Each journey God has given me through life, to grow me into the person He wants me to be, has been intensely personal. I do not always know or understand His ways, but I do know that they are perfect.
I have known about God since I was a child. My grandmother was a believer and she taught me to pray and to read the Bible. I still remember her telling me and my sisters to wash our hands before touching the Bible because it was a holy book, so I knew about God, but I did not know Him personally. My mind was comfortably closed until God opened it in a unique way – from the inside out.
I went to the Christian camp called ‘HOPE’ when I was thirteen years old. This is where I learned about a personal relationship with God. I asked God to forgive and change me after the camp was over. I was excited at the prospect of a new life and became active in different ministries and also studying the Bible. God became the centre of my life. Praise God! I continue to be deeply affected and changed by God’s Word.
Two years later after I started my personal journey with God, I became sick. At first doctors said it was a cold, so my regular life continued, but later it became obvious that it wasn’t. The doctors could not diagnose it so they sent me to another hospital. In Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, doctors decided that I needed to have surgery – otherwise they could not diagnose it either. When I was in the theatre, the surgeon asked me if I was afraid. I replied ‘No, because God is with me’. “So, you believe in God?” ‘I do.’ “Why has your God placed you here? You are sick and need surgery…” ‘Because you need to believe in God too. Maybe I am here to tell you….’ The anesthetic worked and I could not talk anymore.
I can see this conversation clearly in my mind even today, because I wanted to share with the doctor more, but I could not continue. I have never seen the man again, but my Mum told me that one of the doctors asked whether she was a believer too, because all of the doctors were saying that I was, and that my God was a great God, because the surgery was major, but went very well.
A few days later my parents were called to see the doctor regarding the surgery results. I was waiting anxiously to hear the news and I was almost sure that I would be ok, but they told my Mum that I was sick and that I had blood cancer. I spotted at once that she had been crying after she entered the room, so I asked her if I had cancer. I knew that I was in the hospital where almost everyone had cancer, so I figured out what was going on. This was something I did not expect to hear. All along I was praying and telling myself that everything was all right with me. It was normal to go to hospital and have surgery, but I did not want to be sick like that. God had other plans. As a normal human being, the first question I asked myself was, ‘Why?’ However, sometimes when we finally give up trying to discover all the answers to the ‘whys’ in our lives and decide to trust a sovereign God, unexpected peace washes over us like a summer rain – that is what happened to me. I decided to trust God - to not only believe in God, but believe God.
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Irina Gancear - now working as a translator with SGA in Moldova.
The first challenge that my parents faced was the payment for my treatment. They could not afford it and medication was very expensive, but God was good and He blessed me for trusting in Him. SGA was willing to help. My Sunday school teacher was translating at the Bible School and through her I met some people and found out
that many people in the UK and Ireland were praying for me. I want to say a BIG thank you to all those who supported me both prayerfully and financially. I am still intrigued by the knowledge that someone on the other side of the world prayed and cared for me. It directs my heart to the exciting truth that I have a big loving family, the family of God.
I was improving and eventually became well once again! Praise God! I know that I did not do anything to deserve such healing; it was God’s miracle today. Now I have to take vitamins and do blood tests only. While I stayed at the hospital there was always an opportunity to share. It was challenging sometimes because they questioned how God could allow this, but at the same time they realized that God was their ultimate hope. My dream now is that I will see people whom I talked to, in heaven. It was a challenge to be in the hospital and see children dying almost every day, a lot of them could not even talk. Yet, I’m thankful for the few people that I got to share my faith with.
I wanted to be a translator since I was in school. I always liked English and wanted to know it well. After I got well and was able to study again, I did English and computer studies at college, but I was not able to finish, because of the financial problem.
God however, wanted me to translate for the SGA Mission teams that were coming to Moldova and also to help in different projects instead. Now, I am a translator for SGA in Moldova. When I look back I see that God has a purpose for everything. I am grateful for every day that He has given me and that He is working through me and in me for His glory.
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