“And those who know your name put
their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek
you.” – Psalm 9:10
Dear Friends and Family,
As we approach the last little stretch
of time we have left in this year, we are taking the opportunity to
write to you some of the things that have happened over the months
since we last shared an update from our family.
This year has seen a number of
challenges, prayers answered, and fulfillment of some of our dreams.
We are always grateful and humbled by the things God does in and for
us, the way he takes care of us, and the way he answers prayer.
During February and March of this
year, I (Andrew) had a number of physical issues, from problems with
my gallbladder to a hernia that had to be operated on, to an
infection a couple of times, to possible heart issues. In February,
my gallbladder decided to cause me problems, and I even ended up in
the emergency room in Caransebes. Fortunately with some medication,
time, many prayers from you and from people here, and God's mercy, I
was able to get through that problem. I have had to be a little more
attentive with respect to food, so as hopefully to avoid those issues
in the future. But God is good!
I was healed from that issue just in
time to (three weeks later) go back to the hospital for surgery on a
hernia which had been getting steadily worse over the past months.
They also told us at that time that I potentially had a heart
issue(s). Now, we won't tell you any of the worrying stories from the
hospital (or things we wish we wouldn't have seen there), just that
they let me go home after eight days. That's right, I stayed for
eight days in a hospital in Romania – yikes! To tell you the truth,
God is so good to us; all went well, the people were very nice, and I
came home and recovered the rest of the way over the next few weeks.
Because they had told us at the
hospital in Caransebes that I potentially had a heart issue or
issues, I was scheduled for the middle of June at a specialized
cardio hospital in Timisoara for an angiogram. Again, God had mercy
on us, and the doctors there said that I had no issues, and that I
could go home the following day! We have often thought about that
time, and how so much could have changed in our lives that day, had
the diagnosis been different.
Those first months this year were
trying times for all of us, but God is so merciful; God truly is the
great healer! We know that so many of you prayed for us during those
challenging times; our family is so grateful to you; we are blessed
by all of you and your prayers for us. We know that there are many of
you who have prayed faithfully for us for many years; you are
appreciated beyond what you know.
This year during the first part of
July, we were able to participate again in Camp Little Bit of Heaven,
a youth camp near the city of Fagaras. This year Geta stayed home
with our three youngest children – Nehemiah and Jonathan, and the
baby, Timothy. I (Andrew) took the older four kids – Joseph, Ammi,
Elijah and Jeremiah. We were blessed to be able to take two other
kids with us to the camp, their first time there – Vali, a boy from
the church in Rusca Montana, and Abigail, the oldest daughter of
Diana and Iosue, who are missionaries in Mozambique (Bridgeport
Chapel supports them as well). There were around 70 kids there this
year, and I was blessed to be a member of the staff and a cabin
leader, which is always fun...and challenging! It is always wonderful
to see the kids attentive during the Bible lessons, learning and
asking questions about God and the Bible – it really makes any kind
of effort put into the camp truly worth it! It was also a lot of fun
this year for our kids to get to go to the youth camp that the Thomas
family puts on in Rusca Montana. Again this year, several of the
children from here in Ruschita went down to the camp as well.
We have been teaching Sunday School in
the village of Rusca Montana this year, which has also seen it's
share of challenges. Early in the year, the heating system gave out
in the room where we have Sunday School, so for the rest of the cold
season, we could not have Sunday School, which was really a letdown,
especially for the kids. Then came the summer season, and we usually
take a break during the summer because so many people are gone on
vacation, etc. But on October 1st, we were able to start
up again, and we are very excited about the Sunday School! The
heating system is fixed, there are more kids than before, and they
love the stories and being there – praise the Lord! We also have a
young lady who is coming to do music with the kids, which is an
answer to prayer! Please pray that God will use all of us to make a
lasting impression in these kids' lives for his kingdom!
Another way God has been working in
the church of Rusca Montana is that he has provided a new pastor for
the church. The church had been desperately in need of a pastor for
many months; Geta had even organized a group for prayer and fasting
so that each day of the week would be covered. We know that many of
you also were in prayer for this need as well. After nearly six
months our prayers, the church's prayers, were answered; God has
provided a great pastor, one who has a strong biblical foundation,
who genuinely loves the people, and who doesn't shy away from
speaking God's truth. The church has been absolutely changed since he
came – people are happy to be there, so much more enthusiasm is
visible – God is definitely at work! Praise God for his answers to
prayer!
As we mentioned in our last update,
most of you probably remember that we have been working toward one of
our dreams of building a home for our family and a place for
ministry. This year, by the grace of God, we were able to make some
progress toward the fulfillment of this dream! In the middle of May,
we started construction on a road up to the property, also laying
water, electricity and internet lines under the road at the same
time, all the way up to the property. What is extraordinary about
this is that only a week after we resolved the problem of being able
to build a road up to the property (after almost two years of
trying), we found out that another family had decided to build a
house up on the same hill we are, on some property next to us. They
also needed a road built; they sought us out (in the same time we
were trying to contact them) and we were able to share the cost of
the road, whereas otherwise we would have had to pay the whole cost
by ourselves! Not only is God's providence amazing, but so is his
timing!
During this same time, we were honored
to have Kyle Padilla here visiting us; he spent many long hours
working up at the property and on the road! Thank you Kyle! We also
had Naomi Morgan visit us a couple of weeks before this, and she is
always such a help with the kids – thank you Naomi! It was such a
blessing to have these two come and visit us – it was great
fellowship, and great memories!
In the middle of June we were able to
begin building the foundation for our home and place of ministry.
That was a long process as well with it's own set of challenges to
get through, but God always provided and made a way, and finally in
the middle of September we were able to finish the foundation. (You
can go online to our facebook page to see pictures of the foundation
being built, as well as construction on the road!) We also got camp
as a family up at the property for a month during the building of the
foundation, which the kids especially enjoyed...and together with the
kids' help, I got to build my first outhouse!
We are praying that next spring or
summer, God willing, we will be able to continue construction of the
house. We are planning to build out of wood, “American” style if
you will, so we are asking for prayer for wisdom to be able to get
that done right! Please also pray with us that God would provide
funds to be able to continue this building project – it is a big
project, and there is a need for more funds to complete it!
This year we have gone through some
challenging things, but we have also seen God's hand of mercy upon
us. We have also seen God's hand of blessing at the church and Sunday
School, and his providence as he allowed great progress toward
building our home and place of ministry. God is so good, and we are
again aware of how blessed we are as a family.
Thank you for being a part of our
lives – thank you for your generosity toward our family, your
friendship, and your faithfulness in prayer for us; you are a part of
our ministry! May "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift
up his countenance upon you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:25)
Amen!
Andrew & Geta Roby and kids
