March-May 2015

And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. (Joshua 9:15-16)

We have all made decisions we have later regretted. Joshua, who we know was a faithful follower of the Lord, made a terrible mistake when he decided to make a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. We don't have any indication that he brought the matter before the Lord, which seems out of character for a man like Joshua. Let us learn from his error to always seek the Lord's will and to wait patiently on Him for His direction.

Summer Ministry Preparations

We are just a couple weeks away from welcoming a college student from one of our supporting churches who will be with us for six weeks. Priscilla will have numerous opportunities to experience Roma ministry as well as everyday life here in Romania. We look forward to seeing how the Lord uses this time, and our girls are anxious to have a "big sister" again.

The day Priscilla arrives is also the same day a group from Creston, Iowa is coming to help our team with VBS. They are from the sending church of Nikki Carr, the newest member of the Romania team, who is currently on deputation.

Then in August we are gearing up for a second team who will be helping us around the church property, including making a playing field that can be used for soccer and volleyball.

Recent Challenges

Since our last letter, we have faced several challenges in the church. We are sad to say that nothing has changed for the couple in our church that separated in February. We have not had any contact with the wife, and the husband is still deeply affected. He is battling depression and a lack of motivation.

The ladies who came forward in March have not been back to church for some time. At least one of the girls has since married and is no longer living in Luncsoara. It’s sad since she was showing great potential and was attending regularly. Unfortunately we don’t usually hear about a girl’s marriage until after she has left the community to be with him. That is one of the hardest aspects of this ministry and Roma culture.

Following Easter, Dave spent a couple weeks working with three men in the church helping them find full-time work. The local brick factory was resuming operation in May, and the foreman was anticipating their arrival. There was also a good possibility of work through the winter. However, after many discussions and delays, only one of them decided to go. The other two felt they could do better working day jobs that pay under the table. However, these jobs are not as plentiful as they once were. This also means they will not have work next winter. Instead they will need to try and save enough from this summer to make it through until next May. This is extremely difficult, as we have seen firsthand the past four years. By the time Christmas rolls around they are often wondering how they will make it until spring. Pray that they will reconsider and pursue a steady job while they can.

Pray for us as we minister to those God has given us.

Dave, Ruth, Celeste, and Amber

Family News
During the first week of May, we took a week off from ministry in anticipation of the busy summer months. Dave used this time to build a shelter for firewood that will give us more storage this winter. We have also been working on finishing the room behind our garage, which will give us another place for guests.

May 27 is a special day for Amber as she turns 12 years old! Both girls have been working hard to finish school in early June.

On Saturdays the girls have been attending AWANA at the Baptist church in our community. Celeste has also been meeting with the teens from the church on Saturday evenings. They are currently rehearsing for a special choir concert for the community made up of teens from several area Baptist churches. After the teen meeting she typically stays for band practice, so she can continue to learn the trumpet. Two other girls her age also play.