Romania - FRIENDSMISSION.COM

A Story of Transformation from Romania

Kimberly Mer — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:37:26 +0000

Did you know that every single donation and prayer makes a difference for our missionaries and those they are helping? Our goal is to ignite hope one relationship at a time.

The following story is shared by our Friends in Romania and shows how one relationship was changed from your support.

“Maria was a former student from Gura Riului, gifted, perseverant and hard-working. Born in a humble family, she strived to do her schoolwork fast, so she could help her parents with the farm animals and in the fields. She excelled in school and graduated from Sibiu University (IT Engineering) with honors.

Along with her best friend Mioara, Maria was tutored in English during high school. There they had the opportunity to hear a testimony and their tutor pointed them to the love and calling of Jesus. They always listened intently, and whenever time permitted, they wanted to watch “a special movie.” (Ex: Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, etc.)

It was presumed Maria and Mioara’s parents never allowed them to attend camps or youth meetings, but they continued to keep in touch with their tutors, even after graduation. Before getting married last year, Maria visited them with her future husband.

Recently, Maria came to a bible study. Since most of the other participants are current or former students, it is the hope that Maria will soon participate regularly. Please continue to pray that seed of righteousness sown in the hearts of students bears fruit. “

If you would like to help make a difference in the lives of people like Maria, here’s how:

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Marian Retirement Announcement

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 18:25:48 +0000

Queridos amigos,

During the 1980s Ana, and then Voicu, came to the Lord through the ministry of Evangelical Friends in Alliance, Ohio. They were from Romania but living and working in the U.S. at the time. After they gave their lives to Christ they heard him calling them back to the country from which they came. Voicu and Ana, along with their two children, Christina and John, obeyed the Lord’s call and returned to Romania in the year 2000. They settled in the region of Sibiu where the Lord has used them to touch the lives of many, many people over the last twenty plus years. They have sown a lot of Gospel seed and they rejoice every time they see signs that it is bearing fruit.

As you can see from their message below, Voicu and Ana are retiring from missionary service and plan to be in Ohio this summer. We are looking forward to celebrating with them what God has done in and through them. Please hold them in your prayers as they get ready to travel and as they go through this transition called “retirement.” It’s not an easy transition to make, but they are feeling that it is time to do it.

Voicu and Ana, on behalf of EFM I want to thank you for your obedience to the Lord and your faithfulness in the ministry he has given you. There is no doubt in my mind that you will continue to minister wherever you live. You can’t help it! It’s so much a part of who you are. We look forward, along with you, to seeing how the seed you have sown and are sowing will continue to bear fruit.

Dan Cammack

Director Ejecutivo de EFM

Here’s the message Voicu and Ana wrote to share with you:

This is to announce our official retirement from our missionary employment with Evangelical Friends. Our hearts are full of gratitude for your partnership of twenty-some years, in taking the message of Christ’s love to the people of Romania, region of Sibiu. Thank you for being close friends and family to us and to our children. Thank you for so faithfully supporting us in prayer and in giving. Thank you for the kind words and embraces whenever we were among you. You’ve encouraged us more than you know in times of trial, and rejoiced with us in victories – and there have been many!

We look forward to being in the US (Ohio) soon, and hope to connect with some of you at the EFC-ER Yearly Meeting. We plan on returning to Romania October first. Our desire is to be salt and light, continuing to make Jesus known wherever we are. As far as continuing “to do” ministry, we’ll take one day at a time, and see how the Spirit leads.

Love and blessings to you,

Voicu and Ana

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April 2021 Prayer Letter

Kimberly Mer — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:13:23 +0000

Voicu and Ana Marian | Serving in Romania

Nearly 22 years ago at the EFC-ER Yearly Meeting, we said, “Here we are, send us!” Those weren’t “better times” to answer God’s calling; we simply felt overwhelmed by his gracious invitation. We came to Sibiu to be a family to orphaned girls. We weren’t emotionally prepared to minister to their needs, other than speaking the language, but we relied on God’s strength and wisdom one day at a time. And over time we learned what it meant “to love with the love of Christ.” This love has changed us more than anything or anyone, as it flowed through us.

A couple of years later, as we got to know the area, we heard of a nearby village which boasted that it had no Evangelical (“Repenters”) presence. After praying for a year, God opened the doors for us to teach at their public school. The tight scrutiny from staff and parents that first year was oppressive, but we remember vividly the children’s warm welcome. We loved them and their families and teaching these fifth to eighth grade kids seemed to be God’s instrument for reaching their hearts.

Many students came to English class, and some came to a shop class Voicu started. Since both of these classes were extra-curricular, knowing how to draw the kids was often the biggest challenge. One winning recipe we found was DIY banana splits! From that first generation, we developed a strong friendship with Mihaela, who was at the top of her class, (pictured 3^rd from the left in the top left photo).

In the fall when many of them started commuting to Sibiu for high school, we invited them to our apartment for a Friday evening youth program. These meetings were not only fun for teenagers, but a time to worship and to study the Bible together, and for us it really felt like a house church.

During that season we had countless ways to get involved in their lives. Mihaela, being a high performing student, wanted to become an architect, and Voicu gave her drawing lessons. As we spent more time together, we talked in depth about the Bible, and she soon received Jesus as Lord and Savior. Mihaela openly shared about being born again with her family and peers, including those attending our Friday group. Her life blossomed, and her family became our friends in the village.

We remained close to Mihaela during college, where she started dating Adrian, also studying architecture. We attended their wedding andwere their prayer support when they moved to France on academic scholarships. Currently they live in Marseille, where they’ve started their own architecture firm.

Over the last year we’ve been especially close during Mihaela’s special pregnancy. After years of prayer for a child, we rejoiced with them when their tiny triplets were born! These are merely a glimpse into God’s miraculous work – and I’m speaking in a much broader sense here. Orlat and Gura Raului feel like home for us because of the people we’ve come to live alongside and love along the way. Mihaela’s story is just one among many, but we feel that it truly reflects the power of God’s Word to go out and accomplish what he desires (Isa 55:10, 11).

We see clear evidence of changed lives, whether through the orphaned girls’ ministry, local youth, or an ongoing Bible study, but we know that much of what God started will be revealed in eternity… and that is the most exciting part of it.

Click Here to Download Full Prayer Letter…

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March 2021 Marian Update

Kimberly Mer — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:09:43 +0000

Dear Family and Friends,

I can’t remember a time when I was so happy for a year-end, but I am especially grateful now, for lessons learned and battles won in 2020, and for the strong assurance that GOD IS in charge. In the last three months we experienced periods of lock down in different parts of Romania, a scary number of COVID-19 cases, and the reality of it being not only “out there,” but in and around our home. I (Ana) contracted the virus and struggled awhile, but praise God I didn’t need hospitalization, and Voicu remained healthy the whole time. We’ve learned to treasure each moment and each person, as several people in our community and church family lost this battle in the ICU.

We surely appreciated a real family Christmas, with Christina visiting from the US and John visiting from half an hour away. We weren’t sure it would work out to be together due to various travel restrictions, but it did! Our spiritual daughters, Aurelia, Petruta and Loredana, were with us as well. They wanted to talk and play board games non-stop, and it was nice being together after lockdown.

The last three months we continued teaching primarily online. God helped us strengthen relationships during this difficult time. Shop classes had to stop but English continued, proving quite valuable not only for our junior high and high school students, but also for the four ladies who use it at work. I was able to help them meet school requirements, and not only that, but also encourage them during some critical moments. We had opportunities to read scripture together and discussed many timely topics.

With schools being online since October, there are major challenges, especially for kids from poor families who lack adequate equipment or necessary parental support.

It was a real joy to surprise twin sisters Ana and Sonia with a new laptop computer for Christmas. We’ve known them since they were born, and they come from a rather large family. Their older sister Maria was also our pupil, and now she has her own family and has remained a dear friend. Ana and Sonia are hard-working 9th grade students, and quite active in our youth group.

We had a few moments of the Lord’s confirmation this past year… but this one instance speaks for itself. Dr. Marilena Vasile, whom we’ve supported since she came to our city back in 2006, is a dear friend and sister in Christ. After graduation from medical school she specialized in family practice, and instead of pursuing a prosperous career in Sibiu chose to return to her native city of Calarasi, to care for the most destitute in the southern region. We’ve watched her serve as an example of integrity and professional excellence among colleagues, doing her best to visit patients and save lives without the latest technology or medicine, not even owning a vehicle.

A couple of dear saints from Alliance and Columbus donated funds for a car, which ended up a very memorable Christmas gift. We rejoiced with her, marveling at God’s perfect ways and timing. Her “Thank you” was best expressed in tears of gratitude!

Recently we visited the home of a single mom with three daughters. Their deep appreciation was visible, and perhaps not so much for the gifts but for taking the time to really listen to their life story, for loving them in a way they could relate to.

THANK YOU for being present in our lives and in the lives of many others around the world, with your prayers and with loving, generous hearts. Christ’s Kingdom work far exceeds our limits and imaginations.

I will leave you with what has been a very uplifting verse in 2020, which may be the most wonderful COMMAND for the coming 2021: Joshua 1:9, “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.”

Love,

Voicu and Ana

Christina and John

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COVID Pandemic Testimony from Romania

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 20:48:42 +0000

Voicu and Ana Marian serve as missionaries in Romania. Ana recently sent us a story in response to our request for more stories about God’s faithfulness during the pandemic. She said she would rather call it a story of God’s glory rather than a “pandemic story.” Therefore Ana has given it the title, “Y2K to YPV.” We encourage you to read the story and find out what that title means.

Most people recall Y2K from the year 2000, but few would guess that the latter is a nick name for 2020: “Year of Perfect Vision.” When these acronyms came up during English lesson, I needed to introduce my 16 year-old students to relatively recent history.

It was a leisurely summer afternoon, so our lesson extended to chatting about life and one particularly meaningful story for me, my testimony. In 1999, God called us out of the US to tell others about him – at a time when many feared Y2K and “the end of civilization as we know it.”

The age gap of nearly half a century between teacher and students dissipated as the story of Christ’s redemptive love was being poured out with passion and taken in with joy. Adina and Ioana had heard parts of it before, but this time they were more engaged, finally realizing that their lives had been woven into the eternal story by The Great Author.

When they left the sun was setting, its majesty reflecting the glory of Christ who spoke it into existence. It didn’t matter what year it was anymore; we felt safe to embrace under God’s timeless care.

Voicu and I stayed home this year but stayed active. We know that it’s only by God’s grace that we kept our eyes on Jesus and his kingdom, not collapsing under worry and fear. We followed safety regulations as much as possible, while still keeping our home open. It wasn’t easy, and not without “adventures,” as we came into contact first-hand with a COVID-19 case along the way. We are thankful for God’s protection every single day.

As for YPV… with ageing we’re getting farther from 20/20 eyesight, yet closer to God’s perspective. Still, we’re far from “perfect vision.” We pray that our trust will remain in God’s Word: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

If you would like to receive on a regular basis prayer requests and praises for how God is working I encourage you to sign up for EFM’s monthly prayer letter. You can do that by clicking on the button below.

Also, EFM is still receiving donations to our emergency fund for COVID-19 related relief efforts. If you would like to contribute at this time you can do so by clicking here or using the button below.

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EFM COVID-19 Updates | Pray for Romania

Kimberly Mer — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 19:41:41 +0000

Voicu and Ana Marian are originally from Romania and spent many years in the U.S. They found the Lord through the ministry of Alliance Friends Church (Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region) and then heard the Lord calling them to go back to Romania to be a witness for him. Since the year 2000 they have been doing just that, primarily working with young people but also ministering to families whenever possible. As the young people have grown up and gotten into various professions the Lord has given the Marians the opportunity to stay in relationship with many of them.

Here is how Voicu and Ana responded to the four questions that I sent to all our missionaries last week:

How is COVID-19 affecting those who live in the area where you live and minister?

Like the rest of the world, Romania is affected by this crisis, especially with all the workers returning from Italy, Spain, and other western European countries where they lived and worked for many, many years. Most of these are required to go into quarantine for two weeks, but lots of others have re-entered unchecked.
On March 16 the president declared a state of emergency for at least 30 days. All schools, churches, restaurants and other similar businesses are closed until further notice. Because of the panic, many people have stocked up on basic foodstuffs, which has already created some shortages.

How is this situation affecting the ministry you lead?

Since schools are closed we no longer teach on the premises, but we’ve had several students come to our home for English tutoring, one or two at a time. Their parents have given them permission. As far as the wood shop, it will be off for the rest of the state of emergency. The same situation is with Sunday evening youth meetings. We continue to keep in touch over the phone with every one of them, trusting God to protect the seed that was planted.

What are some opportunities you are seeing for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know him?

Ana has 5 new students, (young professional women) who are now working from home and needing additional English training. She has been teaching them separately in our home, which is compliant. This has given Ana a chance to share her faith while meeting an urgent need.
As we still interact with people in the village, we share a message of hope, pointing people to the Bible. On March 15 we had church in our home. We watched a message on video with another couple, parents of a former student. We noticed that their hearts are more open during this time, but they also feel safer in a home setting. Afterwards we served lunch and it was a blessed time.

What are two or three prayer requests we can use to pray for you and those you lead?

We would appreciate prayers for safety. Even though we haven’t had any cases of COVID-19 infection in our area, we need God to protect us from sickness of any kind. And please pray against the spirit of fear that has gripped many people. Please pray for continued open doors for ministry.

Voicu and Ana close their report with a verse. They are encouraging us all to hold on to this truth: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:8.

While we are providing this special round of updates to EFM’s largest email list (due to the world-wide impact of COVID-19), we will continue, as always, providing brief praise and prayer requests from each contributing field through our monthly EFM Prayer Letter. This is the easiest way to get regular, brief updates from missionaries and national leaders. If you do not currently receive the EFM Prayer Letter, we encourage you to subscribe by clicking the button below.

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January 2020 Prayer Letter

Kimberly Mer — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 18:51:06 +0000

From Voicu and Ana Marian | Serving in Romania

We immigrated to the US from communist Romania in the late 70s, in search of “the good life.” In our atheistic view, that meant abundance of things and the freedom to do what we wanted. Upon arriving in Ohio, we came in contact with God’s people through the Evangelical Friends Church. They embodied the love of Jesus and gave us a taste of “the blessed life.” In the year 2000 we returned to our people with a new passion: to proclaim the gospel to the lost.

Starting out in the city of Sibiu, we ministered to orphaned and abandoned girls, and some of those became Christians and part of our family. Though no longer children, they continue to bring a special spark to our holidays.

God enlarged our vision into teaching children in the public school. Through English and Woodworking classes we met some great kids, gained favor with their parents and soon started to do Christian camps. These were followed by weekly youth meetings, and over the years many confessed Jesus as Savior. We continue to work in the villages of Orlat and Gura Raului.

In the Acorn Shop, Voicu teaches woodworking to junior high boys. More than woodworking, they learn how to become real men, according to the Bible. As we’ve done many times in the past, this year for Thanksgiving we invited students for a special meal and celebration. The American history account was used as platform for a better lesson: Gratitude as a Way of Life. And this Christmas season we read about the birth of Jesus with several of our students, and sang, “O Come Let Us Adore Him.”

We’ve witnessed great changes, especially since Romania became part of the EU in 2007. With open borders and boundless digital access, in flooded “the good life,” and with it, plenty of evil. Having come to know these children, we’ve grown to love them deeply. Their life stories have become part of ours, and it’s quite painful to see some harden their hearts when they become adults. The Lord reminds us that our purpose here is not to change people, but to live for Him. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb.13:8) He remains faithful and he deserves all the glory!

A recent picture, for those who’ve never met the Marians: Ana and Voicu, with son John (Sibiu, Romania) and daughter Christina (Columbus, OH).

Por favor oren…

That we’d keep proclaiming the gospel and loving people as unto the Lord.
For the Word sown through the years to bear fruit, and God to call workers into the harvest (now and after our retirement).
For wisdom as we plan weekly activities, God’s leading for the future, spring and, summer ministries.