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Text Box: Personal Data:            Name:  Suzie Benforado Birthplace:  Lyons GA  Birth date:  May 6, 1957 Marital status:  single, never been married (but still hopeful!)   Places in the USA that I have called home:  Lyons GA, Atlanta GA, Raleigh NC, Greensboro NC, Jupiter FL, Elgin IL, Columbia SC   I have been a missionary since 1984 Serving six years in Austria and Eastern Europe and since 1990 in Romania.   Conversion testimony:         After a turbulent and difficult childhood, I tried to make my own way in life. Though a good student and athlete, I found that the glory faded quickly and an emptiness remained in my heart…I later came to know this emptiness as a “God shaped void”.  So when I heard a clear presentation of the gospel at a Billy Graham Crusade in April 1974, I was ripe for the picking.  I accepted the Lord and began a wonderful adventure of knowing and serving God.   MY HISTORY IN MISSIONS AUSTRIA Summer of 1982:  Summer team experience smuggling Bibles and other ministry into communist Eastern Europe   1983-1986:  Trained and served two years on a team that smuggled Bibles and much needed Christian literature into Eastern Europe.    1986-1987:  Develop a ministry to Eastern European refugees as they passed through the refugee camp in Traiskirchen Austria (and surrounding areas).  We started with a banana box of gospel tracts in various languages and ended with a permanent ministry center near the refugee camp, known as “The Oasis”.   1987-1989:  Created and led the Traveling Evangelism Team.  Vacationing with a purpose, we went to places where Eastern Europeans vacationed and we befriended them.  During the winter, we visited them in their own countries. We had ample opportunities to share the gospel with our new friends. This later proved to be the “beachhead” established for teams that moved into Eastern Europe shortly after the revolution.   USA 1989-1990:  Took a sabbatical year and completed the Bible certificate program at Columbia International University in Columbia, SC   ROMANIA 1990: Moved to Cluj Romania with the initial goals to learn the language and culture and to see what the needs were.  Then I responded to the needs that I could help to meet.   1991-1997:  Involved in a discipleship ministry at tmy local church in Cluj.  Hosted summer camps that facilitated spiritual challenge in an English camp environment.  Involved with student outreach.  Taught ESL.  Established translation ministry in the church.   1995-2000:  God moved in two areas simultaneously… one area was counseling and inner healing and the second area was a pro-life/ anti-abortion movement.  This led to me establishing Foundation Confident with this same two pronged ministry.   1997-2001:  Experienced a personal revival during this time.  This opened a whole new experience with God, and especially new to me, the Holy Spirit.  This brought great increase to the effectiveness of my ministry.   2001-2004:  I transferred to a Grace Christian Church, a full gospel church and worked as an encourager, intercessor and counselor/teacher.  Coming along side of upcoming Christian ministry leaders, I supported and helped them in practical ways.   2002-2004: Involved in an encouragement ministry with adolescent orphans from the orphanage in Beclean (two hours from Cluj).  Facilitated projects to improve the lives of the orphans e.g. picnic shelter project and furnace replacement project.  Also developed a ministry to the growing number of orphan students from Beclean, attending university in Cluj   December 2004 - present:  Became involved in Antioch Christian Center, a church planting effort from ground level.  Serving as part of the leadership team, I am teaching, counseling and encouraging new believers as our church grows.     MINISTRY EMPHASIS:          In my present position, I am part of the leadership team of a church planting effort.  My emphasis is teaching, counseling and discipleship.  Generally speaking God uses me to love our young people, encouraging and influencing them to become who God is calling them to be.   Spiritual gifts:          God has equipped me with the gifts of encouragement/ exhortation, helps, hospitality, compassion, teaching, giving, and counseling.  Also, I am experiencing an increase in healing gifts and I am believing God for still more.           God has given me a heart to serve like Aaron and Hur that held up the arms of Moses.  My personal involvement seems to always have the characteristic of practical service, encouragement, and prayer for Romanians in ministry so that they can be more effective and succeed.  I have been involved with helping to initiate several projects, taking an idea and working to make the dream become a reality.     MY CHURCH HISTORY:         When I left the States in 1984 I was a Baptist and I attended Baptist churches in Austria and here in Romania.  Then seven years ago, God moved in a new way in my life and I experienced what I call a “personal revival”.            In 1997, I began to go to a non-denominational, full gospel church in Cluj. God came closer. He became bigger, more powerful, and more alive!  Then whole new dimensions of walking and ministering with a miracle working God were opened up to me. So it has been true for me that the latter days have been even better than the early days in my walk with God.  It has gotten better and better! And the best is yet to come.           Late in the year in 2004, God spoke to me to join with Mihaela and David Norton to start a new church in Cluj.  That church started with meetings in their living room and the numbers swelled quickly.  We soon moved to a rented building and named our church "Antioch Christian Center".  Our desire is to press forward for the fullness of what God offers even today to His church.  Contemporary and intimate worship, anointed and practical teaching and powerful prayer ministry are hallmarks of Antioch Christian Center in Cluj. In this atmosphere of God's presence, ANYTHING can happen!     MY ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY:  I originally came to Romania with International Teams (IT) based in Elgin Illinois.  I was with them for 18 years and served in various capacities and in various ministries through the years (see details “Ministry History”).     In March 2004, I became a part of ARC Ministries.  Their primary focus is to come along side of Romanian churches encouraging and equipping them to fulfill their God given mandates in our generation.   ARC Ministries is a missions effort of a network of churches called Grace Churches International in the USA.             In November 2005, I became part of Covenant Frontline Ministries International.  This is a small organization with major impact.  They work in Romania but also in SE Asia with emphasis in leadership training, church planting, conferences and orphanage work.           Ordination: In November 2006 I was ordained as a minister of the Gospel by Pastor Jeff Johns at White Horse Christian Center in West Lafayette,  Indiana.  After 21 years in missions this was not just a formality.  A spiritual authority was released into my life and that has been reflected in my spiritual life and ministry since that day.  It was a powerful and awesome experience for me.                              To see my ordination certificate click here       MY PRE-MISSIONS HISTORY: April 1974:  Saved at a Billy Graham Crusade in Raleigh NC  May 1975:  Graduated from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC  May 1979:  Graduated from the University of NC at Greensboro (UNC-G) with a degree in physical education 1976-1983:  Was a counselor every summer at Tapawingo, a Christian girls' camp in upstate New York. 1979-1983 Taught physical education and coached at Jupiter Christian School in Jupiter, Florida.  During this time,                   I attended First Baptist Church in Tequesta. In 1983 they commissioned me and sent me as a missionary.