Wednesday, August 03, 2011

God's Protection and People's Gratefulness

Andrew with some of the people in the village of Plopi

Dear Friends and Family,
We hope and pray that all is well with you, and that you continue to be blessed and see God's hand in your lives on a daily basis.In June the we saw the lower floor (most of it) of the multipurpose building here on the property completed, which has been areal blessing. It turned out very nice and "homey" feeling, and is a very pleasant atmosphere to be in for Sunday services and fellowship times in the afternoons - although most of the fellowship time is spent outdoors these summer days.
Sunday afternoons continue to be a great time of fellowship here as people from several different churches come to spend time together, whether that is visiting around a picnic table with drinks and sunflower seeds (the hang-out snack of choice here) or friendly competition in a game of volleyball. It is also a good opportunity to include/get to know more non-believers, as several have come when they have opportunity.
We saw God's hand of protection in our family a while back as we went to a village near the city of Targu Jiu. When we were about 20km from the city, in a curve, the front driver's side wheel of the van came off and shot off into a nearby field. Needless to say it was quite a surprise, but praise God, I was able to hold onto the wheel until we slid along and came to a stop mostly off the road. Turns out the big screw in the middle of the wheel came out somewhere along the line. But God's hand was certainly upon us, as none of us was hurt, no other cars or people were anywhere near when it happened, and not more damage was done to the car. To make a long story short, We have a friend in Targu Jiu who helped us non stop in the next two days to get the car to the city, find parts. etc. we really thank God for the people he has put in our lives!
Late in June, the planter of the church where we serve, and his wife left with their family to move back to America. It was a sad day for everyone here, and hard on all the kids to see their friends leave for good. But we are convinced that God is bringing even more good from this than we can dream of. Church is continuing, and we believe God is going to do great things. Please pray for the people still here, the leaders, and those whom God will put in our path and in the church's sphere of influence.
Near the end of June, I had the opportunity to help some friends take several mattresses, boxes of clothes, etc. to the village of Plopi to some needy people, about 50 kilometers away. We went to a couple different families, and people and kids just crowded around to see what was going on. (The picture at the top is me with some adults and the adorable kids) I am still amazed at the profound gratefulness of people in the villages when they receive something.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us and for Romania. May God continue to pour out his blessings and fill your lives!
In Christ,
Andrew & Geta Roby