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About YWAM Cluj
Youth With a Mission International was founded in 1960 by Loren Cunningham with a vision to see waves of youth covering the nations proclaiming the gospel. YWAM is now in 1000 locations in over 149 countries, with a staff of nearly 16,000. For more information visit the YWAM International website.
Our vision is to train and equip Romanians and other people of the world to know God intimately and make Him known in Romania and other nations of the world, especially into the "10/40 window", the least evangelized area of the world.
The directors of YWAM Cluj: Alin & Gabi Ciorogar with their children Melissa & Julia.
The Directors of YWAM Cluj
In 2002, Ove and Darlene began to feel the Lord telling them it was time for Romanians to rise up and take charge of the ministry. So in 2005, a leadership team of two Romanians and one American was established. The plan with this leadership team was that one of them would eventually take the lead.

In 2006, the leadership team began to sense that God wanted someone else in charge. Two Former students who where now married and faithfully serving ay YWAM Cluj, Alin and Gabi Ciorogar, were asked to take the leadership of the ministry in 2007 and they are now the directors of YWAM Cluj. They are first Romanian couple to lead our ministry.
After the fall of Communism in 1989, Romania was flooded with evangelism teams from all over the world and thousands of Romanians opened their hearts to the Lord. However, few missionaries stayed to disciple the new believers. After leading a short term missions team to Romania in 1992, the Lord asked Darlene and Ove Edskerud, an American/Norwegian YWAM couple, to disciple Romanians to arise and shine for the glory of the Lord. They said "yes" and in 1994 Darlene and Ove, along with a team of 10 Americans, pioneered a permanent Youth With A Mission discipleship and missions training center in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Since 1994, YWAM Cluj-Napoca Arise Romania! has been meeting the spiritual and humanitarian needs within Romania and across its borders.

Thanks to Ove and Darlene's passion for Romania, more then 630 people have been trained and sent out to arise and shine for the glory of the Lord!

Thank you Ove and Darlene. You have changed this nation and our lives forever!
The founders of "Arise Romania" YWAM Cluj: Ova & Darlene with their children Joshua & Hannah.
Timeline of YWAM Cluj-Napoca
1994
  • Team of 12 move to ClujNapoca to begin language study & community Bible studies.
    • 1995
  • 40 youth attend 1st summer missions camp.
    • 1997
  • 1st Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Romania began.
    • 1998
  • The Lord called us to "establish roots" and the search for a permanent ministry center began.
    • 1999
  • 1st Romanian DTS director trained.
  • Opened the Living Alternatives House of Joy maternity home.
  • Official registration finally received from the Government.
    • 2000
  • Romanian staff team built shelters for earthquake victims in Turkey.
    • 2002
  • Youth ministry Launched.
  • First Romanian staff sent long term into the 10/40 window.
    • 2003
  • Papers signed and 1st payment of $70,000 made on our own ministry center.
    • 2004
  • 10 Year anniversary.
  • 2nd payment of $70,000 made on our own ministry center.
  • Living Alternatives pregnancy center opened.
    • 2005
  • Final payment of $70,000 made. Hallelujah! We officially own our ministry center.
  • Leadership transition to Romanians begins.
    • 2006
  • Living Alternatives buys property next to the ministry center to build the new House of Joy unwed mothers home.
    • 2007
  • Alin & Gabi Ciorogar appointed as directors.
  • Living Alternatives breaks ground on the new House of Joy.
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