Our Testimonies -
 - Michael's Testimony - I praise the Lord that I was born and raised in a Christian home. My parents, who are fourth generation Gypsies in the United States, were both saved the year that I was born, 1980. Prior to my father’s salvation, he owned and operated rides and games at fairs and festivals around the state of Ohio. Prior to my mother’s salvation, she was a fortune teller. After my father’s salvation, he became very active in his local church. Several years later he became Associate Pastor. It was during this time that I received the Lord as my personal Saviour. In December of 1987, my father, my older brother and I were driving to the barber shop. As my father was driving, he asked me if I was reading my Bible. In response, I told him that I was reading my Bible every Saturday morning. Immediately he knew that I was lying, because he saw me every Saturday morning watching cartoons. He explained to me that lying was a sin and the payment for sin was hell. He went on to tell me that trusting in Jesus was the only way to escape hell and spend eternity in heaven. It was at that moment that I prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come in to my heart and save me. In obedience to God, I followed the Lord in believers baptism several months later.
Michael's Calling to Missions-
My father answered the Lord’s calling to be a missionary reaching our people, the Gypsies, when I was ten years old. Our family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where there is a large population of Gypsy people, and started the first Gypsy Outreach among Independent Baptists. After graduating from high school, I attended Pensacola Christian College. I studied History, Political Science, and Bible with intentions of going on to law school. During my Senior year at PCC, I began to lose my desire to go to law school. I began fervently praying that God would show me His will about what I should do with my life. Around that time I was praying for my parents, who were taking a missions trip to reach the Gypsies of Europe. I was praying for their safety and ministry, and that God would send more laborers to reach the Gypsy people of Europe with the Gospel. I remember telling the Lord that there are far too many Gypsies in Europe and not enough missionaries. That is when the Lord spoke to my heart, revealing to me that He wanted me to go to Europe and plant churches among the Gypsies there. The summer following my college graduation, I took a survey trip to Europe. While we were there we went to the country of Slovakia. It was at that time that the Lord cemented in my heart that He wanted me to give my life to Him by reaching the Gypsies of Slovakia. Upon my return to the United States, I attended Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. I took a year of ministerial classes to prepare for my future ministry.
Sarah's Testimony - I was born and raised in a Christian home in northwest Indiana. It was not until the age of fourteen that I was saved. I was in ninth grade in my Christian high school when an evangelist came and preached a week of meetings in chapel. The whole week the evangelist preached on hell. Everyday, the Holy Spirit worked more and more in my heart, until I realized that I had never accepted Him into my heart as my personal Saviour. That day I asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins and save me from hell. Several years later, I was baptized.
I am so excited about what the Lord has in store for our lives. I look forward to spending the rest of my life serving as Michael’s help meet reaching the Roma of Slovakia. |