This is Greg, again. Your comments are very much appreciated. Thanks to everyone who has tried. Some have said that they are having trouble commenting, so here is some help with that.
In the upper right-hand corner on my page in Romanian is a link "Autentificare" which means "authentication" according to Google translate. So in english, look for something like this on your page and click on it. Then, if you have a Google account, enter your address in the space indicated. If not, click on the "Get started" link below to create a Google account. This will let you comment on our blog and there is no obligation in doing so, that I am aware of.
Thanks to everyone for following our story as it happens. I hope that this info is helpful to you. God bless.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Greg
We have really been challenged and blessed since arriving in Romania. We are also finding out why God chose to place us in Constanta at this time. The missionary family, Ady. Luma, and thier two boys, Daniel and David, are enduring a very difficult time because Luma's mother is very sick and may not have much time left. They obviously regret not being able to help us in all of the ways that they would like, but they still, even in the midst of this trial, are caring for us in the ways that they can. Please pray for them.
Many times in the past, God has sent Cyndi and I to places where we could be an encouragement to ministers and missionaries. What a wonderful blessing to share this role with Danny and Kristen here in Romania. The church here is small and really seems to need encouragement right now. Of course, we are hoping that the people that we are sharing Jesus with will see the church as a place to come to share struggles and joy. We are praying to God that He will help the seeds that we are planting to grow.
I was asked to preach a sermon this next Sunday morning to the our new church family here in Constanta. I agreed even though as most of you know, I am no preacher. Someone once told me, "Preachers preach and song leaders sing." They were trying to tell me to quit talking in between songs that I was leading. I also recieved a C in my college speech class. I say all of that to prove that my human abilities to speak are feeble, but I believe that God can do anything with anyone. And I believe that He can use even me to encourage a struggling congregation even in a foreign country. How can I turn down such an opportunity? Please say a prayer on Saturday night for me. (Danny agreed to speak next Sunday.)
When I show the world my human limitations, that gives God the chance to show his power in me. Please pray that God will use all of us and our human weaknesses to be glorified this week. And PLEASE pray for our readers and our reading sessions. We are all learning to love them and feel a desparate desire that they find the hope that only Jesus can give.
Many times in the past, God has sent Cyndi and I to places where we could be an encouragement to ministers and missionaries. What a wonderful blessing to share this role with Danny and Kristen here in Romania. The church here is small and really seems to need encouragement right now. Of course, we are hoping that the people that we are sharing Jesus with will see the church as a place to come to share struggles and joy. We are praying to God that He will help the seeds that we are planting to grow.
I was asked to preach a sermon this next Sunday morning to the our new church family here in Constanta. I agreed even though as most of you know, I am no preacher. Someone once told me, "Preachers preach and song leaders sing." They were trying to tell me to quit talking in between songs that I was leading. I also recieved a C in my college speech class. I say all of that to prove that my human abilities to speak are feeble, but I believe that God can do anything with anyone. And I believe that He can use even me to encourage a struggling congregation even in a foreign country. How can I turn down such an opportunity? Please say a prayer on Saturday night for me. (Danny agreed to speak next Sunday.)
When I show the world my human limitations, that gives God the chance to show his power in me. Please pray that God will use all of us and our human weaknesses to be glorified this week. And PLEASE pray for our readers and our reading sessions. We are all learning to love them and feel a desparate desire that they find the hope that only Jesus can give.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Danny
Good morning from Constanta! It has been unseasonably cold here the past few days. One reader even told us that in the mountains to the west of us they had snow on the ground this morning! Regardless of the weather, it is very beautiful and we are certainly blessed to be here.
We had a wonderful worship service yesterday morning. We have been made to feel very welcome and loved by the members of the church. I sense that they are genuinely excited about having us here and about the work we are doing. Greg and I both were able to participate in the worship service, and the next two weeks he and I will be speaking. Neither of us is a preacher, so please pray for us that congregation will be blessed by the things we say.
When church was over, all of us introduced ourselves to a gentleman who was visiting from Germany. He said his name was Ciprian, and that he had actually been converted to Christianity through reading with an LST team! The year was 1989, and he was living in Mannheim, Germany. He was an athiest, but answered an ad for LST because he wanted to improve his English. Through reading the stories of Jesus and observing the way that the LST team members lived and interacted with one another, he became interested in Christianity. He said it took a while, but he eventually believed and was baptized. It was incredibally encouraging to meet and talk to someone who is now a strong Christian because of spending time with people just like us. I know that if I ever get discouraged during our time here, I will think of Ciprian and be reminded of just how important this work is.
In the coming days/weeks, we will be letting you know about specific readers that have become very special to us or that we feel are showing an interest in Jesus. For now, I ask that you continue to pray for us and for all of the 20 readers we currently have on our schedule.
Blessings,
Danny
By the way, James had mentioned in a comment on a previous post that he had been mispronouncing the name of the city as 'Constanza'; that is actually pretty close! The second 't' should have a squiggle attached to the bottom which makes it pronounced as 'ts', so the actual pronunciation is 'Constantsa'.
We had a wonderful worship service yesterday morning. We have been made to feel very welcome and loved by the members of the church. I sense that they are genuinely excited about having us here and about the work we are doing. Greg and I both were able to participate in the worship service, and the next two weeks he and I will be speaking. Neither of us is a preacher, so please pray for us that congregation will be blessed by the things we say.
When church was over, all of us introduced ourselves to a gentleman who was visiting from Germany. He said his name was Ciprian, and that he had actually been converted to Christianity through reading with an LST team! The year was 1989, and he was living in Mannheim, Germany. He was an athiest, but answered an ad for LST because he wanted to improve his English. Through reading the stories of Jesus and observing the way that the LST team members lived and interacted with one another, he became interested in Christianity. He said it took a while, but he eventually believed and was baptized. It was incredibally encouraging to meet and talk to someone who is now a strong Christian because of spending time with people just like us. I know that if I ever get discouraged during our time here, I will think of Ciprian and be reminded of just how important this work is.
In the coming days/weeks, we will be letting you know about specific readers that have become very special to us or that we feel are showing an interest in Jesus. For now, I ask that you continue to pray for us and for all of the 20 readers we currently have on our schedule.
Blessings,
Danny
By the way, James had mentioned in a comment on a previous post that he had been mispronouncing the name of the city as 'Constanza'; that is actually pretty close! The second 't' should have a squiggle attached to the bottom which makes it pronounced as 'ts', so the actual pronunciation is 'Constantsa'.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Kristen
Hello everyone!
Today is Wednesday afternoon. This is our third day of reading sessions and they are going really well. The people here are very kind and helpful. Yesterday one of my readers took three hours out of her day taking Cyndi and I to a grocery store. And another of my readers brought us all bagels to enjoy. It is amazing how quickly people are ready to share their lives and their beliefs with us. Several things have brought Ephesians 2:10 to mind, "these works were prepared in advance for us to do". It really seems like we are here at just the right time for some of my readers and I suspect the others would say the same thing.
Something that is rather funny is that we are beginning to enunciate our words when we talk to each other too, and last night when I was reading over one of my lessons I heard their accent in my head. :) It made me laugh so I wanted to share that with you.
The kids are having a good time, and hopefully we will soon find more fun things for them to do. Right now they are enjoying playing with the missionaries 13 yr old son in the mornings. Well, I have another reader coming soon so I will talk to you later. I hope you all are doing well!
Today is Wednesday afternoon. This is our third day of reading sessions and they are going really well. The people here are very kind and helpful. Yesterday one of my readers took three hours out of her day taking Cyndi and I to a grocery store. And another of my readers brought us all bagels to enjoy. It is amazing how quickly people are ready to share their lives and their beliefs with us. Several things have brought Ephesians 2:10 to mind, "these works were prepared in advance for us to do". It really seems like we are here at just the right time for some of my readers and I suspect the others would say the same thing.
Something that is rather funny is that we are beginning to enunciate our words when we talk to each other too, and last night when I was reading over one of my lessons I heard their accent in my head. :) It made me laugh so I wanted to share that with you.
The kids are having a good time, and hopefully we will soon find more fun things for them to do. Right now they are enjoying playing with the missionaries 13 yr old son in the mornings. Well, I have another reader coming soon so I will talk to you later. I hope you all are doing well!
Monday, June 20, 2011
CYNDI:
It is Monday afternoon in Constanta, Romania. The sun is shining, the breeze is gentle, and the sea is sparkling. This is our second day here and all is well. Yesterday we met with the church in the morning and they provided us with a potluck lunch to welcome us. We had our LST information meeting in the evening and signed-up 16 readers. Today we have had several more people come to sign-up, so word is spreading about our program. We began our reading sessions this morning and we are getting very positive feedback.
I want to take just a minute to praise the Davis family. They traveled for 36 or more hours from the time they left their house in Russelllville to the time we arrived at our apartment in Constanta. All the time riding in cars and airplanes or waiting in airports. That isn't easy for anyone, especial little children. I can honestly say, I don't recall any major outbursts of emotion or defiance from either Sam or Clare. (I'm not sure you can say the same thing about me :) They were amazing, sitting quietly when necessary and playing whenever possible. This is mine and Greg's first time to be on an LST team with children, and we weren't sure what to expect, but we are so proud of the Davises! They are doing an amazing job of guiding their children to be pleasant people and teaching by example what is important to them.
Now it's time for me to prepare for my next reader. Please be praying for the hearts of those we are working with here in Constanta.
Blessings, Cyndi
I want to take just a minute to praise the Davis family. They traveled for 36 or more hours from the time they left their house in Russelllville to the time we arrived at our apartment in Constanta. All the time riding in cars and airplanes or waiting in airports. That isn't easy for anyone, especial little children. I can honestly say, I don't recall any major outbursts of emotion or defiance from either Sam or Clare. (I'm not sure you can say the same thing about me :) They were amazing, sitting quietly when necessary and playing whenever possible. This is mine and Greg's first time to be on an LST team with children, and we weren't sure what to expect, but we are so proud of the Davises! They are doing an amazing job of guiding their children to be pleasant people and teaching by example what is important to them.
Now it's time for me to prepare for my next reader. Please be praying for the hearts of those we are working with here in Constanta.
Blessings, Cyndi
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Last Minute Preparations
Hi everyone, this is Greg typing. We are all working very hard to get all of our "to do" lists done before Friday! The worst part for me is to remember to write EVERYTHING down. I may be in the middle of one task, but I'll remember that I haven't put something on my list, so I need to stop what I'm doing and write it down. I hate doing that, but if I don't, there's a good chance that I'll totally forget it until I'm sitting on the plane.
At this point, everything is bitter-sweet for me. I don't like "good-byes" at all, but do want to connect with everyone before we leave. At the same time, I'm really excited about meeting new friends who I may know for the rest of my life. These mission trips are always too much of an emotional roller coaster for my taste, but the payoff is SO meaningful and well worth the ride. The very best part is knowing that I'm doing God's will. I don't always get to feel that way.
I hope that all of you supporters feel that you are also doing God's will! You have really amazed us with your generosity... and I'm not easy to amaze! :) I still want you all to know how much gratitude we have for how you've showed us that you love to do God's will.
Please lift up prayers for our future readers and for our preparations and travel. Don't forget Sam and Claire as they fly for the first time. We will all need a protective blessing from God as we fly half-way around the globe. We truly believe that He will be faithful. Thanks for everything!
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