Spring 2021

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:5,6)

As we pause to reflect on the tremendous sacrifice Jesus Christ made to purchase salvation for us, it is evident that if He had not died, sin’s penalty would not have been paid. Likewise, if He had not risen, eternal life could not be extended to man. Praise God that in His plan, redemption was won, and death was defeated in one selfless act by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!

COVID-19 Update

This year got off to a rocky start as we had another bout with Covid-19 in our church. You may recall that our team had to isolate in December after one of our teammates tested positive. At the time, the rest of us were able to avoid infection. However, during the first week of February, Ruth tested positive, as well as another teammate. However, by law our whole family needed to isolate for two weeks. We subsequently suspended activities during that time to prevent anyone else from potentially contracting it. We were blessed to have on hand a decent supply of food and toiletries, and our teammate who had Covid in December was able to bring us additional items as needed. Dave developed mild symptoms several days after Ruth, and Amber did as well the following week. Thankfully, we are all fully recovered now. Ruth and Dave have been vaccinated once and are awaiting their second shots. Amber begins her series on 4/16.

Sadly, a member from our church, Rusalim 'Tarzan' contracted Covid around the same time as us and spent over six weeks in the hospital. He finally arrived home during the last week of March. He is currently receiving oxygen, but each day he is improving and spending less time connected to it. Pray that he can become strong enough to no longer need oxygen treatment so he can return to normal activities. This past Sunday Tarzan came to church for the first time in two months. He was so happy to be back! Please pray for him.

Community Outreach

During the last week of January, before we went into lockdown, we held another food distribution day in Luncsoara. We wanted to help those families in need who are awaiting the start of the spring work season. We made packets of staple items as we had done last spring, and we also provided a large sack of potatoes. The response was incredibly positive.

Ladies Outreach

Each spring we plan a ladies outreach to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. Held the Saturday prior, the meeting was well attended by 23 ladies, who greatly enjoyed the music, games, craft, and dessert. Teammate Kim Warner shared a devotional on "A Complete Forgiveness." Many of the ladies expressed their gratitude for having this event each year.

Praising and serving our Living Savior!

Dave, Ruth, Celeste, and Amber

Passing of Ruth's Father

March was a month of uncertainty regarding the health of Ruth’s father. Ruth’s mom had been his constant caregiver over the past four years as he had mild Parkinson’s Disease. In late February, Dad’s health declined to the point where he needed to enter the hospital. He left one week later but returned soon thereafter. He remained hospitalized until his death on March 17 when he entered the presence of the Lord. We are thankful that the Lord allowed him to remain in the hospital under excellent care and die peacefully with Marvella at his side. A memorial service will be held later this year. Ruth and her mother are doing well.

Furlough Plans

The dates for our furlough have been set, and we are preparing to return to the US on May 13. Our planned return is January 11. Our furlough meeting schedule is filling up, but if you have a specific date or dates in mind, please contact us soon.

We are very thankful that our visas were recently renewed for two more years, which is essential to re-enter the country during the ongoing state of alert. Pray for our teammates as they each need to renew their visas this year as well.