Friday, March 17, 2006
Dear Pastors and Churches:
    Thanksgiving:  I want to do something different this month.  I'm not too old to change!  Here at the first of the letter (instead of the last) I want to express to all of you our gratitude for your prayers and your financial support.  Your regular giving has continued faithfully and many of you have been led of the Lord to “dig deep” and give most generously to the special need we had of repairing the car.  Your giving has exceeded the need!  With your agreement, we have established a “car repair and emergency fund” out of which we will pay unexpected needs.  We believe this to be good stewardship of the Lord's money.  THANK YOU, again, for your generosity and faithfulness!  You can view the details of this account on the financial report each month.
    Medical:  Since last writing Janet has been seen by the specialist in Timisoara, Romania and he has prescribed a non-magnifying contact lens to hold moisture on the cornea of her right eye.  This has helped greatly in two ways: it has reduced the eye pain and improved her vision!  She uses far less drops than before, also.  As for me: I had gone about 2 moths without a “siege,” but in this last week had a 5-day “spell” with fever, severe joint and muscle pain and really bad malaise.  I am back to work now and feeling good!  We are thankful that these “sieges” seem to be farther and farther apart and it has been sometime since I had the “spots.”
    Bocsa Meeting: Our attendance in Bocsa is back to “normal” with one young man (seminary grad) waiting on baptism when the waters are suitable.  Right now they are too high and expected to grow higher as flood season is coming upon us once again.  Interest seems to be good.  Since all those who attend our Wednesday evening services can at least understand English, we have been introducing some good hymns in English in these services.  The words of these old hymns are a blessing to all who attend.  Of course our Sunday services are centered on the Romanian language.
    Filiasi Meeting:  Our last two trips to Filiasi have been especially rewarding.  The first saw 3 returning visitors and two of these were with us again the last time we were there.  One young man (25 years) said he would see us “next time.”  He is a believer in sovereign grace and we hope that God will add him to the group there as he is fed the good Word of God.  With these and the regulars and one Brother who traveled with us from Bocsa last time, the little room in which we meet was just about full!  Praise the Lord!
    Literature:  Pray for us! We are running out of literature!  We try to keep a good supply of our publications on hand, but requests are exceeding our storage!  At the halfway mark through March, we have distributed 13,300 pieces thus far this year.  Most has gone to Romania, but some to Serbia also.  We must catch up!  Nothing is simple or easy here and much time is taken up with other necessary things, often hindering the production of literature.  But we continue!  We rejoice to tell you also that Brother Tom Ross’ OUTLINES OF SYSTEMATIC BIBLE STUDY (from T. P. Simmons) has been translated and soon will be published by us in a series of small paperback volumes.  We believe this will be a real help in doctrinal matters all over the country.
     “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job …”:  While we do not think we were in danger of loosing the mission property, we had a distressing thing to happen – until God turned it into a time of rejoicing!  We have always been current with our taxes here – and, by the way, Romania knows nothing of “tax exemption” for churches or non-profit missionary activities.  The town of Bocsa decided to enforce a little-known law and charge us more than $2,000.00 property tax for the year!  And the amount would increase from that sum every year!  We consulted with a lawyer friend (a believer), our accountant (a believer), and two legal notaries as to what we could do.  Every option would cost us money and some would be very involved and time consuming – taking us away from the ministry of the Word.  I believe God directed us to take the option of having a “plat” drawn up, and an evaluator hired to re-evaluate the property.  The result is that we escaped having to pay the two-thousand-plus-dollars tax, and the amount of our tax is now reduced by half the amount it previously paid each year!  Since these emergency costs were not in our monthly budget, we paid them out of the special emergency fund as you will notice on the financial report.  So that you will know, these will be reflected in next month's report as they were paid the first of March.  We rejoiced greatly that God has led us and resolved this problem for us!
    Only to us and only in Romania: As I was sick last Lord's Day, Raul used the Nissan to take some people home from the Sunday services.  I suggested that he keep the car in his fenced yard.  As his old car was “not well,” I told him to drive the car back to the mission property for work on Monday morning.  Sometime around midnight at Raul’s the car alarm went off.  Guess what!  During the night a rat had come, evidently from neighboring uninhabited buildings, crawled up on the transmission (manual) and gnawed through the imitation leather that keeps air and gasses from coming in around the floor shift lever.  The creature entered the car and had a midnight snack on about 1/3 of the material surrounding the shifter!  So we have ordered this part and hope no more rats will develop a taste for the synthetic stuff!  “Asta I viata in Romania” – “this is life in Romania” – as the saying goes here!
    Janet's Realm:  Curtis, Aurel and Raul loaded the washer into the Nissan and took it into Timisoara to be repaired – and we got it back the same day!  There were two bearings that had to be replaced and now the washer works fine.  Now Timisoara has two new stores – one something like Walmart and the other a grocery supermarket from Germany.  Competition is good for prices and more “western” type products are available.  I can now get oatmeal (cookies, breads and breakfasts) and peanut butter (crunchy AND smooth from U.S.) as well as better quality canned goods which are imported from other European countries, mainly Italy.
    Get Acquainted with Romania:  Sunday-before-last at midnight marked the beginning of the Romanian Orthodox “Lenten” season.  The Orthodox Church, like the Roman Catholic, has blessed and sanctified many pagan customs, incorporating them into their “Christian” religious practices.  One of these was an ancient fertility rite that included the rolling of fiery wagon wheels down hills near settlements.  This was practiced in certain parts of the country.  Straw would be fastened to the wheels, lighted and the wheels sent careening downward off the hills.  Now most wagon wheels are made from old car wheels and tires instead of the wooden ones.  Somehow this ancient pagan rite has “evolved” into the modern custom of staying up late and burning old tires along the streets and highways in front of the houses.  People gather and drink homemade alcohol, listen to music, visit and have a final “good time” before the beginning of Lent at midnight.  Coming back from Fililasi that night, we found one city on the bank of the Danube filled with the stinking smoke of burning tires.  We stopped and asked some young adults why they were burning the tires and they could not tell us the reason!  Even the name of the celebration – “Lasata Secului” (the ending of the century?”) –  is of uncertain origin and/or meaning!  So the people blindly follow pagan customs thinking they are honoring God and His Christ.  All this and Christmas, too!
    I see I am out of space – again!  Pray for the Pughs, for Aurel, Raul and those of your Brothers and Sisters who love the truth here in this country – as well as for the lost whom we seek to point to Christ!  May God bless all of you with great grace in your faithfulness!
In the cause of God and truth with you,
    Curtis and Janet Pugh
    curtis@xnet.ro