On August 6, our family was blessed by the arrival of Josh Swank, Ben Mott and Ashley Gordon. They have all come to help with the ministry here in Romania. We encouraged many of you to come to Romania for a mission's trip while in the States. Over the 10 months we were visiting with you, sharing how God had been using us in Romania, someone said I sounded like a recruiter. Call it what you will, I just have a passion for doing what we are doing, and I would hate to see someone else miss out on the blessings we have received.
These three young people are now sharing with us in these blessing, and on the 25th of August, another young lady, Tierney Williamson, from Sawyer, Michigan, will be, also.

We are also preparing for a construction team coming from Sawyer Highlands church, in Sawyer, Michigan, in mid-September. We are excited about their help with some inside and outside construction projects.

Our visiting youth have had an opportunity to meet the neighbors and visit some of the people in our village right away. Jody was able to re connect with her Bible reading neighbors for thier time of Bible reading.

On the team's first Sunday, we introduced them to our Romanian home church, Stanca, in Cisnadie, Romania. They had an opportunity to meet the youth group we have ministered to over the last 8 years, as well as, the rest of our church family. After church, one of the families invited all of us over for some good, Romanian, down-home cooking.

On Wednesday, we visited in one of the village churches near our home, Hossman. Ben Mott had an opportunity to share how God worked in his heart to come to serve in Romania. Brother Sorin Boica invited us to eat dinner with the church after the meeting. It was a wonderful time of fellowship. The church has a program that helps feed the poor. It was a chance for the team to see up close and personal, one of the many needs of the poor in Romania.

Our first project was to clean the well we use for water. Ben Mott, being the lightweight, volunteered to be lowered down, and clean out the sludge. If you have ever seen the show on Discovery Channel, World's Dirtiest Jobs, this one would have made it. Robert took over later. About 2 feet of sludge, and other unmentionable crude was removed, a well-casing was put in place and now we have much cleaner water!

We started tearing down the barn on Monday of this week, August 17. Here are a few pictures that show our progress. The young people that are with us have been a big help and encouragement. Thank you for your prayers during this time of construction. We start every morning out with prayer and a devotional, concentrating on how God has used us, can use us, and will use us in His service.

Days one and two (above) of tearing down the barn.

Ben Mott, pictured here, has been the man on the roof. Don't worry, Mrs. Mott, he was tied off (at least some of the time).

Josh Swank was the middle man. He was a big help in many of the hard to reach places.

Ashley Gordon even got in on the fun. She has been a big help to Jody, and today blessed us with her presence.

William, our son, as always, wililng to do whatever to make the job easier on everyone else.

We hope to have the barn down by the end of the week, Lord willing. We want to get the cement poured as quickly as possible, for the team coming in October from Kent Island, Maryland. This time, they plan on putting up a 25' x 45 ' all purpose room and camp kitchen. We are so excited for the possiblities of this camp. I will keep you updated on our progress as often as I can.