Sunday: This is the Church

Sunday with Attila is always a great day if a tiring day. We traveled to four different groups for worship. Each group is unique and adds a special quality to worship. Our schedule was Gornesti at 10 AM, Filpis Mic at 2:30 PM, Reghin at 4 PM and Apalina at 6 PM. I preached and Attila translated and led at each service. If I could bring one part of the worship back to the US, it would be the prayer time. To me that is the heart of the churches here. They are passionate in their commitment to prayer.

Gornesti church is filled with stories. The unique quality of the church is the blending of the Hungarian and Gypsy believers. Also, at least four mission points are represented in the morning worship. I believe the Gornesti church is and will be the center of a real mission movement of God in the area. Zoltan and Abigail Dohi are church planters working with Attila in a nearby Gypsy village. They just adopted a son who is a Gypsy and blind. Abigail is expecting their third child any day now. Zoltan and Abigail are doing a great work in the villages. Please remember them in your prayers. There was a chorus of greetings to Bonnie. Then, the greetings went to Katie, Anna, and Mary Beth who served in the Gornesti church over the past year. Their is a great spirit in the Gornesti church--you feel the present of the Lord--you can tell the genuine love that they have for each other. They are also very serious about the mission work.

We had a great meal at Miklos and Teresia's home. She is a great cook. She made a delicious Transylvania soup. We had a delicious meal. Miklos is studying through the Distance Learning Program at the Hungarian Baptist Seminary in Oradea. We had some great discussions.

The Filpis Mic church now has only three members who meet in the home of one couple. The village is somewhat remote in one sense. They have a deep love for the Lord. The church members keep up with what is going on in mission, believers around the world, and the needs of the other churches. They are a people of prayer. Their faithfulness and joy always encourages me. We shared the Lord's Supper together.

At Reghin, the worship is more traditional than the other churches and missions. But, the church is a unique blend of many older members and young people. The church is very committed to the mission work in the area. The younger people play an active role in the church. Every time that we go to Reghin someone from the church goes with us to Apalina Gypsy mission.

In Apalina Gypsy church, there is a great deal of energy. Many people come and their is a emotion in the service. I love their singing and they love to sing--it shows. Thereis so much exciting news to share. First, Adel is teaching 14 of them to read the Bible and to write. This is so exciting. Also, Attila has been working hard on developing leaders among the Apalina members. Now, the fruit of the efforts is showing with emerging leaders. New faces were in the congregation. During Christmas and January many became a part of the fellowship. This summer there will be a large number of baptisms.

Final Great news is that the paper work for the construction of a building for the Apalina mission has begun. All the legal documents and construction plans should be ready by the end of June. At that time, the foundation will be laid for the new building--their first building. Please pray as we seek partners to assist in the construction.