A vibrant group of 25 students and staff from the Charis Bible College in Colorado Springs came to Berlin for a week of outreaches. The EI staff told them ahead of time to bring their dancing shoes, and they did! EI took the Charis team to Berlin’s Alexander Platz – a massive gathering place for locals and tourists. The thousands hanging out on the mild spring day had no clue that a rambunctious group of Americans were about to turn the square into a dance floor.

Imagine this: the music cues up on the EI sound system and two of the Charis students begin to dance. Seconds later another student jumps in, and then another and another. Within minutes the mob grows from 10 to 30, to 50, and then to 100 or more! People come from all over the square to see what is going on. Soon almost 500 onlookers gather in a semi-circle, more than half of them clicking photos of the flash mob on their smart phones. The stage is now set, and it’s time for the second act.

EI’s Matt Lankenau and Ramona Marsh tell the crowd in English and German that the CBC students are about to perform “The Wall”, a drama created just for Berlin. The square is suddenly silent as the Americans fall into their places, forming a human wall. The powerful open-air drama unfolds, telling the story a young women’s life that is riddled with adversity, but how God lifts her out of her misery with His love.

As the drama concludes it is time for the real human drama to begin. The Charis students and EI staff immerse themselves into the crowd. Within an hour dozens of Europeans have had conversations with Charis and EI team members about faith in Jesus Christ. For some it is a seed planted, with others the conversation ends in a prayer.  For a select few, there are tears of joy, as they make a bold, eternal decision.

Forty-four Berliners and Europeans prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the Charis outreaches. One of them is Francisz. She was drawn by the dance, stayed for the drama, and then met a Charis student and EI German staff person. She prayed to receive Christ on a Friday and went to church with us on Saturday and again on Sunday. This 22 year old had been to church just once in her entire life, and had never read a single Bible verse. To see a video of Francisz and the Charis outreaches click here.

Forty-three others also made decisions for Christ. Who would have thought that something as silly as a flash mob would play a role in leading Europeans to faith in Jesus Christ?

European Initiative is bringing light and hope to Europe, and having fun doing it!

As you walk out into to the theatre’s foyer you hear the buzz swirling from others who just experienced what you experienced. What we just saw has left us all perplexed, mentally limp. All of us have this surreal sense that it didn’t actually happen. Not a single one of us can escape the unsolved mysteries of the past 90 minutes. We came with many questions, but we walked out with even more.

What else is fooling me in life? Maybe what the performer said about that Jesus character is true, or is it? Could Jesus really be more than a fairy tale? Is He actually…..?

Plain and simply, this is The MAZE. In contrast to other glitzy magic shows featuring rabbits popping out of hats, The MAZE presents a unique blend of philosophy, humor, illusion, mystery and danger, leaving the audience pondering the questions; “How can I really know what is true? If he deceived me so easily are there spiritual powers deceiving me too?”  Our contemporary culture defines what many believe to be “truth.” The MAZE boldly shatters those widely accepted, yet rarely challenged definitions. In an evening of intrigue, truth is redefined.

European Initiative, along with Gateway Church and Four Corners Ministries will bring The MAZE to Brussels and Berlin beginning the 26th of May. It is our hope that many post-modern Europeans who experience The Maze will leave with a totally different view of Jesus Christ.

Over the next couple of weeks hundreds of young adults will be mobilized to promote this unique event in Brussels and Berlin. The volunteers will perform organized flash-mobs in busy squares and parks while wearing MAZE t-shirts to create a buzz in each city.  We will also use websites and social media to ignite MAZE curiosity across both cities.

Many European churches and ministries are working with EI to provide much needed help in regards to promotion, logistics, and most importantly, follow-up. The spiritual questions raised by The MAZE will be answered at post-event gatherings in Berlin and Brussels cafes and university settings.

Luke 19:10- For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.

Please join with us in prayer that many lost souls will find God through The MAZE.  It is truly in our hearts to reach spiritually dying Europeans who have zero interest in church or the God of the Bible. Destinies lost can still be discovered. We have hope that the crazy, edgy MAZE, will serve as a catalyst to break open the deceptions of darkness that imprison so many post-modern thinkers.  The Maze is almost here…..poof.

A few weeks ago a team from Dallas Christian College travelled to Berlin to minister to the spiritual needy and confused in Germany. European Initiative has been fortunate to work with teams from DCC for the last three years. While most university students travel to some beach location desiring a spring break from rigorous mid-term exams, these students and staff travelled to Berlin with the sole focus to reach the lost in Europe!

DCC connected with EI’s extensive network of partner ministries in Berlin. With a heart to encourage existing believers and reach the lost, the DCC team ministered in several ways. During their seven-day trip they performed an original street drama numerous times in the busy squares of Berlin, engaged in targeted prayer walks designed to penetrate this spiritually dark city, connected with two student ministries on three different university campuses, and even made a home-cooked Tex-Mex meal for a number of Berlin-based missionaries! Needless to say, the focus was not on getting a tan or downing a Corona for their spring break trip!

DCC’s first and foremost objective was to share their faith with German university students studying in Berlin. EI connected the DCC team with Studenten für Christus, a ministry which specifically targets students. Together they handed out steaming cups of coffee to German university students on a cold and dreary day. The coffee opened the door for many conversations about God. Each conversation ended with an invitation to an evening meeting at Berlin’s Reset Church – a church known for its relaxed atmosphere and growing university ministry. At the meeting DCC’s leader, Eric Hinton, shared a biblically based teaching on morality and dating to over 40 students. Eric and the DCC team stayed for almost 2 hours after the teaching, answering questions from the German university students. It was an incredible night of ministry!

The DCC team also joined up with another campus ministry, Campus für Christus (the European branch of Campus Crusade) and conducted spiritual surveys with students at two of Berlin’s largest universities. Many searching young Europeans heard about the love of Jesus from the passionate DCC team members.

One year ago during a similar EI outreach at a Berlin university, a German female student heard the gospel for the very first time - to our knowledge she was not hugely impacted. But with great joy and surprise, we were reunited with Erika, and she is now serving with the leadership team of Campus für Christus! We were amazed to hear her testimony. Erika spoke of how she was approached by a couple of American Christian students last year during her lunch break and was asked to take a spiritual survey. At first she was hesitant but since the Americans “just seemed so happy and full of joy” she acquiesced and completed the survey. After a long and intense conversation on “things she had never thought about before” the American students invited her to a community/coffee evening.  Erika reluctantly agreed, and attended the evening meeting. That began a journey of seeking God, which lasted for many months. Through the ministry of the Campus für Christus student group, Erika gave her life to the Lord! Now she is on the German student leadership team and shares Christ with her lost university classmates!

Berlin is a city where less than 1% of the population has a personal relationship with Jesus. Hearing about the personal testimony of Erika coming to Christ is unbelievably encouraging; we rejoice that her name is now written in the Book of Life!

Dallas Christian College was the first of many teams travelling to Europe this spring and summer to minister with EI. We believe God will continue to pour out His mercy on the continent of Europe, just as He poured out his love on one young Berlin university student. This is why we are in Europe and why we continue to move the gospel forward! May the Lord’s unending mercy save this desperately needy continent!

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”- Acts 2:21

This May will mark EI’s 3rd year to send a team of Americans and Europeans to Leipzig to bring Christ’s love to the Goths.  Upon walking off the train at Leipzig’s main station, one is struck with a surreal sense of having been transported to another world, or, popping in unexpectedly on a movie set. No matter the shocking first impressions, every year I am moved by the sober reality that thousands of partying Goths are so very lost.

Meeting and talking with a few of the 25,000 Goths at the Wave Festival makes for one of the most unique weekends of the year. Check that, it is one of the most intriguing experiences of my life! We usually start conversations by asking, “What is a Goth,” or, “How do you define the Goth lifestyle?” After talking to dozens of Goths the past few years, I still don’t have much of a clue what it is to be Goth. I will say this though, Goths are much friendlier and more open-minded than I ever expected.

Last year EI organized an outreach to Leipzig with groups from Valley Creek Church and Trinity Church, both in the Dallas area. The Texans were joined by a team from “To The Streets Ministries”, based in Berlin. The majority of Goths we encountered are far away from believing in God. It is not that they lack spiritual motivations; rather they are generally, staunchly negative towards Christianity. Digging deeper it becomes apparent that their anti-Christian perceptions are focused more on the historical church than God Himself. Moving them past that mindset and turning them towards God’s love and purpose for their lives is challenging, but often rewarding.

One conversation that stood out last year was with Lars and Stefani from Sweden. Ten minutes into the conversation, EI summer intern Nicole and I approached the “God issue” with the Swedish couple. Lars was enthusiastic in pointing out his atheistic beliefs, Stefani a bit less so. We listened to Lars defend and explain his unbelief in God, and then it was our turn. The Holy Spirit led me to share from Ps 139 with our new Goth friends. Reading from verses 13-14, I explained that were created exquisitely by a magnificent God. Lars’ dour countenance reflected his resistance, but it was clear that something was going on with Stefani. I looked at her directly and referenced her blue eyes as being the miraculous work of God, the One who designed her. I then spoke to both of them about verse 17, noting that God’s thoughts of them outnumber the grains of sand on every beach across the planet.

Nicole and I shared more scriptures. Lars endured, but Stefani was engaged continually asking questions. And finally we knew the seeds had gone deeply into her heart when she said, “You better stop, what you are saying is beginning to make sense to me.”

That response was more than Lars could handle. He knew that his girlfriend was suddenly opening her heart to Jesus. He abruptly thanked us for our time, took her by the arm, and began to walk away. We knew that the enemy had intervened. Though we were disappointed, we were acutely aware that we were confronting spiritual powers of darkness.

As I write about the sad ending to what was nearly a miraculous salvation, I am reminded of the seriousness of what is at stake.  I firmly believe that if Jesus were walking on this earth in 2012, He would frequent gatherings like the Wave Gothic Festival. His mission was and still is, to the spiritually sick (Matt 9:12-13). Make no mistake about it: the spiritually sick come in all shapes and sizes, including business people, school teachers, doctors, and everyone else with a beating heart.

It is springtime in Germany. What better time or better place to meet the One who created the chirping birds, the leafy trees, and the blooming flowers. For that reason EI goes to Leipzig once more to shine the light of Jesus Christ into a very dark party. Who knows? Maybe we will run into Lars and Stefani. God always writes the final chapter.

A consequence of only 2% of Europeans having a relationship with God, is that many areas of society have given way to secular thought and practice. By giving examples of how the kingdom of God can be practically brought into the business world, the Business Transforum speakers encouraged the attendees that the power of God is far greater than secularism or post-modernism.  German professionals were taught godly principles that foster spiritual and practical success.

EI was blessed to connect with partners who are experienced in training and equipping Christian leaders all over the world. In the past twenty years Global Advance has trained more than half a million leaders and professionals. Jonathan Shibley, President of Global Advance, was a conference keynote speaker who instilled a fresh image of hope for the European marketplace.  Another Global Advance speaker, Nigel Belton, is a Development Manager for Yum Brands, one of the world’s largest fast food conglomerates (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut).  His wisdom and international experiences, along with his humble servant’s heart, proved inspirational to the German audience.

Gateway Church, Southlake, Texas, has surged in growth and influence over the past five years, much in part to its solid Biblical teaching in regards to stewardship. Executive Pastor of Global Ministries, Allen Shoulders, led a pastoral team of four that mightily impacted the conference. The Gateway Church team truly helped our attendees gain practical insight on how to develop goals and vision for their businesses and personal lives.

Our German based partner, Christians in the Workplace, helped with conference organization and logistics.  CIW leaders Timo Plutschinski and Joe Hartung were a huge part of the conference, in adding excellent teaching and serving as a moderator.  CIW’s partnership was invaluable, as they have been serving Europeans in the marketplace for over 100 years.

Through these world-class organizations and speakers the Lord powerfully equipped, encouraged, and developed “agents of transformation” in our conference attendees. A spirit of unity was present as new networks were forged and business leaders were given fresh vision for their “harvest field.”  Though the workers are few, God’s harvest will be plentiful in the European Marketplace! European Initiative continues to believe for Europe!

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.”- Matthew 5:14

The eastern Balkan nations seem to be getting hit the worst. In Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Romania many small villages are in “in a state of disaster, being cut off from the rest of the world.” In Serbia alone some 70,000 people are trapped in villages in the southern part of the country.  In Romania, rescue workers have been tirelessly working around the clock, even flying helicopters into snow-blocked villages to save the severely ill.

Having just returned from the Transylvanian area of Romania, leading an EI team on a humanitarian aid mission, we saw first hand the needs in these impoverished villages. Through generous American supporters, EI was able to give out much-needed coats, shoes, sweaters, and other winter clothing to hundreds of Gypsies, “ the “least of these” in Europe. By God’s great mercy we were able to do this just weeks before plummeting temperatures hit Eastern Europe.

But our task is not over. This is a call to intercede for the nations of Europe. Many church leaders believe that fewer than 2% of Europeans have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  This brings us to the cold reality that most of these recent victims of the winter freeze, are not spending eternity with a loving God.

Please…..please join with us in prayer for the thousands of Europeans who are suffering during this brutal winter.  Please pray that they would turn their hearts towards belief in Jesus Christ.

To read an on the ground report from Associate Pastor Gyuszi Simon, of City on a Hill Church, in Apata, Romania, please click here……read below.

Dear Matt,

Many people are currently just trying to survive the cold winter. Many Romanians normally have their heating systems powered by gas if they live in the big cities. This means that theoretically they can heat their houses or apartments, but the gas is so expensive that many people cannot afford to heat their homes individually. It is very common to see 2-3 older people move in together in one single room during the winter so they can share the cost of gas bill.

The winter for Gypsies living in villages unfortunately sees many more difficulties. Because of their lack of finances they cannot buy enough wood and their wood burning ovens are in very poor condition. As you have seen with European Initiative teams, they don't really have yards or fences. This means that they cannot store wood and keep it safe. If a Gypsy were to buy wood, their neighbors would immediately steal it! So a responsible Gypsy father travels 2 times each week to the forest to bring just enough wood for 3-4 days using a small ax, horses and carts. Due to their need for wood, there is a bad deforestation problem in many rural areas.

The Gypsy houses are not properly insulated so in the corner where there is an oven is warm, but the other corner of the room is very cold. The houses are usually one room, so as the door is open the freezing cold weather enters the room. This causes many families to stay inside their very small “house” all day.

I recently asked somebody in the Gypsy village of Augustin what they do in the evenings.  I was shocked when they told me that they heat their one-room house at 7p, everybody then gets in the bed and they let the fire die out over the next couple hours. They then stay in the bed until 10a the next day! I asked if they slept the whole time and the answer was “no, but under a cover you don't feel the coldness as badly.”

Having children in a house like this is very difficult. Children are very sick during winter. There was a family with 2 sisters and they started coming to our church in Apata. After a while we realized that the 2 sisters were not coming together, they would rotate every other meeting. When we asked why they were shy and the girls embarrassedly confessed that the 2 of them had to share one pair of boots! Unfortunately, only the boots came to each meeting. Since then, we have been able to help them and now the 2 sisters are able to attend meetings together.

I'd like to emphasize something that I think is very important about the believers in those villages. Our house churches that have been planted in Apata, Augustin, Belin, Mina Capeni, and Batanii Mari, meet together if we don't come together as a community in Apata. In some of these villages we own a house where our leaders can have meetings. In the beginning, the church bought wood for heating those houses. But for 2 years now believers from the villages have taken care of heating these “homes!” Praise God for his provision!

Winter is not easy here and we really pray for warm weather. The coats, shoes, sweaters, and other winter clothing European Initiative brought a couple weeks ago has been very useful as the bitter cold weather came to our region. Our current weather has averaged below 0’ degrees Fahrenheit and some days was as low at -25 Fahrenheit.

Even as I write this update to you I am so grateful that I am sitting here in a warm, comfortable room. The reality of this cold weather is much worse than the media has portrayed. I read an article which said that 39 people lost their lives by freezing last week in Romania. 27 of them were sadly caught outside.

Today was a little bit warmer, but at the end of this week another cold front hits the country.

My prayer is that every one of us feel the warm love of God. I just want to thank you again for your willingness to work and sacrifice to organize this past outreach. Many lives were blessed!  May God give us lasting fruit.

Many greetings and thank you again for coming. Be blessed and please give our warmest greetings to your families, friends and all the donors!

Your friend,
Gyuszi

Reality in the Transylvania region of central Romania is survival, especially for the downtrodden Gypsy immigrants. Life is difficult for Gypsy families enduring the long and cold winter months that see light for only a few hours a day. The only means to heat their shanties is with turn-of-the-century wood burning ovens. Sadly, deforestation is becoming an issue due to the necessity to cut down trees for the ovens.

One of European Initiative’s core values is to bless the poor. It is in our hearts to begin each year helping some of the poorest of the poor in Europe. I have just returned from leading an 11-person team of Germans and Americans to Romania. Our goal was simple, yet direct: to show the love of Jesus Christ in word and in deed to the impoverished Gypsy people. This was our fourth consecutive year to minister in the region and to connect with City on a Hill Church. Thanks to generous EI partners in the USA, we were able to give away hundreds of brand new coats, winter shoes, toys, and blankets to people who have never received a new article of anything in their entire lives!

In many ways our trip felt like a spiritual special ops operation. It began with a caravan of vehicles driving from Bucharest, over narrow mountain roads and into Transylvania.  We arrived at Apata, a miniscule village in the valley, with boxes overflowing with new coats, shoes and toys. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmingly grateful to those whose generosity made this outreach possible.

Friday morning the team awoke with renewed supernatural strength for the task at hand. We felt that God’s plan was for us to meet the spiritual needs of the Gypsies first, and give the clothing items later. We travelled to the village of Ormenis where we went shanty to shanty, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. During this time of ministry the Lord truly gave the team a spirit of power and love. By God’s grace 32 Gypsies gave their lives to the Lord that first day, and many more received prayer!! Exhausted but encouraged we returned to our lodging, expectant for the next day’s activities.

The operation for Saturday was an extensive one as we planned to go back to the same large village of Ormenis and return to the houses where we had evangelized the day before. With temperatures well below freezing and snow coming down like a blanket, we went house to house giving thousands of items away over the span of 6 intense hours! Many bodies and souls were warmed as we went. One young Gypsy mother named Bianca told me, “I do not have words to say how I feel for me and my children.” As I listened intently to her shaky voice and looked at her tear-filled eyes she said, “Thank you for coming to us and please tell your giving friends thank you for thinking of us.” God smiles at His body at work and He smiled upon the people of Ormenis this past weekend.

God’s life-changing power resulted in 80 Gypsies giving their lives to Jesus Christ over the entire outreach!!! Hundreds more were impacted by the outreaches, and countless seeds were sown. I know that I speak for the entire team when I say it was an honor to deliver God’s love to those in need.

I had the privilege of leading a team of Germans and Americans to Romania in 2011 and will do so again in January 2012. Upon entering villages in the Transylvania region of Romania, I was overwhelmed by the poverty. In these forgotten villages the mode of transportation is often an ox-drawn cart. Plumbing and other 21st century comforts are only a distant dream. It seems like life in these mountain villages has been frozen in time.

Life is a struggle year round, but especially during the long and cold winter months.  Gypsy families face enormous challenges trying to stay warm in their shanties.  Their homes are so poorly constructed that gaping holes in the exterior walls are the size of a man’s fist. Their sole source of heat is most often a turn of the century wood-burning stove. Visualize a scene from Little House on the Prairie and you get the idea. The wood burning stoves are much better than the method of generating heat from previous years – burning tires! 

Families of up to twelve persons live in miniscule 10ft. by 10ft. single-room homes. They are huddled under blankets, all of them sharing two single beds.  It is unfathomable to me that families could live this way, but they have no other choice.

Thanks to generous American Christians who have given thousands of dollars, European Initiative has been able to give hundreds of brand new coats, shoes, sleeping bags, and blankets to people who have never received a new article of clothing in their entire life! In Europe, there is no doubt that the “least of these” are the Romanian and Bulgarian Gypsies. The clothing they do own has been torn and battered to the point where many need to stay indoors for survival’s sake during the harsh winters.

EI will not only be giving to their physical needs, but more importantly we will address their spiritual need for a Savior. Because these endless strings of villages have been tucked away in the forgotten valleys of Eastern Europe for years, many have never heard the life-changing message of God’s love. As we go from house to house sharing the amazing news of the Gospel, we are expectant for lives to be transformed, renewed, and changed for eternity! Those who are open to the gospel are discipled by fellow Gypsies who are members of City on a Hill Church. The church has planted home groups in many of the villages providing opportunities for spiritual growth.

Please join with us in prayer as EI goes to Romania for a 4th consecutive winter. Last winter more than 80 Gypsies came to faith in Jesus Christ. We cherish your prayers as we take the tangible love of Jesus Christ to Europe’s “least of these.”

“Truly, I say to you, to the extent that did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even to the least of them, you did it to Me.”  (Matt 25:40)

I was in London to meet with British leaders who are coordinating extensive outreaches for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games. From late July through August, millions will be gathering in London for the games. EI will be partnering with YWAM England and a UK sports evangelization ministry, More Than Gold, to reach Olympic visitors with Christ’s love. Due to the sheer number of people who will be in London during this time, the city counsel and police department have actually asked the Christian community to provide logistical help, such as greeting visitors arriving at trains stations, airports, etc. City officials have also granted permission to UK ministries and partners such as EI, to conduct outreaches throughout the greater London area! How amazing is that?!!


When I think about the current spiritual state of the United Kingdom, I can’t help but be filled with hope for the upcoming Olympic outreaches. England, like most of Europe, is in a state of spiritual decline. While I believe there are many reasons for this, one striking problem has been the militant atheistic philosophy that is sweeping across the United Kingdom. A recent Wall Street Journal column written by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, sums up this new militant atheism:

“Britain today has become one of the most godless societies on earth. Its principle religious exports today are thinkers who despise religion. From Richard Dawkins, who has compared religion to child abuse, to my friend Christopher Hitchens, who titled his 2007 book "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," the British have cornered the market on being anti-God, at least the Christian and Jewish varieties.”

Boteach goes on to say, “U.K.’s churches are empty enough to land jumbo jets inside.”

This spiritual collapse in Europe must change, it will through God’s bountiful mercy! European Initiative is partnering alongside national churches and ministries in England and other nations to go on the offensive for this lost continent. This is why we plan to mobilize American teams to London next summer and this is why we run the race with such intensity. Lives are hanging in the balance!

“ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one receives a prize. So run in such a way that you might win!”- 1 Corinthians 9:24

Let us join together and pray that God grasps this great continent once again and that the 2012 London Olympic Games will be a catalyst for the next great move of God in Europe!

For more information on the London 2012 Olympic Outreaches and how you can get involved, please visit our “Upcoming Trips” page

The sober consequence of Papandreou’s call for a referendum, which was upheld today by the Greek cabinet, is that a “no” vote (very likely) could cause severe repercussions in world markets and could be the beginning of the end for the euro.

The Greek decision to bring this to a vote, comes just weeks after Germany and France led the rest of the EU to strengthen the euro bailout package, providing a way for Greece to avoid defaulting on its loans. It is almost as if Greece is saying “no thanks” to the rest of Europe who have made great sacrifices to come to her rescue.

Leaders from the G-20, the world’s most industrialized nations, will commence their summit today at Cannes, France. The Greece and wider euro zone crisis will be the “soupe du jour.” European heads of state will do everything in their power at Cannes to persuade Greece from its course of pursuing a referendum.

Europe is on the brink of spinning out of control, economically and politically. Not far behind Greece are looming dangers in Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Italy.  Spain’s unemployment continues to push upwards and now stands at more than 21%.  Unemployment among youth is at a foreboding 43%! The riots that began in Greece earlier this year have spread to Spain, and England. Expect them to intensify and spread to other nations in 2012.

I believe these real and pressing economic problems are connected to the spiritual crisis that continues to devour the continent. Europe has in effect turned away from belief in God. How can nations who once professed devotion to Christ, now hope for God’s favor and blessings? Could the economic crisis provoke Europeans to turn from their secular humanist pursuits back to the God of their fathers? That’s my hope and prayer.

Now, more than ever, the harvest is ripe in Europe. Please help EI bring Good News to Europeans.