"My name is Costică and I am 42 years old.  I am from Ilisesti, Suceava County.  I do not have a job but I find day work whenever it’s available. I had such a joy to see brothers and sisters from the U.S. who came from thousands of miles away, driven by love for us. I have liver problems and have been hospitalized many times.  I haven't had money to buy medicine or to even go to the doctor. The doctors here took my hope of life away, but these wonderful Christian doctors from the U.S. came and saw us for free, and also gave us free medicine.  They prayed for, and with me. I feel very well after the treatment they gave me, so I decided to be a Christian for real. I am a new believer and I'm looking forward to getting baptized on August 14th of this year. May God abundantly bless you for what you've done for me."
 

“My name is Gheorghe.  I am 73 years old and I live in Ilisesti, Suceava.  I am an old man and I really needed eyeglasses,  but  didn't have the money to buy them, because my wife is very sick and I can barely afford to buy her medicine.  I've been wanting to see an eye doctor, but it costs money and the eyeglasses cost almost as much as my pension for a month.  I was overwhelmed with joy when I heard that a team from the U.S. came all the way from across the ocean to help us. We were seen for free and we also received eyeglasses for free. Now I am giving God the glory because I can see to read the Bible. Thank you!  May God bless you and please, come again to help other people who wanted to be seen but couldn't although you stayed 1 ½  hours longer than planned.  Here in Romania, no doctor stays after hours, and we have to pay to see them, but you…for free? God bless you!  We'll be waiting for you again."

“I have 2 children with problems – one is 4 and the other one is 6 years old. I've seen many pediatricians where I had to pay, but a group of Christians from America came with medicine and saw us for free. I went to have my children seen and I have to confess that I have never experienced such treatment anywhere else in my life – the doctors offered free consultation and gave us free medication. We couldn't believe there are such wonderful Christian doctors in America and the medicine we received for free is great. My children are healthy now and we are happy to have met such wonderful Christians who cared for us. Thank you and please, come again!”

“My name is Valeria.  I have 2 granddaughters – 3 and 7 years old.  I heard of a team of doctors from America that would come and see people and give free medicine here in our village in Suceava.  I waited for the day to come and when I went there I saw a huge crowd and thought I wouldn't be able to go and be seen but when they saw me with my granddaughters, they invited me in – a thing that doesn't happen here in our country.  I saw that these people really cared for us and after they saw us, they gave us free medicine and prayed for us. That's when I decided to become a Christian like them, especially after we heard the Word of the Gospel preached. I decided to get baptized on August 14th, like others from our village. May God reward you and we'll be waiting for you again."

“I am 50 years old and my name is Constantin.  I heard the Gospel preached in Ilisesti and the news that there will be a team of Christian doctors coming from the U.S., so I decided to go and see what kind of Christians they were, and put my name on the registration list.  I was looking forward to being seen.  When the doctor took me in, he first filled me with the Word of God and prayed for me. This really touched my heart. Then he gave me free medicine for an illness I've been suffering from for quite some time.  I want to tell you that now I can work from home and even other places when I find work. I am glad that I feel much better and want to follow God and get baptized on August 14th.  Please come back to give joy to others who couldn't be seen by the doctors this year. May God reward your service to Him.”

“My name is Lăcrămioara.  I am 33 years old and I found out about the medical team coming from the U.S. during the Bible study and prayer meetings I've attended for the past few months.  When I heard about it, I was looking forward to seeing whether they practice the same things we study here. I went to see the doctor because I really needed it and so did my husband and our 2 children. The Sunday when the doctors came to our church service, I saw that they preach the same Gospel, sing the same songs, pray the same prayers and I was thrilled.  I decided this is the faith we need to follow also, but I also wanted to see their behavior outside the church, while treating people. My heart was beating really fast and the time passed so slowly until it was my turn to be seen.  I was pleased to see the same doctors who simply practiced what they preached earlier at the church. Never have I been treated with so much attention, love, and prayer.  I received medicine that actually worked. After this day when we were seen by the doctors and got free medicines, our family decided to serve the Lord, so on August 14th we'll be baptized. Now these are Christian doctors who for real, live their Christianity!  Praise God for all who donated medicine and made us better. We're looking forward to having you here again. God bless you!”

The words I write here do no justice to what the Lord has shared with me on this trip. So, I pray that you would imagine yourself being embraced by the Lord, sharing new truths with you as you obey His command for you to go. As the Lord led me first to children’s ministry, He revolutionized the meaning of Matt 18:3. He says that if we do not allow ourselves to love as if we were children, we are not children. The Romanian children know what true love is. It is seen in their smiles, shared in their laughter, given to you freely in their eyes, and filled beyond doubt in their hearts. It is a wonder this country is not filled with peace. Spending some time with the evangecube team I realize that my background growing up Roman Catholic very much paralleled the devout members of the Orthodox Church. I felt a connection because I knew what it meant to grow up in a church and suddenly be forced to question the truths of the Lord. Within the doubt, fear, and confusion of stepping outside the box the Lord still calls, and His still small voice is hindered by family tradition. My time with medical allowed God to remind me of his call for my life. In Psalm 37:14, the Lord reminds us that he gives us the desires of our heart when we follow him and allow him to. It was not too long after I gave my life to Christ that the Lord gave me a desire for dentistry, leading me to go back to school as a pre-dental major. I knew in my heart that God would use me as a dentist. So, when the opportunity for this trip arose, it was very clear God was calling me. Though we had a multitude of vitamins, toothbrushes, and medications, the best cure we carried was the love of Jesus Christ. Being able to share that love through the desires of our heart allowed God to reveal a new desire of my heart… missions. The best thing about going to God’s distant lands is not knowing the language and being only equipped with the Lord by our side. I continue to thank God for calling me and can only pray and trust that He will call me again. My prayer for you is to pray, get in God’s word, and heed His call.

My translator and I were approached by a man on a bicycle in the middle of the village of Ilia. We asked permission to talk with him about the love of Jesus. After I gave my personal testimony and we went through the Gospel presentation using the e-cube, he prayed to receive Christ. He thanked us for coming to his village, stating, “I’m nearly 80 years old and no one has told me this.” He rode off rejoicing with assurance of a home in heaven.