Black Friday Romanian Style

It is the custom here in Romania to have church services every day during the week leading up to Easter (Passion Week). Romanians celebrate Easter a week later than the United States does, so we have the honor to be here to be part of this celebration. On Black Friday (Good Friday in the U.S.) we spoke and sang in three different churches. It was a wonderful day, long, but wonderful! The pictures below are from Friday. You can also watch one of the many testimonies given during the day.

Pastor John

Great Time of Worship

Thursday night we visited fellow believers in Cherelus at Biserica Ghetsimani! We had a great time of worship and fellowship. One of our favorite experiences in worship is when we can worship in two languages at once. This happens during both of these songs and is most noticeable in the second one. Enjoy!   

Sunday Morning and Evening

What a nice way to finish off this marvelous trip! We worshipped in Firi Tiez in the morning. You can listen to Emily's testimony below. We were also blessed to hear some children sing and recite Bible verses and poems. 

Sunday night we were delighted to be at Bethel in Arad. It was a great time of worship! Our team sang with the youth and we also heard their youth and some children sing. There were some technical difficulties with the video but there are a few clips and they are well worth watching! 

After church we had dinner and a time of games and fellowship. What a great way to end our two week trip. Thanks to every one who has been praying. We have seen God at work!

Reuniting in Motru

The team had such a good time reuniting with fellow believers in the Baptist church in Motru.  It was an encouraging time of worship, sharing, and fellowship. The Spirit was obviously present and we were all very blessed. After the service we had fun time of eating and singing together.    

Emily sharing

Team enjoying food and fellowship

Two wonderful ladies

Romanian dessert cakes - yum!

Sunday Morning at Nuziman

We had a wonderful time of worship and teaching at Nuziman on Sunday morning! 

We hope you enjoy the following video clips of the church members singing for us. You can also watch two testimonies from Jathan and Annika. We hope you are blessed!

Visit to Gethsemane Church

Some of our friends from Gethsemane Church

We had such a good time visiting our friends in Cherelus! We had a great service and lively worship. Below are a few video clips and photos from our time together. 

 

In this clip listen closely as we worship God in English and Romanian at the same time. It is always such blessing when this happens. There are truly no words to describe it!

Sarah asks in this testimony, "What are you living for?"

Meeting Old Friends and Making New Ones

The team had a great time touring, sitting in classes, singing with and talking to friends, old and new, at the Baptist High School in Arad.

The following video combines two short segments from songs that the students sung for us (our apologies for the choppy cut). It was a great time and we look forward to seeing them again.

Later in the evening we went to a village church in Sepreus and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality and shared in singing and testimonies. God has been very good!

Emily giving her testimony with David translating

Pastor Nelu Balog addressing the congregation

We had a visit with some friends in their grand house!

Great Time at High School in Arad!

We had an incredible time visiting in a local high school in Arad! The students prepared some wonderful music for us and were very gracious as we sang and spoke with them. What a wonderful group! They were engaged and joined with us by singing and clapping along. Our team had a a great time!

God Provides The Adventure!

Stephanie

I'm about to go on an adventure. It's not a spontaneous quest to satisfy the wanderlust of my curious and daring notions. 

In fact, it's not spontaneous at all. It's an adventure with a purpose. I began planning to go to Romania again long before typing out this blog post. God has been, and willing continue to, provide and to prepare my heart. rather than springing from the desire to travel, the motivation behind this new journey is to share the most beautiful news I have ever heard with those that I will meet. It is to encourage those who have already heard and believed in the only One able to take them from death to life. It is to dare them to live wide open in obedience to their Savior and King while rebelling against apathy and conformity. It's to embolden them to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles" and "run with perseverance the race marked out" for them (Hebrews 12:1). 

As someone who needs to preach the good news of the Gospel to myself on a regular basis, because I am so quick to forget what Christ has done on my behalf, and as someone who knows all too well the struggle of "throwing off everything that hinders," I am humbled that God has called me and all those who claim the name of Christ to share His message with those who will hear it. It is a message that applies regardless of age, nationality, or gender (Galatians 3:28). In Christ, there is hope that crosses borders, and I am willing to cross borders to share it (Mark 16:15).

Some might ask, "Can't you do that without leaving your own country?" The simple answer is, yes. Yes, we could stay in our hometowns and share the truth of Christ as we have opportunity. I'm burdened for my own country. I love Americans. I pray that each person I interact with in my "neck of the woods" would be drawn to Christ by my life. But I also know that God's plan and His Body is world-wide, and we currently have the freedom and opportunity to share the truth with people in Romania and encourage them by our presence. To those who ask, "Why are you going to Romania again?" I simply say in response, (and I believe my team would echo this), "Why not?"

Unlike most trips American take to other countries, my team and I will not be building houses, working in orphanages, or digging wells. Our "work" cannot be measured. We will be traveling throughout the country, sharing our testimonies, singing, and worshipping God with natives. We'll share the gospel in a high school and at a children's camp, get to know the young people there, and spend time encouraging those we've built relationships with in previous years. I pray God uses us, but I know He will use the Romanians to encourage and challenge us as well.

Three years ago as I traveled Romania, the stories I heard of persecution and God's goodness strengthened my faith. The older Christians there who had lived through communism did not have the dispositions of those who had been beaten down and discouraged. Granted, it had been quite a while since communism had been overthrown  in Romania (1989), but many of them had joy they couldn't contain. It was a deep joy that has known God's presence in desperate times. Being in another country also showed me in a greater way how HUGE God is.

You see, I'm not one to seek adventure. I have learned that as I seek God, He provides the adventure. His adventures are ones I certainly don't want to miss. Please pray for our team as we go and while we are there. We would greatly appreciate your prayers. Please don't spend this vapor-life (James 4:14) without knowing the One who created you and loves you enough to provide the Way of escape from sin and death (John 14:6). 

No Such Thing

Bethany Hertzler

Bethany shares this very encouraging and relevant testimony during the meeting on Wednesday at a high school in Arad.

Bethany held the entire room's attention while she shared about her life and how she has come to realize that there is no such thing as a worthless person!  


We hope you are encouraged by her testimony.

The Importance of Building Relationships

San Martin

This is just a quick post.  We visited the Baptist church in San Martin, a village about 45 minutes from Arad.  (This picture is from a previous year - it is now painted a bright color).  Maybe we can get an updated picture next year.

We had a great time seeing many familiar faces and visiting after the service.  It was truly a blessing to see these brothers and sisters in Christ again.

The video is of Matthew Walkers testimony.  I hope you are encouraged and challenged.

I will put more up as I have time to process them.  We have had so much excitement and blessing.  We can’t wait to share it with you.

Great Time at High School (part 1)

We had a great opportunity to visit a high school here in Arad, Romania.  It was a wonderful morning.  We were with the 9th and 10th graders today.  Tomorrow we will be able to visit with the 11th and 12th grades.

They sang to us, it was incredible.  Then we had the chance to sing to them and then three of our team members shared a message with them.  Tomorrow the other three young team members will share and we will sing again!

The following video features some excerpts from the morning!  ENJOY!!

            

It’s All About Relationships!

Matthew and Amy Walker

Hey guys!  This is Matthew here.  I can’t believe the time is almost here for my fourth trip across the ocean to the gorgeous country of Romania.  As Amy and I were thinking and praying about whether or not God would have us return this year, one thing I started to realize was that I will have traveled outside of my country four times, yet all to the same place.  A lot of people may wonder why.  Why go back to the same place so many times when you could go to any other place in the world??

For me it’s all about relationships.   Relationships that have been started and continue to this day.  I’ve watched so many brothers and sisters in Christ from the church in Arad and from the villages in Romania grow. I've watched them physically grow, but also in their own walk with Christ.  I’ve also seen some have their understanding of  their need for Christ slowly rise to the surface.   We’ve become close to so many of these Romanian Christians.

Relationships are so crucial to us as human beings, but also to us as a church body.  Because we are one body in Christ, it only makes sense to be connected with one another.  It’s hard, if not impossible, to do that with just one quick visit.  With just one visit you might make an impression or make some memories, but usually they are quickly swept back underneath by life and all your circumstances.  Being part of this team for a fourth time, will only bring us closer to those friends we have made and rekindle the friendships we have.  It is so much easier to help build and encourage those whose we already have a close connection.

And to our Romanian friends we say: We will see you all very soon!!!!

Adventure Is Out There!!

Bethany Hertzler

I’m going to Romania . . . . . . 

Honestly, it still hasn’t completely sunk in yet.  The fact remains a little surreal.  Right now life is presenting me with many things to keep my mind very busy.  In order to cope and maintain some form of sanity I am dealing with each project, challenge, obstacle, and priority, as it presents itself.  Even though May is technically not that far away there are many  “to-do’s” between now and leaving on this year’s Trinity Romanian Missions Trip.

However, when I stop, take a moment to breath and think about this adventure soon to happen - I’m excited.  I’m uncertain of what to expect; how to prepare emotionally and spiritually.  I am slightly intimidated.  But mostly excited.

I look forward to meeting our brothers and sisters in Romania.  That’s what excites me the most: to converse with them;  learning about their lives;  finding common interests;  talking together about God.  I don’t know how to anticipate this adventure as a whole.  But I know that it will be exactly that - an adventure!  

I know God has specific plans for this trip and for each individual on the team and for those we meet while there AND along the way.  The sense of adventure comes from following His lead through it all.  Adventure is out there!!

Shake Up My World

Tabitha Mabus

I spent the last six months of 2014 overseas doing missions work.  After over a year back in the States the thought of being overseas again excites me to no end.  It’s hard to place my finger on what I miss so much.  Maybe it is seeing life, relationships, and God through a different culture.  Perhaps it is the way life tends to intersect with life in a rawer, realer way and love becomes an action not a sentiment.
Then again it may be the way these strange new places and amazing believers shake up my world and send me running desperate for more of God.  

I sit back and I am amazed that God has called me and paved the way for me to be part of the Romanian Missions Team this year.  I am amazed and yet it is so like Him.  Whatever God has specifically planned for Romania, the team, and for me I pray for grace to enter into it fully and grace to leave again.

Thank you for being a part of the Romania trip 2016!

Angel Of Apathy and The Chick And The Egg

These two testimonies wrap up testimonies from each of our young team members.  The first: Angel of Apathy is given by Brandt Edmonston.  The second: The Chick and the Egg is a testimony by Kate McKinney.  Each of these is challenging and encouraging in it’s own way.  We pray you are blessed by each!

Judgment and Rebellion Testimonies

The two youngest members of our team are featured in this blog post!  Leah and Anna Heffington are traveling with our team for the first time this year and have done a great job sharing and singing with us.  We hope you are blessed by their testimonies.

Our Time In Apateu

We visited another of Pastor Balog's churches Friday night.  It was obvious that the Spirit was moving. There were several children in this church and one of the babies had a warm welcome from our team.  There is a very short video of her meeting some of us.

You can also watch the video of the team singing Holy, Holy, Holy and Sarah Heffington's testimony.  We are feeling blessed and enjoying watching God work.

In Christ Alone and Hearts of Flesh

We had a wonderful time visiting old and new brothers and sisters in Christ at the church in the village of Șomoșcheș. 

We sang and gave testimonies and Pastor Balog led them in song (in English for our benefit).  After the evening service we were graciously invited for dinner at the Pastors house.  It was delicious and we finished off the meal with very tasty home grown strawberries!  What a treat!

It was a great night!  You can hear one of the songs our team sang: In Christ Alone and Amy Edmonston's testimony  below.  We pray you are encouraged by them.

Back At Biserica Betel

Being back at Bethel Church (Biserica Betel) felt a bit like being home, at least for half of us.  This is the third trip to Romania for five of Trinity Romanian Missions Team members.  The other five are first timers.  We spoke at our home base for the first time Thursday morning at 10:00.  Here is a Rachel Heffington's testimony.  

(We have attempting to upload a version that will play on smart phones and computers.  Give us feedback and let us know if we had success!)