By Tom Shanklin 

Europe is a needy land! Centuries of dead ritualistic religion and authoritarian regimes have left the people of this land spiritually empty and dry. 

Our role during our mission to Europe in February was to bring living water and seeds of hope. Susan and I did it with the help of interpreters, who graciously translated our messages into the languages of Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

We worked with local churches and their leaders, people who, against all hope, believe in hope for their nations. We came to help them reach their communities and to strengthen their hands.

We flew into Prague, Czech Republic, where we met our host and coordinator, Pastor Sangyee Nam, who has served as a missionary to Europe from South Korea for the last 30 years. From the airport, we drove us to a city near the Polish border.

Worshipping at Bydgoszcz Pentecostal Church, Poland.

Poland—Fields White unto Harvest

The next morning, we traveled to Zielona Gora, Poland, and checked into a hotel. Poland means field, plain or open area. We believe that the fields white unto harvest, and that Poland is a land open for the Gospel. After a short rest, we traveled to the Swiebodzin Pentecostal Church,  where I spoke on “Miracles are for Today.” Three people came for the forgiveness of sins, and we prayed for healing for several people. One lady with severe pain in her upper back testified that she received healing. We were off to the races.

The next day we fueled the fire at an evangelism seminar with an estimated 80 people at New Life Pentecostal Chruch in Nowa Sol. The fellowship was great, and there was a wonderful presence of God as Susan spoke a message of encouragement called “Who Me?” challenging us to believe that God can use us to reach people for Jesus. I spoke on “Sharing Jesus Effectively,” and led the people to practice sharing their testimonies. I believe that by the grace of God, people will share their faith, and the church will continue to grow.

From there, we moved to Wloclawek for meetings in that town and the surrounding region. That night we preached at Bydgoszcz Pentecostal Church. Susan broke the ice with lively words of encouragement, and I preached on “Jesus Christ Makes You Whole.” This church was 70 years old. I told them that they were very young since I am celebrating my 70th birthday this year as well. This was a conservative Pentecostal church, but the Holy Spirit did not seem to find it limiting as 19 people came forward for forgiveness. Many came for healing ministry, and there were some instant healings. Two people testified of healing in their shoulders, and one lady testified of healing in her hips.

The next night I spoke on “Overcoming Sickness and Disease” at Wloclawek Pentecostal Church. Twelve came forward for the forgiveness of sins, and we ministered healing to the sick. Pastor Mieczyslaw and Halinka Kotelniccy were comfortably pastoring a church of 300 when they were led by the Lord to come to Wloclawek to pastor a seemingly dying church of seven people. Since moving to Wloclawek, they have had 36 baptisms and have about 60 people attending the church. They are now raising money to remodel a building that had previously been used by the Nazi Gestapo to torture and kill people during the Nazi occupation of Poland … transforming a place of death into a house of life.

Susan was a well-adapted co-laborer in all of our meetings. Our ministries fit together like hand and glove. When I was the primary speaker, she ministered first, sharing a scripture or word of encouragement. God used her to break the ice and to make a connection with the crowd. She was also the main speaker in several meetings, and I was in charge of warming up the crowd. Our schedule was quite heavy, and it was a great blessing to have her working beside me.

Susan spoke at a women’s meeting in Wloclawek on the subject, “Don’t Give Up on You.” The Lord also inspired her with a message on Sunday morning for Wloclawek Pentecostal Church from the book of Nehemiah on building the church. After Susan’s message, the pastor testified that Nehemiah was the message that God had given in six years previously when he came to Wloclawek. So this was a great encouragement and confirmation to Susan, to Pastor Mieczyslaw, and to the church. It pays to follow the Holy Ghost. Before we left, Halinka, the pastor’s wife, said to Susan, “Susan, you are a torpedo!”

We also ministered in a very urban church full of young professionals at Torun. At first, we felt like “country bumpkins,” but soon, those emotions faded away as we ministered the Word of God. The pastor of this church was a former “skinhead,” (a member of a violent white supremacist group) before he came to Jesus. About 20 people came forward there for forgiveness, and many came for emotional and physical healing. The Spirit of God moved marvelously. A tall young African woman, who had an injury from working out in the gym, was amazed when all the pain in her knee was instantly gone. 

We then traveled to Katowice in south Poland in preparation for our visit to Auschwitz. I am working on another article on our experience at the Nazi death camp, which I plan to publish on our website. It is a crucial part of this story, but space limitations do not allow us to publish it here.

Praying with man to be used in evangelism in Slovakia.

Slovakia—from the Plains to the Hills

From Poland, we traveled south to Slovakia, which became a nation in 1993 after a peaceful separation from the Czech Republic. The two nations were formerly known as Czechoslovakia and were both a part of the Eastern Block of nations that dissolved in 1991.

At Trnava, we had a wonderful meeting with the Evangelical Methodist Church. I spoke on “Seven Keys to Effective Evangelism,” based on Acts chapter 3. One young man answered the altar call for salvation, and we had a great time of fellowship and prayer for the needs of the people. 

The following night Susan spoke a message of encouragement called “Don’t Cast Away Your Confidence” at the El Shaddai Church in Sladkovicovo. Several people, including the former pastor who is in his 80s, commented that her message was just what they needed. We prayed for several people who wanted to be used in evangelism and ministered to other needs. At this meeting, we emphasized the need to follow the call of God. We told them the way to move into your calling is to take steps of obedience, which will lead to more opportunities.

Christian Center Logos Churches meet in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

Czech Republic—Ripe for a Move of God

From Slovakia, we traveled northwest to Pilsen, Czech Republic, where we stayed in an apartment for the remainder of our time in Europe. During our 18-day trip, we stayed in six hotels and two apartments, so we were definitely on the move.

The next day I came to a meeting at Christian Center in Pilsen feeling wasted and spent. But by the time the meeting was over, I was flying high and ready for more. Before the meeting started, the pastor, who did not speak English, gave me a message through his wife that they were a charismatic/Pentecostal church and that Susan and I were free to move with the Holy Spirit as we saw fit. They put no time limit on the service but encouraged us to do whatever God wanted us to do.

During a wonderful time of worship, the Holy Spirit moved on my heart and gave me a different message than I had planned. I preached on “Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever,” telling the crowd that Jesus is our Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and Coming King. Also, I had several words of knowledge concerning needs for healing, one of which I delivered before I preached. One young lady, who was visiting the church for the first time, rededicated her life to the Lord and prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A man with severe pain in his arm from a skiing accident was totally healed after receiving a word of knowledge and laying on of hands. 

The next day we held our second Evangelism Conference, which was sponsored by Pastor Sangyee Nam’s network of churches, Christian Center Logos (meaning Word of God). The meetings were held at Christian Center Logos in Stribro. These meetings were a highlight of our trip and confirmed to me that the Lord wants us to continue training and encouraging Christians in evangelism.

I spoke once again on “Sharing Jesus Effectively.” I gave an altar call for those who had never truly made Jesus the Lord of their lives. Three men came forward and prayed. Then Susan stirred up the people with her animated message on “Nurturing New Believers.” encouraging the people to take care of the baby Christians in their midst and to love one another. She told them, “We are family! We are family! We are family!” Finally, I spoke on “The Ministry of the Evangelist,” looking especially at the characteristics of Phillip the Evangelist from the book of Acts. Six people came forward who felt called to the ministry of the evangelist, and we laid hands on them and prayed. It truly was a glorious meeting, and I believe that we will see fruit from it in eternity.

That same evening we traveled to the Christian Center in Pribram. We had a 20-minute rest in our apartment between services. Susan spoke from the story of David and Goliath on destroying the strongholds in your life, and I spoke on “Touching Jesus” from the story of the woman with the issue of blood. I must confess this was one meeting that I felt extremely tired and ill-prepared, but nonetheless, God’s Word went forth, and lives were touched.

Our final meeting was a Sunday morning worship service with Pastor Sangyee Nam’s network of churches, which was held at Pilsen. It was a great way to cap off a powerful time of ministry. Susan spoke passionately about the potential that is the people’s lives through Christ. I spoke on “Your Church Can Touch the World,” encouraging a release of the potential of the local church and its people to evangelize the world. Susan and I often did not compare notes before we spoke, but the Holy Spirit had a great way of blending our messages together for his purposes.

We want to give God glory for the following testimony from a woman who was healed at our final meeting in Pilsen: “I would like to share my testimony. When we were supposed to raise our hands for healing on Sunday service, I also raised my hand, and God worked in me. He healed my shoulder, specifically the joint in my left shoulder, and today I have no pain in that shoulder. I also had an accident a week ago when I hurt my knees, and they were swollen and inflamed. During prayer, I felt that somebody was touching my knees. However, when I looked, nobody was. I believe it was God divinely working in me because today, my knees were without pain for the first time since the accident. Praise God!”

There is much more that could be said, especially about encounters both with believers and non-believers in homes, churches, and on the streets of these cities. God only knows the effect of the personal interactions which were orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.

Just before getting on the airplane to go home, we were able to visit the city center in Prague, where we stood before a statue of Jon Hus (1372–1415), the Czech theologian and reformer whose writings later inspired Martin Luther. Hus was burned at the stake for his preaching, and many of his followers also gave their lives for the Gospel. It serves as a grave reminder of the great price that was paid so we could have the Word of God today. It has come to us through the blood of many martyrs.

Pastor and elders praying with Tom and Susan at Nowa Sol, Poland.

Giving Thanks to the Lord!

We are so thankful to the Lord for His safety and provision for this trip, and for all that was accomplished. Thank God, too, for the family members, friends, and churches who helped us to go, for our friends in Europe who worked with us, and for everyone who prayed.

I believe that the work we are doing, proclaiming the Gospel in the United States and around the world, is the most important thing that we could do with our lives. We are only able to “Go” because you are sending us through your prayers and giving. Together, we are reaching the world with the greatest message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Susan and I thank God for you and pray for you every day.

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