Gabi:
I came to know God with the help of Denis, his brother Andrei Neştian, and his sisters.Mihaela and Nicu Stroi taught us and talked about the Lord (when they were in charge of the Saturday Kids’ Club in the Chedes Agape Center), but at the time we were young and we attended the various activities, especially for the pizza and the gifts.
We had fun, we were children and we didn‘t really understand this idea of God and more precisely of Jesus.
I began to truly seek and know the Lord when I got older, in a youth camp in Breaza two years ago, where everything seemed so direct and personal, that I felt like crying. Everything was so nice and pleasant, and the Lord did so many wonderful things for me that I didn’t think I deserved.
There was an atmosphere of friendship, and I felt so much love coming from the Lord, to all of us who were there. Everyone there was different from me and, until that moment, I had not understood it because I did not know that God could do so many things for us; I didn’t see all of this because until then I only had vague ideas.
All this led to a sense of sadness because something was happening inside me and I felt that I didn’t like myself anymore. Various emotions had accumulated: someone there made me sad (and usually I joke a lot and am cheerful) telling me, in a derogatory way: “here’s the smart guy” and so I felt ignored. This made me realize that there were so many other things that saddened me, many conflicting feelings, especially because I was in a different environment, and I felt small and insignificant.
Lavinia (Denis Zlatan’s wife) noticed this, she spoke to me, understood and tried to help. She helped me understand that I needed to love myself and I had to learn to forgive those who hurt me and not hold back these feelings. I am a person full of joy who generally expresses happiness, because that’s the way I am.
But not everything I did was good, and that’s why I felt stupid and lost, because I felt excluded. I didn’t have the courage to try to fit in with the others, I didn’t feel the same anymore.
The experience had an impact on me and in some way convinced me to change and I wanted to become like the people I met at the camp: I saw them all so clean, nice, untouchable and they spoke well (without swear words or other colorful expressions) and everything was new to me.
Where I come from, people do not know who God is, how to respect him or seek him; it’s a sinful environment, people swear all the time, and so many other bad things happen, and as long as I was on that road I falsely thought I was happy and joyful. Nothing, however, can compare to the happiness that comes from God when we call upon him and seek him.
I had this burning desire and felt so small and guilty, insignificant to God. Instead, I saw how the people around me, who are from God, helped me understand the Lord. He does so much for me constantly, he provided what I wanted for school and other needs.
He wants us all to be saved, so all we have to do is desire him, look to him and change to show that we belong to him.
I started to feel guilty for the sins I regularly committed and all I could think about was the fact that I was dirty, I didn’t like myself that way at all. I began to hate sin. I started to repent and seek God more: I would stay home to pray alone; I started coming to activities with Denis Zlatan and tried to learn from him about the Lord and he helped me. At one point I thanked him and praised him for what he was doing, but Denis wouldn’t accept it and said that he doesn’t like to be “praised”. Now I understand why he said this; he wanted me to see how God used him to do all this for me and that I was to thank only the Lord and glorify Him.
It took me a long time to understand that I cannot comprehend and learn about God if I do not first know his Son Jesus. If I do not know Him and do not accept Him in my heart, in my life, I cannot see and accept God, as it should be. Jesus is our direct link with God the Father, He is our mediator. I have understood that I must seek Him and I must pray, accept that I am a sinner and change to try to be pure.
Mădălina:
I experienced the good things God had done for me and this touched me and was very moving for me. I was sorry I couldn’t offer something in return but only believe and be better. I learned everything about baptism from Denis. I had made this decision earlier, when I decided on my own to accept Jesus into my heart, to call him into my life, and to allow him to help me continue to live my life according to God and learn more about Him. I saw how my heart and my thoughts changed: I began to look at people differently, to be happy, to love them because I only thought about how Jesus loved us all and never looked at anyone with contempt, and that God examines us and takes care of our hearts.
This pleased me: how Jesus loves children and calls them to himself. I also started to love children and attend camps to play with them and be a friend to them.
I realized that God loves us as we are and that we should do the same with those around us and help them. I also started going to church and asked God to give me friends and His people to learn from and He gave me everything. I am also happy to have decided to follow Him with all my heart and sincerity, to seek Him and make Him known wherever I go. May the Lord help me to be firm in this decision for myself and for my brothers and sisters, throughout my whole life.
Glory to God because now we too are his children. May he help us and strengthen us in the faith,
Amen.