DT IN ROMANIA - OCTOBER 2016

So here we are at the end of another busy Sunday, sitting in a restaurant with some of our Path of Life team. It's a great way to end our week together and good to have time to relax.

We have been to a variety of churches today but all have been welcoming and open to what we have been able to share. Harul (Grace) church is a large building with high ceilings and a stage that must be five feet higher than the main seating area. Thankfully Andy was able to speak from down on the lower level. Two of our team shared their testimonies and Andy spoke from 2 Kings 4. The pastor said afterwards, that before the service a lady had asked to speak with him about the  struggles she was having at home. After the service she said that Andy's talk had helped her to see her situation from a different perspective and there was no need for more discussion.

All baptist church buildings, whether large or small, have a mandatory baptistry. These are located behind the pulpit and are raised up with a glass front, rather than sunk into the floor.  More often than not there is a painted backdrop depicting a river scene or a waterfall, in front of which the candidates are baptised. In the larger baptistries there are steps either side - one for entry into the water and one for getting out. In the smaller versions, one set of steps is for both. There are some funny stories of people getting confused in the coming and going process, disorientated by going under the water in between!

In the evening meeting one of our team, Dan, is an ex-offender and his testimony was both moving and challenging. We thank the Lord for all those he has given us to share in the work and we pray that more will be stirred to join us in the coming year.

So as we pack up and get ready to leave, we once again say thank you to all of you for reading and praying and we will write again once we are back in the UK.

Thanks and goodnight.

Saturday - just come back from supper with good friends and co-workers at Path of Life, Adina and Tibi. Great food and good time of sharing and praying for each other.

Earlier in the day we had a meeting of some of the Path of Life volunteers. We are blessed with some really committed and capable people and it is such an encouragement to be with them. Prayer coordinator is in place, so we hope to have more organised and focussed prayer happening (no pressure Cristi!). One of our mentors is having to move to Bucharest and we ask the Lord to bless his move. Others have joined us and we look forward to all that they will bring to the team.

Passing through the city centre we came across a smal, but select, classic car show. Romanian, British, American, German and Swedish cars were being appreciated by young and old.

This afternoon Andy was speaking at the Gypsy Church Leaders' conference on Perseverance. Once again it was good to be with God's people and enjoy learning together from the Bible. Please pray for these pastors and leaders as they look to help guide their congregations in the way of Christ.

Ended the day walking back through the city centre and enjoyed the lights. Oradea is beginning to make the most of its old buildings and well worth coming to visit. Lots of eating places on the streets and a good atmosphere.

Tomorrow we will be visiting three churches and hope to be joined by a friend who we met in England and lives in Cluj - Tudor Gordon.

For your prayers - thank you. Goodnight.

More meetings today - some planned, some unexpected. Managed to buy some chairs for our Path of Life office. Should make sitting much more comfortable for our team of volunteers. Also found another desk that will push together well enough for our needs and at least it has a clean smooth table top. Surprising what you can find at the end of a corridor!

Had time with a Christian who is going through a very tough time right now, but because of the nature of their situation, they feel somewhat pushed away by the Church and left somewhat on their own. Danger of being more talked about that talked with. Sometimes this is because we (in the Church) are not sure what to say or do - so we say and do nothing. Sometimes we don't want to take sides - so we stand on the sidelines. Or maybe we are just too quick to judge on some issues and too lenient on others.  'Speck' and 'plank' may be relevant here - see Luke 7:3-5.

This particular person would like to be part of our work and it was only as we chatted, that they shared their situation. So how will we respond? We've spoken of Christ welcoming all, including the prisoner and the outcast, but how will we react to a fellow believer who at this particular time needs to know, more than ever, that they are still loved, welcomed and not alone, especially because of what they are going through at this time?

We won't pretend that there's nothing wrong, but we won't turn away either. So they are welcome and we will do what we can to find an appropriate role for them to play in the hope that as we work together, they can know the healing and peace that Christ alone can give.

Goodnight.

Had one of those moments today when you realise that what you have been preaching to others, you need to listen to for yourself. It's not what you haven't got that God can use, but what you have got! Blindingly obvious, you might say, but how often do we say something like, "If only we had this, or that, or the other, we could so much more." We even come to believe it, which can mean we end up doing very little, if anything, because we are forever waiting for the this, that, or the other to come our way.

2 Kings 4:1-7 is all about seeing things from the Lord's perspective and offering what we have got for him to use and not looking at what we haven't got. So for us here at Path of Life we are having another 'heavenly' look at who and what we have got and looking to make the best of these right now and leaving the future opportunities and needs to the Lord. 

Some inspiring meetings today with good friends and co-workers. Always good to meet with Imre Kulcsar and encourage one another and share ideas. Let's see what the Lord brings out of our meeting together.

We also had a meeting with our local lawyer, Tibor, who has helped us with setting up the association and continues to give good advice and support. We will be formalising the collaboration between Damascus Trust and Path of Life Association which will be good for the oversight of the work here and for future developments. After our meeting we enjoyed a lovely lunch prepared by Tibor's wife.

Then it was off to the local parliamentary office to meet Florica Chereches who is a servant of Jesus and a Member of the Romanian Parliament. So good to be able to encourage one another, share the challenges and pray for each other. Whether we agree with different political parties or not, the Bible tells us to pray for those in authority. This is especially true for those who are followers of Christ and work in government. What an opportunity to make a difference. It can be a lonely job with many pressures, expectations and criticisms, so we can pray that the Lord will keep and protect people like Florica and guide her/them to do what is right before the Lord, irrespective of party views.

This evening we finished off the day with a meeting at Sanmartin Baptist church with a crowd of students coming to join us, It was great. Songs, testimonies readings and some food afterwards. 

 Tomorrow we have more exciting meetings/opportunities. Radio station; local council; Emanuel University plus others. Thank you for your prayers.

Another day with the students at Emanuel University. Always good to spend time with young people and they have been a real encouragement to us again this year. Of the thirty-seven students on our course this year (more than on previous years) eighteen of them have indicated a willingness to help us at Path of Life in the future. Some would like to work with our partners at the Children's Centre whilst others want to work with the Homeless Centre or with us in the prison. Please pray that we can quickly get them linked in with these partners. One of the students has even been so bold as to offer to serve as our Path of Life prayer coordinator - which is a real answer to prayer! 

Once again different groups of students went to the Children's Centre and to the Prison in the afternoon, and then in the evening some of us met up at the Homeless Centre for soup, songs and sharing the gospel of Jesus. In the prison we split into small groups, as we did yesterday, and it was great to see the students and prisoners talking together and sharing experiences. Andy spoke at the end of God's welcome for all who want to change and live His way. This can be easier to want, but harder to live out, especially once outside of prison. One of those in our meeting today has been on our programme, wanted to change, was released - only to slip back into the old life and is now back inside. This is why we need active prayer partners to support our work inside.

After a short time at the Homeless Centre, Andy, Sorin and Nico (one of our Mentors) went off to the Baptist Church in the village of Ineu. This is a small fellowship, but with a passion for Christ and  a love for his work. Nico has been teaching some of the young people in the village to play the guitar and there was a small band of accomplished guitarists to play along to the songs. Andy spoke about the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment in faith and received, healing, peace and wholeness from Christ. As someone once said, 'it's not whether you have great faith in God but whether you have faith in a great God.'

So another good day for which we thank the Lord - and you for your prayers on our behalf.

Tomorrow we have a number of meetings with various people to talk about different aspects of the work and needs for the future. Please pray that the Lord will bless each conversation and show us clearly the way forward.

Until tomorrow .....

Just come back from time in a homeless centre (picture below) 'Residents' are able to arrive each night between 5pm and 8pm in order to have a bed for the night. Each morning they are up at 6am and have to leave the centre by 7am. They are not guaranteed a meal each evening but more often than not a hot meal is provided by local churches or charities. Once registered at the centre, the 'residents' can have their own bed for as long as they want. One lady has been staying there for 10 years.

Andy talked with a gentleman whose life fell apart when he was forty. His marriage broke up and he lost everything - wife, family, job, home. He turned to drink and has been homeless for the last twenty-two years. He spoke of the deep hurt and guilt that he feels and how alcohol can drown it out. We were able to share how Christ took that hurt on the cross, so that he can be forgiven and set free. If that happens, then he will not need to rely on alcohol any more.

Another younger woman had only ever lived on the streets since she was a child. She has six brothers and three sisters. She is the youngest in her family and the centre has been her home for the last six years. It was good to see the students getting alongside these people to show something of the love that God has for them. Pray for those from local churches who visit the centre regularly.

(Below) Students practice in the prison reception room before going into the prison compound.

Earlier in the day two more groups of students visited both the Childrens' Centre and the prison. In the prison, following a time of songs, testimonies and dramatised readings (lost sheep, coin and son), we got into three groups (prisoners and students) and talked together of those special times in our lives, the importance of relationships and how we can have the best of relationships with our heavenly Father. Some shared from the heart. We finished with an invitation for the prisoners to apply to come on the next Path of Life Mentoring course starting early next year. Please pray that some will want to join us.

Tomorrow is the last day of teaching at Emanuel University and in the evening we are at a village church.

Thank you for your prayers.

Today's blog in words and pictures.

Morning teaching at Emanuel University with 37 students - and Florica Dudas from Oradea Prison.

 

Lunch at Lenutsa's flat - soup, vegetables and chicken and mash - very tasty!

Unloading vegetables to make soup for 35 homeless people.

Some students being welcomed to the Children's Centre by Sami Mitra.

Another team of students outside the prison they have just visited - and still smiling!

Soup (and cook) from the vegetables for 35 homeless people.

Evening meeting music group.

After all this activity, it was supper with Attila (Core team) and his wife Anita and their six-week old baby boy - Mark. A lovely end to a good day.

Goodnight!

We are waiting for the grand finale of the Oradea Party to come. There will be a final concert in the city centre followed by fireworks at 11pm. We were down there last night, Sorin, his daughter and Andy mixing with the crowds, taking in the atmosphere as thousands of people gathered in the city centre. Having linked Sorin's daughter up with her friend and her family, we hung around for the headline band to come on stage. The food stalls were all busy with long queues getting caught up with the passing crowds. After about half an hour, getting colder and tireder, and no sign of the band, we called it a night and made their way home.

This morning we were at Speranta (Hope) Pentecostal Church. We were given a warm welcome  by the pastor and led into the main auditorium. They meet in a large round building that seats around 1000 people and at 9am they have an hour of prayer and Bible time. Four or five short encouragements from the Bible are give by different leaders and then each one is followed by a time of prayer where everyone prays out loud all at the same time. A very efficient way to pray! None of this one-by-one with long silences. Maybe we should adopt this approach in the UK. The main service runs from 10-12noon. Today there was the dedication of a baby with a song from his dad, a testimony and song from a visiting couple from Holland plus a regular time of praise and worship. Then Sorin shared about the work of Path of Life Association and Andy spoke from the book of Nehemiah about the importance of working together to do the work that the Lord has given us - helping to rebuild broken lives. We handed out leaflets encouraging people to get involved in the work and had a few good conversations with some who were interested to know more.

In the afternoon we were at the Gypsy Baptist Church which had been re-scheduled to allow Andy to speak before we dashed across the city to Betania Pentecostal Church. This is a new contact with another impressive building.

The roof is a glass arch stretching the length of the main auditorium (think Lakeside shopping centre) and there is tiered seating on two levels on three sides of an impressive stage area. The band led the singing competently and sensitively with times of open prayer interspersed with songs and encouragements.

Four members of our Path of Life team were with us and after Sorin had spoken about the work, they joined him on the stage to sing a song and share a testimony. Then Andy preached on the need for grace-filled Christians focussing on the examples of Jonah and the older brother in Luke 15 - both of whom found it difficult to show grace to others. It was a lively preach and well received. Afterwards we joined with others in the basement hall for pizza and drinks. It was a good end to a blessed day. 

Now for the fireworks!

Tomorrow we start our teaching in Emanuel University - morning classroom work and afternoon placements in the prison, a homeless centre and a children's centre. Please pray for us.

After a regulatory bowl of porridge and several cups of coffee for breakfast, it was a short walk down into the city centre to visit the Street Food Festival that is happening in Oradea over this weekend. It is all part of an annual event that celebrates the freedom of the city after Facist occupation and they have free open air concerts and various street artists performing. There has been a lot of development in the town centre over the last few years with old buildings being give a face-lift and new pedestrian areas constructed. It's all looking very European. They still have trams which run from the centre to the outskirts of the city and add a touch of nostalgia. As part of the developments new mains water pipes are being laid in the roads which is causing much disruption for traffic.

Cars turn down roads only to find that their progress is curtailed by a deep trench and confusion follows as some cars try to squeeze through whilst others turn around. Some roads have been halved as one side is dug up but two-way traffic continues on the remaining half - again causing some confusion and much pipping of horns and waving of hands. It's surprising how thin cars and trucks can become if the need arises!

In the city centre the food stalls and trailers were setting up and customers were beginning to appear. The senses were stirred by the sights and smells of food being cooked  and thankfully the sun shone on everything and everyone, There was a children's area with large bean bags that seemed to be occupied by more adults than children who stretched out and relaxed whilst the children were doing activities in the tent.

In the afternoon Andy was speaking at the Gypsy Youth day-conference that has been sponsored by DT. There were around 120 young people from the Transylvanian region. Andy spoke about finding our identity in Christ and at the end, Pastor John invited the young people to respond and make Christ Lord of their lives. It was good to see some 10 young people step out to the front. Please pray for these and other young people in the Gypsy Church as they face many challenges and changes within the Gypsy communities. The Church is growing fast and many of the leaders are relatively new believers. Next Saturday DT has sponsored another day conference for these leaders and Andy will be speaking there also.

Tomorrow Andy and Sorin will be speaking at three churches - two Pentecostal and one Baptist. Once again, thank you for your prayers and encouragements. Please continue to stand with us.

DT Romania - Blog entries:

Meetings, meetings and more meetings!  We kicked off the day with a visit to the vice-president of the Bihor (area) council. In a refurbished office, with plush seats and three impressive flags dominating one corner of the room, we enjoyed a warm welcome and a hot cup of coffee. Whilst Mr Traian Bodea has only recently taken up his position, Sorin had already been able to meet with him and brief him about our work. So after handshakes and brief introductions, he expressed his support for what we are doing and wants to help us in whatever way he can. He told us that there is local government funding available for such projects as ours and he has offered to help us put in an application. We plan to do this in the next week and we can pray that if this is right before the Lord then our application will be successful. We also talked together about our need for a suitable building and whilst there is nothing available right now, Mr Bodea said that he will keep us in mind and let us know if anything comes up. We thank the Lord for this new contact.

We then went along the road and into the prison to meet with our key contacts there and what we thought might only be an hour or so, became four hours of discussion and sharing. Good job there is flexibility in our programme! A lot has changed in the last six months with some staff retiring and others taking up new positions. Some of these changes have happened in the department that oversees our work, but we trust the Lord to enable us to develop good working relationships. We were met but several of our staff-friends who greeted us warmly. We praise the Lord for such good friendships. The reception room has had a lick of paint, with new furniture and a stone effect wall covering. Very smart. The office for the psychological and re-integration programmes has moved. In past years it has been part of the administrative wing of the prison, but now it has been re-located to the other side of the compound. Having left all our possessions in a metal locker we went through security and then across the prison yards with cell blocks rising up on all sides. Prisoners look down to see who is coming through with occasional calls of one sort or another (!) depending on who is walking across their yard.  We then took a left turn along the vehicular access and through two more sets of big locked metal gates until we were right by the rear entrance. Here we took a sharp right into what in effect is an enclosed 'outside' metal fire-escape. Up we climbed, higher and higher, round and round, each step echoing with that metal clunk until we reached the very top floor. Going through a fire door we entered another world of a newly painted corridors, bright lights and smart clean floors. Along the corridor is a large selection of framed photos of people and events linked with the department. They are hung in chronological order and the staff were quick to point out photos of Andy taken over the years. We managed to count at least five.

We were welcomed into the new office - a long 'loft conversion' type room. We met a new staff worker and then talked, ate breadsticks and drank coffee. Our Path of Life Mentoring programme is being prepared for accreditation by the central administration in Bucharest. This involves a lot of time in writing up each of our sessions and we are very grateful to Florica Dudas for doing this on our behalf. We discussed the necessary safeguards that will need to be in place to make sure that the spiritual dimension is not lost as this is a crucial aspect of the programme. We hope to have this all done by the end of the year ready for accreditation by Bucharest in January. If this happens, then the Path of Life programme will be printed as a booklet and can be run in other prisons by groups of Christians that we will need to train as mentors and teachers. This is an exciting prospect but one that needs the Lord's blessing.

Our day finished with a meeting of the Path of Life Core Team. One of our main needs for the work is to have a prayer coordinator. We are well aware that we are in a spiritual battle and the support of prayer partners is crucial, so we need someone to organise this area of our ministry. After we prayed together the name of an individual was mentioned and it seems that they would be well suited to help us in this way. So we will be asking them in the next day or two. Please pray that they will say yes!

On that note, thank you for your prayers. Tomorrow afternoon Andy will be speaking at the Gypsy Youth conference. Please pray for a good response to the gospel of Christ.

Good morning all! Had a good sleep so feeling ready for what lies ahead today.

Last night at the meeting it was encouraging to see an ex-prisoner who had been on our Path of Life programme whilst inside. He's only been out a few months but has been offered help and support by our team here. After the meeting he joined us for some food and it gave us time to chat with him about how things had been since he was released. He was living with his immediate family and doing bits of casual work, but only when he needed some money. Our Path of Life volunteers had found him a regular job and checked that he was okay for getting to work. He said that he had a bike, which would have been fine, except that on the day he was meant to start, he didn't show up! This was because he didn't have a bike! The frustration was inceased by the fact that one of our team had offered to get him a bike. We asked why he hadn't phoned one of our workers to ask for help - only to be told that he had lost their numbers. Sadly all this meant he missed the opportunity for regular work.

We've given him another opportunity to show us that he would like our help and asked him to call us this week so that we can meet up and sort out a way forward. Please pray that he makes that call.

This is an example of the many challenges we face as we look to help these people. Please pray for wisdom and a right balance between love and discipline. If people want to change, then we can help them, but if they don't want to change, then there's little we can do. In the end it is only a change of heart that will bring about a lasting difference and that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

So today we meet with the local council to discuss what, if any, buildings are available for us to use for our work. Please pray for a surprise from the Lord! Also we will be meeting with the staff at Oradea Prison to discuss the next mentoring programme. There have been a few changes amongst the staff and our main contact has now retired, so please pray that this will not hinder the development of our work. This evening the ACV Core Team will meet to pray together for the coming week and discuss what we can hope to achieve. Please pray with us for the Lord's guidance.

Thanks for reading.

It's late and it's been a long day.  It's cold and it's wet! But just to say that Andy arrived safely in Debrecen (Hungary) and was met by Sorin who then drove across the border and into Oradea - about an hour's drive. Picked up some food from a supermarket on the way through to ITM where Andy is staying and then after about 50 mins rest it was out to an evening meeting at Sion Baptist Church. All went well and afterwards we enjoyed some food together in one of the church rooms.

It's late and it's been a long day, so we'll share more about today, tomorrow morning. Good night.

So here we are with a day to go before Andy flies out. Looking through the itinerary we have two day conferences with the Gypsy Church, ten church services / meetings, three days of teaching at Emanuel University as well as various other meetings with partners and other useful contacts.

So please pray for stamina as well as enthusiasm and wisdom especially for Andy and Sorin Maier who, once again, will be Andy's constant companion, interpreter and driver - highly valued and appreciated. We'll do our best to keep you up to date with each day's events to fuel a powerhouse of prayer1

Some key meetings will be with the local mayor's office and other local government officials as we continue to look for the right building in which to run the Mentoring Programme with ex-offenders, so please pray for a breakthrough in this area, this week.

Most of our visits to Romania have included a surprise from the Lord - either an unexpected meeting or contact or a turn of events that we had not considered, that has helped the work develop. Please pray for another surprise this time!

Feel free to leave any appropriate (!) comments on the blog. Hopefully you won't have any problems with doing this, but if you do, then you can email us on info@damascustrust.org.

Your friends at Damascus Trust

Welcome to our blog about our work in Romania. You may already be familiar with our work and ministry in this country but in case you aren't, here's a brief summary.

Andy Paine first visited Oradea in 2007 and, having made a few useful contacts, went back in 2009. Since then the contacts have multiplied and the opportunities have increased. Now we visit Oradea twice each year and we are welcomed to speak in both Baptist and Pentecostal churches in Oradea and the surrounding area. We run teaching conferences for the Hungarian speaking Gypsy Church (Baptist) Leaders in the Transylvania region as well for their young people. We run an annual teaching programme for students at Emanuel University on working with marginalised groups. This includes classroom teaching as well as placements with partners in the local community. We have also established a mentoring programme for those in prison, working closely with our partners at Oradea Prison.

In 2015 we were able to register the Path of Life Association (Asociația Cărarea Vieți) in Romania which oversees our work and ministry there.

We are also pleased to have the help and support of other partners including International Teaching Ministries, RomCom and various individuals who have given of their professional skills to help develop the work. We thank the Lord for all that he has done through these partnerships.

In April this year, Phil Bradish and Andy Paine visited Oradea and here they are, pictured with the ACV Core Team: (l to r) Attila, Sorin, Andy, Phil, Tibi, Adina. Now in October, Andy returns to work with the ACV Core team and others. We'll do our best to keep you in touch with what is happening, so let's see what else the Lord has in store for us this time!