I’m John Militaru, an evangelist, and I’d like to share my testimony.

I was born in Timișoara, Romania, into a Greek Orthodox family. When I was two years old, my parents divorced, and my mother never remarried. I grew up being raised by my single mother, without my father in my life.

At the age of fifteen, I became severely ill with hepatitis, anemia, and rheumatism all at once. I grew extremely weak, thin, and sickly. Despite many medical treatments, the doctors eventually ran out of options. In desperation, my mother took me to an Orthodox priest. Under communism, it was common to believe that the more money you gave, the longer a priest would pray. But despite this, nothing changed in my condition.

Up until the age of sixteen, I had never seen the New Testament. One day, I noticed groups of people frequently gathering at a nearby house. Curious, I attended one of the meetings and discovered they were gathering for prayer and worship. I was deeply moved and left feeling something I had never experienced before.

I asked for a Bible, and they gave me one. Over the next two and a half weeks, I read it in its entirety. During that time, something remarkable happened—my body was completely healed from the illnesses that had nearly destroyed me. My family witnessed this transformation, and it became a powerful moment for all of us. I knew Jesus had not only healed by body, but completely transformed my life. 

Living under a communist regime meant that practicing Christianity came with serious consequences. Believers were often ridiculed, excluded, watched closely and sometimes faced the loss of jobs, education, homes or even their lives. Despite this, I began attending "underground" prayer meetings every evening, growing rapidly in my faith.

Still, I could not turn back.

Within eight to ten months, I felt a clear calling to become an evangelist. At that time, there were two types of churches: registered (government-controlled) and underground. Registered churches were closely controlled and restricted by the government, while underground churches operated in secret and allowed the full expression of spiritual gifts. The underground church was alive….but dangerous. I chose to be part of the underground church, knowing the risks involved—fines, arrest, and severe persecution.

We gathered in secret, daily, expecting God to move in powerful ways. On one occasion, police were sent to arrest us after being tipped off. Yet when they arrived, they were unable to find the entrance to the house and left, believing the report was false.

At seventeen, I began preaching the Gospel. Over the next six and a half years, I traveled to more than a thousand villages across Romania spreading the Gospel that had changed my life. I was arrested and interrogated multiple times, yet I experienced protection in ways I can only describe as divine intervention from the Lord. 

Eventually, I felt led to leave Romania, as authorities were preparing to imprison me for my activities. Escaping the country was extremely dangerous, with armed guards and strict border control. Before my escape, a man shared a vision with me—he said I would be stopped by a soldier, but that the soldier would become confused and let me go.

That is exactly what happened. I was stopped, but the soldier turned away without explanation, and I was able to cross a the wide Danube River, into Yugoslavia. From there, I traveled to Italy and eventually Austria.

While in Austria, I learned that a friend had been imprisoned and tortured for preaching. With others, we organized a protest that ultimately led to his release. During this time, there was also an attempt on my life when a car struck me, leaving me with a broken leg, but I miraculously survived.

Two months after my escape, my fiancée Alexandra also fled Romania in a similar way. As she crossed the river, a soldier aimed at her but suddenly recognized her as a former classmate and chose not to shoot! That was an extraordinary miracle that literally saved her life. We later reunited in Austria and were married there.

In 1979, we came to the United States without knowing the language or the culture. It was a difficult transition, but over time we built a life, accepted the call of God and were blessed with three wonderful children and three precious grandchildren who work together with us to carry out the mission the Lord entrusted us to. 

Since 1990, after the fall of communism, we have returned to Romania every year to spread the Gospel, teach and disciple people, and do missionary work, especially in areas where the Gospel had not been widely heard. We film and produce Christian teachings in both English and Romanian which can be seen in all of Europe on a large television network as well on our YouTube channel. We have witnessed thousands of people come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. All glory to God!

Looking ahead, my vision is to continue reaching people in Romania and throughout Eastern Europe. This mission is made possible through partners who share in this great work. We are deeply grateful for every prayer and every financial seed that helps us continue bringing hope and faith to others.

Today, I continue to preach across America, Eastern Europe, and beyond.

And my mission remains the same: to reach the lost, to bring them hope, and to share the power of God that changed my life! 

Because I know this firsthand-

Jesus still saves.

Jesus still heals.

And Jesus still restores lives!