A Reflection From A Pastor In Romania
By A Pastor in Romania
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecc. 1,9 – these are the bible verses that are in my mind for days. The absolute hopelessness, fear, and hate found a place in my heart. It shouldn’t, but this is the reality of life. In Eastern Europe, history is repeating, again and again, like it is a never-ending treadwheel that is spun over and over by the wind. I never felt so deep the desperate of King Solomon, I never felt this burning worry and weakness, this absolute hopelessness in the future of Eastern Europe.
My eldest son (19 years old) was enlisted in the Romanian Army. Every young man of 18 and 19 years old was taken in the registers. My heart is exploding with fear. He asked me; if the war comes to Romania, do I have to kill somebody? I couldn’t answer, I was not able to say a word, my throat was pressed like as by an iron fist. My son is a tender Christian young man, with a strong love for Christ. What can I say to him? That night I was crying. Not loud, just teardrops slowly sliding down on my face to my pillow. Hours-long. I did not cry for almost 30 years…Now the time for crying came back.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecc. 1,9 – these are the bible verses that are in my mind for days. The absolute hopelessness, fear, and hate found a place in my heart. It shouldn’t, but this is the reality of life. In Eastern Europe, history is repeating, again and again, like it is a never-ending treadwheel that is spun over and over by the wind. I never felt so deep the desperate of King Solomon, I never felt this burning worry and weakness, this absolute hopelessness in the future of Eastern Europe.
My eldest son (19 years old) was enlisted in the Romanian Army. Every young man of 18 and 19 years old was taken in the registers. My heart is exploding with fear. He asked me; if the war comes to Romania, do I have to kill somebody? I couldn’t answer, I was not able to say a word, my throat was pressed like as by an iron fist. My son is a tender Christian young man, with a strong love for Christ. What can I say to him? That night I was crying. Not loud, just teardrops slowly sliding down on my face to my pillow. Hours-long. I did not cry for almost 30 years…Now the time for crying came back.
I was preaching Christ for almost a quarter of a century, and I was trying with all my strength to show our Lord, Jesus Christ to my sons, to my family, to my congregation. This fall my second son will turn 18 years old. He will be enrolled in the army, too.
“Do I have to kill somebody?” I cannot get rid of my son’s question. What can I answer? We live just 128km from the Ukrainian border. A town in west Ukraine was heavily bombed by Russian cruise missiles. Less than 200 km from my bedroom. The Russian army occupied a small, but very important island in the Black sea, just near the shores of Romania. We know, the war will be expanded, (all the time it was, all the time it is expanded in Eastern Europe). Romania will be the next country at war with Russia, because of the Black sea.
“Do I have to kill somebody?” asks my son. What can I answer? Yes, kill the man in front of you, otherwise you will be killed, otherwise, I will have a dead son in a coffin. How can I say this to my son? Me, who preaches Christ and His love? No, don’t kill anybody. How can I say this? Then my son will be killed. Worse, he will be tortured and killed. How can I say to my son don’t kill anybody?
What if the Russian army will invade Romania? Again…We do remember, 80 years ago they distorted everything, they raped our mothers, wives, and daughters. They are less than 200 km from my home. Do I, myself have to kill somebody? Or to watch how my family is destroyed? Will I be able to preach again from the pulpit ever in my life? Or to run away? To leave everything behind? To leave my flock behind? I am not ready for this, I don’t have the strength for this. I am not Dietrich Bonhoeffer…I am just a simple Christian pastor, who serves his Lord in Eastern Europe.
Our city was assigned as a refugee town. Like in the Bible. The authorities asked every church and NGO to report if there are available rooms for refugees. My congregation reported space for five families. What can we do? We can hardly pay our energy bills, Romania is in an economic collapse, and we will have refugees. A lot of refugees. We will care for them, and we will give our best to give them hope, love. To give them Christ. There are expected 5 million refugees in the coming month. Now there are crossing the Romania border over 10,000 refugees every day. We are prepared, we are ready.
We forgot in the last decades to be prepared, we forgot to be ready for the war, for the disasters. We became too lazy, we became too comfortable. Now we got a slap on our face, on our heart. This will guide us back to the Lord. Eastern Europe and our society have to return again to God, to repent. The hard way.
“Look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22, 31-32. Our Lord will not let us be sifted by Satan, but we trust, we know that our faith will not fail the Lord will keep us.
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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