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Hello Ministry Partners!
Wow, is it already May? Paul and I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that we were heading off to Camp Caroline to serve as the Camp Pastors, yet, that was a year ago! At this time last year we also began our tour to NAB churches to share about ministry in Romania and now here we are ministering in Romania. This last year has flown by and we feel beyond blessed by the many opportunities God gave us to serve as well as the many ways God grew and refined Paul and I in our faith. And still now we are experiencing this same provision and anticipate what lies ahead for ministry in Romania!
We just finished up with hosting 
the 52 Canadians from Central Baptist Church from Edmonton. The time with the team was BUSY however, it was also extremely POWERFUL. With a team of 52 there is an overwhelming amount of details to sort through which thankfully all went smooth. Yet with a team of 52, there is an overwhelming amount of potential to make a significant impact in building the Kingdom. The ministry, the team members, the Romanian host families and cooks, Tamas, Tunde, Paul and I, were all greatly impacted through serving during Central’s trip. We all felt blessed by the opportunity gifted to us to further build the Kingdom here in Romania.
Part of the team was devoted
to renovating the existing camp building so that it could be functional to host camps in summer 2016. The team raised over $50,000 to go towards painting, tiling, laying floor, completing a bathroom, completing a kitchen, completing a cook prep room and dish pit, insulating the building and providing a boiler heating system, etc. The team worked extremely hard for 7 days and they were able to provide the ministry with a building that is both functional and beautiful! We are so grateful that the team was protected on the job site for the entirety of the trip. A powerful moment for the team was revealing the work they had done and then taking the opportunity to pray around the property for the future ministry.
Paralleling the construction crew, was the VBS team. The VBS team ran 5 days worth of programs in 5 different villages. The team saw almost 300 kids in those 5 days! They were able to share the Gospel through games, worship, drama, and teaching, which led to a number of kids committing their lives to Christ for the first time. The team spent the mornings in prayer for the afternoon programs as well as they visited families–‐in–‐need in the surrounding villages. The team was able to bless 14 families with groceries, clothing and prayer.
There are so many stories that came out of the trip but one day in particular stands out. On Wednesday morning during the VBS week, we had a medical emergency with one of the babies on the team. It was a scary moment for the team, yet God provided in huge ways and the baby recovered to the fullest. After that moment, the team was trying to decide if the plans for the day needed to change. The team spent some time in prayer and then felt they needed to continue on with the plan as usual. For the afternoon VBS, we were expecting about 50 kids to show up yet within the first 20mins of the program we ended up with just over 100 kids!! The team was both overwhelmed and excited about the energy in the room. There was no doubt in our minds that we made the right decision to continue on with the day as these kids more than any other village, were thirsty for love and care and we were able to show and share God’s love for them.
It was clear to all of us that during
this trip God’s Kingdom was advanced in a huge way. However, the opposition to this good work was also clear. There were many moments where we felt that the challenges we were facing were the works of spiritual opposition. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. As we continue to shine light into the spiritual oppression here and make huge strides for God’s Kingdom, we face more opposition. However, our God is great, He is almighty, all–‐powerful and ultimately victorious. And so we continue to fix our eyes on His goodness and serve for His glory. We ask that you would join us in prayer for protection, boldness and to be beacons of light as we continue with ministry in Romania!
Tanya and Paul Gericke
Camp Falcon Rock Developers
NAB Missionaries in Romania