Never the same again!

As promised, here’s an amazing testimony from the Romania prayer team.

Every year NLI ‘deploys’ mission teams to support and encourage the work of church planters through prayer and intercession. We have recently seen a dramatic increase the numbers of people wanting to engage in this vital ministry. Momentum is building! In May this year, both Slovakia and Romania received prayer teams, and on one of these were Phil and Pam Haughton, from Capital Church, Cardiff, one of the partner churches working with NLI in Romania.

Romanian prayer team

Pam’s thoughts: “Before we went to Romania, I couldn’t see how planting churches could be the answer to a situation of social deprivation. Now I see that the church of Jesus Christ is the ONLY answer. In places of such spiritual darkness and desperate need, only the Body of Christ, living sacrificial lives, loving and serving together, being Jesus to the people, showing that there IS another way, is the only way for the poor to be lifted from the dung heap and set among princes. Jesus is the Way and the church is His body.”

ministry in a project for elderly people

“We have lived and travelled for seven days with an amazing group of people from England, Canada, USA & New Zealand. As the week went on, twelve individuals became a team, and a tool forged by the Holy Spirit. The team was led gently, wisely and sensitively by John and Marty Smith; ‘led from the back’ to quote John; and Marty reminded us on more than one occasion that each one of us had been handpicked by God to be on this mission at this time and to these people. Each one of the team has taken a piece of our heart with them, and we have left a big chunk with the people we had the privilege of meeting in and around Constanta.

We were fed, driven around and ministered to by people who gave sacrificially and unstintingly to serve us; we were humbled and awed by the vision, dedication and spiritual stature of the church planters we had the privilege of praying with; and we have had our hearts broken by some of the things we have seen and experienced.”

prayer-walking

Phil shared his own insights from the mission, “Before leaving home, I had certain ideas as to what would happen on the trip. I was there to support Pam in her prayer ministry; visiting the church planters would be in their homes with a few people present; and we would prayer-walk the streets like we do here. Wrong! It was made clear at the outset by John that the (traditional) culture tended to be men-orientated and as such the church planters were likely to be expecting the men in the team to give strong words. As there were only two of us, plus John, I was put on the spot straight away and the Spirit drew me out to pray and share pictures through the week.”

“The churches turned out to be a motley assortment of living rooms, bedrooms and other very small units into which we all crammed together and God just moved in amazing ways. The streets where we prayed were in a very bad state; deep holes, dog muck, rubble, and electric wires with open ends hanging everywhere!!!

praying for the church planter in Negru Voda

… The incredible love and commitment shown by so many local folk, many of whom have been through much persecution, put my own faith in the shade, but I know God used us to bless and be blessed.We have had our hearts and vision enlarged; we have been raised to a higher level of intimacy with God and of hearing the Holy Spirit; and we have returned so excited about who God is and what He can do. Our perspective has changed and we can never be the same again – nor would we want to.”

praying for Matthew & Estera in Constanta

It’s been so rewarding to read about the impact both teams had on mission, especially the Romanian team, which comprised 10 ‘new-comers’ to NLI prayer missions. I don’t think this will be their last mission either.

If you’d like to know more about NLI prayer missions, in particular the team going out to Romania in September (6^th to 13^th), or any of our other mission opportunities, please contact me at judith.linnell@nlieurope.com

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