Thank God that PIEI Romania has a direction, slowly but surely heading towards fulfilling the Vision. Even when, for various reasons now, we lose sight of the target, the Spirit of the Lord helps us regroup and regain our strength, returning to the Path.
Romania is a blessed country by God on a cursed land because of sin, but even in this condition, the country is beautiful. This makes us think of how beautiful Heaven, the Heavenly Place, is where sin has not reached and where God is in absolute control.
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by bad news, negative news, indifference, materialism, and a love of self that continues to grow. Despite so many problems, we as PIEI Romania missionaries are grateful to the Lord for His mercy and for the fact that He has deemed it fit to call us to serve Him by bringing the good news to the unsaved and healthy teaching to those who have returned to the Lord.
In the visits made, in the discussions held, as well as in the meetings with the missionary brothers, I can say that the work of the Lord continues. We all strive to have clean lives and to share the word God with all boldness regardless of the circumstances we go through.
We are overwhelmed by the promise "And I will be with you always..." The works we bring to your attention are to rejoice together with us and to continue to support us in prayer as we do for you. Through a spirit of sacrifice, driven by the love of God, "poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).
Here are the things we remember and that are part of the PIEI missionaries' work in Romania:
preaching
evangelism
discipleship
Bible studies
missions
charity
work with children
meetings with missionaries
projects
Preaching the word regularly and especially in worship services of churches, both in planting and pastoring churches, as well as in the visits we make to each other.
Evangelism: particularly or in public meetings, whether with few or many people, the gospel and personal testimony of returning to Christ reach the interlocutors like a seed that, if it finds suitable ground, can bring forth fruit. We tell people about the love of the Lord shown by the fact that He gave His son to die in our place so that whoever believes in Him shall be saved.
Discipleship: especially those who have received the Lord and who prove trustworthy and able to teach others are caught in various equipping programs, becoming followers of workers, seeking particularly for those who are older to leave the Lord's work in the hands of people who prove worthy of the calling.
Bible studies: for families, women, youth, and children, are a concern of the missionaries in their working areas. Through them, the worker shows his care for the souls entrusted to him.
Missions in places where there are no churches planted remain a continuous priority in the life of each of us, praying, visiting, helping, or doing good to our fellow human beings, all with the desire that they hear the gospel, believe and be saved, and in those places a new church or a new mission point makes its presence felt.
Charity: We all sought to do good in the places where we are, in mission or work, by remembering the hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, and sick. We believe that this should not be absent from the life of any servant of the Lord, following in the footsteps of "He who went about doing good." Christian holidays have provided a significant opportunity for various meetings, both for poor children and adults.
Children's work: We seek to reach the hearts of children with the gospel and biblical models in any way possible, imprinting the teachings of the Bible in their lives from an early age. While we believe that this is primarily the responsibility of parents, we as workers come to support them in different ways, showing them sincere and pure love and exposing them to biblical models, both of the people in Scripture and our own personal experiences, through celebrations, studies, special meetings, skits, sports, and excursions. We seek to spend a blessed time with them.
Missionary Meetings: This year, we managed to meet at the PIEI center in Alba Iulia. During the meeting, we were happy, encouraged each other, gathered around the Word and themes: evident of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the missionary called to serve, presented by Brother Relu Rodean. Evident of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the disciple called to work, presented by Mihail Geabou. Evident of the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the lives of disciples called to work, presented by Timotei Stanea. Towards the end of the meeting, we allocated time for discussions on better organization and functioning of the PIEI organization in Romania.
Missionaries in Romania have different projects in their areas of work, such as building or renovating churches, providing aid to those in need, or supporting the local community in various ways.
In all these areas of ministry, we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us to be effective witnesses for Christ. We thank God for His mercy and for the privilege of serving Him in Romania, and we ask for your continued prayers and support as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission.
Projects:
Podari, Dolj county. This spring, we had the joy of being visited by a mission team from the USA led by Brother Walther, who dedicated himself to the construction and renewal of the roof of a location in Podari. They also worked on a special project of distributing glasses to those in need. The work was an intense challenge for all of us, but in the end, we thank the Lord that it was successfully completed. This was a first step after PIEI received the gift of this location by God's grace, and the responsibility to use it for the glory of the Lord and the salvation of people in Victoria, Brasov county. We are in the process of obtaining documents for the camp project and pray that this year we can start the preliminary phase of the work. We are in the phase where the notary is working on the documents. We are hoping to receive the donation of the land on behalf of the PIEI organization soon.
PIEI Center in Alba. Its director is working on organizing and making the space available for those who want to use it for meetings, camps, studies, sports, and other activities, for those who request it.
Necrilesti. We are finalizing the last aspects of registering the land with the desire that this wonderful place can also be offered to the work of the Lord.
Prayer requests:
Please remember us in your prayers and intercede for us so that the work can be done without murmuring or hesitation.
Pray that missionaries remain strong in the face of the challenges of so-called modernism and be models for the churches and people they interact with.
Pray that materialism, which is manifested so fiercely in a country that has emerged from communism and whose borders have opened, does not become a priority in the lives of believers. And as Peter says, "that we may serve with humility, not for dishonest gain, but as an example to the flock."
Pray for the protection of our children and the children we work with so that the times that have already come do not find them exposed, but under the protection of the Lord and His teachings.
Pray that the families of the churches will be healthy, that men will love their wives, and they will be subject to their husbands.
Pray that children will be obedient to their parents and that their hearts will be touched by the Lord's Spirit from a very young age during meetings and changed by Him.
Pray for open doors for the Gospel in the lives of individuals and in the places we pray for.
Pray that we may be found ready when the Lord comes or when He calls us home.
Thank you:
First and foremost, thanks to the Lord for His immense love for us.
Thank you to all of you who pray for us and support us through your prayers.
Thank you for any involvement you have had, have, or will have towards us in Romania.
Thank you to the encouragement and material or financial support teams for the work and workers in Romania.
May you all be blessed! Last but not least, you are invited to visit us, to see the work and workers firsthand, who are few and who rejoice if God will bring workers for His harvest from among us, wherever you are or here in Romania.
Stinea Timotei - PIEI National Director
