God is at work in Chisinau Logos Christian Church. Proclaiming the Gospel by conducting Bible studies, children’s programs, Puppet shows, orphanage work and through church planting, six people recently joined the church through water baptism.  Everyone celebrated in this joyous occasion, when we saw the results of the work from our brothers and sisters serving our Lord there.

“It is a special day for us as a church and for these new brothers and sisters that are following our Lord’s command and getting baptized today. It is a very special day for every one of them, a day they were looking toward and prayed for. We need to have this kind of celebrations more often, at least each Sunday,” – Pastor of Logos Christian Church, Vasile Rusnac said.

Two people that were baptized, Nina and Tatiana, came from the city of Comrat, where a new church plant is underway. It is a city in Southern Moldova with a predominately Turkish population. God put His light in that city through a congregation committed to studying and proclaiming His Word.

Ivan is from Chisinau and was also baptized. He heard of the Lord from his wife who was saved and baptized last year. Since then he started attending our church, and just one year later made the decision to follow Christ.
Artyom and John are orphans that heard about Jesus from our people who worked in their school and invited them to attend the church and our Summer English Camp. One day John came to the church and said, “Pastor, I want to repent and to trust Jesus with all my heart and to follow Him.”  We prayed with him and he trusted Jesus for his salvation.

Artyom trusted Jesus when we were talking with him in our van about his life. He said he wants to believe in Christ and follow Him in water baptism.

Eudokia was saved when our youth went door-to-door visiting people in the village of Tirnova, in Northern Moldova. Bible study groups were started and new people were introduced to Jesus.  Eudokia has six small children. Her whole family, including her husband, started visiting our church regularly.  She became part of our church body and is ready to serve the Lord.

After the baptism we had an hour of fellowship and celebration.  Everybody personally congratulated the new church members and got to know them better.  We are looking forward to see how God will use these brothers and sisters as they serve Him by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to others!

You can see more pictures from the baptism on our Facebook page.

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.

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

We have had another joyful event – the baptism of new believers who joined the church. On June 14, 2009 in Balti, next to the city lake where hundreds of people come to tan and swim, we conducted a church service that was attended by hundreds of church members and guests. The four policemen who guarded the lake were very nice to us and heard the Word of God since they were close to the place of baptism. The Balti City Church of Hope organized the baptismal service.

The baptismal team arrived early before the baptismal service and installed the tents for the baptism. When time came to start the church service, there were many brothers and sisters who traveled from many places to attend the celebration and to encourage their new brothers and sisters. A number of relatives of the ones joining the church came to the lake as well. Sound equipment and musical instruments were set up, and we were ready to start.

The worship songs sang by everybody in the congregation by the lake attracted more people, and they approached us and listened. Pastors David Groves from Texas and Marshall Link from Missouri presented sermons about the meaning of Baptism and Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Everybody who joined the church presented his personal testimony of how he was saved and why he was joining our church.

We heard amazing stories about God’s work in the lives of every new believer. Dima came to our Sunday school and was saved as a child. Mariana was saved in our English camp while studying God’s Word in English with a team of teens. Uncle Andrei was saved when our missionary came to his village and started home Bible studies in order to plant a new church. Ghenadii, a former drug addict, was saved at the rehabilitation center and dedicated his life to serving the Lord at our local church. Elena was invited by his friend to the church and was saved. Tatiana was taught God’s Word by her mother. Timur is a gipsy guy who was stopped on the street by our team that was inviting people to the evangelistic meeting at a Culture hall, and he came and was saved at the end of service. Timur invited us to come and start a home Bible study for his whole his family and his mother was saved too. She was baptized the same day with Timur. God’s Truth is marching on, from heart to heart, saving people and changing their direction and lives.

Then it came time for the most moving moment, the baptism, when one by one all new believers went down in to the water to testify to everybody that they have died to their old way of life and were now resurrected to a new life with Jesus Christ. I had the blessing of baptizing these new believers with Brothers David Groves and Marshall Link.

When we finished baptizing, we had the Lord’s Supper at the lake for all church members. It was also time for greetings and fellowship for everybody and for a couple of hours people were talking, praying and encouraging one another. We pray God will bless all of these new believers and help our churches receive them with love, assisting them and finding a place for everyone in the body of the church and doing God’s work.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

It was a special blessing to baptize new believers at an outdoor baptismal service on the lake in the city of Briceni. It was our first baptismal service in this city, and many people came to attend this New Testament baptism for the first time in their life. God touched the heart of every person that attended and even the hearts of the guards of the lake as well as the hearts of thepolice that came to see what was going on at the lake. We had a worship service at the shore. We sang hymns and preached about the meaning of baptism. Then seven people were baptizedand each gave his personal testimony about how he first heard about Jesus and how he came to the decision to be baptized and join the local church. After the baptism, everyone who wasbaptized was applauded with much joy and support from thewhole congregation.

The second part of the service was the Lord’s Supper for the church and new believers when we thanked God for sending His only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Many non-Christian relatives and friends along with family members of the new believers attended the service and heard the Gospel preached.

At the end of the service we presented a Bible study book, a welcome greeting card and flowers to each new believer welcoming them into God’s family.

Everyone who was baptized had a story to tell. Elena is a professor at local Technical school and heard the Gospel when our Student ministry teams went to witness to her students. Dima had a classmate from our church that told him about Jesus. Tatiana heard about the Lord in Sunday school. Corina was saved at our Summer English camp. Dina heard about the Lord from her mother who was recently saved. Galina and Maria heard about God from our team that visited their home. Right before the day of the baptism, Mariafell down and broke her left arm. We suggested she get baptized next time, but she was determined to get baptized this time. She wrapped her arm in a cast with a plastic bag, secured it with scotch tape and was baptized, becoming an outstanding testimony for everyone.

All of these new believers serve God in local churches and are helping others to come to the Lord and be saved.

Hasnasenii Mari is a village with 1,600 of people, but almost half of the people have left the country to work abroad in order to help their families in the village survive. No evangelical presence was in this village.

A few years ago, my father, Pastor Vasile Sanduleac, was invited by a local mayor to plant an evangelical church in the village. A home Bible study was started and people began to come one by one. It was a joy to see their curiosity and hunger for God’s Word. The only one who was not happy was the local Russian Orthodox priest, who began visiting door to door trying to stop the people from attending our Bible study. The priest even told them that when they die, he will not do the funeral for them.

In spite of the threats, people continued to come every week. And as a result several people were saved! Six of them were baptized in churches in Chisinau and Balti. But this year we had our first baptismal service in the history of Hasnasenii Mari village, which was a great testimony for the village people. Each of the new church members invited his relatives and friends to attend their baptism and to celebrate with them. The Vintu family from Balti church had worship program and led everyone in worship.

Now, all new church members are growing in the Lord and continuing in the study of the God’s word weekly. You should hear their prayers for the rest of the village to get to know the Lord and be saved.

Now, we praise God for the youth and students from our Balti City Church of Hope that are helping us in this church plant. They work with children, teaching them God’s Word and doing door to door visits every week, presenting the Gospel and proposing a free Bible study in homes.

We praise the Lord for the work He is doing in this village, and we know He will accomplish it! We know that we have to stay faithful to His call. Please continue to pray for this village and for His light to shine brighter in the dark though all of us.