December has brought the first snow this winter in Brasov. We were happy to see it but it also caused some problems on the streets and for our car (I can only start it after 20 minutes). It was also cold both outside and inside. Actually both Ani and I caught a cold but we got well.

More and more Brasov feels like home. We no longer have that feeling of "strangers". But when I am asked the question, "where are you from", I still don't know what to answer. The address on our ID is Timisoara and some of our stuff is there. We brought some of it here and also took some of it to our parents. This situation made us realize that we were only transient on this earth. Like every other thing, it is only for a time.
We are having some problems with the apartment where we live. It has a pretty high degree of humidity which causes mold to appear on the walls. We hope to be able to make it through this winter.

STUDENT OUTREACH

We started to visit the students from Brasov. We got to a room where I can say we met the religious type, the rational, the sinner and also the philosopher.  This is where we met a young man who was receptive to hear the gospel. He agreed with the biblical principles and I could see he had a disposition to religion. But after two visits, I noticed his decreasing interest in talking about Christ and the biblical truth. When we went there the second time, we also met his roommate and talked about many things. We found out he had a hard life. His father had been pretty violent and unloving. And yet, his suffering didn't lead him to God but to atheist thinking, what he called rational and scientific. Alex, has some deep and painful wounds in his heart but he didn't want to heal. I asked him to think about forgiving his father, but he wouldn't. As we were getting ready to leave, two young men came up. One of them was Mihai. He seemed pretty interested in talking to us., the other one was not. Mihai was a pretty open person, well-bred and respectful. He grew up without his father. His parents had divorced when he was a child and he was raised by his mother and grandparents. As he grew up, he wanted to become a man in carnivals, to be able to eat and play with fire. He did an internet research in this respect. One time, he performed in front of his friends from the dorm. While trying to eat fire, an accident occurred and he caught himself fire. It was a miracle that he survived but he had serious burn wounds on his legs, arms and face.  The local authorities incriminated him and he almost got kicked out of the school. He had to pay for the damages he caused and also a fine.  All of these changed him to a certain extent. I met him when he got out of the hospital. I could say he is the kind of man that feels guilty and in need of forgiveness. We started to develop a relationship and he even helped us with the Christmas celebration. Mihai had read occult books that he thought would make him wiser. He is a sincere person and he is not far from the kingdom. He has a strong desire to be changed and forgiven. But he is still caught in old relationships, especially with a girl he loves. Let's pray for his soul!

MARIANA'S STORY

Mariana got to know Christ as her Lord about a year ago. She used to work with Ana, a girl from our group. Mariana had been abandoned by her biological parents. She was adopted by a family but her life was not easy there either. She moved out to Brasov and went to college to become a social worker so she could help others. She is now getting her masters degree. Recently, she got a job. That is where she met Ana. Ana has been a Christian for 4 years. She had had the same experience as Mariana, having been abandoned by her biological parents and adopted by a family. That was the thing that made Mariana trust Ana. Ana shared the gospel with her and invited her to come to our group meetings. Last summer, Mariana joined an evangelistic project for students and that is where she understood what the grace of God meant. Her life is now changed and she is growing in her relationship with Christ.

We invited her to our place so that we could encourage her to keep her faith in the midst of all the craziness of this life. Pray for Mariana as she has some health issues. Also, pray that she'll be a good witness before her family. She would like to get to meet her biological mother but she doesn't know what to do. She knows she has several brothers but she doesn't know where they are.

THE STUDENT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

We had around 150 students who attended. Our program that night also included the testimony of a young man who had grown up in an orphanage. God has used his testimony to impact the lives of many people, especially young ones.

THE VISIT TO THE GIRLS ORPHANAGE

We had the desire to challenge the students to voluntarily offer their service after the Christmas celebration night. We decided to visit an orphanage and show our love to people who never grew up in a home. We visited an orphanage of 56 girls, aged 12-23. Our students sang for them and we shared a message with them about love and forgiveness towards their parents who had abandoned them. I could see and hear some of them saying they couldn't. Once again, both the students and I understood how blessed we were to have a family. The girls from the orphanage were all similar in a certain way, most of them were short and lacked femininity. One could easily see the consequences of their growing up in an institution. But even so, they had a certain innocence. They couldn't understand their human value but they tried to make themselves noticed. I felt for them in my heart. I felt a little of what God felt about us. He loves us in spite of what we are and do. We thank God for opening this door for us. It is not easy to visit this kind of place. Let's pray for the widows and the orphans and if we can do something for them, we will not hesitate.

CHURCH IN HOMES

A good opportunity to make new contacts and strengthen already existing relationships was the
Thanksgiving Day meal. We invited three non-Christian couples to come.