Founders of Yielded Vessels Ministries

Rufus & Deedre Whynot – Missionaries in Romania

Rufus left Canada as a teen-ager to join the U.S. Army in 1968: to be trained as a helicopter pilot. Married Dee in June of ’69, received appointment as a Warrant officer in October ’69 and flew Cobras in 1970 in Vietnam.

Deedre grew up in Texas and graduated from Texas Wesleyan College in 1971. She received Jesus as savior in ’72 and Rufus received Jesus in ’73. Rufus graduated from the University of Maryland in ’76 and stayed as an instructor pilot and examiner, in the Army until God called him and Dee into His Army in ’82.

After 14 years in the Army (7 years in Berlin, Germany) they moved to Fort Worth, Tx., and joined Calvary Cathedral International (Dr. Robert Nichols, Pastor). Rufus worked for Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Dee worked at CCI. Both graduated from CCI Bible School in May, 1984. After graduation God called them to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala with Living Water Teaching. Rufus was LWT’s first chief pilot, led the travelling Bible school for his first year there, and was director of LWT Guatemala from ’85 through ’87. Dee taught in the Bible School and directed the correspondence Bible School.

From Guatemala they moved back to Berlin in 1988. Founded a church there in ’89; and travelled to teach seminars and conferences (mainly with African university students in the Czech Republic, Slovakia & Poland). Rufus’s first trip to Romania was in early January ’90: just ten days after the execution of the dictator Ceausescu and his wife. Over the years they made 15 ministry trips from Berlin to Transylvania. During the 14^th visit in ’94, God said to relocate to Romania. The Whynots turned the Berlin church over to Gary and Gail Cooper and moved to Cluj-Napoca/ Klausenburg in January of ’95; began a church that summer, registered a humanitarian aid organization, and have held many tent, street, and stadium meetings. Over 46,000 people have prayed to receive Jesus and 15,500 + testify of receiving supernatural healing from God.

The Whynot’s have trained young people (and some not-so-young) to live for God and to help others do the same. These are no longer part of the status quo in Romania; but, are part of God’s plan to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; to restore them to fellowship with their loving Father God; and to help their nation fulfill it’s God given destiny: to be a blessing to other nations.