The highlight of this month for me were the discussions that I had on the student campus. I ministered along side of our book table, giving out New Testaments, evangelistic books and booklets. It was still cold outside the first time I went, but at the end of the day I knew God had sent me. I went to a different dorm from where we used to go. There are lots of students that study theology, philosophy, sociology... I had interesting discussions with four students. The first was an international student from the Congo that told me he was looking for an evangelical church. I recommended to him a church where I knew there were lots of African people and the next Sunday he went to the service. I was very encouraged to hear that he attended the church and I hope he continues.

Another student stopped while I was giving out brochures and asked me, "Why should I read the Bible?" He wasn't really looking for an answer as he immediately left with the brochure I was handing out. The title of it was "How Would You Feel if Your Thoughts Would be Displayed on National TV?" Half of an hour later he came back with the brochure. It was clear that he had studied it as I saw it underlined, circled and with question marks all over it. He came to tell me that he disagreed with the content of the brochure. "God is not a Judge, He's a loving Father, and sin is not a legal issue. I am a Law student and I understand it perfectly." He had strong Orthodox beliefs because he went to the Orthodox high school in his hometown. He never read the Bible but he strongly believed that salvation is by works and not by faith, based on Matthew 25:31-46 that he kept pointing to me. I read to him some verses that revealed that salvation is by faith alone, not by works, and that an authentic faith will bring forth good deeds. While we were talking, another student came to the book table and joined the discussion. He studied Orthodox Theology and at present, he is studying Philosophy. "How do you know what you know?" was his remark to everything I said. He was so skeptical that I couldn't believe that once he studied theology!! While the three of us were talking, another Philosophy student stopped and joined the discussion. His attitude was quite aggressive, even though he didn't mean to, he apologized later. He had lots of frustrations towards any non-Orthodox belief, probably because during childhood his family had some encounters with Jehovah Witnesses and other weird guys. He especially emphasized the authority of the councils of the Church as more important than the authority of the Bible. He held such a strong and aggressive Orthodox position! During our discussion they did all the talking and interrupted me every time I opened my mouth to say anything. That's why I was surprised that at some point they listened to me for two-three minutes when I shortly told them the Gospel. It was quite a miracle! At the end of the discussion I smiled when he said "You are a person whom I can discuss with."

So, overall that day was a joyful opportunity to talk to the students, hear their ideas and share the Gospel with them. Unfortunately, the next time I went to the same dorm, eager to meet them again, a lady came to our book table and asked us to leave the campus, because in the past the students from the Orthodox Theology attacked the Evangelical students and had beaten them. The incident caused problems to the campus administration. I still want to go back to that dorm, maybe not inside as they don't allow us, but around that area, so we can continue to reach out to some of those students.

I want to share with you these things so you can understand our background and know how to pray for the students in Bucharest. There is such a variety of beliefs among them. Some are very Orthodox and aggressive in their beliefs, some are evolutionists, some are relativists, others practice yoga or have different oriental beliefs. Please pray for us for wisdom in reaching out to them with the Gospel at the point of their reference. This month we also continued to deepen the friendships with our friends from the ski camp, inviting them to volley-ball, informal gatherings, and, of course, to the Easter Celebration. As we told you last month, we already had the evangelistic Easter Celebration and we invited the students to the Anglican Church down town Bucharest. It has a more familiar setting for the Orthodox students. It was a wonderful evening, filled with songs about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The worship band sang so well that some people were drawn into the church to hear the music, including a homeless man that challenged our students in helping him to stay quiet during the event. Daniel M., a pastor in Bucharest, had a clear Gospel presentation and a graduate shared the great news of how God changed her life. We praise God for the students who heard the Gospel and pray that they will make peace with God.

The weekly worship meetings are quite encouraging this semester. We have been meditating upon the theme of sanctification and applying it to practical issues of our lives such as, How is the media (internet, TV, radio, magazines...) actually influencing our values and lives and what should we do to be holy?,  Do we make the most use of our time for God's glory?, Are we faithful and strive for excellency in whatever God has called each of us to do in our lives?, How do we encourage each other in holiness, as brothers and sisters?, and Do we behave with integrity and holiness in our relationships with the opposite sex? We pray that students will strive after holiness and apply every day what we learn together.

During Easter break I went to Mangalia and spent a few days with my roommate's family. They are Presbyterian missionaries from Brazil. It was good to visit their church and see their children's ministry. That area of the country is poorer and I was encouraged to see them making a difference. I met a young lady who grew up as an orphan and had a very hard life. She has a walking problem because she didn't receive proper care when she was a baby. Years ago she met Jesus in this ministry and married an English man.  Now she has a healthy baby-girl. I was amazed to see how God worked in her life. Recently, God also provided for them an apartment where they can live. I was moved by her story, and could see God taking care of his children and making everything work for good. Praise Him for everything!