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February 2003 Family Emergency: By the time you all receive this newsletter I will already be home because of a "Family Emergency". I had to leave Romania on Jan. 16th so I am asking every one of you to be praying for me as I face a critical time in my family. I am reminded of the awesome hand of God that worked on my behalf as I went through all the police investigation last year when I returned to Romania and I know that this too is not too difficult for God. Would you stand with me in faith believing that "Jehovah Gemulah, The Lord of Recompense" (Jer.51: 56) will work for me? Pray with me that all will be restored that the enemy has tried to destroy. I trust your prayers and know that you will be interceding for God's perfect will to be done. God bless you all! Snowy Romania:When I left Romania it was snow, snow, and more snow. This year has been the worst I have ever seen it since I been in Romania. The temperatures the last few night I was in Romania was 0 degrees and below (and that’s talking Fahrenheit and not Celsius). I was so thankful for the new heating system especially after being outside all day long in that weather attending to an opportunity with the car. I have been amazed at the Romanian children though. They still find the outdoors in this weather to be enjoyable. Across the road from our house the children were all working together piling the snow up on the side of our neighbor’s fence. I thought at first it was their job assignment to clean the snow up and at the end of the day it was just a huge pile of snow. Everyday you would see them out there just patting the snow and making it hard. Then a few days later we came in from church and they had made it into an igloo. Wow! What a task! Yet it didn’t seem too difficult for them! I guess this Alabama girl just cannot take all this snow like these Romanian children. Lyn’s Update:Many of you have asked me about Lyn’s condition since she was diagnosed with cancer last year. Well God is so awesome! You just would have had to be here everyday to see where Lyn’s health was and where God has her today. Right before your eyes you could actually see God at work. Everyday I saw her as she pressed forward and pulled out those spiritual darts from satan called cancer. She would not take to heart what the doctors were saying. She did what they told her to do medically and is still taking her chemo pills daily. However, she does not have to take any more treatments by infusion. The doctors are at awe at Lyn’s progress and when she went back the first of January this year. Her blood cells were NORMAL. Doesn’t that make you want to shout Glory! God is our healer if we will only TRUST HIM. Lyn’s health has improved so much that she was able to return home January 16th with me to visit her children that she hasn’t seen in quite awhile. Pray for her time with her family since this is her first time to return home outside of family emergencies. She will be returning to Romania on Feb.16th to resume her service for the Lord. Babies and Transitioning Girls: Barbara and the babies were able to come to Cluj for the holidays, thanks to your prayers and to the Salaj Children’s Protection Office. What a wonderful time we all had together as we decorated an old fashioned Christmas tree Romanian style! What a pleasure to see all the children playing together once again. Baby Sarah was fascinated with the manger scene under the tree and proceeded to daily rearrange it carting off a few pieces to her secret hideaway. I must admit with all three babies together the place seemed to be “rocking and rolling” with all their screaming and running around. Man, do their voices seem to be getting louder the older they get! Yet it was still most enjoyable to see all that God has done with these children. God allowed the picture of the past two years to play out before your eyes as they ran around and around, hollered and screeched, and all played together. Barbara and the girls were given special permission to be with us in Cluj all through the New Year’s and will stay until the end of January. Of course, when I left Barbara was still in Cluj holding down the fort. The transitioning girls are doing great! Monica has been very busy with work and school duties so much that I wasn’t able to see very much of her with this new lifestyle of hers. I would like to say a special thanks to the sponsor for Monica’s school and for the other sponsor who helped her to purchase her books. What a joy it is to know that you have been a part in helping further her education. Vali, who went with Youth with a Mission last summer, had time off from her school during the winter and came back to help us here at Calea. What a blessing it was to see such a change in Vali and how much more she had matured since we last saw her during the summer. Also, she was such a blessing always pitching in and helping care for the babies. Vali is back now in school with a much harder work schedule this year. She says she has more Bible classes and as Vali puts it “Rita, they are very hard I no understand.” But I know she will make it just fine. She also says that she might be going with the group for missions’ outreaches into Turkey this year. Wow! God is truly doing a mighty work in her life! Ana the mother of Manny is doing well! However, many of our daily dealings with Ana are like some of the old days when we first got Monica and Vali. She is still a challenge and cannot seem to shake off her past from living on the street. Ana is a very smart young lady but then just when you think she is making progress she steps back into her past life-style, which is a typical gypsy. My desire is to see her truly have a heart to change, she hears the Word all the time but chooses not to take it to heart. So, would you pray with us that it would start to take effect so that she can become a lady and mother of excellence? Our Gratitude: Thank you all for your prayers for me and my family while I am in the States. Also, would you continue to pray and intercede for the ministry? We are in much need of another staff member because we have more and more demands with humanitarian requests, plus the babies need more attention now (we can’t just feed them, diaper them and put them to bed any longer), and then there are the ministry outreaches which have to be pursued in the villages. However, we are stretched to the limit now with our monthly expenditures. So would you pray with us about increase in our staff and that God would raise up more laborers to help us financially this year. We praise Jesus daily for all of you who for the last 5 years have labored with us financially. You truly have been a blessing by helping take so many of the financial burdens off our shoulders. My continued prayer is that you will reap a mighty harvest of increase for the love you have sown financially into this ministry. I want you to know that we do not take your gifts lightly we know that many of you have sacrificed dearly the offerings you send on a monthly base. Know that your gifts have not gone unnoticed by God and He is the rewarder of all that you have sown. May God mightily bless you daily with more spiritual, physical, mental and material increase is my prayer. In Jesus Name! Yours in Christ, Freddy and Rita |