Ploiesti, Romania

Paul & Sue Williams

It has been good to renew fellowship again with many of the assemblies throughout Romania, as well as develop new ministries. We are most encouraged by progress seen in different aspects of the Lord's work in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Below is an update of the different ministries that the Lord has opened up for us.

Consecutive Bible Teaching:

Intensive Bible studies in Romania take place from October to April. During the last two years Paul has been invited for regular all-day Bible studies in different regions of the country, as well as special series of ministry meetings [Granicesti, Onesti, Galati and Banesti assemblies]. He also had four weeks of intensive studies [five hours daily] in Saliste. There was a lovely spirit in the interactive studies during the day. Each evening there were special gospel meetings, with souls being saved in Mag and spring. In Rachita, three people were saved in the new assembly, where one-hundred-and-sixty, many unsaved, crammed into a three-roomed house. Good numbers were saved in Rachita and fourteen believers were baptized recently. When visiting the spring assembly, we were thrilled to hear that four unsaved people who attended special tent meetings last summer, were saved earlier this year. During visits to Saliste, for the Bible study weeks, Paul was asked to speak at a youth conference in Garbova on two Saturday evenings.

In Galati, the elders requested Paul to give a series of ministry meetings on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, at the end of November. Bible teaching is long-term and our desire is that many believers will be strengthened and edified spiritually through the careful and systematic teaching of the Word of God. As the work of the gospel continues and the challenges to Christian living seem to increase daily, we not only thank God for those who are saved but rejoice when we see believers "walking in the truth" and growing in their appreciation of spiritual truth and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Your prayers are greatly appreciated for this most important work of Bible teaching. Also, we would value prayer for safe travel on very busy roads.

Romanian Bible Exhibition:

During the autumn and winter months we were working very hard on the eighteen display panels for a "Romanian Bible Exhibition." The help of a Christian artist in the U.K. and local believers in Ploiesti was much appreciated and the panels [1m by 1.5m] are interesting, of good quality, and attractive. We also have display tables with a model of the tabernacle, samples of papyrus, scrolls and a variety of other items connected with life in Bible times, as well as Bibles in different languages. Sue is continuing to work on related activities for use in schools and is very grateful for the help and advice she has been given from the U.K. and Romania.

We visited some infant schools in Ploiesti and both teachers and children were very enthusiastic about what they saw and heard. Prayer is much appreciated for the Bible Exhibition and its use as an effective evangelistic tool. For two days in April, we were granted permission to display the Bible Exhibition in a large shopping centre in Suceava, a tremendous opportunity to communicate, visually and verbally, Bible truths and the gospel. There was good feedback with positive articles appearing in local newspapers and on the internet. Two television channels filmed the Exhibition and the Bible was promoted publicly in a positive way. God willing, we plan to use it in schools [depending on permission being granted, so please pray], hired public buildings and gospel halls throughout Romania. In June, we were invited to take the Exhibition to the small assembly in Caminele. Children came for a two-hour Bible program in the morning, and families attended in the evening.

Assembly Gospel Tent Ministry in Romania:

The gospel tent work began in May, 2008 with a number of objectives: the salvation of the lost; motivating a younger generation of believers to be involved in God's great work; challenging assembly Christians to be more active in gospel work; the first step towards planting new local assemblies; and encouraging evangelists in their vital work. In May we received another two medium-sized tents. This summer has been very fruitful, using twelve gospel tents [eleven in Romania, in twenty-one counties, and one in the Republic of Moldova]. The Lord has wonderfully blessed in the salvation of over one-hundred-and-sixty people professing faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Over eleven-thousand children and fourteen thousand adults [believers and unbelievers] attended these tent meetings in one-hundred villages and towns.

The prizes that have been sent for this work have all been gratefully and joyfully received and may our great God bless and encourage all of you involved in this practical way.

Literature work:

This year we have printed two-thousand copies of "Knowing and Doing," by John McQuoid; ten-thousand copies of Robert Cargill's book, "Tell Me More About The Gospel" and thousands of copies of the Bible study courses by Kenneth Jones. The Bible correspondence course work continues steadily. Tens of thousands of tracts and gospel booklets have been distributed through the tent work, as well as calendars and Bibles.

Local Assembly in Ploiesti:

We continue to enjoy the warm fellowship of believers in this very large assembly which has been involved in the "Romanian Bible Exhibition" and tent outreach work in the County of Prahova. Paul preaches there one Lord's day each month and is currently doing consecutive studies in the book of Nehemiah. He visits other assemblies regularly in the area, for Bible teaching.

Assembly Gospel Tent Ministry in the Republic of Moldova:

This summer the Lord wonderfully opened up the door for gospel tent meetings in the Republic of Moldova. Paul spent a week there, using a large tent in Pistruieni and in the open air in Domulgen and Hartop. The Lord's presence and power were experienced in the village of Pistruieni where nine people professed salvation and the believers in the small local assembly were greatly encouraged. Tent meetings were held in Stefanesti, where ninety children attended; Rascaieti, where sixty children attended, an eighteen-year-old girl was saved; Balceana, where seventy children attended. In all these places, good numbers of unsaved adults listened to the gospel.

Assembly Work in the Republic of Moldova:

This work started in the mid-1990's by our Romanian brethren. There are now twelve small village assemblies in different regions. In 2011, a house on the outskirts of the town of Orhei was bought as a base for visiting workers. Last year the Lord called a couple from an assembly in Galasi to work in the Republic of Moldova and already the results of their dedicated labours have been seen. They live in the house and have the desire to plant an assembly in Orhei. Prayer is greatly valued for this couple and Romanian evangelists as they seek to plant new assemblies in towns and cities throughout the Republic of Moldova, starting with Orhei.

Summer 2013 Written by Paul & Sue Williams - Romania