The Evangelical churches in Romania started a wonderful evangelistic outreach called Reading the Bible National Campaign. It consists of doing a questionnaire with people on the streets or in their homes, asking them if they have a Bible and if they read it.  It invites them to read the Bible in an organized manner such as in a small group in their home, a church or somebody’s home. A pastor who is involved in this campaign told us that he started a Bible-reading group in a non-Christian family and they kept inviting other people and now they are about 25 who are reading the Bible together. Amazing!

Part of this campaign included one Saturday when many churches in Bucharest joined in to do this outreach in different parts of the city. I went with my fellow brothers from my church in the Colentina area.  In groups of two we did lots of questionnaires, talking to people and sharing the Gospel. We talked with many people and I was surprised to see that the majority had at least one Bible in their home, but they didn’t read it. I mostly talked with older people. One of them had four Bibles at home. He worked with a Baptist. He was open to talk about spiritual things, but the works salvation was very strong in his mind.

I also met a grandmother with her twin nephews. I gave her a Bible for Children and talked to them about Jesus. The children didn’t know much about the Bible or Jesus, so I gave them a Bible for their parents and challenged them to read the Bible for Children.

One interesting encounter was with an older lady who was about 90 years old. She told us she was very religious all her life. She had prayed to God and the Virgin Mary and said that Mary listened to all of her prayers. I shared the Gospel with her and gave her a big letter Bible urging her to read the Gospel of John with her daughter.

Another lady that I met was very interested in reading the Bible in a small group. Last year one of her boys died and she suffered greatly. Her sufferings turned her to God and motivated her to read the Bible. We also met a young lady that didn’t have a Bible. We gave her one and she said she would read it. Please pray for all the people who heard the Gospel that they will read the Bible on their own or will join a Bible reading small group when they are invited.

I continued to meet with my evangelistic group and it’s such an encouragement to me! We meet every week and study the Gospel of John. One girl has so many questions!!! Question after question for long times. She still struggles with the question that maybe Christianity doesn’t have the whole truth, the only truth. Maybe other religions are true as well. She started to understand the Gospel, that salvation is only by faith in Christ, but she doesn’t have her own conviction. Please pray for my dear friend, for her salvation!

I also continued to meet with a young lady from my church. She comes to church on Sundays and we meet to talk and study the Bible together. I love her dearly and I’m very sad to see her still holding on to her life and desires and not surrendering all to Christ. Please pray for her salvation, for conviction of sin and her need for Christ in her life.

I have enjoyed very much my discipleship groups. The students are growing in their knowledge and communion with the Lord. We study Romans together. It is such a rich book and is very helpful. Please pray for the four young ladies that I minister to.

This month we organized a special meeting for women with a wonderful missionary, a devoted mother and wife, who is an example to all of us. About 25 students came. She taught us that we need to find our joy and identity in Christ, we need to prepare for marriage by denying ourselves every day in our relationships, and that we need to be realistic about what marriage is all about. The Lord spoke to our hearts quite a lot. It was a very helpful meeting.

On May 17 we had our Graduates’ Celebration. Twelve students graduated from different universities. We celebrated what the Lord has done in and through them among their colleagues. It was wonderful to see one of the graduating students with her colleague next to her, a fruit of her evangelism and the Lord’s salvation during these years. Praise the Lord!!!