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The Great Commission of Jesus; Matthew 28:16......"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..............
Go, tell and do in His name
by Vivian Summerville
This is what Jesus has called us, Christians, to do. Continue to go and tell and do in His name. Be it close to home or the other side of God's world, we are to faithfully be at work in God's world.
So....how did I find myself in Timisoara Romania this summer? First of all, by God's grace and invitation. Lynda Henry , member of Lycoming UMC spoke to all of us about her mission trip to Romania. The Aldersgate UMC of Toledo Ohio was seeking missionaries to take this faith step and travel to Romania. Lynda inspired to do so, said yes. Then came the seeking of another mission person and the invitation to be part of their team. After prayer and conversation with my family, I too said yes I will travel there. 10 United Methodists left July 22 for Timisoara Romania. 6 women and 4 men.
We were the guests of the organization MissioLinkInternational. This Christian based organization sponsors such ministries as DEBORAH HOUSE, ALPINIS, AGAPE and more ministries taking place in and around Timisoara Romania. DH a home for 10 young girls/young women who have come from abusive home settings. These girls are housed , schooled and begin new lives under the guidance of house parents, teachers, and counselors. (MLI) is comprised of several churches in Romania. Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Pentecostal and Orthodox have begun to work as partners to bring about Christ's ministry to those who need assistance. It is my understanding that there are 9 churches in Romania working together in this ministry through (MLI) with more from the US becoming involved.
The Chairperson of MLI is Rev. Eugene Gorza who has traveled to the US and made contact with many ministry leaders from the US to form a partnership of support to the ministries of MLI.
Our work in Timosoara entailed the following: Working on the interior of Deborah House #2. Decretive painting touches of one bedroom there. Working and having fun with the girls of Deborah House # 1. They need so much love and care to over come their circumstances of life. We walked the streets that lead us to the center of Timisoara and the monuments to those who lost their lives in the last revolution of 1989. Our team of women visited the homes of 4 families being fed through the MLI ministries of AGAPE. We had conversations with the families and prayer time. Other travels took us to visit and sing with orphans of the HARMONY PROJECT.
We presented the children with candy and health care items. Bringing smiles and songs to those children was a high light of the trip for me. The men of our team plus Denise traveled to work on the building site at ALPINIS. This site is a mountain retreat camp under construction at the moment to provide available retreats and camping experiences for church communities. The women of our team , sponsored through the Aldersgate UMC of Ohio , took several women from the Romanian church communities on a retreat and workshop . We used the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren as the study. All materials were translated into the Romanian language for their use. Our stay included meals together each night at a local Christian restaurant giving us ample time to share our stories. We were treated to mini concerts by some of the finest musicians of Romania, Doru & Rodica Racovicean's daughters. Doru and Rodica have leadership in the orphanage ministries of MLI.
Lynda and I were housed with separate families. I was with 2 other team members in the humble welcoming home of Florika and Nickou. "Nick" is a local pastor , serving some 40 miles from their home. Their daughter Angie, was our non-stop translator and driver. Angie attends the university and works part-time for MLI with finances. Lynda stayed with Lorena Rusovan one of the MLI directors.
Our mission to go and make disciples really turns out to be one of receiving the grace, love, joy and witness through others who give unselfishly in the name of Jesus Christ. I have always said that I receive so much more spiritual growth from those I intend to serve, than I could ever begin to give. Thanks be to God for yet another opportunity to serve in ministry in a foreign land. Thank you for your prayers and support to our team efforts as we partnered with other Christians in witness and action through the ministries of (MLI) Mission Link International.
Blessings, of God's love to each one of you.
Pastor Vivian
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