“I’m so grateful that he never gave up on me – or on us” – a boy shares his testimony of how a coordinator’s witness helped him come to faith

Growing Up Hasn't Been Easy

A short time ago, Andrei, 17, was just an ordinary teenager in Romania, living his life without thinking much about God.

His family has never had a home to truly call their own, and he has always lived in small, cramped spaces with poor living conditions: leaky roofs, worn-out floors, outside toilets, no bathrooms.

Family life is complicated too. Andrei has seven siblings, but the eldest four are stepsiblings from his mother’s previous marriage. They are adults now and have married and moved out. Andrei and his three brothers are from his mother’s current relationship – but his father has always refused to recognize them as his own.

“I think he loves the bottle more than he could ever love us,” is what Valentin, Andrei’s brother, has to say about their father.

Ioana, Andrei’s mother, added, “Living with him feels heavier every day. Sometimes he can be aggressive and that’s what scares me the most. There have been times he became so angry that he made all of us sleep outside.”

Growing up in poverty with an uninvolved father wasn’t easy on Andrei. He ended up in a relationship with a girl that wasn’t positive for him. He became distant, frustrated and often spoke harshly to his mother.

Andrei was also about ready to quit school. Education isn’t something anyone in his family had ever succeeded in, and Andrei felt doomed to fail himself. He believed that his efforts didn’t matter and that no matter how hard he tried, nothing would change.

Big Life Changes

In the meantime, Andrei’s family had become enrolled on Mission Without Borders’ family sponsorship program. The Mission walks with families affected by poverty – offering support, dignity, and a way toward a better future – and Andrei’s family began receiving regular visits from Costel, the family coordinator.

“Brother Costel would tell me about God all the time,” Andrei said. “Every time we met, he would encourage me and my whole family to pray, to read the Bible, attend church and to stay close to God. I even attended his church services a number of times and the Christian Outreach events organized by the Mission and I just loved them.”

Andrei remained indifferent to God, however, until one night, when everything changed.

“The whole next day felt different. My thoughts, my feelings, everything inside me had changed. I knew God was calling me closer to him. Later that day I went to find the pastor in our community. I told him everything. I told him about the dream, the light, the voice and that I wanted to give my life to Jesus and get baptized. Not long afterward, I was baptized. From that moment on, I knew my life would never be the same.”

Most of Andrei’s family resisted his decision to be baptized. “Everyone said I was too young, that it wasn’t necessary and that I was making a mistake,” Andrei said. “The only person who supported me was my mother."

“Once I gave my life to Jesus, everything changed. My heart was renewed, my path was redirected, and I began to experience the kind of love and grace I had once heard about. I want to follow Christ for the rest of my life, and I pray every day for my brother and for the whole family to come to Christ and know the same peace and happiness I now know.”

“I’m so grateful that he (Costel) never gave up on me – or on us. He kept praying, reaching out, patiently and faithfully. He never missed an opportunity to remind us of God’s love, to show us in practical ways that God is eagerly waiting to welcome us into his family."

Since becoming a Christian, Andrei’s attitude has changed. He now treats his mother with love and respect, understanding the sacrifices she has made and how strong she has been. She says of him,

“He’s the only help I’ve got.”

Andrei dreams of a better life, a life he prays for and knows that God can provide. Out of all his siblings, he’s the only one who has continued his education. He’s in his final year of school, something no one in his family has ever accomplished before.

“I would like to have my own room and I often think of having a nice bathroom, but more than anything, I want to always be part of a community where I can develop my gifts, learn more about God, and continue building a future I can be proud of,” Andrei said. “Right now, I’m studying to become a car mechanic. The course not only teaches me how to fix cars but I’m also learning to drive and on my way to getting my license.”

Faith found through family sponsorship

Costel has known Andrei and his family since 2019 and has watched their journey closely. “The mother had drifted from her faith in recent years,” he said. “Now, seeing the change in her son, she’s becoming serious about her relationship with God again. It’s wonderful to see families walking with Christ and growing in faith.”

He’s also thrilled that Andrei and his mother now attend a local church planted by a family once sponsored by Mission Without Borders. “It’s a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness – how He can turn lives around. My prayer is that their church continues to grow and bring hope to the community, and that Andrei stays steadfast in his faith, no matter the challenges ahead.”

Family sponsorship does more than meet practical needs, it creates space for hope and the gospel to be shared. Sponsor a family today and play a part in changing lives, one family at a time.