New Adventure

 Last month we arrived back in the United States from Romania.  We miss our Romanian friends and continue to pray fervently and frequently for them, but God has given us a new assignment here in the US.  We have been appointed pastors of the Church of the Open Bible in Hardin, Montana.  This is an exciting opportunity to share the love of God in a new place with a new culture.  Ranchers, Native Americans and all Montanans need to hear that God loves them and wants to give them life so they can enjoy Him now and forever.

Hardin is in southeast Montana, along Interstate 90 and close to the Crow and the Northern Cheyenne reservations.  The town has a population of 3,000 and is the largest city in the surrounding three counties. Our middle son and his family live about an hour away by car. The Church of the Open Bible is small, but has loving people who love God.  What a great place we are going to!  It is the best place we could ask for because it is where God wants us to be.

Our accumulated belongings ready to move

 The boxes we shipped from Romania in October arrived this week.  We have gathered most of the items we stored with relatives (thanks Jim and Dee, Neola, Nick and Leona, Paul and Kate and Mark and Nadine!) and we are preparing for the move to Montana.

Our plans are to visit our youngest son and his family in Michigan next week then come back to Des Moines, load up a truck with our accumulated possessions and arrive in Hardin before the end of January.  Please pray for God's continued direction, protection and power as we pursue Him and His purposes for us.

First Sunday Back in the US

 What a wonderful Sunday we had!  When Pastora Erlinda Moreno heard that we were back in Des Moines, she invited us to speak at the Centro Christiano Restauracion Church, which we were happy to do.  Nancy gave a short report on our thirteen years of ministry in eastern Europe, thanked the congregation for their years of financial support and prayers, and explained that we were retiring from Missions this year, encouraging them to support other missionaries in our stead. Mike preached a powerful message and many people came forward for prayer after he spoke.  God moves in every country and in every language.

Our interpreter is sitting on the front row on the right.

We laughed when we remembered that the last time we spoke in Romania, Gabi Hosu, who interpreted for us, joked that when we are back in the US we will have trouble speaking in church because we will pause and wait for the interpreter.  But our first service back, we had an interpreter once again!

There are a few items to finish for our work for Global Missions this week before we take vacation time to visit family over Christmas. Our work as missionaries is quickly coming to a close. Please continue praying with us that we will hear clearly from the Lord what ministry He has for us next.

Uneventful Trip

 We have arrived safely in the US and thank the Lord that our trip was uneventful. Every step of the way, we experienced God's hand and His favor.  Early Sunday morning, Pastor Simi drove us and all our luggage the half hour to the airport in Cluj, Romania, we said our last goodbyes and checked in for our flights. When we presented our bags at the check-in counter, we told them that we had one more bag than our tickets allowed, knowing we would need to pay fees for the extra bag.  The agent called her manager who came over, assessed the situation and arranged for all our bags to be accepted without extra charges under the Covid rules.  Praise the Lord!  

We flew on Turkish Airlines from Cluj to Istanbul, arriving in time to try a bit of Turkish food with Turkish coffee for lunch.  We wore masks the entire time we were in the airports and airplanes, but our temperatures were taken only once, when we boarded the plane for Chicago. The flight from Istanbul to Chicago was a long ten and a half hours, but went without incident.  

In Chicago, after going through customs, we picked up all our baggage as required and took them to the United Airlines counter to be checked in for the flight to Des Moines.  There we were told that we would have to pay fees for the extra bag that Turkish Airlines had given us for free.  However, after getting all the tags for the bags and our boarding passes for the next day, we left the counter and realized we had not paid for the extra bag.  When we went back to the counter, the agent told us that she had waived that fee and she also gave us vouchers for a few dollars off food because of the inconvenience the airline caused us by changing our tickets a month before, giving us a fifteeen-hour delay in our original itinerary.  So, not only did we receive free baggage twice, but we also got free sandwiches and breakfast!  God showed us favor!

We were exhausted after our long day and so the bed and hot shower at the hotel where we stayed to wait for our flight to Des Moines was much appreciated.  Monday morning at 10:30, our final plane arrived in Des Moines.  Nancy's sister and brother-in-law, Leona and Nick Venditti, met us at the airport.  It is good to be back.

Praise God for answering our prayers for a safe and uneventul trip back to the US!  He is so good!

Farewell Service

 Praise God!  The city-wide quarantine was lifted just in time for the prayer meeting on Thursday evening to take place in person, so we got to say goodbye to many of our church family.  What a beautiful farewell service it was.  Many people thanked us publicly for coming to Gherla and for ministering in the church.  They also asked us to convey their thanks to the people in the US who sent us and who supported us. Many prayed aloud for us.  Pastor Simi read several Bible verses about honoring others and about faithful service.  We were presented with beautiful, thoughtful gifts and many good wishes.  The best part was seeing each one and saying goodbye in person even though we all had to wear masks.  

Thank you to each of you who have given sacrificially so we could minister to the needs of the dear people in Romania through the power of the Holy Spirit.  May God bless you!

We leave Sunday morning for the US.  Please pray for an uneventful, safe trip.

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.