Sunday, November 2, 2014

Jonathan and Kristy's October Update

NEXT GENERATION PREPARATION
„But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” I Corinthians 1:27
 
Although the weather was comfortably warm a few weeks ago, it has become decidedly fall-ish now. We have started making fires in our wood stoves, as the temperatures get to freezing and below at night. We are very thankful that the Lord recently allowed us to get a source of heat for our bathroom. It is nice to shower without freezing! :o)
 
Some of the teens have been coming to the teen classes at church. Rafi (Roffy), Ionel (Yone-ell), and Rebeca (all saved teens) came a few weeks ago, and Rebeca and Ionel have been coming somewhat regularly. One evening when I was teaching the children’s class at church, Ionel and Rebeca came in. I let them stay (even though they’re not kids :o)), and after the lesson, everyone wanted to sing. So, we sang for probably 20 minutes, and talked and had fellowship. It was a nice time. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom to minister effectively.
 
Ion (Yone), Mariana’s unsaved husband, did great reading for the reading lessons we had the beginning of October. We have not had them for a few weeks though, because he was admitted to the hospital for testing. They found a spot on his lungs, and he is being treated at the hospital. We went to visit him and talked to him for a while. He said that when he was having all the testing done, he prayed to God. I have never heard him say anything like this before, and I believe the Lord is working on his heart. Please pray for Ion’s salvation.
 
We have started teaching English classes at an after school program here in the village. It is operated through an association (Casa Rafa) and run by a Christian woman, Livia. Many of the Gypsy children and teens that come to our services, as well as other children and teens from the village, also go to Casa Rafa. Livia has a heart for the Gypsies, and it has been a blessing to start this new adventure. It is a great ministry opportunity, and we have gotten to know a lot of the children and teens from the area. We will also be doing counseling with the teens at Casa Rafa. Please pray for us in this new ministry.
 
My parents were able to go to Germany for a quick visit to my sister and brother-in-law, Joanna and Bruce White, and their four children. Kristy and I took care of things here, and while I preached, Kristy taught the children’s class with Rebeca’s assistance. It was the first time for Kristy to teach in Romanian, and the Lord graciously allowed the children to be well-behaved that evening.
 
The children’s classes are often quite a challenge. Many of these children have no discipline, and do not go to school, so they are not used to sitting in a class and listening. Others know what they are supposed to do, but choose to be obnoxious. We have been having trouble with children banging on the windows of the church building outside, and running quickly in and out of the building to cause disruptions. The other night, some of the younger guys from the village actually picked up my parents’ car and turned it while we were in the service. Many times, as we are leaving, several kids will grab onto the car making it difficult to leave without hurting someone. We are often at a loss of what to do in these types of situations. Telling them what to do or what not to do often just seems to fall on deaf ears. Please pray that we would have wisdom, and that the Lord would work in the hearts of the Gypsies in Mosnita Veche.
 
We would also appreciate your prayers for our health and safety. We have been having some minor health issues for several weeks and are trying to get them resolved.
 
If any of you are interested in more updates about our personal and day-to-day lives here, you can visit Kristy’s blog: http://howgreatthings.blogspot.com and sign up to receive her updates by email.
 
Thank you so much for your prayers and your part in the Lord’s work among the Gypsies in Romania!
 
Serving Him,
Jonathan and Kristy Heisey