The Gospel moves forward in Romania.

Romania (MNN)–In the years since the fall of communism in Romania, AMG has been very active insharing the Good News in this spiritually needy nation.

Utilizing childcare, newspaper Gospel ads, and national church planters, there has been tremendous progress for the cause of the Gospel. Many new churches have been started as a result of these combined efforts, and many souls have come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

In a recent report from the field, AMG teams say there are seven hundred individuals who correspond with them as a result of the Gospel ads placed in local newspapers. Through this process, those who write are encouraged to become involved in Bible correspondence courses. As they study they respond to the gospel and eventually join a local church.

Some of those who respond are prisoners. The number of prisoners who took the correspondence courses increased from 6 to 110 in one year. “Your studies are of real help to me, and I have decided to become God’s child,” writes Viorel, a prisoner. Another wrote, “I want to thank you for helping me to know more about Jesus Christ. I want to surrender my life, my heart, my all to Him.”

It is also exciting to read the reports of our national church planters. Mihai serves in an area called Carapcesti. A new children’s ministry has started there and is growing quickly. This is an area where opposition from the state church had resulted in the spread of rumors that our national workers would sacrifice children on the altar.
Although the new church is growing, so is the opposition. The local state priest went to every family and gathered all the Bibles that were given out, saying that these were not official Bibles.

Ionel, who serves in an area called Surdila, has been very involved in evangelistic activities. These have included the distribution of hundreds of copies of Scriptures, three hundred books called The Story of Jesus, and hundreds of other Christian books and magazines. Through all these, people are coming to Christ for salvation. According to the report, ten new Christians asked to be baptized.

Beniamin shared a wonderful story. It involved a thirty-five-year-old man who had been sent by the local state priest to Beniamin’s meetings to spy on what happened there. He and three other men had been instructed to take a church member, beat him up, and destroy the building in which the meetings were taking place. However, God worked in a wonderful way in this man’s heart, and he came to know the Lord. He wants his family to know Jesus as well.

It is truly amazing to see how the Lord is using AMG’s national workers. They are very effective because they face no language or cultural barriers. Although the cost of supporting a national worker varies from country to country, it averages $50 a month.