Romania Summer Camps Update 2026

Dear Friends,

Since its founding, Bethesda has deeply believed in the importance of summer camps in Romania, investing in this important project with passion, commitment and love.

Over the years, we have had the privilege of being there and sharing these special moments up close. We have seen the joy in the children’s eyes, heard their laughter and sensed the enthusiasm while they wait for this significant event every year. In a reality marked by difficulties and hardships, such as that of Moldavian Romania, summer camp represents much more than a simple recreational experience: it is an opportunity for hope, friendship, growth and love.

This year, Denis, Lavinia and their collaborators have done an extraordinary job. With dedication, sacrifice and a great spirit of service, they have faced and overcome the many challenges that inevitably arise, giving hundreds of children days they will cherish for a long time.

At the end of this intense and wonderful experience, our hearts are filled with gratitude to the Lord for His guidance, His protection and His providence in every detail. A special thanks goes to all those who made the camps possible by financially supporting the 400 fees needed to allow the children to participate.

To you, we say with all our hearts: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Your generosity has turned a financial contribution into smiles, hugs, friendships, unforgettable moments, and seeds of hope for the future of so many children.

Below you will find the report sent by Denis Zlatan, with all the details and results of the various summer camps.

With love, gratitude and prayers that the Lord continues to bless you abundantly,

Best regards and every blessing in the Lord.

Orazio Gentile, President

Summer Camp Report: Under Construction!

We are building in the construction site of Heaven

Camp – Rebricea

Our Agape Chedes Center was filled with joy, laughter and the voices of over 70 children every day. Together, we experienced an unforgettable Summer Bible School, with the theme “Under Construction – We are building in the construction site of Heaven”.

Throughout the week, the children discovered that the strongest foundation for life is Jesus Christ. Through Bible lessons, games, crafts, songs and team activities, they learned what it means to build their lives on Christ, develop a healthy relationship with God and to love and serve others.

This camp would not have been possible without our extraordinary team of volunteers from Bucharest, Vaslui, the Republic of Moldova and Milan, Italy. Each of them invested their time, energy, and heart in these children, helping to create memories that will last for many years.

We are especially grateful to our friends in Milan, whose generosity made it possible to provide meals to all the children throughout the week. Their love was shown not only through words, but also through hands-on support.

One of the most exciting moments of the week was the soccer tournament, full of excitement, team spirit and hard-fought matches, some of which were decided in the final moments. The children learned perseverance, fair play and the importance of encouraging one another.

However, the greatest miracle occurred on the final day.

When the Gospel was clearly presented and the children were invited to respond to Christ’s call, several of them chose to place their faith in Him. Among them were our foster child, Patricia Fandarac, and a 14-year-old boy who publicly responded to God’s call.

Later that evening, around the bonfire, God continued to work. Two teenage girls, ages 14 and 15, opened their hearts to Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of praying with them as they committed their lives to the Lord.

Moments like these remind us why this ministry exists. Buildings may be constructed in a few days, but God is building eternal lives. We believe that the seeds planted this week will continue to bear fruit for many years to come.

Thank you to all who have prayed, volunteered, donated and supported this ministry. Thanks to your collaboration, the children not only experienced an unforgettable week, but also encountered the love of Christ, and some of them took the first step toward following Him.

Camp – Vinețești

In July, we organized our first children’s camp in the village of Vinețești, with the theme “Under Construction – Craftsmen in God’s Construction Site”. This camp represented an important step for our ministry, being the first initiative of its kind in this area.

During the three-day camp, 26 children participated on the first two days, while on the third and final day, the number increased to 31. This greatly encouraged us and demonstrated the growing interest of the children and families in the community.

The camp’s theme was designed to present to children, in a practical and easily understandable way, the importance of building their spiritual life. Starting with the image of building a house, the children learned that every lasting construction begins with a solid foundation. We discussed how the true foundation of life is Jesus Christ and illustrated how a Christian’s character develops like a house that is built gradually: foundation, walls, windows and roof, each element with a spiritual meaning.

Our desire was for every child to understand that life isn’t just about temporary and material things, but that the most important investment is in our relationship with God and in developing a character according to His will.

The camp took place in a facility with very limited resources. The property consists of a recently purchased old house, with the vision of developing a small missionary base there in the future. Currently, conditions are still modest: we had to use a makeshift bathroom and there was no running water in the courtyard. These difficulties posed an organizational challenge, but the brothers worked together, and with God’s help, every problem was resolved.

A particularly special moment for our team was reuniting with two youth who had participated in the first camp organized in this area in 2019, about 15 km from Vinețești. Seeing them again was deeply emotional because it showed us that the work begun years ago continues to bear fruit.

One of these youths was only 6 years old when I first welcomed him to the camp. Now, being older, he is able to understand the truths of God’s Word on a much deeper level. For both of them, it was the third opportunity to participate in a camp of this kind and to hear the Gospel. For us, it was a great joy and a source of encouragement to see the continuity of this work and to understand how important the seeds planted in children’s hearts are, even when the fruit becomes visible only years later.

Camp – Oșești | August 6-8

From August 6-8, we had the joy of organizing another children’s camp, this time in the village of Oșești, a place where we had never previously held activities.

This camp was particularly important to us because a Christian family lives in the village who, for several years, has felt that God placed in their hearts the desire to begin a new ministry, especially for children.

Every Sunday morning, this family opens their home to the children of the village. Some of them gather there and the family prepares a time where they can listen to the Word of God, pray and learn about faith.

The family’s desire was for this camp to represent a step forward for the ministry already established in the village. Through the camp, we were able to connect with a larger number of children from the community and share the message of the Gospel with them.

We averaged about 50 children per day, a very encouraging number, especially considering it was our first organized activity in this village.

We were delighted to see the children’s interest and to be able to spend time with them, using the camp activities to demonstrate the truths of Scripture in an engaging and inviting way.

We believe this camp can represent an important opportunity to develop the ministry already begun in Oșești, and we pray that these children will continue to listen to the Word of God even after the camp is over.

Children’s Camp – Suseni | August 17-19

We also had the opportunity to organize a children’s camp in the village of Suseni for the first time. We came here after continuous requests by a Christian woman, Mariana, the only believer in the area, who for many years has had a strong desire to work with the children of the community.

Mariana taught at the village’s primary school for many years. Later, she moved to Barcelona, but her heart remained tied to the place where she had worked and the people who lived there. A few years ago she returned to the village, bought a house and resettled.

Her life hasn’t been easy. After her conversion, her husband abandoned her, leaving her to raise her five children alone. Despite everything, now that she’s retired, God placed in her heart a strong desire to invest in the next generation and share the Gospel message with the village children.

On a hill above the village, Mariana owns a plot of land surrounded by fields of sunflowers. There she has a shipping container and turned it into a children’s space called the “Children’s Refuge”. Every week, she climbs the hill with the village children, organizes activities and teaches them God’s truths.

For our camp, we pitched our tent on that very plot of land. The outcome exceeded all expectations: over 110 children participated each day, from six different villages. It was an extraordinary opportunity to reach so many children and share the Gospel with them.

We were also deeply touched by Mariana’s personal involvement. She wanted to offer our team the best possible conditions so she made the attic of her home into a living space for volunteers and renovated the bathroom to accommodate us in the best possible way. For us, these sacrifices were a real expression of her desire to serve and see the ministry for children grow, even though she is still paying off a bank loan.

Another aspect that greatly encouraged us was the willingness of many local people to collaborate and serve. Thanks to the community’s involvement, organizing the camp was much simpler and responsibilities could be shared among several volunteers.

At the same time, our experience in Suseni also presented some challenges. The children were very energetic and many came from dysfunctional families. Some showed a strong need for attention, constantly wanting to be around the volunteers and sometimes displaying difficult-to-manage behavior.

Beyond the difficulties, this experience showed us the great need in the community. For some of these children, the time spent at the camp and the attention they received from the volunteers meant much more than simply participating in recreational activities. It was an opportunity to show them love, listen to them, and above all, talk to them about God and the hope they can find in Him.

We are grateful for the openness in Suseni and for the faithfulness of Mariana. Despite all the difficulties she has faced, she continues to invest in the lives of the children in this area. We pray that the “Children’s Refuge” will become a place where more and more children can hear the Word of God and that the ministry begun here will continue to grow.

A mutual acquaintance, a brother called Cornel Pascu, wrote a short account about her on Facebook. It is written below.

When God Puts a Desire in a Person’s Heart

(by Cornel Pascu)

Sometimes God puts a strong desire in a person’s heart to do something for His Kingdom. You don’t always have all the resources, you don’t know how doors will open and sometimes you even encounter opposition. But when you remain faithful to the calling and begin to work in the direction God leads, He can transform a desire into a fruitful ministry.

I am happy to share a few things about our sister Mariana Rogoz, who I have known for several years and we have supported each other in prayer. I saw in her a sincere love for God and a special desire to speak to children about the Lord Jesus.

For many years, Mariana was a teacher in the village. In addition to teaching school subjects, she also carried the souls of her students in her heart. She spoke to them about Jesus, said the Lord’s prayer with them and organized programs dedicated to the birth and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

This calling is not something new. About twenty years ago, when she organized an evangelistic event in the village, she faced obstacles and opposition. However, she did not become discouraged. Her desire to serve God and bring people to the Gospel remained strong.

After spending several years in Spain, Mariana returned to Romania in February this year. Shortly after, she gathered the children again and began working with them through the 12 lessons from the book The Most Wonderful Journey.

Then a dream was born: to organize a children’s camp.

She did not have all the answers or resources, but she began working to realize the dream she had in her heart. Together with our brother Denis and everyone involved, that dream became a reality: about 150 children participated in the camp in the village of Suseni.

And the greatest joy was not the number of participants, but what God did in their hearts. They heard the Gospel and many of them responded to the call to follow the Lord Jesus. For this, let us give all the glory to God!

There is no evangelical church in the village and the ministry still faces opposition. Therefore, Mariana needs our prayerful support. We pray that God will grant her strength, wisdom and perseverance, protect the ministry and continue to open doors for the Gospel.

I am happy that I have been able to encourage Mariana over the years, but today her testimony itself is an encouragement to all of us.

When God places a desire for service in your heart, you do not need to wait for perfect conditions. Pray, be faithful and begin working with what you have. There may be obstacles and people who do not understand, but if God has called you, keep moving forward.

If God has placed a desire in your heart and it is accompanied by prayer, faith and obedience, it can change the lives of many people.

Mariana’s dream has come true. Now we pray that what God began will continue to grow and bear even more fruit for His Kingdom.

Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/share/19Pns4ac8n/