We took two vehicles for this trip. The crew consisted of Dorin, Tommy, Jonah, Trey, Haley, and Dana. We got there on time but again in Romania nothing starts on time. The music was playing, drawing everyone in. It was a beautiful view with the setting sun and mountains in the background. We held an event at a soccer field in Buteni. Chairs were set up and a small tent for the preachers and musicians to sit under. There was also an old stadium to sit on. At first there weren’t too many people but the longer we waited the more that wandered in. Eventually the seats and stadium were mostly full. There were people even listening on the sidewalk who brought their own chairs, or just sitting on the hoods of their cars. Some I saw biked their way to the soccer field. We had a beautiful worship service. When the preaching began the crowd was surprisingly quiet and seemingly unresponsive for how many people were there. We wondered if they had hardened hearts but that wasn’t the case at all. When it was time for an altar call many came forward. There was a tall chain link fence between the stadium and the small tent so the people who came forward had to walk all the way down to the gate to enter the field to be prayed over. So those who came forward had a strong desire to say the least.

That night we had multiple rededications and 23 salvations. A beautiful response in a beautiful setting. During all the commotion kids were playing ball in the background, storks were walking around the field, and a stray dog or two darted in and out of the crowd. After everything was done we offered free bibles sitting on a table and within 30 seconds they were gone. Bibles are expensive and the Orthodox Church (the most prevalent church in Romania) frowns upon the people reading the bible. So bibles are precious to people in Romania. The people here are hungry for God and need hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. I believe many found the hope they were looking for that night.