned him as to what organization or church is the source of the material they were distributing. The ambassador explained that the material was not associated with any church but that it is based on the Bible only. The manager then indicated that we were in violation of regulations since that establishment does not permit our kind of distribution, labeling it commercial business. The ambassador told him that Family Radio is a nonprofit organization, it is not a commercial business; and that we don't ask for money. The manager replied with disbelief: "Oh no! there is something in there asking for money in some way; I'm sure of that." The ambassador told the manager that he, and others paid their own way to come to Bucharest to share the gospel of salvation with him and the dear people of this country, and that everything that we are sharing with them is all free, no cost whatsoever to them. Upon hearing that, this man, of imposing height, with no mistaking of his authority, looked down at the ambassador as he handed the tract back, and replied; "If anyone else asks... I did not see you." We see the Lord's hand of mercy here, which also brings to mind Proverbs 21:1 where it says: "the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it wither soever he will." In answer to prayers, the team had a wonderful time of sharing many tracts and FR teaching booklets at the high speed rail terminus, and also, with the volume of distribution there, they picked up only one tract from the ground. Praise the Lord for His providence."
At the Bucharest University complex, there was a steady flow of traffic at the metro station, and two of the team's ambassadors captured that crowd. In the midst of their distribution, they were told not to give the tracts and literature to the people going down into the metro station because they wanted to maintain the spotlessly clean area there. But even with sharing with only the people exiting the station there was still enough to greatly facilitate the distribution efforts at the location.
The team's remaining two ambassadors went to the University complex which had about six adjoining study halls that occupied an area of about three square blocks. The ambassadors stayed at one major intersection capturing the non stop traffic coming and going from four directions. They remained there for about five hours, emptying their entire tract load. The team returned in the afternoon to the same locations with similarly good results.
Everyone reported that the reception level increased, the people seemed more friendly, and there were more questions about the May 21, 2011 date, which allowed for many witnessing opportunities. One young man received a tract early in the day and then returned later to the ambassador who had given it to him, and confessed: "This here is the pure gospel, the pure gospel". He asked for more information which was gladly provided to him and he profusely thanked the ambassador, as did many others, that we were so concerned about bringing this message of warning to their people.
A few of the university students asked one ambassador what would happen on May 21, 2011 and they were told about the earthquake, the graves being opened, the children of God being caught up before the eyes of many. The ambassador also shared with them that salvation in Christ is the way of escape and that they too can beseech God for His mercy so that they could be spared. They were very appreciative of the information.
We thank the Lord for inclining the hearts of many to accept the tracts and we pray that there would be a great harvest of souls in this part of God's vineyard.
"For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #4
"We love him, because he first loved us." ( I John 4:19)
Thursday, June 4, 2009. We are indeed glad for another day to proclaim the gospel of grace to the citizens of Romania. We continued our efforts in and around the city at the various metro stations, and two malls, a huge indoor marketplace, and the Bucharest Plaza that are located off these metro stations.
The team assigned to the Bucharest Plaza reported as follows: "Our team went fully loaded (over 6,000 tracts) to the assignment located off the 'Arnata Poporului" metro stop. As we got to the plaza, we sensed that the security was very tight given the high visibility of security guards, but undauntedly, the team leader stepped out in faith to seek permission. He asked the first security guard if the team could share the tracts in the mall and he responded, "No!". The team leader inquired as to whether he could speak with some higher authority who could provide permission and again the guard replied, "No!". Thus the team decided that they would remain outside the mall. Two ambassadors were stationed at the main entrance getting the steady flow of people entering and exiting the mall. Another ambassador worked at a sidewalk near a smaller entrance which was fed by people crossing a huge intersection that was across the street and a block
down from the main entrance to the mall; while yet another ambassador worked the steady flow of vehicular traffic."
"Our pace kept up for many hours then we broke for lunch. At lunch in the mall a young man sitting at a table next to us perhaps overheard our discussion of the Bible and when he was about to leave, he came over to our table and humbly asked if he could have a tract. Though the team was not allowed to share the tracts in the mall, the Lord sent this young man to us and he received the tract as well as the "We Are Almost There!", and the "To God Be The Glory" teaching booklets. We continued our distribution and by God's providence we completed our entire tract load, reaching the same people that we would have encountered, had we been able to distribute in the mall."
Another team visited the Obor Metro Station which feeds the Town Hall where hundreds of people visit on a daily basis for civil weddings and to utilize a huge and beautiful park nearby; while many come to do their weekly shopping at the large indoor market a stone's throw away. This metro stop is also a transfer junction for the trolley car system that circles the city; so there is a steady flow of pedestrian traffic. Two of the team's ambassadors worked the metro station/trolley car crowd, another worked the hordes of people entering and exiting the market's main entrance, and the remaining ambassador distributed to the vendors and shoppers in the huge market complex. The team was able to reach the majority of people that were in and around the area, including those that visited the City Hall, and they too finished their entire tract load of about 6,000.
All teams reported great success in their distribution efforts today, with many instances of people expressing great joy when they received the Bibles, two men even kissing these precious gifts. Despite the entrenched Orthodox religious establishment, yet our message of salvation and judgment is reaching the people of all walks of life, from the presidential palace to the street cleaner, the gypsies, those in the red light district and everyone in between. And, we see God's softening of the hearts of these dear people with quite a few, at first, refusing the tracts but when they hear that we are not Jehovah Witnesses, or that we are not affiliated with any church organization, they gladly accept the tracts and teaching booklets.
There are many who sense that there is something wrong in their society and that they are not being properly serviced by the entrenched Orthodox religious establishment. One 52 year old woman remarked that she has the overwhelming feeling of being spiritually undernourished, and was glad to receive this pure gospel that we are sharing with them. It appears that the same sentiment was expressed by another old lady, who having read the tract she had received, and perhaps being appreciative of the rich and sacred nature of the gospel contained therein, was seen taking out only the "Does God Love You?" tracts from two garbage cans. She then smoothed them out and put them in her bag, perhaps to share with friends and family. Several people expressed gratitude for our presence there sharing the words of eternal life, saying: "God bless you" and "Thank you for coming to Romania."
Brethren, we thank you for your consistent prayers for the group and especially for the people of Romania. We are also grateful for the financial support from the listeners, towards the purchase of Bibles and to defray the costs of the mission. May our Lord continue to bless our efforts here in Romania, to the end that many of His lost sheep may be brought into the fold.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #5
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalm 138:2)
Friday, June 5, 2009. Knowing that, by God's grace, we are proclaiming the true gospel of salvation, the Lord has enabled us to be "bold as a lion" as we continue our distribution efforts here in Romania. Customarily on these mission trips, our first concentration is in and around the city limits and then we branch out to other locations further away from the city. In that regard, two teams took high speed trains to the cities of Ploieste (PLO YES TI) and Pitesti which are one hour, and 90 minutes south of the city of Bucharest, respectively.
The team that went to Pitesti presents the following report: "We started out from the Gara de Nord train station and really enjoyed the train ride and the picture postcard landscape of the countryside, which brings to mind the scripture that says: "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork" Psalm 19:1. We got to the town at 11.00 am (the trains are very punctual) and took a taxicab to the center of the town, praying for large crowds. Thankfully, we were not disappointed, because there were lots of people going about their day's activities and surprisingly, we had a very wonderful reception of the words of life, inasmuch as this is a very upscale town, with visible signs of affluence. People of all walks of life, quite a few of them expensively attired (both men and women) and they warmly and graciously accepted the tracts and booklets. We praise God for a very productive day in the city of Pitesti.
The team with the Ploieste (PLO YES TI) assignment tells of a very exciting day and God's hand of providence all the way. It started at the ticket booth to purchase the tickets where a young lady who spoke some English communicated our needs to the attendant upon seeing that we were having a difficult time. That completed, we had just a few minutes to make the 9.00 am train and started on our journey.
We got to a station but knew not that we were to disembark there because we had not yet traveled an hour, there were no announcements on the train, and no notification on the platform that we were in PLO YES TI. We then had to travel to the next station which was another hour away, then take a return train to our location, but by God's mercy we did not have to pay a fare because the conductor of the first train introduced us, and explained our situation to the conductor on the other train. Despite this seeming setback, we were able to witness to two people who were very appreciative, and also we began our distribution efforts with about two hundred passengers on the train.
We got to our destination and God had a taxi waiting for us at the station. We told him what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, and he took charge and placed us at strategic locations (including a mall and a very busy traffic intersection). We had a wonderful day of sharing the gospel of grace with the town's people shoppers, university students, construction workers, and police personnel. Though we had a late start (having arrived at 12.30 pm) and despite interruptions from the police (who were trying to appease the politicians who are gearing up for elections), we were able to distribute almost our entire tract load of 6,000 to a very receptive people and had many witnessing opportunities there, as well as on our mini bus ride back to Bucharest. Our day ended on a very delightful note, all praise and thanks to God.
Another team worked at the Fundemi Hospital and Heart Clinic which is located east of Bucharest's city center. At first they were granted permission by one of the staff personnel and they shared the tracts and booklets in the hospital. They did so for about half an hour; but this permission was revoked by a higher authority; nevertheless they continued outside the hospital and were still able to reach many people. One ambassador got to witness with a medical student who indicated that he had big plans for the future. The ambassador told him to incorporate in his plans the fact there are less than two years before judgment day. The young man said he really wanted to know more about this 5/21/2011 date and admitted that he was very troubled about the world ending within the next two years. He was encouraged to check out the FR website for more information and read his Bible.
Later in the day, while the ambassador was in an eatery with his teammate, the medical student came in and sat at a nearby table. The ambassador was glad to see him because his teammate had the English version of the "We Are Almost There!" and "I Hope God Would Save Me" teaching booklets. He went over to present the booklets to the young man who told him that he has had a bad day since he met the ambassador (his continued medical schooling was not approved). The ambassador told him that it was no accident that he (the student) had met him and that he should really consider the information that he had received. The medical student took the booklets, thanked the ambassador, and went to get his transportation home, all the while still troubled. Could it be that this is one of God's elect being drawn into the fold. May God be merciful to this young medical student, and many of his fellow countrymen.
Other teams worked at various metro stations in the city where there are still huge crowds and more especially in the late afternoon, being that it is Friday, and the beginning of the weekend. They all report a productive day of sharing. To God be the glory.
As we continue sharing the words of eternal life to the people at the various metro stations we see that the message has made an impact because quite a few people, having read the the tracts, approach us and ask for more explanation of Judgment Day. There are many who at the first offering of the tract are either hesitant, or exhibit an "I don't care" attitude, but once they are told that the information on the tract is important and that it is a warning to be prepared for 5/21/2011; and being a captive audience for at least one minute, as they wait for the traffic light to change from red to green, many would reach out for the tract at the second offering. We pray that God's transforming grace would be realized in the lives of many of these dear people as they heed the admonition to read the Bible and beseech God for His mercy, knowing that "the Son of man is come to save that which is lost" Matthew 18:11
Let us all continue to pray for these dear people of Romania, that a mighty work of grace would be done amongst them, in accordance with God's will.
"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #6
For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth." (Psalm 33:4)
Saturday, June 6, 2009. The Lord has provided yet another wonderful day for sharing the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation, to these dear people of Romania. Saturday is primarily a day of leisure for the people, where they visit one of the several state parks in and around the city, or engage in other recreational activities. Two teams visited parks, one team worked at the terminal for the high speed trains (and which is the principal mode of transportation for many who seek a weekend getaway to some other part of this beautiful country), whereas others conducted their distribution at the Obor and Vittorie metro stations.
The teams that worked the Herastrau (HERA STRA HOW) and Cigmigui (CHEESE MI JEW) parks reported that these parks did not make for volume distribution, because they were so huge that there were several entrances spread out around these parks that there was never a time when there were hordes of people at any particular location. There were the older folks or courting couples sitting on the park benches chatting, or partaking of the regular park fare (cotton candy, ice cream and the like), children enjoying the park rides and games, people swimming in the pools or the nearby river, or enjoying other water sports.
Notwithstanding the small volume, the Lord provided many meaningful encounters. In one case an ambassador entered one of the restaurant/bars located along the walkways. He covered the area with several rejections and then there was this man way off at the end of the bar who angrily yelled out to the ambassador, even before he approached him, saying: Don't even come over here, I don't' want that stuff." The ambassador replied: "O, you speak very good English. I have something here that would greatly assist you in mastering the language." He went over to the man and gave him an English tract and indeed he did accept it and started reading. As the ambassador was leaving the area the man said, in a more friendly tone: "Bye Steve". May it be that this man would cast away the god of alcohol and have a desire for the God of the Bible, as he is translated into the kingdom of Christ, in accordance with the Lord's will.
Another day at the Gara de Nord proved to be quite fruitful, by God's mercy. When the team got to the location, they decided that two ambassadors would work at the street level, while the other two would work inside the train station, the beauty of this being that the people receiving the tracts and teaching booklets would be taking them to their towns and villages in the distant locations that would be impossible for the group to reach. No sooner had the ambassadors started working that the security guards stopped them. When, after being told that another team had received permission a few days before, and the security guards remained unyielding, the team leader asked to speak to the manager. This done, they humbly beseeched the manager for permission to continue their distribution efforts at the location.
The manager said: "So, you paid your own way to come and share this literature with our people." The ambassador replied: "Yes, we are doing so because of our love for our neighbors". Either the manager was checking the veracity of the statement of "paying our own way" that was made by another ambassador a few days earlier, or he was impressed at how committed the ambassadors were. Nevertheless, he was happy to grant permission for the remaining days of the mission and promised that he would tell to the security guards not to bother us any more. We thanked the manager for his kindness and promised to clean up the area before we leave. Praise the Lord for softening the manager's heart, thereby allowing unfettered access to this location.
There were several opportunities to engage in conversation with many whom the Lord has made very inquisitive about the life changing message that we have brought to their country. Quite a few people sincerely want to know how we arrived at the 5/21/2011 date and are inquiring if the ambassadors are really sure that this date will indeed come to fruition. Yet others have acknowledged the gravity of this information and have expressed their fears and bewilderment. We were therefore glad to witness with these dear folks and provide them with the FR teaching booklets that could answer their questions; but, more importantly, telling them to "Read the Bible", because it is the only source of truth that can change their hearts.
Many are overjoyed at receiving the precious words of eternal life and they repeatedly say: "Thank you for coming to Romania to share this message with our people. May God bless you." And, in many instances, they express their gratitude with gifts of cold water, fruits, and even hugs and kisses to the ambassadors. Praise the Lord for a very successful day of distribution. To God be the glory.
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4:1)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #7
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Sunday, June 7, 2009. "This [is] the day that the Lord [which] made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24. We are thankful that on this Lord's day we can be engaged in the wonderful activity of planting and watering the seeds of the gospel of grace, knowing that God to gives the increase, and praying that a great multitude of souls would be harvested here in Romania, in accordance with God's purpose and sovereign good pleasure.
Today we worked in sweltering heat (in the nineties) at parks, malls, the marketplace, a Cathedral, and the ever faithful metro stations that we can always count on to provide a steady flow of traffic, and especially being that it is a holiday weekend and people are gravitating to places for recreation and relaxation.
The team that visited the Cathedral states as follows: "We arrived at the Eleffierie (EL EF FEE EREE) Cathedral around 11.45 am, having been told that today was a special celebration, and that the church service should finish by 12.30 pm. The team leader had checked out the sanctuary of the Cathedral and was delighted to note that there were about 1,000 parishioners."
"While waiting for the service to end, and an expectant mass exodus, they shared the words of life with people going to and fro around the area. Then it was 12.30, 12.45, then 1.15 and finally the people started exiting around 1.30 pm, but much to the team's disappointment, only about 300 people exited the Cathedral. Nevertheless, they shared the "Does God Love You?" tracts with them, which surprisingly, they graciously accepted (since those of the Orthodox faith are so firmly entrenched in their religion that most of them flatly refuse the true message of grace). Even the Priest and the church prelates accepted the tracts as they were processing out of the Cathedral. The reason that the other parishioners did not exit is because many families had remained in the Cathedral to participate in a special baptismal celebration. The team then decided conduct their activities at the Universitate metro station with relative success."
One team shared the message of hope with the people at the Gara de Nord train station. They indicated that it was very hard work at this location, perhaps because there has always been a presence at this location, since the inception of the trip. Nonetheless, going in the strength of the Lord, they persevered, and finished the majority of their tract load at this location. The highlight of their day here was that there was a woman who was on her way back to Italy, was excited about the message, and received a tract in her own language. In addition, since she was fluent in English, she received copies of "We Are Almost There!" and "To God Be The Glory", in English. Could it be that this woman be amongst the few that are chosen, as per Matthew 22:14.
Another team reported a very productive day at the Obor metro station, which is also a major connecting point for the trolley car that traverses the city. There are always hordes of people at this metro/trolley stop, many of whom are doing their grocery shopping at the nearby marketplace, or are visiting the City Hall for wedding ceremonies (mostly done on Sundays), or they are out for an afternoon of leisure at the nearby park. The team was happy to present these dear people with the gospel of grace, one of whom was an Indian man who is an employee at the Indian Embassy and who states that he is the only Christian amongst the many Hindus and Muslims at the Embassy. By God's providence, this man was at the right place, and God's perfect timing, to receive a tract, and the FR teaching booklets in English. May he be richly blessed with the gift of eternal life, as the Lord allows.
A team visited the Bucharest Vitan Mall, reportedly the largest in Bucharest and immediately went to the information desk to seek permission to distribute at this location. The receptionist was very apologetic about that fact that such activity was not allowed either inside the complex or on its premises. The ambassadors then stationed themselves at two intersections where the people from the trolley car and the buses would have to pass in order to enter the mall. However the traffic was not as great as anticipated, perhaps because the majority of people were at the parks, or had stayed in until later in the evening, because of the sweltering heat. Two of the ambassadors stayed at the mall while two walked the streets around this community of many high rise apartment buildings, and shared with the residents and passers by.
In the afternoon, they finished off at the Unurii metro station where they witnessed a remarkable change of heart in a young man. This man had been given a tract, had read it and had asked questions of the ambassador, while at the same time refuting the message. He was quoting many scriptures, revealing his knowledge of the Bible, but he was very bothersome to the ambassador, and interrupted his distribution flow. Inasmuch as this ambassador ignored the man, he went around the corner where another ambassador was witnessing to a young man from Nigeria who indicated that he was a pastor.
A few minutes later the remaining two ambassadors came up, preparatory to leaving and they all were chatting with the Nigerian pastor, when the young man interrupted and twice he said: "You people are stupid". The team leader asked him if he read the tract to which he responded affirmatively. He asked him if he had a Bible and he said that he did not. The team leader gave him a Bible and he was dumbfounded, indeed surprised that after all his reviling yet he was given this precious gift. He profusely thanked the team leader, and afterwards, he walked around the corner, picking up the discarded tracts all along the way, and he gave them to the first ambassador to whom he was very bothersome, as if to make amends. We are indeed grateful to the Lord for inclining this man's heart towards repentance.
(Incidentally, the Nigerian pastor said that he had received study materials from Family Radio in the distant past and was very thankful for all that he had learned through the organization. He received English copies of the tract and FR radio booklets and was told to check the website for additional material, including "The End of the Church Age and After"), so that he would be up to date with the current teachings of the Bible.
Teams revisited the Bucharest Hospital, including the Emergency Room, and the Herastrau (HERA STRA HOW) and Cismigui (CHEESE ME JEW) parks and reported a favorable day of sharing the word of truth, and we pray that many will receive repentance unto salvation.
Brethren, we again covet your prayers for strength, wisdom and guidance as we continue to proclaim the gospel to the dear people of Romania.
"“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #8
"But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (II Corinthians 4:2)
Monday, June 8, 2009. Consistent with our desire to spread the true gospel of salvation throughout the country of Romania, we decided to send two teams each (a total of four teams or 16 ambassadors) to Constanta and Brasov, two distant towns. Both groups had a very early start to their day, and here are their reports.
CONSTANTA
Constanta, with a population of 400,000, is a coastal town along the Black Sea which borders Turkey, it is 300 kilometers East of Bucharest, and, it being by the Black Sea, makes it a great tourist attraction. The two teams rode on the high speed Intercity train that left the Gara de Nord train station promptly at 7.45 am, and after traveling for approximately four hours along the beautiful and luscious green countryside, with many plantations and cattle ranches, we arrived at Constanta at 11:51 am.
The scripture that says, "Be careful [anxious] for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God" Philippians 4:6, proved true today; because immediately as we disembarked the train, God sent an English speaking taxi driver to our assistance. He, and one of his colleagues took us to the city center. One team worked around one section of the beach area where there was a forty yard boardwalk, and along which were many stores, kiosks, and souvenir shops. We shared the words of life with the shoppers and those going out on the beach for a day of sun and fun, and the people were very receptive to the gospel (more so than in the city of Bucharest).
The other team went further away to another section of the beach, and where most of the locals visited. Two ambassadors from that team (assisted by the very friendly taxi driver, and who stayed with team the entire time) worked at the entrance to the beach area capturing the people going back and forth to the beach, whereas the remaining two walked along the beach and shared with the people there. After about ninety minutes, with very good reception, a woman from the Mayor's office came over to us, with the express intent to tell us that we were not permitted to conduct our distribution efforts at this site. The team leader told her that we had come in from Bucharest to share the gospel of grace with the people of Constanta, for just a few hours, and that we were leaving the city at 5.00 pm. The woman said: "OK, since it is such a short time, we will allow you to stay". Then she and the team leader chatted for about 15 minutes during which time she told him that she did not believe the Bible, stating that men wrote it. The team leader witnessed to her and she left with the tract and the FR teaching booklets, and promised to read them.
The team stayed at that location for another half hour and then we went to a busy intersection right in front of a very big mall. Two ambassadors (and the taxi driver) worked at the two crosswalks leading into the mall. The other two worked the traffic, which was very conducive to our distribution efforts; because of the very long traffic lights, and the drivers were very accommodating, rolling down their windows to receive the tracts. The team spent the rest of the time at that location, and by God's mercy, returned to the train station within one minute of the train's departure. Two ambassadors traversed the whole train, and without any obstruction from the train personnel, shared the tracts and booklets with the passengers, who provided the ambassadors with many witnessing opportunities. All praise and thanks to God for a very productive time in the town of Constanta.
BRASOV (BRA SHOV)
Brasov is a town in the mountainous region of Romania, and it is 300 kilometers North of Bucharest. The team left at 6.30 am and after a 2.5 hour ride (on a slower train), they arrived at Brasov. They were driven to the Central Plaza/Downtown area and after situating themselves at strategic locations around the plaza, they shared the words of eternal life with the people of this city (whose population is about 200,000). Thankfully they had about six hours of distribution to a warmly receptive people.
About half way into the distribution one ambassador reported that he had his backpack opened on the ground, displaying the FR teaching booklets, so that the passersby could take one, as they desired. A security guard came over to the ambassador and told him that he could not engage in distribution at that location and he asked the ambassador what country was he from. Upon learning that he was from America, the security guard radioed his counterpart and told him that the ambassadors are Americans, and the security personnel no more interfered with the teams' efforts at the Central Plaza. (Romanians are very friendly towards Americans, and this benefitted the group immensely, during this mission).
The 16 person traveling group is thankful to the Lord for a wonderful day of sharing the gospel of grace with the people of Constanta and Brasov, and, based on the receptivity and the many opportunities of witnessing, we are confident that these towns would never be the same again. We pray that there is a bountiful harvest, and that many from these two cities would be included in the great multitude that God is saving at this time.
The remaining two teams worked at the Gara de Nord and Unirii train/metro stations. It rained all day in Bucharest but that did not deter the people (hundreds of them were still going about their business, as normal) and this did not detract from the teams' distribution efforts. Even with umbrellas in one hand and shopping bags and other paraphernalia in the other, the people nonetheless graciously accepted the tracts and teaching booklets they were offered. Praise the Lord for the receptive hands that He has provided to receive the word of truth. We pray that many will be blessed with God's gift of love and grace.
Again we express our thanks to the Family Radio listeners and friends for their prayers for the people of Romania, as well as the mission group. May the Lord's perfect will be done.
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania
LETTER #9
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," (Ephesians 1:13)
Tuesday/Wednesday, June 9 10, 2009. This is our final report of this mission trip. On Tuesday we continued our distribution at the busy metro stations and other locations in and around the city, including the University of Bucharest. After a very long holiday weekend, the people returned to work, school and other business activities and so there were constant crowds throughout the day. Overall, the reception remained good, and yet again there were many witnessing opportunities. The people are concerned about the Judgment Day and there is indeed a hunger to learn more about the true gospel.
In all of our mission trips we see the hand of God at work, and this trip is no exception. God moved in the heart of a Family Radio listener by the name of Christian (who lives in Bucharest) to write a letter requesting that a mission group visit his country. He was a great asset to the Mission Director in the set up of this trip, and he has helped immensely throughout the mission. He transported small groups to and from the airport, and was with us every step of the way, offering his time and advice as needed. He is energized to continue the work that we have started here, and from the contacts that we have gathered here, we pray that there will be many soldiers to assist him in the cause of proclaiming this message of hope throughout his country.
Today, Wednesday, we plan to visit the poorer areas of the city, sharing the remaining tracts and FR teaching materials, expecting to finish by noon and to prepare for an early departure tomorrow morning.
We are thankful that God has allowed us to place in the hands the dear people of Romania, over 225,000 Romanian tracks, a few thousand English tracts, several hundred FR teaching materials and many Bibles. We pray that God would use it all to His glory to bring many into the Kingdom of Christ.
Again we express our gratitude to the FR listening audience for all their prayers and financial support that make these mission trips possible. And, by our experience on this mission, we encourage others to consider serving in this manner. All praise and thanks to God for His wonderful love and marvelous grace.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:4 5)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Bucharest, Romania