Blessings from the Romania/Ukraine Summer Trip

This summer, we were once again blessed with the opportunity to partner with National Missionaries in Romania and Ukraine to share the Gospel and serve communities in need.

Part 1: Romania

Our first stop was Romania, where we had the privilege of hosting a kids camp at Partners In Evangelism Retreat Center in the Mountains. This was our first time using this location, and it proved to be an incredible blessing. Children from the surrounding area came to spend the week with our mission team from Missouri. During this time, they heard the Gospel daily, experienced the love of Christ, and built lasting connections with our team.

See the report from Sarah Stef

What an amazing summer we have had so far!  At the end of June three members of Faith Baptist Church in Washington, MO (Rose De Wever, myself, and Lexi Gallegos) went on a mission trip to Romania for 2 weeks.  Before the trip we were praying hard for God to provide the funds necessary to go, and thanks to a special Romania Fundraising Dinner on June 13th, we had a fully funded team!

On June 24th the team was sent off at the airport by loved ones and our Pastor.  Due to bad weather in Chicago, we had to change our outgoing flights at the last minute and left several hours earlier than expected to fly through Newark instead.  Thankfully, we arrived without any problems and waited a few hours for my dad Cornel to join us, since he flew on our original flight from Munich.  Cornel was with our team for the majority of the trip.

The first three days we spent with two PIEI nationals who serve the area around the city Campeni.  We spent one day with Florin Botar and another with Relu Rodean, visiting people who live in the mountains.  Some were unsaved people who the missionaries have been forming relationships with.  Others were Christians who have been unable to make it to church for some time due to health issues and their remote locations.  We sang songs, prayed, shared the gospel, and encouraged each of the people we visited.  Our team split up to attend both of their churches on Sunday morning.

Our main goal for Romania was to help with a brand new camp that PIEI has been preparing in the mountains.  We arrived Monday morning to see the work that has been put into the property.  The first day was a bit chaotic, as the kids trickled in at different times, frequent blackouts caused lunch to be two hours late, and the men spent all day erecting a large tent that would provide shade during outdoor activities!  However, by the end of the first day everyone had settled in and the 24 campers were divided into 3 groups by age.  Lexi helped out with the 7-10 year olds, Rosie taught the 11-12 year olds, and I (Sarah) taught the 13-15 year olds.

The theme of the camp was Be Strong and Courageous like Joshua, and every day we had a skit and Bible Lessons focusing on part of the book of Joshua.  We also did crafts such as friendship bracelets and painting rocks, and there were two young men (Chris and Tini) who did a fantastic job organizing games and leading worship.  Our cook Alisa and her helpers made delicious meals every day, Mike Dima was in charge of the facility, and PIEI missionary Daniel Petrut led the team, including two women (Viorica and Gabi) who were teachers/leaders that came with the children from the city of Victoria.  We are so grateful to everyone who made the camp possible, including our translators Chris, Abby, Marius, and Teodora.

During the week we faced some serious spiritual warfare.  God clearly had plans for the camp, because Satan was trying his hardest to make us fail.  We dealt with injuries, officials, and the entire camp had run out of running water by Wednesday!  We also had a virus running through the camp, and every member of our Faith team was sick by the end of the week.  However, God is good and helped us prevail despite all of our obstacles!  Daniel and all of the adults worked as a team to help each other and fill in wherever there was a need.  We were all unified by the same ultimate goal- to share the Gospel with every single child at camp.

Getting to spend time with the campers was such a joy and a blessing.  Lexi learned that she speaks "kid" in any language and had some wonderful times with many of the campers.  God gave Rosie a heart for a troublesome boy named Thomas, and by the end of the week he was asking her to pray for him.  In my group I had a young man of about 15 named Beni who became a Christian only a year ago.  He gave his testimony on the first night, and has clearly been set aside by God for a greater purpose.  He is already training with another Christian mission organization and has plans to disciple another young boy as part of his training.  All three of our team members connected with Beni, and we pray that God continues the wonderful work that he has begun in that young man's life.

There are more stories and examples from camp than we can list here.  I believe that each of us were just as affected by our experience as the kids were!  On the last night of camp, Rosie used the soccer ball of many colors to share the Gospel message, and then Daniel gave a call to respond.  Praise the Lord that eight of our campers raised their hands that night!  The nationals who work in those campers' hometowns will be following up with those children to make sure that they get connected to other Christians and have the opportunity to grow in their faith.

The team spent our last Sunday in Romania attending the church in Victoria, pastored by Timotei.  We then returned home to the U.S. on Monday, July 7th and are still recovering from getting sick at camp.  Thank you to all who prayed for our team while we were there!  Continue to pray for the children and the nationals in Romania.  You can follow what happens next with them by reading the monthly reports on piei.org/updates-from-missionaries.

In addition to the camp, we worked closely with National Missionaries to visit local communities, build relationships, and plant seeds of faith. Our prayer is that these seeds will grow, leading many to attend local churches and come to know Christ personally.

Another important outreach was the Eyeglass Ministry in rural villages. Through this ministry, we provided physical care by offering free eyeglasses to those in need—helping many to see more clearly both physically and spiritually. Each visit included prayer, sharing the Word of God, and showing care to each individual we met.

Part 2: Ukraine

The second leg of our journey took us to Ukraine with a team of seven people. We divided into two smaller teams to maximize our impact



Impact & Gratitude

Throughout the trip, we witnessed God moving in powerful ways. Over 70 individuals made the life-changing decision to follow Christ!

We are deeply thankful to the Lord for making this mission possible. It is only through His provision, guidance, and the willingness of His people to be obedient and submissive to His call that such work can be done. We praise Him for another fruitful summer of ministry and for every life touched by His love.

I love for you to join me in the NEXT year Short Term Mission Trip

With love a gratitude Cornel Stef Chair for Romania and Ukraine