Dear Friends in the Lord
It’s been two and a half weeks since we arrived back in the US from our most recent trip to Eastern Europe. The intervening time has been taken up with catching up–with work we hadn’t quite finished before we left, from being gone three weeks (the grass had mysteriously grown to chest height in our absence…) and addressing the most urgent tasks from the trip itself (I also managed to attend the annual Banner of Truth ministers’ conference in Pennsylvania–Stuart). We want to share with you, our faithful prayer partners, some of what we experienced in the grace of Christ and how we are encouraged to continue to be directly engaged in the work of Christ’s kingdom in Eastern Europe.
Some Highlights from the Trip:
- Attending Levente Horvath’s class on missions at the Trans Silvanus Institute–from about 4 to 9pm Friday afternoon & evening with students coming from long work weeks to become equipped to take part in gospel ministry in and through the Reformed church in Transylvania.
- Participating again in the support group for recovered/recovering addicts & family members that meets in the basement of Two Towers Church in Cluj every Thursday evening.
- Getting up before 4am to take Levente across Transylvania, from Cluj to Csikszereda, and during the four and a half hour drive hearing about the great things that God has done in saving sinners in this part of His world in days past and in maintaining a faithful witness to Jesus Christ in His churches to the present day.
- Being with over 120 other participants in the Bonus Pastor regional conference in Szekelyfold–the vast majority having come to personal faith in Jesus Christ and deliverance from addictions through the saving power of the Word of God.
- Re-connecting in Marosvasarhely with many friends–including those in ministry and those not yet in Christ.
- Meeting Csaba & Piroska Siko and hearing about the Lord’s work in their large village–where He has enabled them to reach many children and young people with the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ through a youth group that enjoys active participation from the entire community.
- Follow-up meetings back in Cuj: with Levente to consider in what ways we can be of further service in the context of the Good Shepherd Association and together with Levente & Rei Abrudan (director of 4D-Romania) as they shared and encouraged each other about the Lord’s work in their respective ministries & churches.
- A further meeting with Rei and his assistant Cosmin (the designer of our 4D website), learning about the range and depth of the Lord’s work in and through Romanian believers and churches.
Thanksgiving for Answered Prayer:
Through the course of the trip and many meetings, discussions and times of prayer we’ve come to a clearer sense of God’s place for us and a better understanding of what aims and forms of ministry we should be pursuing. It seems to us that making our residence in Tg Mures from September to December will enable us to take up many aspects of personal ministry open to us there while being available to travel to Ozd, Cluj and elsewhere to assist Levente, the Good Shepherd Association and other ministries when needed.
