The seasonal children's event is near. There will be 4 different groups from 4 different ministry locations.
We had our last meeting for praying and making sure that all is ready for the children to have fun, get to know each other more, make new friends but most importantly get to know about the Lord.
Please join us in prayer for the salvation of the children in our ministry area.
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
David and Ruben are now both, pupils! What big boys! They are excited about school but probably what’s the most fun for them is the "School bus"! They will do anything to get ready in time so they don't miss it :)) Please continue to keep out family in your prayers, it means a lot to us! Thank you very much.
Exciting New: Matthew 9:37. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
Thank you Lord for answering a prayer that we prayed and constantly carry it in our hearts since 2014, when Spero Designs was established.
Thank you for touching Tudor and Daniela's hearts to move here and work along side us in order to expand the business, create more jobs, bless more families all these pointing towards a Good, Good Heavenly Father
Hazel, a friend from England sew our need of selling more products in order to be able to keep women employed, and she took a step forward to offer to sell our merchandise on our behalf. That is exactly what we were praying for.
Thank you Lord for Hazel! We pray that there will be other people willing to support Spero Designs in this way.
We are most grateful that the Lord blessed our workshop with not just one but two NEW sewing machines.
Having good sewing machines it is very important in order to make good clothes in good time and not many repairs as it often happens with old machines.
Thank you Lord for people who support this ministry.
"Let the children come to me" Jesus said! One way of stopping the children is by not teaching them about Jesus and the Word of God.
With the kids groups we are now going trough a series of lessons/ stories called : What does Jesus want the children to know about Him?
We kindly ask for your prayer support so that the children may come to know about Jesus in order to get to know Him personally.
Let's bring the children to Jesus! At the end of this series we plan to hold a special event for those who faithfully attended the meetings.
There will be special praises for those who memories bible verses and plenty of fun and surprises for everyone! Thank you for your support in prayers.
Florina Darvell
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
Last winter didn't snow a lot and for us was a blessing because the ministry van we drive was not prepared for winter with snowy or icy roads, like it has been other winters.
This coming winter by God's grace will not be a problem anymore because the Lord kindly provided the financial support to buy new winter tires. Thank you Father, please bless the giver.
Florina Darvell
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
Often before a big blessing the Lord brings a situation where one must take a big step of faith.
I felt that the Lord was asking me to pay the women just as if there was enough work for the entire month (but there wasn't enough work that month lined up) it took courage to do that not knowing what will be instore in terms of having all the money for the tax and other expenses.
The Lord wanted me to walk by faith and not by sight. Soon after I obeyed the Lord, He brought over to Romania and to our Spero Designs shop, a couple, all the way from USA, Amy and Jim Paarlberg who blessed us with a beautiful order for 700 backpacks. What a joy and a blessing!
What a wonderful prayer answer and proof that our God loves the needy and He is always there to provide using His servants.
Florina Darvell
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
Children have learned that the "stars" are not only those who have lots of money or are very popular but also those who have a good heart and fear of God as Ester, David and others from the Bible
Even though we had a rainy week and the soil turned to mud this was not a barrier in having fun .
They have learned about different countries and about particular and cultural things having a chance to experience some of the particularities and learning few words in their language.
Florina Darvell
Important: Select Fund: ROMANIA MINISTRIES, Sub Fund: 24250 from the donation form.
On the 1st of June in Romania we celebrate the Kids Day, for us this was an opportunity to take the children to another town to the park, have fun and build friendships. It was so good!! Praise the Lord for making this possible.
We read the story of Jesus's ascendance and the promise that He gave us that one day He will come back to take with Him all those that chose to follow Him.
Stefi one of the girls she was really excited at the news that Jesus will return, and she wants to be one of those that will see Him. Amen to that. Thank you for praying for the children in Coteana, for their salvation.
Bianca is one of the girls that comes regularly to our children program.
At the Bible story about the difference between the choice of Peter and Judas, pointing out that Peter was ashemed, and denied Jesus, I showed them pictures with a beggar, a prisoner and a king and I asked: "Who would you like to be seen on the street with"? Of course the answer was "with the King."
The truth is that Jesus was poor, was in prison but He was King. At the end of the program I said to Bianca that whenever she might feel ashamed of Jesus because other children loughs at her she should always remember that she walks with the King.
At these words I could see how Bianca straighten up her back, lifted up her head, put a large smile on her face picturing in her had that she walks with the King.
What a great honor to be children of God and walk with the King!!!!
Went to see Dicuta last week. The night before she was taken to emergency for the fifth time with a minor stroke, no apparent sings after the strokes, Praise God.
She lives together with her 88 year old mom, who can not hear or walk well any more. Dicuta made friend with a man that seemed to have good intentions but turned out that he is a thief. He often comes drunk at night to steal or bother them. This causes Dicuta a lot of fear and stress which leads to the strokes.The local police is week. Please pray that the Lord will protect Dicuta and her mom and cause this man to stop bothering them.
Thank you
Thank you very much for reading our news and for praying for us. This is very important for us and we are most grateful. We realize that your self need prayers too so we will be happy to lift you in prayers specifically if you choose to share any prayer requests. In General we pray that the Lord will kindly increase your faith and may you never doubt His love and presence no mater how hard.
Our family is well in general but going trough colds, flu and cough.
David and Ruben enjoys school, learning the written Romanian language and English language at the same time. Recently David took part in his first competition on Romanian language, he did quite good, very proud of himself.:)
Glad to have been invited to go to the kindergarten to tell the children Bible stories. In February retold the story of Creation with a bit more details, had activities that got the children involved. The purpose was to help children memories as much as possible the days of creation and understand that God has beautifully and amazingly created all of us and He loves us. The teachers are always present and they too hear the Gospel. Please pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
For the weekly children program in Coteana for the last couple of months we replaced the traditional Bible stories with actually doing short Bible study. The purpose of this is to help children get more familiar with the Bible, learn how to relate to the Bible and learn how to search in the Bible.They really enjoy this Bible reading and growing in knowing and learning from the Bible itself.
I praise the Lord for each opportunity that I have to share the Gospel with Sonia and Lucica the two women that work at Spero Designs. We spend 4 hours a day/ 5 days a weak together. You might think, are they not Christian yet? No they are not yet but buy God's grace one they will also have their name written in the Book of Life. Please pray for their salvation. Please pray that the work done by their hands will find a good market and it will sell well in order to financially support their families. One of the ladies this month shared that she doesn't have money to pay for the bus fare to come to work. Buy God's grace this will change for better. Prayers highly appreciated.
The home visits to the ladies in Coteana on a regular basis are an encouragement for the women and gives me the opportunity to know them more personally and pray for them more specifically. In particular I want to ask prayers for Gena, she is about 90 percent blind, her husband is paralyzed in bed with very reduced mobility.
Her daughter has gone trough a divorce recently, this has brought to Gena much suffering and she is often crying and can't sleep at night because of that.Please pray for peace and Divine comfort on hear heart.
The home visits to the ladies in Coteana on a regular basis are an encouragement for the women and gives me the opportunity to know them more personally and pray for them more specifically. In particular I want to ask prayers for Gena, she is about 90 percent blind, her husband is paralyzed in bed with very reduced mobility.
Her daughter has gone trough a divorce recently, this has brought to Gena much suffering and she is often crying and can't sleep at night because of that.
Please pray for peace and Divine comfort on hear heart.
Prayer points
*We plan for a children day camp in Coteana at the end of June. Please pray for finances to buy a big tent and for all the needed support for the day camp.
* Peace and comfort for Gena
*The work of the Holy Spirit in children and peoples lives also using the weekly activities of visits, preaching, Evangelism,programs
*Tires for the bus
Blessings
Mark and Florina
Dear partners, brothers and sisters in Christ Thank you for taking the time to read our news, to pray and think of us. The work that you do trough all your support is the other wing that helps us “fly”. We thank the Lord for you and we also pray that God will continue to keep you faithful, strong and healthy in your mind, spirit and body.
The shoe boxes reached the children at the kindergarten in Coteana only in January as it was school vacation by the time we got the gifts. Lots of joy and curiosity to find out what will each find within the beautifully wrapped up gift shoe box. Told them the story of
"birth of the earth”
- Creation and sang songs about Creation. We had a good time. So happy for the invitation that I received from the teachers to go again and tell the children more stories from the Bible. My next visit will be in February. Prayers are much appreciated for the next visits, that God in His mercy will help them receive the knowledge of Jesus and salvation and for me that God will use me.
One of the house visits to Dicuta was a long one this time as she had many questions about God and Bible. She was excited hearing all about forgiveness and becoming a child of God and she was excited about praying and asking God to make her his child. Sadly after this visit for different reasons we have not met her again. We know that her faith is challenged in many ways, family, neighbors, orthodox church, but God is gracious and very patient with people. Please pray for Dicuta and her faith in Jesus that will be one that overcomes the world.
Prayer points:
- Dicuta to have strong faith in Jesus
- kindergarten children and teachers in Coteana to understand and receive Jesus
- Ladies at SperoDesigns to receive Jesus and continue to have work so they can provide for their families
- financial donations for a big tent for events and summer camps.
- winter tires for the bus
Mark and Florina
Darvell
Thank you very much for reading our news and praying for us. We wish you a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. We thank the Lord that once again have a bus that is ready to use for the ministry. Thank you to those that supported us in all this process. In the kids ministry we tried out different attractive ways to tell the story to the children and have fellowship as well. We have used the computer to show the children stories acted out by other children about kindness, friendship, talents. Kids love leaning by seeing that there are other children in the world doing the same things that God wants us to do. We have also played different board games, prepared together simple recipes of cakes and salads, a way of learning and relationship Mis Gena one of the friends that come regular to church and we visit regularly, needs prayer as she is in a lot of distress as one of her daughters want to divorce her husband. In Romania, Divorce is still a big tragedies and is not accepted as a solution by many people. Iin the Fishing road program as the Spero Designs Workshop - we rejoiced very much to have met the target for the month of Nov and learned new things. They also hear the Gospel in different ways. We need support in prayer for their salvation and for being able to meet their income targets for the following months and help more women.
October was a month of transition for children ministry from outside to inside. All summer long we met in the park with the children, but as the weather is getting cooler we moved inside. Moving inside though it has its disadvantages as many of the children do not come to the regular programs inside because of prejudice from parents or other children. Please pray for the children's that the Lord will help them overcome barriers and come to regular programs and eventually to salvation.
Every Wednesday made house visits to people that come to church regularly but have not yet gave their life to God. It is relationship and trust building. They see that we care for them, that we are there for them and we love them.
Please pray that they will decide to give theier life to the Lord.
At Spero Designs Romania ( "A fishing road rather than a fish", program) by God's grace we have employed one more lady, another family is blessed by providing income.
We are praising the Lord for all the sales this month. Please pray for an increase sales in order to bless families in the south of Romania. If you would like to see the work that they do please visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/SperoDesignsRomania.
The van
By God’s grace we sold our problematic van and with the same amount of money we bought another one: a Ford (2004). It works well and we are most grateful to the Lord.
Mark is working on some rust that needs dealing with.
Youth ministry - we had a youth outing for an event in Alba Lulia. It was a good time for the strengthening of relationships and an opportunity for the young people to hear the Gospel once more.
Ladies’ ministry - A day out for the women in Coteana. We laughed, talked, had treats, sang, prayed, read the Bible and had a great time together walking through the park in Coteana.
Spero Designs - We took the ladies Sonia and Lucica from Spero Designs to Alba Lulia, to a friend of mine who sews bed sheets, in order for them to learn some things and get some work. On the way there I made sure that once again I shared the good news of the Gospel with them. It was a truly blessed time that strengthened our relationship more.
With the ladies at Spero we focused recently on bunting. We are very pleased as it seems to pick up well. It is a blessing for the women.
Children’s Outreach - Coteana
All summer long, every Saturday, we met with the children in Coteana in the park.
Please pray for their salvation.
We plan to start a mandolin children orchestra for the children in Coteana. We hope that it will be a great tool to get more children coming and also coming to know the Lord. A brother from Sibiu will come and teach the mandolin.
Please pray for the whole amount to buy the mandolins. We have enough for two at the moment. We need a minimum of 10.
Caracal - 20 year celebration of the Baptist church
Last Sunday we took some people from Coteana to a 20 year celebration of the Baptist church in Caracal.
This was another opportunity for them to be encouraged in their faith, strengthened in their relationships and eventually give their lives to Jesus
Friendships and discipleship – village of Comani
We enjoyed a nice day in the park with Jenica, her children and Alexe’s youngest son, Petru.
Jenica has never been to a park - she loved it and the children did as well.
She is more and more open to the Gospel. She prays every morning and is reading the Bible daily. God is good!
Mark and Florina Darvell work in rural South Romania, planting churches, running evangelistic children’s programmes and reaching out to the community through practical projects
Month of June was quite hot here in Romania. We were blessed with a team of friends from America and Nigeria that helped us in children ministry and digging a ditch for getting running water inside the house/church.
Because it was such a hot month we had to have the children ministry manly in the evening. it is always a great joy seeing children coming to play with us and listen stories about Jesus but it often leaves us with a certain sadness that they don't come to have a personal relationship with Jesus. this is also one of the prayer points: children to come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.
Thank you very much for the part that you take
to God's work in this part of the world, to be
exact in Coteana and Draganesti.
The work continues in Coteana building up the
new church by visiting people encouraging them
to continue in their desire to come to know the
Lord. Mark is taking turns in preaching and goes
to visit people and to do street Evangelism and
also giving the support to the new pastor in
Coteana.
