Mission Trip to Haiti

Building the Church of Christ in Jacmel

September 20 – 27, 2010

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we had another mission trip to Haiti with a group from various churches. Last time when we visited Haiti in April 2010 we purchased a piece of land in the region of Jacmel in order to build a church. The church had rented a place of worship close to Romano Catholic Church’s building in Jacmel, where lots of people from the Catholic Church came to worship together in the Christian Protestant Church caused by the presence of the living Spirit of God. People were touched, blessed and some asked to receive the act of Baptism.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20


“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Matthew 28:19-20

Due to the circumstances created the Catholic priest purchased the neighboring building where they worshiped, and gave them a notice to abandon the location. Now, the church was without a location and the new believers gathered together in a brother’s front yard and used plastic coverings as a means of shelter from the rain. Hearing all this in the month of July when I was called by Pastor Medit from Jacmel, I said I will try to mobilize some churches to start building a church on the piece of land we bought. We purchased the property without knowing the situation with the Romano Catholic Church. In the month of September at the Romanian Convention in Atlanta, I contacted Pastor Iulian Costea who mobilized people from his church and other churches from the states towards the Jacmel project. The number of skilled people responding to the request was amazing. Among us were some girls that had a desire to work with the little children. There were people from Bethel Pentecostal Church in Nashville pastored by Iulian Costea, form Golgotha Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago, from 
Bethel Romanian Pentecostal Church in Indiana, from 
New Hope in Anaheim, California and 
Grace Romanian Pentecostal Church in Houston, Texas.

We all met in Florida and from there we took a flight towards the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. There we met the Pastor Medit who picked us up on a bus at the airport and we headed toward Jacmel (a 3-hour drive through the mountainous road). We were worried it would rain all those days and we wouldn’t be able to do anything. Despite the weather forecast, the very next day was clear and everything was perfect for construction during our entire time there. As soon as we left Haiti, the storms began pouring again! The team worked in harmony and the quality and the skill of certain people who are contractors in the states was greatly appreciated. Some of the contractors came with the tools necessary for proper leveling of the foundation on a hilly elevation. Their participation in this poor country makes a great difference especially with the money because the materials are so expensive. We spent $15,560 on the foundation’s materials, which includes the sand, rocks, cement blocks, plywood, 2x4x16 wood, steel rebars for enforcement and others. People from the church came together and helped us mix the cement and pour the foundation. They sang enthusiastically and prayed together and continued to work hard. There were people of all ages working, form 5 year olds to 65 year olds, each carrying a stone or a bucket of cement. The girls thought the little children the alphabet and biblical things while being deeply touched by their love and poor lifestyle.

We held evangelical meetings almost each night under that improved plastic tent and gave thanks to God for His goodness. Everybody from our team was able to share something from the gospel and greet the church members. Some of us visited the inmates in Jacmel’s prison on one morning and we encouraged them and shared the gospel of Jesus with them and gave them hygienic supplies. We purchased 22 bags of rice and 22 bags of beans and shared them with the poor people and the people that worked on the foundation.

Sunday morning we left Jacmel and headed toward Port-au-Prince where we had a tour of the ruins of the quake. At night, we stopped at the Soldier for Christ church where we attended their church service. We all were also able to share our greetings and the word of God that night to about 2,000 people under a tent where there used to be a church before the earthquake. We slept that night in a part of the same church’s building which was left undisturbed by the quake. In the morning we headed toward the airport where everyone got home safely. We thank God for helping us and we thank all of you for your donation and participation and bring His hope to the hopeless in Haiti.

Constantin Lupancu

Mission Trip to Italy & Romania

July 20– August 10, 2010

Greetings to you and all yours in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of our Lord, the Lupancu family – Constantin and Brandusa Lupancu visited Italy and Romania. First we were invited to Italy in the city of Ferenze at a church where a wedding ceremony was taking place for one of my family members, Corneliu Dumitrescu. The ceremony took place in the church and the reception took place in a beautiful restaurant surrounded by a vineyard during the entire afternoon. This was an event that brought together all the families from Romania and Italy. At the church, I had a message – I blessed the church and the new family with a message from the bible. Because our mission is involved in prison ministry, we tried to reach the prison from Rome and the guys that were involved in the prison ministry but the time was too short and the process of getting an approval was difficult and they could not honor our request in such a short time. Instead, we used the remaining time to visit and explore Rome, Tourino, Venice, Ferenze, and other historical sites.

Being in Rome, we remembered the Christians from the first century when they were persecuted in the Colosseum and Catacombs of Rome – this refreshed our memory with the Christians that gave their lives for Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Romanians from all over of Romania, due to the economic hardship, left the country and settled all over Italy and opened places to worship God. The local people (being devoted to God before), they showed us a cold heart and were not interested anymore in Godly things. We prayed that God would bring revival. I strongly believe that just as myself, being hungry for God, thousands of people are also hungry for more of God in their lives and we are crying for a genuine spiritual awakening over Italy and not only for Italy but all over – We need a fresh outpouring of the presence, power and glory of the Living God. I believe that there is a time of revival. God brought lots of Romanians over this land of Italy to spring up revival. However, we are yet to experience the full blast of the spirit as promised in the Scriptures. My prayer is that God will send a mighty revival over Italy. The Apostle Paul has done a great contribution to the book of Romans. Paul had been commissioned to open the eyes of the gentiles and turn them from the darkness to light. From the power of Satan to God so that they might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus (Acts 26:18). Since no revival has occurred without increased intercession from the people through united prayer. Our hearts cry out so that Italy can have a time of revival as in the early days.

From there we flew to Romania; together with my wife and my mother-in-law, Felicia on the 28th of July. We arrived early in the morning to the city Bacau in Romania, where my brother Liviu picked us up and brought us to the city Radauti. After a few hours of rest that evening, we went to the church in Sucevita where we were watching God moving in so many lives that night. We met that day a young brother, Catalin Sireagu from Cluj. He is a student in the field of chemistry and won the Europe Prize of Chemistry but most importantly he is a young man that believes strongly in God and God uses him powerfully with his testimony. There was a fresh anointing and God increased his flow with his presence. A lot of people were touched. The gift of prophecy was heard throughout the church at the same time, it is sad to see how many modern churches in the West have neglected and forgotten the essential role of the Holy Spirit. Yet, in the New Testament, we read about a church that was completely dependent upon the Power of the Holy Spirit and guidance was evident everywhere. The church of Jesus Christ was born in the Pentecostal Fire and the concept of a church without all the manifestations of the Holy Spirit would be considered and is a dead church. The power of the Holy Spirit in the early church was a part of the Christian experience for everyone that believed in Jesus Christ. It is for us now – to expect God to do the same – and He will move and fill us like in the church mentioned. God is using Catalin Sireagu and other youth that are dependent upon Him like the early believers to ignite the fire and the desire in many lives.

I was blessed to meet this brother and to have ministered together with him in other churches throughout Bucovina. We went to visit Dorohoi, a city that was affected severely by this years flood. The scene that confronted us was chaotic with flooded streets and homes. Citizens cleaned up their homes from mud and from their furniture and some of them sitting in a heap of mud of the home that was once was his house. One third of the entire city was flooded – something that was not only unexpected but also unprecedented. Most of the people did not have any more furniture or clothing – all their goods were full of mud. We had an opportunity to be a blessing for these people and show the world the love of Christ in purest form. We left an amount of money with the pastor Aurel Soltusu trusting him to distribute it to the families that have lost their home and others that have big needs. We also distributed some of the money directly to some families. The believers came together as one ready to remove the mounds of mud from their neighbors’ homes and from houses that were left homeless and to feed the hundreds that were left without anything. Pastor Gradinaru’s home was flooded with over 7 feet of water barreling through the window taking with it everything that made their house a home, leaving nothing but bare walls in its wake.

Two years ago, our mission started a church building project in the northern part of Romania in a village called Mitoc Prut. By the grace of God we helped Pastor Viorel with money to finish this church and to have an inauguration soon. That was a very hot day but touched by the Love of Christ, we walked house to house to those that were sick and prayed for them and gave them words of encouragement and some money for medicine. On our way back, we stopped at the city of Botosani where we met our contacts, Petru Turcoman and Mircea Boldea and had dinner together with them. After dinner we visited the orphanage in Botosani and helped them with a bit of money and shared testimonies of how God blessed the children raised in the orphanage throughout the past years. At night we ministered at the church in Bosanci where I met a brother named Irimia Croitoru who attended the army with me in the 1980s.

Another village that was very affected by a recent flood was Dornesti. The pastor from the area gave us a tour and we saw the many homes that were demolished and even the bridge that resisted through many floods was destroyed and required the army to build a floating bridge, which we used to cross to the other part of the village, and helped the other families that were affected. Throughout this experience, I reacquainted myself with a lesson that although I knew in my heart to be true, had started to fade. If our hearts belong to anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ (and only Him), the pain of loss would be too much to bear. If Jesus is all we need, want, and desire – when things suddenly happen, Jesus remains every true, ever faithful, and a help that is ever present in a time of trouble.

Saturday, August 7th, together with my wife, I visited and ministered in the prison of Botosani. Hygienic goods were purchased and my wife packed 120 bags and distributed to the inmates. I ministered to them that Saturday morning from the word of God and I saw the hunger and the thirst after God in their hearts because they were so attentive. They did not move a muscle for an hour as they were paying attention. My wife was very surprised as she noticed that atmosphere, as it was her first time in prison ministry. An old friend, Severin, could not attend the meeting and so I visited his cell personally and encouraged him to be strong. We were able to visit the poor people of Campul Lung that requested our help many times.

One night, we had the opportunity to minister and to share God’s words in the church of Voitinel. And after the church service we had dinner and fellowship with the Hrisca family. During this trip we incorporated our ministry in Romania under the name of “Nadejdea Binecuvantata” which is part of Blessed Hope International Mission, Inc. (BHIM). We expect by the grace of God to receive a land in Romania in Radauti for the future ministry development. My cousin Petrica Moloceniuc and the other team members are making necessary arrangements to acquire the land and start building schools and other facilities as God wills. Towards the end of our trip, we visited homes in a mountainous area called Falcau and families in need in Vicov.

Sunday, we ministered to a church in village Iazlovati where over twenty people got baptized in water. There was a big joy in that church and a lot of people attended. The church and streets were overcrowded. Towards the end of the mission trip, we visited my village Satu Mare with my uncle Filon Moloceniuc. We also visited the church of Dumbraveni – one of the largest and modern churches in Bucovina. We attended a wedding ceremony in Maranata Church of Radauti where my old friend Simion and Lidia Buzduga married their daughter.

We thank God for His grace that He gave to us in this trip and all that has been accomplished is for His Glory. In Phillipians 1:6, God assures us that he is continually at work in us, and will continue this work throughout our lives. Furthermore, we learn that God “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph 3:20).

Mission Trip to Haiti

April 13 – 19, 2010

Praise be to our Lord through whose help we were able to return to Haiti for a short but fruitful five day trip. Our planned trip for January 12 did not materialize as we expected, just to see later on all the media the disaster that came over this already impoverished country. We were planning a follow up trip to our 2009 mission trip in order to encourage churches to seek the power of the Holy Spirit and to find other opportunities to get involved. After the earthquake, God’s call to be partakers in the Haitian’s people suffering became stronger. Because of the great need in Haiti we involved multiple people and churches. The unity created enabled us to have a bigger impact. There were people from three churches in Chicago, specifically from Golgotha Church: Constantin Lupancu, Pavel Sav, and FG; from Gethsemane: Pastor Aurel Balici, Radu Vlad, Vasile Rodila and from Elim Pastor Pavel Murza. Pastor Ioan Blaga from Seattle’s First Romanian Pentecostal Church, and Viorel Gromic from Betel Romanian Church in Portland, OR. Grace Romanian Church in Houston, TX and Knox Romanian Church of God, IN made generous contributions for the people of Haiti in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were grateful to have Pierre Gelinas who helped with translating, and Haitian Pastor Serge Demonsthenes.

The first part of the trip was revisiting New Covenant Christian Church in Gonaives pastured by Joseph Jules Jasmin. The big school bus shook and rumbled on the 80 miles road to Gonaives from Port-au-Prince but we got there in about 3 hours, which was good considering the 6-hour drive we did last time. Our host was Pastor John a friend of Jasmin and the leader of a church in the vicinity of Gonaives. The roads, poverty, and heat were a shock to our group but greater was the joy when in open air we were able to worship with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

For two nights we had worship services in open air because the house used by the New Covenant Christian Church was too small to hold all the attendants, which came from all the area around. It was a great joy to see the children singing so loud and fully hearten, to hear their prayers and see their thankfulness even in the face of such harsh life. The church had multiplied since last year and nylon covers were put over the yard so services can be held there. A girl whose parents practiced voodoo was brought and she was shaking and screaming infernally. She loved coming to church but her parents always try to stop her or send her to buy something at the market when time to go to church was. We prayed for her and after a long while she became calm as dead, barely the pulse was beating. The pastor was to follow up with the parents as they probably influence her state.

We also held a seminary regarding the Holy Spirit. The church did not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit but they received our teaching with gladness and some people started praying for God to send the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit over them. Part of the group went to buy food for the poor families in church or whose children came to church. The church leaders arranged the distribution at a safe location. We also searched for land so we can help New Covenant build a church but were not able to complete a transaction. We pray God will open the door and give the necessary resources so the church can have a building where they can worship. On our way to Port au Prince, we stopped for a couple hours and visited the prison of San Mark city. We delivered goods and bibles to the inmates and also ministered to them.

Our next destination was a town in the mountains called Jacmel. To get there we had to go back to Port-au-Prince, change our school bus to some smaller vans and drive 2 hours on the wavy road up and then down the mountain. Here the air was clean now and there was well-watered vegetation, almost jungle looking. Town after town we can see the effects of the earthquake: housed destroyed, schools in rubles some still with the dead inside, big cracks in the road, landslides, and tent camps. We got to Jacmel just in time for a church service, held at a rented location in Orangers. Pastor Medit Sanon started this church about a year ago and now it was packed with people of all ages praising God. The frequent electrical outages, bad sound system, or dire heat did not stop anyone from coming before the throne with all their hearts. In Jacmel we had similar activities as in Gonaives: worship services, seminar, and food about 200 families. Pastor Medit had a list with the very poor of around the town and part of our group visited them. It is hard to describe in words the poverty but we did what we could materially and spiritually.

Our time here was less than two days but by God’s grace accomplished much. One of these things was baptizing 10 people. Pastor Medit had been planning for this and the 10 young boys and girls were ready to make the commitment to serve God their entire lives. Pastor Aurel Balici and Pavel Sav performed the baptism in the ocean. It was a time of celebration for both us on earth, and the angels in heaven. There was a piece of land Pastor Medit showed us that he wanted to buy for his church. The person selling the land was not in town but we asked for a sign from God, that if its His will to buy this property for things to work such we will be able to buy it. The old man selling the land was afraid to sell it so fast and was worrying about having $4,200 on him. Also he was not willing to negotiate. God worked in his heart and by the end of the day sold the land to Blessed Hope Mission under the signatures of Constantin Lupancu and Aurel Balici. Praise Be to God!

From Jacmel we headed back to Port-au-Prince where Pastor Serge used to live. This is where the bulk of the destruction took place when the earthquake happened. If the poverty in the rest of the country was shocking the situation here is indescribable. Every street in the city was affected. It seemed like someone had decided which house to destroy and which to allow standing. The stories of the survivors are amazing. We stopped by the ruins of one church. It was in full service and was holding about 500 people when the earthquake happened. The building collapsed but none died. A similar story took place at the church where we attended two services. The 1,000 people cathedral collapsed yet everyone ran out before the building fell. Now it was just a nylon-covered yard where people still came to worship by the hundreds. Believers come here every day of the week at 4 am and pray for two hours. It was frustrating because their prayers awoke us. At the same time, it was somewhat embarrassing to think how little effort we put into prayer services at home. The part of the building, which housed classes, the kitchen and bedrooms, did not fall and our hosts were kind to let us sleep there. It was one in a lifetime experience to hear the voices of 1,000 worshiping God without songbooks, projectors, or electricity, yet loud and clear. Heaven came close to earth, and God gave grace in the time of such trouble. Many of us encouraged them to stay close to God and reminded them they are not forgotten by their brothers in the United States.

The church seemed like the only organization in Haiti that still had some structure to it. People were able to come together and clean the ruble, or even go to other town in mission trips. Classes were held in the church “tent” since the schools were destroyed. Bed sheets were the only walls between the classes, the school supplies few, but those young minds were eager to learn. The Pastor took us through tent camps where we helped many poor families from church. In one tent lived a 90-year-old lady in close to 100-degree heat, limited water, nowhere to wash, and restrooms (if you can call them so) that were not meant to service so many people. Yet there is still hope in every person eyes that something will change and God will provide.

Many missions and governments took it upon themselves to go help in Haiti, and it may come to our mind that they are getting enough help. Yet as we saw the need there is so great that much more help is needed. Much of the resources available do not get to the person on the street and that’s what we did there. Our help was little but if we put many put their little together it becomes much. As the disciples asked Jesus why the tower of Siloam fell on 18 people we look and ask why such destruction came upon the Haitian people, such that 250,000 of them died. Simplistic answers are given such as the disciples gave. Only our God cannot be fit or understood in our little mind. If He were then He would be human, or we would all be gods. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” God is doing something more complicated and greater than we are; yet He gave us good instructions for what we have to do “Seek the Lord while he may be found”. As you finish reading this article, seek the Lord and sense what He is directing you to do with your life!

Mission Trip to Mexico

February 8 – 15, 2010

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have been praying for a long time and waiting for God’s guidance for this journey. We are so blessed and delighted to inform you of our first missionary trip to the city of Monterrey in Mexico. By the grace of our Lord, we, Edgar Garza, Constantine Lupancu, Pavel Sav from Golgotha Church, form Gethsemane Church Pastor Aurel Balici, and brother Toader Dorel Stirbu were part of this missionary trip.

Monday February 8^th we arrived at Harlingen, Texas Airport. Entering the country of Mexico through the border of McAllen, Texas drove for four straight hours with Pastor Cesar, his wife Rebecca, and Edgar’s parents to the city of Monterrey. Arriving around 9:30 PM to an underprivileged neighborhood, the service took place in a local mechanical shop, where followers of Christ gather every Monday night. There was a tremendous manifestation of the Holy Spirit, we had an opportunity to pray and lay hands on many of the people. The Lord touched many hearts that night and we experienced the mighty power of God among his people. After the service we were invited to dinner by our brothers, offering us homemade tamales, ending our night around eleven p.m.

Tuesday, February 9^th we departure from Monterrey
to the town of El Carmen, about a half hour away, we where invited to the Church of El Divino Salvador “The Divine Savior” by Pastor Josue Murillo for fellowship and breakfast. Pastor Sergio Castillo and his members of the rehab center joined us. Pastor Josue showed us the installations of his church he treated us with a few worship song of his own inspiration. We then visited Edgar’s parent’s home and enjoyed one of the best fresh tangerines and oranges picked right from the trees with and unforgettable flavor. We rested to prepare ourselves for a service in the town Abasolo scheduled for five p.m.

Arriving to the (El Polivalente), the town’s outdoors event hall where the service took place, we were blessed to bring to the people the Lord’s good news and the power of the Holy Spirit. Among all the people that we ministered, there was a blind woman and a man with Tuberculosis who we prayed to our Lord to heal them; days later, after our trip, we received a phone call from our brothers in Mexico giving us notice of the great miracle of God that gave partial  sight to the blind lady and complete healing of tuberculosis to the man. Being both touched by the healing power of the Holy Spirit, we rejoiced ourselves every moment we spent with our brothers, who have such a passionate love for our Lord. God performs miracles to confirm His Word especially in the places where the gospel has not advanced to open a way for the gospel to be accepted and people to be saved. The Kingdom of God is coming in the hearts of people and people turn from rituals, and forms of religion to the true God; living a life of holiness in the fear of God Almighty.

We left that night after the service ended to spend the night at our brother Cesar’s home, spending time with him and his family in prayer and worship, this was a blessed day full of joy and happiness to be part of how our Lord moves and touches peoples heart, any where we go with a strong burning desire to serve Him with all of our hearts.

Wednesday, February 10 Invited by Pastor Sergio Castillo and his wife Silvia to visit their rehab center and their church, they prepared us a delicious breakfast with fresh baked bread, of which they sell in the streets
to support their ministry. We all traveled joined by all the rehab center members, to a close by neighborhood called “El Topo Chico” it was previously a stone query, from which they extracted stone to make cement and gravel. This same neighborhood was the home of most of the members from the rehab center; just to see them doing the work of the Lord, rescuing their own family and friends from the hands of the devil under drug and alcohol addictions, shows the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in action.

A home was visited and had a unforgettable experience, to see the work of our Lord, the people living in this home agree to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord savior and decided to destroy all the images and statues of saints separating them from a true relationship with Christ; Also visited another home of blind older couple, true servants of the Lord, we had an opportunity to bring to all the people gather together the word of the Lord, hot soup was served to everyone, prepared by sister Silvia, pastor Sergio’s wife, they both have been with this ministry for a few years, it has been a great blessing for this community, for their continues presence in this poor areas and their love for the Lord, also plenty of clothing and candies was given to the people. It was such a nice moment to see all the members of the rehab center dedicating their lives searching for more people in need of Gods presence and a better promising future.

We all returned for lunch to the rehab center, they have prepared us roasted turkey and fresh baked bread, spending great time with all
this loving servants of the Lord, after lunch we visited another poor neighborhood, where Pastor Sergio and wife have been visiting for the last 8 years, they are building a church of which they only have the walls up to four feet tall with dirty floor, we experience a unforgettable moment when all the children form this community prayed for us I will never forget their prayers with love for us, thanking God for our visit to their church, to be finish with the grace of our Lord.

A service was held that evening in the rehab center, where brother Constantin and Aurel had a tremendous message for the congregation,
many souls where touched by such empowering words that God placed on their hearts that night, we all rejoiced with his mighty presence, a lady started singing in divine angelical tones, it was such an anointed experience. Pastor Sergio, gave a warmed welcome to its newest member of the rehab center a 12 year old boy, drug addict just brought this morning from our visit to one of the poor neighborhoods, our heart was broken to see such a young being rescue by one of his own neighborhood friend, God is real, and continue to see his grace and mercy in action, everywhere we go in his mighty name, glory be to God.

Thursday, February 11 early that morning we started a
four-day seminar titled “Baptized by the Holy Spirit”, such anointed event was initiated with a breakfast at: Centro de Amistad Cristiana, by Pastor Cesar Betancurt and all his family giving all their unconditional support to the work of our Lord. Brother Constantin & Pastor Aurel initiated the event with a message that had tremendous impact, all the present congregation responded in with an enlighten presence of the Holy Spirit, as we looked around the church it was inevitable to ignore the presence of the mighty power of God touching everyone that morning, we couldn’t wait to continue with the following day with Gods call to serve him. That evening we departure back to the town of Abasolo, town located in the “Sierra Madre Occidental” in a stretch of two unique formations of mountains. Visiting the neighboring town of Hidalgo, that produces many tons of cement, extracting all the stone from their huge mountains, also visited by many professional mountain climbers from around the world, claiming to be just perfect for their passionate sport. Admiring such a beautifully scenery in this canyon of vast size of blue stone mountains, we can admire Gods lovely creation. We had an opportunity to pray for an older couple from Switzerland, that our Lord may bless and protect them from this dangerous sport. The day ended with prayer and fellowship at Edgar’s parents’ home that evening, again with the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit filling our souls with fire and ready for another blessed day in Mexico.

Friday, February 12 after a good night sleep, we woke up by a delicious breakfast prepare by brothers Edgar’s mother, we departure to the town of Mina, being the only archaeological site of its kind with many paintings on large stones. Delighting our self’s with the serenity that the desert provides, where we all agreed to be a good place for a prayer seeking the presence of our lord. Driving another thirty minutes in to another mountain we visited an orphanage, unfortunate the children were not in campus, we had an opportunity to talk and pray for one of the staff members, leaving for the children some bags of candy. Pastor Aurel suggested he wanted to visit a spring of water in the town of Hidalgo, it was quite an adventure driving to this place, our van started to heat up and the road was a bit rough, but manage to arrive safely. It was a great experience to be high in the mountains and breathe such a clean fresh air. That evening we  returned to Monterrey to the church of Centro de Amistad Cristiana with Pastor Cesar Betancurt.

Bringing word of knowledge and encouragement to the people that attended the seminar, we where all filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit being such a blessing and encouragement for all of our brothers in Monterrey City. After the service ended we arrived at brothers Cesar’s home, spending great time of prayer and worship with all his family members. That night in Monterrey was a bit cold, since we didn’t have any heating, but with the fire of the Holy Spirit kept us warm.

Saturday, February 13 starting the day at church with a home made breakfast prepared by Rebeca  Pastor Cesar’s wife. The service started with the active participation of all the mission members, it was a great honor to serve our Lord in bringing the good news and blessings to our brothers in Monterrey Mex. During the service a young lady was mighty blessed with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in heavenly tongues as it is written in the book of Acts 2. Brother Toader Stirbu had a vision from God that a beam of light appeared onto the pulpit platform where this woman was praying and seeking fervently the Holy Spirit’s mighty power. As she was praying, brother Toader asked Pavel Sav to go onto the platform where the lady was praying in order to help her prayer because the light was shining on her. As they were approaching the side where she was praying, she started speaking in other tongues as the spirit gave her utterance. I asked brother Edgar Garza, who translated for us – what she was saying.

He told me the language she was speaking was not Spanish anymore – It was a heavenly language and she was full of Joy. That same night, Pastor Balici had words of knowledge from God to different people from the congregation. One was for brother Edgar’s parents to not look back on the old path of tradition they came from but to move forward, following the true living God, which saved them. It was such a rewarding moment to see Gods glory manifest in such a divine way, touching everyone in the congregation including all the members of the rehab center. We will never forget this mission trip, bringing to our lives a purpose to continue serving our mighty God. The seminar concluded late that night with plenty of joy and anointing that was felt amongst everyone present.

Sunday, February 14 early Sunday service initiated that morning with the fervent participation to serve our Lord. Church service and family prayer meeting were a blessing for all of us. God confirmed once again through a godly woman from Mexico City that the project of school in Romania is in God’s will. Words from Isaiah 44:1-3 were given as a reference to that project.

“1. This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2. I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.

3. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

That evening we where invited for dinner to a restaurant named “El Rey del Cabrito”. They specialize on charcoal grilled tender goat meat. There is a saying that if you visited Monterrey and didn’t go to this restaurant you did not visit Monterrey (very authentic food from the state of Nuevo Leon).

Monday, February 14 we departed from Pastor Caesars home early that morning, driving back for approximately four hours to Harlingen Texas to catch our plane that would take us back home to the States.

We saw once again his mighty work as we see in every country that our Lord permits us to visit. Our thanks are to Him because he gave us the honorable privilege to plant Gods word in Churches and under privilege communities in yet one more country. We ask you brothers to please pray the lives of those who gave their own lives to Jesus that they will become light in the darkness.

Blessed be the mighty name of our Lord Jesus!

Mission Trip to Romania

December 15-29, 2009

Bringing Christ to Prisoners Everywhere

“..you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

It was only by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that he gave us the opportunity to have another mission trip in the last month of 2009.  Sorin Iacoban, from Bethel Church (Detroit) and I, from Golgotha Church (Chicago) decided to spend the last days of 2009 in the mission field.  We arrived in Bucharest when the snows fell heavily.  This made the traffic very bad and the people got stranded on the roads for long hours because of the weather.  Some had to be carried off by helicopters because they ran out of gas or food and needed to keep warm.  Our driver, Daniel Ursulean, who came from Suceava to Bucharest with my father Vasile Lupancu were blocked for 18 hours on the road before arriving to Urziceni.  Despite the circumstances, we were not completely stopped from beginning our mission in the prisons.  On Tuesday, we met our contacts; Constantin Gramada, Tamara Ulmeanu, Potop Ioan, and other volunteers, in Bucharest.

On Wednesday, we visited Prison Jilava where we went to the hospital inside and held a meeting with each patient in their cells individually.  We brought them gifts and words of encouragement and we prayed for them.  After visiting the hospital we held another meeting with other inmates in their main conference room.  There was a great response from the inmates.  Majority of them decided to give their life (and some rededicate their lives) to Jesus Christ.  A former inmate was one of the volunteers that assisted us in our mission.  He dedicated his life to Christ years ago while in prison.  He shared the testimony of his salvation and many of his former friends [inmates and guards] were affected and impacted by his testimony of how his life was transformed.  There is power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ who transforms lives from inside out and people that are coming from nowhere are getting somewhere with hope, dedication, vision and purpose.  This motivates and fuels us in the mission field because we see the results and transformations are real!

On Thursday, we ministered in the Prison of Rahova where I was not allowed access because the approval was denied that day but our volunteers from Bucharest were given access and continued to minister the gospel of Hope and brought gifts for the holiday season to the inmates.  We were planning to go to another prison around Bucharest but due to the weather conditions were unable to go.  After 18 hours, the roads were cleaner and traffic was permitted and my driver was finally able to arrive in Bucharest with my father after a day.

On Friday morning, we left Bucharest and went to Tirgu Ocna Prison, where Sorin Iacoban was an inmate 22 years ago and he had a desire to see this place.  On our way to Tirgu Ocna, we stopped at Focsani, where we ministered to the inmates there.  We did not have material gifts for them but we brought the greatest gift which is the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost.  We arrived at Tirgu Ocna in the afternoon and the directors together with all the staff welcomed us.  They were very impressed to see someone changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they gave us access to minister to the juvenile inmates.  The testimony of the life change of Sorin impacted the guards and the inmates.  They granted us access and showed us all of the facilities.  It is now a modernized prison compared with what it was 22 years ago.  We headed north as the night approached.  We visited Botosani Prison but we were denied access because of the swine flu threat.  We were able to deliver bibles, gifts, and supplies.  We had one of our old friends, Severin Tcaciuc incarcerated and we really wanted to see him to bring him encouragement but we couldn’t.

During the next few days, we ministered in churches from the north part of Romania.  We visited the churches of Radauti, Voitinel, Suceava, Mitoc-Prut, and others.  One church that we our mission helped to build years ago, was a church in Darmanesti and I was able to minister in this church on one Sunday during the time of communion.  The Spirit of the Lord revealed to an elder brother that never met me that I was an ordained minister and to come and do the communion service.  Also, we visited poor families and helped them with gifts.  In the village of Mitoc-Prut, we began a church construction project 2 years ago, and is currently upon completion.  This village is very isolated from the city and not a lot of people have access to it since it is very close to the Ukrainian border.  During this time, God planted a desire in my heart to build and kindergarten school and a recovery home for the future of the children in Northern Romania.  This is a vision which can only be materialized by God’s providence because we believe where God guides he also provides.  The words from the Lord through the gift of prophecy confirmed that this is God’s will to do this Christian project.  My cousin, Petrica Moloceniuc from Radauti, and I were deeply moved by God’s desire that sought to use us for this plan.  For this purpose, we contacted other brothers and pastors that were involved  in education fields.

Pastor Ioan Badelita had built such a project years ago in Suceava, RO.  He has been successful in educating and making a big difference in the lives of a lot of children with a Godly principle.  He has encouraged us and promised us that he will give all of his support.  Another brother, Orest, who is involved in government and was even proposed to be a minister of agriculture also encouraged us and agreed to support us and make the arrangements to begin.  Launching this vision was received by other businessmen and teachers that we got into contact with.  Our prayer now is that the Lord will provide the land where to start the construction.  Since then, Petrica Moloceniuc with other brothers, continues to communicate and search for the interest of the vision to be accomplished.  It is also our prayer that God will connect with serious and holy people and establish the mission board for this project.  We encourage others to unite in our prayer and seek God’s guidance and providence in fulfilling this vision which is far beyond our abilities.

With this mission, we conclude 2009 and thank God for what he has done through us through our weak vessels and we believe that as we walk in obedience to his calling, he has greater things to accomplish for the future.  This is only appointed by the grace of God.

Mission Trip to Pakistan & United Arab Emirates
November 12-23, 2009

As we are on the long trip back from Pakistan we started gathering our thoughts and writing down some of the great experiences God brought upon us.  FG and I went on one of the riskiest trip we have taken so far in our ministry years, but with great risks God brought great fulfillment.  Going to a Muslim nation with the Gospel was a very hard decision to make, especially with the country of Pakistan being ravaged by war and suicide bombers.  However, where there is an element of risk involved only faith in God compels us, and calls us to conquer our fears and go for His glory.

We had an open invitation for Pakistan for a couple years and after getting in contact with a brother from US, who had to leave Pakistan because of persecution, I was compelled to go.  Soon we read in our newspapers about the tragic attacks on the Christian community in Gojra, Pakistan where 8 people were burned to death in their homes.  This amplified the call of God to answer to the cry of the Christians in Pakistan.  Proverbs 21:13 says: “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard”.

After seeking God with prayer and fasting we received the confirmation and confidence from God to go.  Our trip began November 12, questioning in our hearts if we will see this return day of November 23, 2009.  After a 13-hour flight we reached Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Another 4-hour flight took us into Lahore, Pakistan.  We have never seen our contacts before but a big welcome sign together with the smiles and friendly manner of our contacts made us feel comfortable and well received.

Our first night we spent at Christian Fellowship of Pakistan Church in Lahore.  After having lunch at a local Christian family we headed towards Shantinagar, where the bulk of our ministry in Pakistan was prepared.   Shantinagar is a village of about 10,000 in which many Christian families reside.  This attracted an attack in 1997 from a Muslim sponsored mob of 20,000 to 30,000 people.  They burned over 300 houses, 16 churches, 270 vehicles, etc. thus affecting more than 1,000 Christian families.  We made a short stop at Shaiwal and because it was getting late, and travel during the night is dangerous, we stopped to sleep at a family in Khanewal.  That same night we visited a Christian bible college sponsored by FCBC, the organization we worked with in Pakistan.  We meet the principal Elvin Wilson who gave us a tour and answered our questions regarding the curriculum and the student body.  Under Wilson’s watch the college is doing a great job at preparing the new pastors, evangelists, and leaders for the expansion of kingdom of God in that area of Pakistan.

Because of the time change; the next day was Sunday already.  Half an hour trip took us from Khanewal to Shantinagar.  As we were entering the village group of 3 motorcycles approached our van while the people where waving their guns.  We thought we might be under attack but our host assured us this is just our escort into town, to provide more security.  The local church waited for us with big celebrations, which included gunshots fired into the air, flowers and some of the local festivity traditions.  We were introduced with great delight and respect to the local people, pastors, and music leaders.  Above all, we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit uniting us in one accord.  Still we were uncomfortable, and did not have the full liberty in the spirit because of all the guns and security precautions.  We trusted in God’s protection as our life insurance.  A lady from the church called our translator and said she had a dream to share with us.  She was in charge of preparing everything for us and was expecting our arrival the previous night.  She had food and accommodations ready and was afraid something happened to us on our way since we did not come.  After midnight she went to sleep worrying, but God gave her a clear vision.  In the vision she saw our faces and before us flames of fire which spread into the church.  Psalm 97:3 says: “Fire goes before Him”.  Psalm 104:4 also says: “Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.”  As she was telling the vision a big anointing from the Holy Spirit came down, broke the spirit of fear, gave confidence, and increased our strength so we can minister with boldness and courage.

Because of limited time and to avoid exposure we were lead by the Holy Spirit to have a seminary with all the pastors in the area.  This way we were able to reach to more people than it would have otherwise been possible.  Nayyar Asghar, the national director of FCBC, and a true man of God, arranged this 3-day meeting.  He got in contact with all the pastors and students in the area, set up housing, food distribution, and accommodations for about 150 people who attended.  Our seminar was from 10 AM to 4 PM Monday through Wednesday, including lunch and tea break.

The title of the seminary was Supernatural Living Through the Power of the Holy Spirit, but we tailor our messages for the needs of the local churches through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  People were blessed by the impartation, the presence, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit and leadership teaching.  We were encouraged by the testimony of many pastors and students who came to thank us for this opportunity and to tell us how much they were inspired by the seminary and the presence of God.  Last day we issued certifications to all pastors attending.  These were received with much joy.

The nights were spent in evangelistic meetings. Those took place in a big tent, which was set up especially for those gatherings.  Every night police surrounded the tent to discourage retaliation, but many people from the village did not come for fears of attacks.  Nevertheless, The Spirit of God was not afraid of attacks and was present there.  I was inspired by God to give the testimony of how a Hindi police officer, which I meet in India, came to Christ.  The police officers outside the tent listened very careful and the next night came to talk to us on our way to the meeting.  First came a chief of the local police and asked to pray for him as bad spirits, noises, disturbed his house and there was fear.  He sought help from Muslim priests to no avail.  I told him the solution for his problem is Jesus who can destroy the work of the devil; I explained him the Gospel and prayed for deliverance.  After the meeting another police officer came.  He had a tumor on his throat and wanted healing, as the doctors could not help him.  I presented him Jesus who has the healing power and we came in agreement to trust Jesus and believe in a miracle.  We left the results to God as we were departing the next day, and believe the presence of God was there to do the work he has promised us will do when we call upon him.

Wednesday afternoon we went to Gojra where we had our long time internet contact.  He had joined us at the Seminary.  In August a mob of 10,000 attacked the Christian community in Gojra, destroying over 100 homes, killing by burning 8 people (including children) and injuring many more.  Through our contact we were able to visit the 3 houses of the most affected families.  They were terrified by fear and the discrimination they had to face daily.  The government started rebuilding some of the houses but for the families who lost the loved ones this was no consolation.  We encouraged them to have faith in God, who can give comfort and by whom we can overcome anything that comes our way.  We also reminded them of the hope we have that the dead are not dead but alive with Christ, and that one-day we will see them again in glory.  Together with our condolences and comforting words we gave them some financial support.

We were then guided to the tent camp, which was set up for families who lost their homes, which were now in a slow rebuilding process sponsored by the government.  It was night and chili outside and these families lived in tents with no real protection from the cold, no bathroom, no running water.  The situation was heart breaking, and we felt the need to help somehow as we went from tent to tent.  The news of us being there spread quickly and soon found ourselves surrounded by a large group of people.  Because it was night and the crowds were pushing, just like they did in other times with Jesus, we together with our host felt this could quickly become a problem.  The best solution was to leave quickly before any trouble escalated.  We left with the pain of these people deeply imprinted on our hearts.

From Borja we headed toward Youngsonabad where FCBC has a children school for about 400 students.  They also provide housing, food, and clothing for 40 orphans.  As we arrived there at midnight we were exhausted spiritually and physically but God rejuvenated us the next day through the excitement of the children as they filled up the schoolyard, and they prayed and sang together.   Somehow their innocence contrasted so much with the dullness, fear, and evil we had experienced the previous night.  After speaking to the students we spent a blessed time with the founder of the school, Rev. Nathaniel Barkat who shared with us many testimonies of how God has worked in his life.  Despite the persecution and discrimination that runs rampant in that country we could see the rivers of living water flowing out of his love for Jesus Christ.

After being strengthen and encouraged by such a man of God we headed back to Lahore and from there to Abu Dhabi which is a city close to Dubai, UAE.  God prompted on old contact from India to tell us he is in Dubai and invited us to have fellowship with some of the churches in Dubai.  There we attended a house meeting of about 30 people, where we saw the glory of God come on the faces of the congregation.  It was yet another way God was strengthening us after an exhausting trip.  Besides great buildings built by men, in Dubai God has built a powerful church, made of great men and women.  We also shared the word of God at Emirates Christian Pentecostal Church where we connected spiritually with our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ.

Even though this mission trip required great sacrifice, great physical effort, and difficult spiritual warfare, now looking back we are thankful for what God has done through our weak vessels.  Instead of being discouraged and ungrateful we have a great spiritual joy and fulfillment.  This mission trip changed and revolutionized our life and brought spiritual vitality that will help us to live the spiritual life to the fullest.  We experienced the power of God in the name of Jesus just like the disciples experienced in Luke chapter 10.  We thank God who gave us the opportunity to minister in this hostile environment as lambs among wolfs, and for the work he did among the people of Pakistan. This reenergized both our and their commitment to live ready to go where the Lord will send us and to do what he wants us to do.  We want to encourage you to live a life with passion for souls and to lead other to spiritual life.

Constantin Lupancu

Bibles for China

June 21-July 1, 2009

You will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
Mark 13:9

I, together with Bryan Revor and William Ripple, have just returned from an unforgettable 10 days in China. Since I have returned I have been pondering on the experiences in our trip and especially on what God is doing in that part of the world, despite decades of communist regime. For the three of us it was hard to comprehend some of the things happening in China thus making it very difficult to fully describe and unpack it all in one letter. With the help of the many notes I took and the post research I did I hope to paint for you an accurate picture of the growth of Christianity and the role of the Communist regime as we saw and heard. First, I would like to take you on the journey with us and then take a few steps back and reflect on how I understood what was happening.

Our trip was a follow-up trip to the one Rob Brown, William Ripple, and Constantin Lupancu did in 2008, which resulted in 1,000 bibles being distributed in rural area of China. We left Chicago on June 21 and after 14 hours of flight, we reached Shanghai. We were only allowed off the plane after people masked in white confirmed there was none with high fever on the plane. 4 hours later, we took another 2 ½ hour flight to Xi’an, in the Shaanxi province, from where we took a taxi towards Baoji. That took another 2 hours. From the moment we landed into China I was impressed by the friendliness and respectful manner of the people and the advanced stage of development. Our hotel room in Baoji was small with hard beds but was nevertheless well taken care of. We used this hotel as our home base, taking our trips to various village churches to distribute bibles and fellowship with the local believers.

Because of dire experiences in the 2008 China trip and other grim reports on religious persecution in China I was very disturbed in the morning to find out we are sharing the hotel with over 200 policemen in training and that our Christian hosts who came to pick us up in cars were loudly talking about how the Bible distribution would occur. Among the people who accompanied us was the lady who kept the bibles in her apartment until our arrival (seen at the bottom right corner) and Xie Gong (lady with the purse) who was instrumental in founding and growing many of the churches we visited in the Baoji area. Pastor Xie Gong is 67 years old and has dedicated her life for the churches around Baoji. There were other ladies in the leadership of the churches who came with us daily in our 2 rented vans, for which they arranged.

Baoji is surrounded by hills, mountains and lots of small towns where people make a living by agriculture. For many generations they have cut large parts of the hills and transformed them into flat agricultural land. Caves are cut into the high side of the mountain and transformed into homes where some people still live. It was harvest time and most believers were in the fields. We were told that it sometimes takes hours before they could descend and ascend many hills to get to the nearest church. Therefore, we met only with the leaders/pastors of the churches and some people who lived in proximity. We worshiped, prayed, laid hands on the sick, and most importantly gave them the word of God: The Bible.

Description of some of the churches we visited:

Shuang Baiyang Church started with just $5 and 48 people. Now they were numbering at about 180 and growing. They were very grateful for the Bibles as they could not afford to buy literature for the new believers. In 1998 they bought land and started working on building their place of worship. By 2002 they had finished their building all by volunteer work. They had built a house for people that came from far away so they could stay for a couple of days and study the bible together. As most peasants have only crops and no money, they had to borrow money for the church construction which they are repaying quarterly. Their love for Christ was evident in their singing, praying and hospitality. They did not let us leave until we received their gifts in nuts, beans seeds, and cucumbers. The Bibles and small gift we brought were received with great joy and thankfulness.

Xinjie (New Street) Church began in 1978 with 10 people in an old English church which was later tarred down by the government. They received a new property on which they built the current church which had 250 members. Because their old church was torn down, we asked them about persecution, they answered that there is none and that they could worship freely. They also said that the people in the mountain get together in their houses during the week and on Sunday they come down to the church for service and to eat together. I rejoiced at their smile and strong, YES we believe, after we read from Acts 2 – the day of the Pentecost.

Ganyu (Mountain) Church is well deserving of its name, as it is right in the heart of the mountains, almost at the very top. The small parcel they received from the government was not big enough to build a church so they cut the mountain over a period of 3 years and then built their church. They numbered over 100 members. About 20 lived in the town at the bottom of the mountain where they meet during the week in a small house of a lovely sister in Christ. We left a box of Bibles at the church and one in the small town where they direly needed them for the new believers.

Guchuan Church started in 1995 with 2 people when our host Xie Gong went to pray with another believer for a sick person in that town. The sick person got well and some people believed. Later someone came to Pastor Xie Gong who had inflated hands. They were hurting so bad she could not touch anything. When Pastor Xie Gong washed her hands she did not hurt at all, and two days later the hands were back to normal. Some turned to Christ. Later, another 15 families believed after a diabetic was healed. A local lady told us another story about how she had cancer and only had 3.5 yaunn (50 cents). After a dream she had she gave 2 yaunn to the church and used the 1.5 left for one piece of medicine to treat her cancer. Right after taking the medicine she was healed. Pastor Xie Gong continued visiting this town twice a week until the church grew stronger and a local leader was established.

What a joy to see the gospel of Jesus Christ go forward with power and penetrate in places that otherwise would have never opened to Christian beliefs. They brought forth some other sick people and we prayed for them. The presence of God was there. Later we visited a family where Willie prayed over the wife who had cancer. Even still, we pray God will receive her tears and accord her healing because of our Lord Jesus. Later we asked them about governmental interference in their church activities or beliefs and they said there is none as the government itself sold them the land to build the church. They laughed when we mentioned pastors being imprisoned for being Christians. Praise God for the liberty he accorded!

The people seem to be living well by working the land. They have very good food. For each lunch we got about 10 different kinds of foods: all kinds of vegetables, chicken, pork, wild plants, noodles, and rice of the highest quality. All this food for only $30 for about 25 people.

Baofu Road Church in Baoji started in a house with 5 members (first lady from the right was one of the founders) 15 years ago and now it has over 500 people. Our hosts told us this church meets every night, and we should visit it while we were in the city. When we got there they were having bible study on the first level and choir practice on the second level. The choir was singing so beautifully about their love for Jesus, how good of a friend He is, and how they will never let go of Him. I was so much reminded of the days when I grew up in Romania. It was the same atmosphere, only the faces and the language were different. One of the leaders, Sidney, who was holding the Bible study, came to talk to us when he was done. He spoke English so we could talk without translation. He had become a Christian through a professor at a university and now he had given up his job to dedicate himself fully to the ministry.

We had a long conversation with him about their church belief and the needs of the churches in China. Sidney showed us some of the Christian books he bought from US; specifically a Chinese version of The Moody Hand Book of Theology. It was clear that Sidney and Baofu Road Church had a clear understanding of the Bible and a strong belief in the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. What a delight to see that God has His “seven thousand in The World, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal.” Sidney told us that the church around China is in dire need of qualified ministers that could teach in local small churches, many of which have no pastors. After the last earthquake in southern China, Sidney with a group from his church went there to help and pass out Bibles. Those who believed were coming the next day to their church to stay awhile so they could be taught in the Scriptures.

Sidney reiterated that in general there is no persecution or governmental interference in the church. Furthermore he stated when it comes to getting a job Christians tend to get the upper hand because they are thought to be better trusted. He also assured us we would have no problems buying Bibles within China and passing them out in the churches.

Shijaai Church was founded and pastured by a family who has been Christian for the last 5 generations. There was a 79-year-old lady (I will call her Grandma) whose grandparents converted to Christianity when the British arrived. Since she was 15 she helped her father spread the Gospel. She said she would cry because people will not listen nor believe, when told about Jesus. They made fun of her and told her she was crazy because she did not wear earrings and bond her feet like everyone else. When communists came to power they took her Bible away and told her not to believe. Because she did not give in, they did not pay her for work and would not sell her anything. But God took care of her needs through other people. With a heartbreaking expression on her face, Grandma said those were such bad times she does not want to remember them.

The Cultural Revolution ended in 1976 and in 1982 they called her to a 3-day meeting to inform everyone about the new religious policy. She was very sick and told them she can’t go. They insisted because she was famous in that area for her strong belief in God. Grandma went but could not talk because she had throat cancer. That whole night believers prayed for her and the next day she could eat rice. While walking up to the meeting on the third floor, she spat a clot of blood in the garbage at each floor and afterward she was fine. The meeting promoted the Three-self patriotic movement in which the religious believers were called to self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation, in order to remove foreign influences and assure religious believers would be patriotic to the Republic of China. Grandma declared that after the meeting in 1982 they did not have anymore trouble with the government.

She was such a sweet lady. While she told us her story she sang the songs in the story, she recited the poems in the story, and at the end she sang Oh Happy Day in English. She showed us her Christian material she had kept hidden. Some were as old as 1935. Grandma had 6 sons who were all believers. They built a building behind the church where they could hold Sunday school classes and host a children summer camp. Later we ate at one of her sons houses. The food was delicious and the friendliness was wonderful. As we left there were tears in Grandma’s eyes as she asked us to not forget them and return.

More travel:

From Baoji we took a 15-hour train to Ling Shi, Shanxi province, an area which was visited in the 2008 trip to China. We were able to transport cases of Bibles in plain view. The cardboard boxes that contained the Bibles had large Chinese words: “Chinese Bibles” on the outside. The government workers at the train station inspected the boxes and passed them. The local believers in Ling Shi waited for our return with such a great joy that some could not even sleep at night.

Official Meeting:

After a friendly welcome and some breakfast we were told by our translator that we have to go to meet the local Minister of Religious Affiars, Mr. Ma. He was the one involved in the interrogations that took place in the 2008 mission trip, and now we were going back to sign in with him before any activity. Because he was aware of our coming he invited Mr. Cheng, his boss, and officials from 3 other counties to meet with us. I felt intense pressure as we walked in the meeting room with the 7 governmental officials and 3 church representatives but as soon as we started talking I felt very peaceful. Mr. Ma wanted to know what our itinerary was, and what interests have brought us back to that area. Willie explained that we were there to give more Bibles and help the local churches progress and grow, which will work for the benefit of the entire area. One of the projects Willie discussed with him was his plan to bring two young Chinese men he had met on his previous trip to China, to study at Moody Bible Institute. Willie showed them the application and discussed with the officials what it will take for these students to come to the US.

Bryan shared how we minister in a large jail in Chicago, and that the Bible says that if any man was in Christ they become a new creation. Bryan explained how Christ can change a person’s heart and that only He can give them a new heart. He told the story of the “Son of Sam,” a mass murder who terrorized New York City. He is now a new man in Christ and is completely changed from the inside out. He told them how we have seen Christ deliver people from drug addiction and alcohol abuse and that this would help the people to become better, more productive citizens. Willie gave Mr. Chang a Bible and the church representatives showed him Romans chapter 13: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but from God; the powers that be are ordained by God…” When asked about the possibility of a Jail Ministry in China they did not seem open, but they brightened up a bit when Willie suggested we could train the pastors how to minister in the jails, rather than go into the jails ourselves. Who knows? Maybe the Lord is opening up the door for Chaplains for Christ to start a training program in China!

After the meeting the officials treated us to a grand dinner during where we were able to get very friendly with Mr. Cheng. He was very nice and well educated. I really believe God had been and is working at his heart and the King of Heaven is ready to enter his life. Because our translator knew the former mayor of Ling Shi, and the great help he gave during the last trip’s interrogations, we went to visit him at his house and brought him encouragement as he was sick.

In the Ling Shi area we fellowshipped with some of the churches visited in the last trip, plus others such as: Yuchen Church, Yanan Church, Zhangjazunag Village Church. It was encouraging to hear again the stories of God’s work and to see the growth in the numbers of believers. Constantin and Willie had made a donation last year to Yanan Church and now they were very excited to show us how the money was used to improve the place of worship. It was quite amazing what they did. The Ling Shi Christian Church was numbering over 400 believers, but the building they were meeting in was not fit for more than 100 people, if even that. The government was tearing down the entire area where the church was because it was very old and the coal industry left its very big marks of pollution on it. A new land was reassigned to the church on a top of a hill with very nice view. The leader of the church asked us to send architectural plans so they could build a nice church for the Ling Shi people. We brought Bibles to all the churches and encouraged them to stay strong in the faith.

The Trip Home

Another 3 hours of driving and we were in Tai Yuenn. From there we took a train to Beijing. Luckily the train was traveling at 150 miles an hour and we got to Beijing in just 3 hours. There we visited some of the attractions and then took our plane which brought us back to the US in 13 hours.

Reflections:

One of the first things we were told when we started our work in China was: everyone is in the fields because its harvest time. And yes our brothers in China are busy working the fields of souls. The church is growing and encompassing old, young, intellectual, and peasant. How? Chinese Christians are encouraged to demonstrate Christ’s love in the way they live. Most evangelism in China takes place in one-to-one contacts, by telling the neighbor about Christ or inviting him to church where he/she finds a loving community.

After a period of complete ban of religious life, in 1979 China restored the right for Christians to hold their own religious beliefs and to engage in regular worship. Many of the churches we visited where started within couple years of 1979 and now there are new churches constantly being organized and built. These are the so called “registered churches”, which have chosen to comply with the government regulations for registration of places to worship. There are churches which choose not to register - the underground church. Most if not all churches we been to were registered therefore it is hard to understand the reason for not registering. It seems that it has to do more with a theological disagreement of any civil registration which may be due to the long time hostility between the government and church. A similar position was taken by many Romanian believers who had lived through the harsh times of communism there. Sadly, the unregistered seem to still be a target for the Chinese government.

The unregistered (underground) church is not to be confused with the “House Church” or “House Meeting”. As described above most of the churches started as house churches. One believer told us “it’s just a Bible study session, nobody will stop you for it”. In other cases House Meetings are just supplementary to the church meeting, and those Christians also join congregations in churches.

As we have seen believers in Baoji are living their Christian life with no interference but this is not to say there is no persecution at all in China. The laws in China protect the people religious rights, but China is a country of 1.3 billion people. The interpretations of local government may differ from province to province or city to city. If in Baoji the officials did not worry of us being present there, in Ling Shi we had to go register and explain why we are there. The Communist Party is very suspicious of any activity against them therefore foreigners are not allowed to proselytize. As we were told, the Catholic Church is having more trouble than the Protestant Church because of their outside allegiance to the Pope. Other religious groups like Falun Gong are being shut down, the reason being a lot more than simply religious belief; hence please use discernment when reading/watching the news.

I pray the information found here would open many eyes as to what the situation is in China. It may not be the freedom we find in US but God has opened the door enough for His gospel to go forward just as it went for all the centuries before: through a life well lived, and one-to-one. The great challenge for the Church in China is not freedom anymore, but the lack of leadership and Bibles. During the Cultural Revolution many leaders were put in jail and no training of new leaders happened. The current training of pastors does not sustain the great growth of the Chinese church. Even more many poor believers in China’s rural areas simply cannot afford even the cheapest Bible. So scarce is God’s precious Word that any one Bible distributed may eventually be used by hundreds of people. Some churches don’t even have one Bible for their entire congregation.

God is not calling us to change the whole world, He is doing that, but He has split His work in portions. Our portion in China has to be in Bibles and sponsoring the training of pastors. Are you doing your portion?

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

(Rev 22:11)

– FG

The Call:

By the grace of God we had the privilege to visit the country of Haiti between the dates of May 30 and June 5, 2009. It was an answer to an email received through our website, but not only that, we believe it was an answer to the call of God for us to visit Haiti. Brother Constantin received an email from a pastor with which there was no previous contact. Previously we made plans to go to El Salvador, but the doors did not open for ministry there. The Spirit of God in pulsed Constantin’s heart to go to Haiti.

Introduction to Haiti:

Haiti is located in the Caribbean on the island called Hispaniola and it shares it with a wealthier neighbor: the Dominican Republic. It is the most densely populated and the poorest country in the West Hemisphere. After Columbus discovered the island in 1492 it became a Spanish Colony. The hard work and new diseases brought by the Spaniards killed most native Indians: Arawaks. In 1697 it became a French colony and it brought more wealth to the French empire then India to England. Slaves imported by the hundreds of thousands from Africa did most of the work. The atrocious treatments of the slaves lead to a revolt that resulted into an independent country called Haiti in 1801. It was the first independent black republic.

The revolution wrecked Haiti’s economy and it was succeeded by years of strife between the light-skinned mulattos who had all the wealth and the majority black population. Later dictatorships and AIDS epidemic caused more havoc to the weak economy and specially the tourist industry. From 1904 to 1941 Haiti accepted U.S. customs receivership and the presence of US Marines brought stability. US left Haiti just to return in 1994 as the leaders of the UN keeping forces that reestablished democracy and peace. In 2000, the UN keeping forces left only to go back in 2004 during a full blown armed revolt. The revolt was followed by Hurricane Jeanne, which ravaged Haiti and killed 2,400 people. 2008 brought multiple hurricanes that destroyed parts of the country and killed hundreds.

Literacy rate is less then 50%, 60/1000 babies die and people live on average 57 years. The Catholic population of 80% is decreasing with the Protestant believers increasing rapidly, but more than 50% of the country still participates in

Voodoo practices.

Our Trip:

We read in the book of Acts that the disciples of Jesus Christ acted as they received guidance and leading from the Holy Spirit. This is true today as it was at that time because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This trip to Haiti was a proven testimony that the Holy Spirit empowers, gives guidance to all that obey Him. In Acts 16 we read that Paul was led through a vision to go and help people from Macedonia. The same Holy Spirit that worked then, impulsed my spirit when I received an email from pastor Joseph Jules Jasmin who I never heard of or met before. I sensed in my spirit an urge that I need to go there on the day of the Pentecost. I did not understand all this guidance but by faith in God, I rushed to buy the tickets and made all the arrangements to arrive there before the Pentecost day.

When I arrived at the airport on May 31^st and our contacts waited for us in a 4Runner truck and we headed to Gonaives. We arrived in a city close to Gonaives around midnight and rested that night. On Sunday morning, the day of remembrance of Pentecost, we left early in the morning to reach the church service at New Covenant Christian Church in Gonaives, Haiti. The church was located in an area that was greatly affected by last year’s hurricane storm. Even the old church was demolished and now the church held a service in a rented home. The leaders of the church welcomed us and the pastor who speaks Creol, French and English, introduced us to the church and translated our message. The church was established and founded a couple of years ago. They were very open and sincere people. They worshiped God with all their hearts and know His Word but they did not have experience of the event of Pentecost, which means manifestation of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

There we were on that special day to inspire them and teach them that the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit can be real to them as it was real for the disciples of Jesus in the upper room. There I could understand why God prompted us to go there on that special day because God knows their spiritual desires and needs. We prayed with them and asked them to seek the Lord’s face and not give up until the Lord Jesus will baptize them all in the Holy Spirit. The pastors and leaders were touched by the message and a fire burned in their hearts. After the church service, we went to the local prison from Gonaives City. The deacons had already purchased cold drinks, food and hygienic products for about 300 inmates with the money that we gave for that purpose from the mission. We arrived at the prison that was surrounded by United Nation police from Pakistan that was very friendly to us and to the local people. One prison cell had about 140 inmates. We ministered to them from the Word of God, prayed for them and encouraged them to seek the Lord; the only way, truth, and life. Some of them were very sick and laid down at the gate of the prison with wounds on their bodies which broke our hearts. We ministered to about 300 inmates and about 6 guards and gave them goods and food. In the afternoon we visited pastor Jasmin’s family and gave them a love offering.

In the morning, we visited the part of the city that was very devastated by the hurricane. Families that lost their homes or had their homes with many feets of mud lived there in less damaged homes. We prayed for them and encouraged them to seek the Lord who can help them and keep them healthy. We see the youth’s desire and need to have a school in that community but we could not accomplish that need. Instead we prayed for them and asked that God would supply them with a school because many of them were completely illiterate. They looked at us as an answer to their needs but we told them we are simply messengers to show them that God cares for them and loves them. At night, we had an evangelist service in open air outside the church and invited all the people in the area to come. Over 100 people and children attended and listened to the messages and worship team.

Tuesday morning, we had a seminar where we presented the chaplains for Christ materials for inspiration and information about jail ministry to provoke them to reach people in the prison. Also, another part of the seminary was a presentation of the Holy Spirit baptism and manifestation. The purpose of this was to ignite the fire in them and especially in the leaders and pastors that they might continue the ministry with passion and full of the Holy Spirit. After the seminar, we visited pastor Jean Inera’s home and prayed for his family. We had an evangelistic meeting at night at the church of Marose where Jean Inera is pastor. It was a blessed night where God presence manifested in that crowd of adults and many children. They were singing to God with all their heart in the same way that the crowd was singing when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Jesus said, “…Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise?” [Mathew 21:16]

Early Wednesday morning, we drove to visit the prison of St. Marc in the state of Artibonite, Haiti. There we went from cell to cell to minister to about 250 inmates and guards. We purchased about 148 bibles and distributed to them along with other necessary products. The guards and director of the prison were very friendly and invited us to come again. There were a few inmates that committed to change their life. One of them was a young boy and he stayed there for 4 years and now they want to release him but there was an amount of money to be paid and I asked the director of the sum and if it was true. He answered, “If $60 can be paid this inmate can be free today.” And so we freed him. A former chaplain was also incarcerated for another sum of about $2,800 but we could not honor that and the director said the sum is only to set him free sooner, and not a requirement. This reminded us about our salvation, we were all prisoners of sin; deserving eternal punishment, but Jesus came and paid the penalty for the wages of sin. We don’t have to suffer the consequences of our sin, because Jesus has paid for it so that we can be free and whom the Son makes free, is free indeed. “For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever” [Psalm 49:8]

After this we headed to the capital of Haiti, Port Prince. At Port Prince, George and FG lodged at a hotel built by an American Missionary. I continued my trip to Jacmel, Haiti. In this area, brother Ionel Negrila from Sacramento was involved with R.A. Ministry in helping churches this area. I met with him in 2000 when he told me about this mission. Now the time came and I remembered that his heart was moved with compassion to help churches in Haiti. In my time of preparation for the Haiti mission, I contacted him and he gave me some contacts in Peredo, Jacmel but he did not have the names or phone numbers. So we contacted the local pastor from Jacmel and he researched for us and found the women pastor (that was about 60 years old when brother Ionel Negrila was involved) was still alive. The church was named by Ionel Negrila “The Remnants of the House of David” and is still in function today. On the way over there I encountered road problems due to the mountain area. Our car broke down just before reaching Jacmel. Pastor Sanon Medid of Agape Church from Jacmel answered our call and came with a mechanic and towed our car. On that night pastor Sanon brought us to his home where we had dinner. After dinner, Pastor Sanon engaged himself to bring us to Peredo (a village in the mountains). The road was flooded just before we reached Peredo and we got stuck in the water around midnight where I told the pastor to turn around. Unfortunately, we could not see the church in Peredo for which purpose pastor Ionel Negrila gave a love offer of $200 to help the orphans in that church. But I gave the money to pastor Sanon Medid and he was going to go back when the weather permitted and complete the task.

Early in the morning around 4 am, we left Jacmel now with Pastor Sanon Medid our driver to Port Prince where our flight departed at 11 am. His car broke down on our way to Port Prince and we had to hitch another ride to catch our flight. A small caravan vehicle stopped and took pastor Jasmin and I to the airport. I arrived there just in time to check in and the other two team members came at the same time from Port Prince where they stayed overnight.

Conclusion:

The results were worth all of this effort. Our Lord said in Matthew 25:40, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”. Although the rest of the world may view the poor as the least among us, they are precious in God’s sight. Psalms 138:6 says “Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar”.

As we look upon the needs of the poor in Haiti and around the world, the size and scope of the problem appears overwhelming. But there are those who do not forget that we serve an all-powerful and sovereign God. We know His heart and passion for the “least” among us, and we simply need to follow Him and trust Him for the results. He has provided the means; it is our job to act. And, we look forward to great things in the days ahead as we witness the fruits of our obedience to “make disciples of all nations”.

Please join us in our support for Haiti and remember that “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done” (Proverbs 19:17)

Impact: Letter from Gonaives

Hello Rev. Constantin

Greetings from Gonaives, Haiti. Today, I am very happy to write you and tell you : your visit in Haiti is a blessing from God for my country Haiti, specially the City of Gonaives ,After your visit ,last Sunday ,5 people added to the Church in Gonaives. we appreciate the work you and your group have done in Haiti.

Before I started the church in Gonaives, I did work in Church called: Dessalines Church of Christ .The leaders of this church don’t believe in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, they even says: someone cannot be baptize in the name of the father, the son and the Holy spirit. Sometime they get confusion among them. That was one of the reason l did oblige to leave them. Now I can tell you that, It is God by His Holy Spirit who lead you to come in Haiti to help us to spread the Good New of Jesus-Christ in Gonaives, Haiti.

Since you came in Gonaives I feel the Presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart who give me a big desire to go and reach people to the Jail and everywhere for Christ .I would like you pray and Continue to pray the Lord for me and my church and so that the Lord can continue to be with us, help us to live a Holy life and make a difference in the Community of Gonaives, Haiti. Also, I would like my Church become a part of your Pentecostal Church because me Pastor Joseph I believe in the day of Pentecost.

I Would like to learn more about the word of God, specially the manifestation of the holy spirit, the day of Pentecost .In this case, if you know any kind of seminaries or trainings who could be good for Pastors or Preachers, Please, if it is possible, help me to have them and so that I could have enough to share to the Church of the Lord and to the others.

I send Hello to you and all your family. Thank You!

May God bless you and continue to bless you more and more.

Sincerely in Christ:

Pastor Joseph Jules Jasmin

ROMANIA – GERMANY – NETHERLANDS – BELGIUM – FRANCE

February 19 – March 12, 2009

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Mathew 28:19-20)

Greetings to you all in the most precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

By the Grace of our Lord, we had the opportunity to minister once again. At this time, Pavel Sav and I departed from Chicago together with my parents and two nephews towards Romania. We arrived in Bucharest, RO and our contacts were waiting for us. A representative from the ‘Zacchaeus Mission’ named Tamara Ulmeanu, Dinica Ioan and other representatives from ‘Rock of Ages’; Alin Cucu drove us from the airport to our first city, Giulesti, RO where we ministered to a group of about ninety male youth from a juvenile prison. Afterwards we ministered to the prison’s female youth group and we gave both groups food and other goods. At night Alin Cucu drove us to Braila, a city close to the Danube River.

On Saturday February 21^st in the morning together with Vasile Tofan, former boxing champion of Romania who was saved in a prison by Jesus Christ, ministered with us in a juvenile prison in Tichilesti, RO. Even though it was a Saturday, the director and personnel came from they homes to meet and give us a tour of the prison. There were about sixty-five youth that came to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and some of them broke up into tears and repented. The director introduced us to the beautiful crafts and woodwork the youth created. In the afternoon, we drove to Galati, RO where we ministered to the about seventy-five inmates that came to hear the good news of Salvation. Guards and personnel from the education department of the prison attended this meeting and we prayed at the end for all of them that God’s peace will protect their hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. The atmosphere of peace settled in that place and people left with a joy in their hearts and their hope was restored.

On Sunday February 22^nd, we had the privilege to minister to a prison in Braila on this morning. Even the guards did not want to allow many of the inmates to hear the good news but after former inmate Vasile Tofan, currently a minister of the Word of God, complained about why they restrained some inmates from attending. After their discussion with Vasile, they allowed all of those that wanted to come. Adrian Burghelia, a former inmate that was saved in the prison by Jesus Christ while serving for aggravated battery and theft, being delivered by the Power of the Holy Spirit – is going back to prisons to minister to the inmates with songs and words of exhortation from the Bible. Despite the arguments that were with the rude guards, God created a powerful atmosphere of Joy, Happiness, Love and Peace. The atmosphere created by God through the songs of worship was so sweet and we saw the yolk broken in many hearts. Many inmates almost refused to leave the gathering towards the end, when the guards dismissed the service. We were very blessed by this atmosphere in God’s presence. In the afternoon we visited a place where former inmates Vasile Tofan, Alin Cucu and Adrian Burghelia are planning to re-build a recovery site for inmates that don’t have a place to live after their sentence. In the evening, we ministered in a Christian church called Golgotha in Braila, where Pastor Daniel Buzatu welcomed us for worship. Many members were restored and refreshed that evening by the presence of the Holy Spirit. After the service, we visited peasant families from the area of Braila and offered them goods in the Name of our Lord. Many families were affected by the economical recession. Later that night after a delicious dinner prepared by Alin Cucu’s wife, we drove to the city of Vaslui where our representatives, Pastors Ioan Florea and Petrica Postu were waiting for us and accommodated us at their home for the night.

On Monday February 23^rd, they drove us to Piatra Neamt, the northern part of Moldova, where Pastor and overseer Liviu Axinte welcomed us in the region. He has organized a revival and evangelism in all the state of Piatra Neamt and Bacau. He invited speakers from all over the country to minister in over sixty villages for one week for this event. It happened that our trip accommodated this event and on Monday night, we ministered in the village of Telea. Hundreds of people overfilled the church to hear the Gospel. Even the mayor of the village attended and spoke words of appreciation for the Christian community. Later that same night, Daniel Ursulean from Suceava came and drove us to Suceava (north-east part of Romania) where my parents settled and waited for us.

On Tuesday February 24^th, we drove from Suceava to Iasi to minister in the Iasi Prison because I received a letter from an inmate here while I was in Chicago about the impact that the Gospel has done in his life in one of our previous mission trips there. On our way to Iasi, I stopped to the village Oniceni where I built a church years ago with God’s help and now the owner that donated the land for the church had just passed away and it so happened to attend the funeral service. This village extremely rejected Christ believers years ago before I started the church even when I dedicated the church to the Lord, the orthodox priest from the village told the people that whosoever enters the church, won’t be buried by him and people were afraid to come. Now, the man that took the courage to donate that land, whose some of his children were first saved and have a heart for the Lord, survived through this time of opposition. This funeral was a privilege to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to almost all the people from the village since they all came and filled the area and streets. Some came by the curiosity of seeing how the first funeral was taking place among Christians and they were impressed by the powerful messages, worship and songs sang by the choir from Suceava. God is making his way even in a village where people doubted there was any hope for Salvation. I believe the impact that the Word of God preached with the occasion of this funeral will change many lives in this village. In the afternoon we arrived in the prison of Iasi and ministered there to about sixty inmates. The general director of the prison and assistant director Carmen Matei welcomed us even though we arrived on short-notice. But they saw that only the power of the Gospel can really transform a life. Inmates are hopeless and need someone to minister to them with love and care. Hygienic necessities were given to inmates that attended the meeting. We prayed for all of them and left the in the care of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the evening, we had a meeting with Pastor Emil Cailean from the city Iasi and visited his church site. Later that evening, we drove back to Suceava and had a late dinner with Barsan Nicolae and Valentina’s family.

On Wednesday February 25^th, we went to Botosani (further north) where we ministered in the prison there to about seventy inmates. Goods also were also given for their personal needs. In the afternoon, we drove to the village of Radauti-Prut the northern part of Romania, which shares borders with Ukraine. A big flood swept this village in the summer of 2008 from the Prut River where seventy percent of the homes were demolished. People were living in temporary homes. We helped them with money. Our rep from the area, Pastor Viorel Ignat, led us in this region and many families were helped in the Mitoc Prut village where we started to build a church one year ago.

On Thursday February 26^th, we drove to Tibeni, another village that was affected by the same flood and destroyed many homes. Here I visited one of my uncles, Constantin and Silvia Iacoban who described that the flood came about two meters high and destroyed all his goods and agriculture machines were taken away by the flood. Next we went to village Satu Mare, where I was born and helped a family to restore their home from a fire. Christian brothers were also helping them at the time. Later that afternoon we went to city Radauti, where we visited sick persons in a hospital. One of my cousins, Viorel Donisan, was patient at that hospital at the time and we prayed for him and his situation that God would restore his health. Pavel Sav ministered to a church in Dornesti later that evening. I was able to visit my cousins and in-laws in Romania.

On Friday February 27^th, we drove to Bistrita in the morning towards Cluj and at night we arrived in Starciu-Salaj where brother Pavel Sav was born. Brothers and sisters from that village came during a special evening service to seek the Lord and receive from Him joy and happiness. We had seen all people with their faces shine with God’s presence. We spent the night at one family’s home where we were welcomed with so much love.

On Saturday February 28^th, we drove to Arad and in the evening arrived in Timisoara from there to Ghiroda where Pavel’s brother resides and pastors a church.

On Sunday March 1^st, we attended the local church in Ghiroda and had communion and preached ‘Christ’s work of Redemption for Mankind’. Many lives were touched and delivered of their guilt and received communion with Christ. In the afternoon, I ministered in a small church in Germata Vii, a village close to Timisoara. Pavel ministered to Rechas and Remetea Churches.

On Monday March 2^nd, we ministered to the prison in Timisoara where Dinica Ioan that came from Bucharest and other ministers from Timisoara accompanied us. Songs of worship were sung and created an atmosphere of Joy and Peace rested on each of those sixty-five inmates that came to hear us with the message of Salvation of encouragement from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them dedicated and some re-dedicated their lives to Christ. We went to the village of Comlosu Mare that noon where they held a special evening service. This village is on the far western part of Romania – close to the Serbian border.

 On Tuesday March 3^rd, we flew from Timisoara to Frankfurt, Germany where Doru Simon from Holland, Netherlands picked us up with his car and drove us to his home in Sittard, South Holland. Sittard (Limburgish: Zitterd) is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands.

On Wednesday March 4^th, we went to visit the local prison in the area but unfortunately we were not granted any access because of the restriction they have against foreigners. However, we met with the pastor of the church and the chaplain of that area.

On Thursday March 5^th, we left to Belgium where we arrived by car and Gheorghe Lupancu awaited us and held a tour for us in the city of Brussel (Capital of Belgium). In the evening, we attended a service in a Romanian community church where about 800 Romanian’s worshipped God and had fellowship. I was surprised to meet some of my nephews that worked there and they had experienced the power of transformation in their life. I have never met them before that evening. We slept in Belgium’s capital that night.

On the morning of Friday March 6^th, we departed for France and arrived in Paris around noon. We toured the city and in the evening we went to a prayer meeting in Paris International Church. Romanians working in France gather together in this church and usually number around 600. Pastor Grighore Creta had a special night of prayer and seeking the power of the Holy Spirit where youth came to seek the power of God with fervent prayer until even the ceilings of that room in the church were humid but their hearts were hot for God.

On Saturday March 7^th, we drove to Germany where we found Petrica Lorentiu and his wife Victoria in Venwegen close to Aachen in the southern part of Germany. Petrica had an accident earlier and damaged his spine to the point where he became crippled. When we arrived in his home he was with his bible open seeking God. We brought him a message of encouragement to focus more on what he has and not on what he has immobilized. After our time of discussion with him and his wife, Petrica expressed his desire to be closer with God and to receive the baptism in water. He that believes in Jesus and is baptized will be saved but he that doesn’t will be condemned.

On Sunday March 8^th, we attended morning service in a Dutch church in Schinnen, Limburg. I brought them our greetings and brother Doru Simon interpreted for me in Dutch. In the afternoon we went to the only Romanian church in Eindhoven, Holland. Here they have fellowship service every other week since members come a long way to worship God in the Romanian language. It was a blessed afternoon service, which brought encouragement to about 70 people that came from far away. Many were touched by God’s presence and received blessings of Joy, Peace & Happiness. Even healings were performed when we prayed for the sick.
On Monday morning March 9^th, we returned back to Venwegen where we fulfilled Petrica Lorentiu’s desire and commitment to be baptized into Christ in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Together with Doru Simon, a deacon and leader from Holland, Petrica received the baptism that Jesus has commanded to every believer. His wife Victoria was also willing to receive the baptism in water in the month of May this year when the church in Holland will have such an event. We left them with words of hope in God that restores not only the spirit but also the body that was damaged when Petrica had the accident. He believes that God can heal him and make him whole for which we prayed. We returned back to Holland in the afternoon and we met with Arlin Meyer, an American missionary in Holland, and spoke about our vision to have a prison ministry in this area. He is involved with recovering those that are addicted to drugs and alcohol in the area of Limburg. They have purchased a monastery for the purpose of a recovery home in Maastricht, the city in which the European Union was formed in the year 2000. Holland is a very spiritually dead country which needs a revival.

On Tuesday March 10^th, Beny Simon drove us to Rostock, northern Germany in a city called Greifswald where Viorel Puscasu is held in a nursing home due to his paralyzed condition. He was shot in his upper spine 15 years ago in Germany from which he can now only move his head. From his condition, he is seeking God to restore his spiritual relationship with the Creator who can restore his damaged body parts. We encouraged him to seek Him with all his heart, mind and soul and to have a passion for Him. The local pastors Merja & Jarmo Palomaki, originally from Finland, came to meet us and allowed us to stay in his parsonage home for the night.

On Wednesday morning March 11^th, we left Greifswald and headed to Berlin where we visited the Berlin ruins of the former communist wall that divided western from eastern Germany till 1989. From there we went to Frankfurt and we stayed overnight to Gabriel Salanta’s family, an Automobile businessman & Romanian church leader in Germany, where we had a great time of fellowship with his family and other friends that came to meet us.

On the morning of Thursday March 12^th, we departed from Frankfurt to Chicago with Lufthansa airline and arrived safely home. For all this we are so grateful to our Lord who made it possible, lead us and protected our families and us. Even now as I write this report, my heart goes to those countries of Western Europe and I pray that God will send His Spirit to revive the cold hearts there.

PERU – Amazon Jungle Mission Trip

November 20 – 26, 2008

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

(Isaiah 9:2 NIV)

Greetings to you all in the most precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

The physical darkness in the shepherd field new Bethlehem must have filled the night with a quiet uncertainty that seemed like a metaphor reflecting the spiritual darkness of the age. Sheep wandered under the dim sky while shepherds carried the weight of their difficult circumstances. Bad circumstances, additional taxes, faded memories of David’s golden age, and a silent heaven added to the personal darkness each shepherd felt. The darkness of that time in history made the brightness of the angelic announcement even more pronounced. “Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them…” (Luke 2:9) Light came to their darkness.

It gives me a great pleasure to get in touch with you while sharing with you the exciting mission trip through the dark Amazon jungle from which we just returned from safely. Pastor Jamie Flores, Edgar Garza, Eduardo Marroquin, Gerry Wolfe, Cornel Ianchici and Constantin Lupancu were given the opportunity to travel to the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest/jungle. The light of Jesus Christ spiritually and literally shines over them. They live in the obscure and isolated parts of the jungle, very far from civilization and the modern world. The purpose of this trip to Peru was to do a documentary of the jungle life, bring school supplies and Christmas presents to children of EFATA (death/ mute kids) and the street kids from Iquitos (the nearest city to the jungle). This visit was very productive. I hope this report encourages you because you’ll see how your prayers and financial support are making a difference in the lives of people in Peru and the Amazon Jungle. The Lord also enables us to share the Light of Jesus wherever we went and this makes a big impact in their life.

We left Chicago on Thursday Nov. 20^th at 9 a.m. and we arrived in Iquitos, Peru on Friday Nov. 21^st at 9 a.m. It took us exactly 24 hours to get to our first stop in the country. We visited EFATA ministry about 4 hours later. The kids greeted us at the door with balloons and escorted us to their church. One of the kids there had a message from God for us. The message was that our heart must be like a sponge to absorb God’s word. We gave the kids everything we had for them. We purchased tables and chairs for their classrooms and we equipped their pastor with a laptop, projector, digital camera and a motorcycle. We played volleyball with the kids and interviewed three of them for our documentary. We left at 6:30 p.m. and went to Iglesia Bautista at 7:30 p.m. We preached the word of God there and many people were delivered from strongholds of the past and received healing. The presence of God was unbelievable.

On Saturday, Nov. 22^nd we visited the street kids. We ministered to them and fed them lunch. There were about 65 of them. Their ages ranged from 8 – 13 years. These kids got raped on the street. Some of them are homosexuals, thieves and prostitutes. Our hearts were broken to see how the devil operates in the lives of these kids. They told us that many foreigners go there to have sex with them and the kids do it just for food. Please help us pray for these street kids. We need to build a house where they can be secure and safe. Pray that God will provide resources for them to have food and transportation everyday, not just one day a week. They need to come to the YWAM base to hear the Word of God everyday.

That same afternoon we had a marriage seminar, and about 20 couples came. In this service a missionary pastor was healed from skin cancer pain on her leg. That was confirmed even after we arrived back home. There are too many details to describe in this letter, but allow me to say that the presence of God was Great and awesome!!

That night we preached to a youth group in a church called Remanente. God’s presence was manifested again, and almost every kid came forward to the altar and asked for prayer. Some of them admitted to have been abused in their homes. They felt dirty and unworthy until that night when God healed them. Eduardo Marroquin shared his testimony and God used him in a mighty way. There are no words to express the presence of God that night.

Sunday morning we left by boat to the jungle into a community called San Jose. After a few hours of sailing through the Marion River, we arrived in one village where we built a water well months ago. Now the well needed to be repaired and so we took care of it. Then we sailed onto another village called Leoncio Prado where All for Him Ministry built a church sometime ago called Centro de Vida Cristiana Peru. We ministered at night in that church and three people came to accept the Light of His Word. One of which was delivered from witchcraft. There was a real manifestation of the Light that shined through the darkness that night. The glory of God shined in the church.

Monday morning we went to another community called San Martin. We built another water well and ministered to a group of people with The Proclaimer. The Proclaimer is a solar radio donated by Faith Comes by Hearing Ministry. That night we went back to the island of Iquitos.

On Tuesday we rested after returning from the jungle. The next day we fed 55 kids from the street in the local Christian school. We left Iquitos that night to return to Chicago to our families for Thanksgiving Day.

We are called to minister and give to others in need. Jesus remains the Light of the world and never has the world needed the Light of His Glory to shine more than now. No matter what is happening to the world in this difficult time of crisis, we must remain steady continuing to bring hope to the hopeless and Light of Jesus to those trapped in darkness. I would ask you to pray for us and our ministries and we wish you a joyful and prosperous year in 2009 despite the harsh economic distress of 2008.

God Bless You as You Plant into His Kingdom

Constantin Lupancu

Jamie Flores