Jonathan and Kristy's update 06/06/2018

06/06/2018

We are blessed to remember each month that as we share the latest happenings with you, you are praying for us! We are doing well, and thank the Lord for the good health He has given to us.

Lord-willing, we will go to Bucuresti next week to get Marci’s report of birth abroad and passport from the US Embassy. Please pray for safety in our travels, and for everything to go smoothly.

The number of teens coming to the teen classes has decreased slightly, but thankfully, it seems like those missing are mostly just the ones who were least interested in listening. The ones that are coming now are generally more attentive, and it has been a huge blessing to be able to share God’s truths with them while they are actually listening! This is such a positive change! Some teens have been coming on Tuesdays too, when we are all in the adult service. Ramon has come a few times, but doesn’t seem as interested as he was before. A couple weeks ago, I taught about the Holy Spirit’s work, and how He convicts and speaks to those who are God’s children. He reminds us of God’s truths. I asked the teens if they had experienced that. Of course, only those who are saved would say, “Yes.” However, Sara said she had never experienced the Holy Spirit speaking to her, although she had made a profession of faith a few years ago. This week, someone said something about her wanting to be saved, so please pray that God would work in Sara’s heart. And please keep praying for the teens!

When Ramon’s father died, his father’s cousin, Ion (Yone), came to the village. He claims to be saved, though he smokes and drinks, and he has been coming to our services. Unfortunately, he usually asks for money when he comes. He seems to be planning to stay in the village. It’s good that he comes to the services, and we pray that the Lord will work in his life. Lusi has come a couple times. Please pray that she will be faithful to the Lord. While Ion from France was here, he got Mariana’s son, Alin (Ah-leen), to come to a couple of the services. Alin was saved and baptized years ago, but has not been living for the Lord. It was great to have him in the services, and we pray that God will convict Alin and that he will repent and live for the Lord.

While my dad was in Armenia for a couple weeks on a missions trip, I preached for the adults. Mariana’s unsaved husband, Ion, came. We continue to pray for Ion’s salvation.

After 4 years of praying that God would provide a vehicle for us, He has answered that prayer! We have been borrowing my parents’ car when it was available, but it was becoming more and more clear how much we really needed a car of our own, especially with two children. Our landlords from the apartment where my family lived for our first 2 years in Romania were selling their 2003 Volkswagon Sharan. After much saving, and being reimbursed by the insurance company for Marci’s birth, we had enough to get it. They are dear friends of ours, as well as brothers in Christ, so we were so glad to be able to get it from them. Praise the Lord!

Thank you for your prayers for us and our Gypsies! It is encouraging to know you care!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, Cory, and Marci
P.S. Attached is a picture of our new van, as well as a picture of some of the teens and me doing some special music.

Jonathan and Kristy's update 5/09/2018

5/9/2018

It is encouraging to be able to share the latest happenings with you, and know that you care and are praying for us and our work! We are all doing well, and God does work through your prayers, so please keep praying!

After putting in all the proper paperwork, we were finally able to get Marci’s Romanian birth certificate. Our next step is to find a good flight to Bucuresti to go to the Embassy there and get her American passport and report of birth abroad. Thank you for your continued prayers for safe travels, friendly and helpful people to deal with, and that all would go smoothly.

A good friend of ours, Walter Stevens, who is a Gypsy evangelist from the States, came a few weeks ago. We had special services with him, and we also had a Bible study done in the Gypsy language (Rromanes) for those in the Gypsy neighborhood who know Rromanes. Most of the Gypsies we are currently working with no longer know their language, so everything is normally done in Romanian. The Bible study done in Rromanes was a special treat, and we had a good number of unsaved people come and hear the Gospel. Afterwards, we spoke very directly to Gicu (Jee-cu) and Ion (Yone), Mariana’s unsaved husband, about their need to be saved. Unfortunately, they did not want to make a decision for Christ, so please keep praying for their salvation. After the Bible study, one of the elderly neighbors who was very sick wanted us to come. He was bedridden and could barely speak, but after having the Gospel explained to him, he said he wanted to receive Christ as his Savior. A few days later, he told us how he now has peace in his heart where there was once fear. We were rejoicing that he put his trust in Christ to save him! God took him home to heaven a little over one week later.

There have been a good number of teens coming to the teen classes at church. There have been a couple of services where they were pretty quiet and attentive. It was a very pleasant surprise! What a blessing it is to be able to actually communicate God’s truths to them! The father of one of the teen boys, Ramon, just had a heart attack and died. I’m not sure whether Ramon will stay in the area or not (I’m not sure where his mother is), but please pray that God will work in his life.

Lusi, Gina’s daughter-in-law, came recently to church again. Please pray that she will come faithfully and grow spiritually. Ion (Yone), a young man who got saved in our church years ago, came back to Romania from France for a visit. Please pray that he and his family would come back to Romania and come to church. This is their desire, but there are some details to be worked out that we know God can take care of. It has been encouraging to have him in our services while he is here.

We are grateful for your prayers for us and our Gypsies! It is a blessing to know you are behind us!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, Cory, and Marci

P.S. Enjoy the picture of Cory playing his accordion, and some teens that came to our service recently.

Jonathan and Kristy's update 04/09/2018

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

4/09/2018

We are so glad that spring has finally arrived! :o) We missed the sunshine, and are reminded by its warmth of God’s light that shines in our hearts. Thank you for praying for us as we seek to be lights for Him to those around us!

Our most exciting news is the birth of our newest family member, Marci Jo Heisey! She was born on March 19th, weighing 7.1 pounds, and measuring 20 inches long. Baby and Mother are doing well. We are in the process of trying to get the birth certificate, after which we will need to go to the American Embassy in Bucuresti to get her passport and report of birth abroad. After that, we begin the process of getting her Romanian residence permit/visa. The latter is normally a very unpleasant and difficult experience, so we would appreciate your prayers for us as we get all of these documents! Please pray that God would give us wisdom, safe travels, friendly and helpful people to deal with, and that all would go smoothly.

We were so blessed to have Kristy’s parents with us for a week and a half right after Marci was born. Grandpa and Grandma were a big help, and we greatly enjoyed our time together. The grandfathers did a baby dedication for our two children, which was very special. We were sad to see the grandparents leave, and Cory is especially missing them being here. Leaving family can be one of the hardest sacrifices missionaries make, but in the end, it will all be worth it! We will all be together one day in heaven, and we wouldn’t trade God’s blessings and peace for anything else!

We continue to see family members come to our weekly in-home Bible studies. Mariana’s two children, Lola and Alin (Ah-leen), who made a profession of faith years ago and were baptized, have come to the Bible studies, and we pray that God would turn their hearts back to Him.

A number of teens have been coming to the teen classes. We often have a game/activity afterwards, and thankfully, it hasn’t been too chaotic. A couple weeks ago, the teens were very quiet and attentive. Hopefully we’ll see more of those kinds of weeks! I continue to share the Gospel with them as directly as I can. Rebeca also came to the teen class last week. Please pray that more young people would be saved, and that those that are saved would live for the Lord. I have been able to have somewhat normal conversations with a few of the teens, which is an improvement from barely being able to say, “Hi” without them either yelling or ignoring me. Mariana says that they are worse than people who live in the jungle! I think she’s right! :o) But we’re grateful for improvements!

We celebrated our Easter this past Sunday. Gina and Mariana made sarmale (sar-mahl-eh [cabbage rolls]) and chicken salad for us in exchange for some American desserts my mom made for them. Gypsies make the best sarmale, and we thoroughly enjoyed them!

Thank you for praying for us and our ministry, and for your support as we give God’s Word to the Gypsies in Romania!

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, Cory, and Marci
P.S. Enjoy the family picture, and also a picture of a recent teen activity!

Jonathan and Kristy's update 3/6/2018

3/06/2018

Thank you for your prayers for us these past weeks. We are all doing well. We had our coldest weather this past week, as it got down to -2 F. Thankfully, this week is supposed to be warmer, with no more below-freezing temperatures.

Our Tuesday night Bible studies continue to go very well. I’ve been doing some special music sometimes for them, and we’ve been enjoying the fellowship and opportunities for discipleship and spiritual growth. We’ve been discussing a lot about the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs through our studies, and there are so many verses that show that a lot of their beliefs are false. Gina’s daughter is studying with the Jehovah’s Witnesses (she doesn’t live in the country), so Gina appreciates having these verses to give to her daughter and hopefully help her see the truth. Lusi (Lucy) attended our last Bible study, which was great. She learns spiritual truths quickly, and we pray that she will come faithfully and grow in the Lord.

The teens have been pretty awful. There have been a lot of them coming, but most of the time, one or more people are talking or laughing through the whole class. There is just no order in the class, and we often have to send some of them out. Thankfully, this last Sunday, it went very well. There were few distractions, so that was a wonderful blessing. We played a game afterwards and I’ve never seen them play so well. Normally fighting breaks out after about 5 seconds of a game! :o) It was a very pleasant surprise, and I hope it happens again! The attached picture is from one of our teen classes. The picture only shows about half the teens that were there.

Mariana, one of our faithful ladies in the church, has been told she has to move very soon; probably in the next few days. The person who owns the property their house is on wants to build on it or sell it. I think part of their property is also on state-owned land, and the street is supposed to be where part of their house is. Please pray that God would provide a place for them close to the church.

The school classes with the children have been well-attended, and slowly but surely, the children are learning. It is exciting to see them grasp things!

We would appreciate your prayers as we get ready for Baby’s arrival! Thank you for your interest and prayers for us and our ministry, and for helping to give God’s Word to the Gypsies in Romania!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 02/09/2018

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

2/09/2018

After 3 months of extra responsibilities with our co-workers gone, we are so grateful they have returned from furlough! We decided to have a week where we kept things at a slower pace and relaxed a bit. It was a blessing to be able to get some refreshing times after all the busy-ness! We are now battling colds that are going around, and Cory seems to have gotten the worst of it. On our week off, we decided to take some sessions at a therapeutic salt room in the city to try to boost our immune systems. This gave us an opportunity to witness to a mother who brought her little boy there. It is important to remember that even if you’re not a missionary, God still wants you to share His good news with those around you! Please pray that we would be healthy so that we can do the work God has called us to do. We would appreciate your prayers for Kristy and the baby also, who is due March 20th!

A few weeks ago, we decided to start having our Tuesday night services at some of the houses of the ladies that come to church. Their church attendance was less and less, so we decided to take the church to them. :o) They were very happy to have us study the Bible in their homes, and we have been enjoying these times of fellowship and discipleship. This allows us to make a fire in just one room at the church building for the children’s classes on Tuesdays. These continue to be well-attended, and often some of the teens like to sit in the children’s classes on Tuesdays. Ion (Yone), Mariana’s husband, has been staying at the church to help keep an eye on things during the children’s class. Usually the kids are much better behaved with him around, so that has been a blessing! Please keep praying that Ion will be saved!

English classes at Casa Rafa (Cossa Roffa) are starting up again next week, so we appreciate your prayers for our English classes. Kristy has been teaching English to David, Gina’s grandson, Rebeca, Gina’s niece, and a neighbor girl every Saturday. We are grateful for the chance to reach out to these children too, and pray that God will work in their lives through us.

Some of the teen classes these past few weeks have been quite full. The other week, there were about 20 teens! We had to switch rooms with the children’s class, as that room is bigger and could fit all of us. They were quite a rowdy bunch, and it was hard to get a word in with all their talking and loudness, but after several of them left, it quieted down a bit. I pray that God will work in the hearts of these young people. I don’t know what their purpose is in coming. It often seems they come just to cause a ruckus and make fun. In any case, they are being exposed to God’s Word, and He can make that seed sown to grow.

Thank you for your interest and prayers for our ministry, and for helping to spread God’s Word to the Gypsies in Romania!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 1/08/2018

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

1/08/2018

We had a wonderful holiday season as we particularly remembered the miraculous birth of our Savior! My parents were in the States for a week with my oldest brother and his family for Christmas, so we spent the day by ourselves, and read the passage in the Bible about Jesus’ birth. Though some do not celebrate Christmas because of its origins, I think it is still a good idea to take time and be reminded of the wonders and blessings of Christ’s birth, no matter what day it is!

There was a week or two recently when no teens showed up at church, but other weeks, we had a bunch of them come. To my amazement, one week, one of the boys who is usually terribly behaved was perfect! I didn’t hear a peep out of him the whole service. A few weeks ago, Sara was hanging out with a guy, but Mariana told us that she isn’t with him anymore. Sara came to church this past Sunday, and was very attentive and even asking questions about the lesson. Please keep praying that she will live for the Lord!

The children have been coming to the children’s classes also. This past Tuesday, there were about 20 of them!

With my parents in the States, I had the opportunity to preach a few times. It is always nice to be able to fellowship with some of the adults. We were very glad to see Lusi (Lucy), Gina’s daughter-in-law, come to one of the services recently!

The Gypsies often ask us for things, telling us how poor they are, and our hearts often want to help them. You can see in the attached pictures how “poor” they are. That is in quotes for a reason. We got to talking to some of them, and realized that most (if not all) of them have larger incomes than ours. Just with scrap metal, some of them can make over $100 in a day. Even without that, if a few of them in a household are working a job, they make more than we do. An average household there spends $900 just on cigarettes every month, and probably quite a bit on alcohol! It is no wonder that their shacks look the way they do if they spend almost their whole salary on cigarettes and beer. Anyway, I guess we are ministering to the well-off Gypsies in Romania, and we should be asking them for stuff! ;o) Sometimes I wonder what their reaction would be if I would do that!

A new year is a time to be reminded of the blessings of God in our lives, and to evaluate our goals for the future. Our main goal and focus is to serve and please the Lord in all we do. We know that God has us here ministering to the Gypsies at this time. It can be very disappointing to see just a few saved through our ministry, and many of those have turned away from God. It can also be frustrating when we teach the children and teens the basic truths of salvation month after month, and after years, they still don’t know what to respond when we ask them what sin is! It certainly is a blessing when one of them grasps a spiritual truth! We often feel like Jeremiah, who was called to preach to the rebellious Israelites. God knew they wouldn’t listen, but Jeremiah continued preaching to them, because that was what God wanted. We plan to keep on serving the Gypsies here as long as God wants us to. We do appreciate your prayers for us, and for the Gypsies to be saved and live for the Lord! As we reflect on God’s goodness and mercy to us this past year, we realize that you are a huge part of it! Thank you for your prayers and part in our ministry, and for helping to spread God’s Word to the Gypsies in Romania!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 12/06/2017

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

12/06/2017

We had our first snow fall just a few days ago! It is definitely winter here, and this seems to reflect the state of our Gypsies’ hearts. Please pray with us that God will melt the hearts of ice.

There have been a number of teens coming to the teen classes at church. They are often quite a handful (many times they are worse than the children! And I don’t mind telling them so either! Not that it helps anything!). We certainly appreciate your prayers for wisdom and grace in dealing with the teens. Sara continues to hang out with the wrong crowd, but we just keep trying to encourage her to do right. It has been a blessing to be able to talk to some of the teen guys about spiritual things.

There is a German missionary family who helps with a boys’ home here, and they visited our services. They have a real heart and burden for children. It was a blessing to have their 2 girls in our teen class. It’s amazing how well the Word gets communicated when the audience is well-behaved and listening! :o) We had a good time of fellowship with them.

We are continuing our English classes at Casa Rafa (Cossa Roffa). Sometimes the kids are quite naughty (probably if they have eaten chocolate or sweets before English class!), and other times they are good. One week with the older class that I teach, almost all of the children gave me their completed English papers that I handed out. They wanted me to have something to help me remember them. :o) Those are special times that are few and far between, but I will take them anytime! Kristy has also been teaching English to Gina’s grandson and niece, as well as the daughter of one of our neighbors.

We are planning to have at least a few weeks of school (reading and writing) for some of the children in our Gypsy neighborhood who don’t go to school. Our goal is not just to teach them to read so that they can read the Bible, but also to reach their hearts for Christ.

With the Christmas season coming, we pray that people will be more open and receptive to the Gospel. It is our desire to be God’s witnesses to these Gypsies, and we are so grateful for your prayers and support that allow us to do that!

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory
P.S. Just as an FYI for those sending checks in December, CMC (Central Missionary Clearinghouse, which handles our support) needs to receive any checks before December 15th. So, if you want a check to process before the end of the year (for tax purposes), that is helpful to know.

http://cmcmissions.org/

Jonathan and Kristy's update 11/07/2017

11/7/2017

The air has gotten cooler, and we are having below-freezing temperatures at night. We are so grateful to have heat in our whole house this winter!

Speaking of cold nights, last Saturday night, we had a bit of excitement. Our doorbell rang at about 2:30 a.m. and kept ringing. When I unlocked our door and went out, there was a man at our gate holding his head. He said he had had an accident right down the road and asked if I could call the emergency number (112). Apparently, he had lost his phone in the car in the accident. He was bleeding from a gash on his head, so I called 112, and invited him to come in and sit down. He told us there was another person involved in the accident, so after he sat for a minute he mentioned that he wanted to go and see how the other person was. I walked down the road with him and there was the other car with some people who were apparently coming from a wedding. Thankfully, they were all fine. What had happened was a horse was in the road, and the cars swerved to avoid it. The guy with the gash on his head lost control of his car. The ambulance came, and I think everyone was fine. God has ways of trying to get people’s attention! May we always keep our eyes on Him!

Marioara from France has gone back to France. I think they are trying to work out the details of coming back to Romania. Please pray that the Lord would bring back the Milos (Meel-oesh) family to Romania.

The other Sunday, our services went unusually well. There was a great quietness in the children’s class and in the teen class. They were very good and attentive. We praise the Lord for that! Afterwards, some teens came in and were very loud and causing trouble, but thankfully the service was finished. I couldn’t get them out of the church building, so Mariana came and got them out with some yelling and I think some ear-pulling. :o)

We often have visitors come into the teen class, or teens who haven’t been there for a long time. Some like to cause trouble, and others seem to come just to hang out and talk with one of their friends who is there. As much as is possible, when there is a moment or two of (relative) silence, I try to share the message from God’s Word with them. It is often difficult, as there are usually distractions about every 30 seconds! This past Sunday, there were several teens that came. Thankfully, after a few of the disruptive ones left, it went pretty well. I was able to talk to several of the guys afterwards, which hasn’t happened for a while. Normally, when I try to talk to them, they get obnoxious and start yelling or being vulgar. It’s helpful when I can actually have a somewhat normal conversation with them! These teens need prayer! Please pray that more would be saved, and that those who are saved would stay away from bad influences and live for the Lord. The teens seem to love music, so we try to sing a lot, and they love learning new songs too. It is encouraging to remember that the Lord uses His Word in people’s hearts, whether it is being preached or sung!

A couple weeks ago, my sister and brother-in-law, Joanna and Bruce, and their kids came for a visit from Germany. It was a wonderful blessing to spend several days with them!

This past week, there was a missions conference at the Tylers’ church. The Tylers are American missionaries, and we help with some of their services. We enjoyed the preaching and fellowship. You can see the attached picture of the missions conference.

Thank you for your prayers for us, especially as our co-workers are in the US for a couple more months. We are blessed to have you as part of our ministry!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Central Missionary Clearinghouse website: http://cmcmissions.org/

Our field address:
Str. Mare nr. 113/A
Mosnita Veche, Timis 307287
Romania

Jonathan and Kristy's update 10/09/2017

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

10/09/2017

It seems like this is the time for hurricanes around the world! A couple weeks ago, we had a violent storm come through our area, and we later found out it was a hurricane. We were very fortunate to not have any damage to our house, as many people lost parts of their roofs. A large portion of our fence was damaged, but thankfully, we were able to repair it ourselves. Our shed and our old outhouse (which we were planning to take down) were destroyed, so Ion (Yone), Mariana’s husband, and their son, Alin (Ah-leen), came to take them away with their horse and wagon. At least they will be able to use some of that wood this winter. We are hoping to get a new shed built soon. God has ways of getting people to think about him (hurricanes are one of them!), and the storm gave me the opportunity to witness to our neighbor again. We are very grateful that the Lord kept us safe! Thank you for your prayers for our safety. You may never know sometimes how much we need them! See the attached pictures of some of the damage from the storm, and one of the two rainbows that appeared afterwards, reminding us of God’s promises! You can also visit Kristy's blog to see more pictures and videos: During the Storm and After the Storm.

We had a guest pastor preach at our church a few weeks ago, as he and his wife were in the area. He went around talking to all the Gypsies before the service and telling them to come. We did have several visitors come, and Pastor Remus (Remm-oos) gave a great salvation message. Please continue to pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of the Gypsies here.

Marioara, who is unsaved, came back from France again and said that she never wants to go back. They would like to all move back to Romania, get jobs, and come to church! Please pray that the Lord would work out the details of this. Ion’s (her son) little boy has to be on medication that they are not sure they can get in Romania, so that is a major issue for them. We would love to have them back in our church and serving the Lord!

Sara has been slightly more attentive during some of the teen classes, and we have had several young people come to the teen classes. Last week, two boys, Mario and Dani, were being quite rude and obnoxious before the service. We couldn’t even let them in because they were being so disruptive. Thankfully, the Lord still allows His Word to be heard despite a lot of distractions. We pray His Word will bring forth fruit in the hearts of those that hear it.

Our coworkers, the Freels, are in the US for 3 months so we have a lot more responsibilities in their absence. One issue is that there is not really anyone to guard the building outside during the services to try to keep things relatively quiet. Please pray that the Lord would give us quietness during our services so that His Word can be preached freely.

We had our last school class with the Gypsy children in our church neighborhood and are now planning to start up English classes again at Casa Roffa (Cossa Roffa). We will also be teaching Rebeca and David English every week too. We are grateful for these opportunities to build relationships and share Christ with these children.

We have some exciting news: we are expecting a new addition to our family in March! We would appreciate your prayers for Kristy and our little one during this time.

“Thank you” doesn’t seem adequate to express our gratefulness for your care, support, and prayers for us. We need God’s wisdom, grace, and strength in every moment, and appreciate so much your part in our ministry!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 09/09/2017

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

9/9/2017

It is harvest time here for us, and our apple and peach trees gave us an abundant amount this year! We got just a few plums, and no pears. We are hoping, praying, and working for an abundant harvest of souls!

I recently had the opportunity to talk about the Gospel to our elderly neighbor. He complained about the other “repenters” (Christians) in the village not getting along with each other. I explained that we shouldn’t judge others, but we should judge ourselves, because we have all sinned and need God’s forgiveness. He agrees, but does not want to accept Christ. Kristy also had the opportunity to talk to him and another neighbor about our Gypsy church, and the other neighbor seemed interested in coming. One of our other neighbors, Silvia, hadn’t walked by our house for a while as she usually does. When I finally saw her the other day, she said she was sick and in the hospital. She actually talked about God, which she never really did before. Maybe the Lord is opening her heart through this sickness. We pray that God’s light will shine through us to those around us as we seek to bring them to Christ.

Ion (Yone) and his mother Marioara (I’m not even going to try to write that pronunciation!), who came to our church many years ago, came back to Romania from France for a few days. Ion is saved. He said he wants to come back to Romania to stay, and obey God and come to church. That was encouraging to hear, and it was good to see them. Please pray that Ion and his family will come back and follow the Lord.

Sara has been slightly more attentive during some of the teen classes, but continues to hang out with people she shouldn’t. A boy was hanging all over her the other day, and last week she was out walking with another teen boy. Please pray that Sara would give her life to the Lord. She has missed church and our school classes a few times. Several teens have been coming to the teen classes, but most of them end up leaving before we’re done. Sometimes that is actually helpful, as they can be very disruptive. Some of the boys were being rude, making vulgar gestures, yelling, and hitting. We need wisdom, grace, and patience in these situations, and appreciate your prayers for this.

After one of our services the other week, Mariana invited us over to her house for a meal. She said she had been wanting to do this for some time, and we were happy to accept her invitation. :o) We enjoyed the food and had wonderful fellowship.

Many children continue to come to the children’s church classes. The other week, I had over 20 of them, and although they weren’t very well-behaved, they were somewhat attentive and knew answers to the lesson questions at the end. That is always encouraging!

I was able to preach to the adults the other week, as my dad was in Armenia on a missions trip. It is always a blessing to talk with our people and encourage each other in the Lord.

The school classes continue to be well-attended. Last week, some kids were outside making lots of noise, banging on doors and windows. It was distracting, and we would appreciate your prayers that this would stop. This week’s school was much better, and the kids were good.

Please continue to pray that God will give us wisdom in each situation, and that we will be a testimony for Him and follow His leading. We continue to be humbled and honored by your support and prayers for us and the Gypsies!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

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

Jonathan and Kristy's update 07/11/2017

I'm a little behind in posting our updates...  I will be catching up on them over the next few days.

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

07/11/2017

God is always good, and He is always working whether we see it or not. We often don’t understand what He is doing, but we can trust, knowing that He is always working and is always doing what is best. It seems that when God works and people reject His conviction in their lives, they become hardened, more rebellious, and irrational. Many of the Gypsies in our Gypsy neighborhood have become this way. Things have gotten a lot worse in the past year or so, with a lot of animosity towards us. My phone was stolen a few weeks ago at church, and although we don’t know who stole it, by God’s grace, we recovered it. Ion (Yone), Mariana’s husband, spread the word that the police could track my phone and find out who stole it. I don’t know that that’s possible, but it did get results! :o) A short while later, the phone was found on the ground outside the church building.

Speaking of Ion, he has come to a few services recently. We continue to pray fervently for his salvation, and ask that you do the same.

A few weeks ago, several teens came to the teen class, but all of them ended up leaving. Several of them said they were bored and just left. Yet when I see them hanging around outside and ask how they are, they say they are bored. I guess they like being bored outside better than being bored listening to God’s Word. Shortly after the service started, Mariana left. She called Sara so Sara left the teen class. After the service, there was quite the commotion at Mariana’s house, and the police were coming as we were leaving. We found out later that someone said Sara and an older boy had been intimate. That’s why the police came. Thankfully, it turned out not to be true. However, Sara is not living for the Lord and often skips church. Please pray for Sara to surrender to the Lord. A few weeks ago, no teens showed up for teen class. Another time, Nelu, an unsaved boy came for the service, and afterwards, a young guy, Rafi (Roffy) came. Rafi made a profession of faith years ago. We had a nice time talking to them afterwards. Last Sunday, two came in to the teen class and left after about 10 seconds. Please pray for the teens in our Gypsy neighborhood!

In the warmer weather, we often hold services outside. This gives the advantage of those around hearing the Gospel being preached, but it does have the disadvantage of many distractions. One week, a drunk walked by a few times carrying a large stereo playing loud music. You can see the attached picture. Ministry with the Gypsies is never dull!

On a positive note, Lusi (Lucy) has come a few times, which is encouraging, and we have been having visitors come as well. One of them is a drunk from the village named Michi (Micky). Please pray for Michi’s salvation. We had a guest preacher, who is an American missionary to Bulgaria, come a couple weeks ago, and many came and heard the preaching. Mariana made some “sarmale” (cabbage rolls) for us to enjoy with the American missionary and some men he had brought from his church in Bulgaria. It was an enjoyable time of fellowship, and we were blessed by Mariana’s kindness.

We had a very good and well-attended first week of school with the Gypsy children! We pray that they will continue to be well-behaved and learn to read and write.

We appreciate your prayers for us and the people we are ministering to, and pray that the Lord will bless you for your part in this work!

In His service,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

What Postal Service?

Dear Supporters,

Here in Romania, things are often done in the most difficult, complicated, and illogical way possible. This can range from everything from getting health insurance to paying bills. This time we are dealing with the local postal system. To make a very long story short, mail is no longer being delivered to our village. Supposedly, once a month letters will be brought to the local town hall, but the last time this was done, no announcement was given to let people know when it would be, and the mail was left in a pile for people to rummage through. So really, anyone could just take any mail they wanted! We can supposedly go to another town's post office to see if any packages are there, but the last we heard, these also were just accumulating unorganized in a back room, and the postal worker was not willing to go look through the pile to see what was there. So we are requesting that you not send anything to our Romania address until further notice. We are hoping that things will get resolved so that we (and the rest of the village!) can again receive our mail in a timely and efficient manner. Please pray with us to this end, and we will let you know if and when mail delivery has resumed.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

In Christ,
Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory Heisey

After the Storm

What a mess…

A lovely double rainbow appeared afterwards.

One of the plum trees fell during the storm and apparently hit the apple tree, which was split down the middle of the trunk (or at least, something hit it). So unfortunately, we lost both trees. Thankfully, the harvest was basically over, so we didn’t lose all that fruit.

You might also notice that the outhouse is missing behind the shed. We were going to take it and the shed down in the near future anyway - this just made us move the time frame up a bit. You might have also noticed that toilet paper was strewn around the yard in the first picture.

Thankfully none of the reed panels broke. They were jus tied onto the the metal frames, and the ties broke. So we can remount them. We may have to fill in a few gaps on the ends, as some of the reeds slipped off the ends, but that shouldn’t be a problem, as we have extra. Some of the metal panels bent, but we were able to get them fastened back on at least well enough for now. We could even see the cement posts moving in the wind after the reeds came down!

Corn husks were flying everywhere during the storm - even way up in the sky. Our fence was full of them afterwards. :)

I thought this peach tree was going to come down in the wind, but thankfully, it held on.

Later on, another set of rainbows appeared. They were much larger, but not as full or bright.

The shed lost much of its roof and some of one of the walls.

What’s left of the outhouse is behind the shed on the right, up against the cherry tree. Pieces of the shed’s roof are on the ground.

Eight people died from the storm. Two were in a park when it hit, and a tree fell on them. Many lost parts of their roofs. Thank the Lord for keeping us all safe!

During the Storm

A few weeks ago, a horrific storm went through the area causing lots of damage and the loss of 8 lives.  We were without power for only about 12 hours, thank the Lord, but we didn't get our internet back for nearly a week.  They called it a "hurricane" here, but I'm not sure you can actually have hurricanes far from large bodies of water...   It looked pretty tornado-ish to me, though we don't really get them here.  Anyway, here are some pictures and videos.

Jonathan and Kristy's update 06/12/2017

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

06/12/2017

 

It often seems as though we are having little impact on the people here. As I have been reading through Acts, it is amazing how thousands of people were getting saved and baptized, and people were turning to the Lord every day, giving their lives to Him and being changed. Although we certainly desire this and pray for it for our Gypsies, we are very grateful to the Lord for every victory, great or small. Thank you for praying for us, and I hope you are encouraged to read some of the victories we’ve experienced these past weeks!

 

The first encouragement was from two of our church ladies, Gina and Mariana. Our church neighborhood is quite muddy and dusty, so the church floors need to be swept every week. Normally we do it when we get to church. However, one week, Mariana and Gina took the initiative to not only sweep but also mop the auditorium floor. It was a small gesture, yet it was a blessing and encouragement to us!

 

We had our last English class with the children at Casa Rafa (Cossa Roffa). Though they can be a handful, it is exciting to see them learn, and be able to freely share Christ with them also. We look forward to starting classes again when the next school year starts!

 

Speaking of school, we are planning to start weekly school classes with the children in the church neighborhood again. They have been asking about it, so I’m glad they are looking forward to it! Please be in prayer for our school classes, that children will come, and especially that they will learn to read and write. Please pray for wisdom for us as well.

 

A few teens have been coming to the teen classes, but unfortunately, they haven’t been very attentive. Even if they’re not well-behaved, it’s still encouraging to me if they are learning. The last teen class was a little better, and we pray that the teens will come and their attention will improve so they will learn from God’s Word.

 

The children’s classes are generally well-attended, at least at one point or another! Usually, several will come at the beginning, more will come in during the class, some will leave, etc. I am so often reminded of the phrase from the Bible: “sheep without a shepherd.” They have no direction in life and just do whatever they feel like doing. A couple weeks ago, the children were quite rude and obnoxious, yelling, swearing, and being loud. For most of our church services, it is necessary for someone to stand guard outside because of these children. Please continue to pray that the Lord will work in the children’s hearts.

 

We praise the Lord that our fence is finished! We are obligated by law to have a fence around our property, so it’s good to be legal now :o) and it does make us feel safer. Thank you for your prayers for our safety.

 

It was a blessing to have Adi (Oddy) and Lusi (Lucy) come to church again recently. We hope they will continue to come faithfully. It was also a blessing to preach to the adults while my dad was on a missions trip in Armenia. We are always glad for the opportunities the Lord gives to share His Word.

 

Thank you for all of your prayers for us and the Gypsies. It is a blessing to have you supporting us!

 

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 05/09/2017

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

05/09/2017

 

Spring has finally sprung here in Mosnita (Moesh-neetsa)! We are so grateful for warmer days, and although it is still rainy, we have been enjoying more outdoor time. Being out more means more opportunities to connect with our neighbors, and we hope that we will be good witnesses to them and be able to win them to Christ.

 

Although the children have been learning somewhat at our English classes at Casa Rafa (Cossa Roffa), they haven’t been terribly attentive or well-behaved. But at least they haven’t been complaining about the class recently! Often when they would see us come in, they would moan, “English . . .” with sad faces. They do seem to have a desire to learn; we just hope they put that desire to good use.

 

On Palm Sunday, there were quite a lot of distractions in our church neighborhood. Many were drunk, so there was lots of yelling and fighting. The police came, the swat team came, and there were even a few ambulances. Life is never dull with the Gypsies! We pray that God will do a mighty work in this neighborhood for His glory!

 

Speaking of life not being dull, the other week, the field across the street from us was on fire. It wasn’t terribly close to us, but the wind was blowing strongly, and the fire was spreading. I had to call the fire department, and thankfully, they put out the fire. I’ve attached a picture of the fire with the fire truck on its way. We praise the Lord for keeping us safe.

 

Thankfully, Easter Sunday was the quietest Easter we’ve ever experienced here. Normally Easter is even more of a celebration (and more noisy!) than Palm Sunday, but we were grateful for the quiet.

 

We have been having new teens come to the teen classes off and on. This past Sunday, they were somewhat more attentive than normal. Several of the older children often want to come to the teen class. If they are almost 11 (the youngest age for the teen class), I normally let them, if they’re well-behaved. Unfortunately, many of them are not well-behaved, and they scream and yell outside, as well as bang on the windows and doors along with some of the other kids. As if this would make us want them in the teen class! These disruptions are a pain and a distraction for our services, and we would appreciate your prayers that they would stop, and that we would have wisdom in these situations.

 

There were two services recently where no adults came. I don’t ever remember this happening before. Please pray for faithfulness and obedience in those that are saved. We were thrilled that Adi (Oddy) and Lusi (Lucy) came to one of our services recently. We continue to pray that they will come and grow.

 

We are hoping to have our fence finished this week. I have attached a picture of part of it that is finished.

 

Thank you for all of your prayers for us and the Gypsies. It is a blessing to have you supporting us!

 

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory

Jonathan and Kristy's update 04/08/17

04/08/2017

 

After several days of warmer, sunny weather, we have hit another cold, rainy spell. Hopefully the warmer, spring weather will soon come to stay!

 

Just a few teens have been coming to the teen classes at church. Sometimes most of them don’t pay much attention, but I think God’s truths still get into their heads. They know many of the songs, and I’m trusting that the Lord is working in their hearts through the truths of the songs and His Word being taught. We occasionally see Rebeca around and continue to be burdened for her to turn back to the Lord. Please pray that Rebeca will repent of her sin and live for the Lord. The other week, the teens were being goofy during class, which is better than obnoxious! Some of the children were being very obnoxious though, coming up to the windows and doors and making lots of noise to disrupt the service. I ran out to chase them away, and the teens got a kick out of me running after the kids. It was hard to get serious for the rest of the service after that. :o)

 

We are grateful to have our fence partly finished! Gina’s brother, Sorin (Sor-een) who is also saved, does construction work and can also build fences. So, after Gina gave me his phone number, I called him and he came to start work on the fence the next day! Sorin and I have had some great Biblical discussions, and have had many opportunities to witness to our neighbors and the workers while they worked on the fence. Please pray that we will be able to finish the fence soon. We are trusting the Lord to work out the details.

 

While my dad was in Italy for a few days visiting some friends, I had the opportunity to preach to our Gypsy adults. A couple weeks ago when my parents were at a missions conference in Bulgaria, the opportunity to preach came again. It is always nice to fellowship with our people afterwards and hear their struggles and encourage one another. This is when most of our discipleship takes place.

 

The children at Casa Rafa (Cossa Roffa) have been learning English pretty well. The one week, they were getting ready for a program for Romanian Mother’s Day, so I happened to have both classes together. They were terribly-behaved, but they did have lots of hugs for me. :o)

 

After Sorin found out that I teach English, he wanted me to teach English to his 9-year-old daughter, Rebeca. Last week was our first week, and David, Gina’s grandson, is joining us too. We’re grateful for this extra opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

 

Thank you for all of your prayers for us and our Gypsies. We are blessed to have you supporting us!

 

In His service,

Jonathan, Kristy, and Cory