Dear brothers and sisters who are reading these words,
I want to thank you deeply for your time and for the devotion you show—first to the Lord, and then to us, those whom you serve through your prayers, support, and presence in the ministry. May God bless you!
After the departure of the team from Missouri, who came specifically to invest in ministry at the organization’s retreat house, we had the pleasure and honor to receive a second team composed of Pastor Gabe and his wife Cindy, Brother Tom, Brother Mike, and Sister Debbie, who serves in the eyeglass ministry. The team was led by the mission director of the organization, Walter.
In the first part of this time of ministry, we had meetings with brothers and sisters from the Avrig area and the village of Nou in Sibiu. There, both church members and locals were served—we prayed with them, and afterward, each person received a pair of glasses suited to their needs. Brother Gabe met with each individual before the consultation, encouraged them, and prayed with them. I was pleasantly surprised to see how open people were during this kind of meeting, even at the first encounter. We witnessed people shedding tears—some tears of pain carried in their hearts, and others of joy. But I truly believe that God had something special for each person. Each of these meetings ended with a meal in someone’s home—either at a local pastor’s house or at the home of believers gifted with the ministry of hospitality.
On July 19, part of the team left to minister to the brothers in Ukraine. The team was composed of Sister Debbie, Pastor Gabe and his wife Cindy, Pastor Daniel, Brother Marius, and the team leader and president of P.I.E.I. Romania, Cornel Ștef.
The other part of the team—Brother Walter, Brother Tom, and Brother Mike—together with my family (myself, Alysa, Chris, and Abby), traveled to the southern part of the country, where we continued the work at the P.I.E.I. Romania Center in Podari. This time, the work involved partially replacing the electrical system in 4 of the 12 existing rooms, pouring concrete floors in 4 rooms, and removing and replacing the old wooden windows and iron bars with new double-glazed windows.
In addition to this, the place requires cleaning each time we go there—whether it’s the kitchen or the area surrounding the house—and this we also did along with the renovation work that needed to be done.
We believe God has a plan for this place, which is why we continue to labor and strive to restore it.
Please pray:
• That God would reveal His perfect plan for this location in Podari, Craiova. It’s important for us to know His will and to move in the direction He desires.
• For the resources needed to rehabilitate this place. The building is old, and the passage of time is clearly visible, which means it needs further attention, a lot of renovation work, and financial resources. It would also require someone to be permanently present there to maintain it.
God has blessed us so much during this time. Every plan we made for this summer—God gave success in all of them. That’s why I want to be grateful and to thank you for choosing to get involved. It is so encouraging to see people come and say: “I want to get involved, I want to give myself to the Lord for 10 days and serve… tell me what I can do.” Yes, this is the attitude of those who come to Romania and serve, and we, who are here, see how God blesses and honors such an attitude.
I hope and pray that God will speak to you, touch your heart, and that you will make a decision regarding the ministry He is calling you to.
“May God bless you!”—this is what we say with full faith and boldness. And as you may have already seen, if you’ve been to Romania before, God overwhelms you with goodness and grace upon grace.
Deuteronomy 4:29 – “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Mike Dima - PIEI Romania Secretary
