FROM THE HILLS OF ROMANIA,

Dear friends, family, and prayer partners,

     Wow!  I looked for last month’s newsletter to re-read, and discovered there wasn’t one!  Looks like we skipped September, and went from August to October.  Sometimes that’s just how fast time goes by, isn’t it?  “Time flies when you’re having fun”, but we’ve discovered it flies regardless of the activities.

     Nevertheless, God was working in September, and we want to share some events with you.  First, we were so blessed to have our home church, First Baptist, Dyer, along with others from Gibson County to spend a week with us. God used this team in an amazing way, as we divided the team and sent them into twelve different homes for a week of Bible studies, entitled “People Who Knew Jesus.”  As they shared the gospel message, and built relationships in homes, the Holy Spirit moved!  People were saved, others were drawn by the Spirit to want to know more, and believers were discipled and motivated!  We also had a great children’s team working each day with the young ones, telling them about the love of Jesus through stories, games, and activities.  We were so blessed to have this group, as they ministered to us as well as our Romany families!

     In mid-September, we had our FARM de-briefing.  What a fun time of hearing the stories from our young people on how God worked in and through their lives this summer!  From Bucharest to Czech Republic, from Cluj to Hungary, and points in between, our 18 Romany young people shared the gospel message with their own people!  God changed lives, both theirs and those they ministered to!  We look forward to next year, and are already planning to see how God will use them next summer!  Thank you Centrifuge and Lifeway for making this project possible!

     Last week, we were in Prague for the first ever Romany Summit Conference.  Missionaries from Central and Eastern Europe who work with the Roma were there to share their hearts, their ministries, their successes and failures, their plans and goals!  All sessions were video-taped for future training classes!  For us, this was not only a time of sharing, but also a time of renewal and motivation.  We are thankful for ALL who work with the Romany people, and for Boyd Hatchel, our Strategy Coordinator who has such a vision and heart to see the Roma reaching the Roma around the world.

     Oh, and did I tell you that in the midst of all this, we got a new car??  We were able to buy just what we wanted, a Nissan Pathfinder, 4x4, 7-passenger vehicle.  It is a 2005 model with low mileage.  How God does provide!

     Schools and universities started in September and October, and we are so thankful to be able to help ten young people with their education.  Money has been provided to aid these Romany youth in their expenses, so that they can attend high school or university.  It is our prayer these young people will get an education, prepare themselves for a better future, and bring back into their communities and churches the leadership and faithfulness that is so badly needed!

     Our continued thanks to the Median Sunday School class of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Medina, Tennessee!  As fall turns into winter, our churches are needing wood, and your gifts will help to provide their heat for the winter. 

     Bob is busy preparing for the SC Training school he will attend next February.  Please pray for him as he studies and completes homework.  Gayle started a women’s Bible study in Spiru Haret, and needs your prayers for wisdom, discernment, and for the continued enthusiasm of these precious women.

     Also pray for the new believers in our villages, that they will get the follow-up and discipling they need.  Thank you for praying for Wes’s dad, Mr. Charlie Banks, who broke his leg in a car accident while visiting Wes and Tamara and the boys.  He is doing well, and hopes to be able to return to the States in the next couple of weeks.

     Fall is my favorite time of year.  As the leaves change, the air gets crisper, and the smells begin to remind us of holidays, we are so thankful that as God promises the change of the seasons, He also promises the steadfastness of His unchanging love!  Our prayer is that each of you will glorify Him, even in the hard times, and that we will all acknowledge how good it is to be one of His!

Down any road,

Bob and Gayle