Assessment and planning

Each week, before a new youth meeting, the team gathers for assessment and planning. We evaluate the meeting we had before in order to see what we can and have to improve. Then, we plan the next meeting: each of us has to know their responsabilities (social interaction, games, worship, message, announcement, groups), to be aware of the lesson and how to deal with the subject in small groups. We also have a contest with prizes, young people being encouraged to spend time with Jesus on a daily basis during the “Quiet time”.

We really appreciate the earnestness and the tenacity, as well as the sacrifice done by the team “Word of Life”. Twice a week they come from almost 160km (some from 240km) away to support us in this ministry. Also, many of the leaders of the groups also work, but they do all the possible to attend all the meetings. As hosts, our brothers from the Brethren Church made available a warm and welcoming building.

Please, pray with us that the Lord will bless this ministry, all those involved in serving. We pray that more and more young people from Alexandria and surroundings come to know the new life that comes from above, life brought only through the work and reign of our Lord Christ.

We are ready and we pray for God’s grace!

Mihail & Emanuela Geabou

And other sheep I have…

The words of our Lord Jesus are still vibrating in my heart.  And other sheep I have... (John 10.16)

Indeed, He has other sheep right in Orbeasca, even though more obstacles emerge.     

Carmen is a school-aged girl. She used to attend all the kids meetings in the house near the fountain with her friend, Nicoleta. This time she was alone. When asked why Nicoleta was missing, her answer didn’t surprise us, but saddened us: Her parents do not allow her to come anymore...

This happened exactly the week Mihai had gone to the mayor to ask for permission to use the village’s festivities hall for a caroling night. The Mayor had given us a „diplomatic” answer: we may use it only if it is the written demanding of  4-5 villagers, if we have a special approval from the County School Inspectorate etc...

 Other kids stopped as well to attend the evangelistic club because of the interdiction of their parents or teachers...

Please, pray with us:

1.       for open hearts for the Gospel

2.       for the mayor and those who are in charge of making decisions in this village

3.       for those who tell children not to come to the kids club

4.       for all the other Lord’s sheep who are living in this village, to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd

5.       for sister Ioana, in whose house we gather weekly

6.       for our team (Mihai, Ema, Cozinia, Rebeca and Rebeca)

7.       for wisdom and creativity to organize a caroling evening despite the fact that we don’t have a proper space for that

And other sheep I have... This is what motivates us to continue to work in this barren soil.

And other sheep I have... It is God’s desire for us to go.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. (John 10.16)

We praise our Shepherd He will save His loved ones!

Mihail si Emanuela Geabou

At The Crossroads

There is a pump at the crossroads in Orbeasca de Sus. Many villagers quenched their thirst from its waters or watered their animals. Here is also the meeting place for the children who attend Children's Club. Many times, when the weather is nice, they wait for us at this place. Right in front of the pump there is sister Ioana's house, where we meet to share the Gospel to the children of the village.

For three weeks, we have started to meet on a regular basis with the kids. The Truth of the Scripture is brought home to them, with stories and games, crafts and songs, Bible verses and good cheer. We have also started to learn Christmas carols in order to prepare a special Christmas program for their parents and other children.

Last week, while we were talking to kids before telling them the Bible story, I realized that among the boys who attended each and every meeting there were some of the school's problem-kids. On one hand, I was encouraged to see how wonderfully does God come closer to those who are a problem for others, not for Him. On the other hand,I saw the responsibility He entrusted us to make Him known to them.

Our ministry has just started, but we pray that the Living Water may fill this village where there is no evangelical church. And may all the persons who will be called at the crossroads to make a decision for Him to get to know the WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE that is our Lord Jesus!

Emanuela Geabou

Youth meeting- „Come and help us!”

By the grace of our Lord Jesus, on November 14th, 2018, we had the first youth meeting we organized in partenership with Brethern Church in Alexandria and Pentecostal Church in Smardioasa. This meeting is held in the building of the Brethern Church with the help of „Word of Life” Association.

As they are more experienced in the youth ministry, we decided to ask for help from this organization and two men regularly come in Alexandria and guide us.

Besides games, socializing, snacks, competitions and sport youth from our town have the opportunity to hear the Gospel through presentations, testimonies or debates in small groups.

As a team, we meet weekly with the men from the „Word of Life” and we have follow-up discussions and plan the next meeting. May the Lord grant us wisdom, love and persistence in this ministry and may the Holy Spirit convince and transform the lives of many young people in our town

„Adventures on 4 wheels (High Gears)” in Orbeasca

We met Costel Cojan four years ago. A medical doctor with Phd, a professor in Republic of Moldova and at the same time a worker with the kids, organizing vbs. This time he offered to help us organize a VBS in Alexandria. But I was not ready, I didn’t want to be involved in organizing a vbs as we had just adopted three kids at the time and it was too challenging for us. Even though, at my wife’s sugestion, I accepted to organize a VBS but in Orbeasca de Sus, not in Alexandria.

Summer, 2018. I contacted the Mayor of the village. Gladly, he offered to let us use the festivities hall in the village. I saw it and I liked it, it was spacious and clean. But I was a little worried. Something was not so good: how could he be so open to an evangelistic ministry? Soon I discovered the mayor hadn’t understood what was all about. After he did, we understood that we can no longer use that place.

We started to look for another location. We succeded to find a strategic one- according to my thoughts- but the owner, open and glad to offer his house yard in the begining, after a short phone discussion with the mayor, let us know that the place is no more available, saying that he didn’t want people to accuse him he offered his space for the „repenters”.

After a time of struggles and prayers we decided to use what we had. We asked sister Ioana if she was willing to let us use her yard and she accepted with joy. We had plenty of space there. We borrowed two tents from Campus Crusade for Christ and off we went.

The Lord blessed us richly. There were windy and rainy days. Nevertheless, the children continued to come. There were around 60 kids who attended this vbs. We were so happy to see parents who came to see their kids and the Bible lessons presented by Costel Cojan were very clear and very helpful even for parents who were impressed. „The Way of the Lord” Church in Alexandria was extremely generous to help in organizing this event and the Lord sent us some youth from Potcoava and Craiova to help with the vbs as well.

HE, who made the walls of Jericho to fall has the power to make the walls of the opposition in this village to fall! May the Lord shine HIS light upon Orbeasca de Sus!

A new chance for Orbeasca de Sus

Orbeasca de Sus village started to be on my heart in 2013. Many years ago, other evangelical christans attempted to bring the Gospel in this village, but it seemed that people didn’t respond and any kind of evangelistic work stopped. Orbeasca has no evangelical church at this moment.

My wife, Emanuela, taught English for a year at school in this village. I remember that around Christmas we received some presents from Samaritan’s Purse and I decided to use this opportunity to offer some presents to the kids in Orbeasca de Sus.

The social worker in the village accompanied me from house to house and I brought some presents for kids and some evangelistic calendars, New Testamens and evangelistic literature for the parents. I have repeated this with different kids for almost five years in a row so the kids started to befriend me and I succeded in knowing them more.

I also started to distribute „The Way of the Lord” evangelistic newspaper in the village.

Summer, 2017. I was walking on the streets of this village distributing newspapers with Timotei Sima, a boy from our church. I entered a shop and I saw that at the TV there was a religious program. I was so amazed when the shop assistant, even though she had never seen me before, supposed I was Nica Ion’s son-in-law (She and her husband worked for a while with my father-in-law. They had to quit their job and started a small business in their village). I was also amazed that she wanted to repent and to be baptized. I started to visit them and we pray the Lord will take away any obstacle in their way to coming to Jesus.

I was also encouraged to hear that in this village there is a sister who moved from Bucharest- sister Ioana. She retired, having some health problems due to her age but she is very serious with her faith, a woman of characer and a woman who loves the Lord and who is willing to be at God’s disposal for the salvation of people in the village.