Other Happenings...

Aside from our time spent on language learning, God has given us some opportunities to begin working and reaching out to Romanians.  We are excited about that and look forward to being able to devote more time to these type of activities.

Another family from our organization recently began an English Club to reach out to Romanians who are wanting to improve their English speaking skills.  Ryan, Carter, & I have been attending these sessions to help speak English with those that attend.  Ryan helps on Sunday afternoons with the "Adult" group and Carter & I help on Tuesday evenings with the "Youth" group.  It has been a great opportunity for all of us and we are thankful they asked us to join them!  Ryan had the opportunity to fully share the gospel with two men last week - please pray for Mihai and Leo, that God would use the words Ryan spoke to convict their hearts.  Personally, I have been thankful that Carter is able to participate in this with me.  Initially, I took Carter with me just to help Ryan out (being alone with all three kids near bedtime is an overwhelming task!), but it has become a wonderful opportunity for Carter to become a part of the ministry himself.  He enjoys talking with the other kids and being one of the English "experts!" :)

We have also started meeting weekly with a young couple from the church we attend.  (These are the same friends that were our "temporary neighbors" when we first arrived in Bucharest.)  They come to our house once a week in the evening for dinner, fellowship, Bible study, and prayer.  It has been a wonderful blessing to study with them, to deepen our friendship, and also learn more from them about Romanians. 

Cătălin & Dană

Having three young children makes life crazy...it is a full-time job keeping everyone feed, clothed, groomed, entertained, etc. Sometimes I tend focus on the things I can't do because of the kids, but the truth is that the kids have opened the door to many relationships that we wouldn't have otherwise.  It was difficult at the beginning, but we now have friendships with several of the parents from Carter's grădiniță and hope to keep in touch even though the year is over.  The playground is also a great place to meet other parents, specifically mothers.  Last week I met Alexandra, a mother of two small girls that lives nearby.  She even brought her girls over to play in our yard the next day.  She doesn't speak English at all!  We were able to communicate well enough about everyday things, but please pray that God will give me to words to share Christ with her in Romanian.

 Swingin' at the playground

In addition, Ryan took over full-time logistics duties about a month and a half ago.  He has enjoyed starting on the "concrete" responsibilities and is doing a great job, but it has been difficult for him to split his focus between that and language.  Some days are rough as we try to balance the different aspects, but thankfully, we are having many more successful days now!  As always, we appreciate your prayers more than we can fully express!