A Journey of Salvation and Loss

We greet you with much grace and peace from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

The individuals you see in this photograph are Sister Lenuța and Brother Iulian. Unfortunately, Brother Iulian is no longer with us. Two and a half months ago, he caught a severe cold and had to urgently go to the hospital in Caracal. After medical tests, doctors discovered that he had a lung infection and was sent to Bucharest for further analysis. Following the tests in Bucharest, doctors found that his right lung was destroyed and that he had lung cancer. We visited him several times in the hospital and made him aware that if he were to leave this earth, he was not reconciled with God yet. 

We asked him: where do you think you will end up? His answer was, in hell. We told him that he still had the opportunity to reconcile with God, to recognize his sins, and to ask for forgiveness. I was glad to hear that he desired this, and through prayer, he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

A few days ago, he went to heaven, leaving behind a grieving wife and a 36-year-old disabled son who needs care. Even though the parting from a loved one leaves behind a huge void and much pain, there is still immense joy, and it comes from the fact that the one who until yesterday was a sinner is today a forgiven man, a person who has changed direction by choosing heaven.

We thank all those who will sacrifice their time to read this letter and to pray for us and the Mission Work here!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Pour Out

May the blessings of our Father in Heaven continually pour out upon all my brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ!

We are always grateful to the Lord for the wonderful way He works and touches the lives of people. God has provided us with the opportunity once again to give gifts to the children in the school and kindergarten, and we are thankful for this.

We started by distributing gifts to the primary classes, and while one of us was giving out gifts, the others were telling the children about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first classroom we entered, we met a teacher who was amazed by the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. She told us that she had never heard so many details about the birth of Jesus as she heard from us and suggested that we talk about the birth of Jesus in every class, saying that if she didn't know, surely the children didn't know either. We gladly and encouragingly did this, knowing that God is at work, and we pray that God would search the hearts of all the teachers and educators, as well as the hearts of all the children and their parents. We also pray for each brother and sister who supports us in prayer and in every way. May God bless you and reward you for all the love you have shown towards us and the mission work in the village of Beciu!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Continue To Grow

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

I thank God for all the brothers and sisters with whom, through these letters, we have the opportunity to share our experiences in the mission field. My name is Sfetcu Florin Iulian, and together with my wife Alina and the five children God has given us, we serve in the town of Beciu in Teleorman County.

Since 2016, the year we started spreading the Gospel in Beciu and its surroundings, we have had several objectives to fulfill the vision given by God. One of these objectives was working with children. We were the first in the town to do something for children without expecting anything in return. From various games, Bible lessons, workshops, skits, puppet theater, and camps, to involving children in playing different roles of Bible characters. At first, there were a few children, but with each meeting, their number continued to grow, and we often reached between forty and fifty children. This work sparked the curiosity of many parents who came with their children to see what was happening, and thus God allowed us to share the Gospel with them.

Unfortunately, over time, due to the pressure from the Orthodox priest, the number of children decreased (to a maximum of thirty-five children), but we did not give up. We continue to work and pray for these children and their families, knowing that this work belongs to the Lord, and He who begins it will bring it to completion. We thank God that in 2021, the Darwel family, Mark, and Florina, joined us, and together with their children David and Ruben, they made the mission work even more effective. Sister Florina helps us in working with children and sisters, and Mark in preaching the Word. We invite you to pray with us for this objective, for the number of children to increase, and for us to be even more effective in the overall mission work. May God bless and reward you for all that you do!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missonary

School Started

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ triumph in the homes and families of each of you. This beginning of the school year was a great joy for Debora and Emima, and even for our youngest daughter, Rebeca. Debora and Rebeca couldn't wait for school to start; they were so eager that they asked almost every day how much time was left until the end of the vacation. On the other hand, Luca and Lois were not as enthusiastic about starting school; they would have preferred the vacation to be much longer. That's how children are, the little ones are eager to start school, while the older ones are less so.

We watch them and rejoice in them, and we remember the times when we were students ourselves. Time has flown by so quickly! We thank God for the children He has given us and for making us responsible for praying for them and educating them. Our most fervent prayer is that these children learn well, but above all, that they receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

From our home, we invite you to pray together with us for the children of each one of us; may they be a blessing to all people, and through them, may others come to know the Gospel.

God bless you!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

God Had Touched Their Hearts

This summer, I had the opportunity to send six young people to the MIA camp, which took place in Rasnov, Brasov County. Three of these young individuals come from Orthodox Christian families. The camp lasted for five days, during which these young people could participate in various Christian activities, listen to testimonies of other converted youths, and sermons, and get to know and socialize with other young people from the country and abroad. They had the chance to make friends, become attached to different camp leaders, and we thank God for the impact that such camps have on the lives of these youths.

I was the one who was involved in taking these young people to the camp and also in picking them up from Rasnov. Upon their return from the camp, it was easy to notice that something had changed in each of their lives. It was clear that God had touched their hearts, as their speech was more balanced, and even the music they wanted to listen to was different from what they used to listen to before leaving home. We have been praying for these young people since they left home, and we continue to pray. We invite you as well to pray with us, both for the salvation of these young people and for us to have the opportunity to organize and carry out such camps. Thank you, and may you be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Summer Camp

Grace and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Summer Camp hosts children between the ages of seven and fourteen for five consecutive days. This year has been a great joy for both the children and us because it is the first year after the pandemic when this beautiful work resumes. During these five days, the children enjoy biblical skits in which they themselves get involved in playing various roles of Bible characters such as Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Goliath, among others. They are encouraged to paint, color, learn biblical songs and verses, and engage in many other fun and attractive activities. Here, the children feel loved and safe, and we often get to hear various stories from their lives, whether from school, playtime, family, or with their friends.

This year, one of the more sensitive children named Marius, who is ten years old and comes from Orthodox parents, shared that he had a feeling of shame. His parents, in turn, have likely suffered in the same way as their child. It is common for us to raise our children exactly as we were raised ourselves. We tend to love them as much as we were loved, and I speak from my own experience here. I do not remember my father ever taking me in his arms and telling me that he loves me. That's why I accepted to do the biggest stupidities, to drink, smoke, leave home, and many other things just to be appreciated and accepted by my friends. I believe that for many people in the world, love is still an unknown subject. I saw in the eyes of this little boy the lack of love, protection, and the fear of being rejected. I was very happy that he was in our midst, that he chose to come to our community and participate in this camp. We pray for this child, even for his parents, and we want him to feel the love of God. This time, he learned that God is the one who surprises you, that He is everywhere, knows everything, and is present in every place. He learned to pray to the One who truly cares for him, and we pray that God touches his heart. We invite you once again to pray with us, not only for Marius but also for all children like him. Pray that God continues to grant us wisdom and understanding to do His will! Thank you, and may you be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missioanry

Answer to Our Prayers

Be blessed in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

For a long time, we have prayed to the Lord for a building where we can carry out our church activities here. With the help of the Lord, in the autumn of 2022, we managed to purchase an old building, over seventy years old, and because it required restructuring, at the end of March this year, we began the renovation works on this building. 

Church gatherings and activities with the children have been taking place in a tent since April, due to the restoration works of the building that I mentioned. Currently, we have paused the restoration work due to the fact that the price of construction materials is quite high, and our funds have been depleted. 

We hope to be able to complete these restructuring works before the cold weather sets in. This is one of the main reasons why we invite you to pray together with us. Please continue to pray for the salvation of the people in this locality, especially for the salvation of the men and children of our sisters. Thank you for your support and we pray that God blesses and repays you.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

God Is Working

Grace and peace from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  

Some time ago I had the pleasure of working with Lulica, (not a christian) he is the husband of our sister Lenuţa and volunteered to help me with the works of the Church for a few days. We also had the opportunity to travel together from Romania to Germany, to his son who was hospitalized in this country for a period of six months. Throughout this period of work and travel, we had the opportunity to tell each other about experiences of each other's lives. I believe that the purpose of each and every one of us is for God to help us set good examples both in family life and in everyday life to any man we meet.

I don't know how, but one thing is certain, that God worked in such a manner that one day Lulica may express the desire to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in his life as Lord and Savior. There are still struggles in his life, it is a vice he wants to give up and it is quite a difficult step, this vice is smoking.

For this we are left, we will pray and ask God to give him power to come out triumphing over this vice.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary 

Compassion

Grace and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is Andrei, he's seven years old and comes from a large family, there are nine brothers in total. Unfortunately Andrei like many other children in this locality is deprived of parental love due to the fact that his parents like alcohol more than caring for their children. I've known Andrei for a long time, since 2016 when he was one year old, and now has reached the age at which he has to go to school.

He's in prep class, he's actually in class with one of our daughters. One day when I was going to take Deborah to school, I met Andrei and I noticed that he was dressed very thin, instead of a thick winter jacket, he was wearing a sweatshirt. very thin. I asked him why he left home only in that sweatshirt and he said he had nothing else to wear.

On the same day, after I had prepared him some sweaters, two or three pairs of pants and a thick jacket, I went to his house to take them to him. When he saw me, he couldn't be more happy because he expected me to bring him a jacket. This is neither our first nor our last action in Andrei's life, but more than our clothes, we want Andrei and many other children like him to see in us people of trust, people to whom whenever he needs help to turn without restraint.

We're here for that, we're here to offer those around us compassion, love, the help they need, hope... We want people to see in us and our children our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you and we are grateful for your prayers and support so far and invite you to continue to pray for us and the mission work in this locality. Bless you!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Young man in the role of parents

This boy's name is Florin and is twenty years old, his father died when he was ten years old. In total there are five brothers, three boys and two girls. After their father's death, her mother tried to rebuild her life and eventually found a man for whom she left her children. 

Thus they remained to take care of each other, but not long after the two sisters also left and Florin remained to take care of the two younger brothers. It is not easy for a twenty-year-old to do what Florin does. Now he must be the parent for Lucian and Ionut. He wakes up in the morning to prepare the little ones for school, he's the one who washes them, he's the one who prepares their daily meals and he's the one who has to work to give his brothers strictly what they need.

It's a sad story and it would be too much to tell about the situation of the three brothers. As much as we can, we'll try to help but our greatest wish is that Florin, Lucian and Ionut know who is the Father of the orphans, who can offer them much more than anyone else.

Once again we need your support and invite you to pray along with us for this young man and his two brothers. God bless you and reward you for everything you do! 

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

A Blessing In This Town

This time we had the opportunity to host for a few hours a team of a brother and sister from America and a young man from Romania, who brought with them glasses.

With the help of God, these brothers were a blessing for people with vision problems in Beciu. For some of the locals, because of their low income, the glasses were a great blessing. I can say that everyone at the event came to me and thanked me for caring for them.

We pray that these people can see beyond what these glasses can offer them, to be able to see He who can offer them much more and to receive in their hearts the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We thank you for your support and invite you to pray with us for the unbelievers. God bless and reward you!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

The Old is Gone

Blessed be our God, because of His great mercy we were  reborn again by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To be where you can be useful and to be involved in the lives of others, often even by giving up your needs, means to leave life behind. 

”So whoever knows how to do good and does not do it, commits a sin.” (James 4:17)

God teaches us to do good wherever we are. About a month ago, lon, a person in his seventies told me about the old and damaged fence of his house and the fact that he needed to replace it, he just doesn't know how to get in touch with those who could do it.

It was clear to me that this man needed someone to help him, and so I offered to be of use to him. Seeing that I was willing to help him, he was filled with great joy and did not know how to thank me. On the day when the fence was replaced he was happy that his wish had come true. Today the fence was changed, the old fence is gone. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 Paul says: “The old has gone, the new is here!”

And all these things are from God, who made us peace with Him through Jesus. May the good God help us to be worthy of the call made and by any action, word or deed so that we can honor Him. God through us may touch all men even if they have the fences of their broken hearts, He will make all things new.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

From Generation To Generation

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ!

Through God's grace this week I went out with Deborah and Emima, my younger daughters, for the purpose of evangelism. I thank God that these little girls find pleasure in going anywhere with me, and in this way we spent time together.

Preaching the gospel to a group of young people, one of them was amazed by the respectful way Deborah and Emima addressed me. He asked me who was responsible for the education of my children. He remained amazed to hear that my children learned from observing how Alina and I respectfully speak to each other as husband and wife.

Our children have learned indirectly through the way we address each other. I used this example to show these young people that you become educated from the one you love and imitate. Then I had the opportunity to tell them that I wasn't always like this, but that one day I met the most educated man who ever lived on earth. From that moment I wanted to live like Him, learning from Him.

I am glad the education I have received from the Lord Jesus Christ can also pass to my children. I am glad my children’s respectful speech affects the hearts of those who hear them. In the future may God make my children people dedicated to His work. Thank you for your prayer support and I invite you to pray with us for the mission work in the town of Beciu.

Pray for us as a family. May God continue to give us wisdom and skill in how to behave as Christians first in the family and also in the society in which God has put us.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

A Seaside Holiday

This water and its beach is a popular place children often only seen in pictures or television. We had to get up at 3:00am in the morning to spend as much time as possible here, and it was worth it.

We had one day at our disposal as our money wouldn’t stretch for a sleepover, and we wanted to take full advantage of this day. We strive to fill the hearts with joy of those who stand close to us. I believe that after a year of apprenticeship these teenagers deserved this short trip to the sea.

For three of these young people this was their first time to visit these popular places, and they were immensely pleased. We thank God for everything we can accomplish in the lives of these young people, and pray that they will know and serve the Creator who made such beautiful places.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Be Light

With our arrival in the village of Beciu, a kind of fight began between me and a priest. Not because we had something to do with him, but because people were hearing biblical truth for the first time and were being helped in their needs.

The Lord Jesus Christ says to his brethren: “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)

I hope and pray to God that one day this priest will be investigated by the Word of God and that his heart will be changed. I am glad that through our activities of helping and engaging in the lives of children and people in the local community we have provoked him to become more involved in the community. But he takes the children for pizza, takes them to visit several cities, and offers them a meal whenever they they meet.

I am glad that the children are being helped in physical needs, but my heart is sad that these children are being wandered away. We wish we could do more for these children but so far we don’t have the financial means. We know one thing, that as much as we could we have taught the children what God wants from them, we have given them all our love, and we have been light in the darkness for them. We invite you to pray with us for this cause.

God bless you!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romnaia Missionary

Good Seed

The project "Good Seed" remains an effective project, an action in which we come into contact with people. Also providing them with a calendar with "Good Seed" and packages of seeds to plant. We also ask you to pray with us for the salvation of those who receive this gift. At the same time we thank God for those who have given us support in this project, both with seeds to plant and with calendars! May God be glorified in all things!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Do Not Fear For God Is With You

There are moments in life when our minds are full with all kinds of fears. If we let them stay there for a while, those fears will start to take control of our minds. In February it was like evil waging war against us.

There were a series of unwanted things that happened: a car accident, my mother's surgery, and the excessive cost more than 2500 euros for analysis and surgery. The incompetence of the doctors and also caused so much anxiety for my wife.

Alina was pregnant and every time she went for tests, she was told she was in her thirty-eighth week. At the last test they told her that the baby was ready to be born, sent her to take a PCR test, and then come in for her surgery. After three days the test results were negative, but she went to the clinic to give birth as they told her. Eventually other tests found that she had to wait at least a week because the baby was not ready yet. All these mistakes caused Alina anxiety and fear. This was not her first cesarean but the fifth, and there were absolutely no problems with the previous four. Fear began to nest in my mind, too, but I remembered that I have a God who has every situation in control.

It was as if God said to me ”Fear nothing, for I am with you.” With these words I went to my wife and reminded her that we were not alone. God has been with us every time: He has not left us prey to wickness. Even though the surgery was difficult and it lasted three hours, by the grace of God everything went well Our little girl was born and her name is Alina.

As I write to you now I have my Bible open to Isaiah 43:2

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will shall not sweep over overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not burned. Nor shall flame scorch you."

We have a wonderful God. He can make things we often see impossible become possible. God casts fear away. 

We would like to thank all those who have prayed for us, in the situation we have been through, as well as all those who have helped us financially. 

God bless you and reward you!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romaia Missionary

A Joyful Trip

Thirty years ago we enjoyed snowy winters. Then and now snow is fascinating for children. Before this winter, one of our children's wishes was for this winter to snow as much as possible. When I was a child one of my joys was sledding. Not even the lowest temperatures could keep us from fighting with snowballs. This joy continues in the hearts of children today. Even technology cannot compare to the beauty of God’s design.

This year I agreed to Florina's suggestion to take the children to the mountains to enjoy the snow. However, we have the same problem. A vehicle with a small number of seats. If we had a nine-seat minibus it could be useful for many opportunities in children’s work. Still we do not lose hope. Pray with us that one day God will answer this need as well.

In God’s providence, we are planning a summer trip to the mountains. We want to go tenting for two or three days. I hope the number of seats in a large vehicle will be greater. Pray with us, and that God may be glorified in it’s usefulness in ministry long term.

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Perfect Place

The most important thing for a child of God is to be where the Father wants him or her to be. We are sent to preach the Gospel to everyone but very often people are too preoccupied to hear us, and make excuses that they are ”very busy”.

We are perhaps too often discouraged by the fact that few people open their hearts to God. The only one who can lead us is the One who sent us. He knows the right place where we must be and wants our every step we take to be with Him.

In this month God laid on my heart to help build a roof for the husband of a sister from our church. The previous roof was destroyed and they had to build a new one. As much as I could I've been involved in reaching this man to whom I have preached the Gospel many times and I pray to the Lord will touch his heart and he will realize that he needs salvation. All our sisters in Christ pray for the salvation of their unsaved husbands and it would be a tremendous joy for them to see their husbands come to the Lord.

That is why I desire to identify the right places where to be a tool in God’s hand and where to contribute to the salvation of these people. May God help us that we can always be where He wants us to be, to use us, and and may He help us to be fruitful for His kingdom.

Be blessed!

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary

Availability

Availability can be a key to the kingdom of heaven.

 I thank God for these wonderful children, who call to me for any need of theirs. To be honest, it is not easy for me to make myself available every time. There are days when I come three or four times a day. The situations in which these children live is such that even their parents often ignore them. My heart’s desire is to be useful to win them for God. Sometimes I have to postpone what I have to do at that moment. I am glad to be of help to them, because I know that no one makes time for them. Hopefully when they grow up they will remember that there was someone who never drove them away.

To be available means to be a light in the darkness. That is why we are called.

We invite you to support us in prayer so together we can walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Be blessed,

Florin Sfetcu - PIEI Romania Missionary