Dear brothers and sisters,
Yet another summer has arrived, and we know that this time of year provides a great opportunity to share the Gospel with children and students. We are therefore blessed to have four different teams scheduled for short-term mission trips this July in order to encourage and support our nationals in this work!
Our first team is made of people from all over the United States who have come together to help the nationals put on a large Vacation Bible School at the Christian Center. Children from many of the neighboring villages will be driven to Alba Iulia every day for worship, Bible Study, games, crafts, and more. Bringing the villages together instead of doing VBS in each separate location has several advantages. First of all, it allows the team to help share the Gospel with children of many villages at the same time instead of repeating the work in different locations. It also saves the team energy by hosting VBS once instead of several times, so that all the children can get their best efforts and the team can use the extra time to support other ministries as well. Finally, it promotes unity among the nationals as they too can come together and help each other with their ministry, which is such an encouragement for men and women who so often lead village ministries on their own.
Our second team from Indiana will have the exciting opportunity to officially open the Mountain Top Retreat that we have been working on all year! Although there is still a lot of work to be done, our goal is to bring the first group of teens to the retreat in mid-July. We are hopeful that this retreat from every day life will give teens time to reflect on the character of God and build each other up in the faith. For some, the retreat will be the place they say “yes” to following Christ. For others, it will be another step in their spiritual journey. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for this new ministry!
A third team will be heading to Ukraine at the end of July to help with their annual Summer Camp. However, there are also a lot of other goals for this team. Because of the continuing war in Ukraine, the people and nationals there find it easy to succumb to feelings of discouragement and even despair. As they visit churches and encourage the missionaries, the team would also like to spread the hope we have in Jesus Christ through passing out Bibles, prayer, and counseling. They will also provide medical services by supplying eyeglasses to people who suffer from vision impairment.
Finally, we have a couple of people who have been to Romania many times and will be returning for a “vision trip”. Their goal will be to visit the nationals, pray for them, and bring them encouragement. They will spend time together in reflection, making sure that the vision for the future remains aligned with the mission that God has given them.
All of the teams will dedicate some of their time visiting with the nationals. Our missionaries pour their spirits into so many people, so it is a privilege to pour the life-giving Spirit back into them!
Prayer Requests
Pray for safety as all of our teams travel in the air and on the road.
Pray that all the team members and nationals are able to stay healthy this summer so that the work can be done without interruption.
Pray that all of our teams are effective in their efforts to support the various ministries in Romania and Ukraine.
Pray for the children and youth who will be attending VBS, retreats, and camp this summer, that God will touch their hearts and transform their lives.
Pray that the people of Ukraine find hope in Christ when they feel despair and discover the peace of salvation in a time of war.
Pray that the nationals are encouraged and rejuvenated by the short-term mission teams.
Our hope for you all is that you will find a way to partner with PIEI this summer. We ask that you keep the nationals and short-term mission teams in your prayers, for prayer is fuel for God’s glorious light. If you want to support the work financially, you can click on the donate buttons below. If you feel God calling you to go to the mission field yourself, you don’t have to wait until next summer! You can fill out an application any time and someone will contact you to see if there is a way for you to serve.
In Christ,
Cornel and Gabi Stef
