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April 2010
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:19-23)
Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,
Great is the Lord's faithfulness to us! In the midst of life's struggles, hardships, and trials God gives us the strength we need to endure. This month we have endured some moments of joy and happiness and some periods of sadness and trial. But God is faithful. His compassions are new every morning.
Martisor
We have enjoyed several Romanian holidays this spring. Martisor, held March 1-8, traditionally celebrates the arrival of spring. On the first day, men give snowdrop flowers, chocolate, and a martisor charm to their mother, wife, and daughter to wish them a healthy and prosperous year.
 The traditional martisor charm is a little silver pendant shaped as a chimney sweep, four-leaf clover, horseshoe, or snowdrop flower, all of which represent good fortune. Modern charms vary from Tweety Bird to elegant silver jeweled pendants to dried flowers preserved in hardened tree sap. Each charm, which is tied with a bow of twisted red and white threads, is worn pinned to the lady's blouse for all eight days. Men often give charms to their female coworkers as well. 
The final day of the celebration is International Women's Day and is again celebrated with a gift of flowers, a nice present, and dinner. Ruth says that this is her favorite holiday so far!
Cristos a inviat! (Christ has risen!)
Easter in Romania seems to be as large a holiday in Romania as Christmas. Our church, for instance, begins the celebration with communion on "Great Thursday" night followed by services on "Great Friday" night, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday. Other activities common to all Romanian people are coloring Easter eggs (an old Eastern European tradition), visiting friends and family, eating lamb and many desserts on Easter, and enjoying Monday as a day off of work.
Some elements of Western culture have entered Romania, like wooden eggs painted with the Easter Bunny and chocolate Easter bunnies. However, we felt there was a greater emphasis on Christ's resurrection and the true meaning of Easter.
Visa Status
In our March letter we asked you to pray for our team as we seek to form a new religious association that would eventually allow us to secure long-stay visas. During a recent visit to Hungary to get our passports stamped we learned that we need to obtain our long-stay visas before the end of June. So we have begun the process of applying for visas through our teammates' existing association. Now we are waiting to receive approval any day to submit our application.
May our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bless you!
Dave, Ruth, Celeste, and Amber |
Family News
The day after Easter, we were reminded of the full extent of Christ's resurrection when Ruth's grandmother left this earth to be with her Savior. Mary Riffel was a godly woman who, with her husband, raised four children who share her love and devotion to the Lord. God gave her a long, full life of 96 years, and then took her home after she developed a sudden illness. Although losing her is hard, we knew this day would come. We are glad that we were able to say goodbye to her when celebrating her birthday in California only one year ago.
Mary Riffel
Our girls are continuing to make friends with the neighbor children. One night the girls were playing outside, and we heard Amber crying loudly. She had been hit by a rock thrown by one of the boys. Fortunately it hit the top of her head, and there was only a small cut. It sounds relatively minor, but at the time Amber was scared, and we were pretty upset. We even wondered if we should let the girls to play with the children. Ruth was able to talk with the boy's mother with the help of one of our neighbors, and the very next day the girls wanted to play with them again. The Lord helped us through a potentially bad situation and has allowed us to keep open the opportunity to minister to these families in the future.
Praises
- Good test results for Dave's mom; only one more chemo treatment needed.
- Amber wasn't seriously hurt; good outcome with neighbors.
- Continued progress in learning Romanian.
Prayer Requests
- That we will receive our long-stay visas soon.
- For Ruth's family in the loss of her grandmother.
Ministry Downloads
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Field Address: Str. Virgil Madgearu, Nr. 6A, Ap. 1, Timisoara 300193, Romania, 513.328.3834, www.kimmelfamily.com
U.S. Mailing Address: 6614 Southampton Ln., West Chester, OH 45069
Sending Church: Tri-County Baptist Church, 8195 Beckett Rd., West Chester OH 45069, 513.860.5100
Mission Agency: Baptist Mid-Missions, PO Box 308011, Cleveland, OH 44130, 440.826.3930
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