TEENAGERS CLUB

We added another activity to the teenagers club. Because we want them to spend more time together, we started a mandolin orchestra. We think we have managed to make them enthusiastic. Some of the teenagers started coming to church not long ago and are now coming on a regular basis. We think the mandolin practice gives us enough time to spend with them. Athough some of them are already part of different activities (Mihaela helps with the kids ministry, Paul and David help with table tennis, Nicoleta, Cristina and Doina are involved with crafts), we feel now that we have more time to spend with them when we get together to practice.

We also have time to talk about their life, their families and different things they go through. Some of the teenagers said they received Christ while attending the club, while others said they did that during the summer camp. We want to make them familiar with the message of the gospel for their everyday life. During the guitar practice with Cristi, Igor and Maxim made some offensive remarks to one another. I am still struggling to make them understand and live the verse that says "what you want people to do to you, you do the same". That means obedience to Jesus first of all. I am also there for the teenagers who are going through the process of finding their identity. I want to help them build their lives and identity upon Jesus. We have prayed for a while for Cristi who used to be a little more rebellious. After a talk with him, something happened in his heart as he asked us to forgive him for the way he behaved. He later thanked us for the patience we had with him.

THE STUDENTS MINISTRY

As I shared in my previous reports, we are happy to see several Christian students so active. I believe with all my heart that the real changes are only made by God and that was confirmed last month. It may not be something spectacular but it is pretty special to me. Although I had personally tried to motivate them to work with the young people from our town, I must admit that their zeal and real motivation comes from God. I had mentioned several times the situation of Cornel and Pavel. We prayed that God would deliver them out of their rebellion and indifference. Actually, Cornel no longer wanted to come because his heart was not dedicated to God. I talked to them several times but nothing seemed to convince him. Then I just continued to pray for him and let God work. Last week he showed up to our youth meetings, even though he had not come for a long time and acted as if he was part of the group. I continue to pray for him to dedicate himself totally to God, This confirms the verse saying that everything is possible with God. It also motivates me to continue to pray not only for him but also for Vasile and Pavel so that they will also be freed from the world's influences.  I pray that they will truly repent of their sins. When I last talked to them, I felt that my words did not have any relevance to them.  But I know His Word has all the power and can work in their hearts.

Some young people are very involved in the ministry and they do it with the right attitude. They help with the Thursday youth meetings. It's been almost half a year since we stated to work with a group of young people from dysfunctional families. Most of them do not live with their parents. Most of the girls have a very depraved background. It presents a difficult job of counseling.  Slavic, Elena and also Ruslan from the church work with them. I sometimes work with them too, but there is a group of believers from our church that spend time with them and offer friendship. We continue to pray and work with them. Two of the young people, Larisa and Alexandru, are already in the process of being transformed. We pray that they will repent and understand the gospel. They are already involved in some of the youth group activities.


THE YOUTH MINSITRY IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF MOLDOVA

We had a table tennis contest for boys for the purpose of evangelism. All the boys from all the churches in the southern area and who like this sport attended this event. Some of them brought their friends along. More than fifty young people came and I think around 20 of them were not Christians. We also had a break for tea and biscuits. After the break, we had pastor Andrei C. share a message for them. I think we encouraged the Christian young people to seek fellowship and improve their relationships with their unbelieving friends.

I made many visits this month. Most of them were evangelistic ones. I preached the gospel in the neighboring villages and several unbelievers had the opportunity to hear it. The most special visit in my opinion was the one in Hartop. There is no church there but only a mission. The missionary there waited for us in the school sports' hall with a few young people. The young people that came with me went throughout the village and invited the the local young people to come to our meeting. We ended up having the hall filled to its capacity. We had both teenagers and young adults. I shared the gospel with them, for some that was a challenge, others, just like in Paul's times, rejected it politely. When I asked them where they would be if they were to die that night, some of them were making jokes as they said they did not think of heaven. I pray that God will give His light to these people and bless the ministry in the village.

The youth group from our church and I visited some churches from our area. I challenged the young people to live pure lives and have a living relationship with God. More than 100 young people were challenged to honor God buy staying sexually pure until marriage.