BRAŞOV
The assembly in Braşov enjoyed an encouraging visit from a group of assembly believers from the UK from October 18-25, 2014. Approximately 4000 John 3:16 texts were distributed throughout the week. We pray that the seed sown will bring forth fruit for the glory of God. A similar visit is being planned for the first week in October 2015. In addition to the distribution of gospel texts, we are praying about possible opportunities in the gospel for that occasion. We long to see the Lord’s hand in blessing in salvation, so that the assembly may be built up, both numerically and spiritually.
We have also been enjoying having Robert and Sally Beckett from England with us. They are a blessing to the assembly, and Robert has been giving regular teaching on the gospel of Luke, which he concluded before returning to England near the end of January. I have finished consecutive teaching on the epistle to the Romans, and recently commenced a study on the Acts of the Apostles.
We are grateful to the Lord for a new opportunity which has opened up with a group of students in Braşov. They are mostly believers from various backgrounds, and I have covered eight weekly studies with them on the will of God. Between 10 and 15 students attend, and there is a good interest in the study of Scripture, and many questions and subjects have been raised. We look to the Lord to make His Word a blessing to these young people and that they will be led more fully into the ways and truth of God in their lives.
BIBLE CLASS
The bi-weekly Bible class at Ploiesti continues with some encouragement. The time of the meeting was recently changed to make it easier for the teenagers from the orphanage to attend (they live out of Ploiesti and depend on transport timetables). Judging by the increasing numbers who are attending, this new arrangement seems to have better suited others as well. We are studying the early years of David’s life, during the reign of Saul, with the desire that the many relevant lessons for young people from this section of the Word of God will lead to His working in the lives of those who attend.
Lord willing, our annual camp will be held this year from August 17-22. We are thankful to the Lord for His blessing upon the camp held in August last year. There were 82 people who attended, many of whom were young. We dealt with three different subjects from the Word of God throughout the week. Robert Beckett spoke on “Heart Issues in the Life of Hezekiah.” Daniel Enea (my Romanian fellow-laborer) took up “Holiness and its Motivations.” And I spoke on “The Transformation of a Life.” The interest shown was encouraging, and we look to the Lord to draw many hearts closer to Himself. More have started attending the Bible class since the camp, including a young woman who had no assembly background. She has since been baptized, together with a young married sister, who also attended the camp.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
We praise the Lord for an open door to labor among several assemblies in the Republic of Moldova. There are a small number of companies of the Lord’s people in Moldova which, despite pressure to be affiliated with an evangelical denomination based in Romania, maintain autonomy. Robert Beckett and I have an exercise to go once a month for consecutive teaching on the epistle to the Ephesians, which was requested by the assemblies in Dorotcaia and Miresti. Two visits have already been made to Dorotcaia for this, with the same study commencing in Miresti on our most recent trip from November 26-28. We also had a second encouraging visit to the assembly in Balceana, and we are happy for the opportunity to serve the saints in the Word there as well. In addition, we have visited a brother and his wife from a village where there is no assembly, and we plan to keep in touch with him and visit as time and opportunity allow. We did not go to Moldova in December, so our next visit is planned for the last week in January (28-30), if the Lord will. Please pray that the teaching of the Word of God will be for the blessing and edification of the saints, and that the work in Moldova may expand and develop.
GREEN PASTURES
This magazine work is now entering its 22nd year. It consists mainly of articles which have previously appeared in assembly magazines in English. These are translated into Romanian as part of the process of the production of the magazine. I am involved in correcting the initial translation – making sure that the same sense that is conveyed in English comes across in Romanian – and the final proof check before the magazine goes to print. Green Pastures is distributed bi-monthly, free of charge to any who request it. There are currently around 2500 copies of each issue being distributed in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova, to a wide variety of people, most of whom we do not know. While it is difficult to ascertain what impact the teaching contained in the magazine has on its readers, we did recently receive an encouraging note from one reader who said he was a passionate reader and collector of the Green Pastures magazine for 20 years. We trust that many have been helped spiritually over the years as a result of this work.
Prayer would be deeply appreciated for every aspect of the work, that strength and wisdom may be given to those who do it, and that, above all, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in many lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
