The Bucharest Concert Tour/Crusades

It was an exciting ride from Hunedoara to Bucharest.  We drove through majestic mountains and quaint old world villages along the way.  It had been 3 years since I was in Bucharest and I was very excited to return and renew some friendships that I have attempted to maintain via email and the internet.  As much as I enjoyed the churches and fellowship in the Western half of the country, I was looking forward to the civilization of Bucharest and the hustle and bustle of big city life once again.  The crusades were all scheduled in churches and halls that I was already familiar with and I was interested in how we would be received a second time around.

Rich always refers to our trips to Romania as a concert tour, but in reality, they are much more than that; especially this time around since time was put into training the leadership of the churches to personally deal with those who made professions of faith or wanted prayer in regards to their walk with Christ.  It truly was a crusade tour!

The Saturday morning Pastor/Leaders meetings were not as well attended as expected, but they were a blessing.  Overall, we had over 25 who came to hear me challenge them on the subject of “The Life a Disciple” from Luke chapter 9.  Even though many of the prayers that were offered up were spoken in Romanian, I enjoyed listening to their passion as they poured out their hearts to God asking Him to bless our efforts and to fill each venue with non believers.  And those prayers were answered!  Each event was filled with visitors, many who heard the gospel for the first time.

All 3 crusades (as I have been referring to them) were as good as the next in Bucharest.  As I stated in an earlier blog, the addition of the Romanian Impact Quartet was a real blessing!  They had never been to Bucharest for a concert tour so they were as excited as we were.  We were praying that they would be well received and invited back; and they were.  (By the way, they blessed me with one of their CD’s and DVD’s.  I would love to share their music with you sometime, just ask!  Yes, for some of you that will require a trip to AZ, but you have wanted to visit us anyway so let’s get busy and make plans!)  In the meantime, you can find them on the internet at www.impactquartet.ro and you can click on the “TRANSLATE” button and it will translate the entire site into English.

The first crusade was held in the new facility at Grace Baptist Church.  I never expected to see a brand new church in Bucharest.  The city is pretty much land locked but apparently not as much as I was led to believe.  The music was well received even though this crowd was a bit more subdued than the others in Bucharest.  There were a dozen or so hands for salvation and even more to re-dedicate their lives to Christ.  What a blessing it truly was.

The next morning, we regrouped and headed to the Scala Movie Theatre in the University district of downtown Bucharest.  We were scheduled to have the entire morning service at Good News Baptist Church, which meets in the Scala Theatre.  The last time we were in Bucharest, Good News met at the Sola Dallas Theatre, but since then, they have outgrown that facility and needed to move to a larger venue.  This was the crusade that was broadcast by Credo TV.  We were surprised to learn that the church had several things of its own that they needed to include in the service, but God worked despite the changes.  I met a missionary from Bolivia who is originally from Good News Church.  She is married to a Bolivian, they have 3 children, and they are planting a church in Bolivia.  She asked me if I would be willing to video tape a message to her husband who was not on this trip home with her and encourage him with what I thought the most important thing he as the head of his family and a fairly new missionary needed to focus on.  I shared that the most important thing that he needs to remember is to be a leader in his home, raising Godly children while he balances his calling in the ministry to serve God as a pastor and missionary.  Through the years, Roberta and I have met many a missionary and pastor who neglected the largest mission field they had, their own families.  I shared some other things with him and she seemed to appreciate my words.  We exchanged cards and I know that God will bring us together again someday.  We will wait and see how God brings that about!

I also had the opportunity to speak to an African woman from the Congo who came forward during the invitation and for several minutes, she was the only one who had the courage to walk down the aisle.  There were hands all over the theatre, but she stood alone until a husband and wife also came with tears rolling down their cheeks, but before we knew it, there were many others as well.  She made a point to tell me that just like the Samaritan women at the well, she had many friends from her village that need to hear about Jesus’ “well of living water.”  What a blessing she was!

The teens from the church performed a pantomime that depicted a girl who had received Christ.  Being drawn back into a world of sin, Jesus helped her overcome her struggles and protected her from the power of sin.  It was powerful to say the least, and it went so well with my message about the women at the well.  After the service I met a woman from Kansas City who is a missionary in Bucharest and a friend of the girl who was the main character in the pantomime.  She was very complementary toward our entire presentation and was impressed that the church allowed us to have an alter call.  Alter calls are rare in Romania, but we are trusting that the pastor’s will begin to understand their responsibility to invite people to make a public profession of faith.  Again, another small thing with great results!

Sunday afternoon was spent fellowshipping with the guys from the Impact Quartet over a lunch that lasted all afternoon.  We then headed to Holy Trinity Baptist Church for our last crusade.  I love this church!  I think, no I know, it is because the pastor is a great model to his people and they have energy like no other church we have been to in Romania.  It is unusual for the Romanian Christians to clap to the music without being prompted to do so.  Pastor Cornell was sitting behind me singing along and clapping away, and so was most of the church.  There were a lot of visitors at Holy Trinity that evening and both of the quartets were performing at their highest level and the Spirit of God was so prevalent.  Just like the 2007 tour, Holy Trinity was filled with young people and young families.  Pastor Cornell wanted me to give an alter call at the end of my message and invite people to come forward.  This was not their practice, but he wants to change that.  No one came.  So I asked if anyone had prayed the prayer I led them in and hands went up all over the place.  Afterwards, Pastor Cornell told me not to be discouraged that they did not come forward, (which I wasn’t) stating that he will have to change the way he does things and we will have to wait on God and see what happens.  I love this guy!  He is so happy and so encouraging and just warms my soul.  While the quartets finished with the last few songs after the message, a young girl by the name of Georgiana, around 16 years of age, came up and sat next to me.  She spoke in clear English with a Romanian accent and told me that she was too afraid to come forward during the invitation.  She apologized for that and told me that she was visiting tonight and that she knew Christ as her Savior but until tonight, she never realized that her relationship with Christ should include two way conversations with God.  She asked how she could hear God speak to her and we had a great conversation while the guys kept singing.  I encouraged her to begin with the book of John, telling her that it is a great love story of the love God has for her.  She was so excited by what I had to say that she hugged me and asked me to pray with her right there; again, another exciting experience of seeing God at work right in front of our eyes.

I saw a young man about 15 with blond hair and blue eyes and I spoke to him in English as I was heading to the back to shake hands.  His mother asked how I knew he could speak English and I told her that it has been my experience that most of the teens could speak enough English to have a cordial conversation, but with his blond hair and blue eyes, I figured he was not Romanian.  I was right.  They are missionaries with the Evangelical Baptist Mission out of Minneapolis, MN and they are working in Pastor Cornell’s church teaching small groups and teaching others how to run small groups.  This too is an unusual concept for Romanian Christians.  She told me that the work is off to a slow start, but they are plugging away at it.  I told her that I thought they were beginning in the right church and she told me how supportive Pastor Cornell was of their ministry.  I told you, I love this pastor’s heart!

Pastor Cornell had arranged a dinner for us after the crusade and we fellowshipped together one last time.  I was dreading saying goodbye to the guys from Impact and I knew that as we loaded up the van, we would be heading home.  As we were saying our goodbyes, we gathered in front of Impact’s van, (they had a 10 hour drive and it was already 10 P.M. and they all had jobs to go to in the morning.) Rich asked if I would close our time together in prayer.  So we prayed!  We had so many things to thank God for; our new friends, our old friends, willing churches, visitors, dozens of new converts, believers getting right with God, and the wonderful experiences God allowed each of us to have, individually and as a group.  We were all so filled with happy tears and the promise of a future tour together.

Bucharest, was truly a blessing to each one of us and we can’t wait to do it all again!  Thank you for praying for us through this journey.  God kept His hand of protection on us and allowed us to be used for His glory!  Wow, what a privilege, and you were a part of it all!

Now, don’t think this is all, because there is still more to tell.  Roberta and I are on our flight from Munich to Chicago as I write this blog, and we are traveling economy class and my battery is about to lose its power.  So, I will finish with at least one more blog from Christy and Andy’s home in Chicago as we recuperate, enjoy our kids, and spend a little Grandma and Papui time with Aidan.  Hold on, I’ll be back!

Pastor Al

Voice of the Gospel Radio

This is my 2^nd trip to Bucharest, the capitol city of Romania.  It is amazing the progress that has been made in this country since the revolution in 1989 and the overthrowing of communism.  Capitalism is on the rise throughout the country and change has been rapid.  Although the world economic crisis has hit Romania maybe even harder than in the USA, the people of Romania press on towards progress.  The Glory Gates Quartet knew coming in to this tour that the Christians would need to be encouraged in these hard times to not only depend on God, but to rejoice in His sovereignty.  Several of their songs (like “Under Control”) rang that message loud and clear and it was greatly appreciated by those who heard.  In fact, Vicky, our interviewer at “Voice of the Gospel Radio” asked several questions in regard to the hope believers have in Christ during hard economic times.

That brings me to the topic at hand, our Christian radio interview at Voice of the Gospel Radio.  What a wonderful experience!  Vicky, the main host of the station, warmly greeted us upon our arrival.  She was wearing a beautiful t-shirt that proclaimed her love for Jesus Christ.  She told me that it was the most precious piece of clothing she owned because she loves Jesus so much.  I also learned that she too was saved out of Greek Orthodoxy.  She was excited to hear my testimony.  She served us tea and fresh water and wanted us to get a feel for the studio.  She earnestly prayed over us before the taping began asking God to give us just the right words that the Romanian people needed to hear.  She interviewed all of us one at a time asking about our families, ministries, and motivation for coming to Romania.  The Quartet sang a song accapella and they also dubbed in a couple of songs from their newest CD.  She asked about the message I would be sharing at the crusades and its relevance to the Romanian people.  I shared a synopsis of the unusual conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan women at the well; a conversation that should not have taken place and that Jesus began this conversation because He was on a divine appointment to share His living water.  Throughout the interview we could tell that Vicky was genuinely touched as she continued to give us the thumbs up with many of our answers.

When we finished, they played the promo they had been running on the crusade concerts.  It was all so professional, yet the studio was so simple.  God has really blessed their ministry through the years and they are truly a voice for the gospel to the Romanian people.  Vicky has interviewed all of the big name speakers who come to Romania for crusades, concerts, trainings, etc.  Yet she was truly interested in what we were doing here and she ended our interview praying over us once again.  It was such a blessing to meet someone who is serving Christ with such power and love!

Our Sunday morning crusade is going to be broadcast by “Credo TV”, the Christian broadcasting network for Romania.  I’ll let you know how that turns when it is finished.  There is so much more to share, but you’ll have to wait until the next blog.  Until then, “Pace”,. (pronounced – Pache), Which means peace!

Pastor Al

Bucharest, the Capitol City

I briefly mentioned Bucharest in my last blog, “Voice of the Gospel Radio.”  It is a hustling and bustling city with a population of 2,064,000 people and it is the capitol city of Romania.  During the days of Ceausescu’s communist reign as Head of State, he purposed to show the entire world the glory and benefits of communism and how the Romanian people had all of their needs met and lacked for nothing.  Well, we all know how that turned out!  While Ceausescu was building the palace, which is the 2^nd largest human occupied building in the world, the people of Romania were starving in the streets.  The people finally revolted (for many reasons other than the building of the palace) and Ceausescu and his wife were both shot and the Iron Curtain of Communism began to crumble throughout Eastern Europe.

The revolution actually began in the City of Timisoara, (I wrote about that beautiful city in my first blog “Off and Running”) in 1989 and has resulted in a democratic capitalistic society; although they refer to their form of government as a republic.  The older Romanians are still not used to the new form of government and do not understand it, but the young ones certainly do and they are enjoying their new found freedom, especially the Christians.  During the communist regime, Christian churches of different faiths were allowed to exist, but they were never allowed to share their faith or evangelize in any way.  Romania as a whole is over 86% Greek Orthodox.  Actually, the revolution began in 1989 because there was a group of Baptists protesting in Timisoara over the arrest of some Baptist pastors who were arrested for preaching the gospel.  The economic and political climate set the stage for the entire country revolting against the government and the revolution spread from one end of the country to the other.  You can read more about the history and government of Romania on many websites if you are interested.

We didn’t make it to the palace on this visit, but we did have a tour when we were here in 2007.  It truly is a masterpiece of architecture and its lavish fixtures and furnishings still rub the people of Romania the wrong way.  In fact, many Romanians still despise its existence because it is a constant reminder of the abuse Ceausescu put the Romanian people through.  The palace is now called “The People’s Palace” because the government wants to convey the message of democracy and the people of Romania do indeed have ownership of the palace today.  While we were here, the rock band AC/DC had a concert on the grounds of the palace.  In our Pastor’s Conference on Saturday morning, they were praying for rain because it was an outdoor event and they were hoping that it might keep some from attending the “evil concert.”  We could hear the music blaring when we left Holy Trinity on Sunday evening and since the palace was only blocks from our apartment, we heard it well into the night and watched the crowd of 80,000 plus people dispersing at the end.  The Christians of Romania are very conservative in their music and even the Southern Gospel music the Glory Gates Quartet sings can be radical in some of the churches.  The young people love its beat and joyful sound.

Bucharest seems to improve with every visit.  The National Library is under major renovations at this time as are many of the block housing that was built during the communist era.  We were in the Titan District of Bucharest at Grace Baptist Church for our first Bucharest crusade.  It is a fairly new building with great sound and every technological advantage that a church needs to have for a productive worship ministry.  Some of our group stayed at the church with the Impact Quartet in a 3 bedroom modern apartment upstairs.  It truly was a great facility.  The pastor hired a couple of women to cook for us during our entire stay in Bucharest.  We had lunch and supper together every day and it was a blessing to not have to figure out where and what to eat.  They fixed piles, yes piles of food for every meal they prepared.  The Romanians typically have a 2 course meal for lunch in mid afternoon and a 1 course meal for supper later in the evening.  They served us a 3 course lunch and a 3 course dinner of traditional Romanian dishes (which are very similar to many of the Greek dishes I love to prepare) every day.  They truly enjoyed serving us and were a real blessing; although our waistlines do not agree!  A typical Romanian breakfast consists of sliced meats, cheeses, fresh bread, and a variety of vegetables; very healthy and always satisfying.

Roberta and I, along with Tim and Alice Shoemaker and Rich McIntyre stayed in an apartment downtown near the palace.  When we arrived, we learned the apartment Rich had reserved was not available and we were pleasantly surprised at the upgraded accommodations we received for the same price.  It didn’t have wireless internet, but they provided us with portable access through Vodaphone, which turned out to be a blessing because we could take it with us wherever we went.  We just had to learn to share!

Our time in Bucharest was very busy with 3 crusades over the weekend and not having the entire group staying in the same place resulted in more time spent running around the city regrouping for everything we did.  The busy schedule did not allow any time for sight-seeing or shopping, but Pastor Radu did take Roberta and me to a Christian book store to browse a bit.  The store was filled with all of the titles you would find at home, just written in Romanian.  Pastor Radu is actually in the process of translating some of R. C. Sproul’s writings into Romanian.  He said it has been a big project for him, but knowing him, it will be an accurate translation.  We did wish that we would have had time to go to Old Bucharest like we did on our first trip.  The Gypsies, the glass works, and the handmade wedding dresses and clothing are spectacular and people come from all over Europe to experience it and take home their findings at very inexpensive prices.  Overall, Romania is an inexpensive place for Europeans to vacation.  You may want to explore it someday if you are given the chance.

As I said earlier, Romania is progressing quickly and Bucharest was the most evident of that fact.  There seemed to be less pan handlers on the streets, more taxi’s, more shops, more entertainment, newer apartment complexes, and even the clothing was more westernized than any of us remembered, especially among the young people.  There are a lot more parks than I remembered and the fountains were flowing.  (They were not turned on when we were here in 2007 because of the cold weather.)  The avenue that leads to the palace is lined with fountains, which was part of Ceausescu’s plan to show the world what a beautiful environment his communistic leadership had provided for the people.  They indeed are beautiful, especially when they are lit up and flowing after dark.

All in all, Bucharest is a beautiful city filled with old world charm.  They need to hear about the love of God provided to them through His Son Jesus Christ.  I can’t wait to go back and share it with them!

Pastor Al

Medieval Hunedoara

Romania is definitely the “old country.”  The architecture is amazing and even more amazing is the age of the buildings.  Hunedoara is the home of the Hunedoara Castle built in 1320.  (And you thought your house was old!) 50 rooms, 4 circular towers, 3 rectangular towers, winding staircases, a moat surrounding the castle, and even a drawbridge, all make this castle exactly what you would picture a medieval castle in Eastern Europe should look like.  As we walked through the courtyards, hallways, knight’s room, and throne room, all I could think to myself is “what if these walls could talk!”  Actually, I’m not so sure that I would want to know what they might say!

Our Evangelistic Crusade was held at the largest hall in Hunedoara, “Sala Siderurgisdul”.  The acoustics were amazing.  I could just hear myself singing one of the Italian Operetta’s from my voice lesson days at Grand Rapids Baptist College with the melody ringing throughout the building with no microphone needed.  The crowd wasn’t nearly as large as in 2008 due to a storm that was rolling in.  Most of the people had to walk to get there and the pastor’s said they believed that is why it wasn’t full.  There were probably 800 – 900 people despite the threat of the storm, which began shortly after we left the hall.  The hall was used during the communist days by the steel workers union, which was the main source of industry for many years.  In fact, some of the steel manufactured for the Eifel Tower in Paris came from these factories.  In its day, the hall was also used for the proclamation of the glory of communism, and here we were, proclaiming the gospel, praising Jesus Christ, encouraging the saints, and watching lives transform as they came down the aisles to accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior.  If those walls could talk, they would now proclaim the goodness of the Lord, rather than the glory of communism.  What a difference!

Inviting Romanians to walk down the aisle to accept Christ and have a trained counselor pray with them is a new concept for the Romanian churches.  It was evident that the Pastor’s were a little nervous about the whole experience, but they cooperated and trained counselors before our arrival.  One Pastor shared with me that Romanians are afraid to prompt people too much to accept Christ because they do not want it to be an emotional experience, but an intellectual one.  I have been speaking all week about the Samaritan women at the well that Jesus engaged in conversation, and one of my points was how Jesus touched her emotions.  He said that it really meant a lot to him that I pointed out that fact and he knows that he needs to be bolder and more confident in inviting people to accept Christ.  What a blessing to once again know that one simple point had such an impact!

If you read my last blog, “The Children of Romania”, you read about my curiosity with the teens of Romania.  The hall was filled with them and many wanted to engage me in conversation.  One young man told me that he accepted Christ at our crusade in 2008.  He came from a Greek Orthodox family and he now attends a Pentecostal Church in Hunedoara and is growing in his faith.  His family is okay with this change because his father now considers him a man and he is capable of making his own decisions.  He is praying for their salvation.  Another young man, who learned English by watching English speaking movies, ended up as my translator at the door at the end of the concert.  I had gone to the foyer while the service was being closed and he engaged me in conversation.  As the people came out he was so impressed that I would stand by the door and thank people for coming that he asked if he could stand with me.  He tried to teach me a few parting phrases to use with the Romanians as they exited, try as I have, I will never remember them.  He commented that most of the people were saying in either Romanian or English “God Bless You” to me, but when he greeted them, they only said “Peace” in Romanian.  He asked why I get the blessing of God from them as an American Pastor and he only got their wish for peace!  He said he figured it was because he was not important.  I assured him that he was important and he agreed.  Another man approached me with a translator to tell me that he accepted Christ at our crusade in 2008 and he told me that also was a Greek Orthodox.  He had been living in Toronto, Canada and he was in Romania to visit his 4 year old.  He explained that he was divorced and he was living in Toronto because he could make a better living.  Well get this, after his conversion, he went back to Toronto and resumed his life there until he became convicted that his 4 year old needed to hear about Jesus too.  He moved back to Romania so that he could see his son and influence him for Christ.  He now attends Holy Trinity Church in Deva, where we held a crusade earlier in the week, and he gets his son almost every weekend and takes him to Holy Trinity.  He went on to say that he lives poor in Romania, but one day he will live in God’s house and he knows he will be taking his son with him, and that makes a life of poverty worth living.  Talk about the transforming power of God!

I could tell more stories of the conversations I was engaged in at this crusade, but you will have to wait to hear more of them at another time.

Our time in Hunedoara has come to an end and as I write this blog we are on our way (an 8 hour drive) to Bucharest, the capitol city of Romania.  I know that this will not be my last trip to Hunedoara, Lord willing, and I look forward to so much more.

Pastor Al

Deva, City of the Citadel

Holy Trinity Church of Deva was the sponsor of our 2^nd crusade.  It was a bumpy ride from Timisoara to Deva, but the views of the beautiful countryside diminished the effects of the bumps.  Deva is known as The City of the Citadel.  Built on the top of a volcano, it was strategically placed to defend the valley.  It is also home of the world famous Gymnastics Citadel where many gymnastic hopefuls have trained.

When I first came to Deva in 2008, I felt a real connection with the Pastor Russo of Holy Trinity and I was impressed that he had gotten the Greek Catholic Mayor of the city to attend the concert.  The Mayor enjoyed the concert so much that he invited a Governor and Senator to attend the next concert in Hunedoara.  (I’ll tell you about Hunedoara and the concert hall there in a later blog.)  Holy Trinity is in the process of building a medical clinic where they can show the love of Christ to the needy people of the city.  The Mayor has even been able to get public funds to help them get started in the project.  How cool is that!

Holy Trinity is a fantastic place to hold a concert with its 2 upper balconies and cathedral type ceilings.  The acoustics are fantastic!  Both quartets were in great voice and the crowd of approximately 1,200 people was filled with young people and young families.  I do have to say, that although they really enjoyed the music, they fought tapping their toes and clapping to the beat of the rhythm because they are still caught up in some of the traditions of old.  However, how refreshing to know that they are open to all styles of gospel music and they did a great job of filling the worship center with lots of visitors!

I am preaching the same message at all 6 of the crusade concerts this year.  John chapter 4 is the text as I share with the Romanians the unusual conversation Jesus had with a Samaritan woman at a well; a conversation that should have never taken place because Jews and Samaritans do not mingle and engage one another in conversation.  Jesus knew that He had a divine appointment as he engaged her in this conversation that changed her life and later, the lives of many in her village.

It is exciting to see the Holy Spirit work as I share bits and pieces of my own personal testimony of my conversion from Greek Orthodoxy mixed with the text of John chapter 4.  The Lord led me to ask the quartet to lead into my message with “Fill My Cup Lord.”  Even though I made this request at the last minute, they obliged and have been singing it with The Impact Quartet accapella.  The sound is amazing and a great lead into the message.  Thanks Rich for working it in!

I had an unusual conversation after this concert with a young man named Corneliu.  He asked me to pray that God would take him to heaven soon because he really was ready and wanting to meet God.  Through a pastor friend I met on the 2008 tour, (I will tell you about Siminel in a later blog), I explained to him that although we should be anxious to spend eternity with the Lord, that timing is in the hands of God.  I further explained that we will have all of eternity to spend with the Lord worshipping at His feet and basking in His glory but our time here on earth is limited and we have an opportunity to show the world the transforming power of God in our lives.  I assured Him that God wanted to use him to do just that.  He said that he had never been told that before and even though he is struggling with a terminal illness, (which I did not know when I answered his strange request), he would do his best to be used of God until He does take him home.  It amazes me how God can use me in the life of a total stranger and I look forward to meeting him one day in heaven and hearing the rest of the story!

There were about a dozen salvation decisions and a few more rededications again at this concert.  The Spirit of God is at work both in our lives and through our lives and it is exciting to be a part of this tour once again!  Thank you Paloma Community Church for allowing me this opportunity to share the love of Christ with these dear folks!  Now, don’t go away, there is still more to come!

Pastor Al

Off and Running in Romania

Here we are in the beautiful country of Romania once again!  This is my 3^rd trip and Roberta’s 2^nd trip to this very interesting place on the other side of the world.  When I was asked in 2007 to join the Glory Gates Quartet from Orange County, California to preach during their Romanian concert tour, I had no clue as to what I was getting myself into and I really wasn’t sure why God wanted me to go along, but I knew that He did.  The more I researched the history of Romania, the more convinced I was that it was the sovereignty of God that was drawing me to participate.  I had no clue that the state church of Romania was the Greek Orthodox Church.  Having been saved out of the spiritual bondage of Greek Orthodoxy as a child and then watching my parents come out of it later in life, I knew the message the Romanians needed to hear was their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ rather than the attempt to find favor with God through an institution.  So, here I am with another opportunity to proclaim that truth once again and God is blessing as the Romanians Christians bring their friends and family to the concerts and the gospel is preached.

Our trip began in Timisoara, the place the revolution began in 1989, which eventually resulted in Romania’s freedom from communism.  Timisoara is a great city with much diversity within its borders mixed with tradition hundreds of years old.  The town square with its shops, restaurants, Central Park, the opera house and huge cathedral, all add to its character and charm.  A mix of old and new is found throughout the city.

This tour, the Glory Gates Quartet has partnered with a Romanian Southern Gospel Quartet from Arad called “The Impact Quartet.”  Their sound is amazing and their youthful energy mixed with the sounds of Southern Gospel sung in Romanian, is a joy to our hearts.  What a blessing that God has brought these two teams together to share the good news of the gospel through song!  I might also add that hey live up to their name because they really are having an impact on all of our lives.

The first crusade was held at Bethel Baptist Church in Timisoara.  There were approximately 600 people and most of them had never heard either of the quartets before.  Many of them were there because a friend invited them.  It’s amazing how the young people of Romania respond to Southern Gospel music.  They love the joy of the music and tell me that they can truly relate to the comfort the lyrics bring.  10 people received Christ as Savior and 3 asked for prayer to get their lives back on track as they attempt to discover the true power that believers have over sin.

Tim and Alice Shoemaker, old friends from our Awana days in Orange County, were paired up with Roberta and I at the home of Dorel and Rodica Racoviccan for the first two nights.  Their hospitality was primo and their stories of the grace of God in their lives, was even more amazing.  They are gifted, hard working servants of God who blessed our lives richly.  I can’t forget to mention that they also had a poodle named “Poufy” who looks just like our cock-a-poo Capo’s little brother.  That made our stay with them even more like home.  Thank you Dorel and Rodica for allowing us into your home and loving strangers with the love of Christ!

Pastor AL

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Roberta speaking to the women at the Bethlehem Christian Center

Dear GGQ supporters,

I’m finally able to sit down at my laptop at a somewhat manageable time to write my blog for Tuesday, May 11th.  It’s 10:30 p.m. now, but with our schedule, I haven’t been able to blog until Midnight on other nights, which accounts for my typos.  So suit me!  Hahaha!

Before I go any further, I want to thank the families in Timisoara for taking all of our team in their homes for the first 2 nights of our trip.  Dan, ourRomanian Concert Tour director, and I stayed at Cipi (Chippy) & Ligia’s apartment.  What a nice young couple they are. The hospitality, food and love for serving God couldn’t be better.  We now have more Romanian friends for life!

After our concert on Saturday night at Bethel Baptist Church, Pastor Petrica Bulica had a dinner all set up in their fellowship hall for all of us.  When I say “all of us” on concert nights, that also means The Impact Quartet.  The Romanian dinner  was awesome!  You need to know that I think that Romanian food is terrific.  Kudos to the wonderful lady that cooked for us.  She was awesome and we gave her flowers and other things for her efforts and love for serving.  Thanks Pastor Petrica for setting this up for us. 

I cannot say enough how delightful it is to have the Impact Quartet with us.  I think that they are enjoying themselves too and it really offers a variety for the concert attendees, along with having a quartet from their own country singing too.  They actually speak excellent English and can sing songs in English, so we mix it up.  It’s a blessing to have them and their wives/fiance with us. 

We also have a professional video guy, Dragosmer and his cousin, “Larry” (that’s what we call him because his name was too difficult to remember.  Hahaha!) are awesome!  They are & will be capturing the essence of our GGQ Romania Ministries.  They are interviewing attendees at our ooncerts; pastors of participating churches; people and kids involved in the ministries that we support; etc.  I can’t wait to see the finished product!  You will be able to see the video of our concert tour when it is edited and posted on line.  We’ll have various lengths of the video posted in about a month.

On Sunday through Wednesday, Bob, Rob & I are staying at the Bethlehem Christian Center apartment in Hunedoara.  The Shoemakers and Wilseys are staying in one of their offsite apartments.  Thank you Corneliu for setting this up.  Our accommodations are PERFECT!!    

Ok, back to Monday & Tuesday.  They were relaxation days and to rest our voices; however, we did accomplish some very meaningful GGQ ministry commitments.  On Monday, we traveled to Petrosani to visit the missionary we support, Kelly Stark and her kids at the “Isaiah House”.  We just have so much respect for her, what she does and the impact that she has on her community.  For those who know of Kelly, but have never seen her “in action”, you have no idea how incredible she is and how well respected she is in that City.  We spent about 6 hours there and visited other old friends in that neighborhood.  It was great to see Catalina and her 3 cutie pie girls; “Little” Crina and her cute baby, Lenuta  and all the kids at Kelly’s.  

Kelly’s house is in total disarray with water leaking problems, mold and flooring problems, along with the continuing construction that goes on so slowly on her addition.  It’s incredible how much they are putting up with in the house.

If anyone has a heart for her ministry, and you can help out financially, you c an donate on our website at http://www.ggqf.org/donations & scroll down to “Kelly Stark & the Isaiah House Family Center”.

While the guys were with Kelly, Alice and Roberta  were into ministry needs and went to a camp in the mountains where they met with the leaders who will be working with kids with Autism.  Alice has special teaching skills in working with kids with special needs and was very welcome there.  The leaders had never worked with kids with Autism, so Alice brought her expertise and passed on valuable information to the workers at this neat camp.  Then Alice and Roberta went back to the Bethlehem Christian Center, where Roberta spoke to about 40 women.  Thank the Lord that Roberta & Alice were able to come on this trip.  They have been invaluable with all of the tasks given to them and the gifts that they have been sharing with the Romanians on this trip.   Thank you Roberta & Alice!!

On Tuesday, we did a little sightseeing and went to the “Citadel” on top of the hill in Deva.  This is a fort that protected the city of Deva and the tram ride up to the top of the hill is really neat and a little scary.  Then we went to that same camp in the mountains where Kelly & Roberta went on Monday.  We had our own time with the workers and kids there.  What a neat camp.  We sang about 4 acapella songs for them, including “This Little Light of Mine” for the kids.  We had a nice dinner with everyone and then returned to “home sweet home” at the Bethlehem Christian Center. 

What a wonderful 2 days that was.  Now it’s time for me to get to bed and rest up for tomorrow’s big schedule.  We have breakfast at 9:00 a.m.; then a fellowship time with pastors & leaders in Hunedoara at the BCC at 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  We go to Corneliu’s house for lunch and return to BCC to relax until 4:00 p.m.!  It’s back to performing a concert evening for us tomorrow at a big concert hall in Hunedoara.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Rich

Hey gang,

Well, an uneventful day today, compared to the first 2 days!  Wow!  We traveled to Deva and performed a concert at the Holy Trinity Baptist church.  It was a wonderful time sharing the gospel in music with Impact Quartet and Pastor Al’s messages.  God was truly glorifed tonight.

We are getting to know the Impact Quartet better and better.  Man, they are awesome!  Much better than us!  It’s amazing how they fit right in when singing songs WITH us.  They have lots of talent, and they are young!

There was about 1,200 people at the concert and we had a great time.  Many people mande commitments to Christ and it’s now up to God to work in the hearts of others who were there and didn’t make the commitment as of yet.

The church served all of us a wonderful dinner in their fellowship hall.

It’s getting late and Bob told me that I need to go to bed now.  Hahahaha!

Talk at ya tomorrow!

Rich