Balkan Staff Conference

Each year we gather with other staff and leaders from across the Balkans to hear what the Lord is doing in other countries.  I (Mike) always find it an encouraging time to meet and talk with others doing similar work in a similar setting.  We always leave the conference refreshed and with new ideas for ministry.

 The conference is always hosted by one of the countries in our region.  This year it was in Montenegro.  A fairly new country gaining their independence from Serbia in 2006.   We met in the city of Bar that has NO evangelical church, and our conference of about 50 people was the largest gathering of evangelical believers on Sunday morning in the whole country.

 The national leaders from Romania, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Serbia along with 2 leaders from IFES

My Small group with folks from Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, & Albania

The Romanian representatives!!

Dragos, Martin (IFES Regional Leader) & Mike

Montenegro is a very beautiful and mountainous country with a boarder on the Adriatic Sea

I even got to meet and shake hands with the President of Montenegro!!!!

2013 Basketball Tournament in Budapest

 Andrew in action

 The weekend before this tournament Andrew had hurt his foot so we were thankful that it healed some so that he could play!

 Hannah is in her first season of playing basketball and has improved greatly!

She really enjoys playing and is already looking forward to next year.

Fall Events

This fall we have had a number of events to help students hear more about the Gospel.

At the beginning of the university year we sponsored an event in Bucuresti where a well known illusionist spoke about how he lived an illusion, until he met Jesus.  Students packed into a lecture hall to hear him speak and ask questions.

In Nov. the students in Pitesti sponsored a talk on Science and Religion.  A man from Australia was invited to speak and then take questions from the students.  Mike went to this with a car load of students from Bucuresti.

In late Nov. the students from Bucuresti organized a local training camp in Sinaia to help integrate new students into the group.  It was a very relaxed weekend with teaching (motivating the students in evangelism), time for a hike and fellowship.  It was encouraging to see over 40 students come out for the weekend and we all enjoyed some time in the mountains!

Christians on Campus

We heard an interesting pod cast from John Stonestreet on the situation on campuses in American.  It will probably be moving this way to Romania in the future.

Link to pod cast: Christians on Campus

Fall and New Students

Each year in Oct we have a special meeting where we try to get new students involved in OSCEB.

We had lots of students and 12 first year students.  Pray that we would be able to motivate and integrate many of these students into OSCEB.

 

A few times each week, weather permitting, we go out to the dorm area to pass out Bibles and offer free Christian literature to students.  With those that stop we try and engage in conversations about the Gospel, let them know about OSCEB and invite them to upcoming events.  Last week we had a number of very good conversations with students, where God had been already at work.  Pray that they will come to the outreach event we will have on Nov. 8.

The conversations we had were very encouraging.  One young man had lots of sincere questions and really wanted to find answers to them.  When we told him about sin and how even our thoughts separate us from God he said, "Then who can be saved?".  At hearing this we showed him how Jesus had been asked this same question and the answer was not in what we can do or how good we can be, but in what God has done for us through Jesus.  The young man left taking a New Testament and agreeing to read it.

York Video: Ministy Update

We made this video to help show the different aspects of our life and ministry in Romania.  Andrew did much of the video work and all the editing in putting this video together!  We used it during the summer with churches and friends that we visited.  Enjoy!

Rebekah Graduates from BCA!

We congratulate Rebekah on her graduation from Bucharest Christian Academy on June 1!  We are very proud of her and how hard she worked during her 4 years of high school!

 

Rebekah receives her diploma!

 THE BCA class of 2012!!

The first class at BCA to have all the seniors graduate with honors!

 The proud siblings!

 

Rebekah, Abby and Samuel with their first grade teacher!!

 

Hannah and Sam, who Rebekah has baby sat the last three years!!

Rebekah will be attending EMU in Harrisonburg, VA in the fall to study Social Work.