CONNECT
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October – December 2021
ustain S
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Sustainable Serbia Partnership with Burlacu Planting in the Polytunnel Via Egnatia: Counting the Miles The Amazing Story of Besa Shapllo
EDITORIAL
Sustainability We are all too aware of the dramatic changes taking place across the world. Disasters are occurring on every continent. COVID has also taken many lives and caused much suffering, isolation, and hardship. Sudden calamities of fire and flood fill our news screens and there are grave concerns about the sustainability of the earth’s climate.
This edition of Connect is focussed on sustainability. You will read about innovative solutions to address local needs and be reminded that our partner churches in Eastern Europe look to God to supply their needs. There is a deep desire to become less dependent on the West and avoid over-reliance on UK churches. At TEN we wish to encourage sustainable communities. The well-known saying, “Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime,” suggests a model of self-reliance. As Christians we go much further. Our faith is anchored to a faithful God who promises to meet our needs. Every week we witness the amazing generosity of our supporters, who prompted by God, give in response to specific needs and often ‘where most needed’. What a joy it is to send your gifts to our partners. We never take this ministry lightly and are humbled to play our part. We are delighted to include our updated Essential Gifts Catalogue. You can choose the gift you want us to send to those in need.
At TEN we are privileged to work with partners who have endured suffering and contended with widespread persecution. Our work began behind the Iron Curtain, where evangelical churches were largely underground— invisible to the Communist authorities. The church thrived during such challenging times and produced men and women of God who today fulfil vital ministries and are raising up a new generation of leaders.
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Contents
Welcome I have run about three miles every day for the last three months to complete my Via Egnatia challenge. In doing so I have enjoyed seeing the seasons change; the wheat collected and the bales of hay sitting in the fields are a reminder of God’s harvest. We are hearing of a harvest in Eastern Europe and the Balkans at this time. Partners keep telling us of people responding to the good news of Jesus! It has been encouraging to read of camps running again where many have welcomed Jesus into their lives. At a youth camp in North Macedonia, five teenagers were baptised in the nearby river! It has been wonderful to see pictures of the youth conference in Albania, where leaders have been trained and copies of youth resource SOUL (Christianity Explored for young people— funded through TEN), have been given to local church leaders. I was recently on a video call with Hervin Fushekati (whilst he rode a bike through Tirana!) and was encouraged to hear about developments of the theological training school in Albania. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the spiritually toughest nations in Europe, Dario Kapin has an open door in the town of Derventa, where he seeks to plant a new church. In the UK we look forward to the testing of TENteach and the launch of our For the Nations mission resource. For others, it has been tough. Several of our partners or members of their families have ongoing health issues, and Covid’s shadow continues to fall on some. Thank you for your prayers which—as I hope you will see and read—are a vital part in God’s good plans for those we (that includes you) partner in the gospel to bring in His harvest. In Christ who is the Lord of the Harvest.
4 News Snippets 5 Working towards greater indigenous sustainability in Eastern Europe 6 Sustainable Serbia 8 What's the buzz in Zenica? Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 Polytunnel in Romania – Blessed to Bless 10 Our Partnership with Burlacu Baptist Church Moldova 11 Heart Cry Prayer Diary October – December 18 Walking the Via Egnatia virtually… 20 The amazing story of Besa Shapllo Albania 22 Latest News 23 Essential Gifts – Thank You
Cover photo: A family in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina now breed chickens.
James Vaughton, CEO, TEN 3
s t e p p i n S TEN
Ursoaia Baptist Church, Moldova Pastor Mihail Hiorescu shares great news from the church. Three new believers were baptised in water and a five-day camp for children was enjoyed by many.
Rock of Ages, Romania Mircea and Ronela Cristian tell us that the Bible study programme aimed at prisoners is developing wonderfully. Almost every day they receive new requests to start the programme, and especially from prisons new to the work of Rock of Ages.
Dario Kapin, Biblical Protestant Church, Bosnia and Herzegovina
CASA Grace, Romania Monika Mahr reports on the challenges resulting from lockdown and COVID that have severely impacted the work and resulted in personal ongoing health issues. The team has made a great effort to provide support for families experiencing the most poverty. The Kingdom Kids ministry, which supports severely disabled children has continued, thanks to Dora and the team who kept in touch with parents and carers.
We are so thankful to Jesus who opened doors for Amila, a girl who is severely disabled and unable to walk. We prayed and shared the need for donations towards a new wheelchair. We received a donation from one dear family in Sweden and were able to purchase Amila’s wheelchair. Please pray for Amila and her father, who is widowed and has had to leave his job as a baker to care for Amila.
Photo: Dora holds the hand of a severely disabled child.
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Working towards greater indigenous sustainability in Eastern Europe by James Vaughton, CEO
TEN is committed to do what we can to help partners move towards sustainability for the building of God’s kingdom, in all areas of their ministries. TEN has always been at the forefront of working towards Christian leaders being locally sustainable. We’ve done this through supporting the resourcing and raising up of indigenous leaders since Dave Foster first ventured behind the Iron Curtain and Gary Cox made it clear that Eurovangelism would stand with Danny and Vera in Serbia. We continue to see the development of centres of training for ministry, run by in-country leaders. Following in the footsteps of Emanuel University in Romania, TEN has supported the development of ISTL in Albania, Mathetis Bible School in Romania and Bible schools in North Macedonia and Kosovo. Local leaders no longer need to travel to Western Europe for good quality theological training! It would be fair to say that local financial sustainability remains a mountain to be climbed. Wonderfully, several of our partners have diversified their support from reliance on some western donors and engaged in TEN’s matched funding programmes, and
others have set up small businesses to sustain their ministries. In line with TEN’s approach of supporting local leaders we continue to look for ways to support local partners where they are developing more local financial sustainability. In this edition of Connect you will read of some of the ways our partners, supported by TEN are taking on this challenge. Please pray for this work.
Photo: Sofia Baptist Church, Bulgaria – Zhar Studio 5
Sustainable Serbia by Nesa and Vesna Radeka
TEN partners, Nesa and Vesna have great confidence that God has called them to influence the world around them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are constantly exploring, questioning, and wrestling with new and creative ways to live out and communicate the teachings of Jesus. The most important thing for them is to encourage people to choose life by declaring Jesus as their personal Saviour and Lord. “We have a vision. Our dream is to plant and grow a healthy, vibrant, dynamic, church in Novi Sad with several hundred members and to help start multiple church plants in our nation of Serbia, and throughout the Balkan region.
“Our mission is to reach and influence people around us, helping them to encounter God through Jesus, changing their mindset, connecting them to one another, and sending them out to influence their world. “In order to achieve this we have created a plan for sustainability. Our aim is to reduce support from the West by creating a more sustainable ministry locally. We wish to make full use of our multi-storey church premises in Novi Sad. “The first phase of the initiative is to develop a soft play centre for
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families to enable greater connection with the local community and to further the sustainability of the local church. The project will aim to provide employment for two people and to financially support our ministry to young mothers, A Place for Me, and our winter compassion programme. “The soft play centre is the first of three businesses we would like to establish. The population of Novi Sad has grown to 400,000 and thousands of families live in confined apartments with limited play space. The new centre will provide a vital space in an urban setting for play. “In order to generate income we will offer pre-booked play sessions for birthday parties, for which there is strong demand. Thanks to a mix of donations and loans, we have been able to purchase and install the play equipment and are ready to launch the project. TEN is actively supporting this creative plan.” Following the launch of the soft play centre this autumn, the church hopes to open a café and finally a hostel. Photos: The new soft play centre and climbing wall
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What's the buzz in Zenica? Raised in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dario Kapin was saved in 1991. Following graduation from Bible school in Sweden he had a call from God to move to Serbia. Soon after his arrival, Dario met and went on to marry Silvija from Novi Sad, Serbia in 1995. Dario became a church elder for six years before relocating to Bosnia and Herzegovina to plant a new church in Zenica. It began with their family of four, including Ruth and Deborah. Zenica is the fourth largest city in the country and is 95% Muslim with great challenges and deep-seated prejudice toward evangelical churches. For the past 15 years Dario has been a TEN partner, working initially with Gary Cox and later with Gerry Partridge to distribute food parcels to the poor. He has actively served the needs of the local Jewish community during Hanukkah/Christmas. Dario’s approach to evangelism is personal encounter, meetings over coffee and raising awareness through the media, including TV appearances, radio interviews, organising Christian
concerts and the displaying of largescale billboards proclaiming the Gospel and the protestant church. Dario has gained the respect of local officials and the mayor of Deventa as he continues to help the poor and work towards sustainability. When Silvija began to suffer from a chronic digestive complaint, a friend suggested that she try drinking lukewarm water with a spoonful of honey every day. After Silvija's recovery, Dario began to research beekeeping. He saw this as an opportunity to produce and distribute honey and spread its beneficial use. After several challenging seasons, the project has grown considerably. A large plot of land has been purchased in Derventa, bee-loving blossomed trees have been planted and the hives are now seated on dry, concrete bases. The bee project is generating income and providing seasonal employment. Dario is preparing for a new church plant in the city of Derventa. Good connections have already been made with the local mayor and there are several promising signs for this more Orthodox community. Translation of billboard into English: Left side: Emmanuel, Light of the world, Redeemer, Love, King of kings, Good Shepherd, Messiah Right side: Resurrection, Lamb of God, Judge, Grace, Alpha and Omega, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, Son of God, Saviour 8
Bottom: Truth Way Life
Polytunnel in Romania – Blessed to Bless Four years ago, Daniel Chiriac, who leads Agape Church in Sinoe, Romania, bought 4,000 square metres of land and set up an irrigation system to grow crops as a community venture. He used his own wages to do this, having got the idea after working for a year in a greenhouse in Spain. To develop this project even further, Daniel wanted to build a polytunnel. The polytunnel, which is fully recyclable, protects the crops and allows them to be harvested out of season, if necessary. This enables the crops to be sold after harvest time when the market is less saturated. Currently, it is just Daniel and his family who are maintaining the land and this is taking up precious time needed to serve in the church, so he needs a bigger team. Daniel’s plan is to reinvest the income generated to provide jobs for church members. Having worked abroad, Daniel understands what a blessing it is to not leave your family in order to financially support them. Daniel hopes that the work will inspire other similar projects in the area, creating even more job opportunities in Sinoe. TEN is delighted to provide Daniel with the grant needed to grow his vision of sustainability. The first polytunnel has been built, complete with irrigation system and Daniel hopes to build more. Funds generated from this project will not only provide income but anything that remains can be reinvested into the project and the church’s ministry. And Daniel has been tithing the harvest too, by giving away ten percent of the land’s produce to families in need. As Daniel works to bless others, we’re confident that God will make the harvest grow. 9
Our Partnership with Burlacu Baptist Church by Lance Mason, Pastor of Stockwood Free Church, Bristol
“Give and it will be given to you.” So begins Luke 6:38, a verse whose deep truth has been tested and proved many times in my church’s relationship with our partners in Moldova. This small country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, with a population of around 3.5 million (and falling), is the poorest country in Europe. Signs of the former Soviet occupation remain everywhere. The twin dead-weights of bureaucracy and corruption stifle economic and social progress. And yet—or perhaps because of this—the Baptist Church is thriving in the country. For many years, Stockwood Free Church has had the joy and privilege of partnering with the Baptist Church in Burlacu, a very poor village about three hours’ drive from the capital of Moldova, Chisinau.
We have visited our friends four times and they've visited us twice. I count Andrei, the Pastor, and his family as close friends; we regularly speak to one another. The thrill of supporting the local community, and especially of encouraging the church, is amazing. Our journeys to Burlacu have given us insights into a different culture that we could never gain online. Mission is now very real to Stockwood Free Church—a named village, a named pastor and his family. And it doesn’t stop there. I often talk to Stockwood residents about our partnership. “Where is Moldova?”, they ask. So begin many fruitful conversations in my own local community; Andrei has unknowingly become a missionary to Stockwood!
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TEN welcome s interest from UK churc hes regarding new church p artnerships. For more info rmation conta ct: melanie.griffi ths@ten-uk.o rg
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HEART Prayer requests from across Europe October – December 2021
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— OCTOBER 2021 — VJEKO & JOSIPA MRSIC CROATIA 1 On the 1st–3rd of October we have Outback weekend for parents and teens. Please pray that campers will come with open hearts for the Lord to work. 2 Pray for the new believers to grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ. 3 Pray for this autumn’s evangelistic five-week series, I Love My Church. Please pray that church members will invite their friends and for open hearts towards Jesus. 4 Rejoice with us. Last year, in the middle of lockdown, we started Alpha course with nine attendees. With the grace of God, eight of them have finished the course, three got saved and were baptised a few weeks ago and three are still coming to the church. Nobody got sick!
5 Praise God that during the summer around 400 campers joined with us at Camp Focus and nobody got Covid infection. 6 Pray for the five people baptised this summer and for the two teens who decided to make a covenant with God.
JOSIP & BILJANA PASTOR NORTH MACEDONIA 7 Join us in prayer for our outdoor outreach in Bitola during the autumn. 8 Thank God for the young woman who wishes to be baptised in water. 9 We have had a great start forming a Royal Rangers detachment. Please pray for the young people taking part in the scouting activities. 10 Many elderly residents in Bitola need to live in a nursing home. Pray that our vision to provide domiciliary care will be fulfilled.
11 We have a growing work among children and young people. Pray that the Holy Spirit will change their lives and bring them to faith.
23 It costs money to travel to and from school for our older children. Please pray that funds will cover this expenditure. It’s an investment into their future lives.
DRAGAN & BILJANA MANEV NORTH MACEDONIA
24 Good school grades are vital for children wishing to progress. The children will be encouraged to know that you are praying for them.
12 Pray for brother James from the TEN office as he is plans to visit North Macedonia 11th to 13th October 2021. 13 Pray for the health system in North Macedonia as we face the possibility of further waves of the Covid virus. 14 Pray that the work of our Hope Centre in Resen will not be impacted by Covid restrictions during the autumn. 15 This week the election of local mayors takes place across North Macedonia. Please pray that God will raise up godly leaders. 16 Pray for our new believers, including Kirche who desires to attend Bible school and also Letka who is a lady from our neighbourhood. 17 Pray for the full recovery of my wife Biljana, who broke her leg some months ago.
MARIAN & IONICA ŞERBAN ROMANIA 18 We praise God for answers to prayer. At Project Romanian Rescue (PRR), we managed to run a summer camp in the mountains. 19 Thank God for our staff member who has recovered from surgery and is ready to return to the team. 20 Please pray for our staff member, Nutzi who has resigned from PRR to take care of her sick husband. Also pray for a suitable replacement for her. 21 It is very daunting for each new girl who arrives at our residence. Pray that they will quickly feel loved and part of our big family. 22 This autumn we have an important inspection from the Romanian state authorities, who monitor our activities. Please pray that the visit will go well and we will keep our license.
ZOLTAN & TANJA VEGEL SERBIA 25 We have passed through a challenging season. Please pray for perseverance among the new Christians. 26 We are starting a new Bible workshop aimed at new and non-Christians. I would appreciate your prayers as I provide training on relational evangelism and discipleship for our church. 27 Pray for more open doors to meet people who are seeking to know God. 28 Lidia is a foster mother who cares for two teenage siblings who were suddenly orphaned. Pray for wisdom and open hearts for the gospel. 29 Please pray that marriages in our church would be strengthened and enabled to cope with difficult times.
VLADIMIR & MARLJANA CIZMANSKI, MONTENEGRO 30 We are switching to meet together in home groups. Please pray for God’s blessing upon each home and to keep us all safe from Covid. 31 Our plans for a new church building remain held up with bureaucracy. Please pray for a breakthrough.
— NOVEMBER 2021 — SLAVKO & SANJA HADZIC BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1 The FEUER (Fellowship of Evangelists at Universities of Europe) conference is scheduled
to take place from 28 October to 1 November. Please pray that Covid restrictions will allow safe travel for all participants and that the following mission weeks will be blessed with fruitful evangelistic events. 2 Pray that many people will watch the talks on the evangelistic YouTube channel, Good News, and those lives will be changed.
MISSION POSSIBLE ALBANIA 3 Let the breeze of God blow on the lives of the youth of the Hope Centre and especially those who have proclaimed the faith over the past three years. May God reveal to them His plans in their new life in Christ as they serve as volunteers in kids’ camp. 4 Pray for fruitful ministries in the new season of the Hope Centre and may the activities be a blessing to the community and exalt the living God. 5 Pray that God will provide new resources, finances, and fruitful cooperation for the work of Mission Possible in Albania in fulfilment of His plan for the salvation of the lost. 6 Pray that the Community Library of Bathore will be an instrument that God will use to bring more children and youth to the ministries of the Hope Centre. Prayer for the Christian Book Club and for the saved youth so they can continue to grow in faith.
NESA & VESNA RADEKA SERBIA 7 Please pray for Serbia, for Christians, and churches to stand for life in a country with exceptionally high rates of abortion. 8 Pray for open hearts and that our clients will hear the gospel message. At this difficult time our women are facing unplanned pregnancies, going through post-abortion Bible studies or staying in our NEST maternity home. 9 Please pray for the funds needed to build the NEST Maternity Home designed especially for mothers and babies.
10 This autumn we will run our Love Approach training for those who want to know how to counsel others coping with an unplanned pregnancy. 11 Pray for our fundraiser, BAZAR—selling of the donated clothes and toys and books. We wish to help more pregnant women and mothers with babies who are without support of their partner or family. 12 We praise God for the young woman who has recently committed her life to Christ after going through the SaveOne post-abortion Bible study! How fantastic it was to be part of her healing journey! 13 Praise the Lord for the generous grant of $125,000 that we have been awarded for the building of the NEST maternity home. We now have all the necessary paperwork and the first building phase is about to start. 14 Praise the Lord for all the brave women who chose life for their baby in a very difficult situations.
MISSION POSSIBLE ALBANIA 15 As we plan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mission Possible in Albania, we pray that God will guide us to make the right decisions. May it be a day of joy and light for all who have served over 30 years and for all the precious Mission Possible contributors. 16 In this month of independence and liberation of Albania, may the Spirit of God act through churches, through organisations, through believers, for deliverance, healing and salvation of the Albanian nation.
SLAVKO & SANJA HADZIC BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 17 Slavko will be speaking at the Lausanne Europe conference held in Poland 17th – 21st November 2021. Please pray that God will bless and empower the delegates.
GAVRIL & AGHI COVACI ROMANIA 18 Continue to pray for Gavril’s mission in the Roma communities of Tinca, Tarcea, Văşad and Gurbediu in Romania. 19 There are many widows and elderly without the support of family. As we share what provisions we have, may God increase the blessing. 20 Please pray for the poorest of families who face a bleak winter with little food to eat, and living in basic accommodation. 21 Pray that Gavril and Aghi will be strengthened and kept in good health by God’s grace. 22 There are two families without their own house. Please pray that God would provide for their need of shelter and safety.
BENJAMIN & MARIA ROSA MARTIN SPAIN 23 With all the official protocols we were able to reactivate our retreat and camp centre, Pinos Reales, in Madrid for churches and organisations. Thank God for the impact made on the children and teens. Over 20 teenagers made a serious decision to follow Jesus. 24 Praise God for the refugees who have secured employment. May God help them to witness their new-found faith. 25 Pray for Christian teachers who despite opposition continue to share their faith in public schools and institutions.
HERVIN & SEDIKA FUSHEKATI ALBANIA 26 Please pray for the safety and timing of travel arrangements made by the global and regional teaching staff at the International School of Theology and Leadership (ISTL) following a difficult year due to lockdown restrictions. 27 Pray for wisdom as ISTL opens hubs with online classes in other Albanian cities and responds to requests to open a new hub in neighbouring Kosovo.
28 Due to the growing number of students at ISTL in Tirana, the current facilities no longer suit well. Please pray that God would enable the school to purchase a much larger building.
MIRCEA & RONELA CRISTIAN ROMANIA 29 We rejoice to see that the Prisoners' Bible Institute programme is developing very fast. We have many requests from prisoners to get enrolled. However, the expenses are also growing more then we can afford. We are very grateful to God for those who partner with us. 30 More and more prisoners are willing to have face-to-face meetings along with the online sessions. Pray for God’s wisdom to cope with the rising demand.
— DECEMBER 2021 — PETRE & DANIELA PETROV NORTH MACEDONIA 1 We have church building programmes in Kumanovo, and in Struga. The church in Kumanovo is in the final stage and for Struga we are in the process of getting a loan to pay off the building. Join us as we pray that God will provide. 2 Pray for the refugees from Afghanistan. The government has already agreed to receive 600 refugees. If the government allows, we are ready to work with them.
SERGHEI MIHAILOV MOLDOVA 3 Give thanks to God for the 300 people reached during the summer through programmes for children, teens and single parents. 4 Praise God for the special camping retreat for thirty young people supported by Beginning of Life. Fifteen young people decided to follow Christ and five decided to be baptised. Do pray for these precious souls.
5 Our new online course "Just about Important Issues" allows participants to learn and gain restorative skills for traumatised people through art therapy techniques embedded with biblical truths and principles. Pray for the recruitment of leaders who can apply what they learn in their ministry. 6 Pray for the success of the one-day retreat to mark a new season of School for Parents. About 60 women, 100 children and 25 team members are expected to be involved.
SLAVKO & SANJA HADIC BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 7 Pray for this week’s Prayer Conference in Bosnia & Herzegovina attended by 30 leaders from the region. Pray for a good time of fellowship, teaching and prayer, and that the "fire" of prayer will spread through the region.
ANATOLI & DESI YANKOVI BULGARIA 8 Please pray that many people will turn to Christ as a result of the monthly outreach meetings with the Roma community in Svishtov. 9 We still do not have an elected parliament and face the probability of a third set of parliamentary elections. Please pray for unity and the removal of endemic corruption across the highest levels of leadership.
12 Pray for peace in Montenegro and all nationalistic and religion tension between Orthodox Serbs and Montengrins will cease and that God will open their hearts towards Jesus and repentance from sin.
VANCE & TANJA GOLOMEOVI SERBIA 13 We press on with the church building programme in Pozarevac and look to God to meet the expenses. Please pray that the work will soon be completed. 14 Pray for the students at the Bible School in Pozarevac now in its second year of teaching. 15 Please pray for God’s wisdom as we distribute humanitarian aid among the poorest of families during the coming months.
DARIO & SILIVIJA KAPIN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 16 Thank you for your prayers for the bee-keeping project in Derventa. May God protect the hives during the cold weather of winter.
JOVICA & SAVKA BACVANSKI MONTENEGRO 17 Savka is doing well and we pray her health will not be affected again. Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
DANIEL & IRINKA STRACINSKI MONTENEGRO
18 We value your prayers as we face regular threats, intimidation and persecution as we proclaim the Gospel in Podgorica.
10 On 24 July, Daniel and Irinka welcomed God’s special gift of a baby son, Theophilus. Please pray that God will continue to protect their baby and both of his parents.
MONIKA MAHR ROMANIA
11 Pray for the two new believers who are now part of the church in Bar. May they grow spiritually in the coming months.
19 Standing in prayer for Monika as she recovers from the long term effects of Covid. May she be strengthened to lead the work of CASA Grace in Oradea and prepare for 2022.
MARINELA ROTARIU ROMANIA
ANDREI GHIDION MOLDOVA
20 Give thanks for the newly appointed staff at Emanuel Hospice; two doctors, two nurses, one social worker and one psychologist and a paediatrician.
28 Please pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of the people who live in the village of Burlacu.
21 Pray that the new ambulatory service of Emanuel Hospice will run smoothly and be a blessing to our patients and their families. 22 Pray for Marinela our chief executive director and for Florentina chief nurse, for wisdom in all their decisions.
RUSLAN TELPIZ MOLDOVA 23 Join us in prayer for the new church-planting ministry in the village of Țiganca.
VASILE GRIGORITA MOLDOVA 24 Please pray that the church in Brinza will not face further restrictions due to Covid.
VLADIMIR & MARLJANA CIZMANSKI, MONTENEGRO 25 May our efforts to spread the Gospel through the Jesus messiah project be fruitful during this Christmas season. 26 Pray for God’s provision to help us support families with humanitarian goods.
MISSION POSSIBLE ALBANIA 27 Please pray that Mission Possible’s Christmas service will be used as an instrument in the hands of God to hear the timeless message of eternal salvation through Jesus and to influence the life of the community in Bathore.
29 Thank God for the five people who were recently baptised. May they be strong in their new-found faith.
VALERIU & ANGELA MUNTEANU MOLDOVA 30 May the Lord give a clear vision for the ministry of Tigheci Baptist Church and especially its work among the young people.
SLAVKO & SANJA HADZIC BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 31 We pray blessing upon Slavko as he speaks about evangelism at seminars during the "Revive Europe" conference taking place in Germany, 28th December 2021 to 2nd January.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6 - 7
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Walking the Via Egnatia virtually… For most participants, the setting of a personal challenge has proved to be a major commitment. Launched officially in July, the TEN sponsored walks have brought us closer to our Balkan partners, some of whom walk this route to bring the good news of Jesus to local communities. James, our CEO, and pacesetting leader, has embarked on a 90-consecutive-day jog, often with his canine companion, Ralph. His goal is to jog 300 miles—the distance from Albania to Greece through North Macedonia. Several participants are aiming to walk 300 miles, others have taken on 100 miles. The Via Egnatia challenge is in full swing! At the time of writing, 13 of us are taking part and have clocked up over 1200 miles between us. We have already raised over £5,600 for TEN’s
work. By the time you read this, a team of cyclists will have commenced their challenge in Scotland covering over 470 miles in a few days! Our star walker is undoubtedly Rosemary Boulton who many of you will know from her 29 years with Eurovangelism (the former name for TEN). Rosemary was the first to complete her target mileage of 300 miles. Rosemary says, “I signed up because TEN has always been close to my heart, I love walking in the countryside and am grateful to God
I am running 500k in a year and I wanted to do fundraising. Since I was turning 10 this year I thought I could support TEN! I was inspired by a friend's mum and I started in January 2021. In July I thought I would get some sponsorship and I found out that the Via Egnatia trail is 500k long so I decided I wanted to help Transform Europe Network bringing hope to families and children in Eastern Europe by doing this challenge.
Peter Yeomans
Visit my fundraising page: www.transformeuropenetwork.enthuse.com/pf/peteryeomans 18
More News Snippets Good News Church, Constanta, Romania Traian and Elena Pascalau are glad to be back meeting with the church every Sunday after the challenges of lockdown. Small groups are expected to recommence this autumn. Slowly the church is growing and five new believers have asked to be baptised. Please pray that the Lord would open the way for the church to rent new facilities following a change of management at the Culture Hall.
I can still enjoy this hobby. I must confess I had a head start and have been adding up my miles for about six months!” Well done Rosemary! This new ‘virtual’ approach has really captured people’s imaginations! Who knows, next year, maybe we’ll even be able to do part of the real Via Egnatia! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to the cause so far. The Via Egnatia challenge will run until the end of October 2021.
Robert and Krasi Salamanovi, Evangelical Church Radovish Starting a new church in the midst of a pandemic is hard to believe, but that is exactly what Robert and Krasi have done following their move from Shtip to the mining town of Radovish. As a result of TEN’s Red Tulip appeal, funds were sent to enable Robert to bring food parcels to the poor. Meetings aimed at miners have commenced and Krasi has begun a creative workshop teaching skills to ten young girls.
Please donate if you are able and help us reach our £10 ,000 target to do even m ore to support the work of o ur wonderful partners in E urope in these testing times. Visit www.via egnatia.co.uk for more info rmation. 19
The amazing story of Besa Shapllo Director of Mission Possible Albania for thirty years.
“God Almighty, help me!” These were the words that Besa Shapllo, an English teacher in Tirana, Albania, wrote in her diaries as far back as 1974. The request was addressed to God, whose existence she still questioned. Albania, her home country, had declared itself an atheist state and forbade its citizens to believe in God. But whenever she was desperate, Besa turned to God with that petition. “I was the youngest of the three kids in our family. I was born in Tirana, but spent my childhood in Durres, which is the main sea-port of the country. I grew up in an atheist family, or so I believed, for our parents never denied God in our presence, but never worshipped Him either.
“When I was little, there were churches (Catholic and Orthodox) all over the country as well as mosques. But in 1966, when I was in the 8th grade, the regime in power proclaimed Albania an ‘atheist country’ and consequently closed down all of the churches and mosques. They went so far as to open an ‘Atheist Museum’ in the town of Shkodra, which is in the northern part of the country. “In the following year, I went to Tirana, the capital of Albania, to attend a special school for foreign languages. Most of the students studied Russian, whereas there was only one class with students who studied French and another one, with those who studied English. I was in the English class, despite the fact that I had applied for French. “When I was in the third grade, I began to write my name in English. 20
‘Besa’ is a special word in Albanian. We say ‘Besa of the Albanians’, which means faith and promise and a lot more in one word, but on my notebooks, I chose to use only the word FAITH without my family name. “In 1974 I began to keep a diary and GOD was in it. Whenever I had a problem and needed help, I would write: “God Almighty help me…!!!”. In my name ‘Besa’, God had sown a seed that was to grow. “For several years, during the summer holidays, I worked as a tourist guide. Once, I was with a group in Shkoder, up in the north, where we took the tourists to visit the city, but especially our ‘Atheist Museum’. It was in this museum that I saw the first Bible in my life. It was a big open Bible. Its inside was cut out and a gun was placed there. With this, they wanted to show that those who claimed to be Christians, were in fact spies of other countries. In the museum there were exhibits of trials of Catholic priests, who had been executed for espionage. “As time moved on, I married and became a teacher for English in a general school. At that time, we had a black and white TV, and we could watch only one station that was the Albanian TV, owned by the state. Once, as we were watching a movie in English with subtitles in Albanian, we noticed that the word GOD was not translated. So that became the topic of a ‘secret’ discussion between my husband and myself, as you could never discuss such issues with other persons during those days: ‘Are they so much afraid of Him, that they do not even translate the word GOD!’
“‘Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.’ 2 Corinthians 5:17.” In September 1991, Albania opened its doors to the world and the people were finally free to worship God! Besa was one of the first believers in this new era in Albania. As a new Christian, Besa was given a challenging task: to lead Mission Possible’s ministry in Albania. Under her leadership as she followed God, the Albanian team has reached tens of thousands of people, sharing the gospel and providing help. Read the full story of Besa and Mission Possible online at: www.ten-uk.org/besa
Photos: Left: Besa with two local children Right: Besa being interviewed by News 24
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Northern Ireland Visit James Vaughton, our CEO was at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention in late August.
James Vaughton, CEO with TEN Ambassador, Jeff Stevenson
After a year where all such events have been online, it was great to be there in person. Jeff Stevenson, our TEN Ambassador in Northern Ireland helped look after our exhibition stand
and joined James in various meetings. It was encouraging to meet church leaders and supporters from across Northern Ireland and get a wider perspective on what God is doing across Europe and the world.
TENteach Fifteen students have now completed their language assessments and the students have been put into classes, ready for the trial run. The trial will take place from the week beginning 20th September, to give the remaining students time to respond. If everyone responds, there will be thirty students taking part in the trial, from Moldova and North Macedonia. Four classes will run at different language levels from elementary to upper-intermediate.
Once the trial run results have been analysed it is hoped that a regular programme of online English classes will be offered throughout the year. The material will include Bible stories so it’s a great way to support the work of our partners in Europe and to share the Good News. 22
Thank You
Hundreds of people benefit each year from Essential Gifts. Here’s a quick overview
White goods for a rehab centre in Serbia
Pigs
for a rehab centre in Serbia
Bee-keeping
project helped in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bibles
distributed in North Macedonia, Moldova and Romania
Children’s Bibles given out in Romania
Chickens and feed for families in Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Testaments and Christian literature for outreaches in North Macedonia
Winter clothes in Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia
Woolly hats and gloves in Romania and North Macedonia
Winter shoes in Moldova and Serbia
Socks
in Bulgaria
Blankets
in North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia
Firewood
in Albania and Serbia
Sacks of potatoes in Romania
Food parcels in Moldova
essentialgifts.org
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YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE Over 500 Essential Gifts were purchased in the past 12 months. Gifts of Compassion: £8,633 Sustainable gifts: £2,415 Educational Gifts: £1,565 Thank you for your generosity.
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Gifts with a not just a price
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Buying an Essential Gift on behalf of someone special to you will be a blessing to both them and those who will directly benefit from your generosity.
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» Buy online at: essentialgifts.org » Request the catalogue: 01179 615161 » Place your order » Receive a gift card to pass on to a friend or family member
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