Praise Jesus! We received our first large shipment of humanitarian aid from “Convoy of Hope” the first week in June. When I arrived in Cluj the foundation yard was covered with hospital beds, containers of work pants and jeans, crutches, walkers, etc. Much work is still to be done to get all these items delivered to hospitals and special care facilities. Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to see the aid that God has provided. It is the fulfillment of vision from many years ago. God is Good and always keeps HIS promises.

The water distribution was a great success! The evening before the water distribution I got a phone call from the pastor of the church we were collaborating with in the water distribution outreach. He had found a place for us to take the water to get it cooled before giving it out on the streets. We knew it would be lots of extra work for us but we all decided it would be better giving out cool water in the hot sun. At the being of the day early Tuesday morning Corina, Don, two other team members from Mobile, and I loaded our old blue van with all 2000 bottles of water. At first I was a little concerned that old blue would not make it because the front-end was up in the air and the back-end on the ground. We figured up that we had ONE TON of water in old blue. However, she did not let us down. When we got to the street where the ICE COOLER was we saw that the street was all torn up from putting in new water lines. We then circled around and around squeezing through narrow streets until we reached our destination. We finally got there and unloaded all 2000 bottles of water into the ice cream cooler.

After unloading the water into the cooler we headed back home loaded up all team members and sped off to the church for our time of prayer before hitting the streets. All team members and church members gathered to seek God’s blessing on the water distribution and the children’s program in the park. After prayer and with the 2000 bottles of water reloaded team members headed to the streets. The center of town was so crowded. No parking spot in sight, so I bowed my head and said, “LORD, we need a place to park here in the center because we already have to carry this water long distances to our sites for ministry.” Sure enough in just a few minutes a place became available right where it needed to be.

As we all unloaded from the van, I was a little concerned about not having enough translators. I had first wanted to have 4 teams on 4 corners of Cluj but due to the fact that we only had 2 translators for the water distribution we were only going to be able to work 2 corners. However, God is never late and certainly is our great Provider! Low and behold suddenly people started coming up to the van introducing themselves as friends for some of the translators, church members and, get this, even a couple from Arkansas asked us if they could help. God came through again! I had indeed envisioned us having 4 teams on 4 corners of the main street in CLUJ and at the last minute God brought the translators and extra workers who just wanted to volunteer their services. Praise Jesus we were able to minister on all 4 corners just as God had impressed me beforehand. What an extraordinary day it was! People were crowding in for water one right after the other. We could not explain to them fast enough about the church and the reason we were giving the water for free before others were coming to ask what was going on. We prayed with many and four people were lead to the LORD right on the streets. GLORY TO GOD! When GOD has a plan HE does it RIGHT!

Village Services:

On June 24^th and 25th we held evangelization meetings in the villages of Ferma Larga and Ferma Cojocna. The meetings turned out to be awesome in the Lord. On Thursday evening we did not have any salvations but lots of eager hearers. However, on Friday evening the Lord showed HIMSELF. At first it looked like we were only going to have the children because the people were working late on the farm hauling in the hay before the rain blew in. But around 8:30 p.m. the people started showing up, many of them with the Bibles that we had given them the night before. We started playing the song "God is Good" in Romanian to get everyone in a spirit of worship and then the team sang some songs that Lyn and Corina had taught them in Romanian. Don Thronburg delivered the message. We saw that night that God had really been working on hearts. No one responded immediately to the altar call but God suddenly moved on some of the children to break the ice and then all the children came forward. Before the service was over almost everyone was down in the front praying. Pastor Morris Horton was glowing and crying all at the same time while witnessing the awesome response on Friday night. Also, after the service a young man around 20 came up to Morris and said, “I just want to come a greet the Pastor.” Morris was extremely honored.  The Holy Spirit prompted me to play the song "GOD IS GOOD" again and to tell the people that we wanted to fellowship with them a while. It turned out to be a success. Everyone was singing,

children were dancing with team members, and people were continuing to pray. In the midst of it all God gave me a special miracle. I think He just wanted me to know and believe that HE is already at work in that village. The miracle involved a lady in Ferma Larga who 2 years earlier had asked while a medical team was there if we had any medicine that we could give her because she just wanted to die. This week this very same lady had a smile from ear to ear. I went to her and told her how beautiful her smile was and talked with her a little. On Friday night she was the first one to come to the meeting and she had her Bible in her hand. I went up and greeted her and commented on her smile again. To my surprise after the service she came up and hugged me and gave me 2 bottles of fresh buffalo milk. That is the first and only time that anyone in Ferma Larga has ever given a gift back, and boy what a gift! Yes indeed! It was only milk and no I don't like buffalo milk, but she give us 4 liters, which took a big chunk out of her pay. What a sacrifice! She had given the best and freshest (first fruit) to God! (I say that because the milk was very hot, straight from the buffalo.) God is at work in that village, and yes, I can see HIS glory all around.

The evening preaching had been combined with a children’s program on Thursday for both Ferma Larga and Ferma Cojocna children. Many of the children at Ferma Cojocna had never heard about Jesus and we had 2 young ladies to receive Jesus after the children's program. Praise Jesus for these who have been added to the kingdom of God! As it turns out God had a very special reason for us combining the children from the two villages. From now on every Friday we will be combining the children for weekly children’s program. It will be a lot more work for us. I will have to take Lyn and the team to Ferma Larga and then make the trip to Ferma Cojocna to transport another vanload of children. It takes another 45 minutes in travel to get the other children but God wants them to hear the message of Jesus. If it will change lives then what is 45 minutes?

Continue to pray with us. We are looking at a building in the village of Ferma Larga in hopes of planting a church. They need a church there really badly. We believe that God will send us a male spiritual leader to minister to the men of Ferma Larga once God brings forth the building. In fact, Morris talked with several men and I think planted some seeds for ministry there in their hearts. If we get the building it will take lots of work and financial help to make it serviceable, so really help us pray.

The children’s program has gotten off to a running start this summer. On June 22, Copiii Regelui joined with Eclesia children’s program to present a day of Jesus in the city park of Cluj. There were games, music, object lessons on character, clowns, puppets, balloons and candy. There were about 180 kids present and all the kids received personal invitations to come check out Eclesia children’s ministry programs. As indicated above, the children’s program is underway in Ferma Larga and will include the children from Ferma Cojocna this summer. Don Thornburg’s team started our season with salvation stories and one on one ministry. The topics for this year will be on character and the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are very excited about what God is doing in and through the kids’ programs this year and are so thankful to people at home who help with supplies and finances to take this program into the hedges and wayside areas to the children there. Programs will continue weekly through September 10^th.

Back to NEWSLETTER Page

Back to Top of Page