November 2023

Dear Family and Friends

Greetings from Bucharest, Romania! Last week our international team of 14 people arrived from Northern Ireland, Ireland, England, France, Austria, and Armenia to join our church planting team here on the ground. Here is a picture of all of us in the gazebo where we had devotions every morning on one of the university campuses.

Yujiro and Natsuko (church planting pastors) are actually Japanese but Yujiro grew up here and they have a heart for the people of Romania.

Our team spent the week engaging with students across various campuses in the city. Over the week we had over 65 conversations with students. With every conversation we tried to end the conversation with offering to pray for any need they had with most of them being so grateful even though they might not have any belief in God.

Out of the 65 students we were able to have many gospel conversations with, 16 of them praying a prayer of salvation! Throughout the week we continued to follow up with those that we prayed with and those who are seeking and still want to keep in touch. On Wednesday night we had a games evening and 7 of those students showed up.

Our team left on Saturday to fly back home but I stayed behind for another week to help follow up with students and to encourage our team on the ground. Yesterday was Sunday and one of the new students we had connected with came to the service and after church had a conversation with a few of the guys and ended up committing his life to Christ!

On the first day of the mission, I connected with a 22 year old student named Radwa, who is actually from Egypt. She is Muslim, but as I was finishing the conversation with her, I asked her if I could pray for her. She agreed and as I prayed, she had tears in her eyes. We have kept in touch throughout the week and yesterday, Natsuko and I spent 5 hours together with her in the city. She has felt so loved and is very keen to stay connected to the church plant here. Please pray for her as she hears more about the good news of Jesus. For a Muslim female, it has lots of consequences in becoming a Christian so we will take this slowly with her as she weighs things up but we want her to know that we are there for her no matter what decision she makes.

This week we are planning another small event on Wednesday and inviting everyone who has given us their details. A second and third meeting are the most difficult things to get on a mission trip in Europe – even if you have prayed a prayer of salvation with someone. Please pray that we are able to get these meetings and for the team to be able to start a journey of discipleship with each of them.

I have to say, this has been the best team I have ever worked with on a mission! Bucharest actually means City of Joy! And it did not disappoint!!! This team laughed so much together and with students. God brought a river of refreshing joy to the team on the ground here as well!

Thank you so much for praying for me and all that you do to make it possible for me to do what I am doing in Europe. You have had a part in every conversation and every prayer that has been prayed here and we are trusting that every seed will grow and produce fruit here in Bucharest and beyond!

Lots of Love,

Traci