Today we would like to share the first in a series of video interviews with our Global Hope ministry partners. In the coming months you will hear from key players in our ministries in Kenya and India, as well as one of our earliest partners in Arad, Romania. This first interview is with Pastor Cristi Istrate in Sibiu, Romania.
Pastor Cristi Istrate and his wife, Ligia, have been a part of the Global Hope team for the past several years. They have been instrumental in helping us launch new ministry centers in central Romania. They live in the city of Sibiu but they are involved throughout the country as key leaders in the Methodist movement that is growing in Romania. Pastor Cristi serves as the leader of the Light from Light Methodist Church in Sibiu.
Together, Cristi and Ligia have helped Global Hope to establish the House of Joy where we provide a Christian home for children who were once abandoned to life on the streets of the city. They were also instrumental in the launch of Nehemiah House when we received a group of 28 children who were evacuated from the war in Ukraine. Since that time, they have also independently expanded the various projects to now include a Ukrainian-language school and a counseling center for young people who are emancipating and moving into the broader world.
Cristi has a passion for reaching young people with the gospel of Jesus. He is gifted in media, music, and in communications. Cristi and Ligia are providing powerful leadership for the Lord as they serve together in faithfulness.