I was very pleased with the turnout to show love and support for the Salvini family last Sabbath afternoon. Charlie and Lida have been vital members of our congregation and it is times like this that we are able to demonstrate one of the greatest blessings that come from being part of a church family. We hate to see our precious members laid to rest, one by one, but we are so thankful for the promises of God. As always I was very proud of my church family.
I am happy to bring to you today a full report on the evangelistic trip to Romania. God blessed in so many ways, but one of the greatest blessings was the wonderful support and generous offering that you shared with them. My expenses were kept lower this year because of a wonderful family there that made an entire apartment available to me for the duration of my stay. This allowed more of the funds given to be shared with the churches and pastoral families that we were involved with.
I will say that they kept me very busy this year. Afternoon sessions were conducted in Bragadiru, about 35 km south of Alexandria and the evening meetings, which began at 8:30, were in Maldaeini, about 35 km north of Alexandria. The commute between these sites can be very picturesque and also a real challenge. There are many cars on the roads, but there are also many horse or donkey drawn wagons, bicycles, and pedestrians. When you leave a bit late and are driving with the youth pastor in his Romanian Dacia it can tend to greatly improve your prayer life!
Yes, the apartment was many times better than my previous accommodations and the weather was marvelous with temperatures equal to here. In fact we only received a light sprinkle on two days when they should be having spring rains. The potato crops are in serious danger and this is vital to the financial stability of these people. In addition to the lack of rain they received a heavy frost on two of the evenings while I was there which did some very serious damage.
The success of the trip was not related to the apartment or the weather. It was, rather, directly related to the people. Since this was my third trip to the Peretu district I have built some strong bonds with the members there. I wish you could have seen the faces of so many of them when they saw me after a two year absence. You would have thought I was one of their sons or brothers and indeed I was in the spiritual sense. They welcomed me with hugs, kisses, and tears and there was some heated competition as to who was going to get to have me visit in their home. We got to as many of them as we could and they all fed me. Yes, cucumbers were frequently offered, but I resisted since I didn’t want to take any way from them as I know how much they love them.
The pastors in the area especially enjoy having the opportunity to rub shoulders with a colleague from America. They had a meeting of all the area pastors with the conference president and ministerial secretary on our day off. Well you know I didn’t get a day off that week. They asked me to come and speak to the pastors and it was indeed a privilege. I have gotten to know many of them from the previous visits and we have a great time together.
I admire these men so much. All of them oversee anywhere from three to five churches and another four or five companies. They work long hours and drive great distances. Their travel budget is minimal and gasoline is still nearly twice as expensive as it is here. It was wonderful to be able to help the three pastors I worked directly with. They are very hesitant to accept any personal gifts and they are exceedingly generous with their hospitality. What a privilege to be in their midst and work with them. I can assure you that there were many tears as I left even though I was so anxious to be back with my family and my church.
Please take time to look over the banner that they sent back to us. Some of it you will not be able to read, but much of it is in English. The youth led out in preparing it and they were constantly asking me for help with the correct wording. The young people are so precious and such a blessing to the whole church.
The banners that you signed and sent over were a huge success. The members were constantly looking at the pictures and trying to read your messages. Those who could understand English were busy translating for those who could not. But the greatest blessing in those messages was for me I think. I read and reread your thoughts and I thought of each name that was signed there. Every night before I spoke I would look over those messages and they would bring me great spiritual strength. A huge thanks to each one that took the time to write something.
This week will be a busy one. I am so blessed to share with you that on Tuesday Ingrid and I will celebrate our 36th anniversary. I am such a lucky man. You have no idea what she has had to adjust to through 33 years of ministry all over this country and around the world. I think God must have a special reward for her and she deserves it. Thank you, sweetheart, for all the love and support you have given me and the churches we have served.
I’ll be out of commission for the next couple of weeks as I recover from a surgical procedure, but I’ll be in good hands and will be back in full swing hopefully by the first of the month.
