May/June 2011

And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. (2 Kings 8:4-5)

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

It was no coincidence that the Lord brought Gehazi and the Shunammite woman together before the king at the same time. Her presence validated Gehazi's story, and it made her situation much more credible as she appealed for her land to be restored after she had been living in the land of the Philistines for seven years. Recently the Lord placed Dave in the right place at the right time to talk with the owners of a company that offered work to four men from our church in Luncsoara. God is in control, and He doesn't make mistakes. He will always guide and direct us as we depend on Him.

Luncsoara News

Immediately after our last letter we were thrilled to see six people from the community of Luncsoara be baptized on Palm Sunday. That was an important step toward forming a church in Luncsoara. On Easter Sunday those who were baptized were asked to join the church and agree to a church covenant. Grace Baptist Church of Luncosara was born!

The following Sunday Luke Warner began a series of messages on each of the key points of the church covenant that each member signed. It was a very difficult period as Satan worked very hard each week to create a situation among the members that tested the very issue that Luke was going to be preaching about. What amounted to only six weeks felt like six months because of the nature of the problems we encountered. Several of the members have since stopped coming to church.

While we have experienced discouraging events over the past two months, we have also had some very positive things take place. Recently four men from the church were offered full-time jobs with a company that cuts and prepares wood to be sold in pallets for heating. One day Dave was on his way to pick up several men who needed to attend a funeral in another village. On the way there, Dave stopped to inquire about work. The man said the owners would be back in a couple hours. Just as he said that, they pulled up. After a brief conversation they said that they wanted to help the Gypsies as long as they were serious and committed to being at work on time every day. The owner has since offered them two-year contracts, and will be paying their taxes on top of their salaries.

Dave spent the first week taking them back and forth to work, which required about an hour in the morning and the evening. However, with gas being well over $7 a gallon we could not continue driving them. Two of the men ride the bus and the others get their own rides. Hitchhiking is very common in Romania and fairly reliable. Once they get paid they may be able to purchase a bicycle or pay someone else to drive them. But the important thing is they have been making it to work on time and every day on their own.

As is often the case in Gypsy ministry high points are followed by discouraging news as we learned this week that two of the men are no longer working there. One quit and the other was let go. Pray that the two remaining men will stay faithful. Having full-time work is a real blessing but requires discipline.