The Blessing of Reaping

“Jesus said to them, “my food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. The one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper  may rejoice together”.
John 4:34-36(ESV)

We have often expressed our thoughts that without our ministry partners, we cannot fulfill the task that God has given Bread of Life. Not long ago, we shared in a newsletter about some of the girls from the Youth Transition Program and their decision to follow Christ in baptism. We were so proud of their choice. Our hearts rejoiced in what God had done through the seeds we had spread together.

As we publish this newsletter, we are once again rejoicing to share news of changed lives and decisions made to follow our Lord in baptism. Each gift you have given, each prayer you have prayed, was a seed sown in the lives of these young people. You planted the seeds, our staff, and ministry friends from the Feeding Centers shared the responsibility of watering those seeds by providing daily hot meals, Bible lessons, and songs, and we now see the results that only God can give; an increase in the kingdom.

Stefania is from a family of nine children and grew up attending one of our feeding centers. She started attending the local church and became involved with the church music. Over the years, Stefania has grown up to be a responsible and dedicated young girl. She is in high school now and will move to Bucharest to join our YTP for her last two years of high school.

Mario, the third child from a family of six children, also grew up in our feeding center program. Mario had a Christian upbringing, but as an adolescent became a rebel finding excuses not to attend church. Then about two years ago, he started attending youth meetings at the feeding center. The Bible study and his new friends helped him see the importance of accepting and following Christ. He began to realize that a child of God is the one who does good things for others out of love for God and others and not because of obligation. He no longer looked for excuses but actively started to seek opportunities to attend church and share the gospel in school and around the village. Several months ago, Mario asked about baptism, but COVID restrictions delayed his request until now. Mario’s sister Sorina is a part of our YTP, and we are pleased that Mario also will come to Bucharest to join the YTP this fall.

It is rarely one thing but a multitude of little things that set the course of a life. We are happy the BOL Feeding Center is one of the good influences that helped prepare Stefania and Mario’s souls to receive the gift of salvation. Our goal in ministry is to feed the body, mind, and soul, and you are a vital part of that ministry. We rejoice that Stefania and Mario have committed to follow Christ and shown their intent with the public act of water baptism, and we are thankful that God is blessing all who sow, water, and reap.

Debora Brown