Christmas affords many effectual opportunities to make Christ known in Romanian communities. In light of the foreboding Covid virus over the year the occasion seemed to provide a greater evangelistic opportunities in the areas of Fieni and Sinaia. People were more welcoming and eager to listen to the gospel message, whether sung or preached. HeartCry missionary Florin Stan reaped great benefit as he coordinated gospel events. In his recent report, he shares:
We wanted to be very active on the mission field both in Fieni and Sinaia. We organized three evangelistic events in Fieni and repeated them in Sinaia.
The first evangelistic event was offering Christmas presents to children. We received 100 presents and organized this event for December 23rd. The children that attend our Saturday children’s program participated in this event. We also had about 20 other children who came. The church building was full and we weren’t able to observe the Covid regulations. In trusting the Lord everything was OK.
We sang several carols and I preached about salvation, a sermon inspired from John 8. I created an illustration taking a child and wrapping him in a rope. Then I asked him to untie himself. He tried in vain. Then I explained to the children that sin was just like that. Just as that child needed help from someone else to untie himself, we also need help with our sin. The Lord Jesus is the only One who can break our sin. The children were enthusiastic and I hope they will remember this illustration.
We had a Christmas concert for adults on December 19th, at the church building in Fieni. Surprisingly, many people attended this event and the facility was full again. The young people had to stand, because there were no more seats for them.
Two choirs sang at this event. The first choir was formed by the young people from our church. They had rehearsed a lot for this concert and sang beautifully. The second choir was from a Baptist Church from Ploiesti. This church is our partner in the church planting ministry in Sinaia. Their pastor, brother Irinel, preached an evangelistic message. In the end, I urged the participants to make peace with God through the Savior, the Lord Jesus, that was sent from heaven. I hope that the new people that came to church were searched by the Holy Spirit.
Later that evening, we went caroling and passed out Christian literature. On December 23rd, we caroled just like we do every year. We had two groups of carolers this year. The young people from our church formed a group and did a great job. Many people welcomed them. After singing to those people, they also offered them gospel tracts. Another group was formed by the children with whom we had been working since November. We formed a little choir and went caroling to their places. Also, we visited their relatives and acquaintances. An advantage of this ministry is that we met new people who we get to know. Furthermore, I want to invest in these children and to make them the Lord’s disciples. They are small, but we want to put good things in their minds, things that would be useful to them for life and godliness.
Then we repeated these three events in Sinaia. On December 18th, we had two events. We had the children’s meeting at 12:00 PM. This happened for the first time in Sinaia. The believers from Sinaia invited children to church on this occasion. We were expecting about 40 children, but only 20 came. A young couple from the church in Sinaia was in charge of this event and I encouraged them to get involved in this, hoping that they will carry on the children’s ministry. This sister is a teacher and she is very good at working with children. She did a great job. All of these children were invited to attend the children’s program starting with January 8th, 2022. We are eager to see if they come. Please pray for this ministry.
In the evening, at 5:00 PM, we sang in the park along with a choir from Bucharest for 30 minutes. The authorities allowed us to do this and also helped us. People gathered around and listened. It was snowing beautifully. It was something magical. I also had a short message about man’s need to make peace with God. People paid attention to my message and thanked us for what we did. We gave them gospel tracts. The owner of a coffee shop nearby offered us hot chocolate and tea for free. It was a very special gift. May the Lord bless him with salvation.
From 6:00 PM, we went to church and had an evangelistic event there. Six new people attended this church service and heard the gospel message. We had a wonderful meeting that strengthened our faith and encouraged us to carry on our ministry.
On December 24th, we went caroling in Sinaia. Believers from Fieni and Sinaia collaborated together for the outreach. We visited the believers’ acquaintances in town. It was a great joy and encouragement for the believers from Sinaia, as they hadn’t done this in 10 years. It was also a great joy for those whom we visited. We hope that this ministry will open new opportunities for us. We did this for about 5 hours and were exhausted, but full of joy. We planted the seed of the gospel during this period and prayed that it would be fruitful in the people’s lives. Everything was done for his glory!
