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Dr. Loreen Ittermann is a missionary to the former Soviet
Union with Titus International. She is a graduate of the
University of Tennessee with a Doctorate in Education
(Curriculum and Instruction) and she is an International
Education Conference speaker. She has also held the
following positions:
Head of the Education Department at Tennessee Temple
University in Chattanooga, TN.
Head of the Elementary/Early Childhood
Teacher Education Dept. at Liberty University in
Lynchburg, VA.
Dean of Teacher Education, Columbia International
University in Columbia, SC.
In May of 1993, one of our TITUS
teams returned from Odessa, Ukraine with a burden for
hundreds of Chernobyl children, which had been brought over
the course of many months to a sanatorium in Odessa. The
next month, Loreen heard about this need from her father and
felt that God wanted her to go and meet the need. In
September of the same year, she arrived in Odessa with two
graduate assistants and began daily Bible classes for the
children, teenagers and adults. Three thousand Russian Bible
storybooks were distributed to the children in three months,
and this distribution has continued throughout her ministry.
By November an incredible
opportunity presented itself. Pioneer Camp, a former
training place for young communists, became the meeting
place for large groups attending daily Bible clubs under
Loreen's instruction. This ministry was complemented when at
the beginning of 1994, Loreen was invited to teach at the
Baptist Seminary in Odessa. By April, Loreen's teaching
ministry had extended to include Pioneer Camp, public
schools, hospitals, orphanages, Sunday schools and Central
Baptist Church in Odessa.
In May of 1994, Loreen moved to
Tiraspol, Moldova: the present day communist headquarters of
the former Soviet Union. She started a new ministry
originally focused upon teaching children in 5-day Bible
clubs and training Sunday school teachers. At this time,
Loreen commented,
"I will never forget how
on two different occasions, we encountered rage and
destruction of some of our equipment by two different
Communist military officers. The common people ran in to
defend us yelling, 'You Communists tried to keep us from
hearing about the Bible and God for 70 years and now we
are insisting that our children have the chance to hear!'
Actually the disturbances increased the attendance. One
rainy day we went to the courtyard to cancel Bible club,
but the children said they'd been waiting in the rain for
three-hours before Club was scheduled to begin and we just
had to tell them a Bible story! Can you believe! Needless to
say, we did just that!"
In September, Loreen was
teaching at a Baptist College in Kishinev and began a Sunday
school in a village 40 minutes from Tiraspol. By December
her ministry was touching more than 700 people.
After a short furlough, Loreen
returned to Tiraspol and once again her ministry was both
increased and redirected by the grace and provision of the
Lord. At that time, Loreen began training young adult
believers to do the work of the ministry. From this
initiative, the Titus Moldova Missionary Team was begun.
This team is made up of fine, young national missionaries.
Church planters are now evangelizing and pastoring in
Siberia (Arctic Circle), Moldova and Prednestrovnia. Three
young men are staff-pastors in a large city-church and
another is the church choir director and composer of 50
songs for the Team's Sunday school teacher-training course.
Some team members are Bible teachers in public schools and
others have launched out and are staffing and/or leading
other Christian organizations in Kishinev, as they were
trained to do. An outstanding drama team ministry presents
the Gospel in churches as well as in public schools,
community centers and other secular gatherings.
Loreen and the National Team from Moldova
at the August, 2003
Field Conference in Romania
Prison ministry, orphanage work,
Bible clubs, Sunday schools, summer campsÑthere is just no
end to the outreach of these kids! Please pray that God will
increase their support so that our ministry team can
increase. Thanks to the prayers and generosity of our
supporters this group has continued to grow and develop! The
continuing purpose of Titus ministries in Moldova is to
train the future spiritual leaders before the doors close;
and with your help, we can do that.
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