Jonathan and Kristy's update 01/16/17

01/16/2017

 

It is incredible how fast 2017 has arrived! It doesn’t seem possible that a whole year has gone by since last January, but it is comforting to remember how the Lord worked and was with us in all that we did.

 

We spent the New Year with my sister, Joanna White, and her family in Germany. We had a wonderful few days together and were blessed to be able to spend time with them. As missionaries, it is a rare thing to be able to spend time with relatives. It is nice that we are somewhat “close” to Joanna and Bruce and can spend time with them a few times a year.

 

It is sad sometimes to see how random the young people are. You just never know what they will do or say from one day to the next. A couple months ago, Rebeca had expressed a desire to come back to the Lord, and yet she has only come to church twice since then. She did come to one of the services while we were in Germany. Sara and a young girl named Mioara (Mee-wara) came to one of the teen classes a few weeks ago. Mioara is rather slow, and very rarely pays any attention to the lessons. This was the case during the teen class; however, Sara said that Mioara wanted to get saved. I doubted Mioara understood much if anything about salvation, or that she genuinely wanted to make a decision for the Lord, since she wasn’t even paying attention. I told her to keep coming and learning from the Bible so that she could understand these things. Sara said she would explain things to her, and I am glad for Sara’s zeal. Speaking of random, we do get new teens that come every once in a while, and we’re always glad for those that are hearing God’s Word.

 

A couple weeks ago, right before we were going to start our teen class, I noticed the chimney in the teen room was burning. Needless to say, this caused quite the excitement, and took over an hour to completely put out the fire. Part of the ceiling of the teen room was destroyed, and some repairs will have to be made; but we are grateful the building didn’t burn down!

 

After one of the services the other week, Gina, one of the saved ladies, invited us to her house. We had a lovely time visiting, and of course, she had to feed us. :o) Cory was excited to play with Gina’s grandson, and we were grateful for the time we could spend with them. Often these informal times are the most beneficial for discipleship. It is a blessing to see the Lord working and teaching through these informal times we spend together.

 

We plan to have our property surveyed in order to have someone come measure to give us a quote for a fence. There have been more robberies in our area at houses with metal wire or chainlink fences being cut, so we will be looking at sturdier options. Praise the Lord, someone gave some money towards a fence for us, and we trust the Lord will continue to provide.

 

The children were not particularly paying attention during the children’s class on Sunday. However, one little boy, Leo (one of the cutest kids ever), was sitting very nicely, and sometimes even with a smile on his face. He was absolutely adorable, but I wasn’t sure if he was understanding much, as he is pretty little and doesn’t usually talk. At the end of the lesson, I played a review game with the children, and Leo seemed to know the answers to the questions better than anyone! I had hardly ever heard him talk before, and he was spouting off answers! Needless to say, he made my day. :o)

 

Although the people we minister to can be very random and unpredictable, we are so glad to know that you are always praying for us. Thank you for your part in our lives and ministry!

 

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

P.S. Enjoy the picture of our time in Germany. :o)

Jonathan and Kristy's update 12/7/16

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

12/7/2016

The past few weeks have been eventful with ups and downs typical of Gypsy ministry. We have to rejoice during the up times, and during the down times too, knowing that God is still working!

It is difficult to get the teens to come to church, but we have had some coming recently. A few weeks ago before church, we saw Rebeca, but she didn’t come to church. Sara has been coming faithfully, and Angelo, an unsaved boy who lives across the street from the church, has come a few times too. Radu (Roddu), an unsaved boy who has only come a few times, also came a few weeks ago. Rebeca did come to one of the teen classes. She complained of being bored all the time, because all she has to do is school; and yet she hardly comes to church. Some teens aren’t very bright. :o) Please pray that these young people that are saved will live for the Lord and obey Him.

We often have a nice time of fellowship with the adults after the services. Talking about all the latest happenings in their lives, listening to their struggles, and encouraging them in their Christian walk strengthens our relationships. Normally with Gypsies, structured and planned discipleship times don’t work. Discipleship usually happens in our normal day-to-day conversations with them. Of course, we are grateful for their encouragement to us also, as they build us up in the faith. How encouraging when they grasp spiritual truths and encourage us with them!

It was great to see Adi (Oddy) and Lusi come to church the other week with their little Emanuel. Ica (Eeka) also comes now and then. Please pray for faithfulness and spiritual growth in our fellow Gypsy brothers and sisters.

We are glad to see the children coming to the services. The other week, I had to send some of the boys out for disrupting our class, but those that stayed were very good. I walked a few of the little girls home a couple times, as they were scared to go home in the dark past a big dog that often bites. That is understandable! Thankfully, we didn’t come across the dog. :o) I am often pleasantly surprised to see some of the children correctly answer questions at the end of my lessons – children who usually don’t know the answers! Praise the Lord for His Word getting into their minds! We pray His Word will reach their hearts too and change their lives.

The English classes at Casa Rafa (Roffa) have been better than ever lately. I have only been teaching one of the two groups of children at a time, and that seems to work much better than having the two groups together. It is exciting to see them learn and remember the things being taught! We’re grateful for the opportunity to get involved with these children.

Recently, we found out that we are obligated by law to fence in our property. Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be strictly enforced for the most part, but it is something we could get in trouble for, as we only have a temporary chainlink fence on just part of our property. Please pray that the Lord would quickly provide a good fence for our property.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day, and we have so much to be thankful for! We spent the day eating, playing games, and fellowshipping with our co-workers and two other missionary girls.

Last week, we had the pleasure of having Kristy’s mom and sister, Michelle, come from the States for a visit! We are so excited to be able to spend this time with them, and are making the most of our short time together. Please enjoy the attached picture.

We appreciate you and your prayers for us and the Lord’s work here. May God bless you as you serve Him!

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 11/8/16

Oops... I guess it's been a little while since I posted our prayer letters!  I will be catching up with them over the next few days.  Stay tuned!

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

11/8/2016

It is so encouraging to remember that through the blessings and trials of the work here, there are people all over the world praying for us. When we don’t see God working in our Gypsies (but we know He is), it is refreshing to think that people are praying for them. Thank you for your prayers!

It was encouraging to see Lusi come to church a few times. Adi also came the other week! Praise the Lord! Thank you for praying for them.

I was able to preach to the adults a couple weeks ago, and also at a fellow missionary’s church in the city. The message was on Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. It is humbling to be reminded of the great sacrifice He made for us. May we always be ready to follow Him, even if it means suffering!

There have been a pretty good number of children coming to the children’s classes. Many continue to leave after a short while, and although that is a disruption, it is encouraging to see those that stay and want to learn. Sometimes it surprises me when they know so many answers to questions at the end of a lesson, even hard questions! How exciting to see them learning from God’s Word!

One of the teen boys that was coming to the school classes, Angelo, started coming to our teen classes. We praise the Lord for this! Sara continues to come as well, although she has been hanging out with some teen girls in the neighborhood that are not a good influence for her. Please pray that Sara would “walk with the wise” and stay away from those that draw her away from the Lord. The teens seem to enjoy talking and goofing around after the church service (what else is new?!). :o) Romica (Rome-eeka), an older teen boy, came for the first time in a while towards the end of one of our teen classes. It was good to be able to talk to him, and I hope he will keep coming. Rebeca came to church a couple weeks ago, and was friendly with us, which was nice. She asked for prayer that she would get back to God. This was an answer to prayer! Unfortunately, she has not been to church since. Please pray that Rebeca will obey the Lord and stay close to Him.

The children at our English classes at Casa Rafa have been doing very well. It’s encouraging to see them learning and remembering the things they’ve learned! Please pray that we would have wisdom as we teach, and as we minister to the children and teens.

We had our last school class for a few months, and it was good to see the faithful ones come and put their brains to work. We decided to stop the school classes during these cold months, as we use all three rooms in the church building for school, and we are short on time and fire wood to start fires every week for that. We are grateful for all that they have learned!

It was a blessing to have my sister and brother-in-law, Joanna and Bruce White, and their family come from Germany for a visit for a few days. It is always wonderful to spend time with family!

There have been quite a number of thefts in our area recently. We are grateful that the Lord has protected us. We have a small, temporary chainlink fence around just part of our property, and we would ask you to please pray with us that the Lord would allow us to have a proper fence built for our property.Everyone here has a fence around their property, and we believe  it is a good safety measure.

We appreciate all your prayers for us and the Lord’s work here. May God bless you as you serve Him and take part in this ministry to the Gypsies!

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 10/9/2016

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

10/9/2016

 

Sometimes it amazes me how much gets packed into one month of our lives. Thank you for your part in God’s work among the Romanian Gypsies!

 

The most difficult age for people to live for the Lord seems to be the teen years. Very few teens have been coming to our services, but we are grateful for those that come! It seems whenever I see a group of them and go over to talk to them or invite them to church, they disperse. It’s almost comical, although it’s sad at the same time. Sara continues to come faithfully, so that is encouraging. Two girls came who hadn’t come for a while. Although they didn’t really pay attention, I’m glad they came. We heard that Rebeca is in a relationship with an older guy who is known for being a “bad boy.” This guy already has a wife and child, but he apparently likes Rebeca. We believe this is the reason for Rebeca’s distance, and for her ignoring us. Please pray that the Lord would get ahold of her heart.

 

After being beaten by her “man” and harassed by the neighbors, Ica (Eeka) decided she had had enough. She went back to her home village. However, she returned after a few weeks, saying that she felt bad for her man, Marcel (March-ell). The two are not married, so in that sense, it was better that she had left. Now that she is back, she is dealing with the typical issues of being made fun of for getting baptized and becoming a “repenter,” as well as children throwing rocks and bricks at their house. Thankfully, she is feeling a little better, but please pray for strength and steadfastness for Ica as she deals with oppression from the unsaved. Please also pray that Marcel would receive Christ as his Savior. We have talked at length with Marcel about the Gospel and know that the Lord is working.

 

The children continue to amaze, and disappoint us. Often, most of the children leave the children’s class at church before the lesson even starts. Thankfully, the ones who stay are usually very attentive, and answer review questions at the end of the lessons. After one of the classes, a few of the girls wanted to sing a Christian chorus that they knew. The children often want to help hold the songs we sing, or help with the lesson pictures. It’s great when they are involved (as long as they behave :o) ), as they tend to not leave! During my lesson about Jesus being condemned to death, three of the girls were very tender hearing about His suffering. They were anxious to hear the rest of the story of how He was crucified. The next week when I taught about the crucifixion, they were not quite as thrilled, but it was good to see them thinking somewhat seriously about the lesson. Please continue to pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of the children!

 

Lusi did come to one of the services recently, but Adi (Oddy) has not. Gina, Adi’s mother, said to pray for Adi and Lusi that they will think about the Lord.

 

The school classes have had fewer attending recently, but it’s often easier to handle fewer of them. It is so exciting seeing them learn the letters, and to see some of them reading! What an amazing gift God has given us to be able to read His Word!

 

We appreciate all your prayers for us and the Lord’s work here. May God bless you as you serve Him and take part in this ministry to the Gypsies!

 

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update September 8, 2016

9/8/2016

The last few weeks have been typical of Gypsy ministry with ups and downs. We are grateful for each day the Lord gives us to serve!

Thank you for praying for the children’s classes. They continue to be well-attended, though often some leave before the class is over. Dani (Donny) left the other week with some other boys, but Codru came and he was actually very good. Last Sunday, there were a ton of kids, and they were pretty good for as many as there were. We hope God will continue to teach them His truths through us.

Around 22 children have been coming to the weekly school times. Although they were a little more hyper during class this week and there were some interruptions, they have been very well-behaved overall. We thank the Lord for all that they are learning, and ask you to please pray with us that they will learn well. Reading is the most important focus in our school times, as we want them to be able to read the Word of God. We also do writing and numbers with them too.

A few weeks ago, we got a call from our neighbors (who are believers) that a group from a church in Germany was staying with them for a few days, and was interested in doing a program with the Gypsy children. So, we had some songs, games, and a Biblical lesson in the church neighborhood, and we enjoyed seeing this group’s willingness to serve. Some of those from the group came to church with us the following Sunday and gave some encouraging testimonies.

We had a good time at the baby dedication for Adi (Oddy) and Lusi’s little boy. In the end, close to 100 people came. A Romanian pastor friend of ours preached, and their family and ours did some special music. Praise the Lord for Adi and Lusi’s testimony to raise their son for Him!

The other week when we went to the church building to do school with the children, we started talking to Ica (Eeka), who recently got saved. She was not feeling well, and explained in tears that she ran out of medicines, and didn’t have any money even for food, much less medicine. She did not ask us for anything though, which is rare for the Gypsies. Thankfully, we and our co-workers were able to get some of her medicines. The Lord has allowed a lot of trials in her life. We were planning a baptism for this week (on Tuesday), so we talked with her about getting baptized, as well as to Sara, Adi, and Lusi. Adi and Lusi didn’t think they wanted to get baptized at this time, Sara was not sure, but Ica indicated that she wanted to. My sister, Larisa, made sure of her salvation at camp recently, so she wanted to get baptized. When the day of the baptism came, it was encouraging to see Adi come to the service, although he didn’t want to get baptized. Lusi didn’t come, Sara did not want to get baptized, and Ica was feeling terrible, so she was at home. I was rather discouraged that it seemed no one except Larisa was getting baptized, but also very glad that she was getting baptized! When we walked to the baptistry (which was next to the church) to do the baptism, Ica started walking over with us. She began crying, and we thought she just was feeling terrible, and she probably was, but she just said that she really wanted to get baptized! Praise the Lord! You can see the attached pictures of the baptism. It was good to see Rebeca come to that service. There were probably at least 100 onlookers to witness 2 of God’s children showing their salvation testimony and their desire to follow Him!

Thank you for your prayers for us and the Lord’s work here. May the Lord bless your part in this ministry to the Gypsies!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 8/9/2016

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

8/9/2016

Believe it or not, one of the most difficult things when writing a prayer letter is figuring out how to start it! :o) I will start by thanking you for your support and prayers for us. We can see God at work through the prayers of His people.

After weeks of preparing and solidifying details, our school classes with the Gypsy children have officially begun! For our first week, the kids were amazingly well-behaved. There wasn’t a lot of learning, as we were basically trying to figure out how much each child knows. Their ages are from 5-13, and the levels of knowledge range from reading well to not even knowing how to hold a pencil. I have a greater appreciation for one-room school houses, although thankfully, we are able to divide them up a bit, as there are 3 of us teaching. When we came out of the church building after school to go home, someone had stuffed cucumbers and other junk up the exhaust pipes of the cars. There were some guys sitting around who I was pretty sure did it, but I simply reprimanded them for just sitting around, seeing someone do something to the cars, and not even saying anything to us. We could have died from fumes or from an accident because of what was done to the cars. The other weeks of school so far have gone pretty smoothly (and no more cucumbers in the exhaust pipes!), and it is exciting to see the children’s enthusiasm as they learn and participate.

Cory loves children, and enjoys the ones that come to our church. He does need to learn good character judgment though! :o) The children’s classes are normally very well-attended. Often, however, some kids will leave after several minutes of coming, which we try to discourage. Fortunately, those that want to stay are usually better behaved. Speaking of behavior, I felt I needed to “put feet to my prayers” regarding the children’s behavior. So, I mixed up some essential oils with water in a spray bottle and now I spray all around the children’s room before class. I felt that if the Lord has given me tools to use, I should use them. They seem to help A LOT!

Dani (Donny), Mariana’s grandson who is 10, has been coming very faithfully. He used to come to church and leave after a few minutes. I was flabbergasted when he stayed for my whole lesson, even after his little sister and brother left. I was even more floored that he was pretty good and knew answers to the lesson questions at the end! On the other hand, Codru is a boy that is known as probably the worst child in the village. A year ago or so, he was kicked in the head by a horse, and we hoped that would sober him up and help him be better behaved. Unfortunately, he is probably worse, and was diagnosed as having mental/emotional problems. He killed a pig by beating it with a stick just because. He comes to our school classes, and has been very well-behaved! Please pray that Dani and Codru will receive Christ as their Savior, and be well-behaved.

Several adult visitors have come to the services in the past weeks. There are 2 children who are handicapped in the Gypsy neighborhood: Marin (Mah-reen), who is about 13 years old and in a wheelchair, and his sister, Bea (Bay-ah), who can walk with some difficulty. Their parents came to church the other week, which was encouraging. Marin can talk a little, and indicated that he wanted to get saved. After hearing an explanation of the Gospel, he seemed to understand. We didn’t want to rush a prayer or decision, but when a general question was asked during another later service: “Have you received Christ as your Savior?” Marin answered that he did.

Lusi and Adi (Oddy) are planning to have a dedication for their baby boy, Emanuel, in a couple weeks. This will be held at the local town hall, as we are expecting a lot of people. Please be in prayer for this event, that people would respond to the Gospel, and that Adi and Lusi would live for the Lord as they raise their son. Lusi has been coming to church with Emanuel, but Adi has not.

It is a blessing to see the faithful few young people coming to the services. Mirela (Meer-ella) has left the village, I believe to live with her mother, but Sara continues to come faithfully. Please pray that Sara will get baptized soon. Last Sunday, another boy, Tica (Teek-ah), came also. He was listening and understanding the Word. At one point probably a year ago, he made a profession of faith, but has not lived it. Please pray that the Lord will work on Tica’s heart. Rebeca has not been coming, and has been distant and cold towards us. Please pray that Rebeca will follow the Lord.

Thank you for your interest and prayers for us and the Lord’s work here. It is encouraging to know you are praying for us and our Gypsies!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 7/9/2016

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

7/9/2016

The past month was a busy, eventful one, and we are blessed to know that you are praying for us and our Gypsies!

We continue to have young people coming to the teen classes and learning from God’s Word. It is exciting to be able to encourage those that are saved, and to share the Gospel with those that are not. Rebeca came once a few weeks ago, but has not been in church since. Please pray for Rebeca’s spiritual growth. One of the girls who has been coming, Mirela (Meer-ella), lived with a foster family for a few years but is now living with her father in our village. The foster family is a family of believers, and it is evident that Mirela learned much and was positively influenced by this family. Never underestimate the impact you can have on someone’s life!

We visited Lusi and Adi (Oddy) and their new baby boy the other week. They seem to be doing well, but Adi has not been to church for several weeks. Please pray for Adi to come to church faithfully. Adi offered to sell us a car, but it was not what we needed, as it was not registered in Romania. Please pray that the Lord would provide a good vehicle for us.

A few weeks ago, there was a holiday called “Ruga” in the village. This is usually a big holiday (and another excuse to party and drink), and unfortunately, many people missed the church service that night. Still, we have been having several visitors to the church services, and pray that God’s Word will work in the hearts of those who hear it!

This week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was our Summer Bible School program for the children in the village. Around 30 children came each night as we sang, played games, and shared God’s Word with them. We would appreciate your prayers for spiritual fruits from the Bible School week. Please enjoy the attached picture of some of the children that came.

The children have been somewhat less destructive lately, especially since we no longer need the generator for light in the summer months, so the kids aren’t messing with it. Meeting outside for church services is also helpful, as the children don’t bother the cars when people are outside watching things. The other week, one of the little girls left the children’s class to go somewhere with her mother, and for some reason, all but 3 of the children left with her. So many times, I am reminded of Christ’s words when seeing the Gypsy people: they are truly like sheep without a shepherd. They often just go with whatever they feel like doing, or with whatever those around them are doing. They have no clear direction in their lives. It is our prayer that the Good Shepherd will lead them and rule in their lives!

We would ask you to please pray for the start of our school classes for the Gypsy children. We are hoping to start them up soon, and need wisdom and the Lord’s strength in this new work.

Thank you for praying for us and the Lord’s work here. It is encouraging to have you behind us!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory