CURTIS PUGH
Missionary to Romania
Sponsored By The
GRACE
BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
26080 Wax Road
Denham Springs, LA
70726
Elder Jerry Dodson,
Sr. - Pastor
jerrydodsonsr@wmconnect.com
PRAYER LETTER FOR
SEPTEMBER, 2005
Thursday, December
15, 2005
Dear Pastors and Churches:
“Grace
be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen”
(Ephesians 6:24).
Probably
each of us knows what it is to fall into the hands of false brethren as
Paul did. How sweet and precious is fellowship with those who are
genuine in their love the Lord Jesus Christ! God bless you!
New
E-mail Address: I mention again our new e-mail address. It is
curtis@xnet.ro
New
Booklet: I have written both a critique of and a reply to Mr. George
Zeller’s ERRORS OF LANDMARKISM which appears on his church's web site.
If you wish to do so, you may read my booklet on our Church web site.
The Internet path is: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Grove/3718/landmark.html
Medical
Travel: It seems all we have done since writing last time is to run
to the doctor. I have done well enough, but Janet has had very painful
problems with her right eye. Three times we have had to travel to Hungary:
Twice to Budapest, once coming back through Debrecen. On that trip
Janet saw two specialists. The latest trip was to Szeged. This was the
most satisfactory diagnosis. We think that Janet does NOT have a virus
in her eye as first diagnosed, but that her eye does not make tears and
she must put drops in her eye quite often. She has little or no feeling
in that eye due to nerves damaged when she had brain surgery and so does
not always sense when drops are needed. Pray, please, for this ongoing
condition.
Bocsa
Meeting: I have finished preaching the series on Sunday mornings
from the parables of our Lord regarding the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven. Attendance is consistent and interest seems to be good. We have
not had any first time visitors since my last letter to you, but have had
returning ones.
Filiasi
Meeting: We travel to Oltenia to meet with the Brethren there
every time it is possible. This means making the 4+ hours drive each way
nearly every Lord's Day. Romania has a very bad highway accident rate and
drivers do as they please since there are no police on patrol outside the
towns and villages. Pray for us as we travel, please! The Brethren are
growing in the Word, full of Bible questions, and active in going out and
witnessing for the Lord and distributing our literature. Opposition to
our work there continues and much prayer is needed regarding this. At present
we are looking for a place to meet that is more public.
Literature:
Almost every month we run low on certain of the booklets and tracts
that we distribute. While we praise the Lord for the interest in truth,
this means we must constantly be reprinting and rebinding our publications.
Usually we print between 1,000 and 3,000 copies and it amazes us to see
the supplies dwindle! We have a “network of collaborators” – more than
twenty men who have requested supplies of our literature more than three
times (some many times more) and who distribute these tracts and booklets
in most of the counties of Romania. God has interested these men in the
truth – some of them we have not even met as yet – and they are zealous
for the truth they see set forth in our publications. Pray for these men,
please!
Opportunities:
Several of the pastors and students who have received A HISTORY OF THE
BAPTISTS have written to express their appreciation for the book. We expect
to visit two more pastors and give them the book and some other things
to in the next week or so. These men live in the city of Arad, near to
the Hungarian border. We have purchased the needed computer and it works
great! We have ordered the new color cylinder for the Risograph and are
waiting on it to clear Customs as it must come from Germany. God is good
to supply these needs and we are thankful to those whom God used to supply
these tools!
Janet's
Realm: For the first time since we moved to Romania, Janet has a clothes
dryer! What a luxury! This one is like many in Europe. It is NOT vented
to the outside, so it makes the bathroom really nice and warm in winter.
(We will see what it does in summer!) It has a condenser that must
be cleaned periodically and a container that catches the moisture from
the clothes. This water container must be emptied after every use
– but
keeps us well supplied with distilled water! It works great and saves
work and time!
Get
Acquainted with Romania: I thought you might be interested to learn
about the money situation in Romania. Right now we have two official currencies
as we are in the midst of changing from one to another. We have the Old
Romanian Lei (pronounced “lay”) and the New Romanian Lei. This makes things
a bit complicated. Let me explain: Ordinary things are now priced in the
New Lei, but big ticket items are usually priced in either U.S. dollars
or the newer European Union “Euros” as these are more stable than Romanian
money. However, everything must be paid for in Romanian Lei – either old
or new! (In fact, it is illegal for me, as a foreigner, to purchase
any currency except Romanian Lei.) Exchange rates vary daily, so you never
know how much purchasing power you really have. The Old Romanian Lei appeared
to be worth very little. One million (1,000,000) Old Romanian Lei is worth
about 30 U.S. dollars. So, as governments do, to make things look better,
they decided to move the decimal point 4 places to the left. (Well, actually,
Romanians do not have a decimal point, they use a comma instead.) So the
Old Romanian bill for 1,000,000 Lei is now worth only 100 New Lei. The
500,000 Old bill is now worth only 50 New Lei. And so forth. And then you
get to coins! For instance, the Old 500 Lei coin is now called 5 Bani and
is equal to almost 2 cents U.S. money. Just another little complication
to living in this former communist country!
Thanksgiving:
All of us here are constantly mindful of our dependence on God for all
things – and that He supplies our needs through you, our faithful Brothers
and Sisters in Christ Jesus. We pray for you daily and desire that God
will use you mightily where you are. We thank God for your consistent prayers
for us and your concern for and giving to this missionary effort. THANK
YOU for “holding the rope” for us as we labor daily in the Word here in
Eastern Europe! Please continue to pray earnestly for us and for the work
here!
In the cause of God and truth,
Curtis and Janet Pugh
curtis@xnet.ro
Preaching Baptist
Baptism, the Blood, the Book, and the Blessed Hope
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