Here is a sneak preview of the baptism we were able to participate in with two of our students, Cristina and Dia. Dia and her mother and brother are pictured on the left. Robert, Jody and Randy are with Dia and Cristina just before the baptism at the Stanca Baptist Church in Cisnadie, Romania.

We praise the Lord for every challenge and blessing during our first week in Romania in 2017! Thank you all for your prayers. The first two pictures are during our first days at the camp. We were challenged by a mice invasion and some broken water pipes upon our arrival. After a week, we feel we have the upper hand. By God's grace, we evicted 22 mice in the first couple of days, along with the help of our cat that our dear neighbor Lenuta cares for. The well was also not fit to use for cleaning, so Lenuta was gracious enough to let us draw water from her well to use until we were able to flush and shock our well.

By the weekend, we were excited about the Sunday morning service where two of our students, Dia and Cristina were getting baptized. What a wonderful testimony of God's great work in the lives of two young ladies from unsaved families! Robert preached and assisted in the baptism, and Jody assisted the girls. It was also an encouragement to see both mothers and one brother from each of the girls' families attend. After church, the pastor and his wife hosted a meal for the girls, us, and their families. It was a welcomed time of fellowship and delicious food.

On Monday, it was back to getting the camp cleaned and livable. Our challenge for Monday were swarms of thousands of honey bees on our porch. For some reason, they were drawn to our house. The weather was warm but it made it very difficult to work outside on the well. However, Robert was able to get the well back into use by Wednesday morning.

Our fourth challenge came, when an electrical problem caused some wires to melt. We believe this was caused by a malfunction in the dryer. Praise the Lord not more damage occurred. Robert was able to temporarily resolve the issue and get the wires rerouted. He will continue to work on this after getting necessary parts.

Fifthly, the lighthouse was inhabited by pigeons sometime after Jody left in July. Evidently, they ate away some of the styrofoam insulation around the top and entered in. Everything on the inside of the lighthouse is covered with feces, and even a few pigeons didn't make it out. It will be necessary to repair the entrance locations before our departure. Pray that we can find the necessary respiration equipment to resolve the situation.

Sixthly, the vehicles had some problems after sitting for so long. The Land Rover is in for necessary repairs before passing inspection. We are praying that it will be finished before our scheduled return. It was more costly than we had anticipated.

Lastly, Randy has been elated to be here and for the first few days seemed to be doing very well, eating and enjoying Romania. However, over the last few days he started eating less, experiencing more chest and abdominal pain and lost about 5 pounds since our arrival. This evening he is vomiting. We are unsure if this is related to his existing health issues, or from something he ate.  Please continue to pray for him. Also, please pray as we reconnect with the youth in Ghijasa, the church in Nocrich, and others here in the village of Ighisu Vechi, that we would shine Christ's love in their lives. Finally, please pray as we have much more to do and only 2 weeks left, and for necessary funds to repair the vehicles and camp.

In closing, we would like to share with you,
Phil. 4: 7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
May the Lord's peace that we experience daily as we trust Him, also be given to you all as you serve our Father. 

Thank you once again for your prayers and support.