transylvania diary: July 2005

july 2005 newsletter

Dear friends, prayer partners and supporters,
Thank you for helping us to give a cup of cold water to the thirsty, for making it possible to show the Love of Jesus. With your support we can proclaim Life and shout out the Christian message of Hope.
Here is our latest news from Cluj-Napoca Transylvania, where the sun shines sometimes but much rain is still falling. As I write this letter lighting is flashing at the window and hailstones are bouncing off the glass. Along with most of the country we have waterlogged fields but many in other counties have lost both their houses and all of this year's crops. A major factor in the level of damage and mess has been caused by poorly maintained dams and river banks and also the fact that many houses were built in the last 15 years in areas liable to flooding. However, corruption is the underlying cause of 80% of the losses as the money for river defence has been stolen by the local officials and the companies charged with doing the work. We pray that the guilty will be brought to account.
The weather has not stopped our house building and so far this year we have erected 3 double room cabins and 2 single cabin houses. The houses we build at Pata Rat are an addition to the housing stock because all our new house tenants have donated their old shacks to others in the camp. This means in practice that the numbers crowded together in each shack will reduce a little. An Austrian work team has also helped us by installing a new public standpipe nearer to the camp, a water supply to our Sunday School building, and a metered supply to our partly built shower block.
Mariana Moldovan and her family were the first we rehoused this year, helped by a Christian Dutch drug rehabilitation group. These work volunteers put up Marianas house in 2 days. We had enough money left over to put electric lights and sockets in this house, and Mariana is absolutely delighted to be able to sleep in a dry room. Mariana has had great changes in her life this year she has been faithful in coming to church with her daughter Petruta walking 8 km in all sorts of weather to get to the service. Mariana has a very good garden this year mainly because she now has faith in herself she believes she can grow food for the winter and she knows with Gods help she will succeed. Mariana has also gone back to work this year, 20 years after her last employment, and is working for the ministry. Our baby house needed to replace a maternal assistant who was leaving so we offered Mariana the job. She is delighted to be working with the children although she was at first scared of the washing machine complications and cooking on a gas stove but she has adapted well and the children love her. Some pictures of Mariana & her house are on the internet at www.clujnapoca.blogspot.com
Something new in my own ministry is with the Prison Service. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I visit Cluj and Gherla prisons as part of an education and social reintegration program. Cluj prison is a remand center so I meet and teach different detainees most weeks whilst Gherla is a maximum security unit for prisoners who will be detained for a very long time. Gherla gives a chance to develop structured Biblical education and make relationships. My aim is to bring Jesus into these dark places and let the Holy Spirit work in these mens hearts.
We have a lot of other news that will have to wait till our next letter, news about visitors from Scotland, about our street evangelism, the "Destiny" conference in Bucharest and all our plans for summer teenager and youth camps and not least our progress in building our own wooden cabana. We hope to be living in this cabana before this winter D.V.
In Romania we are still in touch with the horrors and evil in the rest of the world and we have just heard the latest bad news. We condemn completely the evil bomb attacks in London and pray that the deranged minds who planned this can somehow turn to Christ, turn to Life and away from senseless death and destruction.
Latest National News:- Romania has changed all its banknotes and coins, we have lost 4 zeros so our million lei note is now a hundred Lei. The government has just resigned after an argument with the communist judges in the Constitutiuonal court who refused to pass laws reforming the justice system. We expect a general election in October.
Please join us in prayer for the Church in Romania that we can feed hungry hearts
Pray with us for unity so we can all move forward in Love
Pray that honest men will be elected to the new government
Pray that the Justice system reforms and the new property laws will be implemented.
Pray for the youth of Romania, pray that children will be taught the Word of God
Thank you dear friends with all our love and every blessing.
Martin & Trish
Str Anina Bl AA1Apt 47
Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
email robertson.martin@gmail.com
A taste of our ministry can be seen at www.faf.ro