HeartCry missionary, Ion (John) Tomeci, and his wife, Ani, exhibit the spiritual maturity and character of spiritual parents. They have earned the respect of both young and old in their sphere of influence, earning the favor of those who know them. In John’s recent report their gospel kindness is seen in their compassion for people.
“We’re happy to be able to share with you about us and what the Lord has done through his gospel in Brasov, Romania.
I met a young man who as a child was rejected by his mother and father, but sought and found by God, I met him at the end of a meeting that we organized. He is 20 years old and is a college student in Brasov. I didn’t get to talk too much with him, but meeting him was a start. He attended again one of our meetings and I spoke with him and asked him to meet me in private in the future. The Lord helped us get closer to one other from the beginning of our relationship, and when we met in private, I found out his story. He has a sad story, but filled with hope. His story began with his parents who didn’t get along and divorced. He was too small to remember this now. He was raised by an aunt, who is an old woman who has mental issues now. I never met her, but she’s a tough person who imposes her will on him, threatening to kick him out of her house. Both of his parents remarried and had children with their new partners. His parents wanted to forget about each other, and also to forget about him, not willing to assume responsibility for the child they had together, who needed love and care. The young man was abandoned by his parents and grew up with a dominating aunt. Just like any of us, he did many bad things until he heard the gospel which showed him his sinfulness. His heart wanted to receive forgiveness and therefore, he accepted the good news. His wounds and scars are still there, but he found the fear of the Lord and the calling of the gospel. His grandmother doesn’t allow him to come to church, as she wants him to attend only the Orthodox church. But the young man has received the light and he’s being attracted towards God’s Word that is now changing his heart. He is attending our church without his grandmother’s permission, even though she threatened to kick him out of the house. We prayed together and I told him that his grandmother had good intentions, but she didn’t know the gospel and that’s why she forbade him to attend the church. He said he didn’t like to attend our meetings secretly and I was glad to hear this. He wants to live in integrity. The Lord is working in his heart. He came to church this Sunday, but he texted me to let me know that he would be a little bit late. I assured him that I was gladly waiting for him. I’m so glad I met this student. I could see God’s wonderful and mysterious work. He chooses for his Kingdom those people who others reject. There are many children who grow up in better conditions and never turn to the Lord and who aren’t grateful for their parents. Still, we know that his faith is going to be tested. He is young and sin will come after him. Please pray for him to be an authentic believer for God’s Kingdom and that he will bring healing to his parents and siblings’ hearts.
When sin is great, God’s grace is even greater! I have told you about a guy in my previous reports. I met him two years ago while doing street evangelism. I started doing Bible study with him back then. He was growing very slowly and I wasn’t sure if he really had faith in Christ. He was a very lonely person and had wounds from his past. It wasn’t easy for him to make friends. I tried to be patient with him during all this time and help him as much as he allowed me to. The pandemic has interrupted our relationship. We only exchanged several text messages. I was aware of the risk of his backsliding. There is a risk for everyone, but especially for those who receive the gospel and then don’t spiritually grow, but turn back to their sinful life. The heart stays unchanged. I’ve prayed for him during all this time and received peace from the Lord that the seed of faith in his heart wouldn’t die, even if he went back to his sinful life. In February 2021, the students came back to school and the guy called me and urgently said he wanted to meet me. I changed my plans to meet him. When I connected with him, he was different, both physically and spiritually. He had lost some weight, but spiritually he was determined to seek the Lord. He had faced some problems, but he realized that he had to follow the Lord. I prayed for him and to my surprise he also prayed, although he did it quite shyly. I gave him a Bible again and we started to meet once a week for discipleship. We also decided that he should attend the prayer meetings. He doesn’t spend his weekends in Brasov. Please pray for him. I can see the seed of faith in him, but I also see weaknesses and traps that he’s not aware of. He recently started a relationship with a girl that has a problematic past. We know that the gospel has the power to keep the saved until the end and to cleanse them from all sin. The conversion of a soul is a manifestation of God’s power through Christ. Sin is present, but its power has been defeated. Christ’s resurrection in the life of this young convert can be seen from week to week. Praise the Lord! “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” I can see this truth in his life!
There is a young girl who loves the Word and looks forward to our Bible study meetings. A girl we know is her workmate. She listens to us and goes forward quite slowly, but she uses her own strength and doesn’t rely on the power that comes through the Spirit of God. She keeps repeating that she can’t give up on her worldly pleasures. That’s why many times she wants to give up. Praise the Lord for her who is a faithful disciple and a blessing for the other girl. She is fighting in faith for workmate and really cherishes the relationship that we have. Please pray that the Lord would set the girl outside of Christ free from her dark past. Pray that the Lord would save her and that she would hate sin.
Another young lady studied to become a nurse. She is working toward her master’s now. She is an introvert, but sincere. She is the girl who is no a Christian’s sister (I told you about her in a previous report). The lost girl is outspoken, while this girl keeps things in her heart. She faced many struggles as a child and her parents left the evangelical church they used to attend. So, she didn’t have a community that could help her grow in faith. The unsaved girl was the first one to ask me to help this girl grow in her knowledge of Christ. Then the young lady asked me to meet with her and help her grow spiritually. So we met and we talked about her spiritual needs and what we should focus on. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and strength in this spiritual journey that I am going to take with this young follower.
A girl that was saved through the church introduced us to her mother. As I mentioned in a previous report, this girl parents didn’t allow her to come to church anymore. But her father became infected with Covid and they were afraid for him, as he also had Hepatitis B. Seeing that we really cared for them and also attempted to help them, their attitude towards us changed completely. When they came to Brasov, they all came to church and we invited them to have lunch with us. We had a blessed time together and they shared their story with us. They were very open and happy to meet us. They now allow their daughter to attend church. Please pray that the Lord would keep working in their hearts and save them. Their daughter is praying for her parents’ salvation.
