Ministry Update

Today is a day "off", so I am going to try and catch you up on our current ministeries here in Romania. This will be a long entry that will cover the last two weeks. Maurice

Beregon Update:
We have had our first meeting at the Beregon apartment and are going to begin work on two particular ministries to start. The first is a pre-teen ministry that may be able to work through the school system. We have learned that there is a couple that runs a Young Life program in a different area of Romania. We are hoping to make contact with them and gain insight into youth ministry in Romania. The Orthodox Church is the predominant church in Romania. Children who participate in protestant sponsored activities are often ridiculed and excluded. The Young Life leaders we want to make contact with have a great working relationship with the Orthodox priest in the area and we want to see what that looks like.

The second ministry we are looking at is a “20 Something” bible study. There is very little opportunity for social activity among this age group in a safe and positive environment. Please be in prayer as this ministry develops.

Tsigmandru Update:
We had our first church leadership meeting on Tuesday 8/28. The meeting was combined group of Romanians, Americans, and Dutch all working together in developing a church plan. The first baptism is being planned for late October. There are many challenges surrounding this because there is not a baptismal at the church and there is not a lake or stream at the church where baptisms could be done. We are looking at purchasing a small portable swimming pool so that the baptisms can be performed at the Tsigmandru church. It is a very exciting time in the life of the church. There continues to be new believers in the Tsigmandru church and my eyes just filled up with tears as I saw so may accepting Christ during last weeks service on the Prodigal’s son. Please be in prayer for the village of Tsigmandru and those who are seeking Christ in their lives.

We also discussed the continuing construction on the church. Maurice, Roberta, Hans (the man from the Netherlands who is living at the church), and Marius ( the local Romanian working on the church) will be meeting later this week to discuss the flooring options for the church. These are some major expensive decisions that need to be made soon. The hope is that if the flooring can be ordered and ready to install by the time a small team from Pearce comes in October. At that time the flooring will be installed. Roberta is praying that the church will be finished by the time of the Nazarene District assembly which will be held in Tsigmandru. At that time the church will be dedicated. There is still much to do before then and we are seeking God for strength to get it done. The plan includes getting the people of the church involved in painting so that they feel that it is really their church building. The majority of the church leadership will be gone for September and part of October so Roberta and asked Maurice to oversee the finishing of the inside of the church.

One other major topic of discussion was putting together a document which outlines the position of the church leadership on teams coming to support the church. The goal is to bring into harmony the needs of the teams with the needs of Tsigmandru. This includes items such as giving gifts and candy to the children, participation in worship, setting limits for children that are understood and followed by the team. We want to make sure that teams are expressing the love of Christ through acts of love and service rather than through material possessions. The last thing we want to do is promote materialism. Please be in prayer for the church leadership as we develop this document.

Stamping Update:
Melanie and I were able to work with two elderly clubs last week. We did a stamping project with each of them. They really enjoyed it and it was great to be able to practice my Romanian. The elderly club at Beregon was really excited about stamping and are looking forward to future projects that we can sell. This will help them raise funds to support an elderly club day trip this fall. I have realized that I had plenty of stamping supplies but not much paper. This was a major concern if we were to continue stamping projects especially once we are no longer here. Great news- I was able to find a craft store in town that carries paper similar to what we need and there are many colors. It will cost about the same as the paper I but in the States. I was also able to find beautiful ribbon in the colors of the Romanian flag. We will begin making cards in Romanian colors in two weeks. We are also going to have a day where the women can come and have their pictures taken. We are going to make a photo frame to put them in and they are very excited about that.

Music Ministry Update:
Melanie and I have been playing piano and helping to lead the worship in Sighisoara the last couple of weeks. With the language barrier it is a challenge but Melanie is picking up the music quite well. The piano has it’s own issues. Middle C and Upper C# and D don’t play at all. I have resigned myself that it is the heart of worship that matters and that God doesn’t care if the piano doesn’t sound quite right. We have also been able to invite the older ladies in the church to come up and lead some songs in Romanian. This has been great to see and they seem to appreciate it.

Kids Update:
Well what can I say other than PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. Rarely a day goes by when Liam does not sustain some new injury. The worst came last week when we were walking up the huge staircase in the dark and Liam tripped. He landed face first on a railroad tie and squished his nose pretty good. He has had a stuffed up nose since then and we have started his breathing treatments as a result. He is quite a trooper though and nothing keeps him down for long. The boys seem to have a great ability to meet new Romanians. Liam hangs out the window and gestures to the women across the street. They can’t actually speak to each other but she gives Liam and Nolan chocolate anyway. They also helped us meet our neighbors yesterday. They hang over her gate while they are playing in their fort. She invited us over and we had cakes, crackers, and juice. They she brought gummi worms out for the boys. They had a big German Shepard dog name Muldo and the boys had a great time with her. We were invited to our landlord’s house for a Romanian barbecue. It was really yummy and we had a chance to practice our Romanian. Nolan and Liam played football (soccer) with their little boy and had a great time. They were frustrated with no being able to understand the other kids but Nolan was so proud of himself. He said that when they asked him their names he said “Nolan si Liam” which means Nolan and Liam. Next week they both start kindergarten. We spoke to the teacher last week about Nolan’s level of work (he already did Kindergarten and needs to go to second grade when we get back). His teacher said that there is another child who has similar needs and that if we give her the home school work for reading, writing, and math that she will have special times to work on these with the boys. That was really a blessing.

Ana Maria Update:
Ana Maria is the 20 year old Romanian studying in Grand Rapids. She has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and it has spread to her lungs and hip. Her mother was able to travel to see her last week. Ana Maria is having chemotherapy and they are still optimistic. Please keep her in your prayers. use it is a summary of the last two weeks.