It’s a pretty ordinary city square, and Nicolae seems like an ordinary guy. Like a lot of people in Romania, Nicolae was raised in an Orthodox family. Growing up, he and his family attended church services from time to time. But he never learned anything about Jesus.
Then, Nicolae received a gift that changed his life: a Bible. In the pages, Nicolae met Jesus for the first time. “I decided to repent and become a Christian,” he says.
Nicolae joined a church and asked how he could get involved in outreach, eager to share the transforming love of Jesus with others. Unfortunately, no one in Nicolae’s new congregation shared his excitement or interest in taking the gospel outside the church walls.
Nicolae wasn’t a trained pastor or missionary. He didn’t have any special tools or resources. He didn’t even have the support of a church family. But Nicolae couldn’t keep the gospel to himself. So, Nicolae decided to introduce Jesus to others the same way he himself had met him: through the Bible.
Nicolae bought Bibles and Christian books and set them up on a bench in the city square.
“I read to people and offered them a Bible or Christian books,” remembers Nicolae. It was a difficult project to do alone, but Nicolae was committed.
Nicolae at the bench where he would read to people.
A while later, Nicolae stumbled across the Facebook page for the Every Home for Christ team in Romania. “I called and told them what I was doing, and they were ready to help me,” he says.
By this time, Nicolae had joined a new church, and a member of the Every Home team met with Nicolae’s congregation, offering support to start outreach projects.
Nicolae’s story is inspiring but not uncommon. As Every Home pioneer missionaries pray and strategize how to reach new neighborhoods, villages, and regions with the love of Jesus, they often meet people like Nicolae. Often, these believers are under-resourced but fiercely determined. Sometimes, they are the only Christian for miles.
They shoulder the gospel, sometimes literally in the form of Bibles or literature, and take the love of Jesus to their people, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. What else can they do? When Jesus changes everything, keeping the good news to yourself seems more impossible than the obstacles.
Local believers on the field with a mission.
Everyone deserves a chance to receive Bibles and Gospel literature.
Tom Rios, an Every Home continental director who leads outreach work in several difficult regions, says that he, “looks for people God has already called.”
“There is always someone doing what others say cannot be done. It does not need to be a minister; it can be simply a believer. There is always that one,” Tom says.
God does great things through one believer. If you’d like to come alongside believers like Nicolae, check out our resources or give today!
Please pray that Jesus will save Henry, Kenny, Bill, Drew, Steve, Jim, Frank, Tommy, Michael, John K., Mike M., John D., Tony and Shane. Pray that these Guys become really turned-on witnesses of Jesus!