Peace of God dear brothers and sisters! It’s been a while since I’ve written about the work, and in the following I want to talk to you about the last 3 important events that happened on the mission field in the last few months:
Blessing of Daniel Elisei
The blessing of young children finds its roots in the book of Numbers, Chapter 6, verses 22-27, and is performed 40 days after the birth of a baby boy. On this occasion, several unconverted people, including my parents who live over 100 kilometers from the church, attended to witness the blessing of their grandchild. They had the opportunity to hear the message of the Gospel once more, calling for repentance. Together with the local Pastor, two more ministers from other villages preached and officiated the services.
Baptism of My Mother
Since I returned to God, I had a strong desire to see my parents saved. Currently, I live with my wife and our son about 90 kilometers away from my parents’ home. Henever we visit them or talk on the phone, I try to share the message of the Lord Jesus. My father is very resistant to faith, but my mother has been attending the Christian church for about 15 years, ever since I repented. She had long desired to be baptized, but was hindered for many years because she was legally divorced from my father, despite the fact that they were living together. Recently, however, God changed the heart of my father, and they remarried after many years of being divorced, which allowed my mother to receive baptism. While I still see areas in my mother’s life that need further transformation, I choose to remain positive and believe that the work that began in her will be completed. She will experience a new birth, and I’m thankful to the Lord for His work in her life.
Combining Evangelism with Work
God designed man to work and provide for his family’s needs. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).; ”Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
(1 Timothy 5:8). Over the past year, with God’s help, I have been working part-time as a rideshare driver with Uber and Bolt whenever there was a financial need in my family. This allowed me to share the Gospel with a significant number of people. It was amazing to witness how God can change a person’s life during a simple taxi ride. Some passengers promised to read the Bible, while others expressed their intention to repent. Some even prayed the sinner’s prayer with me in the car.
Ordination as a Deacon
I was ordained as a deacon, a position of administration in the church, responsible for identifying vulnerable individuals, and providing support to those facing financial or spiritual difficulties. Being a deacon also involves making my car available to bring fellow believers to church who don’t have transportation. It means putting my car at the Lord’s service and being available for any administrative or spiritual task that the Lord or the Pastor assigns. It is a great responsibility, and I was initially apprehensive to accept it. However, after seeking God’s guidance and understanding His call, I accepted this role.
Marian’s Journey
Marian, a fellow believer, has been a blessing to our church. He comes from a church that does not believe in water baptism or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, he recognized the importance of these biblical principles and received water baptism and later the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have known Marian for several years, and we had occasional fellowship. He has more experience in ministry than I do, and I have benefited from his spiritual guidance. A few months ago, I invited him to serve in our church, and he agreed. Marian now regularly attends our church, and his presence has been a blessing to our ministry. Despite being very ill and having mobility difficulties, every day he goes into town to meet unbelievers and tell them about Christ. His zeal for evangelism, which remains fervent despite physical challenges, has encouraged and motivated me as well.”
In summary, these events have been significant in our mission work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and share the Gospel. The combination of work and ministry has allowed us to reach a broader audience and witness lives being transformed by God’s grace. Thank you for your prayers and support.