The Burning Bush in Calatele

 

 

Two years ago, after we remained alone in the gypsy ministry, we started to pray that God would provide coworkers that He would raise up people who would have a heart full of passion and love for the lost gypsies from this area. We realized how hard is to understand their culture, to penetrate it and bring an acceptance and a change. We started to pray that God would rise up gypsy men who would lead their people to Christ. God indeed raised up Fery, our gypsy brother from Calatele, but until now he showed himself being a good assistant, he likes to serve and to invite his people to God. He was and is a great witness of the new life that Jesus gave him, and his changed life is what his family and relatives are respecting very much. He doesn’t like to be in the front of people, but He loves to stay behind and do anything to push people to Jesus. Every day we thanked God for him, and for the great encouragement and help he is for us.

In November last year, we received a CD with a gypsy Christian band from Galati (over 600 km away from us). Listening it we started to wish for this band to come here and sing to our gypsies. It is a band of gypsy men, called The Burning Bush, full of zeal and love for God. We had no courage to even pray for this, knowing how difficult it is to get in contact with them and bring them here. We are very limited in any kind of resources, and it seemed impossible.

Few months ago, they came in our area to one of the Romanians local church, and we went to hear them. Again we realized how useful they would be in our ministry. We tried to talk with them but they were in rush and had no time. Last month a Romanian friend of us, who works with Prison Fellowship calls us and tells us that this band came to their church and he told them about us working with gypsies and asked them if they are interested to visit us. They were open and said they would love to, but are very busy, and we are very far away, but to start to pray that God would provide a day for it. It was amazing that for about ten years we didn’t meet this friend, and met him now few weeks before this event and told him about our ministry and gave him our phone number. It was God’s perfect timing.

After few weeks of prayer, we received the good news that they would come here on the 26^th of May. Our friend, Liviu, expressed his desire to come together with them and bring also people from his fellowship who are now praying for us, and help to help us provide the meal for them. Also Razvan and Anca Pop from CC Cluj, wanted to come and help us in anything we need help, and also preparing delicious cookies for our guests. We were thanking God because He provided all the support we needed for this event through our brothers and sisters who came along side of us. Our surprise was greater when we found one hour before they arrived here that there are 20 gypsy men in the band, all their choir wanted to come, plus eight other people who came from the ministries from Cluj to help us. We suddenly felt as an army going to war, and indeed we were. All this men from the band they seemed to be men of prayer and faith, full of joyfull songs to the Lord.

We told a day before in both gypsy villages about this event and invited the gypsies to come. Fery had to drive many loads of gypsies from Sacuieu to Calatele, because they wanted to come, too.

The evangelism started and soon many gypsies started to gather. It was nice to see that until few of the singer were installing the sound system, the others started to spread in the village and talk with our gypsies in their native language, proclaiming the Gospel to them. The Holly Spirit started to move. Their music, their joy, love and peace and their testimonies of how God changed their life penetrated the hearts of gypsies. Soon all together, children, women and men were singing together with tears in their eyes. For us it seemed a dream. There were people who for the last three years kept rejecting Jesus, and now they were worshiping the Lord. They all listened very carefully all the witnesses of the other gypsy men, and when the altar call was made, after few minutes of hesitation starting with Baba Maria, who came to our fellowship all this years, but never committed her life to the Lord, came one by one in the front, men, women and children. It was amazing. There were over 40 people, and among these people were Fery’s parents, both mom and dead, and his youngest sister. God’s spirit moved and softened all the stony hearts. It was a blessed evening.

Coming home with the hole group, during dinner time, all the gypsy men from the bend expressed how touched they were by our ministry there, and they expressed their desire to come and help us more here. They said that our gypsies are one of the worst tribes of gypsies they know, because they are known of not fearing man and their deep involvement in witchcrafts. They also said that they went to many gypsy villages to sing and minister but they never saw such poor gypsies as them.

We were greatly blessed and pray that the Lord will provide more opportunities to collaborate with this group of Christians, and we also want to thank everyone for all the prayers for us. And please continue to pray that the village of Calatele and Sacuieu would be a continuous burning bush for the Lord, and that those who came foreword to keep their commitment and stay strong against all Satan’s attacks.

We posted a few short videos on you tube with the event:

 

Keep praying for us. May God bless you all .