Newsletter from P.Mark

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR US IN MOLDOVA! PLEASE READ
BELOW FOR A GLIMPSE INTO OUR LIVES HERE.

"...This afternoon we visited Tanti Eva (Aunt Eva) and
Domnule Andrei (Mr. Andrei). They are believers and in
their 80's, I suspect. On the way to their very modest home,
we met a precious little babushka with all gold teeth,
along the way. She spoke Russian with Oleg for some minutes,
then deposited a handful of chocolates in our hands and
flashed the most beautiful Christ-like smile. Her eyes,
glistened, telling of her Savior.

Then on to our destination another 25 yards up the
street. Tanti Eva cannot walk but can still read quite
well. She only has the Psalms but apparently reads them
continually. When we came into her small, simple room
with Persian carpets on the wall, she gave us an ear-to-ear,
Spirit-filled grin. She was bubbling over with joy and
thankfulness, at times reverently doing the sign of the
cross while she shared to us from her heart.

During our conversation, I slipped into the kitchen
to see Mr. Andrei. We don't really speak a common
language, Mr. Andrei and I, but managed somehow by God's
grace to communicate pretty well. He asked if I wanted
some tea. I said yes, and sat in the chair he offered me. If
you know the context of the conversation, you can understand
much more than you could otherwise. Would you like some
bread? Yes. How about some olives? Yes, thank you.
They're very good olives. Yes, they're from Greece.
More tea? No, thanks. Pretty simple, surface level
communication but I so enjoyed being with him in his
world and he enjoyed serving me, I think. Praise God, what a
treat it was to be with these precious believers! This life is
so rich and so precious, Lord. Thank You for my life. These are
good days."

The words above are from one of my journal entries, from
Wed., 4/29/09

It is so true that these are good days here in
Moldova. Meeting daily just as they did in Acts, we sense
the Lord with us in all we do. Praise Him! We have a
precious group of faithful and hungry believers. They
love the Lord, they love His Word and they love His people.

--Catch anything?--
We've been out on the streets soul-winning just
about every day in recent days. It is so good. People are
open to the Gospel and most everyone that you stop on the
streets is willing to talk with you. It seems that so
many that we talk to are truly child-like and so uncomplicated
in their response. Nevertheless, there are religious
strongholds which often hold people back. The Orthodox
church is predominant here in Moldova and many that we
speak with are in that church.


--PEOPLE are truly the greatest treasure--

One of the recent treasures in the field that we
found, was a young Chinese man named Bing Lin. He has
found a place in the hearts of our people and we pray for his
salvation. Bing Lin has the attitude of the Bereans, who
you probably remember, searched the Scriptures to see
whether the things they heard were true (Acts 17:11). He loves
the fellowship in the Body (though he's never actually been
to our church yet) and I think he appreciates the sense
of honor that is given to each one in the Body.

Thank you for reading. As the Lord brings it to mind, would
you please pray for us in the following few items?

--Pastor Julian, the pastor of Greater Grace of Moldova,
has been out of the country with his wife Natella
recently. Now he may have trouble getting back into the country
because of the recent problems with the government. Also,
Gabor (from Hungary) and I only have a few days left to
be in the country legally, UNLESS we are granted a
last-minute living permit. So, please pray for clear leading of the
Holy Spirit both for P. Julian and for Gabor and me here. We
believe He could do a miracle for us, but we are waiting
on Him that He would lead us.

--Daily grace, encouragement

--Finished Work/Grace messages

Thank you so much. We love you each one and thank God for
your support of missions and your love for the Lord!

In His abundant love,
Mark