During the months of October and November, the church continued its work in a steady and consistent manner, following the usual rhythm of ministry. Our focus remained on preaching the Gospel, Bible study, and social assistance for those in need. During this period, we were also supported by the Food Bank, through which we were able to provide practical help to vulnerable families, offering not only food but also hope.

The month of December was a special one, marked by a different and more intensive involvement, shaped by the spirit of the celebration of the Lord’s birth. Our brothers and sisters from Spain were a great blessing to the local community, providing help in the form of firewood, medicines, and other essential supplies, especially needed during the cold season.
In addition, the “Hope” Group supported us in organizing a children’s event, where over 50 gifts were distributed, bringing joy to the children and their families.

A meaningful moment was also the Christmas event for the youth, coordinated by Priscila, with support from brother Stoica Marian, through the project: “A Gift in the Hand and Jesus in the Heart.” This simple yet powerful message deeply touched the hearts of the young people.

As every year, the youth from Sebeș, Alba County, were with us in large numbers—approximately 24 young people—contributing to an atmosphere of unity, fellowship, and service. The year concluded in joy and fellowship, as we spent the last evening of the year together with Hope Church from Drăgănești-Olt, in a blessed time of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise to God.

“The harvest is abundant , but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
‭‭- Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬ ‭

The Need for Workers

Just as the fields full of grain are waiting for the harvest, so the Lord’s field is rich and ready for workers. In Comani, we pray with perseverance that the Lord will raise up people with a harvester’s heart. We are deeply grateful to all of you who carry us in your prayers and encourage this ministry.

Baptism and Wedding

The Lord has brought us great joy through sister Geta, who in May chose to enter into covenant with Him through baptism. Coming from a non-Christian family, she first entered the church together with her daughter, simply out of curiosity. Yet her sincere desire to know God and her open heart for His Word led her on the path of salvation.

Before her baptism, since she had not yet made the covenant of marriage, we also officiated the religious wedding. It was moving to see her husband’s openness and acceptance of these ordinances. Thereby, we celebrated together both a wedding and a New Testament baptism — a double testimony to God’s grace!

Children’s Day

On June 1st, together with Priscila, we organized a special event for the children. We enjoyed singing, playing games, and sharing a meal together at the end. In a time when children spend more and more hours online, it is such a blessing to see them coming joyfully to the Saturday gatherings.

Pentecost Celebration

We experienced a special fellowship during the Pentecost celebration, together with brother Ed, who preached the Word of the Lord. At the same time, several sisters from Canada organized a special women’s event, where the Word of God was proclaimed and much encouragement was shared.

Youth Ministry

Together with some of our young people, we went on a trip to the cinema in Craiova. It may seem like a small thing, but for some it was actually their very first experience of this kind, and it brought much joy.

Gratitude

We are thankful to the Lord for all these wonderful things, and also for each one of you who support the ministry in Comani through prayer, encouragement, and giving. Our prayer is that the Lord will reward you in the way He knows best.

Prayer requests:

• That God would provide the resources for us to finish setting up a basketball court and a football field. Both youth and children’s ministry are growing, and we are seeing an openness! Pray that these sports terrains would be used to continue to build relationships and pray we would see youth and children transformed by the Gospel.
• That people would have the courage to make a decision to follow the Lord, and that He would reveal to us the mental barriers that are keeping many from taking this next step.
• That the Lord would give us wisdom and understanding in our ministry.
• That He would continue to protect our family and continue to take care of all our needs.
• Praise God we will have a baptism in our church! Pray that the Lord would work in Sister Geta’s family as she takes this next step of faith.

As you know, holiday season is always a time full of joy but also of weariness. Joyful, because we have the opportunity to serve more intensely, and the people we serve throughout the year are more open to receiving the Gospel during this season. At the same time, it is tiring due to the significantly higher number of activities that take place in a short period of time.

In December, Vera intentionally dedicated time teaching children the true meaning of Christmas and how we should view this holiday. At the Christmas event, where the children received gifts, we asked a few questions before distributing the presents to see what they knew. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that, for them, Christmas is not about the tree, the pig butchering (a Romanian tradition), or Santa Claus, but about the birth of Jesus Christ, who came into the world to sacrifice Himself for us so that through Him our sins could be forgiven.

The teenagers also enjoyed a special event organized for them by my daughter, Priscila, who is responsible for this part of the ministry in Comani. They decorated gingerbread cookies, and many of them had never done this before, but they said that they really enjoyed it. The moment was especially exciting when they got to taste the cookies at the end.They also received gifts, for which we are extremely grateful to the Lord and to everyone who was involved in making this gift-giving possible, bringing so much joy to the hearts of the youth.

During this period, we also had the joy of blessing several families with firewood, thanks to the church in Parets (Barcelona) and some friends from Spain. Additionally, we had the opportunity to help many families with food, with the support of the Baptist Church in Sebeș, some friends, and the Food Bank. We are grateful to the Lord for everyone who contributed to these acts of kindness.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to those who carry us in your prayers and more! May the Lord pour out an abundance of blessings upon you, according to each of your needs.

Shoes Box Ministry

This year, we aim to bring smiles to the faces of 100 children through the *Shoes Box Ministry* project! Considering the challenges we faced in previous years, we plan to act early and buy 100 packages, each worth 100 RON.

These gifts are intended for children from families with limited material and financial resources. Beyond being a simple present, each package will also include the Good News of God, a message of hope and love that they can carry with them.

Today’s children are tomorrow’s youth and the adults of the future. It is truly worth investing in them. If we want to see future generations turning their eyes to Jesus, we must start by reaching as many children as possible.

Join us in spreading the joy and hope of Christmas!

Firewood Assistance – Bringing Warmth Together

Each year, we support our community by providing approximately 28 tons of firewood for 26-28 families. However, last year we were only able to distribute 6 tons, and the needs remain significant.
This year, we aim to once again assist widows, large families, and those in need! 1 ton = 700 RON.
Join us in making a difference and bringing warmth to those who need it the most!

New Chairs for Alfa and Omega Church in Comani!

I’ve been thinking for a long time about getting new chairs for our location. The ones we currently have are very worn out, dating back to when we didn’t even have a proper roof, and they were soaked by rain several times!
We need 50 new chairs to create a welcoming and comfortable space.
Cost per chair: 200 RON.

Let’s join hands to make this possible!

Monthly Project – Food Assistance for Families in Comani

So far, we’ve discussed one-time projects, but now I want to share a continuous, monthly need! Until September, we were able to help *25 families in Comani* with food, but since October, we’ve had no budget to continue this support.

*Cost of one food package per month: 100 RON*

We invite you to be part of this on going monthly project and help us provide continuous assistance to those in need!

Everything what will be sent in November, we wil receive in December! Thank you for being of this projects!

At the beginning of October, we were graced to host a team of women from South Church in Michigan, who came for the purpose of putting on two women’s conferences. One was for the wives of missionaries, pastors and workers and one was for the non-Christian women in Comani. It involved a lot of time and planning, but praise be to the Lord, it was worth it! We had a wonderful three days where our American sisters encouraged, prayed for and also spiritually nourished the Romanian sisters from the Word.

For the non-Christian women from Comani, once again, God encouraged their souls through His Word and through our American sisters, telling them what a life full of hope, peace and purpose means.
We thank God for this blessed time of serving.

After taking time to build relationships with youth in the community through fun social gatherings, together with my daughter Priscila, we have recently started a Bible study with them. While I lead the Bible study, we prepare it together in advance. Priscila has been involved in the organization of youth ministry since it started. Pray for her, that the Lord will help her to grow more and more, to have more wisdom in organizing, and at the same time to have a lot of love and patience with the youth.

We need your prayers for the following:

• Children’s ministry – May the Lord open their hearts and minds to understand the Gospel.
• Youth ministry – wisdom, strength but also financial support for this work that requires a cost at each meeting (snacks, juice but also different things for the activities that are done during the meetings)
• Women’s ministry – That women would be freed from the misunderstanding of biblical concepts implemented by Orthodox priests but also traditions.
• For the people who come to church and who mistakenly believe that by constantly attending they are well with God!

May each of you be blessed and we thank you for every prayer lifted up for us!

Peace to you, our dear brothers and sisters!

In Psalm 118:19 say, “I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord”. In everything we do, it’s about what He is doing here in the community where He has placed us.
We had a full summer, during which we were involved in various activities for the glory of God. With His help, we managed to buy the property next to the church building, where we had to dedicate quite a bit of time to cleaning, fixing the fences, and leveling the ground, as the property had been uninhabited for many years and thus had not been properly maintained. A good part of this property’s land will belong to the church, where we will build a soccer field and a basketball court for the ministry with the youth and children from Comani.

We finished, together with the church, in our church meetings, the book of John, from which I intended through my sermons to make the Lord Jesus more known. I sought to show who Jesus is and what He wants from us. I believe that biblical teaching and the knowledge of Scripture are essential for a person to come to the conviction that they need Jesus more than anything and that He is the solution for their sins.

This year, we couldn’t afford a camp for the youth, but with the Lord’s help and through our contact at Live Global, Ed, we took a one-day trip with 20 young people to the Transalpina mountains, where we had a picnic together and presented the need for Christ through an interactive message from brother pastor Raul Costea, ending the day at Aqua Park, Căciulata.

At the beginning of September, with the start of the school year, we blessed the children and youth with backpacks. We managed to give out 40 backpacks with the help of brother Marian Stoica, while the necessary school supplies came from the organization Completing the Task.

We thank everyone who contributed financially to make these things possible, those who promoted us, and of course, those who supported us in prayer.

How hard it is when the devil lies to you, so beautiful, that you are good with God and you believe him. I have met so many people, who think they are free, they are good with GOD but they have no idea about His Word. The lack of knowledge of the Scriptures makes people a sure target for the evil one. He knows that by keeping them away from the Word, he gains ground in their lives every day and by seeing this, I decided to go to their home, to read The Bible together and, being in a narrower context, also gave them the courage to ask questions.
Together with a team from Texas, we had a period of one week in which we managed to serve the people of Comani through various activities.

We celebrated Mother’s Day, where we invited women, mostly non-Christians, and through songs, testimonies and biblical teaching they could hear about the Word of God. We made visits, during which we could pray much more specifically for them, we could listen to their worries but also the questions about spiritual things that, in a wider framework, they do not have the courage to ask. We had a medical event ( where we took the blood pressure and blood sugar and offered reading glasses) and again it was a wonderful occasion where we could pray for people. We are focused on helping people in the knowledge of the Scriptures and we pray that God will set free more people in Comani. We had a blessed time for which we are grateful to God!

On the social side, we are grateful to God for the partnership we have with the Food Bank, through which widows and families with lower incomes can be helped with food. We had a testimony from a widow, who was in great need. This woman used to go to another neighbor’s house where they drink coffee and often even eat together. On that day, neither of them had any bread or money for it and it was a Friday, when we had Bible study, with the church, and at the end, before people went home because we had brought products from the Food Bank, including bread, we gave everyone what we had received. After that, this woman came to me and full of joy said : “Let me tell you how God cares, not only did he gave me bread, he gave me 2, plus other things.” How good God is to us!
Praise be to God who takes care!

We are also happy for the young people, who are starting to come more and more to youth groups. May the Lord work on their hearts! We are in the process of building relationships and we pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to move from relationship to spiritual discussions with them .At the first organized meeting,only a young woman came and Priscilla was so disappointed, but God asks us to be faithful in small things if we want to be entrusted with bigger things. At the last meeting we had, there were 17 young people. Praise the God who is good! Priscila and Miriam, our girls, are involved in organizing the meetings and may the Lord give them wisdom in everything!

We appreciate every prayer, rejoice and thank you for all your support.

We bless you in the Name of the Lord Jesus and may He help you to be the light where you are, every day of your life!

We ended the year 2023 rejoicing in service, on the mission field. We bless the Lord for the wonderful work done in Miriam, our eldest daughter, who had given her life to the Lord but had not made the decision to show, publicly, through baptism, her decision.

Following a participation in a Christian camp, the Lord worked in her life and that’s how we ended up having an event at the end of November attended by many non-believers , a wonderful opportunity for evangelization.

Another work that we believe we are called to do, and which we have done in the past, is the evangelization of children, as a result every Saturday we meet and present the Bible through different activities.Pray for them!
The month of December was a month full of blessings. We had the opportunity to take the Good News to people’s homes through carols and visits.

Children were also blessed by the fact that we managed to get gifts and almost 60 children were happy to receive one.

The work in Comani is blessed, people come to church and to the Bible study that we have every Friday where we go through the Gospel of John following the footsteps of Jesus and seek to discover Him more and more. Together with the women, my wife, studied the 10 commandments. We were pleasantly surprised to have the testimonies of some women who, at the end of the study, memorized them even though at the beginning of the study they had no idea what they were.Also, men discover wonderful things about God after the study that they do.

Thank you for your support in prayer! Pray for us that the Lord will give us wisdom in everything, use us for His Glory and protect us from the evil one who surrounds us like a lion ready to catch us. Pray also for the people of Comani, especially for those with whom I worked directly, to desire His Word and make a decision to follow Him.

Be blessed!

The summer period, being a more full period, usually the Bible study groups end untill  autumn. With the beginning of the school year, which is in September, we also resumed the study group, every Friday evening, but at the same time we resumed and the study group with men and, my wife, the study group with women, Pray that the Lord will work in their hearts and make the decision to follow Him in an authentic way because many of them say they are with the Lord but their lives do not show this. 

When it comes to everything that means blessing, everything is born in God’s heart. Because everything that is good and perfect comes from Him and his goodness is poured over us daily.

In one of  my day off, when I went fishing, this being the place where my mind is emptied of all the daily problems,I had an idea about organizing a retreat for the missionary team I work with. After some time, when I went out fishing again, on my way to the fishing pond my heart was boiling and kneaded about how to put this thought into practice. But due to the pressure I felt in my heart, which I could no longer face, while I should have entered a store with my wife, I stayed outside where I called a partner who , in time, changed from a simple work partener to a friend and an older brother, for me. I shared my thoughts with him and he didn’t gave me an answer in that moment but he said that he was praying to see if God wants him to get involved. A week later, he told me that he was joining this project and together we started organizing since August for an event that would take place in October. It required many hours of talking on the phone, trips to the hotel and a lot of stress for everything to be right, considering that it was about 60 people who needed to be accommodated,the missionaries and their families.

Continue to pray for us, we appreciate and are grateful for your support! 

Be blessed!