MINISTRY

By His mercy and grace the Lord gave us the opportunity to work with Him in 2009. This month we continued serving in Patrauti de Sus where the Lord gave us several joys and opportunities in ministry. I would like to share briefly with you how God used us this month in Patrauti de Sus. With 5 brothers from the Dranita Church, we organized a group to go caroling through the village. We visited many homes where we were able to give booklets to all those who received us. It was a blessed evening because on other days of the year people do not even say "hello". On this occasion many of them received us joyfully into their homes. Many people from the village were under the influence of alcohol. They expressed their joy and promised they would come to church. Others promised that they would come the next day and they kept their word. Because we gather uptown and many people who pass by there are afraid to be seen.

The next day we had a program of carols and a message about the Savior's birth. There was a part of the people that promised to come. In the previous report I wrote about the family of Ileana and Vadic. They have a 21 year old daughter who sees 10% out of one eye and 20 % with the other. With the help of several churches we were able to financially help them with medicine and glasses. The family started coming to church and have come four times already. They have started singing with us. Knowing that they are coming to church, the Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses started visiting and bringing them magazines. We decided to visit them once a week and asked other brothers from other good churches to pay them a visit to answer any questions they might have. We know it is a battle so we pray that God will give us victory.

Fridays are reserved for fasting, prayer, and visiting families. In the evenings we pray and fellowship with the brothers. This month I shared the Gospel with 7 people. Some of them were hitch hiking and I picked them up. So they had to listen and to talk about life with God. I continue to preach evangelistic messages because we always have unsaved people on Sunday. Sometimes they are more unsaved people than believers.

I started bringing each Sunday groups of young people who lead in praise and worship. I see this thing as very beneficial. People observe our brotherly bond and the support which we have from other churches for evangelism.

Other significant events which I want to write you about include two conferences that I attended. One was in Storojineat, while the other was with all the Romanians from Cernauti. These meetings had the objective of evaluating 2008 and the projection of the new objectives for 2009.

Another aspect which I would like to share with you is the building that we started. By the Lord's grace and by the help of the Romanian brothers from Ukraine, we were able to purchase material for the construction of the walls. Although there were only 14 people in our group, we want to build the walls this year. The small house where we gather is wrecked due to last year's floods. We need to build a new house.

This month I was involved in preaching the Gospel in other churches in Dranita, Cernauti, and Igesti. These included death watches and funerals.

PRAYER REQUESTS

I would like you to support me in your prayers. Ask God to give me more discernment in ministry and the ability to use wisely the open doors He gives me. Also pray that the Lord will strengthen my faith.

We need you to pray for us regarding the children's education. Although they are little, we are already having difficulty teaching them certain subjects. Pray with us that God will give us much patience in their education and nurture.

Please pray with us that our ministry in Patrauti will bear fruit. Pray also for courage and direction in the ministry.