None of us can disagree that our God is a God of transformed lives!  

He is the healer, the one who brings hope in the darkest of places. As Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

In the small town of Cernavoda, Romania, a generation of young people are growing up with narrow horizons and little hope. For many young people, home is not a happy place, they struggle through school - if they attend at all - and have few trusted adults in their lives. Options for free-time activities are scarce, and future opportunities are limited. Human trafficking is a significant challenge in the area, with teenage boys and girls at-risk of involvement in this deceptively alluring activity. 

God has given us a vision to play a role in equipping the young people of Cernavoda for a better life. We want to see them experience the joy of expressing themselves creatively. To know the pride of crafting something beautiful with their own hands. To train them with skills for honest work, to prepare them for their future. 

We also want this social enterprise to offer young people a safe place with trustworthy people - a place they can see the witness of Jesus' followers. We would love to see this become a place where discipleship can begin. And, through God’s grace, for their lives to be transformed, for them to know the abundant life that Jesus promises. 

Only God can bring this project to life. Only He can bring the hope that is so desperately needed in this town, and if transformation is to be seen, it is only through the Holy Spirit at work. 

These young people are the present, and future of Cernavoda and they are the present and future of the local church. Pray with us for God’s work in their lives, His revelation of each next step in this project, and His light to be shone into the darkness. 

—Liz and Alex Preotesea-Wagner, ECMers in Romania