.From Manastur Baptist Church in Cluj.
Dear brothers and sisters From Leeds, Greetings from Cluj! Thank you for your involvement in our church projects. In this year we continued to support families and people in need, both financially and with food packages. The young people of the church had a camp this year, which was attended by 40 young people. Also this year we organised two youth conferences attended by over 120 young people. Seven young people who attend our church have benefited this year from scholarships of 500 lei (approximately 100 pounds each). We continue the support of brother Hoca at the Roma church in Floresti and the support of the Reperuc family house. From the money you sent, we supported a brother from the church in Floresti, who helps brother Hoca in his work. In the lines below we send you some thoughts from the young people of the church who benefited from your help. We wish you a holiday full of peace and joy! God bless you!
- Dear brothers from Leeds, I really appreciate your help and I want to thank you for that. I am a 3rd year student in mechatronics and like last year I am still involved in many of the church activities and events. I am very thankful to the Lord for you and I pray that God bless you all and keep you close to Him. Best wishes, Daniel
- Hello, my name is Giura Ioana and I am 19 years old. I am a student at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. I would like to thank you for the financial support you are giving me. It is a great help for me. May God bless you and take care of you as you do for me. Thank you once again!
- Hi, my name is Veja George and I’m 19 years old. I am a high school student at Emanuel Baptist High School in my hometown, in my last year. I am also an active member in my church, mostly as a cameraman for our live transmission. I want to say a big thank you and God bless you all.
- Dear brothers from Leeds, my name is Ban Paul Cristian and I’m so thankful for this opportunity that you gave me to have this money. I’m a first year student at Faculty of Food Engineering and I think this money will help me a lot with my everyday program and going out with friends and buying need for me. I am really thankful to God for you. I pray that the blessings that come from Him to multiply and He bless you and your families. I will pray to God to keep you safe and healthy. With love and appreciation
- My name is Fodor Iustin (Justin in english) and I am 18 years old. I study at a Mathematics and Computer Science High School in the 12th grade. In future I would like to study at the Law School. However, may God’s will happen, and I want to thank you for your generosity. I am thankful for this and I really aprecciate it. God bless you!! With gratitude, Iustin.
- Hello, my name is Mohamed Zidan, and I am from Palestina – Gaza. I study biochemical engineering in my first year, here in Cluj. I received from the church money you offered me and I would like to thank you for that, and I wish for you a happy Christmas full of God’s love.
- Dear brothers and sisters from Leeds, Thank you very much for your support during these particularly disconcerting times. It means a lot to us professionally, as it helps us focus on our studies, but also spiritually, as it shows a deep and Christ-like compassion to us, brothers and sisters who live abroad. I am truly grateful for your support and wish that somehow, sometime in the future – either here on earth or Home, in Heaven – I will be able to see you face to face and to thank you in person. May God bless you with peace, health and joy in the years to come, and have a very happy Christmas! Sincerely, Rebecca Cojan
From Zsuzsi and Andor Ferko, pastors at the Hungarian Reformed Church at Udvarhely.
Dear brothers and sisters! It is so good to see and to hear as this message is delivered invisibly, in silence by the presbyters of our church. We know, deep in our hearts, that the eternal and true God tells this to us, since as member of one body we were called to peace by his son, Jesus Christ. He is our Lord who at the first Christmas showed himself to the world as a vulnerable infant, being a gift of faith whom we can recognise and acknowledge as our Saviour and our Redeemer.
In these days our lives have been tossed like boats in the unpredictable storms on a surging sea. We have been tossed by the waves of discouragement or fear. During this year we could have experienced several times as boats of our lives sprang lakes as we, together with the Master, were sailing towards our life goals. It saves lives when we can hear: “Don’t be afraid!” says Jesus, who has come that we may have life and have it to the full.
“Fear is the man’s most torturous enemy. It is opposite of creative, productive power. It narrows the human’s horizon, in both figurative and literal meaning. It splits the person apart and it makes him diffuse. It may benumb or paralyze you completely. Firstly, it makes you unable to work, then it might make you unable to live”, says Gyökösi Endre. However, according to Eugen Peterson “the root meaning in Hebrew of salvation is to be broad, to become spacious, to enlarge. It carries the sense of deliverance from an existence that has become compressed, confined and cramped.”
Truly, god does not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of strength, of love and of self-discipline, through which we can cry: Abbá, our Father! The horizon is expanded by him, fear disappears, we are released from the condition of hopelessness, aimlessness. The gospel of Christmas becomes reality, source of power for us. Can we be glad about this?
It can be lifesaving to hear: Rejoice!
Joy in biblical meaning does not denote an increased emotional condition, but condition which can overcome bad and good days. This source of joy, the faith could guide the wise man to be brave enough to confess that: I’m not able to carry my life in my hands. I cannot keep my life but I know the God who keeps the world in his hand.
Dear brothers and sisters!
We wish that love of Christ fills your homes and lives and it makes you realise how much God loves you and you are not alone. Our heavenly Father came to bring joy, redeem and salvation.
Andor & Zsuzsi & Bence & Abigél From Nicu Reparuc in Cluj
From Nicu Reparuc in Cluj. He and his wife Rita run the Bethany family house providing a home for a number of children. Nicu also has an evangelistic ministry in villages elsewhere in Transylvania.
Thank You for your card I have received (from us at MBC) The Christmas time has gone and the new year is approaching. The last days are passing from this year so that we are thinking of the previous year how many people suffered (from coronavirus) and dead among them. Rita’s parents both of them died during eleven days in November…. Rita was also staying in The Hospital about 30 days. She is home now but is not feeling very well. But anyway is better now. So many people have died this year…in our country. We are living by God’s grace, and working in the Lord’s ministry…..at Bontida, and some other villages like: Bercea and Topa Mica….. Lord Jesus is coming!
Please pray for us! We wish you a Happy New year! Greetings to You all (The leadership team staff and Romania support group). May The Lord bless You richly in the new year!
With much Christian love Reparuc Nic