SPOTLIGHT: Bryan & Pam Risner • Romania

September 30, 2025

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Summer is my (Pam’s) favorite time of year, and this summer did not disappoint me. Although we are entering the Fall season, where the days can be more gloomy than sunshiny, I am rejoicing as we revisit some of the highlights from the past few months.

Melody returned with us from furlough to Romania and spent four weeks there. Lindsey joined us a week later and stayed for three weeks. We felt blessed to have the girls under the same roof, even if only for a short time this summer.

We asked if our friends from America would help us with a special project. We wanted to collect yarn during our furlough and ease the financial burden of buying supplies in Romania. It was so inspiring to see the donations pour in. Our VSM Summer Team blessed us by bringing most of the suitcases with them. We have yarn!

Our dear Romanian friends have a big heart for babies and children in Africa. Naomi and her mother, Oli, worked diligently to crochet baby sleeping bags, which they delivered during our mission trip in July.

They have resumed their handiwork this summer in hopes of having more sleeping bags made for the babies and children in Africa.

We hosted a group of six leaders from Water of Life Church in Ukraine for a few days of rejoicing, resting and restoration. Our goal was to bless them. However, they blessed us as well. Their commitment to serving the Lord in a very long and difficult season of war is beyond comprehension. Their testimonies and hearts of worship reflect the heart of Jesus. Please continue to pray for them as they face very hard and dark days of unrest.

Daisy Vasquez was in Romania on a work trip, just a few hours from where we live. She visited and stayed with us for a few days. It was such a joy to see her and spend time learning about her family’s journey to a life on mission.

Kevin graduated from eighth grade. His dad, Robi, was instrumental in helping us begin our Roma ministry. It has been a difficult few years following his dad’s death, but it has been a blessing to be a bigger part of Kevin’s life this past year.

One of our outreach opportunities in Tarian is an English Club that meets weekly during the school year. I (Pam) finished up the school year when Candra left for furlough in America. Melody was able to join me for these final weeks. It was an absolute blessing to serve with her again.

Bryan had the opportunity to preach at Carmel Church in Giris with Ionut as his translator. Please continue to pray for Ionut and Bryan as they meet, seek, brainstorm and pray about the potential of a future church plant in Tarian.

Each month, usually on the first Sunday, Bryan preaches at Tetchea Church. Marius serves as the pastor and is diligently working to replant this long-time BMA church plant. It is exciting to see Marius grow from Bryan’s translator in the Roma communities to the pastor at Tetchea.

We recently hosted what was probably the worst VBS I’ve ever attended or ever heard about. Honestly, it was a disaster on the first day, and to make it even more upsetting, we had challenged the Romanians who served in Africa to return and serve in their own area. We specifically discussed this opportunity with them and outlined some expectations.

The BYBS youth worked hard and distributed 200 flyers in the village. We advertised on social media and by word of mouth. On the first day, zero Romanian kids came. Feeling bad for us, our friends went to the Roma village and brought back the worst-behaved children you could imagine. We did not finish the program and had to send the kids home early. We were discouraged and so upset. Yet, the words from our meeting the Friday before rang in our ears. The second day, two Romanian kids joined us, and the terribly behaved children came back with a much better attitude. We finished the week, and we were confused as to why nobody else had ever joined us.

We learned this month that the reason our advertisements were not a success was that we made a mistake and advertised for August instead of July. Pray for us not to be discouraged by these events, but to be reminded that God sees us and He is greater than our mistakes or the behavior of any children.

We were blessed to take nine Romanians to Zambia, Africa for a mission trip. We had a few Americans (including Pam’s brother and our son, Landon) join us. We focused on two work projects and a VBS program that the Romanian ladies and youth led. Next month, we will issue a Special Edition Newsletter to share pictures and stories of that mission trip.

We rejoice and give thanks for the following:

• Our girls visited Romania for a few weeks in June

• All the donated yarn has made it to Romania

• BYBS meetings continued throughout the Summer

• Daisy Vasquez visited us during her work trip to Romania

• The first semester of the English Club was a success

• Hosted Ukrainian Leaders’ Retreat

• Romania to Africa Missions’ trip was a success

• Risner kids have begun junior year at CBC

• Missionary Care Conference in Turkey

• Tarian VBS Program

• Summer VSM Team led by Larry and Shelby Barker