While Melissa H. is in Romania, we'll be providing regular updates here ... based on emails from the team.
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August 28Opening the day with a testimony from Elena Marza, the Constanta team members were inspired to serve the Lord with all their hearts today. Elena shared briefly about the persecution and imprisonment she suffered during the Communist reign in Romania in the early 1980's. Most of us were in tears as she spoke from her heart about how God sustained her through this time in her life and has since used her experiences to minister through her to others. For the majority, this was the first time we have encountered a "real" person who has truly suffered for their faith; not simply reading someone's story in a book. I believe we were all examining ourselves to determine if we thought we could have possibly passed the test as she did.The medical clinic began at Second Baptist Church in Constanta at 9am. Working in the balcony, the eye team, composed of Don Lincoln and a sister Romanian, saw 86 patients and dispensed 108 pair of glasses. The medical team treated 87 patients, with two of the doctors working in the alcoves of the baptistry!. Over 275 prescriptions were dispensed by our pharmacists; we lost count of how many patients we referred to Edgar Ludgar, our physical therapist. I was privilieged to witness his patients joyfully leaving the clinic; they were thrilled that he had spent so much time with them teaching them ways to relieve their pain and increase range of motion.Margaret McCrummen, on one of the church planting teams in the village of Istria, relates a story about a visit she had with a Romanian woman. They began talking with her outside the house, but they felt that they were getting nowhere as they tried to share the gospel. However, the lady invited them inside to have soup for lunch, and after sharing the meal with her, all of them encountered the Holy Spirit in a mighty way.Spontaneously, Margaret, her translator, and the woman all began to weep. They began to relay the gospel again and felt that "a light bulb went off!" The woman was very receptive to the message; she was 1 of 2 adults who returned for the evening service at the church (with 25 children!). There are more stories--I don't have time to share them all with you now--but God is definitely continuing to move here in Romania. Numerous seeds have been planted in just this one day, numerous relationships with non-believers and church members have been strengthened or begun. We are eagerly anticipating the work that God will continue to do in this area of the world.Lauree Jones
Medical Team Leader, Constanta, Romania
