In 2017, LIFE Romania first organized a sports tournament in the city of Slatina. Many young people came to have fun at the event and in the end, were able to also hear the Gospel. One of the young girls who were there was Ema. She came to the event with the youth from her church. While she was at the sports tournament, she met Iulia, one of our staff members, and continued to keep in touch with her. Iulia was pouring into her, encouraging her, and eventually asked if she would like to go through the discipleship steps with her. It meant a lot to Ema to have someone like Iulia investing in her and continuing to build a relationship with her. She agreed to go through the steps with her.

As Ema continued with the steps, through our follow-up ministry we sent her letters and began calling her to encourage her. Ema had never received a letter addressed to herself before. The excitement of receiving a letter written to her touched her deeply. She still keeps them in a memory box at home. This is a reminder to us and you why we choose to invest our time and resources in sending hundreds of letters and notes every month and call all the participants of our ministry often. Follow-up is a tangible and impactful way to show these young people our care for them.

After that summer of completing the discipleship steps, Ema was surprised to be invited to attend MIA college. She had always been interested in studying the Bible but felt that she did not have the tools or knowledge of how to do so. MIA College taught her how that there is more to the Christian faith than just reading the Bible, but that it should be applied to her life. That week of MIA College was a great week for her to get to know more of the counselors who serve with LIFE Romania and to build relationships with the staff.

Ema was looking for an opportunity where she could serve God and share the Gospel. LIFE Romania provided her the opportunity to be a counselor the next summer at Camp MIA. She grew in many ways, such as learning how to lead a devotional and how to work as a team. In addition, she grew close with her fellow counselors and campers and built relationships she still has to this day. Ema continued to be a counselor for two years and developed in her faith along the way. She realized how great of a blessing it is to know Christ and the importance of being disciplined in her walk with Him.

During the Pandemic, we began to look for a dedicated counselor who could help us lead the spiritual counselors of our online Bible studies. Ema had gone to the Word of Life Bible Institute for a year and we saw the growth and spiritual maturity in her. We approached her and asked if she would be willing to help us. She was eager to join our team. She helped us for a few months from home while we were in lockdown, and once we were able to return to the office she moved to Bucharest to work on staff part-time while she goes to college studying Education.

Ema continues to lead our spiritual counselors while also discipling a few girls. She participates in the online Bible studies and equips the leaders by training them how to tell their testimonies. She also helps manage our follow-up program – the same program that impacted her so many years ago. We are thankful for Ema and her choice to serve with us when we needed her and that she continues to be with us as she pursues a degree. She is kind, intentional, and thoughtful in everything she does. It is a blessing to see the impact our follow-up program had on her and to see the cycle of our ministry continue now as she conducts follow-up with our participants now.

As our ministry grows we want to give you the opportunity to support us financially by choosing to adopt a Romanian national. You can give a one-time gift toward the staff salaries or commit to giving a certain amount monthly. Any gift you choose is a blessing to us as we seek to provide for our staff members and continue to bring more team members to serve within our growing ministry.