“Do all those people in your church actually follow the stuff you teach here?” asked the Romanian man at the church’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day event. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that being a part of a church community was in any way tied to the way a person might live his day-to-day life. To him, church was just another box on the checklist in order to fit into the traditional community.

The MTW Romania team and church plant hosted the event to help breathe new life into the traditional practice of Lent this year. They also wanted to show the people who gathered a vibrant church community who actually gets together, loves each other, and takes God seriously. They prepared a paper chain craft for families to count down the 40 days until Easter which included Bible passages to discuss, ways to help the community, and people to pray for. The chain is already raising intelligent questions such as “Why is Jesus called the ‘Son of Man’?” and “Why should we pray for our enemies?”

Your gifts are helping men and women around the world understand not just who Jesus is, but also what a life with Jesus looks like. Many are opening their eyes to the truth for the first time. Thank you.