Saturday In Romania Saturday, August 30, 2008

After a hearty breakfast, the Romanian youth were ready for another day. The day before, they were all divided into teams for today's volleyball tournament. It wasn't long before the American brothers realized that competitiveness is a universal trait! These young brothers and sisters were playing to win. There was laughing, yelling, running, and jumping until finally they were down to two teams. With cheering youth gathered around the volleyball court, a champion was crowned. They would have to wait for the banquet tonight to find out what prizes they had won.

After lunch, everyone gathered together to take a crossword puzzle quiz, and watch a video showcasing pictures of Brother Branham. Pictures that have never before been seen in Romania were met with gasps from the young audience. They really enjoyed this small glimpse into Brother Branham's personal life.

The youth were then dismissed from the auditorium in plenty of time to put on their best clothes for a first class banquet.

Once all of the preparations were made, the doors to the banquet hall opened. They entered to candle-lit tables and beautiful music playing softly in the background. They were promptly served a delicious meal and anxiously waited to see what prizes the volleyball tournament winners would receive. Before they got their prize, we announced that there were four people who scored perfectly on their crossword puzzles. It took a second round of Brother Branham trivia questions to narrow it down to two winners. The two came forward with huge smiles to receive their signed Message journals and Brother Branham pens.

Next came the volleyball winners. They were each given a new iPod with Brother Branham sermons, Brother Branham's “Gospel hymns” singing, and multiple videos of Brother Branham preloaded on it.They were not the only ones that would receive a gift. Everyone would receive a complete set of Romanian MP3s. One young brother approached us with tears in his eyes and said “my dad has these, but these ones are MINE!” These young believers were truly appreciative to receive such a gift.

Brother Gerald Buitenkamp then introduced Brother Israel Powe who would spend the next hour and a half encouraging the audience to stick with The Word! He exclaimed “This truth will set you free! Free of anything that has you bound.” There were attentive faces and teary eyes as Brother Israel remembered hearing his mother's prayers, and told of how they kept him from straying away from God. Brother Israel emphasized how decisions that you make today will affect you down the road. The youth seemed to really enjoy what Brother Israel had to say.

The banquet ended with about an hour of fellowship. The Lord once again gave us a beautiful time in Romania.