Elder
Curtis Pugh
Missionary
to Romania
sent
by the
Berea
Baptist Church
P.O.
Box 39
Mantachie,
Mississippi 38855
(601)
282-7794
PRAYER LETTER FOR
FEBRUARY, 2003
Friday,
March 07, 2003
Dear
Pastors and Churches:
"...
to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto
you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter
1:1, 2).
This is our prayer for you all.
Last month's report included information about the CDs and litertature
which we have been mailing out in response to requests for the same. We
continue to receive some requests for these things and so have since last
writing continued to mail these things to various locations. Some have
indicated their gratitude for these things. One man was so helped to understand
free grace that he wrote telling us about this and asking for materials
for his pastor. We can only pray that God will acomplish by His Word that
which He pleases both in the literature ministry and in preaching.
On the 25th of February Janet and I drove to Budapest, Hungary (about 5
hours) to pick up two Sisters in Christ from the Landmark Missionary Baptist
Church in Granite Bay, California where Elder Rick Perdue is pastor. Sister
Truesdale is a young woman and Sister Buttram, the widow of the late pastor
there, is young in heart at 82 years of age. Their Church sponsored them
on this trip to visit the field of Romania. They are still with us as I
write, but we will take them back to Budapest on the 10th. They have been
a blessing and an encouragement to Janet and me and to the Brothers and
Sisters to whom we minister. We have showed them around a bit and they
have helped in the collating work involved in the production of literature.
I wish to thank this Church for their involvement in missions and would
encourage others to visit various mission fields. (This was the first time
since my surgery that I have driven so far in Europe without help and I
am happy to report that I was strong enough to do the driving without any
problems.)
We continue to have returning visitors at the mission services here in
Bocsa. I wish the attendance was more, but it does seem that there is increasing
interest. In the Sunday afternoon services and the Wednesday Bible Study
we have fewer people attend than in the morning, although our Sunday afternoon
services are growing a little. Counting the two visitors from California
this past Lord's Day, there were 19 people in attendance Sunday morning.
Besides these American visitors, we had 5 Romanians visit for the first
time (3 adults and 2 children). These seven and the three members along
with returning visitors made up the 19 people. Because of lack of chairs,
some children had to sit on the floor and we are about out of space. Please
continue to pray that we might find a suitable place to rent in which to
meet in Bocsa. There does not seem to be anything available that is suitable,
but God is able. So we look to and wait on the Lord for His provision
in this as in all things.
There has been interest on the part of some sovereign grace Baptists in
Siberia, Russia to have me come for an intensive two weeks of preaching
/ teaching. It is proposed that I preach in several Baptist churches there.
Our Church, Berea Baptist Church, has voted to authorize this trip. The
Central Baptist Church of St. Petersburg, Florida (pastor, Elder Steve
Shelton) has expressed great interest and has voted to have a major part
in funding this missionary endeavor. They have requested for safety reasons
that Brother Raul go along with me. It will be necessary to stay in a safe
hotel while in Irkutsk, Siberia and this will make the trip expensive beyond
just airfare, meals, etc. (Such a hotel will cost about $150 a day.) As
well as preaching and teaching on the doctrine of grace and church truth,
a part of the reason for the trip is to learn about these Russian churches
as to their origin, practices, etc., and hopefully, to open the door for
other sound Brethren to go there to minister in the future. We expect to
make this trip sometime in March. (Final scheduling is dependent on when
the papers from the Russian government arrive here.) Due to the great distance
involved it will be necessary to fly. Irkutsk is in southern Siberia or
southeast Siberia near Lake Baikal and only about a thousand miles from
Bejing, China. On our map it appears to be not far from the border Siberia
shares with Mongolia. We expect to leave Timisoara, Romania and fly first
to Bucuresti and then on to Moscow where we will again change planes and
fly on to Irkutsk. We ask you to please pray regarding this trip. Janet
will stay in Bocsa "alone" and I urge you to pray for her. If you wish
to have a part in this missionary trip, please, first of all, pray. Should
God lead you to do so, financial help for the trip can be sent to Berea
Baptist Church and checks should be marked "Siberia."
Brothers
and Sisters in Christ, it is both encouraging and burdening to us to see
how God opens doors of opportunity; for literature, for CDs, for preaching
and teaching, for distribution of Bibles, etc. All this in spite of continued
opposition from those who hate salvation by the free grace of God. Our
Lord said that the harvest is the end of the age. Then and only then will
we see and know what has been accomplished for the glory of Jesus Christ,
but whatever is done through the Word of God, surely you have a part in
it. If the Bible is true, and it is, you will be rewarded for your faithfulness,
love and missionary zeal. We thank you for your faithful prayer and financial
support and depend on God through you to sustain this work.
Pray for the Pughs.
In the cause of God and truth,
Curtis and Janet Pugh
curtis@xnet.ro
CURTIS PUGH
str. Izvor nr. 3
Bossca 1, jud. Caras-Severin
1725 Romania
Preaching Baptist
Baptism, the Blood, the Book, and the Blessed Hope
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