July-September 2016

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

The availability of clean water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning is essential for life. Unfortunately, we often take this valuable resource for granted. However, the living water that Jesus offers through salvation will never end. This water is essential to our spiritual health and eternal life.

Ministry Update

Summer tends to be our busiest time of year in ministry, and this year was no exception. In July we hosted a college student for three weeks who is still contemplating her career and the Lord’s will for her life. The Lord often uses short-term trips to make His will known. If you would like to explore such an opportunity next year, start planning now! Contact us or the BMM Church Relations department for more information.

Also during July we held VBS in three churches. The theme this year was "Champions of Jesus." The lesson each day was from the life of Gideon and how the Lord used an ordinary man in a special way to lead the Israelites to victory. Our guest was a big help to Ruth, and we also had assistance from several of Celeste's Romanian friends from youth group. We averaged 60 children each day.

In August, Celeste and Amber spent a week at AWANA camp. There were around 50 children in attendance. Celeste was on the planning team and had a big part in making the decorations for the "Wild West" theme. She also served as a counselor. In mid-August, we welcomed our teammates back from furlough. The pace slowed a bit—long enough for Ruth to begin preparing for school and for Dave to resume work on some unfinished projects. Also in August, we celebrated Celeste's 16th birthday. The highlight was horseback riding with her friends in the forest. Some had never ridden before.

In September, our family took a vacation, which allowed us to disconnect from ministry for two weeks. It was a somber time when we returned. We learned there had been a funeral while we were away, and just a few days later a young father died when he and a boy were hit by a car while they were riding a bicycle on the side of the road after dark. Please remember the family and especially the young mother and her two children.

In late September, we welcomed a team of two doctors and three nurses from the US who came to hold two-day medical clinics in three churches. We were assisted by area medical students and professionals who translated and helped dispense medicine that had been donated. Over the course of six days, they saw nearly 300 patients. This was also a wonderful opportunity to get to know the people better and share the gospel as time allowed.

Bringing the living water of Jesus Christ to the Roma,

Dave, Ruth, Celeste, and Amber

Luncsoara Projects

Also in September, we began to collaborate with the mayor’s office on two projects that will benefit the Roma community in Luncsoara. The first is to dig a well that will provide a new source of water to those families who do not have their own well. The primary goal is to provide a spigot that is easily available. However, we have already seen that this can become a new source of conflict in the community. Pray for wisdom and peace. We expect the total to be $1500-2000.

Another project is to help provide school transportation for the youngest Roma children. We estimate this project to be $1000 for the remainder of the school year for the fuel and driver expenses. If you would like to participate in either of these projects, please contact us for more information.