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August 2004 Wow! It has been nothing but rush, rush since I have been back in Romania. Some days seem as if they have barely begun when suddenly we find it is late evening. The last two months have been jam-packed with all kinds of events. We are continuing to distribute the humanitarian aid that we received through Convoy of Hope. However, with each distribution we see more and more needs. Just this month I was in Zalau disturbing some aid to the only hospital there and the director took us through the hospital. We first went through the children’s ward and immediately I began to notice enormous needs. You should have seen the beds that the children were sleeping on. It caused me to feel that what little we are doing is still not nearly enough. The needs are too overwhelming! However, I learned that the children’s ward was the best and most updated ward in the hospital. From there we went to the cardiology and orthopedic units. There the beds were even worse. The bed linens were all worn out; there were 7 beds to one room; the floors were just plain cement; and the walls were cracked with large gaping holes in many of them. My heart breaks when I think of all our nice hospitals in America and the abundance of blessings we enjoy with little or no thought to what it must be like to receive medical care under such conditions. But the greatest heart breaker is to see the hopelessness on the faces of the people lying on what are called hospital beds and waiting for the most meager of medical services. In America we throw away so much in one day’s time that could be serviceable here in Romania. In our last shipment, we received 13- IV poles. Many of those had already been promised to the cancer hospital in Cluj. Some of them had a little rust on them and we were a little concerned about donating them in that condition. Yet when I saw the IV poles that they were using in Zalau I was no longer concerned about a little rust. Their idea of IV poles were simple pipes attached to the bed frames and the IV bags were taped to the poles. The mattresses there were worn to a “frazzle” and there weren’t any bed tables or food tables. While walking through the rooms and corridors, we could not help but notice the unpleasant smell of the old walls that had weathered many years. The mold and mildew mixed with the smell of sickness in the air and was at times somewhat overbearing. Praise God that our hospitals in America are blessed and that everything is provided. How blessed we are in America! I am again in contact with Convoy of Hope regarding another shipment of goods. Be in Prayer with us that we can receive another shipment and that the cost will not be as much as this last shipment. When everything was calculated it cost our foundation a total of $427.00 just to process the paperwork on the shipment not to mention the exorbitant cost that Convoy of Hope expended to collect and to ship the goods. Humanitarian work is a very costly venture, and without all of you who monthly support our work in Romania, we could not have received these goods. You are the ones who provide the resources for the humanitarian projects performed by this ministry. Church Planting: An awesome opportunity has fallen into our hands. If you remember in June my stepfather Pastor Morris Horton was here ministering with us along with our first team, Don Thronburg and others from Mobile, AL. Pastor Morris and Don T. both poured their hearts into ministering the Word of God to the people in Ferma Larga and Ferma Cojocna. Since then I met with the owner of the old farm buildings in Ferma Larga who really wants to sell the entire farm. Indeed the whole farm would be nice but probably too much to purchase. However, if God wanted this path, I would surely pursue it! How awesome it would be to be able to help improve the living conditions of many of the families there that are in dire need of better housing and provide them with a clean, safe water supply. At the present time though I have only asked him if he would be willing to sell one of the old buildings for a children’s church. Yes, a children’s church to begin with, but our vision is that it will grow and become a full-blown church. The owner is willing to sell the one workable building at the cost of $5,000.00 negotiable. Would you be in prayer with us about planting this church? For years now these people have asked if we would come to their village and minister the Word to them. They have no church anywhere in their village and no full Gospel church in the area. What a marvelous thing it would be to see a church planted on the top of the hill of Ferma Larga so that these people can meet weekly to hear the Word of God. Again, how blessed we are in America to have church after church to chose from. The people in Ferma Larga just ask to have a church even if it is in an old run-down building with no windows, lights or heat. In time that could come but right now we are just praying for somewhere to worship. Would you pray with us that if this is the path God has for us that all doors would fly open and the funds would come to bring this about? Presently we transport 15 children weekly from Ferma
Cojocna to the children’s programs in Ferma Larga. It takes about one and a
half hours just to transport Cojocna kids to Ferma Larga and lots more gas.
Yet it is worth it when I see the children in Cojocna jumping and running when
they see the blue van coming down their road to pick them up. Of course, the
greatest reward is when I see some of these children come forward at the altar
call to giv Distribution of Eyeglasses: For 3 weeks now every Monday and Wednesday we have
scheduled ourselves to service the older people of our community with
second-hand eyeglasses. I wish you could see the people as they patiently look
through the containers and boxes of eyeglasses. Smiles come on their faces
when they finally find that perfect pair of glasses. Comments like, “I have
not been Children’s Program Update: Well, Copiii Regelui is at the halfway point of this summer’s program. The greatest change this year to the children’s program is joining the two villages, Ferma Larga and Ferma Cojocna. Three weeks ago we began clearing out a section of an abandoned building to transition the children, put up some walls to the program. We call it possessing the land. The children have helped take shovels full of dirt and debris from the entry of the old school building. However, we are not able to move the children into the room because the building is literally falling in and we cannot put their lives at risk. Presently, the room is used only as a makeshift stage. Last week a powerful wind all of a sudden came over the mountain and we had to move the children to a more secure site until the storm was over. The Copiii team split up and while a couple of us continued to set up the puppet house and tables, others took the children to the only secure abandoned building on the hill. Suddenly music flowed from the big building. The children were singing the songs that they had learned over the past two years. The foyer of the building was acting like a megaphone and propelled the music all across the hilltop. WOW! Two years ago I couldn’t have dreamed this would ever happen. Children who once did not sing are now singing with power and joy. We know God is doing something truly unique at the programs this year. Children are weeping and asking for a deeper knowledge of Jesus. Yes, God is at work!!! September Construction: Work is in progress for our September team Network
Limited from Ocala, FL. I have already started purchasing the
materials. The process here is very different from the process at home in
America. First, we purchase the lumber from a person who freshly cuts the
timber from the mountain forest. After they deliver the lumber, it takes one
month to dry and after drying I have to take it to someone myself to have it
planed. The Ocala team will be repairing our upstairs loft area, Thank You: Thanks to you all for your financial support to the mission work that we continue to undertake in Romania. We are truly honored to serve God along with you as you supply financial support from your own personal needs. We daily pray and lift you up before the throne room of God asking His continued blessings to be poured out upon you all. His Word says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18: 27 AMP). We believe God for a supernatural flow of His blessings in 4 areas of your lives - spiritual, physical, mental, and material. Everyday we ask God to bless you calling all these 4 by name. Truly we trust God will abundantly meet all the needs in your life as you help others in foreign lands. May His blessings flow upon you in a special way is our prayer. Yours Truly, Freddy and Rita |
e their
hearts to Jesus Christ. Planting a church in Ferma Larga, if truly God is
leading in this direction and I most definitely feel He is, has the potential
of harvesting many souls for the kingdom of Christ. Pastor Morris laid the
groundwork and now it is up to us to continue to tend the seeds and reap the
souls whenthey are ripe for harvest. Pray with us about this project and if
any of you would like to help financially and be apart of this work we welcome
you to help anyway you can.
able to see
this good for years,” are plentiful along with, “Multemesc,” which means
thank you. Sometimes I feel as though I am experiencing something like Jesus
did when He healed the ten lepers. He healed ten but only one returned to give
thanks (Luke 17:12-19). In watching the people I saw some who were thankful
and then others not so thankful. Yet we have had the pleasure to experience
what our Lord Jesus must have experienced. Grief must have gripped His heart
for the other 9 who failed to give Him thanks for what they had received from
God. Nevertheless, imagine the joy He must have had when the one came bearing
gifts of praise and falling at His feet in worship. Similar feelings crossed
my mind when many left without even being thankful but 4 of the 361 people
serviced so far returned bearing gifts of flowers, eggs, plums, and
continuously voiced their gratefulness for their wonderful gift. What an honor
to be chosen by God to witness it all and just to be able to serve. I must
constantly remind myself of how Jesus served giving Himself daily to the needs
of the people. Isn’t that what He has 
commissioned
us to be doing? It doesn’t matter that only 4 returned with thanks. What
matters is that He gave me an opportunity to serve. Notice also in Luke 17:12
it was a foreigner who returned praising. I praise Jesus that I can work here
among the people of Romania and for such a time as this I was born to serve in
this foreign land. Glory be to the Name of Jesus!
making rooms in it so that we can become a pharmaceutical deposit. Pray for
the purchasing of these materials that God’s wisdom will be upon me because
I definitely need it when it comes to construction. Pray for the men that are
coming that God’s protection will be all around them. I thank each person
who has agreed to take his or her personal vacation to come help us with this
project. May God bless you for your service!