Een huis wordt een Thuis

Eind juni gaan wij weer met een team naar Roemenië, dit keer om huizen te bouwen.

Wij sluiten voor de tweede keer aan bij een Internationaal team van Homes of Hope, die wereldwijd huizen bouwen voor de allerarmsten, om hen een kans te geven op een hoopvolle toekomst voor hun gezinnen. En in samenwerking met Bouwen met een Missie in Cluj Napoca. In één week tijd gaan we met mensen uit verschillende naties 10-20 huizen bouwen. En God hééft ons al een hoopvolle toekomst beloofd (Jeremia 29:11), maar teveel mensen op deze wereld hebben uitzichtloze omstandigheden waardoor deze belofte best een struggle is... Maar samen kunnen wij ons laten gebruiken door God, de één door te bouwen, de ander door te geven, weer een ander door mensen ter plekke te onderwijzen en begeleiden. Wil jij hierin een schakel zijn? Wij streven ernaar om samen met alle Nederlanders die deel gaan uitmaken van dit Internationale Team één huisje te bekostigen. Eén huis kost €15.000,- waarvan €7.500,- al bij elkaar is!

Misschien kan jouw gemeente eenmalig doneren, of heb jij zelf overvloed om van te geven. We dienen een God die door Zijn zoon een hele menigte voorzag van overvloedig eten, door slechts 5 broden en 2 visjes. Dus denk niet dat jouw bijdrage te klein zal zijn... Als je wilt bijdragen, volg dan DEZE LINK. En vermeld er dan bij: Homes of Hope. Dan overhandigen wij dit gezamenlijke "brood" aan het team van Homes of Hope. Wij doen niet aan een strijkstok ofzo, alles wat gegeven wordt, gaat naar het doel waarvoor het gegeven is!!

Closer to his heart with Welcome Home Team to Romania

A journey to never forget. After 3 Preparation evenings we couldn't wait to go! The unity we experienced in the preparations has remained throughout the journey. Serving each other and the very nice, spontaneous worship times have set the tone for a fantastic week. In the morning, God already spoke what he wanted to do that day and evening. We were really amazed at what God was doing through us.

Practical
Together we were able to distribute around 300 food packages. For more than 100 we did the shopping ourselves. What an experience to arrive at the checkout with 17 full shopping carts!! Thanks to the enormous generous donations from you as our supporters, we were able to buy this and distribute it with love.

Spiritual
One bag with groceries is a real survival kit for the Roma families, the widows and singles. But it striked us that the people in the mountain villages knew that we had more to offer! Many came for prayer. They don't have money for the doctor/dentist but they know of the God who can heal! We watched toothache disappear, a man who was partially paralyzed by a cerebral hemorrhage was able to walk again, several people told us that they felt a "very warm stream" in the place where the pain previously was. There was faith, expectation and hunger for the gospel. Many people and children wanted to receive God in their lives. We were allowed to pray with them and many gave their lives to Jesus. A pastor, who is the spiritual leader of these mountain villages, will follow up and teach the people further. In addition to the shock of poverty, there was also so much love and joy, both with our team and with the Roma. By the way, these were some mountain villages around the idyllic town of Sighisoara, where we stayed this week with David and Rodica McGregor and their daughter Sabrina.

We were also allowed to speak in the Roma congregations in Bachnea, Coroï and Laslau, share testimonies (each team member), lead worship and pray for people and children. What an honor to be in their midst and how deeply we were touched in our hearts by God, but also by the beautiful people and the passion they sing with... nothing compares, so beautiful...

Comments from Team Members:
"So much respect for the people who work there. Everyone should take a mission journey once in their lives, it changes you while it supports someone else."

"I knew pretty much what I was going to find and it is still hard every time to smell, see and feel the poverty. It looks like a scene from a movie, so unreal, but it is still their daily reality."

"Romania was a really big adventure for me, together with this team and with God. I will never forget this experience."

"The outreach to Romania has done a lot with us. You know before you go that there is poverty, but when you see it with your own eyes... the' houses'in which the Roma live, sometimes flanged together with some wood and pieces of sail... that was heartbreaking. We have given love, but also received so much."

"What a wonderful week! This was my first outreach. I have seen a lot of poverty, brokenness, pain and sadness among the population. It touched me deeplyn. But we've also seen miracles of God and the joy of the children as we came! We had a really nice team, we started worshipping God together every day, praying for each other and for what we were going to do that day."

"This journey has changed our lives. We went there to give love, but our view of the church has also been refined again. Another piece of God's puzzle. We have changed forever. This was our first trip, but not our last! It was a privilege to come along!"

"During this trip God gave a huge breakthrough in my private life. So special, I went into obedience and actually thought: what do I have to give, but God ways were higher than mine... He has given deep recovery to me and also to some other team members, He has given direction, fueled desires, adjusted vision... "

Thank You Lord for this special week! We brought our "5 loaves and 2 fish"... (John 6: 9
It is up to God to multiply this to more than enough for everyone we have met!

David & Rodica, our host and hostess

(more…)

Huge thanks

We are very grateful for all the donations we receive for the trip to Romania and also especially for the food packages. How very encouraging!

There were also some questions about the food packages.
We will answer them below!

Do you take the food packages from the Netherlands?

No, we go shopping with the team on the spot, and put together packages. With the local team in Romania, we discuss what is most needed. Bales of flour, oil and long-lasting items are essential for the winter.

How do the packages get to the right place?

We will go with our team to the mountain villages and deliver the food packages ourselves. besides, it always goes along with personal attention, bringing the gospel, praying for people with natural respect and attention to their culture, and what they allow us to.

How do you know who needs help?

We always partner together with a local team. They know the people, they know better than anyone where the needs are. They also will keep in touch with these people, meeting their needs.

Can I still give?

For sure! PleaseYes please!".

What happens to the money left over?

What we have left for "food packages-support" we will spend on emergency aid on the spot. Think about wood for the winter, medical assistance. But in this we have to be very selective and rely on the advice of the local team. And otherwise it will remain in the jar for which it was given - for another trip.

Once again, it is awesome that you all give so abundantly! We feel blessed, and we are going to pass this blessing on with love!!

Be blessed, Hans & Rolinka

To Romania together with Stichting Welkom Thuis 28 nov. t/m 5 dec. 2023

For the second time this year we travel to Romania. This time together with our dear friends from Stichting Welkom Thuis. How nice it is to work together, to strengthen each other and now to be able to make this journey together. For some, flying for the first time, the first time on a mission trip, so exciting in all respects and we are full of anticipation.

Sighișoara

We will stay with David and Rodica McGuire of the Amen TRUST Foundation in Sighișoara. We will serve them and help them with the projects they have there. From handing out hot dogs on the street, bringing food packages to people's homes, to sharing the Gospel of Jesus, the only real hope in this world.

On the weekend we will be guests in the Roma communities of Nelu and Anca Cocos. Speak, share testimonies, lead worship, pray with people, connect, encourage... We look forward to sharing the love of Jesus in Word and deed. The great thing about working with local municipalities and organizations is that solutions are worked on in the long term. We may contribute in the precious drops on the proverbial glowing plate, but we leave them with a network of faithful missionaries on the spot.

If you want to support the food project: for €20,- you already donate 1 food package for 1 family.

In addition, we also urgently need your support to make this journey possible again.
Once or on a regular basis. We really want to keep doing what we are doing, not for ourselves, but because the need is so great. Both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Thanks to your donations, we can continue to support mission workers. And we can introduce participants to a piece of missionary work. We are always amazed and grateful that God provides for this, partly through you.

You can donate here.
food packages and on-site assistance
or
General Support

If you want to support prayerfully, you can do so by participating in the prayer app, which is especially active around our travels. Let me know! It is really an app for prayer points, not an app to stay informed.

There is still a single place available to go with this trip, but we are almost at the max. Should you consider this and want more info, you can contact us via the Contact page.

View over the mountain villages where we will visit the Roma communities.

Distribution of food parcels to poor families.

Dija from Kosovo seriously ill

Our dearly beloved Dija Mustafa needs our help!
Having gone through the enormous trauma of the war herself, she is tireless in reaching out to the vulnerable elderly of the Dignity project in Gjakova. She knows how to find them and gain their trust. Now she is sick herself and is facing a very difficult time and it is she who needs us. Any treatment or doctor's visit must be paid for there on the spot.

Please read the link below and consider contributing something from the abundance you have.
You can always give through our donation page about Project Dija

https://www.debruginternationaal.nl/crowdfund/projecten/dija-fonds.html?doneer

Dija we love you!

(At Dija's request, don't share this post via social media!)

Outreach Romania Report February 2023

We look back with a grateful heart on the outreach to Romania.
With a small team (Hans, Danny and Frits) we were able to help by doing chores, speaking, leading worship times, praying and prophesying about people. The common thread is always love, relationship and making contacts.
Nieck is such a networker (of Stichting Bouwen with a mission) who brings us into contact with Teen Challenge and the municipality in Bachnea. These have now become precious contacts where a good relationship is emerging.

Hans and Pastor Gusti in Sighișoara, a friend of Nelu who do many things together as congregations.
This is a Roma municipality with many connections among the Roma population in Greece.

Build

Nieck and Emma's House is almost ready. They can almost live there with their family of now 3 children. This week we sautéed, placed the stove, laid the floor and put some final touches on the I. We wish Nieck and Emma a very prosperous move from here!

Speak

In the Roma community in Bachnea of Nelu and Anca Cocos, Hans was again allowed to speak at a conference on the understanding of God's voice. This was a very special time. People are like sponges and drink in what is said. The desire arose in many people to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to have an even more intimate relationship with God and to be guided by his spirit. Adult men wept tears of happiness because they spontaneously received the tongue language when they prayed for filling with the Holy Spirit. The whole team prayed and / or prophesied about people. God is doing beautiful things in this church and it was precious to be a part of it. Also in other congregations in the area we were allowed to be a blessing by speaking, leading worship or giving testimonies.

Roma Church in Laslau Mic

Distribute food packages.

In the village of Ormenis where Timothy (brother of Nelu) is pastor, we were allowed to bring 15 food packages. Some of them we gave ourselves. It is so special to be able to walk into these families, the joy that people come especially for them is great, and they show a heartwarming hospitality. People are very open to prayer, encouragement and singing together. Timothy then translated. What special people!

15 bags of groceries to hand out

Teen Challenge

At Teen Challenge there were a lot of new guys. Again this time we were allowed to encourage, pray and prophesy. There is not always much to tell about it, but we know and believe that God's words never return empty. We may sow seeds of love and hope in their lives. And look at nature and what is in God's word: the seed always rises when there is good soil in which it is sown! So is God. (Matthew 13: 8,9)

The guys are always looking forward to when we come back. 2 of them came to help nieck and Emma for a day on Wednesday.

Our gratitude is great, that we have the opportunity to go and distribute in the way that suits us. With the support of many of you, through gifts and by having prayers and encouragers around us. Thank you very much for that!

Travel Report Romania Conference

This week Hans has been allowed to speak in 4 rural villages. Specifically in Roma congregations this time, at the invitation of the pastor, where Hans spoke the previous trip. There was a spiritual click, and a hunger for more teaching from God's word.

In his early childhood, this was literally Hans ' dream, to go from village to village to tell the gospel and sing with his guitar and testify to God's love.. This was literally happening now.

We saw that many people made a choice for Jesus and indicated that they wanted to follow him. Also, people were filled with the Holy Spirit, freed from fear, and others gained new insights into the word of God. So nice to have been a part of this. It was so precious for us to be a guest in the Roma culture. What beautiful people, what hospitality, what delicious food, and how these people can sing loudly and enthusiastically and beautifully!!!

Hans is translated by Pastor Nelu Cocos
This church was opened this day! Another church, now for the people of Bagaciu.
A warm greeting, even before we entered the church.
Here people literally came in from the street, so catchy it was to hear the worship!
We also prayed with them.
Praying together for an elderly couple from one of the congregations.
A very dedicated team of worshippers, who make their golden voices heard in several congregations every Sunday.
People who came forward to be free from fear, or to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

TEEN CHALLENGE

We ended the week with a visit to Teen Challenge together with Nieck. For the 2nd time we were allowed to speak and encourage and prophesy here about the lives of these beautiful boys who are in a phase of rehabilitation to get rid of their addiction. (No pictures for their privacy.)

Very nice to be allowed into such a group, to see them open up in such a difficult phase of their lives. The meetings were very special, and this will definitely be continued!!

Conference Of Romania

27 October to 2 november 2022

The previous trip Hans spoke in the congregation Casa Painii in Bahnea, the congregation of Pastor Nelu Cocos and his wife Anca. At the end of October, he and Rolinka will return to this congregation to teach worship at a conference. In addition, he will speak in various Roma congregations in the surrounding villages.

Bahnea is a municipality in the province of Mureş. This Municipality consists of 7 villages. Bahnea, Cund, Daia, Gogan, Idiciu en Lepinea.

Hans is already busy with preparations for the conference.

Railway
Views over museums and surrounding villages.

Romania Construction Project Report 2022

My time in Romania is over. It was an intense journey but I am so thankful for what God has done.

A few days after my arrival in Cluj-Napoca, a team from the Netherlands came to help with the project. It was nice to join hands and be of Service. The unity in the team was special.

For more than a week we were able to help Nieck and Emma with their project to build a guest house. In addition to helping with the project, I was allowed to lead daily worship and I was allowed to speak Sunday morning and evening in the congregations we visited and we did a lot of the worship as a team. When I entered this church in the morning, the worship team of the church was already doing the worship and we immediately walked into the wonderful powerful presence of God while the whole church was devotedly worshipping God.

After the talk, various people came forward for prayer and various people were touched by God's power.
In between services we were very hospitably invited by the pastor and his family for a delicious meal. What Humble and humble people. It is a great privilege to get in touch with this pastor and his wife. In the future, we hope to do more with each other.

There is so much to do and people are so open to receiving more from God. Whether it's giving your testimony, putting an arm around someone, building, encouraging, praying, etc.
God wants to use each of us to be a blessing to the broken.

Prophecy and prayer after the sermon

So we also visited a rehab facility, led worship and were allowed to pray for these beautiful guys and encourage them.

Teen Challenge, a place for boys who have fallen into addiction due to the circumstances of life, some ostracized and abandoned by their own parents.

Also special was the visit to a Roma village where the team did a children's program. The enthusiasm and joy of the children was touching. Parents and other people also participated enthusiastically. We also prayed for several people and one of the men gave his life to Jesus.

All in all, it was another fantastic outreach. This outreach was made possible by the beautiful gifts we received from various people. Every penny comes exactly where you give it. Our gratitude for this is great!

If you would like to participate in one of the outreaches of Closer to His Heart Ministries in the future and be used by God in this way, please send a personal message to info@closertohisheart.com so that we can keep you informed of the upcoming outreaches.

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught the people in their synagogues. He told the good news of the Kingdom. And he healed all diseases and ailments. When he saw the large groups of people, he felt very sorry for them. For they were weary and helpless, like sheep that have no shepherd. He said to the disciples, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send workers to bring in the harvest.” 
(Matthew 9:35-38)

What we are doing now, we can only do thanks to your financial support and prayer.

Do you have a warm heart for our work and do you have the opportunity to support us once or monthly?
Then consider supporting Closer to His Heart with a donation.

Je kunt je gift overmaken naar NL68 INGB 0007 2723 41 tnv Stichting Closer To His Heart Ministries.

Thanks in advance!

Also if you want to pray via a prayer app during a trip or other action, we would like to hear that personally or via an app or email!

Photo update Romania

Connect with Florin Mihaly from YWAM who also builds many houses in Ukraine.
Buy building materials together with Nieck, thanks in part to the huge donations sent through Closer to His Heart! Together we can do so much more!
Nieck's parents are there too!
Insulation boards for the construction of the guest house
The upper floor of the guest house
Nieck is very satisfied!
At the same time as Hans zn visit there is also a team from the Netherlands, with Jacco and Everdina Sleeuwenhoek. Building together, the women who do child labour, visiting families and handing out school bags with content...
Everdina with 2 kids
Anita in her element among the Roma children
On Sunday Hans was allowed to speak in a Roma community in Bahnea, more than 2 hours drive from the base in Cluj Napoca
Worship leiden together with the team uiit Nederland
Pray with people who want more of God in their lives
...and in the evening to a congregation of the same pastor in Lazlau Mic.
Leading worship, team testimonies, praying, speaking... we can share so much of God's love. Erik, Stefan, Jacco and Everdina, Trudy and Anita.
And a lot of fun together!
And back again at the YWAM base in Cluj Napoca. A few more days spent on the construction of the guest house.