Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Jonathan and Kristy's update 08/08/2017

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
08/08/2017

Greetings from hot Romania! While the first part of our summer weather was pleasant, this past month has been extremely hot for weeks on end. We cancelled our school class last week because it was 105 degrees!

A few weeks ago, our mayor went out to the Gypsy neighborhood and explained that there are 32 houses built there illegally (including our church building). These houses were built on private land. Some are built over the town water pipes, and others are too close to power lines. In the next 2 years, the mayor is planning to have new houses built (for those that cannot re-build), and destroy all the illegal houses. He will not be rebuilding for those that continue to cause problems of disturbing the peace, or allow their horses to roam around the village, or commit other crimes. We are glad something is being done about the situation, as no one could get legal paperwork because their houses do not have legal contracts. After talking with the mayor, we found out that he is willing to allow us to have a piece of land for our church building, but most likely wouldn’t build a building. We will see what happens.

The teens continue to try our patience. One boy, Valerica, who has been coming to the services occasionally, is often very rude and obnoxious. Last week, he had his phone out and was playing music on it. I asked him several times to put it away, but when I finally told him he would have to leave if he didn’t, then he put it away. Halfway through the teen class, he got it out again and started playing music on it. I told him to leave, and then of course he said he wouldn’t do it again. I kept the phone by me for the rest of the class. Codru (Code-ru), another young boy who is known for his horrible behavior, recently got in a fight. He got hit in the jaw so badly that he broke his jaw and some teeth, and had to be hospitalized. We thought maybe that would teach him to be better-behaved, but unfortunately, he is the same. Sara continues to skip church, and we hear she has been smoking. She is doing poorly in school, doesn’t pay attention during church, and hangs out with girls she shouldn’t be spending time with. Truly, only God can make a lasting change in these people’s hearts and lives through Jesus. Please pray for the young people to turn to the Lord and serve Him.

We had our VBS a few weeks ago, and were very grateful to have a few days of slightly cooler weather for that. Handing out invitations beforehand gave us, as well as Gina, one of our church ladies, chances to witness. The majority of these Gypsies don’t seem to really think or care much about their lives. They just live from day to day doing what they feel like. When confronted with the Gospel, they either simply refuse or make excuses not to put their trust in Christ. Please pray with us that God would work in the Gypsies’ hearts and save them! The children were terrible for the first night of VBS, but the next two nights were much better. I gave the children the opportunity to say the memory verse afterwards, and although many probably forgot about it, one young boy, Mario, did say it, which was encouraging. Attached is a picture of one of the nights of VBS. Only about half of the children are in the picture.

Although there are disappointments in our ministry, it is always encouraging to remember that you are praying for us! Thank you for all of your prayers for us and the Gypsies!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

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