In his April report, Anatol Dunas, shares two accounts of God’s saving work through the ministry in Cahul, Moldova.
Marina’s personal testimony
I grew up in an Orthodox family and my mother taught me how to pray the Lord’s Prayer as a child. In our neighborhood there was a house where some evangelical Christians used to gather for worship every Sunday. I would the music and with the other children from our street, we went there and I received my first Children’s Bible. I read it all in one week. I received other books about different Christians and each of them left a footprint on my personality. That was the moment when I realized that I had misbehaved. I prayed and went to my earthly father to ask for forgiveness. I was crying and he couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. He hugged me and told me he had already forgotten my bad attitudes. That was my first real “I’m sorry, please forgive me” request in front of a father.
As the years were passing, I started asking myself questions about life and death. When I was in my second year of college, I received a book entitled, “Are You Sure You Are a Christian?” Then I said a prayer from the depth of my heart and invited the Lord Jesus into my heart to be the Lord of my life. And He came and I was so glad, so happy and felt a wonderful relief. This time I said “please forgive me” in front of my Savior, my heavenly Father. The Lord started changing my character. I had many experiences with Him and He keeps searching my heart and cleansing me. I have become the daughter of the King and I received forgiveness, salvation and meaning for my life.
Valentina’s personal testimony
My father was an atheist. Many times I would find mom praying secretly. Although she had faith in God, she never told us about Him. I went to school in Chisinau when I grew up, but nobody told me about God during all those years, so I had a worldly lifestyle. I married Ivan and we have two daughters together. They went to high school in Romania. When my oldest daughter,Cristina, came home from Romania, she told her younger sister, Silvia, about the faith in God. The next year, when our daughters came home during their vacation, they would go to the evangelical church in Gotesti. One Sunday when they were preparing to go to church, I told them I wanted to go with them. The second time when I visited God helped me understand the message that was being preached and I began to show interest in finding out more about Him.
My daughters took me to Emanuel Church in Cahul. After they went back to Romania, I kept attending the church. One Sunday, pastor Anatol said that we needed to give ourselves to the Lord totally and I stood up and said I wanted to do that.
Three years ago I got sick with a serious illness, but the Lord has been drawing me nearer to Him in my suffering. I want to be faithful to God. While I pray for health, I want to follow Him no matter what. My sins are forgiven and I’m a child of God.
I was afraid to tell my husband that I wanted to be baptized, but the pastor encouraged me to. Although he didn’t like it at the beginning, he said, “God’s will be done in your life!”
I want to be faithful to the Lord until the end.
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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