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
MARCH, 2003
Tuesday,
April 15,2003
Dear
Pastors and Churches:
Greetings in the Name above every name, that of the LORD Jesus Christ,
the Good Shepherd, who loved us and gave Himself for us. May this letter
find each of you doing well.
Toward the end of February two Sisters-in-Christ came to visit us from
the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Granite Bay, CA. Sister Tern
Truesdale and Sister Aline Buttram were with us until the 10th of March
when we drove them back to the airport in Budapest, Hungary. They were
an encouragement and a help to us here. We thank God for their visit with
us. Our high attendance at the mission in Bocsa in March was 19. Also in
March we produced in Romanian one tract and one sermon book. "Thirteen
Things A Lost Man Cannot Do" (Pugh) and FREEWILL - A SLAVE (Spurgeon) were
prepared and some distributed. Two packets of CDs and 3 of books went out
while Brother Raul and I were away in Russia.
We were busy with preparations for the trip to Siberia following our return
from taking the Sisters to Budapest. A trip to Bucuresti was necessary
to obtain the actual visas for Russia from the Russian Embassy. This is
an 8 hour drive each way and required an overnight stay as we applied for
the visas on the 17th and had to return the 18th to obtain our documents.
After driving back on the 18th we flew out of Timisoara on the 19th and
were scheduled to arrive in Moscow on the 20th but, due to poor visibility
(fog and a late blizzard) we were unable to land in Moscow as scheduled.
After circling Moscow for an hour, we were flown about 2 hours more to
St. Petersburg and there kept on the plane for 3 hours. Then we were allowed
in the terminal for another 3 hours and finally flown back to Moscow (another
2 hours). The "2 hour flight" lasted more than 13 hours! So, having missed
our plane, we were a day late in flying from Moscow to Irkutsk.
While in the Irkutsk area Brother Raul preached 4 times and I preached
13 times. Brother Raul had 3 question and answer sessions - 2 with the
young people of the #3 Irkutsk church and 1 with a class of grade 6 students
in a public school. I had6 conferences with members and pastors
of 4 churches - these 6 added up to more than 18 hours of Bible questions
and answers. I preached in 5 different churches in 4 localities. Irkutsk
has a population of 650,000. Angara has a population of more than 300,000.
Svirsk has a population of 15,000 and the population of Markova I do not
know, but it is a "bedroom community" just outside Irkutsk.
As you would imagine, usually winters in Siberia are severe. It was mild
when we were there. Irkutsk is a sprawling city built on the banks of the
Angara and Irkut rivers. Its cement main streets are plagued with potholes
and frost heaves making driving "interesting." Residential streets are
dirt - mud when we were there. Most people, it seemed, live in huge Communist
era utilitarian apartment buildings in poor condition. While there are
a few neighborhoods of new brick houses belonging to the "new Russians"
(Mafia, black-marketeers, unscrupulous business men, etc.,) most houses
are old log buildings. Many of these are sinking into the ground due to
the frost action. Some are sunk almost up to the window sills and others
only a corner or two are sinking, making the houses tilt crazily. Many
of these houses are without running water. In such cases water is carried
from scattered public faucets. Busses, trolleys and taxis furnish transportation
for most people.
Work is plentiful, but wages are low. A salary of $100 a month is a "good
wage" and many make only about $55 a month. About the only crops that can
be grown there are potatoes, carrots, cabbage, red beets and oats for animal
food. (Shredded red beets and shredded carrots are two common breakfast
items. You eat them with topped with mayonnaise flavored with a little
horseradish.)
Some churches to which I preached meet in converted dwelling houses. One
church rented space in a library and another in an art school. The Markova
church meets in a member's home. Irkutsk #3 meets in the "fellowship hall"
of an unfinished church building they are constructing. One pastor along
with his wife and 5 children live in a 2 bedroom apartment and another
pastor along with his wife and 7 children (9 people!) live also in a 2
bedroom apartment. I think such crowded conditions are common. Few Baptists
own cars and those are usually older Russian models.
In response to our preaching and conference times we saw changes made in
two churches. These churches seemed to have a sound origin and they practice
"churches-starting-churches." They had been using leavened bread and wine
in the Lord's Supper. They had been practicing "close" (denominational)
communion. They had been allowing the Sisters to speak out and pray aloud
in services. Before we left it was the practice in these two churches for
the Brothers only to pray aloud, and both had changed to unleavened bread
and served the Supper to their members only. We left them an assortment
of good books in the English language (one pastor reads English well) and
left amid near-tears and strong embraces. (A more detailed report of our
Siberian trip will be forthcoming for those interested.)
Again I am out of space before I am done. Our THANK YOU is extended to
those of you who help us financially and to those who pray earnestly for
us. Please pray for the Pughs and the work in Romania.
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
