Greetings, friends!

Although just about all of us have been and are still `bound` to some extent, feeling as if imprisoned, the comfort is that "the Word of God is not bound or imprisoned” (2 Tim 2:9)

It's hard to avoid talking about life and not make reference to the current situation. It has been two months for us under `the state of emergency`, supposed to end today, and moving into a `state of alertness`, with some restrictions but not as severe.

The first picture - an empty church - is symbolic of no gatherings since March 15. Ministry has been different, as we spent a considerable amount of time gathering contact info, creating WhatsApp lists, speaking with many on the phone, sending messages and devotionals any way we could, and eventually moving to online services (pre-recorded). Even so, a significant number of our people have not been able to access these services.

The second picture - Ana has made a few hundred masks. We took some to the medical clinic in Jina, distributed others to our church people going away for work (right after Easter), while others will be given out as services will start to be held outside, for a while (hopefully this coming Sunday), and masks will be required.

The third picture tells a sad story - I was called to officiate a funeral the day before Easter, for a 41-year old man who had died in the UK (supposedly of Covid-19, yet his family disputes that). The maximum number of people allowed was eight, so there were six relatives who also acted as undertakers, the father of the deceased (who filmed - on the left, in this picture), and me. You could see the police car outside the fence - they were there the whole time (even before the arrival of the van coming from London straight to the cemetery, then for the service (we kept it short!), and for the burial - they just stood in their car and watched us (made me feel really safe!).

During the `state of emergency` if we have to go out we need our ID card on us and a Declaration/paper on which we have to write our name, address, where we are going, the reason for going out, the date and signature; only a limited number of reasons are allowed as "valid.” For those caught without the proper papers or who did not have a `valid` reason (from the list) to be out, the fines were enormous. Never thought it would come to something like this!

Beginning tomorrow we will not need papers to go out of the house, but if we leave our town limits we still do! Annoying, yet it is what it is. By June 15 we hope this goes away! (not the virus, though I hope that goes away as well, but all the hype around it).

The saddest and hardest thing for us is that Alex and Adora could not come home (they were supposed to get here on May 5, after finishing up their semester). As it is now, IF there were any flights for them to come, they would be placed in institutionalized quarantine upon arrival for 14 days! (Anyone coming into the country ends up either in the hospital - if they present symptoms; in institutionalized quarantine for 14 days, if coming from a „red” zone, such as the USA; or in isolation for 14 days at home (if coming from an area where Covid is not a major issue). So, Alex and Adora have been with our very gracious friends, Joel and Gerri Alderfer, ever since mid-March, when Ohio closed up the schools. Alex's internship has apparently just fallen through as well, so we will see what could be done next.

All schools have been closed here as well, and, officially, are not reopening this semester. Timotheus is going online for this session, as we need to keep going. My activity with them has included homework activity online, supervising one student's thesis, writing an article for the theological journal (just finished yesterday), and organizing for the teaching sessions to start perhaps as early as next week, or the following. Meanwhile, it's back to writing a few more chapters for the NT Greek textbook. Under the cover of the pandemic, our country's beloved leaders have passed a law in early April introducing compulsory sex education in schools. Also, in keeping with the socialist tradition and the PC demands to which we post-moderns have all become subject, they decided to hand out about 250,000 tablets and free access to the internet to kids from underprivileged households all across the country to enable them to do their school work! The stated reason for the handout is that "the children's constitutional right to education might not be infringed upon!" Problems arise, such as their time-to hand this out is September (when the schools reopen!); questionable criteria for identifying the really needy children, filtering programs for the internet, and their intention to recover these tablets from the students, someday... And the country is in such a huge debt! Another mess in the making!

In all the stress and the mess in which we find ourselves, the last picture represents beauty, hope, and new life - taken shortly after Easter from our garden - green grass, beautiful tree flowers, and the snow-covered peaks of the Carpathian mountains in the distance... We are so grateful for the garden where we could go out during this time of lock-down. And life goes on, for as long as the Lord tarries. 

Pray for us to be able to minister as the Lord leads - we know the whole situation is taxing on everyone both there and here. Pray for our kids to be able to come home soon. Pray for the church ]n Jina, as we are planning to start meeting this Sunday outside, in groups of about 50-70 people. Pray for people who have been convicted during this time of trial to repent, or to come back to church - one who professed faith, a few others who would like to put their spiritual house in order and return to church, ...Yet we all pray for the pandemic to end and for the Lord to keep us all in His care. 

In His love and service,

Dan & Ana, Alex and Adora