Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings from Cisnădie, Romania!

I thought I would send an account with more pictures, as some say a picture is worth 1000 words!

Just in case there is a question in anyone's mind: physical projects are usually just added to a pastor's load in contexts like ours - so, preaching, preparing Sunday School lessons, committee meetings, visitation, and catechism training still went on... It's kind of like these things you shall do, and the others you should not leave undone!

Another note: please do not post this or other messages from us anywhere online, including on a church website, unless it is password protected. If you do have our updates already on your church's website, and they are accessible without a password, we would kindly ask that you either remove such updates or make them password-protected, so they are accessible to your church members and attendees only.

And now to the explanations for the pictures...The major physical project we undertook in Nov-Dec was the replacement of the heating system at church, which got us into some major electrical work on the side, as such issues were uncovered in the process. Pictures 2-6 are on that, the last being of the electrician (who is still doing some work twice a week, when he can get up to Jina from Sibiu, after his regular job).

Next there are a couple of pics with the men cutting and carrying the wood to the downstairs area. Wood is the only feasible energy source up at Jina.

Then a picture of the old followed by one of the new heating stove with two of the local believers who helped during the installation process, and then the man who installed the new system (he lives in Cisnădie, and goes to the Brethren church here in town). We need to acknowledge that such a major endeavor as replacing the heating system would not have been possible without the very substantial help of 2-3 of the churches in the States, as well as a few individuals!

The walls of the whole church had to be repaired and painted afterward, especially as a result of the needed electrical work (in a brick and mortar building with plastered walls, where the electric cables are buried in the plaster, such cables are supposed to be put through some plastic tubes, so you could replace them or address issues if needed; yet sometimes the wires get buried into the plaster without the tubes, and other improvisations happen, and get buried in, so when a problem arises you end up having to cut new channels through the very hard plaster to address the issue). Since we had to cut new channels in the walls all around the sanctuary for the new heating system, we (rather, the electrician!) took the opportunity to address other problems as well, so many of the issues were solved, yet not all (it would have meant a lot more work and delay). He is still working on the electric in the downstairs area.

With money in the construction fund gathered through the past year and a half we were able to hire a team to work on the fence around the property - still needs some paint, gates, and some more work on the yards to get rid of the mud, yet the property looks way better now. 

Ana and I also prepared a program with the children - A Christmas Alphabet - consisting of a rhyme or two for each letter, interspersed with Christmas songs - Adora accompanied the singing on the piano (btw, Adora has been accompanying the church worship every three weeks for a while now, and it's such a great help!). Christmas gifts followed (Samaritan's Purse / Christmas shoe boxes, via Germany and Switzerland).

Between Christmas and New Year's we had 10 of the youth from Jina come to our house for a day - we played some games, prepared little gifts and did the white elephant exchange game with them, had pizza, a ping-pong tournament, sang carols..., then took them to see our town (which boasts the tallest Christmas tree in Romania! - and the deepest potholes, as well as other deeper problems, some might add!).

Next was the January session at Timotheus, followed by my father's stroke and death a week later, in early February. He was 91, and has now arrived at his rest. Thanks to all who have expressed their sympathies and stood with us.  

By mid-February we replaced the main door at the church, the old one being a major energy waster. We are grateful to the Lord for the generosity of one of our supporting churches toward this.

Snow and snowball fighting go together, so we didn't want to break the tradition. This was in our yard - Adora took cover in this pic, yet she fired way more than I did!

Our annual mtg at the church took place this past Sunday (no pics of that!) - quite disappointed by the manifested immaturity of many. In times like this I wonder ...

The last picture (though not very clear) is from the old church location in the Romanian part of the village of Jina (about 2-3 miles walk for our people from the Rroma side). I believe it was the last Sunday in Nov when we could not meet in our sanctuary because of work on the heating system, so a few of the brethren spruced up the old place, made fire, and we met there. Please pray for the possibility of revitalizing the ministry there. The building is almost beyond repair, yet still usable for a while if we keep it up. I believe there will be some participation from the Romanian side if we reopen the place, as statements have been made by some that they would have gone there, yet are unwilling to come to the current location because of being in the Rroma part of the village. This building is the place where a good number of our members began following the Lord - it has been closed for about 6-7 years, as most Romanians moved to the cities, some died, and the new building opened in the Rroma section of the village about 8-9 years ago.We are also thinking about the possibility of building an efficiency in the back of that property, which would be a great help for when we are up there.

Pray for us and the ministry here, as it continues to be a house of marbles, yet through which the Lord keeps calling and sanctifying His own. We are here for them, doing His bidding. Pray also for wisdom for Alex and Adora in their schooling, and for our health, as challenges keep arising on that front as well. We do thank the Lord for all of you who remember us before the throne of grace.

In Christ's love and service,

Dan & Ana, Alex and Adora