CONNECT July – September 2020
agazine M
LIFE UNDER
Lockdown
• When failure turns to success • Earthquake aid report • How God fed a village • Reaping the Harvest • Heart Cry July – September
EDITORIAL
Since our April magazine was published, it seems as if the whole world has changed and we all wait to see what the future will look like. The national lockdowns and restrictions of movement suddenly impacted the regular activities of our partners in Europe and scores of planned events were postponed. It soon became clear that the closure of most businesses and widespread redundancies were causing a loss of vital church income and increased poverty. There was an urgent need to help many hungry families with food and essential supplies, and support some of our partners financially. TEN contacted all 60 partners across Eastern Europe to find out the greatest needs. At the same time, TEN launched the COVID-19 Relief Fund appealing for donations from its UK supporters. The response was immediate and generous, and we thank God for such faithful support. To date, over £35,000 has been received in donations and two rounds of grants have been made to our partners, based on assessed need. These funds have enabled the witness of local churches to continue with targeted distribution of food parcels, community outreach using the internet and live broadcasting of services by the pastors.
Mihai and Monika deliver food to the hungry
TEN has held four online prayer meetings for partners and UK supporters. James, our CEO has also made personal calls to many of our partners. Through these difficulties, the TEN network has proved to be a close-knit family. We share the disappointment felt by our partners and scores of UK Christians concerning the postponement of our programme of summer team church visits and planned visits by TEN staff to partners. However, we believe that God will bring good out of a bad situation. Every day we are receiving stories of hope and we share some of these in the magazine.
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Contents
Welcome As we closed our office and began working from home, we faced a question. How should we respond to the global pandemic? We chose to take a very proactive approach. At the heart of our response has been plenty of prayer and lots of practical support for our partners. It feels like we’ve crammed a year into the last three months. The staff, board, volunteers, and you our supporters have worked together in different ways. We have prayed daily for partners, spoken directly to partners and supporters, shared prayer requests with our team of intercessors and organised online prayer meetings to connect partners and supporters. We launched an emergency COVID-19 Relief Fund to help our partners. A huge thank you to those of you who have responded to the appeal. We have already raised over £35,000 and sent out grants to meet specific needs. Challenges remain, so please continue to support this appeal, if you can at ten-uk.org/give. This issue of Connect and our social media streams are rich with stories of how your support is making a difference. I hope you are encouraged. We are in the same storm but not in the same boat as our partners! Compared to the western churches, survival is a very different experience in Eastern Europe. After weeks of draconian curfews, no prospect of economic assistance for businesses and many thousands of unemployed workers, our partners face uncertain times. But their faith is strong. In 2 Corinthians 8 the Macedonian believers left us an example of how to give with joy and generosity, despite the storm. Finally, I’m delighted to introduce our Harvest for the Hungry 2020 appeal. Vital funds raised will feed thousands of hungry families with food parcels and hot meals. As ever, please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments about our work. Trusting in Christ,
4 Success from failure Serbia 6 Love our neighbours Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 Lockdown was no barrier Croatia 8 Can I give my heart to Jesus Christ online? Romania 9 Getting to grips with technology Moldova 10 Launching a Good News YouTube channel Bosnia and Herzegovina 11 Heart Cry Prayer Diary July – September 15 Stewarding your amazing support! James Vaughton 17 Partner profile Daniel Stracinski 18 Earthquake aid report Albania 20 How God fed a village Bulgaria 21 Who is on my doorstep? 22 Reaping the harvest Harvest for the Hungry
James Vaughton CEO, TEN
3 Cover photo: Preparing food parcels, COVID-19, Plovdiv Bulgaria
God brings success from apparent failure Message by Dusan Beredi, Novi Sad Christian Fellowship, shared with TEN’s Zoom prayer meeting on 20th May
I will share something that is on my heart. Probably, like me, you have changed most of your schedules in the last few weeks. I was invited to speak in so many places and different conferences. I had many plans in front of me and then everything stopped. I asked God “why?“ When you look in the Bible in Acts 14 we see that when the apostle Paul visited Lystra it seemed like a big failure. This is one of the very interesting chapters in Acts because when Paul and Barnabas first visited the city and healed a man who was lame, the people wanted to worship them, but the apostles refused it. Afterwards, the Jews came and stoned apostle Paul. The whole story is really strange because it was a real failure without any success. Nothing good was happening at that moment. Later, when we come to Acts 16, we find that Paul was again in Lystra and he meets a very interesting young man called Timothy. Timothy has a really good testimony. So, when did he become a Christian? From church history and tradition, we find that Timothy became a Christian when
Paul was in Lystra for the first time. Paul was probably living in his home. Maybe, Timothy became a Christian at that time or shortly afterwards. Why do I mention it? Because everything looked like a failure, but out of that ‘failure’, young Timothy became a follower of Jesus Christ. He was destined to become one of the most important disciples of the apostle Paul and a most important influencer of the early church. Tradition tells us that he became Bishop of Ephesus—a really big man of God.
Everything looked like a failure, but out of that ‘failure’, Timothy became a follower of Jesus Christ. 4
So, when we look at the first part of the story, we see failure and nothing really happening, but when we look later, we see that from this failure Timothy became a believer. Suddenly, the story changes and from failure comes news of great success. Do you agree with me? It is really interesting to see in the Bible how situations are transformed. Last year, I was preaching in neighbouring Croatia. When I finished my sermon, an old lady approached me and told me “You know, I used to live in Serbia“. I said, “Really, where?“ And she said, “I lived in a small village, you probably don’t know the name of the village.“ I replied, “I know many villages in Serbia, please tell me where.“ She answered me, “In White Earth, western Serbia“. “Really? And were you a Christian at that time?“ and she told me, “Me and my husband were the only Christians in White Earth for many years and we prayed that something would happen
in our village, but then the war started so we fled Serbia and never returned.“ I said, “Well, I have a really good testimony for you. Ten years ago, I heard about a couple who had come initially to Croatia from Poland as missionaries through Youth with a Mission. They bought land in the small village called White Earth in western Serbia. When I heard this news, I was left thinking, why in the mountains? They opened a base in the village, and I questioned God, why there?“ I asked her, “Did you know that now there is a YWAM mission base in White Earth, Uzice?“ She didn’t know. They had prayed for so many years and nothing happened, or so they thought. Sometimes it looks like a disappointing failure. Right now, we don’t see what is happening. But who knows what will happen in the future? What God is doing today is preparing for tomorrow. Just as Paul found after his first disappointment at Lystra.
They had prayed for so many years and nothing happened, or so they thought. White Earth, Serbia
5
We chose to love our neighbours by Ljiljana Banicek, Banja Luka Christian Fellowship
When COVID-19 hit Bosnia and Herzegovina lots of people felt a sudden impact. Many people lost their jobs and those who were already poor started suffering even more. As a church we were torn between the government safety advice saying, “Stay home and Save lives“ or what the Bible says, “Love your neighbour“. We decided to love our neighbours in a very tangible way and stepped out in faith despite having no available funds. Then TEN blessed us with a grant from its COVID-19 Relief Fund thanks to generous donations from UK
Christians. The grant enabled us to purchase essential supplies for food parcels. When our local friends, who are not believers, heard about the efforts we were making to distribute food parcels, they wanted to help us, so they started bringing items of food. As a result, we have been able to support 80 families across Banja Luka with food parcels each month between March and May. We pray that God will use our visits to these families to work in their hearts—just like He moved us to love our neighbours. We want the families to understand that the food parcels are about so much more than food. They are a gift from God who loves them dearly and cares for them. Please pray for us. Thank you for all your support because without you we wouldn't be able to serve on the front line. Thank you for letting God use you to glorify Him and His work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Volunteers deliver food parcels 6
Lockdown was no barrier By Pastor Vjeko Mrsic
Greetings from Good News church in Split, Croatia. As bad as this COVID-19 virus is, God is always working for the best for those who love Him. Before the start of the coronavirus outbreak in February, we had decided to have water baptisms for two new believers on the first Sunday in May. As a result of the government restrictions on movement and assembly, we were in a lockdown situation from late March. We were unable to hold the baptismal service as planned and moved it into June. On 3rd May, we were finally able to meet as a church with our seating arranged to meet the social distancing requirement. After the service, a young man called Jakov, came to me
Church returns with social distancing measures
and said that he was now ready to get baptised. God had clearly been working in his heart while being in lockdown. He will join the other two believers for baptism in June. God is always at work and I thank Him. Thank you for your prayers and all your help.
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Can I give my heart to Jesus Christ online? By Traian Pascalau, Good News Church in Constanta, Romania
Traian and Elena Pascalau, who lead the Good News Church in Constanta, Romania, have responded to the impact of COVID-19 lockdown by getting connected online with their community. In fact, Traian even managed to offer local church members a crash course on using whatever technology people had available to stay connected. Every day, Pastor Traian shares a message of encouragement for the community, along with praise reports and prayers for those in need. One of the oldest church members, who remembered the time when the church never had a building, said with wise humour, “Pastor always told us that we are the church and if we are the church, we can still sing together and speak with each other. Since the last in-person meeting, three new people have already joined the virtual congregation.
Another lady, who had recently attended the church meeting, asked to stay in touch. She was added to a WhatsApp group and sent us a short message. “I was in your church only once and I already miss it. I wanted to come every Sunday. It was the first time in my life when I felt that God is real. Now I cannot come anymore, I am determined to not let this stop me. Is there a way I can give my heart to Jesus Christ online or do I have to wait?“ She did not have to wait. Traian prayed with her and now she is a Christian. The church is a living organism that is growing, no matter what. Apart from the online meetings, Traian also helps with shopping for food and other essentials on behalf of those people who are unable to leave their homes.
Traian Pascalau delivers food parcels 8
Getting to grips with technology by Serghei Mihailov, Moldova
Due to the ongoing crisis caused by the global spread of COVID-19, Moldovans are fearful of their future. BOL has been able to prepare and deliver 390 food parcels and hygiene kits for mothers with infants.
Many thousands of people have lost their jobs and social assistance from the government is still insignificant when compared with the impacts of the crisis. Although the number of COVID-19 related deaths being reported in Moldova is relatively small, the true scale of the disease is likely to be much greater. In this context, the Beginning of Life (BOL) team in Chisinau has adjusted its programmes and projects to comply with the restrictions, and in order to reach people in need despite lockdown and curfews. For deprived families, BOL has been able to prepare and deliver 390 food parcels and hygiene kits for mothers with infants. The Early Learning Centre and Psychological Art Studio have adapted to provide online classes in combination with special toolkits distributed each week for families to use at home. Teaching materials are now prepared in a form that can be used by people on their own or in a group at a distance. Also, there are organised meetings using Zoom with leaders and trainers who are working online with different groups.
For most of the people, this is a totally new way of facilitating ministry Educational projects related to schools and community have continued through social media, YouTube and Zoom. Employing this new form of communication with youth and teens has required creative solutions. These new arrangements were welcomed not only by the children and youth but also by their parents who also stay at home. The BOL team continue to learn the specifics of working with people online and are getting to grips with the new internet tools. There have been additional costs to make these changes, however, they have avoided making major deviations from the agreed budget.
BOL Art therapy studio goes online 9
Bible Institute launches Good News YouTube channel Slavko Hadžić became a Christian in the early 90s, during the war in the former Yugoslavia, having grown up as a communist and atheist. In 2016 he was appointed as Langham Partnership’s Preaching Coordinator for West Balkans & North Adriatic. For 15 years, Slavko was the pastor of an evangelical church “Kosevsko brdo“ in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and has spent two decades in street evangelism. Slavko is also an evangelist with the Fellowship of Evangelists at Universities of Europe (FEUER). He has been healed twice from cancer. The strict imposition of COVID-19 curfews, quarantined border controls and closure of many businesses, have resulted in the sudden loss of thousands of jobs. By the end of May, the coronavirus had claimed more than 150 deaths, with 2,400 people infected and over 1,744 recovered. Since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, Slavko started recording weekly evangelistic messages and posting them to the church YouTube page and on social media. The response has been very good and already several non-
COVID-19 curfews, quarantined border controls and closure of many businesses, have resulted in the sudden loss of thousands of jobs. Christians who watched the messages have been in touch. Slavko decided to start a new YouTube channel “Dobra Vijest—Good News“, which had been part of the vision for Institute “Good News“ Bible Institute in Sarajevo. All video content will be evangelistic with talks given by different speakers in Bosnian and with English subtitles. For now, there are few sermons in Bosnian, and this one, “Peace in Troubled Times“ is subtitled in English. New material will be posted regularly on their YouTube channel, both in Bosnian and English: Dobra Vijest—Good News. 10
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HEART Prayer requests from across Europe July – September 2020
— JULY 2020 — DANIEL & IRINKA STRACINSKI MONTENEGRO 1 Pray that God would raise up a new generation of leaders for the church in Bar, Montenegro. 2 Pray that the church members in Bar, who lost jobs during the lockdown, will soon find good jobs to provide for their families. 3 Pray that God’s blessing would be upon the recent marriage of Daniel and his wife Irinka as they share in the work of ministry in Bar. 4 Pray for the reopening of church meetings and outreach by the Operation Mobilisation team in Bar, Montenegro. 5 Please pray for Daniel’s mother in Serbia following the recent passing of his father. 6 Pray that God will open the hearts of many people towards the Gospel following the coronavirus pandemic.
TEN TEAM, UK 7 Please pray for TEN’s UK partner churches who support church leaders in Eastern Europe. 8 Thank God for the increased donations to support the work of TEN.
9 Pray that TEN will engage with many more UK churches in the next twelve months. 10 Pray for TEN’s youth ambassadors as they help to present TEN to their generation.
ZOLTAN & TANJA VEGEL SERBIA 11 Please pray for the missionaries considering relocating to Sombor, Serbia. 12 Pray for the outreach that we have planned for the summer season in Sombor. 13 Pray that the whole church in Sombor will become bold in evangelism. 14 Thank God for the unbelievers who have started listening to the church broadcasts online since the lockdown. 15 Praise God that the local believers were able to maintain fellowship during the recent lockdown. 16 Give thanks to God that nobody in the church has been infected by the coronavirus.
BENJAMIN & MARIA ROSA MARTIN SPAIN 17 Pray that God would give us discernment and wisdom to develop alternative events during the summer in the wake of the coronavirus restrictions.
18 Pray that the suspension of the 2020 summer camps will not result in discouragement by the children and teens. 19 Pray that many people would turn to God as we emerge from the extraordinary limitations placed on the regular ministry. 20 Give thanks that our family and the churches we lead in Spain have been free from coronavirus infection. 21 Thank God for the church members who have faithfully continued in discipleship by phone calls and virtual meetings.
— AUGUST 2020 — ICO & JAGODA MATULIĆ CROATIA 1 Please pray that the church in Korcula would soon find a new place in which to meet. 2 Pray for the Jesus Scout camps for young people taking place in Istria during the summer. 3 Pray for the preparation and plans for evangelistic outreach later in the year.
22 Praise God that the church has been able to cover the needs of several couples and three refugees during the weeks of the health crisis.
4 Give thanks that Croatia escaped the severity of the coronavirus with low rates of infection and fatalities.
23 Please pray that the migrants we are reaching out to will become strong in their faith.
5 Praise God for His protection of the church during the COVID-19 crisis and the strengthening of our fellowship.
TEN TEAM, UK
6 Thank God for the return to church services and the joyful reunion of church members.
24 Please pray for all UK supporters who have faced personal challenges during the coronavirus lockdown. 25 Give thanks for the generosity of UK supporters who donated funds towards the COVID-19 Relief Fund. 26 Pray for the trustees of TEN who voluntarily oversee the work of the staff team and volunteers. 27 Pray for James Vaughton as Chief Executive Officer as he leads the organisation and helps to fulfil the vision of TEN. 28 Please pray for TEN’s volunteer Ambassadors as they reach out to UK churches and promote the work of TEN. 29 Give thanks for the service and dedication of TEN’s many pioneers including Dave Foster, Gary Cox, Rosemary Boulton and Derek Wade. 30 Pray for the success of the Harvest for the Hungry 2020 appeal so that many families in Eastern Europe will receive food parcels and hot meals. 31 Pray for Ken, Chilli, Melanie, Bob and Naomi as they serve as TEN staff members. May God inspire their minds and strengthen their hearts.
JOVICA & SAVKA BACVANSKI MONTENEGRO 7 Pray for all the families who have received food parcels thanks to the generosity of TEN’s UK supporters. May God touch their lives. 8 Please pray for the provision of new transport to help us fulfil our ministry in Podgorica. 9 Pray for the church as we emerge from the restrictions forced on us by the coronavirus pandemic. 10 Give thanks that the church is now able to meet, even with the wearing of face masks and social distancing. 11 Praise God that the online weekly preaching from home during lockdown reached over 1,300 people. 12 Rejoice with us that after many years we were able to move into a new family apartment—our old apartment was in bad condition and leaking.
GAVRIL & AGHI COVACI ROMANIA 13 Please pray that the people who turned towards Christ during the COVID-19 crisis will come into the fellowship of the church.
25 Pray that the reorganised summer camps will be successful despite the absence of teams coming from other countries. 26 Give thanks for the growing number of people in Serbia reached with the Gospel through the online services.
14 Pray for the Roma people to recover, in health and finance, after the severe effects of lockdown.
27 Thank God that the pandemic failed to impact Serbia as at first expected.
15 Pray for Pastor Gavril and his wife Aghi as they oversee the growth of churches in Romania.
TEN TEAM, UK
16 Pray for a family in Tinca and also an individual in Tarcea who need a place to live. 17 Please pray for Pastor Gavril, his wife Aghi and their family to be sustained as they continue to support the mission churches at Tarcea and Vășad, and seek the Lord's guidance for other places to evangelise. 18 Pray that the discipleship programmes will soon resume and the people will be mobilised for God's work.
ERION & GENTIANA CUNI ALBANIA 19 Please pray that the many hundreds of people who watched the services online during the lockdown will come to faith. 20 Thank God for the help and support given to the church by TEN during the coronavirus crisis. 21 Pray for all those who lost their jobs during the pandemic restrictions. May God provide new work for them. 22 Pray for all Albanian pastors as they plan their church services and activities in the aftermath of the pandemic.
28 Pray for God’s blessing upon the UK churches who partner with churches in eastern Europe. 29 Please pray that God would ignite fresh interest for mission in Eastern Europe among UK supporters. 30 Pray that UK church teams will be encouraged to plan visits to Eastern Europe in 2021. 31 Pray that the TEN team will be guided by God in all its activities and decisions.
— SEPTEMBER 2020 — DRAGAN & BILJANA MANEV NORTH MACEDONIA 1 Please pray for the planned evangelistic home visits scheduled to take place in September. 2 Pray for our home church in Resen and especially for brother Stiven, as he grows in his faith. 3 Pray for the small summer camp that we are planning with one family in the beautiful village of Brajcino.
23 Please pray that a fresh move of the Holy Spirit will empower the witness of the churches.
4 Thank God for Jordan who came to faith during lockdown. He is being discipled and his wife Donka is already a believer.
DUSAN & MIRJANA BEREDI SERBIA
5 Thank God for the Manev children, Daniel and Marija who have grown in their faith during the weeks of lockdown.
24 Please pray that the young men in the Rehabilitation Centre will grow in their faith following the quarantine and restrictions.
6 Give thanks to God for His creation which has been such a blessing to the people of North Macedonia during the lockdown of schools and businesses.
VANCE & TANJA GOLOMEOV NORTH MACEDONIA 7 Please pray for the church as meetings resume following the lockdown.
20 Pray that God would strengthen the believers and spread a good testimony among the local community of Tigheci. 21 Pray that young people in the church would be equipped and united as they grow into adults.
8 Pray that God would reach many people in Shtip through the Zoom services and regular meetings on Sundays.
22 Pray that the church would have a clear vision in its ministry.
9 Give thanks for the safe return of Ivan Petrov from the Bible School in the USA.
DRAGAN & SANDRA NEDIC BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
VASILE GRIGORITA MOLDOVA
23 Give thanks for the online services of the Kosevsko brdo Church that reached over 4,000 people during lockdown.
10 Pray that God would speak into the lives of those who visit the church day care centre in Brinza. 11 Please pray for the 20 needy families who received food parcels. 12 Pray that the children who attend activities at the church centre would put their trust in God.
TEN TEAM, UK 13 Give thanks for the hundreds of people who support the work of TEN financially. 14 Pray for increased donations to the Harvest for the Hungry 2020 appeal. 15 Pray for wisdom and creativity for the team who produce the Connect magazine every three months. 16 Give thanks for the intercessors who pray constantly for all those involved in the mission of TEN.
24 Thank God for the restart of church services in Sarajevo and pray for wisdom to handle the social distancing. 25 Pray for the fifteen single parents who were supported with food parcels. 26 Pray for the Living in Truth group in support of teenagers and the discipleship programme.
JOSIP & BILJANA PASTOR NORTH MACEDONIA 27 Pray that the church will be even more united and filled with new fire from the Holy Spirit. 28 Pray that the people of Bitola will realise their need for God and that revival will come. 29 Please pray for wisdom and vision for the church in Bitola at this time. 30 Pray that the young people will experience God in a powerful way this autumn. Â
17 Pray that TEN will be guided by God as plans are made for 2021. 18 Thank God for every precious partner of TEN and their families as they fulfil their divine callings.
VALERIU & ANGELA MUNTEANU MOLDOVA 19 Please pray that the preaching of the Gospel would reach many more people in Moldova.
Due to the cancellation of many outreach events and summer camps, our latest prayer diary includes thanksgiving for answered prayer and some requests on behalf of the TEN team. If you wish to join our intercessors group and receive weekly requests for prayer, please get in touch with Melanie Griffiths by email; melanie.griffiths@ten-uk.org or call 0117 9615161.
Stewarding your amazing support!
James Vaughton, CEO TEN
In the last magazine I asked if you would prayerfully consider your giving to TEN, and you responded. Thank you so much. We saw new donors start giving and others increase their support. I am so encouraged by this and particularly as we now face the uncertainties around the economic impact of COVID-19. Your backing is as vital as ever! In a follow up to my article in April, I want to share a little more about how your help makes a difference. Whilst there are some obvious wants that your giving funds, such as buying food parcels or Bibles or supporting a specific partner, there are some needs that are less apparent. These include providing emotional support to our partners, praying with them as individuals and enabling them to develop their ministries. While talking recently with our partners, I’ve heard how much they appreciate not only the financial support but equally how much they appreciate the personal contact. Zoom video calls, messaging and emails all show that we stand with them and partners know they are not alone.
Ljiljana Banicek from Bosnia and Herzegovina told me, “Thank you James. We need your prayers and we appreciate them!“ In response to a COVID-19 grant, another partner said, “The amount you gave is not important, but your concern is what matters. I see this as a sign from God that He is with me and my family. I really enjoyed the Zoom prayer times you organised.“ The ministry you are praying for and giving to means so much to our partners, so thank you! The final thing to mention is that TEN is now registered with the UK Fundraising Regulator. We have done this to demonstrate publicly that TEN does all it can to be good stewards of your giving. The logo you see on this page tells you we are committed to good fundraising practice.
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Daniel Stracinski
Daniel and Irinka Stracinski
Daniel is a Serbian church planter in Bar, Montenegro, persevering against the odds to plant a church in this country, which today, has around 250 evangelical believers. Daniel is a long-standing partner of TEN who has recently married Irinka from Ukraine. They plan to serve God together in ministry. Daniel shares his story, “During my military service nearly 20 years ago in Montenegro, God laid on my heart a great burden; a concern for the lost people in this republic. For me, it was impossible to accept the fact, that in the entire republic, there was no church and just two mission workers. “He called me. I was not prepared for that call, but God encouraged me and was present in every situation, and through every need. I had a vision from God showing me that He has great plans for His people in Montenegro, and He just wanted me to have faith in Him. “For five years I lived with no financial support, but God looked after me every step of my way. In the beginning it was very difficult. I often faced persecution from the police, disappointments and opposition from
many people, but God was faithful. God encouraged and comforted me, working in me and teaching me that I am not alone in this situation, but that if I put my trust in Him He will do great things. “I found myself living in a Muslim environment where I began working with children and young people, with the support of the local authorities. They provided a room in one of their properties where we could hold our meetings, and soon parents were joining us for the service. Two years later, the room where we held our meetings was burned to the ground and I was accused of wrongdoing. I found myself in the situation of having no money, no room, and with the question why and what now? “Then my church in Serbia decided that they would regularly support my ministry and God sent me an OM (Operation Mobilisation) team of national workers. How wonderful and how faithful is our God. Now, many years later, in the city of Bar we have regular services, a new generation of believers and a stream of students at our Bible school and language café.“ 17
Earthquake aid report
Photo credit: Dipartimento Protezione Civile
By Hervin Fushekati, International School of Theology and Leadership, Albania
On 26th November 2019, Albania was hit by an earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4 Richter, which affected the areas in DurrÍs, Tirana, Kruja, Laç, Lezha. Thousands of buildings were damaged, more than 14,000 people were made homeless, sheltered in hotels, public buildings, tents and with relatives. 18
Thousands of people were injured and 51 people lost their lives. Worst hit areas were Durrës and Thumanë. Buildings and homes verified as dangerous are presently being pulled down. As we write this account, we are thankful for TEN’s prayers and support to us and to the Kingdom of God here in Albania. At the International School of Theology and leadership (ISTL) we have students from the affected areas. They have been sharing all the needs with us and were calling for help. We so are thankful that Transform Europe Network responded to our call for help. With the financial aid that they donated, we were able to maximise our impact by helping towards all transport and operational costs as well as distributing food parcels, bedding and bags of clothing. This aid was sent to the churches of students, pastors and leaders who have their ministries in the affected areas. Our aid was primarily facilitated through two churches in Durrës area and one in Vora as follows: The Christian Centre of Durrës and the Nehemia Centre in Durrës each distributed 150 food boxes containing 2kg flour, two litres of sunflower oil, two packets of spaghetti, two packets of pasta, 2kg rice, 2kg sugar, two
packets of multivitamins. Also, there were 200 boxes with clothes for men, women, children’s toys, 100 bags with blankets, sheets and shoes. This aid supported 300 families who had damaged houses or were living in tents. The church invited these people into their church building, to get to know them and to share the Gospel. Our ISTL students were very active in sharing the love of God with the lost, sharing the living hope where there appeared no hope, and preaching the Gospel in their community.
It was of great privilege to serve this group of people that had lost their hope. The Good Seed Church served the community in Vora. This church also distributed 150 food boxes and 100 boxes of mixed clothes. They distributed the aid mostly to the families that were living in tents after the earthquake. It was a great privilege to serve this group of people that had lost their hope. Sharing the love of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ with them, in their poor villages, fills us with joy and strength to continue forward. 19
Photos: Bible students hand out food parcels (top), Earthquake supplies handed out (bottom)
How God fed a village during the pandemic by Ivan Ivanov, Mission Possible, Bulgaria
Quarantine and restrictions because of COVID-19 have brought many Bulgarian families to the verge of poverty and dire hunger. Thousands of people have lost their jobs and are now struggling for survival. The need for bread and essential products has become so severe that children are literally starving in the villages. Mission Possible supports one of the poorest districts in Bulgaria, sharing the Gospel for the Kingdom and providing hundreds of food parcels during the pandemic time. We realised that if we could manage to provide flour, these poor families would be able to bake their own bread. My wife and I went to buy flour and were surprised to meet pastor Bojidar from the village of Sotirya. He told us how hungry the people from his village were. Last month they had some money collected in the church, so they
bought some flour, but this month they could not afford to do the same. His helpers had suggested taking out a high-interest loan from the bank to buy flour now, and later they would see how to repay the debt. Pastor Bojidar was sharing this burden with tears in his eyes, but I could hardly contain my joy. Only the day before, I was asking God to show me the right place to take our extra supplies of flour. Which place was most badly in need? God had heard the prayers of both of us and had prepared the answer. That very evening we were able to give out bags of flour to fifty families in Sotirya. The children were leaping with joy around the mission van and were telling their mothers to hurry up and prepare something to eat. The sight was amazing! I could see how God provided for the great need and filled up the hearts of all the people of the village with gratitude. Mission Possible Bulgaria—Gifts of flour 20
Who is on my doorstep? by James Vaughton, CEO
A few years ago, I remember God speaking clearly to me through the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, as told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31. The question that lingered was, who is on my doorstep? Was I in danger of being the rich man—ignoring those on my doorstep— consciously or subconsciously? We are understandably concerned about COVID-19, for our families, our friends, our communities but what about the forgotten, the hidden and the marginalised communities sitting ‘on our doorstep’? I’m writing about Europe’s 10 million Roma people who migrated from India in the Middle Ages and are now found mainly in the Balkans, some central European states, Spain, France, Russia and Ukraine. Today, around 80% of Europe’s Roma people live in makeshift buildings located in overcrowded neighbourhoods on the edge of towns and cities. In one community I visited last year there was a single water tap for the whole village. Normally reliant on the cash earnt through manual labour, begging and seasonal work, the impact of coronavirus lockdown has meant that the Roma are not able to make a living and left asking how they might feed their families. We may feel some relief about the easing
of lockdown, wondering whether we might be able to take a holiday abroad later this year. For Roma people on our doorstep, malnutrition is a greater risk than COVID-19. Our UK partner, Andrew Saxton of Life2Romania, reminds me that the Roma are a humble and generous people and increasing numbers are turning to Jesus and attending church in search of hope at these times. During the present crisis and with your support, TEN has been able to bring aid to several Roma communities, enabling local pastors to bring life and hope.
Help for the Roma people in Bulgaria 21
arvest H
Reaping the
We thank God for a bumper harvest following the generous giving of UK supporters to our 2019 Harvest for the Hungry appeal. Grants averaging £1,000 were sent out to 16 partners committed to reaching out to the poor in Eastern Europe. Here are some of the results‌
16 adults and children received hot meals for 12 weeks during the colder months in Romania.
861 children and 916 adults received food parcels during the winter months.
50 adults and children provided with monthly food parcels for a whole year in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Lasting fruit Eight years ago, Boris Pavlov in Novi Sad, Serbia came to faith after receiving a Harvest for the Hungry food parcel. He has since planted two house churches attended regularly by twenty people and remains an ardent follower of Jesus Christ.
Over 6,000 hot meals served to Roma families during the four months of winter in the Bulgarian village of Ihtiman. 22
Food parcels distributed in Albania
A lady in Kosova gratefully receives her food parcel Earthquake victim in Albania receives food parcel
Homeless people in Serbia invited to share a meal each month
KINDNESS
orgotten F
IS NEVER
PLEASE DONATE
Text HARVEST2020NOW to 70085 to give £15 and feed a family in Eastern Europe for a week. Texts cost £15 plus your standard network rate.
www.harvestforthehungry.org
