It's Hard to Say Goodbye

 Yesterday was our last Sunday in Romania.  We were asked if we were happy or sad, the truth is both.  We are happy to be going where we believe God wants us to go and happy with the prospect of seeing our family soon, but sad to be leaving our friends and church family here.  We are also sad that on our last Sunday the city was still in quarantine so services again had to be held strictly online.  That means that we did not get to say goodbye in person to many people we love so much.  But we are hoping that the quarantine will be lifted before the weekly prayer service on Thursday so that we will be able to say goodbye in person then.

In spite of the sanctuary being empty, Sunday's service was rich with the presence of the Lord.  Katsu and Kayako Kawai, missionaries to Japan, came from Cluj to minister in song and a short message and to say goodbye.  Nancy shared a short message before worship and Mike preached on the four things a church needs.  

Katsu and Kayako gave us a small Japanese fan and some delicious homemade sushi.  Stefana, the wife of the Greek Catholic priest, who also leads the 40 Days for Life campaigns that we participated in, stopped by Sunday to say goodbye and to give us a small gift.  

Take a picture, quick, before we eat all the sushi!

We are blessed beyond measure and humbled by the kind words we are receiving from our Romanian friends.  It makes it even harder to leave, but we are praying that God will bring revival once again to this city we have come to love.

Please pray with us for a successful, uneventful trip home to Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday, December 6 and a smooth transition to our next place of ministry.

We Are Thankful

City of Gherla, Romania

This is Thanksgiving week and we have many things to thank God for as we near the end of thirteen years of ministry in eastern Europe:

First we thank God our Father for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Then we thank Him for the privilege of serving our dear brothers and sisters in Romania and Hungary.

For the amazing prayer and financial support of many, many people and churches in America.

For the amazing love and kindness our Romanian and Hungarian brothers and sisters have shown us.

For the powerful and effective ways the Lord has ministered through us the past 13 years.

For the many friends we have made in Europe.

For the love and support our children, grandchildren and extended family have given us the years we have been away.

For the ability to be able to communicate (haltingly) in Hungarian and Romanian.

For being able to watch believers here grow in Christ.

For good health and for provision of all our needs.

That is just a tiny bit of what we thank God for.  As we are seeking God's will for us in the next phase of our lives and ministry, we are reminded of what the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."  We give thanks to God every day, but especially today.  God has been good to us and we thank Him.

Quarantine Service Online

 A city-wide quarantine is still in effect for a few more days, so yesterday's church service was entirely online again.  Pastor Simi invited Mike to preach and Simi's wife Gabi interpreted.

Elias not only plays the drums, but also handles the live-streaming.

Before the service Mary, who is now leading the prayer time for Gherla, sent messages to everyone reminding them to pray in their homes at our usual time.  Mike preached a sermon on the Lord's prayer, emphasizing that the primary purpose of prayer is to grow and develop our relationship with God.  Praise the Lord, His presence and power is not limited to the church building!  Those watching from home felt the same presence of the Lord that was sensed by the worship team and the speakers in the sanctuary.  

The Inste group will meet online again this week, too.  It is not quite the same as meeting in person, but we are happy to be able to share with each other what we have learned from our study of the Word.

While we eagerly look forward to being together again as a congregation next week, we thank the Lord for the alternative ways He has allowed us to minister.

Giving Thanks during City Quarantine

 November has been quite interesting so far.  The month began with a thanksgiving service at church. The regular thanksgiving service was delayed by one week because Mariana, who creates the beautiful displays, was sick for a few days, but after she recovered, the ladies decorated the sanctuary beautifully with a thanksgiving theme.  We were surprised and honored that our picture was included among those on the display.  During the service we sang songs of praise and thanks to the Lord and many people gave thanks to God for His goodness this past year.  Mike preached about giving thanks instead of grumbling and complaining like the Israelites did in the desert.

Mariana designed the display and several ladies helped build it.

On Monday, we spent quite a bit of time rearranging our airline itinerary because our last flight was changed, not giving us enough time to make the connection in Chicago.  Instead of complaining, we gave thanks that the problem was worked out and that we had plenty of time to do so.

Just a few days later we were able to practice what we heard on Sunday morning again because the entire city of Gherla was placed under quarantine for 14 days due to a sharp rise in Coronavirus cases.  We essentially returned to the restrictions we were under in the spring lockdown.  We are not to leave our homes except for work, buying food, daily exercise and other essentials.  When we do step outside our gate, we must take a paper with us stating where we are going and why. We could complain, but we decided to be thankful. We thank the Lord that we are healthy, that the church members are healthy, that we have a good home to spend the quarantine time in, that we have all that we need and that the restrictions should last only 14 days.  God is good. and He is in control. 

Plane Tickets for December 6

Plane tickets for December 6 to fly back to the US are in our hands.  It is a happy/sad time for us since we are retiring from Open Bible Missions to pursue other ministry in the US.  Our missions appointment ends December 31, so we will return to the US early in the month to complete some final details and use our last vacation time to be with family for the holidays.  

Boxes waiting to be shipped back to US

Last week we shipped several boxes of personal items to the US.  We were told it could take two weeks to one month before they arrive there.  We will be patient, though.  When we shipped things to Hungary at the beginning of our missionary adventure, it took two months for them to arrive.

As we finish our last few weeks here, we are happy to be returning to the US to be closer to our family and friends there.  But we are sad to be leaving our dear church family here.  It will be hard to say goodbye to our Romanian friends and we are sad that we will not be able to say goodbye to our Hungarian friends in person.  We hope to see all our European friends again someday, either here or in the presence of our Savior.

This is an uncertain time to be moving, especially overseas, so please pray for us that nothing will interfere with our transition and that we will have an uneventful trip in December.  Thank you for your prayers!