Brother Alex Palade primarily ministers as a college campus evangelist. But while much of his gospel endeavors take place in a college context, they are not limited exclusively to educational enviornments. The following are a few of his experiences this past month:
I spoke to a young man who is a freshman in Sibiu. He works as a waiter on weekends. I shared with him what God says about sin and he realized for the first time in his life that he was going to hell. He wanted to hear how he could be forgiven and saved. He was very open and thankful for the New Testament he received. He also wanted to get in touch with our students’ group in Sibiu.
I did personal evangelism on the largest campus in Constanta, along with a group of Christians that I had trained before. I saw three students coming and they wanted to catch some insects for one of their classes. One of them told the other two that they could talk to us, but he was going to catch the insects. I told this student I wanted to go with him. He asked me if I had a tool and, as I was searching for it in my car trunk, he saw the books I had there. He asked me about them. I told him that the author had been an atheist who tried to destroy Christianity, but God changed his life. He said he would like to have a copy of the book, so I gave him one and started sharing the Gospel with him. He told me that his grandfather had died that morning and he was eager to find out more about God. He asked me many questions about the Bible and I gave him a New Testament. Lord, have mercy on Gabriel!
Stefan is a medical student in Constanta. He said he was agnostic. He believed in a superior force, which had no reason to be interested in him. He didn’t know he had killed and that the punishment for his sins was everlasting death. He even told us he had tried to kill himself several times, but something made him stop every time. He said that maybe that superior force had prevented him from killing himself. I told him what Christ had done at Calvary and how He had been punished in our place. I was so glad to be able to tell this young man about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Alex is also a medical student in Constanta, but he is from Moreni, Dambovita County. His parents have bought an apartment for him in Constanta and they want him so much to become a doctor. Still, Alex wants to give up on college, because it is too difficult for him, but he is afraid that they would be very disappointed. He was captivated when I started speaking to him about God. Hearing what the Bible says about sin, he told me he felt so disgusted with his sinful life. He had a burden on his heart. He listened to me carefully with tears in his eyes as I was telling him about salvation. He had many questions about the Bible and about how he could be sure that the Bible was true. I answered his questions and noticed that he continued to be moved to tears when I spoke to him about God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. This young man was devastated by sin, but very open to seek God. He confessed that he really needed to hear all these things. Praise the Lord! Oh, Lord, please have mercy on Alex!
My missionary colleague and a missionary from Brazil shared the Gospel with Madalina, a student from Constanta. They were heading towards other girls, but Madalina smiled to them, so they approached her. Madalina was crushed by the Gospel message. She was crying as she was listening to the Word of God and she wanted to put her trust in Christ, as her Lord and Savior. The Lord had prepared her to receive the Word.
Another young man is a student from Constanta who was very proud and arrogant. He was in a hurry, but I asked him if he had ever wondered what God’s opinion about him was. He replied that he was an atheist. I didn’t give up, but went on and asked him if he had killed anyone. He said ‘no’. I told him what God said about adultery, killing and about the punishment for sin. He was willing to hear how he could be saved through Christ. The Lord had mercy on him and gave him the opportunity to hear the Word of God. I could see the impact of the Word on his atheistic heart, because he agreed with what I was telling him. Praise the Lord!
Alex is also a freshman in Constanta. I shared the Gospel with him and he understood for the first time that he was going to hell. He listened carefully how he could be forgiven of his sins. In the end, Alex said he wanted to put his trust in Christ. He told me that his parents were not interested in afterlife, but his grandmother had given him a Bible about a month before and he had started reading it. He was very thankful for what I had told him.
Adam is a Muslim student from Israel. He didn’t believe that salvation was only through Jesus Christ because he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God. He believed he could be saved through good works. So, I proved to him with biblical arguments that Jesus Christ was God. He just couldn’t accept this. He tried to argue with me and I could see in him the spirit of antichrist. This was a very difficult discussion, but I was glad that the Lord made him aware of the fact that the punishment for his sins was eternal death.
One couple I met have 5 children and are extremely poor. They are Rroma people. Their son is my son’s classmate. We visited them at home and offered them a Bible. They had been visited by Jehovah’s witnesses before, so we had to explain to them that their doctrine was false. The man’s mother used to attend a Pentecostal church and he also attended it as a child. When I started preaching the Word to them, they were captivated by its truths. As I shared with them about Christ, their eyes were full of tears. Their hearts were touched by the Word of God. They believed that Christ is God and decided to put their trust in Him as their personal Lord and Savior. The doctors had advised Gina to abort their fifth child, but she refused to take his life, even if she doesn’t have too much food to feed her children. They came to church and really enjoyed it. They said they wanted to come again.
Don is serving as the HeartCry Coordinator for Eastern Europe. As an itinerant evangelist, his pulpit ministry is directed toward preaching on the inner life of the believer and the spiritual need of the lost. With HeartCry, his ministry includes organizing Bible conferences and corresponding with the HeartCry missionaries in Europe. He and his lovely wife Cindy live in Tuscumbia, AL.
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