Thursday, February 10, 2011
I want to introduce to you another member of our church, one who presently goes through a great trial. Her name is Ruth McLellan, she is the daughter of Brother Curtis and Sister Janet. She was received into the membership of our church by baptism in 2009. She currently lives in Glasgow, Scotland. At the present time she is in Oklahoma, helping her mother and father (this is the great trial I mentioned earlier). There are several things for which she asks and needs our prayers: her parents, the salvation of her husband and two sons, guidance for the future and strength to be a witness for the Lord.

Let me also introduce to you another ancient tradition of the Romanian people. On January 6th, the Orthodox Church celebrates “The Baptism of Jesus” (there is no coincidence that this holiday comes so soon after Christmas, since they baptize infants). This is an ancient pagan holiday called the blessing of waters. Orthodox priests go to rivers, lakes, springs of all sorts and bless the waters, to “purify” them from evil spirits. On the shores of the Danube River, the priests throw wooden crosses in the water and young men jump into the ice cold water.  They swim in a contest for its recovery. All those that jump will have good luck the rest of the year, but the one who gets the cross will be especially “blessed,” the priests say. This is just a part of their idea of “Christianity.”

We have good news regarding the literature work. This past month we distributed more than 6,200 pieces of literature and we are glad to see this interest in our materials. Two Christian libraries and one radio station are among those who requested our literature for distribution. The Reformers and their Stepchildren is almost ready to go to print, according to the printing house. The printing of the Trail of Blood is in progress. We reprinted the Gospel article I am looking for sinners. We have two new sermons by Spurgeon translated, one on Election and the other on Perseverance.

We need your prayers for the church’s conference. It will be on the 19th and 20th, this month. There will be 27 guests (22 confirmed their attendance, 5 will answer by the end of this week), many coming for the first time. The subjects we chose are: 1. The essential characteristics of the model church Jesus built; 2. Where to find the true churches in history; 3. Signs of apostasy. We ask you to pray for us, for the guests and for the conference that God may work through it and bring the chosen ones to the knowledge of the truth.

We THANK YOU all for your faithful support financially and in prayer for our efforts in preaching the gospel and establishing New Testament Churches!  Please continue to pray for all aspects of the work here in Romania!
Brother Raul

Dear Ones in Christ:
I feel burdened to include a paragraph on the economic situation in Romania.  I want to bring this before you as a matter of serious prayer.  The Romanians are now facing great economic troubles, the greatest since WWII.  Businesses are closing, the unemployment rate is very high; the government has reduced salaries and pensions and increased taxes to the point of making Romania the country with most taxes in the European Union, while its citizens are the poorest in it.  This has driven many people to desperation and distress.  All of us who are involved in the work there are quite affected by this crisis too.  With the dollar decreasing in value and a continual increase of taxes and prices things are very close.  (For instance, the last time we fueled the van we paid $ 6.60/gallon of diesel).  Our purchasing power is considerably down, since the price of fuel is a direct reflection of the cost of living.  We covet your prayers for this situation.  It saddens and concerns us greatly.  We trust in the Lord in this respect and have a hope that most do not have – that He is sovereign over the entire Universe, including the political and economic turmoil that we are facing.  We budget as closely as possible in all aspects of the work so as to do our very best to meet the requests for literature and preaching meetings as they come to us.  Pray, please, about these needs!  We feel that we must continue doing all we can in the work.

ABOUT JANET: Plans are in place to move Janet today from the hospital in Tulsa to the Select Specialty Hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Fort Smith is only about 25 miles from Poteau and I plan on spending time with her each day as God enables me.  Janet is “cognitively functional” – wakeful and alert – although limited in her physical movements – at this time able to move her upper arms, her facial muscles, her feet and to communicate answers to yes and no questions by blinking her eyes.  She has begun to form words with her lips, though of course she cannot speak because of the tracheostomy.  She is presently being nourished through a feeding tube in her stomach.  Her doctor believes that in time she should be able to speak and eat, after the tracheostomy is removed, of course.  At this specialty hospital she will receive all kinds of therapy as her bruised brain stem continues to heal.  All this is going to take time and we do not know how complete her recovery will be.  All this is a great trial for us, but we are trusting the Lord to bring to pass exactly what He has planned for Janet and me in this matter.  And we know that God works in answer to prayer, so we earnestly solicit your prayers on Janet’s behalf.

ABOUT MY HEALTH: Saturday night, the 5th of February, I was admitted to the same hospital where Janet was because my hemoglobin level had dropped to 5.  (About 15 to 18 is normal, I believe.)  Medical personnel think that my stomach hemorrhaged.  I am presently on medication to try to resolve the problem and on this past Monday my hemoglobin was up to 8.3 which is acceptable for me in my present condition.  I solicit your prayers so that I can both continue in the work, helping both in Romania and here in Poteau as well as spending time with Janet each day as I believe this is very important to her recovery.

SPECIAL THANKS: I want to THANK YOU all for your special financial help at this time, for your e-mails, cards, telephone calls and most importantly your prayers on our behalf.  I will not mention by name those of you who have helped, but you know who you are and more importantly, God knows and surely He will bless you for your kindness toward us.  “Thank you” always seems to fall short of what I want to say, but I assure you that I am most earnest in my thanks and appreciation for your help.  Although Janet cannot speak at this time, I am sure she would express her gratitude and appreciation as well, and so I say, “We thank you all!”  Please continue to pray for us!

OUR GIRLS: Our older daughter, Ruthie, is here from Scotland and our younger daughter, Anna, is also here with her 3-month old son, Isaiah.  I am very glad they are here with me.  They have been a great help.  Ruthie will be able to stay for a few weeks more, but Anna must return to Michigan in a couple of days or so to care for her family there.

POTEAU: We have another item ready to place in the newspapers here as we use this method of communicating the Gospel to the lost.  Please pray for this aspect of the work and for our contacts for whom we are burdened that they might be drawn to Christ.  I am out of space once again, but wish to join with Brothers Raul and Aurel and Sister Miriam in thanking you for your faithful help in both financially supporting the work in Romania and in praying.  God is working there.  Lives are being changed as God’s elect are taught the Word of God through literature and preaching and teaching.  Please pray especially for those who labor full-time in this work.
    In the cause with you,
    Curtis and Janet
   curtis@abaptistvoice.com
 

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