Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. – Revelation 1:3

God has granted us another blessed time – the Leadership Training Institute session in Cupcini on July 19-30. It was two weeks of intensive training in Bible study and leadership that we offered our present and prospective leaders.

The training started with the testing of our faith – the public school principal, whose facility we usually rented for the Institute, refused us this time and we had to find another place for training classes. God opened the heart of another public school principal who let us use his school canteen for the training we needed.  It was exactly the same place we had our first meetings in Cupcini 15 years ago when there was not even one believer in town. And now, by the grace of God, after these years of revival and growth, we filled the same place, but this time with people from nine cities who were saved though Moldova for Christ Ministry and now are serving as leaders and church planters.

Our students traveled from all over Moldova and some traveled up to 400 kilometers one way to attend the training – pastors, missionaries and Bible study group leaders as well as people who came for the first time in order to join the Institute and become a leader. Fifty-seven men, women and young adults dedicated these two weeks to the Word of God, many using their summer vacation time for training. Also, it was a very special time for all our leaders when we all come together to share with each other and strengthen our relationships as a family that works together to bring the country of Moldova to Jesus Christ.

The study we did this time was on Revelation, part 1, by Precept Ministries International, which covers the first 3 chapters of this book of the Bible. God was really at work during the training and the students made many decisions for purity and dedication to the Lord’s call.

Here is what some of the students said at the end of the training:

Olga: During this Training Institute I understood that our God is both righteous and loving. He wants us to know Him and have a right attitude toward Him, living worthy of His calling.

Alexandra: I understood that my need is to spend more time one-on-one with God. Now, I want to study other chapters of Revelation and the book of Daniel inductively. God is looking for my live and faithfulness and I want to spend the rest of my life learning how to put Christ first in my day to day life.

Marin: At the Training Institute I learned how to tell others about Jesus with great joy, how to prepare and lead a Bible study lesson. I want to tell everybody about my Lord Jesus Christ and about the Holy Scripture.

Cristina: I truly understood what the church is about and what Jesus expects from a church. Also I studied about Lord’s discipline and His promises for the victors.

Denis: It was so impressive to find out about the blessing to those who read, listen and keep of all it is written in the book of Revelation. Now I want to be victorious in my life and I know the Lord wants it too for me.

Octavian: I discovered that Jesus is all I need to be victorious in my life. Also I formed the discipline of studying God’s Word inductively. Like never before I understood that the little strength that I have is to be used for the most important thing in my life – for keeping God’s Word.

Alex: Jesus is my first love and I need to keep Him first in my life. When suffering I need to be brave. When serving Jesus, my present deeds need to be bigger than previous, and these deeds need to be complete in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Irina: It is amazing how much attention Jesus pays to the local church! His view of church is so much different from how we often view church and it is a clear indication to what should we pay attention as well.

Vadim: I became braver in sharing God’s Word with others. Also I am most sure the God really knows all our deeds. Now I know that the victory is to keep God’s Word till the end.

Denis: It was a great joy for me to learn inductive approach in studying the Bible! So many things were clarified for me! The Lord opened my eyes to so many truths in His Word. This training changed my view of the book of Revelation.

Viorica: For the first time I studied the Bible Inductively and formed a general overview of this wonderful method. I decided to continue studying the Scriptures inductively.

Please pray as our students work toward starting their Bible study groups where they will teach the same study they took at the training. Pray that believers will be rooted in the Word of God and unbelievers will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and will be saved.

For the word of God is living and active… – Hebrews 4:12

Sunday Morning Service at Creation Camp

During the Creation Camp in Cupcini, Moldova, we hear so many stories and so many testimonies of how God was touching the hearts of young people attending the camp. Here is what some of the participants have said:

Daniela, 14, comes from a family where only her mother is a believer. Daniela was saved at the camp: I have studied Genesis many times, but at this camp made so many discoveries, God revealed many new truths and I am very glad! I have decided to be more responsible, to give more time to the studying the Bible, to follow my Lord and his Word all my life.

Celebrating US Independence Day

Anastasia is 18. Her brother, who was saved earlier, invited her to the camp: She said: It was a great pleasure to be at this camp, to meet so many nice people that know God’s Word and apply it in their lives. I want to continue studying and want to understand all that the Bible says, and I pray God will help me get to know Him personally.

Xenia, 17: In this camp I learned that everything was created by God’s design.  And also, if I have studied Genesis in the past, studying it once again helped me discover true treasures from God’s Word. I decided to glorify God every single day of my life.

Kate, 15, her father is a pastor, but she is not saved yet: I have learned about the age of the Earth, about Biblical foundation of Creation, three parts of Christian apologetics. Especially I was amazed to learn that God created light before He created the Sun.

Digging in the Word of God

Anastasia, 18, was saved earlier, but in the camp she decided to be baptized and to join the church. So she had just one question: When is the baptism?

Kate, 24, was so encouraged to study Genesis at the camp that decided to get to her home hometown and start new Bible study groups, where she will teach the same study to people in her city.

Semion, 17, is a student in a Turkish high school where Muslim teachers from Turkey are teaching and indoctrinating Moldovan boys in Islam. He came to our camp and was saved! He also decided to be baptized and join the church. Here is what Semion said: I found out about Creation. Before this camp I thought that evolution theory is the most trustful.

Vasile, 22, is student at State University: I was pleased to learn about many Bible truths that support Creation and I think that evolution theory can not be called science. I want to be rooted deep in Creation subject to be able to support form scientific point of view and from the Bible that God is the Creator of the Universe and evolution is just an invented theory.

Lunch time

Andrei, 20: I have learned the Lord created all of us, and we are not a product of evolution. God created everything in 6 days, including man. I want to continue studying the Bible.

Tamara, 15, comes from an Eastern Orthodox family who did not want to let her come to our camp, but God finally made it possible: I have learned the Jesus loves us so very much! I knew this even before the camp, but I experienced His love in a very special way when it was just His hand that brought me to this camp.

Sasha is 12. His parents are divorced and his mother left him to be raised by his grandmother. He says: After this camp I started believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. – Hebrews 11:3

We have received a number of questions that participants asked us, such as: Why do people refuse to believe in the truth that they know from the Bible and continue to spread the wrong theory of evolution? When is the next Creation camp? Why did God create the tree of knowledge of good and bad? Why did they beat Jesus before crucifying Him? When will the Leadership Training Institute be this summer? I want to come! How can I become a leader in the next English camp?

The importance of the follow-up is shown in a request from one of participants at camp: I have so many questions and I want to have someone give me the answers from the Bible, so that I will understand things as they are. Please pray for all campers and for our teams that do their best to provide the answers and to conduct others to personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

The Moldova for Christ Summer English camp became a tradition after nine years of conducting more than 100 camps. This year the Lord gave us grace to organize and lead another English camp in the city of Cupcini in Northern Moldova. We started by praying with our leaders for the place to conduct the camp, the Precept study to teach, and for the participants who asked us all year about the next camp. We also prayed for the finances as well as the volunteers who would come to help and make the whole camp possible.

The Lord answered our prayers by leading us to a public school principal who joyfully said “Yes!” to our proposal to have the camp at her school property. The study was also chosen as the Lord really stressed upon us the necessity of teaching Creation to the kids. Every day at school, children hear in one way or another the theory of evolution that leaves no room for God in someone’s life. So we knew we would need the Precept study for kids, God’s Amazing Creation by Kay Arthur. The study had to be in English to aim at two goals – teaching God’s eternal Word and improving English for all participants.

As time approached, a training seminar for leaders and other camp workers was conducted at Cupcini church, and we went through the study book together, discussing how to teach the same lesson in teams with different levels of English skills. Many of our brothers and sisters continued to pray and to fast for the camp to be a tool God could use to bring many to salvation. Invitations were printed and we began sharing them with our friends and relatives, and the Lord started moving in the hearts of those He wanted to come to our camp.

On the first day of camp we had more than 120 registered who showed up for the camp. Children and youth came from all over Moldova – from the northern edge of the country to the southern borders. Many had never met before but the love of Christ united all of us quickly and everybody felt right at home. Everyday we had new people joining the camp and the number went up to 140!

From the whole number of participants, well over half were not from believing families and were exposed to the Gospel for the first time in their lives. The Lord touched the hearts of many and by the end of the camp and one by one, 20 of them trusted Jesus and prayed for forgiveness of sin and for salvation. Praise the Lord!

A special blessing was to have many orphans at the camp to minister to who have no place to call home. A number of them were also saved, and now they have a home and a family of brothers and sisters in Christ!

We are so grateful for the Sanibel Community Church from Florida in the United States, to come again this year to assist us in this very important project of reaching young people with Moldova for Christ. They served sacrificially day and night alongside our team, teaching, singing, playing, encouraging, preaching, and just loving Moldovan kids and all of us.

The baseball clinic was another element that attracted many to the camp, with baseball lessons taught everyday and a great game on the last day of the camp when all the camp came to watch. At the same time, many local people stopped to see a baseball game played live for the first time in their lives and joined us. As a result of training in previous years and all during this camp, the game was really good and captivating to the audience.

Everybody enjoyed watching DVDs, such as Six days of creation and God of wonders – a collection of videos from Creation Museum, about the complexity and harmony of life on earth. These video materials fit wonderfully into the study, complementing it visually.

But above all, we are so thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for the honor of being His co-workers and of sharing the precious Word of God with Moldova’s young generation who are desperately looking for direction and hope, which only Jesus can give them. Please continue to pray for these kids as we do the follow up work.

For more information, pictures and videos from Moldova Creation Camp, please visit our camp’s web page: http://creationcamp.moldovaforchrist.com

Easter flowers

Our Heavenly Father, true and eternal God!

We come to You as your children and we praise You and worship You this Easter morning as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man. We are eternally thankful to You for raising Christ, the Messiah from the dead, Who paid for our sin, conquered the power of death and brought us eternal life.

We thank You, Almighty God, for making us alive together with Christ, in abundance of your mercy and love with which You loved us. You seated us in heavenly places in Him forever.

And we thank you for working in us, in our everyday life with the same power with what you raised Christ from the dead, which gave us power, hope and victory.

Let our celebration raise us up and renew our lives through Your Word by Your Spirit that is within us! Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.

Amen!

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses… – Acts 1:8

God is moving in the hearts of people in our churches. More and more people are going into the mission field as church planters, missionaries and leaders. Recently, we received the good news from Helen Vasilishin, a single mom with a 12-year-old daughter, Carolina, that she heard God’s call to go into missions and to move 400 km South from the city of Edinet where she and her daughter live now.

Helen & Carolina Vasilishin

Helen is a French and English teacher and speaks two other languages, Romanian and Russian. Since she was saved, Helen took a number of training sessions at our Institute for Leaders in Cupcini. She completed a number of additional courses as well. Her experience in outreach projects include: the free medical clinic, evangelistic English camps, Vacation Bible School and puppet shows.

As soon as Helen heard the call from the Lord, she said “yes,” and was ready to move to Cahul, South Moldova immediately. When she was asked when she wanted to move to Cahul, she said, “I am ready to go right now, why wait?”

We met and prayed for this adventure with the Lord, and in a couple of weeks we were on the road with our van filled to the top with all of Helen’s belongings. It was a winter day and a blizzard came in the afternoon that made us turn back and take another road in order to get to southern part of the country.

Helen is joining our missionaries who minister in the Radio Ministry in Cahul, Vladlena and Iurii Semeniuc. The place she will stay is a rented room in a house where we pray to start Sunday church services for all people involved in home Bible studies in the city during the week. Three to four times per year Helen will be taking more training at Cupcini Institute for leaders along with many other missionaries and leaders from Moldova and other countries.

Please pray God will use Helen and Carolina in starting home Bible studies in Cahul with children, students and adults. Pray God will touch the hearts of people and bring them to salvation as Helen starts one-on-one studies with people in the city and English clubs for children and youth.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. – 2 Timothy 2:2

From January 4-15, 2010 one of our pastors from Balti City Church of Hope, Vasile Sanduleac, visited Kharkiv, Ukraine to take a leaders training institute on evangelism and discipleship. More than two million people live in this city, with less than one percent of evangelical believers.

Kharkiv Students 2010

The Precept book of the Gospel of John study was used as curricula for the training. Brothers and sisters from many churches came for the training, and a number of them are serving the Lord as pastors and deacons in local churches. There were 24 students total. Everybody was on fire for the Lord, ready to start their home Bible study groups and teach the Word of God.

The study of the Gospel of John discussed evangelism approaches our Lord Jesus used in different situations with different people, with many times through fulfilling their physical needs first. He moved the discussion to the spiritual condition of sin, showing his listeners the solution. Students were trained to use these same approaches in bringing people to Christ, when they will understand their need of salvation and forgiveness that only our Lord Jesus can give.

It was very encouraging to see Brother Alexandr Lah who attended our training in 2007 when a Church Planting course was taught. That training had such an impact on Alexandr that during the training he asked everybody to pray for the calling he received from the Lord – to move with his wife to the Chernigov region and plant a new church in a city where not even one believer was. Now Alexandr has a church of 15 believers who study the Bible using Inductive study materials. This time he came for the next training to study the Gospel of John and to be prepared to teach it to his new brothers and sisters at home.

Vasile Sanduleac teaching

During this training, the Russian Orthodox Christmas was celebrated on January 7, but our classes were not cancelled even for Christmas day. Everybody was present at the training with all their homework done.

We thank God for a special couple, Victor and Zinaida who coordinate the work in this city and have sacrificed so much to keep this Institute going. They organize the training for us every time we come, and the training becomes a successful effort that brings good results in people’s hearts through the Word of God that is planted.

Please pray for the students as they start 14 home Bible study groups where they will teach 97 students in four cities.

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. – 1 Peter 4:10

Spiritual Gifts classes

God has blessed us with another training institute for leaders from all parts of Moldova that we held January 2-10 in Cupcini. The subject for this institute was Spiritual Gifts, a study by Kay Arthur from Precept Ministry International. We had 56 leaders from many places all across Moldova who studied tirelessly for nine days at the Institute.

The training took place at a local high school, just across the street from Cupcini Church. The outside temperature dropped to 30 below zero and with the heat turned on at the school, it was still very cold in the class. But this did not stop students from coming to the classes. It was a very special time of praying together, sharing meals at one big table at the school’s canteen and doing homework with roommates.

We are so thankful for our church members at Cupcini and Edinet Churches who hosted all the students who came to the Institute from other places. The dedication of these students was incredible as they studied in class for seven hours and did homework for four to five hours more. In the class we had to translate from Russian into Romanian language and back, since we had students who did not understand the other language.

Lesson plan presentation with translation from Romanian to Russian language

Here are some testimonies from students who attended the training:

-               Now, I can better understand the idea of church as Christ’s body and now I understand my role in the church. Also, I think I know what spiritual gift I have.  – Vladlena

-               I learned how to prepare a teaching plan for the lesson I am planning to teach to my students, and I learned how to conduct discussion lessons in the group. – Tatiana

-               This training equipped me with God’s truth to be able stand against false teachings concerning spiritual gifts. I found out how the gifts are given and how to minister to others in Christ’s body with your gift. – Ruslan

-               I learned the difference between spiritual gifts and natural abilities. At the same time all our gifts and talents are to be used in ministry to the church for the glory of the Lord. – Dmitrii

-               I have decided to get actively involved in ministering to the church in order to find where God wants me to serve Him. – Olga

Nicolai grew up in orphanage, now is studying to be Bible teacher

-               I learned how to fill out the lessons in the study book and how to prepare a teaching plan for group discussion. Now I am ready, with new joy and strength to continue studying the Scripture. – Dmitrii

-               During this Institute I learned that spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit to every believer. I learned that such gift as prophesy exists even today and are practiced in the church.  - Paul

After the training, many students decided to start their home Bible study groups and the number of projected groups was raised to 59 groups in 12 cities across of the country. We pray God will use these men and women of God who love God and His Word and are eager to serve Him in the church and communicate His message of Love to a generation that needs the Gospel so desperately.

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen – 1 Peter 4:11

So then, those who had received his word were baptized.  - Acts 2:41

7 people join the Cupcini Church

December 13th we had a celebration of God’s Grace in action, as seven new people joined the church and followed the Lord in water baptism.  Our joy was so full because that day our son, Paul Sanduleac, was also baptized and publicly testified of his faith in Jesus Christ. All seven people were from Cupcini and the Lord brought each one of them to the point where they trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior using different people and different pattern.

It was a process each of these people went through before they decided to be baptized and to join the church. For example, Maxim, Peter and Nicolai grew up in orphanage and throughout their childhood they heard the Word of God from Christians that were visiting at the orphanage and teaching the Word of God.  When they enrolled in the Technical School in Cupcini, our sister, Rodica Caraus, started teaching a Bible study and they came.

Paul Sanduleac is being baptized

They were so interested that they wanted to come to the church and see how other people were studying the Word. After a church service they came forward and gave their lives to Jesus Christ. God continued working in their hearts and they responded by dedicating themselves to God completely and joined the church, ready to serve Him wherever He leads.

Valentina is a medical doctor at a Cupcini clinic. Her office was visited by our sister, Lidia, who began telling of the Word of God. Valentina was so interested that she decided to attend church services at our church and a Bible study group. She was saved at an English Camp she attended last summer. In spite of a husband that does not approve of her attending church, she joined the church along with their daughter.

At the market, Olga heard the Gospel from her co-worker who invited her to our church and to a home Bible study. She came and enjoyed studying God’s Word and was saved at the end of a church service. Olga brought all her family to the church baptismal service, her husband and daughter.

Paul gives his testimony

Michael heard the Gospel in the central square of Cupcini when we held Evangelistic meetings and a free medical clinic for the whole city and for needy people. He decided to start attending our church, where later he was saved at a Sunday morning church service.. His baptism was attended by his family, his wife, his children and grandchildren.  They also began attending the church with him.

Paul, our son, was exposed to the Word of God from early childhood. After he was saved, he continued to study God’s Word at home and in Bible study groups, learning the Word in Russian, Romanian and English.

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, tothe breaking of bread and to prayer.   –    Acts 2:42

The church was filled and many new people who came to observe a New Testament baptism of their friends and relatives. After the baptism we had the Lord’s Supper for all church members. Everybody who was baptized that day received a bouquet of flowers, a card and Bible study book, called “A Surrendered Walk”, by Wayne Barber.

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.   –  1st Timothy 3:13

Cupcini Church Congregation

God has blessed a special celebration at the Cupcini Christian Church.  Planted 15 years ago, the church is now over one hundred and ten church members, and ministers to over seven hundred people in schools, orphanages and prisons.  In spite of many people moving out of the country, missionaries that have moved to other cities to plant new churches, and a large number of students that move to bigger cities and join universities, the church is growing. Because of this, in addition to Victor Vasciuc, our first deacon, God has showed us the need to ordain a new deacon in our congregation.

Dumitru Rusnac was recently ordained as a deacon at the Cupcini Church.  He is a man whose testimony of turning to God continues to encourage many. During Soviet times, Dumitru was looking for a Bible to buy, but could not find one for sell. Finally he found a person that owned a Bible and let Dumitru borrow it for two weeks. Dumitru decided to read it and copy, by hand, just the most important parts. To his surprise, he could not leave out even one chapter.  Everything was very important.  Disappointed he could not copy the whole Bible, two weeks later he returned the Bible to the owner. But he rejoiced as he still got to read it for 2 weeks day and night. Several years later, he found a Bible for sell.  For the price of three months salary, he purchased it as soon as he could.

Years passed and nine years ago Dumitru’s family was saved. First his son, Vasile, second his wife, Lidia and finally his daughter, Oxana. Dumitru decided he would continue reading the Bible, but always was postponing his decision to trust Jesus personally.  He thought he  was religious enough. One day, as he was on the street, he spotted a Christian track on a side of a garbage truck. After asking permission from the driver, he got the track and read God’s simple plan of salvation. Next, right on the street, he stopped and prayed to God, asking forgiveness for being stubborn and for not trusting Jesus. At the next church service he trusted himself to Jesus and asked to be baptized.

Ordination certificate for new deacon

Since then, for nine years, Dumitru has proven himself trustworthy and faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He never missed a Bible study or a church service.  He has a good reputation at work, with neighbors and church members. Both he and his wife, Lidia, are always ready to help with anything needed at the church.  Through both both physical help and spiritual, they prove their spiritual maturity in Christ.

We pray God will bless and grow the church through Dumitru’s ministry.  We pray God will bring many to salvation through the ministry of this couple.  They are dedicated to the Lord in Studying the Word of God, teaching home Bible studies, witnessing door to door, and encouraging and ministering to many church members.

Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples!                                                                      Psalm 96:3

Blog-training class

On Dec. 5, with God’s help, we had our first blog-training seminar for people from our churches who are interested in this ministry field and ready to use the Internet for the proclamation of the Gospel. It is a great opportunity since over 1million people who live in Moldova have a computer connected to the Internet, and young people spend many hours a week in Internet cafes in cities and villages.

We felt God calling us to start a Web ministry to reach as many as God gives us over the Internet and outside Moldovan borders. Our vision is to build a team of bloggers that will provide a wide spectrum of spiritual materials online, but at the same time, be united in offering the Word of God both to unbelievers and believers.

Many people wanted to come, but based on the number of computers available and room size, we had to limit the number to 25 people from many churches that were registered for the training. We also had a young man, Anatolii from Ukraine, who wants to use this tool to proclaim the Word of God in the Ukrainian language.

We began by reading text from the book of Romans where Paul says: “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Romans 1:14). We also studied a segment from Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians: “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” (I Corinthians 9:22).

We understand that our responsibility in the Gospel is to serve people where they are and bring the Word of God to them so that they might be saved through faith in our Lord Jesus. This is the goal of this ministry. Also, we want to provide encouragement and instructions from the Word of God to the believers online.

Next, we studied blogging itself. We went through the basics of blogging terminology and techniques, and every participant started his blog right away!

“I have never dreamed of having my own personal blog,” said Cristina.

“I did not imagine before that the Internet can have such an impact on society!” shared Raisa.

The blogs that were started are in two different languages: Russian and Romanian. Some are for couples, some are for young people, some are for children, and some are for adults.

“This seminar opened a new door and new opportunity for me to serve God,” said Alla. “All the information I got at the training was new to me, but it was very interesting information as well.”

Ruslan decided to participate in this new ministry and to make maximum effort in offering quality and interesting material for people to read, and in this way, share the Gospel to people who do not know Jesus.

“It was very inspiring and encouraging,” he said.

Every participant was so excited to learn how to blog and encouraged to use it for furthering the Gospel. We decided to hold these trainings once a month in order to provide ongoing training for people who are involved in the blogging ministry. Please pray God will use this ministry to reach many with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.