About 15 years ago, my church in Draganesti-Olt and I discovered that a “witches’ conference” was being held in the city of Craiova, where about 300 witches gathered to plot a diabolical plan for the region. While we were praying about this situation, the daughter of a church member fainted during the prayer, and a strong spiritual pressure could be felt in the church in Draganesti.
Now, years later, I am part of a team that is planting a church in the same town where the witch conference was held. This region is called the missionary graveyard because many servants of God are no longer able to physically withstand the spiritual pressure. Lately, I have felt this spiritual pressure on my family, myself and also on the people in our church. Many people who visit us and help us in church planting testify that this area has a strong spiritual presence that can be felt as a pressure on your soul.
The good news is that God is working in the church in Craiova and more and more non-Christians are coming to hear and know God better. The room where we meet has been full every Sunday for the past few weeks, and we have been visited by new people during the week. I suspect that this is why I have been feeling the spiritual pressure more and more, as there is opposition from evil forces. Recently, I have experienced a lot of tension, discouragement, and spiritual pressure. As you know, in addition to my other responsibilities, I am also involved in evangelizing to young people. I was discouraged because some of the new young people who joined our church were persecuted at school when their teacher found out they were associated with an Evangelical church instead of an Orthodox one. They were even threatened with expulsion. These events caused high tensions and I could feel the mental pressure the young people were under. Some of them stopped coming to church because of it. I have wondered many times if all of my efforts and work in this area will matter, and if the church we are starting will ever be stable.
In addition to evangelizing to young people, I also help with evangelism through media. I am very happy to announce that God has revealed a new project to me that I hope will bear fruit. I want to film and edit as many personal testimonies as possible. From my own experience, I believe that personal testimonies have a great impact in the lives of non-believers. God can use the experiences of faithful people and sensitize a person who does not know Him. Through this project, people will not necessarily have to come to us or our church in person, which could cause them to be persecuted. They can watch these testimonies wherever they are.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for my spiritual health.
- For the church and the youth that had been persecuted.
- That the hearts of those who listen to the recorded testimonies be touched. May the Holy Spirit work in their lives.
- For my personal finances.
I would like to start a family with God’s help, but with my current finances, I will not be able to provide for them. I really want to continue serving in this region, that’s why I chose to equip myself by going to seminary. However, I am aware that in addition to serving, I will also have to take care of a family, and I cannot neglect that. It is challenging to find spiritual encouragement and financial support in this region, as there are very few believers here. I have a goal that I would like to reach, so please pray that God would provide. I value your prayers and encouragement very much. God bless you! I highly appreciate if you can support me monthly even with a small amount. You can do it by clicking the link below
Great post, Samy! So appreciate you giving us the trials that Romanians face. Yes, we have you in our prayers as you continue to take back this country for Him!