Teo and Cami are here...really here!

The past six days have been a whirlwind...but joyful. After knowing them and seeing them for the past nine years only in Romania, they are finally and really here with us in Athens! While Teo and Cami are here to rest, they also are here to be used by God in whatever way He directs.

We have kept them productive, not just busy. They experienced their first ever baseball game on Friday night. We took them to the Prince Avenue Christian School varsity game against Jefferson High School. They sat as close to the plate as the fence would allow so they would get the full experience. Many students and parents who were in Jibou just three weeks ago were reunited with them at the game. Other parents who had only heard about them from their students, got to meet them. While they did not understand all that went on, they did understand that when the game ended with Jefferson having a higher number on the scoreboard than PACS, it was not good!

Saturday was a time for us to work on the itinerary and get with the Romanian translator, Benjamin Stanescu, so we could make sure everything was in place for the next two weeks. They know Benjamin from his having been part of many WorldReach teams traveling to Romania, so it was a good "reunion" for them as well.

We were hosted Saturday evening by a brother and sister from Prince Avenue Baptist Church that God has used in Romania to build His Kingdom. It was a buffet style restaurant...good 'ol down home Southern cookin'!

Sunday morning, Teo spoke to a Bible Study class at Prince Avenue Baptist Church while Cami experienced the children's ministry. Afterward, Teo was interviewed in the Sunday morning worship service at PABC about the ministry in Jibou and the way God has used the partnership these past years to grow and strengthen His body. We closed with a time of prayer for Teo, Cami, and their church family.

Today was a mix of business and pleasure. We had discussion about future ministry opportunities, and Teo had his first Chick-fil-a sandwich courtesy of Shane Todd and the folks at Chick-fil-a Beechwood. Teo had the opportunity to speak to the professors and students of the WorldReach Bible Institute. He had a tremendous message of encouragement for them. The day was finished at the home of a family of believers where we enjoyed food, family, and fellowship.

Tuesday will be a very exciting day as Teo goes to speak with the students at PACS who were just in Romania a few weeks ago. He will bring them a message of encouragement about maintaining the "fire" God ignited in them while they were there. While Teo is with the students, Cami will be a guest at one of the PABC Women's ministry bible studies.

Please pray for Teo and Cami. This is a time for them to rest and recharge, but they have a desire to hear a Word from the Lord. Also, they have been away from their two precious children since March 10th. While they get to talk with them frequently, they still miss them.

It doesn't seem like the last post was last Wednesday...but time flies when you are enjoying the work of the Lord! Don't forget to subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking on the "Subscribe to a reader" link to the left so you will automatically find out when a new post hits our blog.

We value your comments...just click on the COMMENTS link below this post to leave them. All comments are moderated to make sure nothing inappropriate makes it through...so there may be a slight delay in you seeing them.

All for now...

Pastor Teo and wife Cami to visit Athens, GA area

Since 1999, Prince Avenue Baptist Church and WorldReach ministries have been engaged in a partnership with Jibou Baptist Church in Romania. Throughout this time, Teofil Mihoc has been the pastor in Jibou. In fact, he began pastoring there after graduating from seminary just a few years before our first visit.

Rose Hill Baptist Church in Ashland, KY sent a team to Jibou at the same time we first traveled there. They have also remained engaged in a partnership with Jibou Baptist Church. The geographic area of ministry for the church in Jibou is so large, and resources so limited, that our partnerships have been a wonderful complement to each other.

When our Romania March 2008 team returned to America, Pastor Teo and his wife Camelia (nicknamed Cami) traveled to Ashland for their first ever visit to the US. They have been there these past two weeks.

On Friday (28 March), they will travel to Athens to spend time and fellowship with their extended church families at Prince Avenue Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Watkinsville, First Baptist Church Winder, and many friends who have traveled from other churches to minister with them in Romania.

Please pray that this will be a time of renewal, relaxation, and revival for this wonderful, Spirit filled couple of God who labor in difficult circumstances to fulfill the task the Lord Jesus has given them. Also, pray for their small children - Daniele and Emanuel - who are missing their Dad and Mom right about now.

If you want to visit with them, come to the Prince Avenue Christian School baseball game Friday evening (3/28) at the PACS campus, 7:00pm. They will be there. Also, Sunday morning (3/30) they will be participating in the Prince Avenue Baptist Church morning worship service.

Don't forget, by subscribing to the RSS feed in the left-hand navigation bar, you can stay connected with our blog to keep up with some of the events Teo and Cami will be attending.

Lima, Peru church plant update

WorldReach is partnering with Prince Avenue Hispanic Baptist Mission (Athens, GA) to plant a conservative, evangelical Baptist church in Lima, Peru. We received an email update today from Brother Jesus, the leader of this new work.

Brother Jesus continues to lead a weekly bible study that meets in his restaurant. There are ten people who attend. Three of these desire to be baptized, so Jesus will meet with them separately to discuss baptism and make certain they are ready for it. Pastor Baca will be traveling to Lima in July and plans on baptizing them at that time.

A married couple and a college student want to have Bible studies at their homes. This is a wonderful step forward for a church planting movement. However, as God brings new places to begin Bible studies, trained leadership is needed to make certain solid biblical doctrines are taught. Please pray for lives to be transformed in these homes.

Brother Jesus and his wife will be in Athens next month. Part of his time here will be spent with Pastor Baca and Brother Ivan Palma (another church planter Pastor Baca is training) at a training conference in Atlanta (April 21-25).

God continues to move forward in what He is doing to mobilize and equip His people for planting this new church in Lima. Please pray for Brother Jesus, his family, the people attending the bible studies, and all those whose lives are yet to be touched through this new church plant.

RSS feed made easy!

Ok, I'm still learning how to make it easier for you to keep up with all that we post on our blog without having to receive an email or remember to navigate back to our blog site. All you need to do is click on the Subscribe in a reader link shown in the SUBSCRIBE NOW portion of the left hand navigation column and add this to one of the feed catchers shown.

What we believe and why we believe it...SALVATION

In Acts 16 the Philippian jailer asks Paul and Silas the question, “What must I do to be saved?” He asked this question after he came to the realization that he may lose his life.

It is no different with our eternal life. Before someone can be saved (receive eternal life), they must come to the realization that their eternal life is in jeopardy…or lost. But what does it mean to be lost? We know this is a biblical term, for Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 – HCSB).

Those who are lost are those who are separated from God because of their sin. The bible states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 – HCSB). The “glory of God” is God’s presence. When we sin – disobey God’s commandments – we fall short of His presence. Therefore our sin separates us from God.

In His earliest recorded message, Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:15 – HCSB). “True repentance means a complete and irrevocable about-face from the past to a future shaped by the demands of God’s reign” (The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary). We must be willing to turn away from a life of sin and self. But in the turning away from one thing, we turn to another – the belief in the good news…the gospel…the person of Jesus Christ.

“Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed to no purpose. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1-4 – HCSB). This is the good news…the gospel.

Jesus said, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 – HCSB). When we believe in Jesus, we believe that who He is and what He did pays the penalty for our sin. We trust only Him with our life.

Just before Jesus died on the cross, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30 – HCSB). There is nothing more to be done. He did it all. If we add anything else to His sacrifice, we are implying that He is not sufficient.

From this we believe that salvation comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9 – HCSB). It is nothing that we do to earn salvation, but it is a gift given to us, as we are willing to receive it. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 – HCSB). And this gift is solely in Christ Jesus.

If you have any questions or comments about this subject, please use the COMMENTS link below. All COMMENTS are moderated to avoid any inappropriate material from being posted, so there will be a delay in you seeing them on the blog. If you would like to email your questions or comments to us for a response, please send your email to worldreach.us@gmail.com.

A day of rememberance - a good day to pray

Today we do not celebrate - we remember. For some, today is just a normal Friday. The last day of a five day work week. They even have no recollection of why there is a G in TGIF. But for millions, today is the day we remember the death and burial of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, there are millions who have never heard of Jesus. Even more who have heard about Him, but do not believe in Him. Why not use today to pray for those who you know that do not have a personal relationship with the One who gave His life as a ransom for them? Is there a better way that we can acknowledge our belief and rememberance for what He did for us?

Upcoming WorldReach radio program added to podcast

This weekend's (03/22) WorldReach radio program on WMSL 88.9 FM, Bogart, Georgia has been added to the WorldReach Podcast (at right). WorldReach is featured on the air at 11:54 AM and 3:54 PM EDT Saturday and Sunday. Streaming of WMSL is provided at www.great88.net.

WorldReach podcasts uploaded

We have just finished uploading the last three WorldReach programs to our podcast. You can listen to them via the WORLDREACH PODCAST (compliments of the “Gcast” podcast player on the left). To view the listing of the podcasts you may need to click on the “Gcast” players “POSTS” button. The three we just loaded primarily relate to the Romania March 2008 mission trip and have the file names of: 20080301 Mission Team Preparations; 20080308 Romania Mission Team Report; 20080315 Reflections upon the Romania Mission Trip.

WorldReach is a weekly radio program that can be heard on radio station WMSL 88.9 FM, Athens, Georgia (streaming available on www.great88.net) 11:54 AM and 3:54 PM Saturday’s and Sunday’s.

As always, we welcome your feedback via the “COMMENTS” link below any of the blog posts.

Keep up with WorldReach blog postings via RSS feeds

As regular as possible, we send an email to our WorldReach family of friends whenever a new blog posting is completed. This email is sent by Carly Decker, our WorldReach Administrative Assistant. Due to time zone and work scheduling variances, the email can be delayed in being sent. Your schedule of checking emails may further add to the delay of your being notified of the posting.

A great way to be instantly notified of this change is to subscribe to the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. Many of you are familiar with RSS and may have already taken advantage of it. For others, I wish I were technically savvy enough to explain to you how to set up an RSS reader, but I am not (there are a number of them readily - and freely - available online). However, you probably know someone who can do this...so just ask around to your family and friends.

We want you to be aware of all the ways to pray for us, informed about the praises, and know what God is doing to mobilize and equip the church for global missions through WorldReach. The RSS feed is a great way to do this.

Thanks for your partnership in the ministry

There is no way this side of eternity that you will know the Kingdom impact of your prayers, the giving of your resources, and the words of encouragement for the WorldReach teams that ministered in Honduras, Panama City, New Orleans, and Romania these past two weeks. Thanks for being used by God as we partnered together - His body working as one - to evangelize, disciple, minister, and plant churches on three continents. We give all of the glory and honor to the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings for what He accomplished in these days!

Please pray for us here at WorldReach as we seek to continue our obedience, by faith, to join God in what He is doing around the world.

Your comments are greatly appreciated and desired. They are refreshing winds in those times of struggle.

Coming home from Romania

We are in the airport in Timisoara, Romania waiting to board the first of three flights that will take us home. Yesterday, in Oltenia and Lugoj, we saw the glory of the Lord descend upon the people as hearts turned toward Christ.

This has been a trip with many contrasts. The greatest of which is the ferocity of the spiritual battle that is being waged in Oltenia to keep the Light of the gospel from the people who live in darkness. It manifests itself in the high rate of alcoholism, the lack of spiritual maturity within the local body of believers, and the economic situtaion that tears families apart as some must go to other countries to work.

In the midst of all this opposition, the Word of God was preached and people were birthed into the kingdom. We also spent time encouraging the churches to evangelize and to pray about how they can become Great Commission churches filled with Great Commission believers.

Preliminary plans to establish a new campus of the WorldReach Bible Institute in Oltenia are being discussed. This is greatly needed in order to develop the next generation of leaders within these relatively young churches.

Please continue to pray for those who came to Christ during these past weeks in Jibou and Oltenia. Also, pray for the churches in these areas as they evangelize, disciple, and look for new opportunities to plant new churches. Pray for the believers, that God will continue to be their All in All. And pray for us as we return to the US.

Flight was just called....got to go!

Latest Romania update on WMSL...pictures finally added to Honduras and Beach Reach updates

Please tune in to WorldReach on WMSL 88.9 FM Athens, Georgia for an update on the Romania mission team. The program runs regularly on Saturday and Sunday 11:54am and 3:54pm EDT.

I have also added pictures that I could not previously add on the Honduras and Beach Reach posts. Look and enjoy!

God continues the harvest in Romania

This morning we had the joy of being with the children and middle school age young people in Rovinari, Romania (pictured left). It was a joy to listen to them as they sang songs praising our Lord. Many are songs adapted from the US and we recognized the familiar melodies.

We had time together with the middle schoolers (including some of the older elementary age children) and shared the story of Zacchaeus with them. We related to them that just as Jesus saw Zacchaeus, knew his name, wanted to be in his life, and accepted his invitation to be part of his life - it is the same for us. Just as Zacchaeus had to make the choice to invite Jesus into his home, we must make the same choice to invite Him into our life as Lord and Savior. We praise the Lord for those who responded to this truth, repented, and believed the good news.

Curtisoara was another of three villages where we held meetings today. Once again, the Spirit of God was at work to convict and convince people regrading their sin. Included in those who accepted Christ were the teenage daughter and son of the missionary pastor (pictured upper right).

Your continued prayers are being answered. Please do not forsake praying for us as we end our ministry in Oltenia after the morning services tomorrow, drive back to southwestern Romania to preach an evangelistic service in another town where more than 600 are expected, and begin our long journey back on Monday to our family, friends, and fellow believers in the US.

God continues His harvest in Romania. To Him be the glory!

A grandchild is born...the gospel goes forth in Oltenia

God's timing is always perfect. My first grandchild - Avery Kate - was born late last night in Athens, Georgia. It is sure to be one of those stories to be told around the dinner table, "Avery, your grandpa was in Romania preaching the gospel when you were born." I pray she will treasure this special connection between us. It is the same gospel that Paul preached in Corinth, that I preach in Romania and that she will hear early in life, that is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. As I thank God for her first birth - her physical birth, I am already praying for her second birth - when the Spirit gives birth to her spirit!

The ministry in Oltenia is a battle that wages for the souls of the people living in the darkness of a cultural, irrelevant religion. Please pray for our safety, purity, and boldness as we preach the gospel. Pray that the Spirit will pierce the hardened hearts and bring people to repentance. The churches here need your prayer. They have difficulty evangelizing and discipling. The leadership within the church needs encouragement and training. Please pray that God will show us how to help.

We will be in four churches tonight. Each are in areas of great spiritual need. Thanks for lifting us up in prayer.

All for now...

Reflections on Romania March 2008

I am here in the train station in Simeria, Romania awaiting a connecting train that will take us to Targu Jiu, the city in Romania from which we base our ministry in the southern region area of Oltenia.

The time spent traveling these past two days has given me an opportunity to reflect on all God has done on this trip. The first part of our team has now arrived safely in the US and made their way back to the Athens, Georgia area. When they awaken this morning it will no longer be to the sounds of the Romanian country drifting through the streets and villages. Certainly, they will not hear the high pitched toot of the train whistle, the random crowing of roosters, incessant barking of dogs, or the clip clopping of the horse hooves pelting the pavement as they labor to pull the large wagons.

They will no longer hear the loving voice of their hosts and hostesses. The angelic voices of the people as they sing praises to God, or the fervent prayer of those who cry out to God with tear streaked faces - imploring Him to save the souls of family, friends, and others in the community.

There is a voice they are sure to hear, if they will listen. It will be the still small voice speaking to them in the quietness of a moment, reminding them of the small child who smiled at the gift of a pencil. It will be that voice who reminds them of the loving hands that prepared their meals and made their beds while they were staying with a family of believers. The same voice will speak to them about the young people who heard the gospel because they were willing to step beyond their comfort zone and share the love of Christ with them. This voice will remind them about the hours they spent encouraging other believers by being willing to go…just as Jesus commanded.

Surely this voice will speak to them about the unfinished task that remains in Romania. Those who they saw reject the gospel, but who have now at least heard it. It may be that the voice will remind them of those who wept as they thanked one of our team for lifting them before the throne of God in prayer.

This voice will help to take them back to the time when a team mate – a classmate – was willing to open their soul, transparently sharing their deepest hurts and trials, and how God brought them through it all, so that God could use the testimony to speak to the heart of one person, who was attending a meeting.

This voice, the voice of God, will encourage them to be the salt and light to those in their family, school, community and country just as they were to the people of Romania. Let’s pray that all who went will never go back to where they were in their walk with the Lord, that their lives will never be the same again, and that God uses them to bring revival to our land.

WorldReach teams are still out ministering here in Romania, and in Honduras, New Orleans, and Panama City, FL. We need your prayers. Pray for the spiritual health of each team member, their protection as they go about sharing the gospel, and for the Spirit of God to draw people to the Father as the gospel is shared.

Don’t forget to post your words of encouragement via the comments link beneath each posting. Prayer is the foundation of all we do here at WorldReach, and your faithful, fervent prayers are availing much.

From Simaria, Romania this is Jerry Haas.

Reaching 'em at Beach Reach 2008

[Guest blogger Christy Thornton - Beach Reach March 2008 at Panama City, FL]

Greetings from Beach Reach!

We have been down here in Panama City Beach since Saturday, and this has been our first chance to get online, which is quite the shocker for a group of college kids.

The drive down was quite possibly one of the most bizarre rides we've had in quite sometime. It was snowing...then sunny...then snowing again...then sunny. Regardless of the strange weather, we made it safe and sound.

On Sunday, we first got our ol' PABC mini van decked out in its Beach Reach attire, and christened it 'Roscoe Jr.' Then, we did a little basic training and then walked the beach publicizing our free van rides and free pancakes. For many of our crew, it was their first taste of what these Spring Breakers are like. It was certainly a beneficial time of acquainting ourselves with the culture and starting to get warmed up on how to strike up conversations with people. That night we did our first van rides and street teams. It was a pretty difficult night on the vans. We just had a lot of a trouble turning conversation to the Gospel, but even so, we are confident the Lord is sovereign and are grateful to have provided some safe rides for those who may not have had it otherwise. On the other hand, our street team who was out near one of the big clubs actually had some really great conversations. They were able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with a few Catholic guys from the Midwest. They were able to tell them that the love of God is completely independent of human work and freely imparted to those who believe! Very encouraging!

Monday and Tuesday night went pretty much the same. It was still really tough in the van turning conversations toward spiritual issues, but we were able to make a few friends and praying that they will show up at the pancake breakfast before we leave. Street teams, though, continued to have some great conversations, praying over people battling alcoholism, and bringing the idea of hope to those who have none.

At the pancake breakfast this morning we were are all very encouraged because we shared with 3 or 4 different groups of people over some fabulous free pancakes. One Jewish girl seemed extremely engaged. She didn't make a decision for Christ, but we're praying that she'll take a free van ride tonight. Hopefully, she will come to eat pancakes again tomorrow, and talk some more with someone who God will use to lead her to faith in Jesus - be it us or not.

As for Beach Reach overall, it's been super awesome to hear of many other teams who have had the opportunity to lead people to Christ. We have heard some awesome stories! So far we're not sure how many, but last night in the midst of some pretty intense spiritual warfare we heard news of two Catholic guys coming to Jesus. Praise the Lord! On a side note, so far, we've given as a whole group around 2000 van rides and served thousands of pancakes. Jesus loves pancakes in Panama City! Gratis!

Thank y'all so much for praying for us! Please keep praying that we would be bold in taking conversations from chats about weather, sports and school to matters of eternity and life and death. We're heading out again tonight to give some free van rides and walk the strip to share the love of Jesus. May we bring His light to dark places, and His life to the dead.

End of the beginning for the PACS portion of Romania mission team

This was not the end of the trip for the Prince Avenue Christian School portion of the team, it was just the end of the beginning. For God has begun in each of them His next step in transforming them into the image of his Son.

Our tour of Budapest was interesting, educational, relaxing, and fun. We started by going to view the paintings of Vago Pal, the great-great grandfather of one of the students. He is a famous Hungarian painter of military scenes. The paintings we viewed were more than 100 years old. One was in a restricted area, so only the student and one other team member were allowed to view it and take pictures. The other was in the art gallery housed in the former palace of Buda. All of us saw it and we had a team picture with it.

We toured monument square, the palace hill, ate lunch at a below ground restaurant, visited a village outside the city, and viewed the train station designed and built by Gustav Eiffel (Statute of Liberty, Eiffel Tower). It was a full day.

The team just left for the airport, and I am still in Budapest with Pastor Teo and his wife Camelia (pastor of Jibou Bpatist Church). I will get them to the airport later this morning for their first trip to the USA. Pastor Teo and Cami will be with us in Athens, Georgia from 28 March to 11 April, after visiting church's in Kentucky. I look forward to introducing he and Cami to as many of our WorldReach family and friends as possible.

This afternoon I will fly back to Romania. Tomorrow morning I will go by train to Tirgu Jiu, a town in the southern Romania region of Oltenia, with another Romanian pastor, to join Ricky McRorie and Benjamin Stanescu who are already ministering in the area. There will be more blog updates about that portion of the Romania March 2008 team in the days to come.

Please pray for the team members returning to the US today. It will be easy to fall back into the entanglements of the world and not experience God's continued transformation in their life. Pray that all of the details of their trip will go smoothly, and that they will have opportunities to share the gospel as they travel. Last, please pray for our Oltenia ministry. This is an area that is overwhelmed by witchcraft and occultism...it is a great spiritual battleground.

From Budapest...

Honduras team shares The Passion

[Guest blogger Clay Kitchings - Honduras March 2008 team member]

Yesterday afternoon (Monday) and last night, we shared the gospel in San Jose. The travel is slow and extremely bumpy. It took over two hours crammed into vehicles. (Sorry Romania Missionaries -- we have a larger cram factor than you do even for a Dacia!)

We showed the Passion of Christ movie on the side of a school building with our electric generator -- they have no electricity in San Jose. They need our prayers -- until recently, there was no Evangelical influence in this town. There remains much spiritual opposition. The enemy of our souls would prefer that the Gospel not be preached. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful last night in his goals.

Today (Tuesday) we will travel to San Marcos after lunch to prepare to show the DVD once again. We will visit in homes and get to know people with the goal of sharing the gospel with them in ways that help them understand it as distinct from all other "religions," including Catholicism.

Please pray for us as we share!

Romania Team on the Danube

We arrrived in Budapest, got settled into the hotel, and took an evening dinner cruise on the Danube. It was a great ending to a long day of travel.

On the waz back from Jibou, we stopped at Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania. The team toured the campus, ate lunch in the cafeteria, and then were treated to a private briefing by university president Dr. Paul Negrut. He talked about the historic founding of the university from what was once the underground school of the prophets. Necessitated by the communists persecution, men were trained in clandestine places. After the revolution in 1989, what was once underground became Emanuel Bible Institute...now University.

We had a time of sharing and praise for what God had done in our lives. There is no way to explain all that was said, but suffice it to say God did a glorious work in us and through us.

We tour Budapest today and begin the trip back tomorrow. Please continue to pray for our travels and the transformation that God has begun in us.

Honduras Team begins ministry

[Guest blogger Clay Kitchings - Honduras March 2008 team member]

We are grateful for the travel mercies God granted us on the way down to Guaimaca, Honduras on Friday. We began ministry in full-swing on Saturday by participating in the new soccer ministry. Several of our team actually joined in the soccer tournament on Saturday. We didn't fare too well versus the experienced Honduran team, but it was a good way to connect with the locals as we try to build relationships with them. After this, we spent a couple of hours with children at Orphanage Emmanuel. It was a blessing to share God's love with them.

On Sunday we prayer-walked some in the morning here in Guaimaca. Sunday afternoon, we visited with people in San Marcos (in the mountains) and invited them to a special service where Sky shared the Gospel. This is an extremely difficult time for many as three well-known family members were killed in an auto accident only a few days prior to our arrival. We pray that many more will be open to the Gospel through this tragedy. We will re-visit San Marcos tomorrow and we will show the Passion of the Christ movie after inviting people to come from the mountain areas.

Please pray for us as we continue to seek opportunities to share the Gospel, plant and water seeds, and hopefully participate in the harvest of souls. There is much confusion in Honduras -- the people are very open, but that is problematic because they are completely open to just about anything. Many are confused and they do not know what they believe.

To God be the glory...in Romania

The days of ministry here are over. It is Sunday night and the team is now spending the final evening with their host families, packing to go home, and praising God for what He has done in these days.

The seeds sown and prayed over these past days have been harvested. At the meetings last night and today, God's Spirit has drawn many to the cross. For others, they have heard the gospel...and had specific prayers for their salvation. While we do not dwell on those who have not received Christ, we know their souls are precious. Whenever possible, we would pray with a person for God to open their hearts to Him.

Many times it was the divine appointments after the meetings that God used to bring people to repentance. Like last night after the large youth evangelistic meeting, two of our team boldly asked a 16 year old girl if she had been born again. She honestly shared that she had not. After talking with her about the issues of life that were keeping her from repenting, then praying for her, and lovingly telling her about Jesus, she bowed her head and prayed to receive Christ into her life. This type experience was repeated at many meetings these past two days as God brought in his harvest.

Another wonderful working of God has been in the hearts of our team. Time after time they have stepped out in faith...and out of their comfort zones...to obey God as He spoke to them about sharing a testimony. Each time, God has used it in ways that only He could have orchestrated. We have also seen an openness and transparency growing with the testimonies of the team; a tremendous sight to behold. There is a song that has coursed through my mind on many occasions as I witnessed what was occurring in their life..."I will never be the same again. I will never return, I've closed the door. I will walk the path, I will run the race. And I will never be the same again."

I truly believe they will never be the same again.

Thank you for your continued prayers as we begin the return trip tomorrow.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Romania updates on WMSL

Be sure to listen for our Romania update on WMSL FM 88.9 11:54am and 3:54pm Saturday and Sunday.

Wow...God is at work in Romanina

Sorry for the delay in today's update, but the morning began at 3:30am as we had to take two of our team members to the airport in Cluj. Both had previous commitments that necessitated their time with us being cut short; however, it was a blessing to have them with us this week.

Our day started yesterday with our team meeting at which we celebrated four of the team members birthdays! One of the local sisters made the birthday cakes...three of them to feed our team of more than 60 people. Yes, we are a large team. Not only our 43 (now 41), but more than 20 others - translators, missionaries and ministry coordinators.

Also yesterday, as our team walked through the streets of Jibou witnessing to people about Christ, handing out tracts, and inviting people to the evangelistic meetings, a man approached one them with a tract in his hand that he had received on Thursday. The team member had an opportunity to share his testimony with this man, confirm with him the message he had read in the tract, and lead the man to faith in Jesus Christ. This is just one of many divine appointments God has been giving to us.

We have two days left. The window of opportunity is closing. But our team is focusing on each moment Christ gives to them. This morning we had two meetings at the church in Jibou. One for children and one for the missionaries. Our team is tiring from the schedule, time zone change, and the zeal to squeeze every minute from the day to be with the Romanian people. Please pray that God will be our strength in these closing days.

Our team had a wonderful time with the kids. Their preparation of skits, songs, and stories over these past weeks was honored by God as they ministered to these little ones.

The missionaries are members of the church in Jibou that are out preaching, pastoring, planting new churches, and leading bible studies in the villages. These are not paid staff. These are men and young men - some teenagers - working to take the gospel into the villages where there is no evangelical witness for Christ. It was humbling to see their dedication, their joy, their focus on the Great Commission, and their love for Jesus. We had a sweet time of prayer with them.

We have not mastered the gathering of pictures to post on the blog, but are working on it. Rest assured there are many pictures and videos being taken by our team. This will be a well documented trip!

Please pray for the meetings tonight, as we are now preparing to go. Also, we will be in eleven churches tomorrow ministering in the name of the Lord. Pray for us and pray that God will bring in His harvest in these final days of ministry.

Also...you do not know how much we appreciate all of the words of encouragement you have been sending via the COMMENTS link. Please keep them coming!

WorldReach teams departing for Honduras, Panama City and New Orleans

While we have one team already on the mission field in Romania, WorldReach teams will be departing over the next few days for Honduras, Panama City, and New Orleans.

In Hoduras we will continue to partner with World Baptist Missions. The churches being planted in the mountainous regions need encouragement, evangelism, and disciplehsip. These are all part of our teams ministry activities. They will be traveling to Honduras today, and returning next Friday, March 14.

In Panama City, FL our team will be participating in the North American Mission Board (SBC) Beach Reach. This is an annual event to share the Gospel with college and high school students who go to the beach for Spring Break. The team leaves tomorrow - March 8 - and will return to Athens next Friday, March 14.

Another WorldReach team will be traveling to New Orleans on Sunday, March 9, to help in the ongoing reconstruction of homes in the post-Katrina rebuilding efforts. They will be returning to Athens on Friday, March 14.

Pray for the safety of all these team as they travel. Also, pray for their hearts to be pure and holy so that the Spirit of God can fill them and use them for the task to which they have been called. And pray for those who will hear the Gospel...that they will respond to God's love and the sacrifice He made for them.

As we receive updates from each team we will post them here. Also, please send notes of encouragement to each team by using the COMMENTS link below.

More from the Romania mission team

As you read the testimonies on the previous post you will sense that God is doing a great work in us and through us. It is humbling to know that He loves us so much that He does not want us to stay the way we are, but wants us to be transformed into the image of Christ. Sometimes He can best get our attention when we are away from all that is familiar. It is as if He places our heart in an incubator and hatches the things within that He knows are lacking in our walk with Him.

Last night we saw the Cultural House in Jibou filled with people who were singing songs of praise, listening to the testimonies of how God drew believers to Himself, and listening to the gospel being proclaimed. There was sowing, watering and reaping. The meetings continue there tonight, as well as in six other villages.

Please continue to pray, and to send your words of encourgement to the team via the COMMENTS link below. If possible, we will be posting pictures later in the day, so check back often.

Testimonies from the Romania mission team

PACS Senior Anna Cearley writes, "I thought that by coming to Romania I would be the one witnessing to others, but the Romanian people have impacted my life which has caused me to grow spiritually. I see the passion that they have for Christ when they sing and pray and it is an encouragement to me. They do not have the facilities that we are privileged to have in America, but they are the most content people I have ever met. God is doing some great things over here and I can't wait to see what He has in store for the next few days."

PACS Senior Lee Pintar writes, "Yesterday in the village of Hida I witnessed two older gentlement come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The people of Romania...are truly special. Please continue to pray for them."

PACS Senior parent Krystal Pintar shares, "I have truly been humbled and blessed beyond words by the Romanian people. Their spirit and will to do God's work is one of amazing dedication, whether young or old. I have witnessed and been part of what it really means to spread the Gospel and experience the power of the Holy Spirit bring people to Christ."

Please continue to pray for our team. We have three days of ministry left here in Jibou. The window of opportunity is slowly closing. If you have words of encouragement to share with the team, please use the COMMENTS link below.

Completing the task in Jibou, Romania...

Romania mission team seeing God at work

Our first day of ministry was filled with visits to homes where the gospel was shared, invitations to evening meetings were extended, and prayers were lifted up for those with physical and spiritual needs. God showed us many things, but one team member shared how God used the visits to deepen her appreciation for those things she has back home.

Children's meetings were held in nine villages, followed by evangelistic meetings. One team member shared how God showed him that these little ones were the future leaders and our ministry was planting the seeds of the gospel in their soul. At another meeting the team members not only shared the gospel through testimonies and the preaching of the Word, but they had an opportunity to minister to a young lady who was struggling with her faith; taking time to encourage her and pray for her.

This morning, at our team meeting, the mayor of Jibou came to welcome us to the city and give us an encouraging word about the work we are doing here. He is a friend of the church in Jibou and of WorldReach. He works with us to make sure anything the city is not an impediment to ur ministry. He gives us permission to preach in the streets and enabled us to rent the Cultural House for our meetings this week.

We will be ministering in seven locations tonight...sharing testimonies, working with children, and holding evangelistic meetings. Please pray for all that God will do in these places.

For those who want to leave a word of encouragement for the team, please do so via the COMMENTS link below.

Romanian mission team arrives and begins ministry

JIBOU, ROMANIA - With God’s mercy and grace, the team arrived in Jibou, Romania yesterday about 15:00 EST (22:00 local). The planes arrived in Budapest on time. All of the luggage (about 50 pieces) arrived with the team. Our bus was waiting on us with a stock of water for our trip. The McDonald’s where we stopped to eat had no waiting time and plenty of room to seat our team. Our border crossing was expedient. The weather was great for traveling, and we experienced no problems along the way. Our initial destination was Jibou Baptist Church, where we unloaded the bus; prayed; were received by the host families; and made our way to their homes.

Our ministry begins today. We will be in many places throughout the day, then holding children's meetings and evangelistic meetings in ten villages. Please be in prayer for our team as we now turn our focus away from travel and onto the ministry to which we have been called. The excitement and anticipation of getting here is now replaced by the realization of our having arrived and the privilege of allowing God to work through us.

Specific prayer requests are for two of our students Thomas Haas and Jon Richt) who will be preaching at evangelistic meetings tonight. This will be their first time preaching, but God will use them. Pray for all the team members as they lead the childrens meetings, share their testimonies, sing, and share the gospel.

Tomorrow night will begin the special youth evangelistic meetings in the Cultural Center in Jibou. There will be special music provided by our Romanian brothers and sisters, and we will share our salvation testimonies as well as testimonies as to how Jesus is making a difference in our life. The meetings will be for three nights and are the first of their kind in this area. Pray that the glory of God will come down.

All for now...and don't forget we are 7 hours ahead of EST and keep this page bookmarked for more praise reports and prayer requests.

And there're off!

The Prince Avenue Christian School/WorldReach Romania March 2008 team showed up to the airport in Atlanta ready to battle long lines at check-in. But God is in control of all the details. There was no one in the KLM check-in line and there were five KLM check-in counters operating! All went smooth...and quick.

Everyone made it through security...and out to the International Terminal. As of the time of this posting, the flight is "On Schedule" for departure and arrival in Amsterdam. They will then connect to the final leg of the flight into Budapest.

Please continue to pray...and know that God is already answering your prayers. The team needs to be able to rest on the overnight flight, all of the luggage needs to get to and transfer through Amsterdam, and they need to make the Amsterdam to Budapest connection without any delays.

Keep this site bookmarked for further trip updates!