Phone call:

me: hi, steve. How are you doing?

steve: good

me: where are you?

steve: at home

me: good. are you busy?

steve: no, not right now.

me: i am on my way home from Mangalia. and I am on the Bucuresti centura (beltway). the van i am using broke down and the engine fell out of the car, is there any way you can help me tow it and find a mechanic near you?

a long pause.

steve: okay, it will take about 2 hours to get to you from here and i need a few minutes to collect some tools….

what an afternoon! :-)

so, we waited on the beltway for almost three hours. I sent our gps coordinates of exactly where we were at. being a hot day, there was still a breeze to cool off with. how much was it going to cost? how, where, and who was going to fix this issue? to me it looked like a huge problem. i could tell that the motor mount bolts had sheered off and the motor was sitting on top of the cv joint. the timing belt was eaten away so bad that i do not know how it did not break. 

while we waited i counted the semi’s driving by- 100, 101, 102….. one of them rolled down his air conditioned cab and asked if we had help coming. i said yes and thank you. he then offered me a two liter bottle of ice cold sparkling water- ahhhh, that hit the spot. now if only steve’s gps would get him here quicker. 

steve and i secured the motor with wire and a hook so that it was higher off the ground and towed the car about 100 km to his house. by the time we got there the mechanic was gone. so we had to wait until morning. 

the mechanic was very optimistic and pleased that the timing belt had not broken. the owner of the vehicle was pleased that the mechanic thought he could fix the engine. 

a trip that was supposed to take from monday to thursday turned into a trip that lasted until sunday morning at 1am. the van was fixed and amazingly only costed me the exact price i rented the van for.

van: ford galaxy

km on the van: 914,234 (ALMOST A MILLION KM!!!!!) 

after getting it fixed we made it home in 8 hours with no problems. Praise the Lord. 

1Thess. 5:16-18   

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

“So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”
                                                                                                                      - ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:18‬ ‭

After two airplanes, and a van ride we arrived safe back in Romania to our house. We have not had much for our bodies to adjust as school started two days later. God is good, and we have gotten through the first week of school without any major hickups.
I would like to say thank you to everyone that helped us purchase a laptop and an ipad for both faith and I.
This summer in the states visiting family and friends and making new ones has been a great time of refreshing for our family (even for the little ones) even though we travelled quite a bit. Thank you for your prayers during this time.

Continue to keep us in your prayers as we get back into our routine with Bible studies, teaching English, preaching, and planning for the future.

Being thankful!

There is so much we can be thankful for- family, friends, the house we live in, the meals we eat...I could go on and on.

This Psalm comes to mind...
Psalms 100:1-5 NKJV

Make a joyful shout to the Lord , all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord , He is God; It  is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We  are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord  is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Always remember that the Lord is good!  Throughout each season remember this and give Him thanks.

As we continue to minister here in Bistrita and the surrounding villages that we work in, continue to hold us up in prayer as we pray for the Lord's guidance on what His plans for us will be.
Pray that it will be made clear to us and that we will be willing to step out in faith in His timing.
Thank you for your prayers.

Romania's Fall is upon us once again!!

Fall is in full swing. School has started and we are adjusting to the change of schedule. Levi is in 5th grade, Chloe in 3rd grade, Mihai in what they call class Zero, and Azaniah started the Romanian kindergarten (preschool). Most of the New Beginning family center children are now in High school. Please pray for them through out the school year. To be diligent in their studies, and to be a light for Jesus amongst their teachers and classmates.
 Faith will begin to teach English again in the village of Pintic. We are thankful for the Lord opening the door their once again. Please pray for speaking of the Romanian language, and to be able to boldly share the gospel with both the students and the staff at the school. Praise for a director of the school who has allowed us to share openly, and to keep doing so. 
 The Bible study in Pintic is going well. A young family has agreed to allow us to use their house for the studies now that the weather is cold. Please continue to pray for the salvation of the Roma people in this village, that the Lord would start to change their village and put them on fire for Him. 
Praying about and planning a trip to the states It has been some time since we have seen and spoken with many of you. Over two years now. We long to be able to visit with our friends and family again, and to meet some of you in person for the very first time. We would like to pray about coming to the states this next coming summer. It is only 8 months away so we must begin raising and saving money for this now. The tickets are much cheaper if bought in advance. Please pray for the Lord’s provision so that we may come and share with you all in person not only the work the Lord has been doing in Romania, but what the Lord has been doing in our lives as well. 
We thank each of you, and pray for you often. We are blessed beyond measure to have you as a part of the ministry here in Romania. We love you all, and thank you for all of your prayers and support. 

Click to see our video: a glimpse of Romania!!

Serving together in Christ,
Chris, Faith, and kids