Gina (left), Zana (second) and Daniel (center) set up a film showing.

God is at work around the world, changing people’s lives. It’s our privilege to help disciple people by showing their stories. After all, discipleship means showing what it looks like to follow Christ, and we show that in every story.

Last fall, I went to Romania to gather one of these stories for the March issue of Cru Storylines. Along the way, I found a second story that I want to share with you.

Gina Teodorescu serves with Cru in Romania. Now a widow in her early 60s, Gina and her former husband Ionel, came to Christ during the Romanian Revolution that overturned Communism.

The two met as students at Romania’s top engineering school. After graduating, they worked at the largest state-run manufacturing plant in the country. Ionel became the plant manager. During times of crisis, his government expected him to organize factory workers into a battalion that would defend the country and its rulers.

In 1989, Romanians overthrew dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who had ordered the army to shoot at innocent civilians. Ionel ignored the order to bring factory workers as a battalion to the capital.

During those tense days, Gina and Ionel, both atheists who had been reading the Bible, asked God to protect them and their children. The revolution ended 3 days later, and they remained safe. They surrendered their lives to Christ.

Soon after, a factory worker left for six months to show the JESUS film in across the country. When he returned, Gina and Ionel helped him show the film locally. Two years later, they left their jobs and joined the staff of Cru.

Over the years, Ionel and Gina helped many people in Romania meet Jesus. One day, they spoke to Gypsy Christians in Craiova. Ionel declined their offer to become their pastor, but promised to return. Two weeks later, he died of cancer.

After taking three months off, Gina traveled back to  Craiova and met with the Gypsies. This took courage. She’d grown up scared of Gypsies due to an event early in her life. Society’s prejudice against Gypsies only strengthened her fear. (You can read more about this in Storylines in March.)

Yet to honor Ionel’s promise and to serve God, she went. She began coaching Daniel and Zana, a married couple who have now planted 11 churches in 6 years.

I wrote about Daniel and Zana for Storylines, but Gina’s story was every bit as interesting as theirs. Her faith inspired me. By telling Daniel and Zana’s story, and showing how Gina mentored them, we can encourage others to trust God with their lives.

And while you wait for the rest of what I wrote from Romania, you can read the story Mark wrote about God changing lives through SpeakOut camps in Slovakia: https://www.cru.org/storylines/2019/january/slovak-students-speak-out.

Thank you for your generous gifts to Cru on our behalf. We’re so grateful for your friendship and your kindness.

Our year ended on a strong note. In November, 20 writers and editors gathered near Nashville as Anne Marie and I led a day-long training.

The training, sponsored by the Evangelical Press Association, brought members of five Christian organizations together for the event. This was our fifth major training event or class series this year — two for Cru writers and three for others. It’s a privilege to help our Cru coworkers and other Christians based on the 30-plus years we’ve spent writing, editing, teaching and doing a wide variety of publishing work.

Mark’s work, leading the team of nine writers and editors who produce Cru Storylines and who help several Cru ministries gather stories, is unchanged. He’s responsible for that team’s ongoing training and he assigns stories to the writers and tracks their progress.

Meanwhile, Anne Marie’s job is in transition. Starting in 2019, she’ll be part of the International School Project, a branch of Cru. They equip public school teachers around the world to teach ethics and morality based on lessons from the JESUS film, showing students how they can make better choices.

Some teachers then become leaders, helping other teachers, thus helping even more students and even their whole communities. So far, 3,000 volunteers have trained more than 100,000 teachers.

We’ve trained several ISP writers, and Anne Marie has mentored two of their writers over that last few years. She even traveled to Taiwan with ISP a few years ago.

She plans to travel with ISP teams on their mission trips. She’ll help train teachers and also report about teacher movements in each country. She’s also been asked to travel apart from mission trips to gather reports.

Your gifts to us throughout the year help us continue to share stories of how God is at work around the world and to help others do the same. We’re grateful for your friendship and commitment.

– Mark, for the Winzes

P.S. In light of travel costs associated with Anne Marie’s new role, would you be willing to send an end-of-the-year gift? If so, you can give online at give.cru.org/0262910.

“What’s keeping you up at night?” I asked 20 writers in Nashville who had assembled to learn more about taking an idea for a written story from concept to complete article.

“If I could provide some relief, would you be interested?” More than one person looked at me with eyes that said, Yes, please!

“If you can provide that same kind of relief for your audience, do you think they would be interested?” I asked.

Then, together we looked at the story of Jesus healing the blind man in John chapter 9. “Who sinned?” the disciples asked. “This man or his parents?”

The blind beggar had a problem, he couldn’t see. But it was even worse (or amplified). He’d been blind since birth, and society wanted to blame him or his parents for doing something wrong. Someone had to be held responsible.

Jesus bypassed the question and took action. His solution? He spit in the dirt and smeared mud in the blind man’s eyes. When the blind man washed the mud out of his eyes, he could see for the very first time. Jesus had transformed his life.

Of course, the neighbors had questions. The now-seeing man gave his testimony multiple times as he answered them. The religious leaders tried to logically explain this unusual turn of events. When they failed, they excommunicated the seeing man for claiming Jesus was God.

Jesus found the seeing man and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man. An opportunity. “And who is he, sir,” the seeing man asked, “that I may believe in him?”

“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and it is he who is speaking to you.” The seeing man responded by believing in Jesus.

The first letters of each of the words above in bold spell PASTOR. Together we talked about how writers could structure their content to pastor their readers. During the workshop, for writers from five Christian organizations that are part of the Evangelical Press Association, we discovered that the model works for stories with different purposes. When learning takes place, it’s a delight to everyone in the room, including me.

Thank you so much for praying for us and for your generous gifts that allow us to do the work we do. We’re so grateful. This month, please pray for wisdom for Mark as he temporarily assumes the duties of his coworker who is recovering from surgery.

Please let us know how we can pray for you, too.

— Anne Marie —

Daniel and Zana Osu, church planters in Romania, head into a Gypsy village and show Magdalena, a film that tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. Magdalena, a complementary version of the JESUS film, is a Cru ministry tool.

Some viewers place their faith in Christ at film showings. A week later, Daniel and Zana return and lead follow-up lessons. The training is oral because most Gypsies don’t read and write.

Daniel and Zana baptize believers and start a church with regular services. They train leaders in the church and appoint a pastor. Soon, church members travel with the couple to another village to start a new church.

I watched all of this happen for a week. What a pleasure to meet Daniel and Zana, and their friend Gina, a Cru staff member who invited me to Romania and who translated while I was there on assignment with Cru Storylines.  (In the top photo, Zana and I are in one of the 12 churches the couple has started. In the second photo, Daniel invites people to trust Christ to forgive their sins at a showing of the Magdalena film.)

For thousands of years, Gypsies have been enslaved and persecuted, mostly because of their dark skin. They responded by dropping out of society.

Parents don’t register their children and obtain birth certificates. Without that documentation, their children can’t go to school. They don’t learn to read and write, leaving them eligible only for menial labor jobs, that pay low wages. Children marry early. Daniel was 14 when he married 10-year-old Zana. A year later, Zana gave birth to their first baby.

It’s a culture of uneducated children raising children while trying to figure out how to break out of generations of poverty and persecution. They face overwhelming obstacles , and yet, God shows up. Daniel and Zena have planted 12 churches in 6 years.

Now, it’s time for me to write the story. I have a first draft done. I will also write captions for the pictures and two smaller stories that will run alongside the main story. Please pray that what I write will glorify God and encourage believers as they see God at work in a glorious way.

Thank you for praying for us, and for playing a role as we tell of God’s glorious works.

— Anne Marie —

Below, Gypsies, a people group often despised by those around them,  watch the life-changing message of the JESUS film as seen through the eyes of a woman who was despised in her culture. (All three photos are by Guy Gerrard, the photographer who joined me in roaming around Romania.)

As I post this online, Anne Marie is preparing for her trip to Romania which starts in tomorrow.

This was not the original plan.

As you know, I lead a team of writers at Cru^®’s headquarters. Primarily, our team produces Cru Storylines™, our digital magazine. We also write and edit for the Cru.org website and other Cru publications.

Now, our team needs help. Between other responsibilities such as stories and fund raising, and some illnesses, no one on our team could take this trip.

Fortunately, Anne Marie recently turned some work over to another editor in her office. That means she’ll have more time to write and train other writers. I eagerly asked if a trip to Romania might fit her schedule.

She made several adjustments to make this happen. She leads, or helps lead, three Bible studies, so she arranged for group members to lead some sessions. (In the photo above, Anne Marie teaches a Sunday School class that she led for several weeks this spring.)

Meanwhile, I’ve agreed to temporarily serve as editor of Cru Storylines while our editor in chief deals with a health issue. Depending how long this temporary role lasts, I might end up editing Anne Marie’s story. It’ll feel just like three years ago, when she was writing for Worldwide Challenge and I was editor in chief of the magazine. We’ll let you know how that goes.

Please pray for Anne Marie over the next few weeks.

• September 13-14, pray for safe travel, especially with Hurricane Florence in the Atlantic.
• Please pray, too, for the storm to dissipate and for those affected.
• September 15-21, pray as she interviews Daniel and Zina who are planting churches among the Romani people — formerly known as Gypsies — and Gina, a Cru staff member.
• September 22, pray for safe travel back home.
• Through the rest of September and October, pray for her writing and editing process while she also prepares for two training events in early November.

Thank you so much for your generosity and prayers.

In the cafeteria in Slovakia (above), I met with the Christian students we focus the story on, left to right: Tomaš, Matej, me and Miška.

Slovakia remains my focus about one day a week. Our editor, Rachel, is helping me refine my story as I work to tell how God is at work through Cru’s evangelistic SpeakOut camps in fewer words. I can’t expect readers to want to know all I saw and heard.

As a high school student, I often padded my writing to make it longer. Now, I struggle to make it shorter. After we complete the story, we’ll work on secondary stories and a map.

As you pray for me to finish the Slovakia story, please also pray for Anne Marie. She’s  next up to travel to Eastern Europe.

She and her director have adjusted her workload so she can travel to Romania to get a story about Romani people coming to Christ through the JESUS film for Cru Storylines™. Now, she’s planning the story, then will work with a photographer to arrange travel, likely in late September.         

As always, we thank you for your partnership in the gospel as we share these great stories of God at work in people’s lives.

I interviewed Miška in a corner of the same room (bottom photo). Both photos are by Ted Wilcox, the photographer I traveled with during this trip. 

I walked into a room in Piešt’any, Slovakia, along with Ted, a photographer. Chairs crowded around tables on the gray, slippery-when-wet floor reveal this to be a typical cafeteria. Quietly, we moved to the back of the room, near folding metal doors that would later roll up to offer hot food.

About 40 people, all but one younger than us, sit around simple tables with black and white checkered table cloths. This group staffs the Cru SpeakOut camp.

A SpeakOut camp brings together four groups of people: Slovak volunteers, Cru staff members and interns (including Slovaks and visiting Americans), American summer mission team members and high-school age campers. Typically, the campers are not yet Christ-followers; they attend the camp to learn conversational English, while the other groups teach English as a way to build relationships with the campers and share the gospel.

Each morning, campers learn English slang and vocabulary, including words that will help them understand the gospel as the week passes. Each afternoon, they meet in small groups where the gospel is explained in different ways by Slovak volunteers and visiting Americans. Evenings bring fun activities, like American culture night, featuring hamburgers cooked on a charcoal grill and a late-night talk show spoof.

Ted and I came here to tell the stories of three of the Slovak volunteers in a future issue of Cru Storylines™. Tomaš (Toe-MAHSH) came to know Christ as a camper at SpeakOut last summer after his freshman year in high school. He’s a student journalist, and was eager to work with Ted and me and to talk about journalism. Five boys from his high school came to camp together last year, and they started a Bible study at school and have grown in faith over the last year.

Matej (MAH-tee-ay), one of Tomaš’ classmates who came to Christ during camp last year and his closest friend, also returned as a volunteer. A bit more subdued and introspective as he talks, his ready grin shows joy. He stands out as the tallest boy at camp.

Miška (MEESH-kah), a university art student, returned for her fifth SpeakOut camp. She came to Christ as a camper in 2012, then served as a volunteer in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Thoughtful and quiet, she doesn’t seem outgoing, but she’s an exuberant storyteller. (In the photo above, Matej in on the far left, Miška is next to him in red and Tomaš is on the left. Their discipleship group is meeting in the corner of a storage room—note the bags of supplies on the left side.)

Thank you for praying for my trip. We gathered a plethora of information and photos. And thanks for praying for Anne Marie’s studies. She completed both classes, earning two A grades.

Over the next few weeks, please pray that God will be glorified in the story as I write about what He is doing in Slovakia. We’re grateful for your prayers and partnership with us.

– Mark –

Anne Marie and I walked along East Avenue in Holdrege, Nebraska, my hometown, scanning the crowd and looking for my high school classmates. I recognized two women, and they looked at me with a sense of familiarity. I began by addressing one by the wrong name. I was forgiven with a laugh. Forty years is a long time.

Soon, a few others arrived on the side of the street. Our 40th class reunion included watching the Swedish Days parade together last Saturday. I’m grateful we could be there. (In this photo, my dad prepares to ride in the Swedish Days parade representing his church. It was his first ride in a convertible. He wisely wore a hat, while we let the Nebraska wind style our hair.)

That day—the second in a very busy weekend—included six activities, ending at dinner with about 30 of the 112 people who made up my high school class.

I hadn’t been to a reunion since our 10th. I wish I’d done better at keeping up with my classmates, including some who couldn’t make it. We celebrated together over growing families and advancing careers. We also mourned as we heard of classmates who had died or were ill.

Visiting Holdrege usually brings a similar mix of emotions. As in many small communities, some businesses are struggling, but there are good memories and sparks of hope. On Sunday, we spoke at the church I attended while growing up where we met a few families new to the church.

I’m grateful we caught up with so many classmates, saw what’s happening in the church and community, and spent Father’s Day with my dad. We’re grateful for your prayers for our trip.

As you think of us over the next few week, please pray for two things:

• Anne Marie has already started four weeks of seminary classes. As Cru staff members, we’re asked to take a set of classes to ensure our ministry effectiveness. Pray that she’ll successfully meet the requirements and apply what she learns.
• July 13-22, I plan to travel to Slovakia to write a story for Cru Storylines. I’ll tell about three students who came to faith in Christ through summer camps that Cru runs, and who now have come back as camp leaders themselves this year.

As always, we’re grateful for your role in our lives through prayer, generosity and friendship.

Five years ago, a couple moved from South Korea to Mexico City to re-launch a Cru^® ministry on a college campus. They knew very little Spanish. The move was an act of faith, one that many Koreans have taken as they’ve gone to countries around the world with the gospel.

You can read the whole story, “Two Cultures, One Home,” in the latest issue of Cru^® Storylines at cru.org/storylines/. The campus ministry has grown, and now 15 student leaders and more than 40 students build disciples and proclaim Christ across the campus. My coworkers, Phil and Tom, wrote and photographed the story.

I’m grateful we can tell that story and others to encourage people as they see how God is at work around the world. If you go to that issue, you’ll also find a video about rapid church planting in Cambodia, encounter college students helping people in Houston still recovering from last year’s hurricane, and meet five students and staff members who are part of Cru’s Destino outreach to Hispanic students across the United States.

Thanks for praying for us after reading our last letter. Our 11-day, five-state trip to visit friends and ministry partners went well. We visited people in South and North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Along the way we connected with several families, including a woman who discipled Anne Marie when they were both college students, two friends we first met when we lived in California and a couple who are missionaries with a branch of Wycliffe. One highlight was spending two days with Bethany in Nashville—in the photo above, we’re taking a hike near her home.

As you think of us in the next few weeks, would you pray about these two requests?

• Pray that we’ll effectively give and receive feedback in our teams at Cru’s headquarters. Each May, we meet with those we supervise and also with our supervisors to review progress on goals we each set a year ago. Please pray that each meeting will be encouraging and helpful.
• Pray that we’ll plan and prepare well for a short trip to Nebraska to visit friends and ministry partners in mid-June. Pray we’ll connect well with several families, even though we’ll only be there a few days.

Thanks for your prayers and generosity.

Anne Marie and Steven, one of the 15 writers in our class last week, were almost late for lunch on the second day of our training. He stopped her to ask if we might be willing to train the 30 or so writers who work on the magazine and website he edits. What a strong endorsement

Our 15 students came in with solid credentials. Eleven work for Evangelical Press Association member publications. The other four are freelance writers, and three have won EPA writing awards. Still, they felt we could help them improve their skills.

As usual, we started by telling the class (above) that they won’t start writing until the fourth of five steps. They learned to gather information, sort the information they gather and then organize it before they write. After writing, they rewrite the story before publishing it. Our two-day training took place before the EPA conference formally started. (Below, Anne Marie stands by the sign that helped class members find our meeting room.)

The rest of the week, as local communications professionals, we helped host the conference. On Thursday morning, Steve Douglass, Cru’s president, and Dela Adadevoh, Cru’s vice president for area leaders around the world, joined Rev. Gabriel Salguero, a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals, to discuss the role of mass communications in world evangelization in the next decade.

Then early Thursday afternoon, Judy Douglass, Anne Marie’s director, spoke at EPA’s luncheon. As the founding editor of Cru’s Worldwide Challenge magazine and a former EPA board member, she fit in well with the group. We helped our Cru staff friends get situated for both events.

As you think of us in the next few weeks, would you pray for two things:

• Please pray for us to apply lessons we learned during EPA to our work.
• Pray for our trip to visit friends and ministry partners in the Southeastern U.S., as we plan a trip in late April and early May. Pray we’ll connect well with several families.

Thank you for playing an important role in our lives.