Reality in the Transylvania region of central Romania is survival, especially for the downtrodden Gypsy immigrants. Life is difficult for Gypsy families enduring the long and cold winter months that see light for only a few hours a day. The only means to heat their shanties is with turn-of-the-century wood burning ovens. Sadly, deforestation is becoming an issue due to the necessity to cut down trees for the ovens.

One of European Initiative’s core values is to bless the poor. It is in our hearts to begin each year helping some of the poorest of the poor in Europe. I have just returned from leading an 11-person team of Germans and Americans to Romania. Our goal was simple, yet direct: to show the love of Jesus Christ in word and in deed to the impoverished Gypsy people. This was our fourth consecutive year to minister in the region and to connect with City on a Hill Church. Thanks to generous EI partners in the USA, we were able to give away hundreds of brand new coats, winter shoes, toys, and blankets to people who have never received a new article of anything in their entire lives!

In many ways our trip felt like a spiritual special ops operation. It began with a caravan of vehicles driving from Bucharest, over narrow mountain roads and into Transylvania.  We arrived at Apata, a miniscule village in the valley, with boxes overflowing with new coats, shoes and toys. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmingly grateful to those whose generosity made this outreach possible.

Friday morning the team awoke with renewed supernatural strength for the task at hand. We felt that God’s plan was for us to meet the spiritual needs of the Gypsies first, and give the clothing items later. We travelled to the village of Ormenis where we went shanty to shanty, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. During this time of ministry the Lord truly gave the team a spirit of power and love. By God’s grace 32 Gypsies gave their lives to the Lord that first day, and many more received prayer!! Exhausted but encouraged we returned to our lodging, expectant for the next day’s activities.

The operation for Saturday was an extensive one as we planned to go back to the same large village of Ormenis and return to the houses where we had evangelized the day before. With temperatures well below freezing and snow coming down like a blanket, we went house to house giving thousands of items away over the span of 6 intense hours! Many bodies and souls were warmed as we went. One young Gypsy mother named Bianca told me, “I do not have words to say how I feel for me and my children.” As I listened intently to her shaky voice and looked at her tear-filled eyes she said, “Thank you for coming to us and please tell your giving friends thank you for thinking of us.” God smiles at His body at work and He smiled upon the people of Ormenis this past weekend.

God’s life-changing power resulted in 80 Gypsies giving their lives to Jesus Christ over the entire outreach!!! Hundreds more were impacted by the outreaches, and countless seeds were sown. I know that I speak for the entire team when I say it was an honor to deliver God’s love to those in need.

I had the privilege of leading a team of Germans and Americans to Romania in 2011 and will do so again in January 2012. Upon entering villages in the Transylvania region of Romania, I was overwhelmed by the poverty. In these forgotten villages the mode of transportation is often an ox-drawn cart. Plumbing and other 21st century comforts are only a distant dream. It seems like life in these mountain villages has been frozen in time.

Life is a struggle year round, but especially during the long and cold winter months.  Gypsy families face enormous challenges trying to stay warm in their shanties.  Their homes are so poorly constructed that gaping holes in the exterior walls are the size of a man’s fist. Their sole source of heat is most often a turn of the century wood-burning stove. Visualize a scene from Little House on the Prairie and you get the idea. The wood burning stoves are much better than the method of generating heat from previous years – burning tires! 

Families of up to twelve persons live in miniscule 10ft. by 10ft. single-room homes. They are huddled under blankets, all of them sharing two single beds.  It is unfathomable to me that families could live this way, but they have no other choice.

Thanks to generous American Christians who have given thousands of dollars, European Initiative has been able to give hundreds of brand new coats, shoes, sleeping bags, and blankets to people who have never received a new article of clothing in their entire life! In Europe, there is no doubt that the “least of these” are the Romanian and Bulgarian Gypsies. The clothing they do own has been torn and battered to the point where many need to stay indoors for survival’s sake during the harsh winters.

EI will not only be giving to their physical needs, but more importantly we will address their spiritual need for a Savior. Because these endless strings of villages have been tucked away in the forgotten valleys of Eastern Europe for years, many have never heard the life-changing message of God’s love. As we go from house to house sharing the amazing news of the Gospel, we are expectant for lives to be transformed, renewed, and changed for eternity! Those who are open to the gospel are discipled by fellow Gypsies who are members of City on a Hill Church. The church has planted home groups in many of the villages providing opportunities for spiritual growth.

Please join with us in prayer as EI goes to Romania for a 4th consecutive winter. Last winter more than 80 Gypsies came to faith in Jesus Christ. We cherish your prayers as we take the tangible love of Jesus Christ to Europe’s “least of these.”

“Truly, I say to you, to the extent that did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even to the least of them, you did it to Me.”  (Matt 25:40)

I was in London to meet with British leaders who are coordinating extensive outreaches for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games. From late July through August, millions will be gathering in London for the games. EI will be partnering with YWAM England and a UK sports evangelization ministry, More Than Gold, to reach Olympic visitors with Christ’s love. Due to the sheer number of people who will be in London during this time, the city counsel and police department have actually asked the Christian community to provide logistical help, such as greeting visitors arriving at trains stations, airports, etc. City officials have also granted permission to UK ministries and partners such as EI, to conduct outreaches throughout the greater London area! How amazing is that?!!


When I think about the current spiritual state of the United Kingdom, I can’t help but be filled with hope for the upcoming Olympic outreaches. England, like most of Europe, is in a state of spiritual decline. While I believe there are many reasons for this, one striking problem has been the militant atheistic philosophy that is sweeping across the United Kingdom. A recent Wall Street Journal column written by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, sums up this new militant atheism:

“Britain today has become one of the most godless societies on earth. Its principle religious exports today are thinkers who despise religion. From Richard Dawkins, who has compared religion to child abuse, to my friend Christopher Hitchens, who titled his 2007 book "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," the British have cornered the market on being anti-God, at least the Christian and Jewish varieties.”

Boteach goes on to say, “U.K.’s churches are empty enough to land jumbo jets inside.”

This spiritual collapse in Europe must change, it will through God’s bountiful mercy! European Initiative is partnering alongside national churches and ministries in England and other nations to go on the offensive for this lost continent. This is why we plan to mobilize American teams to London next summer and this is why we run the race with such intensity. Lives are hanging in the balance!

“ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one receives a prize. So run in such a way that you might win!”- 1 Corinthians 9:24

Let us join together and pray that God grasps this great continent once again and that the 2012 London Olympic Games will be a catalyst for the next great move of God in Europe!

For more information on the London 2012 Olympic Outreaches and how you can get involved, please visit our “Upcoming Trips” page

The sober consequence of Papandreou’s call for a referendum, which was upheld today by the Greek cabinet, is that a “no” vote (very likely) could cause severe repercussions in world markets and could be the beginning of the end for the euro.

The Greek decision to bring this to a vote, comes just weeks after Germany and France led the rest of the EU to strengthen the euro bailout package, providing a way for Greece to avoid defaulting on its loans. It is almost as if Greece is saying “no thanks” to the rest of Europe who have made great sacrifices to come to her rescue.

Leaders from the G-20, the world’s most industrialized nations, will commence their summit today at Cannes, France. The Greece and wider euro zone crisis will be the “soupe du jour.” European heads of state will do everything in their power at Cannes to persuade Greece from its course of pursuing a referendum.

Europe is on the brink of spinning out of control, economically and politically. Not far behind Greece are looming dangers in Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Italy.  Spain’s unemployment continues to push upwards and now stands at more than 21%.  Unemployment among youth is at a foreboding 43%! The riots that began in Greece earlier this year have spread to Spain, and England. Expect them to intensify and spread to other nations in 2012.

I believe these real and pressing economic problems are connected to the spiritual crisis that continues to devour the continent. Europe has in effect turned away from belief in God. How can nations who once professed devotion to Christ, now hope for God’s favor and blessings? Could the economic crisis provoke Europeans to turn from their secular humanist pursuits back to the God of their fathers? That’s my hope and prayer.

Now, more than ever, the harvest is ripe in Europe. Please help EI bring Good News to Europeans.

These Americans did not travel all the way to Europe just for an entertaining show, they aren’t professional street performers interested in making some quick cash, and they don’t desire recognition or YouTube fame. The high-energy team was from Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound, Texas, and their whole purpose in creating a scene in this busy square was to grab the attention of Berliners for the sake of the gospel. The drama underlines struggles all of us deal with, such as; peer approval, morality, and the ultimate question of giving Jesus access into our lives. As a crowd of hundreds gathered In the square to watch the drama, one young Berliner was feeling something deep in his heart.

As the drama ended, the American team leader, Cedric Israel, noticed the young Berliner sitting alone. Cedric approached him and asked him about what he had just seen. Cedric tells the story in his own words:

“Oliver said he really liked watching the drama and thought it was very good. I asked him if he understood it. He had some questions, so I explained to him what the drama meant and what we were doing in Berlin. In talking through the drama, I explained to Oliver that God exists, and even more than that He wants to have a friendship with him. This resonated with Oliver, and he became very open to this idea. I explained what it meant to turn from our sins and follow Christ.  He listened intently and seemed to agree. I asked him if he was ready today to make that decision. I tried to make it as clear as possible that this was not just a decision for today only, but a decision that affects the rest of his life. He said he was ready and that he wanted to give his life to follow Christ and receive His grace. Oliver prayed with great sincerity and received Christ, right there at Alexander Platz. His countenance immediately changed – Oliver was born again! “

The EI team invited Oliver to eat with us that evening, and as he joined us for dinner, every single team member made it a point to encourage him in the decision he had just made. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and Oliver was all smiles! Contact information was exchanged and he was invited to the next day’s outreach. He showed up at the outreach the next day still beaming and enjoying being with his new Christian friends.

The next day at the team’s afternoon outreach we saw Oliver again. This time he looked tired and didn’t have that beaming countenance. Concerned, one of the team members asked if there was anything Oliver wanted to talk about. Oliver’s reply shocked us all! “No, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired because I was up late last night reading the Bible.

"I nearly finished it.” Puzzled, we asked what exactly has he finished? To our surprise Oliver proceeded to inform us that he had read almost the entire New Testament - from Matthew all the way to the end of 3rd John in just two nights! He only had Jude and Revelation to finish. None of us had ever seen such a thirst for the word of God! As the VCC team outreaches continued over the next few days, Oliver was always with us sharing his faith with unbelievers just like the Americans had done with him!

God used a simple drama to help change Oliver’s life. I know that the Lord is smiling down on him from heaven. These are the stories only He can produce. Since this life-changing event in Oliver’s life, he has plugged into a local Berlin Church. EI staff and Valley Creek team members remain in contact with him. Please continue to pray for Oliver and the plans and purposes God has for his life!

Click here to see a video of Oliver moments after he was saved!

Footnote:  Five days after returning to the USA, Cedric contacted Oliver by Facebook and learned that he had finished reading the entire Old Testament!

EI invited a team from Houston, Texas who came with their bags packed full of chains.  Somehow the suitcases made it through airport security despite the heavy metal.  Immediately upon arriving in Berlin, the team from Westlake Fellowship knew that they had entered into a spiritual war zone.  About half of them became violently ill during the first several days of ministry.  Fighting through sickness, jet lag, bad weather and an intense confrontation with German u-bahn (subway) officials, the Westlake team soldiered onward.  Undeterred, they went into the city squares to reach the lost and proclaim freedom to those in spiritual bondage.

The Americans performed a drama called “Chained”. The drama portrays a girl struggling to be free from demonic powers, which are holding her captive. Most of her body is in chains as she is jerked and shoved across the square by her adversaries. Finally, at the end of the play she subdues her oppressors and breaks free, giving praise to Jesus Christ.

The raw drama played well in Berlin, and not just to the diverse subcultures.  In fact, right after the very first performance three wholesome, but unbelieving young German girls gave their lives to Jesus!  Throughout the week, as the weather improved, audiences grew to crowds of nearly 200.   After each performance the Westlake team along with German believers would go into the crowd talking about the effect of “chains” in all of our lives. The drama’s message resonated deeply and opened up the hearts and minds of many Berliners, helping them see that through faith in Jesus there is a way of escape.

The Westlake team was hit by a sledgehammer upon their arrival in Berlin.  It didn’t take a lot of discernment to see that the enemy was opposing their purposes in Germany.  They persevered and reached countless lives with the gospel, bringing glory to God.  Luke 4:18 says, “That Jesus was sent to proclaim release to the captives.”  Now He sends us.  Some of those being held captive came to freedom in Berlin.  It started with of all things, chains. May God continue to break the chains of those in Europe who are held in captivity!

The following is an excerpt from the prologue of Andrei Cherny’s book on the Berlin Airlift, “The Candy Bombers”:

The United States came to the rescue of Berlin during a time of desperation, as Stalin blockaded the city in 1948. The Berlin Airlift was an extraordinary act of good will towards a nation that had been our enemy just 3 years before. The September 2001 outpouring of sympathy by Berliners was a heartfelt demonstration of their gratitude towards America.  But as so many of them are without God, they need our help again.

For the Germans of today, there is a pause in their speech and a haunted look, as they know Germany could be next. Just four days ago, German security forces arrested 2 Muslim men in Berlin who were suspected of planning a terrorist attack in the capital. During the raid, authorities discovered massive amounts of the chemicals that are used to make bombs.

God alone protects us from such evils, and gives us the courage to look to the future. But without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is impossible to know such peace. In John 14:27, Jesus offers a peace far greater than any peace available in this world.

It is time for America to come to the rescue of Germany and Europe once more. European Initiative’s mission is to airlift American Christians to Europe, to share the hope of eternal life with Jesus Christ.

If September 11 has taught us anything, it is the sober reminder that life on this earth is too short and eternity is too long to be without Jesus Christ. Please help EI bring His hope and His life to Europe.

“Our town of Wyszkow has 30,000 people living in it, and I only know of 30 born-again believers who are living here.”

Those are the words of Pastor Krzysztof Adamkowski, as he emphasized the reality of the dire spiritual condition in Poland. Only 1 in 1,000 people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; the other 999 will spend eternity separated from God. Krzysztof’s church, Społeczność Chrześcijańska, was planted by one of European Initiative’s partner churches, Christian Fellowship North in Warsaw, Poland. The mother church in Warsaw knew that the church plant needed a spiritual boost. Pastor Krzysztof went on to tell us that over 73,000 small Polish towns like Wyszkow do not have one single evangelical church!  This is precisely why 25 passionate believers from Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound, Texas, recently travelled to this spiritually needy region of Europe. By God’s grace the team impacted many lives for Christ.

Our first outreach in Wyszkow was literally minutes after a draining 7-hour train and bus ride from Berlin. The long travel day did not deter the VCC Team as they jumped right into ministry action! As we drove into a dreary and dilapidated housing project our first sight was the town’s corner store, busy with men of all ages attempting to drink their worries away with alcohol. Everywhere we looked we saw poverty and hopelessness in the countenances of the Polish people.

We decided to set up a portable speaker system in the field right across the street from the projects. Interest began to spike as the VCC Team began to dance to a popular hip-hop line dance. As the music pulsated into the open air, a crowd began to form and by the third dance men and women were jumping in and dancing along! The team then performed an impacting drama and gave personal testimonies on how Jesus saved their lives. The Texas Christians then moved their way into the crowd and began one-to-one conversations with the same people they were just dancing with. Through the fun-loving dance and compelling drama hearts were opened!

This story was repeated several times over the next day and evening in different public squares in Wyszkow. Hearts were opened and many seeds were sown. As we spoke with the lost on the streets we invited them to a “cultural event” planned for our last evening in town. The purpose of this event was to connect these lost sheep to Pastor Krzystof’s church. Over 40 attended the evening event and nearly half of them gave their lives to the Lord! One Polish woman was ministered to by several members of the team for more than an hour, and was radically delivered from demonic oppression! These new believers are now being discipled by a strong community of Christians. Please pray that they continue to grow in their new relationship with God.

As we departed for our next leg of the trip in Warsaw, Pastor Krzysztof told the team, “This was the most encouraging and fruitful evangelistic outreach we have had in 15 years! Thank you for coming to our little town and please come back.”

Warsaw, Poland

As the Valley Creek and EI team departed from Wyszkow, expectations grew in everyone’s heart to see the love of Jesus poured out in the same way in Warsaw.

In Warsaw’s busiest metro station the VCC team partnered with a local church that ministers on the streets every week, feeding the poor and proclaiming the Gospel to hundreds of lost Poles. The bustling capital city did not distract or hinder the VCC team in any way from their mission. During past trips to Europe the VCC team knew that artistic dances would spark interest in city squares and their powerful drama would move upon cold hearts.

As the time came for the dance to begin, the square had become absolutely jammed with on-lookers. We had to form a human wall to block off enough space for the girls dance team and again for other team members to perform the drama. The dance and the drama drew an audience of several hundred people. God was doing something mighty, right before our eyes! Immediately after the drama, EI and VCC team members gave testimonies and mini sermons over a loudspeaker system - most of the crowd listened attentively! As a team member would preach, the other Americans dispersed into the square engaging in one-to-one conversations. By the end of the evening 5 more persons gave their lives to Christ!

A new Passion for Poland was placed upon our hearts as we were privileged to share the love of Christ to so many lost souls in Wyszkow and Warsaw. By God’s mercy we are seeing lives saved in Europe! May many more Europeans come to know Jesus Christ in the next few years!

I count a total of six “withouts.”  He should have rattled off one more.  All six are symptomatic of the seventh, “England without God.”  Long ago England turned a corner, or more accurately, headed with reckless abandon over a cliff, leaving behind her Christian beliefs.  The land of Wesley, Spurgeon, Newton, Wycliffe and Taylor, has become the land of Darwin and Dawkins.  Bedford Falls has become Pottersville.  Sadly, Prime Minister Cameron is correct, England is broken.

Take a closer look at the list of England’s ills and you don’t have to be a theologian to know that the Bible offers answers for all of them.  Deuteronomy 6, Malachi 4 and Colossians 3 speak about fathers and children.  Many verses in Proverbs teach on the principles of discipline and the rewards of hard work.  Hebrews 12 addresses the subject of punishment with great wisdom.  And didn’t Jesus say a thing or two about selfishness?

There is hope for the United Kingdom, but only if its citizens pursue The Kingdom of God.  Fortunately for England, not everyone ran off the cliff into the abyss of atheism, as much as some would wish otherwise.  Even though church attendance in England has fallen to less than 5% (Christian Research), great churches such as Hillsong, Holy Trinity Brompton, Kensington Temple and many others are evidence that a strong remnant still exists.  Will this remnant reach out to secular England?  Will England open up her heart to God once more?

England is not alone in “feeling the heat.”  In my beloved Berlin, 35 cars have been torched in a 4-day period this week.  There are many hotspots across Europe about to boil over.  As the economies worsen, and they will, Europeans will become increasingly hostile and reactionary.  A continent without God, knows not where to turn for answers in times of adversity.

I have taken most of the  EI teams to Bernauer Strasse and other places in the city where stretches of the Wall remain today.  Many of our American visitors were not old enough to remember when the Wall came down in November 1989.  As they see the Wall and understand more about the harsh realities of life in Berlin during the Cold War, they appreciate their freedom even more.   Imagine not being able to see your grandmother for 27 years, simply because she lived in West Berlin and your lived a few kilometers away in East Berlin.

In a ceremony on Saturday, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit spoke to a crowd of thousands saying, “The construction of the Wall hit us Berliners down to our bone marrow.  We could only just watch as the SED (communist) state cemented the division of our city. We were shocked and desperate."

Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, also spoke at the ceremony. “It was unfathomable for me as a child that suddenly Berlin was divided," Merkel said. "And I saw the grief of my parents and many friends on that Sunday, August 13, 1961. From then on I could no longer visit my grandmother in Hamburg."

The Berlin Wall was 43.1 kilometers (nearly 27 miles) long.  In most of Berlin there were actually two expanses of the wall running parallel, with a “deathstrip” in the expanse in the middle.  Getting over the Wall required cunning planning and a relentless courage.  The Wall was armed with thousands of border patrols ordered to shoot to kill.  The deathstrip contained over 300 guard towers, more than 50,000 anti-personal devices (mines) and thousands of attack dogs.

137 Berliners lost their lives trying to escape to freedom.  May those who died trying to escape, be a sober reminder that our present day freedoms should never be taken for granted.