BECOME A HOST FAMILY

AVILA HOMESTAY WEEKEND OPPORTUNITY IN JULY FOR 5 FEMALE RUSSIAN STUDENTS HERE WITH US STATE DEPARTMENT PRETIGIOUS PROGRAM
Avila University has been selected to host five female Russian undergraduate students this July as part of the prestigious SPARK Program, a U.S. State Department initiative designed to build mutual understanding between future global leaders. These students represent a remarkable group, some of the most talented young people from regional areas across Russia, as well as top-performing students from prestigious universities in St. Petersburg.
A key component of the program includes a weekend homestay experience with local families. Avila has asked ISI to provide families or individuals that would welcome one of these students for one weekend in their home.

WE ARE PRAYING FOR 5 FAMILIES OR INDIVIDUALS TO STEP FORWARD FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIY TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT IN THE LIVES OF THESE STUDENTS.  

We need those who can host the weekend of July 11-13 or July 18-20. If you could take 2 students, let us know that in case we are short on families.

TIMEFRAME COMMITTMENT: The homestay will typically be for 2 nights: Friday evening through Sunday afternoon or early evening. Pick-up is usually Friday between 4:00–5:00 PM from the Avila University campus. There might be some flexibility to 6pm. Avila will give us the specific pickup location. Students will need to be returned between 4:00-6:00pm Sunday evening. Sunday evening meal with you is encouraged since Avila does not have Sunday meal service during the summer program. If the Sunday meal is not possible, we will let Avila know.

WHAT ACTIVITIES WE ARE HOPING FOR YOU TO PROVIDE: Students are looking forward to cultural experiences, family time, sightseeing, and relaxed conversation. Ball games, picnics, fun at home, etc. Simple, meaningful time with your family is perfect! We understand that not all families can provide fee-based outings or meals at restaurants. A home-cooked meal or a walk in the park can be just as impactful. Students should not participate in high-risk activities such as trampolining, indoor skydiving, or unsupervised water activities. Please check with us if you're unsure about any activity. 
Students will sign a general liability and conduct waiver, which extends to host families. Additionally, ISI’s own waiver form will also be signed by the students. Avila will share a schedule of organized outings with all host families so you can plan your weekend activities accordingly and avoid overlap. 

ENGLISH LEVEL: All students have a functional level of English and are able to communicate effectively in conversational settings. While there may be a range in fluency, they are all comfortable engaging with English-speaking hosts.

It is amazing how God can use even just a weekend in someone's life!

Please contact Carol at cdouglass@internationalstudents.org to let me know you are up for inviting a Russian student into your home for a weekend in July. Please let me know as soon as possible, but no later than July 25.

Blood Drive

Who Can You Help by Donating Blood?

Donating blood is a simple yet powerful way to help others. Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. It’s a small act with a huge difference! If you would like to be a blood donor Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: JourneyBible to schedule an appointment.

Journey Bible Church will be hosting the American Red Cross In the Auditorium on Monday, July 21, 2025 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Give blood July 15 to 31 for a Fandango Movie Reward by email to see a movie! rcblood.org/July

What is your greatest joy?

Maram - a refugee from Irak

Why’s She Smiling So Big?

That joyful woman is Maram, a refugee from Iraq. But her smile isn't because of a wedding or graduation—it’s because she just gave her life to Jesus and got baptized in a cold Romanian river (behind her) last Sunday!

It was pouring rain, but Maram wouldn’t delay. “Let’s do it today,” she said, full of faith. We prayed hard, asking God to hold back the storm. Stefan, one of the missionaries that work with international here, asked the Lord for a sign—a ray of sunshine. And guess what? As soon as Maram stepped out of the water, after the baptism, the clouds broke and the sun shined down  just for one minute. God showed up!

Maram's story is nothing short of a miracle. Raised in a strict Muslim family in Iraq, she was married off young and became a mom by 19. She fled to Romania with her abusive husband and daughter. Her husband was beating her a abuse her so they got divorced and she ended up homeless. A Christian group took her in a center. Still clinging to Islam, she cried out to God—and He answered in a dream, calling her to Jesus.

Someone gave her an Arabic Bible. She dove in, hungry for truth. The peace and joy she felt were brand new. Soon, she connected with our “International Connect” team, joined a Bible study in Arabic, and started growing fast. Today, she’s working, speaking Romanian, raising her daughter, and walking joyfully with Christ.

After the baptism, we celebrated at our home. When asked how she felt, Maram beamed and said, “I am very grateful.”

Her passion reminded all of us what a gift it is to know Jesus. He still saves, still speaks, and still shines light into the darkest places.

In the past few months, two new Bible study groups have launched—one in Arabic, one in Farsi—full of brand-new believers from Muslim backgrounds! Fadi, a Syrian missionary, leads the Arabic group. Milad, from Iran, leads the Farsi one. Both are praising God for the chance to disciple these new Christians in their heart languages. What a blessing to see how God bring nations to us, (more and more immigrants come to our country, from Middle East and Asia) and how the Gospel crossing borders and changing lives! 

Campus ministry -  God’s Opening More Doors in Secular Universities!

Our partnership with universities in Bucharest is growing fast—faster than we imagined! Just last month, professors from the Business Faculty reached out, asking if their students could meet business leaders who operate with integrity and Christian values.

We jumped on it.

We invited a Christian businessman to share his story. Over 200 students showed up to hear how faith shapes his life and work. What a powerful way to plant seeds of the Gospel! We're praying God softens hearts and draws these students to Christ.

Our most recent family photo—taken this Easter during a visit to Nelu’s parents.

Please Pray for Sarah and Andrei

Sarah is in Cluj, about 300 miles from Bucharest, finishing her last year of college as a psychology student. Right now, she’s deep in final exams and working hard on her senior thesis.

Her younger brother, Andrei, is wrapping up his last year of high school and gearing up for his big baccalaureate exam next week, followed by college entrance tests.

It’s a stressful season for both of them—lots on their minds and hearts. Please lift them up in prayer. Ask the Lord to give them peace, strength, and victory in their exams, and that they’d experience His presence in a powerful way during this time.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

With love in Christ,
Nelu Natalia, Sarah and Andrei

I had almost zero faith

I had almost zero faith that we would actually see the answer to that prayer.

20 years ago, when I first joined the Bucharest team, I remember waiting for 2 hours just to get a chance to talk to the Rector of Politehnica University. I wanted to ask her to allow us to hold student meetings on campus, but she told me she couldn't allow any "religious" activities there.

At that time we took prayer walks around the main university campuses in Bucharest praying that God will raise among the professors “sons of peace” that will open doors for the Gospel in those universities. Although I prayed passionately I had almost zero faith that we would actually see the answer to that prayer. 

This year for the second time in a row  we hosted the Ready for the Future event (it use to be called Integrity in Leadership) in the Aula Magna of one of those universities. 

Speakers from Kansas City and Dallas spoke about Leadership principles and how faith played a role in their lives. They were joined by one of the professors who had traveled with Ionut last month to the US to attend the Prayer Breakfast and visit K-State.

After the event, the speakers met with the dean of the Business department, who proposed that Ionut develop a Leadership program for the professors in his department, similar to the one they run for students.

In 2019 me and Ana were challenged to take a national role in the Romanian ministry. For another two years we gave leadership both to the national campus ministry and to the Bucharest team. As Ionut stepped up as a leader of the Bucharest team not only he took the team to a whole new level in terms of partnerships with the universities both in Bucharest and in the US but we were freed to focus more on the other cities where there are smaller teams: Brașov, Cluj, Iași, Sibiu, Timișoara, Oradea. 

One of the things that gave us great satisfaction was the visit to Oradea, one of the cities in the western Romania where we met with students and staff and interviewed them with the purpose of learning how we can better serve them as we develop new materials and plan activities such as the Summer Camp and leadership training. 

As a result of the interviews, we invited students to join what we called a 3-day internship with the Bucharest team. Students from Oradea and Brasov traveled to Bucharest and, along with Stefan Stoica, an intern with Global Church Movements (another CRU ministry), embedded themselves in the Campus team here. They observed and learned from the interns and staff in Bucharest as they ran the Ready for the Future event and participated in the training we provided for them. 

Flavia, our staff in Oradea, later wrote to Ana saying the visit was more helpful than they anticipated and that they would apply what they learned.

I find myself praying the same prayer now that I prayed 20 years ago: that God will open doors for the Gospel in Romanian universities through professors who are "sons of peace," just as he did in Bucharest. This time, I have a bit more faith

-Cristi and AnaMaria Voiculescu

A Gift from Jesus

Dear Journey Bible Church, please enjoy this recap from Stefan who serves with Cru in Bucharest Romania. With your generous support of Journey Bible Missions, we are able to share these great Missions Moments with you.

In December, my team leader told me about an incredible opportunity he had—to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the U.S. and help establish a partnership between ASE and Kansas State University. As he shared this with me, I was genuinely happy for him and amazed by how God was working through him. After our conversation, I took time to pray and thank the Lord for the great things He was doing.

One week later, something unexpected happened—my team leader asked if I wanted to join them! Without hesitation, I said yes. I had no idea what was coming, but I can tell you this: it was a dream come true. Since 8th grade, I’ve longed to visit the United States, and God made it happen in the most incredible way.

We arrived in the US at the beginning of February.

At the National Prayer Breakfast, I had the privilege of being alongside my team leader, a group of professors, and another volunteer. We met politicians, diplomats, ambassadors, religious leaders, business people, and missionaries—all gathered to pray in the name of Jesus and speak about Him. It was amazing! I even got to see President Donald Trump in person.

 For the professors in our group, this was their first Christian event. What an open door! The event lasted two days, but my journey in US continued for two more weeks.

After the conference, we spent a day exploring Washington, D.C. As I walked through The Mall (the central area with historic monuments and museums), I couldn’t help but pray, completely in awe of God’s power and faithfulness.

From there, we flew to Kansas, where we attended a local partner church that Sunday. It was an unforgettable experience, especially for the professors—it was their first time in an evangelical church, and they were deeply moved. After the worship and sermon, they shared with us that they wanted to start going to church when we returned home and to continue praying together! It was amazing for me to have the chance to attend church in US and see how God is working in the professors’ life.

That evening, we were invited to a friend’s home to watch the Super Bowl, and I was struck by their hospitality. People opened their homes to us, provided transportation, and shared meals with us. These simple acts of kindness left a profound impact—not only on me but on everyone, including the professors.

Finally, my journey ended at Kansas State University, where we met with the dean and vice dean of the business school. And here’s the incredible news: through Cru, I witnessed the beginning of a new partnership between KSU and a university in Romania—the first of its kind!

God is amazing. I am still in awe of everything He has done.

Thank you for your prayers!

Thank you for standing with me in prayer. Your support and encouragement mean more than I can say. May God bless you abundantly!

With gratitude,

Ștefan