Meeting new people and endless needs
This time, the trip that Emanuele, Claudia and Robert faced was long and difficult, due to both the adverse weather conditions and their health, which was not the best. In fact, they drove almost 2000 km from Milan to Rebricea, while I took a flight and joined them a few days later.We all had a specific purpose: to visit and merge our existing contacts, meet new partners and advance our goal to expand the work in Romania.
Our days went by very quickly, with very tight timeframes, between meetings and continuous travel to different places in Romania Moldova.
Friday 3rd February we went to the church of Berezeni, where we were able to participate in the activities with the local church. Denis Zlatan gave us a hand with the organization of this, while including our team in various activities with the children.
Saturday 4th February we visited some of Vaslui’s collaborators and helped organize the Saturday Kids’ Club on the farm. This is an activity that we have been dedicated to for a number of years and we like being able to work with the children of the Rebricea and Rateșu Cuzei area. Looking back at old photos, we can see how much they have grown in this time. Unfortunately, we can also see how many of these children we have never seen again. We pray that God will take care of them and that the seed that has been left in their hearts may grow one day.
We are trying to figure out how to help the kids who have faithfully come to the farm all these years participating in our programs, especially how we can nurture their interest in the Gospel and help them in their school/professional careers.
On Saturday evening our team headed towards the Bacău area, where Leon and Dora were waiting for us. They are a very dear believing couple who, after several years of working in Italy, decided to return to Romania after they retired to do God’s missionary work both with their local church in Onești and in humanitarian and spiritual aid in the poorest villages in the area where they live.
On Sunday morning, February 5, we met the leaders of the “Speranţă” church of Onești: Cornel, his wife Doroty and Alin. We were able to participate in their worship service together with the whole congregation.
In the afternoon, I personally had one of the most unique experiences since traveling to Romania. I had never attended a worship service in a “tent church”! The evangelical church of the village of Poduri in fact meets inside a very large tent. As we approached, walking up a very steep and snowy road, we began to hear the notes of music echoing through the houses of the village. It was lovely to hear the praise of God set to music with different harmonies than we usually hear. It was really nice to be immersed in an atmosphere of celebration and pure and heartfelt adoration of God.
In both churches, we felt at home and above all we were very impressed by the hospitality and affection that everyone showed us. There was also a time when we gave our personal testimonies. Claudia, as always made a great contribution, sharing about the Christian life and drawing from her numerous missionary experiences, as well as giving encouragement to spur Christians to action in missionary work.
Even if moving around was difficult due to adverse weather conditions (snow and cold), at the end of each of the days spent in Romania, we were grateful for what we experienced.
Brothers and sisters with incredible enthusiasm, faithful to God, ready to commit themselves to helping those who are worse off than themselves. The church in Onești is doing a great job in the area, especially in the villages that are less accessible and with a poverty that is truly desperate.We learned of increasingly sad stories about the most underprivileged of course, but we were also encouraged by how the power of the gospel has transformed the desperate lives of these people. In many villages where there was so much misery, both materially and spiritually, God has risen up a church which now sheds light and witness for other needy people.
What we want to do is to be inspired by the faithfulness of these brothers and sisters and put ourselves to work with all our means, to work together and bring forth the Kingdom of God.
Monday 6 February we return to our families, grateful for what we have and with an even greater desire to serve and help.
The Lord is opening up many doors and strong possibilities for us to broaden our range of action. We pray that we may see more and more miracles and that the name of the Lord will be exalted more and more!
We ask you to pray for what the Lord is doing for us, so that we will never stop loving the gospel and continue working in His vineyard.
Ora Felice Fattoria
