Dear Friends, (This is from Sunday, but I am just now able to post it!)
Hello! I hope this finds everyone doing well and enjoying life. Sorry to hear about the hot weather most of you are enduring right now. I don’t believe it is quite as hot here, but it is rather warm. It’s probably in the 90’s. The temperature here is in Celsius, not Fahrenheit….and I forget what numbers must be added and then divided…..I think it’s 30 something degrees Celsius.
Anyway, today I attended my second Moldovan church service. It is very different, but good to be able to FREELY worship amongst other members of the Body of Christ. I was able to recognize a couple of the songs again today. Two of the praise and worship songs were: God is good…all the Time...and I Could Sing of Your Love Forever. Do you remember those? Well, I can usually recognize the tune of a couple of the songs, but I am never able to recall the words to the song. It’s frustrating, but I am learning to worship and praise God in spite of the language barrier between me and the fellow church members. After all, God can understand my English words (and that’s what matters)!! Today we had two sermons, as opposed to the 6 we had last Sunday. If there is more than one minister in the service, they all must share a word with the congregation. Today, Andy Raatz the missionary with whom I am working preached and a Russian minister also preached. Andy, of course, had a translator translate his words to the congregation, but I could understand his words perfectly. It was great to hear a sermon in English again. Hopefully, I will be learning some Romanian words soon. This will be helpful except when the speaker is Russian, of course. Many people here speak Russian as well. So far, I know 4 Romanian words: yes (da), no (nu), water (apa), and car (mas(sh)ina).

There are all kinds of differences I could write about…the food, the driving (scary!), the people, the market, etc. While, there are so many differences in the culture here, one thing for sure remains the same; the only hope for the people of Moldova is Jesus. Just like the only hope for America is Jesus! The people here may not smile often (except for the Christians) like a lot of Americans do. The people here may dress differently (Some of them show a lot more skin than I am used to seeing). The people speak different languages. The people eat some different foods than I am used to. The people here may not know how to drive or may drive crazy (ok, that’s the case many times in America, too!). With all the similarities and differences between Moldovan culture and American culture, one thing remains the same: God sent His Son Jesus for these wonderful Moldovan people and ALL PEOPLE. Praise God for His great Grace that reaches beyond the barriers that separate various cultures and countries. Praise God for His Saving Grace.

Will you pray with me for the people of Moldova, the people of America, the people around you that need to know God’s wonderful Son, Jesus and His Saving Grace?

Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and friendship. May God Richly Bless You and Your Family.