This year the team had an extraordinary time in ministry outreach. 12 ladies and 1 man came loaded with all sorts of gifts to bring good tidings and cheer to many villages and orphanages. Day 1. We started our week off with a great time once again with the children at the “House of Miracles.” They were not on our schedule at first. However, after a call from the director 4 days before the team left America, we made time to go to this home once again. We went loaded with fruit and gifts in the hope of sharing the light and love of Jesus with them. But to our surprise they blessed our hearts more than we blessed them. They sang songs for us and then some of the older boys and girls performed for us part of their Christmas show that they would be doing the following Friday downtown. It was such a delight! We watched as they twirled their umbrellas in their hands as if they were on Broadway. What joy they had given us! These extraordinary kids shared their hearts with us in such a special way that day.

Then we hurriedly zipped off to Zalau to the block building where our office is located. As we went down the road we sang and prepared our hearts to minister the message of Jesus to the apartment building. This was the same block building that had caused us so much heartache and pains this year. The team had prepared for months to minister the message of Jesus to many in that block and break down the barriers of suspicion and silence. That afternoon the Glory of God shined forth into many of the apartments as we took fruit, Christmas packages, and gifts for the children, along with large print Bibles. The team members were not afraid but rather all geared up in the power of the Name of Jesus. Afterwards, they all gathered back at the Zalau office and they shared how many had allowed the team to pray with them and that some had actually asked Jesus Christ into their hearts as Lord and Savior for the very first time. Glory to God!

Note: However, the lady who had called the police on us this summer was not home but the team had a perfect opportunity to witness Jesus to her 2 children who were overjoyed to hear the Word being shared with them.

Day 2: We were off early that morning to evangelize a village of around 65 families. I had informed the team that they would be going door to door and would be able to pray and spend all the time they needed to share the gospel of Jesus with the people. This is something new that we started doing last year with the December Christmas team. I feel that the more personal the contacts, the more we are able to reach their hearts with the message of Jesus Christ. Plus, it gives the short-term missionaries a chance to experience missions first hand that we long-term missionaries experience daily. After that day all the team members were falling in love with Romania. One of the team members, a young girl around 18 years old, blessed my heart as she got on the bus that evening. I noticed she looked like she was glowing all on her face. She hugged me and said, “Thank you so much, Mrs. Rita!” I said, “For what?” She said, “Because you brought us here and my heart has been so blessed. I prayed with someone for the first time today the sinner’s prayer." I smiled and just hugged her again; for I too remembered the first time I shared Jesus with someone. Praise Jesus for such a willingness of this young lady to come with the message of hope to the people of Romania.

Day 3: We had another day of ministry door to door! However, this was going to be a different type of outreach than the day before. For this village had Romanians, Hungarians and gypsies. I had been in this village before and everything seemed to be okay. However, with gypsy families you are never to get too comfortable and think all is going to be just fine. We started our day off with a blast! The team started going door to door into all the blocks with their packets of Christmas joy with one purpose in heart and that was to deliver the message of Jesus boldly and without fear. After only 10 minutes Diane and I were overwhelmed to see the joy of one of the team members who came dancing back to the bus for more Bibles. She shouted, "I just led my first person to Jesus!" Reports from some of the other team members began to come in that they too had witnessed the plan of salvation with the people. They said many of the people in the blocks had knelt with them in prayer and had asked Jesus into their hearts. Then after all the people in the block houses had been ministered to we decided that Lyn and Gary would do a children’s program because the children was out of school at 12:00. When all the children gathered together, there were around 100 children ready to hear the message of Jesus. Excitement filled the air even though it was very cold and breezy outdoors. Finally Ms. Lyn was off and running with the program! All the team members were circled around the children in an effort to keep the parents back and out of the site area.

All of a sudden I noticed a well- dressed older lady coming up. She looked around awhile and then plodded her way right into the middle of the children. Her eyes began to roll in her head when she watched Lyn and Gary and I thought, “Oh, Lord, what is she about to do?” I have gotten to where I notice these things more than others because of so much that we have gone through this past year. Then before I could get around to see who she was and what she wanted she started screaming. She was so upset and disruptive that we had to stop the program. We learned that she was forbidding the children to be there. After I got the team back on the bus I was able to talk with her. I learned she was the schoolteacher and was very upset because she felt threatened that we were going to take something from her. These children were her life. We all decided to go have lunch and pray over the situation because we felt God had truly sent us there. We specifically prayed that God would allow this lady to be apart of this outreach and in some way help us. Just after we had said, “Amen,” I looked up and saw her coming toward the bus with the children. Diane and I got off the bus to see what was going on. This time to our surprise she was bringing the children back to us to go ahead and have the program. Wow! God is so good! Many of the team members said, “Mrs. Rita, we have never witnessed prayer being answered so quickly.” God answers quickly when He has a perfect plan and I believe His perfect plan was for the love of Jesus to be delivered to the people in this village. Glory to God! He works the miraculous!

Day 4: Was a day of sightseeing and shopping for those all-important souvenirs. Joy, joy!!!!

Day 5: Pastor Gary preached a powerful message from John 3:16 in a village church in Aghires, Salaj County. I was totally surprised that the pastor of the church had invited many from the outside community. The four major church congregations were all represented. Can you imagine it? In this small little country church in Aghires, Baptist, Pentecostal, Orthodox, and Catholic sat side-by-side listening to the Word. Wow! What a miracle God performed that morning. Pastor Gary was not afraid at all with all the differences. He went right ahead and delivered the Gospel of Truth. What a great day it was to have such a wonderful fellowship worshipping together with so many different believers.

Day 6: The team left very early to go to the handicapped orphanage in Salaj County. The team had already been to the “House of Miracles” earlier in the week, but what lay ahead for them that day was totally different. I personally had not seen the orphanage, but agreed to go after the Children Protection in Salaj County arranged the day for us. We had prepared for the home with the purchase of over one thousand pampers. With no dryer to dry the children’s clothes and since the majority of the children because of their handicap were unable to use bathroom facilities successfully, the pampers were a great need. You should have seen Mr. Basa as the entire team went to the bus to unload all the gifts they had brought for the home. I think Mr. Basa was very surprised to see all they had brought for the children. The team was allowed to go take the toys to each house and personally give out the fruit, toys, and candy for each child. One thing that stood out though was that Mr. Basa allowed us to pray over the orphanage. I remember once in a meeting with him he said, “I want no part of your religion.” However, when I told him Gary was a pastor and wanted to pray before we left, he allowed it. Glory to God! The obstacles are breaking down in Salaj County but of course prayer breaks down any obstacle.

What a time of outreach it was! I give God all praise for this team’s willingness to come share the message of Jesus to many.

I received an email on December 12th from the individual who donated us the money for the purchase of the house in Cluj. If you remember, the donation was a gift loan that I am to pay back with no interest. I had been praying God if the ministry is still in Your perfect plan and I am following Your Will then, God, bring increase in our funds.” 2 days later I got this email saying, “I am taking off from your loan $10,000.00 dollars.” Praise the Name of Jesus! Only God knew my heart when I prayed, “God, I need to know that this is still Your perfect plan and that You will provide.” I prayed, “God, You can place on hearts to give!” I praise Jesus for this gracious gift and for the love that was expressed behind it. May God bless the Buchanans over and above what they have blessed this ministry with.

I thank you all for your help and support for another year. You have been faithful to the call of Christ as you gave willingly each month and I thank you for that. Without your giving we would not had been able to pay all the extra expenses this year, such as the remodeling and construction projects that have been done on the house in Cluj and the office in Zalau. Many of you took up extra offerings in your churches to help us with these needed repairs. Thank you all very much! May God bring you increase for your faithfulness to help. Also, would you pray with us that God would continue to bring financial increase for the foundation? We are growing and reaching out into villages that are farther away and the cost of gas has tripled along with everything else. So pray with me that God will bring increase and provide for each day’s need.

Our prayer is that God richly fill you up with His over-abundant love and that you have a blessed New Year!

Yours in Christ,

Freddy and Rita

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