HAVEN'T SEEN IT IN AMERICA IN 36 YEARS
It really is hard to believe when you are on yet another street meeting
somewhere in the world...just happens to be here in Romania...ho
hum...just another street meeting... how man hundreds does this
make...wait...wait just a minute...look at those people standing in
front of the "gara" (train station)...they aren't moving...they
are...can't be...they ARE...THEY ARE LISTENING...there must be 60 of
them...they really are listening...some are very near...maybe only 15
ft. away...uh oh...something must be wrong...why is that lady
crying...did someone hit her or something...no...no...couldn't be...it
just couldn't be...what do you call it...it's been so long...oh
yea...conviction...haven't seen that on the streets of America since the
days of Wesley and Whitefield...hold everything...what is
happening...there is another lady crying...what do we
do...eh...eh...should we preach more...stop and deal with
them...pray...errrr...Pastor Logan is preaching his heart out...I am
holding a banner and praying...our Romanian men are passing tracts and
doing one-on-one...OUT OF THE BLUE...COMES THE PRINCE OF THE POWERS OF
THE AIR...RIGHT ON TIME...actually, it was the chief of the train
station with the police..."Do you have authorization to be here" (in
Romanian, of course)...one of our Romanian men skillfully grabs the
authorization papers and leads them well clear of this amazing
scene...Pastor Logan continues preaching "The devil doesn't want you to
hear these truths...he wants to stop this work of the Lord...pay no
attention to them ..." he then asks me to preach, probably so he can
pray for wisdom...when I finish he very tactfully gave an invitation
(isn't that something you're supposed to do inside a church)...he
carefully explained the plan of salvation, via interpreter, and
challenged them to come and get on their knees...he said he would join
them...seven came forward...Bro. Logan bowed the knee along with four of
the adults on the cold, diry sidewalk...they all prayed and wiped
tears...we had our Romanian people do follow up work and give them info
on the church...My...what a time on the streets.
Gypsy Sunday School
Using great wisdom from the Lord...and because we only have one room for
the whole church...we have decided to have a children's hour Sunday
School one hour before our regular Sunday AM service...we have about
22-30 kids...mostly Gypsies...but they have grown to love us...and we
can't imagine a Sunday without them...our Romanian ladies are working
with them with songs and memory verses...the photo attached shows the
class with their paper heart envelopes to keep their memory verses in as
they learn them...it is a thrill to hear some of these Gypsy kids say
their simple memory verses...we taught them the jump-up-and-down
song..."Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah...praise ye the
Lord...girls against boys...faster faster, faster...they love
it...during the week all of them beg for money in different sections of
the city and many times we will be out and about and they recognize
us...they greet us by singing..."Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu,
hallelujah...praise ye the Lord"...we respond with a hearty "Buna Ziua"
and a big hug...folks around us have no idea what is going on...on the
street meeting at the gara last Saturday...one of the cabbies heckled us
by turning up his boom-boom radio and opening his cab doors...I went
over to contend with him and with great vehemence he said..."If you want
to really do something for Jesus, you ought to feed these poor Gypsy
kids"...I said, "We do, every Sunday morning...with bread and meat,
cookie and apple as well as with love and plenty of the bread of the
Word of God...and that is why they love us"...he did not know what to
say except to cuss after that...
I have started teaching a doctrines class on Sunday afternoon...an hour
before the evening service...sort of an adult SS class...I am dealing
with basic doctrines from the Word of God and it is well received...this
will serve as an appetizer for our Bible institute...
The greatest place to be is under the spout where the blessings of God
come out...the center of the Lord's will
