Elisei and Mariana Cozima

#1063509

Elisei: It was a great blessing for me to be born into a Christian family. As a child I went to church and my parents were a good example in their faith and in sharing their love towards other people. I often went to church just out of respect for them and I didn't even listen to what was being said there.   I was ashamed to be called a Christian because I was often ridiculed. I was “reborn” again at the age of 16,  when I began to contemplate and seek answers to many questions of life. I realized that I cannot be saved just because of my parents faith or because I attend the church - I needed to repent and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord in my life. I was baptized because my faith was far more important than the opinions of others. I started working with teenagers at the local church. After graduating from high school, I went to Cahul to continue my studies where I met Mariana, my wife. She challenged me to get involved in the Campus Crusade Ministry and to become a “Timothy” who shares and multiplies his faith. At first I was reticent because I didn't want to leave my comfort zone. I thought it was enough to just get involved in the church, however by sharing the Gospel to students in the dorms I realized how necessary this ministry is. I got more involved and began to see how God is transforming the hearts of the students.

Mariana: I was born into a family of Orthodox Christians. My parents were often talking about God and were all about complying with Orthodox traditions. However, I didn’t know anything about forgiveness of our sins or how I could have eternal life. As a teenager, I was rebellious and did not listen to my parents. I got myself into bad friendships and I used foul language. I was often questioning my existence and purpose in life. In 2009, I met Jesus through Campus Crusade For Christ and decided to surrender my life to Him. I understood how important it is to have a personal relationship with the Lord and began to tell my friends and colleagues about the change that God has made in my life. Many of them did not understand why I chose the path of faith, and some even began to judge me, however that didn't stop me from following Christ. With time I saw that other students also needed to know Christ as Lord and Savior, so with a group of volunteers  we went week after week to share the Gospel in the dormitory. After graduating from university, along with my husband, we made the decision to serve God by sharing and “WINing” students with the Gospel. In 2019 we have been accepted as full-time missionaries in the Campus Crusade Student Ministry in Chisinau and we are praying for a new generation of student leaders who would extend the Kingdom of God.

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