We are still under pandemic restrictions at the church, but the believers have started getting used again to our regular program. Some were afraid in the beginning, but are attending the church meetings on a regular basis now.
On the last Sunday of June, we finished a Bible study we’ve been doing for over a year in our church. I preached the catechism course that I usually do with new converts. I felt that the church needed to hear the basic teachings of the gospel again. Exposing our faith family to the truths of the Scripture has brought great benefits and strengthened the dynamics of the church.
I intend to preach several evangelistic messages that are centered on the Lord Jesus’s sacrifice. I can hardly wait to preach evangelistic messages again. This has become necessary as we have new people that have started attending the church. I hope that these messages will lead them to salvation.
I had an interesting experience this month. We had a medical bed and someone from the town hall called me to ask if we could donate it to a family in Fieni who had a disabled child. I said ‘yes’ and visited the family. They respectfully welcomed us. They have a 22-year-old daughter with tetraparesis, a weakening of the arms and legs. Her spine is terribly twisted. I showed them how they could use the medical bed and then asked for permission to share with them the greatest message, the Gospel. I asked them if they knew of the Gospel and they said ‘no’. I explained the message of Christ and His death to them in about 20 minutes. They invited us to visit them again and I could sense that God had a plan for them. After three weeks, my wife and I thought we should visit them again. When we contacted the family, the woman called us to inform us that her husband had died of a heart attack and had already been buried. Although she was crushed with pain, but shared with me how they really liked my message that I had shared and how they had talked about it several times. From what she said I believe that the Lord wanted her husband to hear the Word before he left this world. He was very receptive and maybe he was saved like the thief on the cross. Oh, I would love to see him in heaven! We want to visit the widow, to help her.
Trusting in the name of the Lord, I went out on the street to share the good news of salvation and to pass out gospel tracts. I distributed about 500 tracts in Moroeni and Runcu. I didn’t face any problems from the authorities. The Lord gave me the joy to share the Word in Runcu this way – after passing out Gospel tracts, I wanted to visit a brother whose name is Gigel who lives there. I went to his house in the evening. He had a team of workers in his courtyard who were working for him. I talked to Gigel and I wanted to leave quickly so they could continue what they were doing. But I noticed that Gigel didn’t seem to be in a hurry. I recognized that the Lord had a plan for me there – to preach the Gospel to the workers. So, I told them I had a message for them and asked them if they wanted to hear it. Their leader said ‘yes’. So, I started preaching to them about sinfulness, condemnation and the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice. The Lord gave me a special grace in which I preached powerfully. I was amazed by the power, the clarity and the wisdom I experienced during my preaching. I’m saying this because there were times when I just couldn’t find my words. When I finished, there was silence; they were all thinking about what they had heard. Then Gigel continued to urge them and even shared with them his personal testimony. I spoke to them again about following God’s path and the importance of attending the church services. A young man from this team came to church the following Sunday and really enjoyed it. I hope the Lord would keep working in his heart.
I have planned several activities for the teenagers’ ministry. We meet every Friday on the basketball court with a twofold purpose: (1) relaxation and socialization – keeping them away from the internet and (2) meeting new young people. We are glad to see that our purposes are accomplished. We have Bible study with them every Saturday night and then teach them the guitar. Once a month we will take a trip together. They enjoy doing this and it is also good for the unity of the group.
