ProMission Festival continued to be a place where we were able to let ourselves transformed to have an impact in all the nations. About 50 youth from all over Romania and also from other nations, gather in Dezna, Arad county, to be used by God in expanding His Kingdom. We had David Gava as a main speaker, he is a man of God, dedicated, and he touched topics like: identity, hearing God’s voice, and also he talked about the fact that knowing God cannot leave us indifferent but it will motivate us to ACTION. Action could mean to get out of your comfort zone and be available for God by serving others. Action can mean to be close to your brother when he falls and to raise him up. To look at someone else’s need and intervene. Action could mean to hear God’s voice when He calls you and go tell the world about Him. God does not look at our abilities, He looks at our availability.

In the first day of the Festival, the young people opened themselves up and we created a family atmosphere, in which we could learn from each other’s experiences with God, we could laugh together, cry and pray for each other.

We will share some impressions, expectations and experiences that people had during the Festival:

„Personally, I was somehow afraid whenever I heard about prophets and prophecies. I had a great experience today. I heard God speaking to me in a personal and specific way and I felt strengthen. Now I have another image about prophets and I thank God because He used David to give me a better understanding of this. .” (Alexandra R.)

“Last day of ProMission Festival... a special day where each team performed a dance of the culture they were going to and mimed the needs of their outreach location. It was a full day for the teams – we could put in practice what we’ve heard in theory - praying and listening to God’s voice..” (Raluca V.)

„Today, for me, it was filled with revalations. Listening to David talking about my past..he cannot know some specific things in my life! But he spoke to me as if he knew me since I was born. After he prayed for me, I felt really strong a need for a hug. He looked at me and gave me one. God used him to hug me and tell me the words I needed the most in those moments.” (Sara B.) (Sara is a non-believer from Italy, she was brought by her friend to experience a meeting with christian youth from Romania).

After 5 days of preparation in Dezna all the young people with their teams left in the five mission locations for a month: India, China, Kenya, Rep. Moldova and Oltenia (Southern part of Romania).

Many people are asking themselves how a short mission trip could be efficient, and there are many pro and contra opinions. What we have experienced is that through the short mission trip the youth can test their calling, see if they are truly called for long term mission and they can learn more about the country and culture they are going to. For many of them coming to the ProMission Festival is their first contact with mission, and when they go back home they say that their passion for prayer grows and they learn to support financially the missionaries that are gone for long term. During their mission time they learn team work, they are challenged to work at their character and they are a blessing for the long term missionaries.

In these outreaches we are not starting new ministries but we go to support and help the ministries already started by our long term missionaries, as well as to help the missionaries in their needs. We are trying to send teams especially to the seven locations that we have adopted as a base, and all the mission locations of this year’s ProMission Festival are part of these locations; we want to have continuity in the ministry. We’ve had several teams go in these places during the past years. The teams were involved in different ministries: in orphanages, day centers for children, youth and children ministries, churches, practical work, evangelism, mercy ministry projects, etc.

When the young people came back from outreach we had two days of debriefing here at our mission center in Medias. During these days we had the opportunity to share from the mission experiences and about the way that God had worked in our lives and at our character. It was also a time of sharing how we had allowed Him to use us to enlarge His Kingdom in the places we went to. (Daniela and Beni Simion – ProMission leaders) (Daniela și Beni Simion – ProMission leaders)

”I would like to say that for me this mission trip was a step to get closer to God, a place where I learned to be more flexible and to have more patience. India amazed me and I was amazed by many things, especially by the people from there: I saw many of them living in poor neighborhoods, but even if they were poor they were thankful with the little they had. I was shocked by their rituals, but mostly the life that Indians live is a life in spiritual darkness. After this mission trip I am motivated to continue going in missions and I also desire to do the Discipleship Training School and to give myself to Him with all that I am. This mission trip changed my life’s meaning. I am thankful for God for all the things and I praise God.” (Adrian Berbec – India outreach)