March 2010

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2)

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

Paul is calling for unity among the Philippian believers. He tells them to search deep inside and let the Holy Spirit guide them toward better relationships. What is the key to unity? Putting the needs of others before our own. When we do, we don’t have time for petty differences and selfish desires.

Life in Romania
It is hard to believe we have already reached six months in Romania! We count it a privilege to be here, and we are striving to make the most of each day. Ruth recently received some questions from an Awana clubber for his missionary craft. We thought you would enjoy excerpts of her responses:

Are you meeting lots of new people? Yes, we are meeting a lot of people. We have met several of the people who live in our apartment building. I've also formed a relationship with the lady at my favorite little corner store. We chat a bit when I come in to buy milk, bread, and fruit.

Have you had a chance to share Christ with anyone yet? It seems like everyone wants to know why we are here, so we tell them how God has called us to share the Gospel with Romanians and Gypsies. They can't believe we would leave America and come to Romania. Most Romanians want to go to America! We look forward to the day in which we can fully communicate the Gospel message in the Romanian language.

How is it in Romania? Life is much harder here than in the U.S. The economic crisis has been particularly rough. The Romanian people are hard working, thrifty, and resourceful. Most earn very little compared to the U.S. and many work more than one job to support themselves and their families. But they don’t complain; they are just happy to be working.

What kinds of foods do you eat? Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! There's so much GREAT chocolate here! We have a lot of other good treats here, too. Lango? is a yummy, sweet, fried pancake that you can eat plain or with cheese, chocolate, or jam on top. Another great pastry is called Fornetti. Celeste and Amber are good at finding the orange Fornetti stands!

As for healthy food, Romanians eat a lot of bread, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables, as well as fresh fruits such as apples, oranges, pears, peaches, and grapes. For meat they eat mostly pork and chicken. However, they don't eat much beef.