Jonathan and Kristy's December Prayer Letter

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 Corinthians1:27

 

December was a busy month again, and we rejoice in the blessings God has given to us. Please rejoice with us as you read how the Lord is working, and continue praying for us.

 

The children’s classes continue to be well-attended for the most part. The one evening, there were about 17 children, and they were a bit wild, but seemed to learn pretty well. Most of the time, several leave before we’re finished, so it was surprising to see them stay for the lesson. During one of the other children’s classes, the children were pretty bad. Romica, one of the teen boys who often comes to the children’s classes, tried to help keep some order with the kids. I asked him some questions from the lesson, and he knew some of the answers. A lot of the children (and even some of the teens) don’t seem to know how to learn very well, so we appreciate your prayers for them, and for us, as we try to teach them God’s Word.

 

A few teens have been coming off and on. Rebeca came with a friend of hers, Ioana (Ye-wonna), and after the teen class, they wanted to sing. So, we ended up singing several songs, and they enjoyed it. Ioana also comes to Casa Rafa, so we have spent some time with her there. She is not saved. The other week, a bunch of the teens were hanging around outside before the service. I went over to them (thankfully, they didn’t disperse, which is what usually happens when I go over to them), and invited them to come to the teen class. They didn’t want to come. Please pray that the Lord would work in these young people’s hearts. At least two in the group claim to have gotten saved, but have not been to church for a long time.

 

Although Ion (Yone) is going very slowly with his reading, some things do seem to click for him every now and then, which is encouraging. Gicu (Jee-cu) actually came for part of the reading class the other week, and it was surprising to see how much he remembered. Last Tuesday, no adults came to the service except for Ion. He heard the Gospel again. Please pray for him to get saved.

 

Mariana, the mother of a couple of the boys that come to church, asked us a few weeks ago if we could help her to read. She is wanting to take a course for being a care-taker/nurse, so she needs to improve her limited reading abilities. She has done very well for these first few lessons. Sometimes, we are able to talk about spiritual things with her. She told us that a while ago, she “surrendered.” Normally, this means that she got saved, but I am not totally sure what all she understands about the Gospel, or exactly what she did. In any case, she is not living for the Lord, but does know what she should be doing. Please pray for her, and for us as we minister to her.

 

It is a great blessing to have our co-workers back! Their help is much-appreciated, as they help to bear some of the burdens of the work here.

 

Adi (Oddy) and Lusi, Gina’s unsaved son and daughter-in-law, have been coming to church now and then. It is encouraging to see this sharp young couple listen to the Word. They seem interested in spiritual things, but are not yet ready to make a personal decision to receive Christ. Please pray for their salvation.

 

It was a blessing for Kristy and me to spend our Christmas together. :o) We also spent the day with my parents and sister, with the Freels (our co-workers), and with the Tylers (missionary friends of ours). It was a wonderful day filled with good fellowship, games, and thankfulness for the Savior’s miraculous birth!

 

As firecrackers pop all around us, ushering in the New Year, we are amazed and grateful to think of all the Lord has done this year. Thank you for the part you have had in our work among the Gypsies in Romania! We are blessed to have you behind us!

 

Serving Him,

Jonathan and Kristy Heisey

Merry Christmas!

This free photo collage created with Smilebox

marshmallow update

The link for the marshmallow recipe in the previous post was not working properly. It should be fixed now. If not, you can try accessing it here:

http://urbanposer.blogspot.ro/2012/11/rustic-homemade-marshmallows-whoney.html

toasting marshmallows

Q: What's better than toasting marshmallows?

A: Toasting homemade marshmallows!

Q: What's better than toasting homemade marshmallows??

A: Toasting homemade marshmallows in your own wood stove!

Ahhh... a little bit of heaven.  Sticky, gooey, sweetness.  Yum...

a visit from Uncle Earl

Two weeks ago we had a special visit from my great-uncle.  He was in Romania for a week with his son, who was working in a city a few hours from here.  On Wednesday while his son was at work, Uncle Earl was able to pay us a visit.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship with him, exchanging pictures and chatting.  He told us lots of stories, too, about when he and my grandpa were growing up.  We hope you can come again, Uncle Earl!

Thanksgiving

We generally think of this time as one in which we remember the pilgrims, thank the Lord for His blessings, and eat.  :)  This year, the meanings of those things were brought fresh to my mind.

Like the pilgrims of old, I also moved to a new home, a new county, a new hemisphere.  In fact, I took almost the exact opposite trip they did, going from west to east and by plane instead of ship.  Similarly, I have 'survived' my first year and have so very much to be thankful for.  While the pilgrims invited native Americans to their feast, I am surrounded by Romanians, who likewise have a culture, language, and customs different from those I was previously accustomed to.  But they have taken me in and welcomed me, even though I'm not one of them.  They help me and are a blessing, too.  Many of the early Americans wanted to reach the native Americans with the gospel, which is also our purpose in being in this foreign land.  How great a God we serve that we can spend a day remembering His goodness to us and thanking Him for all the ways He's blessed us.

I  neglected to take any pictures, but we spent this Thanksgiving with a few other missionary families and one Romanian friend.  We ate, laughed, played games, ate some more, and just had a nice time of fellowship together.  What a blessing to have other missionary families here with whom we can fellowship and celebrate our American Thanksgiving!

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