Monday September 15, 2003
Dear Pastors and Churches,
    The Word of God says in Isaiah 12:3, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." What joy God gives right in the midst of opposition and difficulties! To experience the "joy of the LORD" (Nehemiah 8:10) is a wonderful thing. Such joy is NOT happiness, for that comes from "happenings," but such joy as cannot be understood in human terms belongs to the children of God.
    Janet is doing well in the United States. She is getting to "mother" our three granddaughters as well as being with Anna, our younger daughter, and Mark, our son-in-law. If possible, while there she hopes to also visit her father and brother in Little Rock, AR. and my mother in McAlester, OK. While I miss her terribly and look forward to her return, I want her to have a blessed and enjoyable time while in the States. I am not exactly "happy" to have Janet away, but I am rejoicing with her in her being with our loved ones.
    Our literature work continues and has been enlarged this past month. Our postage costs have just about doubled due to the increase in packages we have mailed out this past month in answer to requests for literature. The ladies at the local post office tell us we are their second biggest customer in our little city second only to the government bank and ahead of the city government. While there are several who have written to us thanking us for the things they requested, some of our literature has fallen into "enemy hands" and they have sent word they are upset with us. One man who lives down near the Danube River wants to have a "confrontation" with us; I think he means a public debate. I doubt this will develop, but ask you to join with us and pray for all those who read our materials. God can change minds and hearts and that is our desire. Arminian prejudice and anger are NOT insurmountable obstacles for the Lord God Jehovah! Like Saul of Tarsus, the self-righteous religious zealot can be brought to fall on his face and cry out to God!
    I have wanted to go and preach and take our literature into the Republic of Modova for a long time and have written about this goal, as many of you may remember. (The Republic of Moldova was once a part of Romania, but was separated from the mother country at the end of WW II, I believe. So the people there are Romanian speaking even though Russian has been more or less forced upon them.) We are making definite preparations (not just plans) to go there, preparing literature, etc. and hope to make the trip around the end of this month (September). We have some contacts there that have been delighted to receive a complete set of our literature and want more copies for distribution. To make the trip I must purchase a Moldova tourist visa and pay certain fees as well as buying special Moldova car insurance, but other than these and normal travel costs, it is just a long, long, rough drive from our SW corner of Romania to the NE corner and then across the border into that country.
    We are also greatly rejoicing in the recent baptisms of Brother Aurel Miclea, Jr. and his sister, (Mrs) Eunice Capracea! These two young adults expressed their desire for baptism to me individually and upon the vote of Berea Baptist Church I baptized them in the Timis River about 30 miles from Bocsa. (Our little river here is terribly polluted, and water levels have been at record lows so it was needful to travel this distance.) Pray for Brother Aurel and Sister Eunice, please. They are opposed byArminian family members; their father is a deacon in an Arminian church; but these two faithfully attend services and are serious Bible students, understanding much about free grace and church truth. Brother Aurel works with us in translating and preparing literature for distribution. Sister Eunice is qualified as a kindergarten teacher, but is presently unemployed; probably because she has identified with our Church.
    I do not want to appear to be dramatic, but because of certain American "missionaries" who visit Romania periodically and who have access to our prayer letters, I have and will in the future refrain from talking about certain specific aspects of our work and will most certainly refrain from mentioning some names of people with whom we labor. I want to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove in this matter. Some preachers and seminary students who are coming to understand something of free grace and church truth are facing real opposition from their pastors, professors, and denominational leaders because it is known they have contact with us. Some who have distributed out literature, books and CDs in the past may pay the price of being expelled from seminary and not be allowed to graduate. Such is the vile hatred of the natural man for the truth of God. The dictatorial authoritarianism of the old communist mentality is prevalent here among those in places of authority; even among nominal "Baptists." Pray for these young people who know too much truth to go back to Arminianism and universalism; God knows their names and their needs.
    I am out of space; again. THANK YOU for your faithful financial support and for your earnest prayers on our behalf! Do continue to pray for the Pughs and Romanian-speaking people.
    Pray for the Pughs!
    In the cause with you,
    Curtis and Janet Pugh
   curtis@xnet.ro
    CURTIS PUGH
    str. Izvor nr. 3
    Bossca  1, jud. Caras-Severin
    1725 Romania