A High School Education!

Well, almost managed a pictureless update - caption is from Jina, July 23.

We are in PA for the much of August, so just a few info items we wanted to communicate:  

1. We are based in the Souderton area, will be here this coming week, traveling to Cedarville and beyond on the 14th, returning probably on the 23, and going away again on the 31st. E-mail is best for contacting us.

2. If you have our old Romanian address (Str. Magurii) please change it to this:

Dan & Ana Istrate 
Str. Viilor nr. 33 C
555300 Cisnadie, jud. Sibiu
Romania

3. We do not have an address for Alex at Cedarville yet, but will communicate that in our next update. 

4. Please pray for continuing issues in the church at Jina, mostly immaturity issues among leaders (and others), yet also the doctrinal confusion produced by the man who withdrew from our church and started his own Pentecostal group at his house. Also, we hope to be able to replace the heating system at the church ... a bit more help is needed there as well!

5. Education!!! There is no high school grad in our church in Jina, and no one attending HS ... up to now! As you may know, one aspect we have been pursuing on more than one front is education, as over 95% have not finished elementary school. This year we have 4 students willing to go to HS. What we would like to do is provide some help for those needing it with transportation and some other expenses.

We have three boys (14) who just finished 8th grade and want to commute to HS in Saliste, a town at the base of the mountain, about 1 hour ride by bus (one way). 
Then we have a young woman, 19, who finished 8th grade 4 or 5 years ago. She has been helpful in our children's ministry ever since we started, and now she eventually decided to pursue a HS education. She is registered now at an evening school in Sibiu, yet living arrangements need to be made. There is a possibility for her to be enrolled in a 2-year Bible school in Selimbar, near Sibiu, and also do her HS during this time.

For the three young men we would like to consider helping them with transportation money and possibly a few school supplies (about $50 per month, if doable), while for the young lady it would involve more help for these first two years (perhaps $150-$200 per month).

With the aim of helping these needy students (if anyone needs details as to how needy these students are, one could perhaps get an idea from the picture, but we could discuss it further!), and other students in the future, the Board of our missions agency (YES) is giving us the OK to begin a Student Scholarship Fund. Requirements would include church attendance and involvement. If the Lord lays this on your heart, please mark any donation to this end as "Scholarship Fund."

6. We are at Leidy's church tomorrow morning doing an update of our ministry (8:45 AM), and in Reading (Gace BFC) in the evening (6.30PM).

7. Next Sunday, Aug 13, we will be at our home church (Grace BFC in Q-town). If you are in the area and would like to come, the evening service on Aug 13 will be a service of recognition for my ordination.

Please continue to pray for us as we travel, and especially getting everything else (including ourselves!) ready for Alex's going to college.

In Christ's love and service,

Dan & Ana, Alex and Adora