MILWAUKEE, Wis.
Complimentary Story
“LORD, if you want, I will go wherever, do whatever, and become whatever, to bring the gospel to the children of Romania!” These were the words I spoke to the Lord in June, 1996, on the return flight of my first trip to Romania. I was deeply impacted by all that I had seen while traveling through parts of that country; especially in the lives of the homeless street kids who are commonly referred to as, “nobody’s children.” I saw firsthand how so many of these children existed in unthinkable conditions, living in sewers with rats and garbage and toxic fumes. As I reviewed in my mind the events of the trip, I was so shaken by my Romanian experience that I cried uncontrollably for hours on the plane ride back to the States. I was not only shaken, but also compelled to return to Milwaukee and work diligently to be part of a long-term solution to help the children of Romania.
In 1997, with the help of my wife Nora, our children, the church I pastored, and others from Milwaukee, we were able to start building a home for orphan girls in Calarasi, Romania. In 2000, we decided to move our family to Romania. In 2001 we merged our church in with another church, sold our home, gave away our possessions, and were sent out as missionaries to Romania.
We helped direct the daily activities of the girl's home for one year but, in the fall of 2002, the Lord prompted us to step out further. With the help of close friends from Milwaukee, we formed Outstretched Hands of Romania (OH) with its vision, of “raising an army of children and poor to bring the gospel to the unreached parts of Romania.” Part of our plan was to work with, and through, the existing local churches around Calarasi (a fifty-mile radius) to evangelize and establish more churches.
We work with many established churches but have now started eight churches and a Community Centre in a poor area, with three or four more churches planned for 2015.
Equipping, supporting, and mentoring leaders is a vital aspect of OH in order to fulfill our vision of reaching the children and poor. There are over 100 villages around Calarasi which have no Christian influence. The area that we minister in is about .5% Christian. OH has a number of programs which are designed to facilitate the needs of the ministry including functions like supplying Bibles, developing and distributing Christian literature and humanitarian aid.
During our thirteen-plus years on the mission field we have seen an increasing amount of healings and experienced God’s divine provision, but the greatest thing for us was to see God’s hand molding our family into servants on the mission field. Each member of our family has had an important role in OH and has become a missionary in their own right. Being a home-schooling family was an integral part of our ability to remain flexible with the daily demands of a missionary lifestyle. Home-schooling allowed us, as a family, to still remain focused on the Great Commission.
We have been pleased to watch the OH ministry grow in numbers and influence over the years. We now have 30 full time staff here in Calarasi. We had 270 visitors from the United States and other countries last year, while also receiving an increasing number of short-term summer helpers and Bible School students who served with us and gained valuable missions experience.
In 2014 we organized and hosted a regional Pro Life conference, in which 300 people from 10 counties were inspired and trained on how to be a voice for the voiceless unborn. Pro Life ministry opens many new doors to build relationships with government officials and workers in Romania -- in addition to teachers, doctors and nurses -- sharing God’s love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the community and country of Romania.
OH has begun to teach in public schools about abstinence, life at conception, and fetal development. We are currently planning the 2015 Romanian National Pro Life Conference.
We are very glad we said “Yes” to God. He helped us to overcome our fears and unbelief and move forward into our calling and destiny. He has proven Himself to be faithful. We offered Him our lives to go wherever, do whatever, and become whatever He wanted. We see now that we were created to do what we are doing.
I believe that many Christians are fearful to say yes to God and move beyond their normal Christian routine. They are afraid they cannot do much for Him, or give much for Him, and vastly underestimate what He can do through them. Often Christians say, “yes,” with their mouths but, “no,” with their actions and then miss God’s best for their lives and the impact they can have in the lives of those around them. Instead of being part of God’s solution for the spiritual needs of the world, a Christian’s “inaction” becomes part of the world’s problem. The solution is to say, “yes,” to the Lord with our words and honestly do what we can for Him. Too often people only think about what they “cannot do” but there are many things they can do. When they realize that and take action, the Lord takes those things, blesses those actions, and uses them to glorify Himself.
Our “living by faith” lifestyle on the mission field can create the illusion in some minds that we have all that we need for ministry and do not need more help. This is not true! The fact is that the financial burden on a missions endeavor like ours is a monthly challenge to survive and still advance the interests of His Kingdom. We need many more monthly supporters who will faithfully help us to meet the growing needs of the ministry here in Romania. The Bible says, “How shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15). By supporting OH you can actually become a missionary to Romania through our pioneering work. What can YOU do to help us reach the children of Romania?
To Contact OH:
If you would like to know more about Outstretched Hands, please write us at
info@handsofromania.org
To call our Stateside office: 414-297-9851. To visit our website: www.handsofromania.org
To Support OH Financially:
1) Donate Online -- Visit us @ handsofromania.org / click “Donate Now” on the homepage.
2) You can send a check and mail it to:
Outstretched Hands
of Romania
P.O. Box 510052
New Berlin, WI 53151
