Greetings from beautiful downtown Pitesti, Romania! I arrived safely on July 16, the 12th anniversary of my very first trip to Romania in 1997. More importantly, July 16 is the wedding anniversary for my daughter and son-in-law, Brittany and Daniel Harless, and I want to wish them a happy 4th anniversary!
Things in Romania have changed a great deal since 1997. When I first came here many of the most basic services were lacking. We rarely had hot water in the hotel; phone service was not reliable; and the thought of the Internet and e-mail access was just…well, it seemed like a billion miles away. Yet, here I am posting to this blog using wireless Internet in front of the McDonalds in the city center about 100 yards from the hotel where I stayed in 1997! I am amazed at how far technology has come and how far Romania has come in so short a time.
Some of you may be wondering why I am writing from Pitesti instead of Cluj. As you may recall, I worked in the cities of Pitesti and Craiova from 1997 until 2006 when we began leading the work in Cluj-Napoca. While I was here in May a young couple asked if I would officiate at their marriage ceremony on July 18. They are both Christians – Marius a native of Pitesti and Bianca a native of Cluj. I am honored that they asked me to play a small part in their special day. So, I arrived in Pitesti last evening and appreciate the hospitality of the church here in allowing me to stay in the building. The ceremony is Saturday evening.
We will stay here in Pitesti until early Sunday morning. In order to arrive in Cluj as early as possible, we will leave Pitesti at around 7:00 Sunday morning and stop to worship with the brethren in Sibiu, a city about halfway to Cluj. Once we arrive there we will finish planning for the week.
There is a busy 9 days of work ahead of us in Cluj! Claudiu reports that we have about 25 children enrolled in the Bible school. This is such an exciting thing for the church there! It has been some time since they have been able to have a VBS. We’re thankful that God has opened this door. The theme for the lessons will be “The Fruits of the Spirit” and we’re very excited about the week.
I will also deliver a three-part series of lessons on Monday through Wednesday evening. The church in Cluj has about 30 English students who have been coming for lessons since early May. We hope that some of them will join us for the lesson series.
We received some disappointing news on Friday. Cooper Taylor, the 20 month old son of Justin and Emily, fell ill Thursday evening late, so Emily has decided to stay at home to care for him. We know that her primary job right now is “Mom” and so we’re thankful that she will be there to care for him. At the same time, we are disappointed for her. Emily has such a heart for evangelism and teaching and was so looking forward to the trip to Cluj. I know that she wishes the circumstances were different. Please pray for a speed recovery for little Cooper. Also remember Cooper’s Dad as Justin left the States on Friday. He will travel directly to Cluj and teach the Bible class and preach there on Sunday morning. Pray that his travels are safe and efficient.
This will be the only blog post until I arrive in Cluj. Please keep these works in your prayers that something may be done to plant the seed of the Gospel.
As always, your e-mails are welcome! Thanks for taking to the time to read the post and God bless you all!
Marty
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