The train rolled slowly across the border from Hungary to Romania, with passport control on both sides of the border. The landscape was interspersed between large fields, and cities coming at regular intervals. Oradea is not far from the Hungarian border and is one of the 10 largest cities in Romania. The city is known for its fine Art Nouveau buildings and for its local shoe manufacturers.
A team from the Word of Life Bible School has been on the streets of the city in recent days. They have been evangelizing, praying for people and inviting them to the conference that Pastor Alexandru Bala organized together with our two missionaries on site, Ruben Roth and Erik Almroth. When I met with the team, they told me that they have been able to pray with people for salvation in the city almost every day, and have seen several people healed. Among others, there was a woman who shakily stumbled with her crutch, who after they prayed could walk holding her crutch in her hand! God is mighty!
The conference began on Friday evening, right in the city center at the “Casa de Cultura,” the cultural center. In the last two weeks leading up to the event, people had finally started signing up, and there were nearly 200 registered participants, plus about 50 volunteers who made the conference possible. From beginning to end, it was a beautiful evening with Jesus at the center and the gospel clearly proclaimed! During the altar call, people came forward to surrender their lives to Jesus—some for the first time, others recommitting—and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The next day continued in the same spirit, with Peo Svensson from the church Guds Kraft in Sävsjö preaching and also speaking at a leadership seminar.
At the seminar, several pastors attended, which Alexandru described as a major breakthrough, since unity among churches is rare in the country. On Saturday evening, during the final session, the team met many people they had invited from the city streets. During the altar call, the Holy Spirit came powerfully—both upon the pastors and leaders who were called up on stage, and among the newly saved individuals the team ministered to near the front. People were saved, healed, fell to the ground, and had life-transforming encounters with God!
Afterward, I met many people who pointed out that they had experienced similar conferences where God’s Spirit moved in this way—but only abroad, never here in Romania! They were completely amazed at what God had done during these days. And we can do nothing but thank God and believe Him for a revival in this nation!
/Sofia Holm
