"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" 2 Cor. 4:7

This verse has really come alive for us this past month, as we pray to be yielded to the Holy Spirit and be available each day for whatever HE wants to do.

Nothing happening here (or that will happen here) in Romania is a result of us, but is a result of His working through us.  Our prayer for the ministry here is that we all would just stand back in awe of His great power as He works, and that many would be saved and empowered in their faith.

On September 10th it will be 2 months since we landed here in Romania but it now seems like we have been here for quite a while now.  We occasionally miss some home comforts (In-N-Out burger, Mexican food - Taco Bell for James) but so extremely thankful to be a part of what God is doing here.

This past month, we were blessed to share a couple of days in ministry with the handicapped fellowship/outreach located behind our home.  Each year they receive 50 wheel chairs from Joni & Friends.  Families from all over the Cluj area (and a few from other areas) came to either be blessed with a wheelchair or receive a new one (if theirs no longer fit them or needed some work - they exchange them).  One family had two handicapped boys ages 10 and 12 that had never had wheelchairs - it was great to see their excitement (the boys are unable to walk and big enough to now be hard to have to carry).



These sweet ladies (Rodica and her friend) received blankets,
The lady on the right gave hers to someone else in greater need.
Cant wait for the next Stitches shipment so we can replace hers. 




Anca & Carmen



Dorel was so happy to get a new
wheelchair and a soft blanket.




Monica and Timea are sisters.
They both love Jesus.
Both have studied and speak English.



Carmen's chair got a "tune-up" and she loves her
new soft flannel blanket.

Cristi loves Jesus

Elli helping Stefania with the paperwork
(English translation)





Our role was just to greet families and talk with people about Jesus.  80% of the people we met do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  On our second day of ministry we were encouraged to spend time with several who love Jesus, and were blessed to see our daughter, Elli, asked to help with the paperwork that was in English.  We are thankful to the Lord for blessing us with the opportunity to just talk about Him and share with others what He has done in our lives, and what He wants to do in their lives.  We were also able to bless several people with blankets provided from our Sweet Friends in the Stitches of Love ministry at CCEA.

Bobo and Jeanete (age 12) both received new (larger) chairs.
Both got to pick out their blankets and were happy at how soft they were.
They are good friends, attend school and go to physical therapy together.

The building located behind our home is called Caritatea (which means "charity") and during the week they have a Friday gathering for the handicapped people (vans go to pick them up), where they fellowship and have prayer, word of encouragement and worship (it is an outreach of a Pentecostal church here and part of the family that owns the house we rent).

Mid-August, we traveled to the other side of the city (about 15-20 minutes by taxi) to an area that is a little bit poorer (Iris) - as JeJe was asked to do the Sunday service at the Prison Fellowship.  Our new friends Dave & Lilli Bunnell (from Calvary Chapel Garland, TX) are in the U.S. for a few weeks on furlough and asked JeJe to help out. 

What a sweet blessing to have been part of this fellowship.  The Prison Fellowship buildings are a non-profit that helps people that would otherwise be on the streets.  One building houses children (under ages 18-19) and the other adults.  Many of the children are from families where the parents have either abused them or are in prison, and there is no family for them to live with.  The adult building houses many older people who have no family to help them. 

It was great to see that several of the young adults that grew up there, are walking with Jesus and love Him passionately. They are serving in the fellowship there and were such a blessing to be with.

Beautiful Worship

   

Our visit to Prison Fellowship in Cluj



JeJe taught on the Parable of the Sower and the Seeds from Matthew 13.  We rejoice and give glory and thanks to the Lord that the Holy Spirit drew 5 souls to make a stand for Him that day.  Please keep them in prayer - for deep rooting of the seeds that will be watered, grow and product much fruit.

  

Hanging Out Before we Depart



 



Time of Encouragement









Also please pray for JeJe as he teaches one last Sunday there on Sunday, September 4th.  That the Lord would give JeJe HIS message and be a blessing to the body there.  Also that the Lord would touch the lives of many more who need Him. 

Our good friend, Nicu Haggiu will cover the message back at the small church fellowship that meets Sunday in the room we rent behind our house.  Please keep Nicu and our Sunday fellowship in prayer - that God will continue to build HIS church here and empower Nicu.



We have been encouraged by our first few church gatherings (about 12-13 has been the attendance the first few weeks).  JeJe is currently teaching 1 Thessalonians. We are thankful and excited for what we see the Lord doing.

 

We are amazed as we stand back at Our Friday Night Home Fellowship time and watch God work.  One Thursday afternoon, He brought a neighbor to our door (Anca is about 30 and attended an evangelical Bible School) - we invited her in for a coffee and ended up fellowshipping about an hour.  The next night, she brought 5 friends (all women) to the Friday Night Fellowship.  JeJe and I smiled later as we were reminded of Paul's Macedonian calling and how when he got there, all he saw was a group of women! Awesome God!  It was truly a sweet and encouraging time of fellowship.

 

The following week, God drew our neighbor Robi to come to the Friday Night Fellowship.  He is 28, handicapped with legs that lock at the knees and never fully developed - but is able to walk and run.  Robi grew up in a home for orphaned/disabled children and has never known his parents.  He rents a very small room up at the Caritatea (they rent rooms to several students, and a couple of handicapped people that are able to care for themselves). 

 

We spent 5 hours fellowshipping and talking about the Lord and the great things He has done in our lives (and the lives of others).  Towards the end of the evening, Robi prayed to receive Jesus as his personal Lord & Savior.  Please keep Robi in prayer - for spiritual growth and understanding of the Bible, that God's Spirit would draw him to spiritual things.

THE STUDENTS ARE COMING!  In closing this article, pray for empowerment and wisdom as we seek to reach out to the students in the universities here in Cluj.  The month of September, more than 100,000 students will arrive to begin their studies here (they start early October and go to early July). We live a 10-15 minute walk from many student housing buildings and areas where they will "hang out".