Look What God Has Done

Over the last year, the Lord has used IMB personnel across the region in a variety of settings and contexts to bring about change for His glory. These missionaries have faithfully focused on fulfillment of the Great Commission among their people group or urban center and have been rewarded with fruit and a burgeoning of hope among their target groups.  From bringing in volunteer medical teams in Ukraine to missionaries relocating their home to literally be on the edge of civilization in Far East Russia, IMB missionaries are finding out what is the most effective way to share Christ in Central and Eastern Europe.

Teams in South Poland and Western Hungary are focusing a lot of their work on the students. One Polish team has employed the use of a coffee house to gather non-believers, establish relationships, bring them to faith in Christ and start new churches. In Hungary, training in cell groups and inductive Bible studies have been good ways to start new small groups. To date, seventeen new believers have been baptized.

Training has also played a big role among IMB’s deaf missionaries. An intensive, multi-week training course for all Deaf team members (both IMB and other Great Commission Christians) in the Central Eastern Field, has resulted in greater intentionality and effectiveness in bringing Deaf people to faith and forming new believers into house churches.  Much of this training focused on Chronological Bible Storying.

In South Europe, missionaries continued to sow the Word by handing out copies of a recent translation of the New Testament. This effort has not only touched over 40,000 homes but has also led missionaries to see their first 4 people come to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Many missionaries around our region have realized that focusing on specific segments of people within their target groups is a good way to funnel the message of Christ in an effective way. A team in Moscow, Russia, is working to start CPMs among young professionals. Other missionaries have focused on teachers, stay-at-home moms, and newlyweds, and women.

Volunteers from stateside churches have made a huge impact through our missionary teams. In Ukraine volunteers have worked alongside national believers and churches to gather the lost and start new work in unengaged towns and villages. Among the gypsy people in Romania volunteers have walked the streets of many villages saturating target areas with prayer.     In most of the region, prayer walking has become not just an afterthought but a necessary step in preparing the hearts of unbelievers for all God wants to do.

Besides making disciples, our missionaries are also making missionaries. In Ukraine one of our missionaries works as a sort of recruiter in universities and among churches to help raise up and train missionaries to go to Kazakhstan. And missionaries among the Roma of Romania, have helped to raise up missionaries, both short-term and long-term, to go to Greece. Second Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,” is being fleshed out everyday.

2005 has been a good year full of God’s blessings as He continues to bring his own to Himself. As you have volunteered and given through LMCO an the Cooperative program you have taken part in accomplishing God’s work in CEE. There are always more ways to be involved with CEE ministry.

Posted Feb 10, 2006

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