SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS: Candra Barnett • Romania

Big things are happening here in Romania! I have recently moved from Brasov to Oradea, where we are working on our third church plant. In the midst of monthly trips back to Oradea to meet with our team (Dani and Claudia Bagosi) and the people interested in joining us, we worked hard to finish strong in Brasov. We had a wonderful Christmas morning service together, in which the kids performed an impromptu nativity pageant. I dearly love and miss these sweet families in Brasov and am praying for this group to continue to grow and thrive in our absence.

During the week of Jan. 8-14, we packed and moved from my apartment and Pam and Bryan’s house. It was a busy, exhausting week, but we got it all done and are so thankful to be in Oradea. I am now next-door neighbors with Bryan and Pam in a community just outside Oradea!

Soon after we moved to Oradea, our group started meeting on Sunday mornings in Dani and Claudia’s home. We are regularly having over 40 adults and close to 20 kids in attendance each Sunday, and this is a huge and unexpected blessing! We have a variety of people from different backgrounds who are coming together and are also inviting their unbelieving friends. This means we have already had to look for a place to rent, and will be moving into our new building in a few weeks!

As you can imagine, children’s ministry with 20 kids is very different from the 6 I had in Brasov! In fact, this means I am now not just the teacher, but a coordinator of volunteers for this ministry. I have several ladies who rotate in and out, teaching three different age groups! I have loved getting to know all these new kids, parents and teachers.

I need your help! As I’ve mentioned, we are moving into a new building very soon. This building is completely empty. This means that I will need furniture and supplies for my three children’s rooms. I am wanting to buy shelves, rugs, tables and chairs for these rooms. To do this I need to raise $5,000. If this is something the Lord is asking you or your church to help with, please reach out to me at candrainromania@gmail.com and I can tell you more about how to do that! Every donation helps — $75 will buy a table, $10 will buy a new toy and $20 will buy markers and crayons for the three rooms!

“But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God’” (Mark 10:14 RSV).

Please join me in praying for the following:

• Upcoming furlough (I will be in the States from March 13-June 8).

• Our new church plant to grow in God’s grace.

• That the new building is ready for us to move in soon.

• For the lovely ladies who are teaching in this children’s ministry — Dorina, Adina, Anca, Nina and Ana. May God bless them each for their service.

• That God will continue to bless Return Church plant (Brasov) and our gypsy ministry (Santandrei).

• Ladies’ Day! March 8 is a big holiday here and we are planning a big event with the new church plant. Each of the ladies in our church has been challenged to bring a non-believing friend!

• For our health. We have been sick with five different illnesses the past few months. Pray that God will protect our health.

We praise God for the following:

• Our move went smoothly and we are settling in well!

• Our new Church plant is growing very quickly! We are consistently 50-60 people on a Sunday!

• We found the perfect new building in a great area. This area is new and developing and does not have a church of any kind.

• God is knitting our team’s hearts together with love.

• Teen Meetings — this past Friday our Teen Meeting had over 40 teenagers present! Many of these kids are teens we know from church camp. We are praying they can continue to grow in their faith.

• Churches have donated so we can buy the chairs we need in the new building.

• The children’s classes are going well! The kids are getting to know each other and their teachers, and I have heard many good reports from parents!

Thank you for reading and praying. If you would like to learn more, you can do so at my blog, Candra in Romania (candrainromania.wordpress.com).