Pictures at the assembly

Benone and Costel

Mihail and Florin

Benone and Costel

Tray for the Lord's Supper and box for giving

Latest book printed God, the Bible and Common Sense by Leroy Brownlow


Florin




Mihail


Mihail and Florin


Costel teaching


I am speaking during the worship hour

Happy Holidays!

We wish all our supporters and friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here are some photos of the boys' Christmas program at school.








Ethan and his teacher






Ethan reciting a poem










Singing carolls






Nathaniel reciting a poem










Nathaniel waiting to begin


Our tree with presents






Hannah opened a gift


Ethan has a gift


Santa visited Nathaniel too

Email Message

Below is a translation of part of an email I received from one of my students from this summer. I thought you would enjoy reading it:

Dear Mr. Eric,

I have tried repeatedly to send you my thoughts at your address, loaded with a thousand thanks for what you have done for me.

I want to tell you that I have read on my vacation more than have the Bible which you sent, as I told you that I printed it in town (I had given him a New Testament online). Now I am translating the Bible without reading any more English. I have familiarized myself almost complete with the vocabulary from the book (probably the English booklet I sent). Additionally, I have learned for the first time the content of the Bible which has impress me pleasantly. I don't know if I have well or not, but I sent the content of these books also to a friend and she told me that it gave her so much pleasure to read it that she found the decency to make comments on the margin of the contents of the Bible, with a girl from China. In turn, the girl remain impressed with the Holy Book.

I hope to keep in touch if you do not change your email address.

We wish you happy holidays together with a warm "To many years" (greeting for the New Year).

With special esteem,

The Martinescu Family

---

In response, I have invited him to come to worship this Sunday and the following Sunday to meet the Christian men. I hope to set up a study from the VBSS correspondence course and to give him our most recently printed books.

...

Draga d-le Eric,
Am incercat in repetate randuri sa va trnsmit gandurile mele la adresa dv. incarcate cu mii de multumiri, pentru tot ce a-ti facut pentru mine.
Vreau sa va spun ca am citit in concediul mai mult de jumatate din Bilia pe care mi-ati trimis-o, dupa cum v-am mai spus am tiparit-o in oras. Acum traduc biblia fara sa mai citesc in engleza. M-am familiarizat aproape complet cu vocabularul din carte. In plus am aflat pentru prima data continutul Bibliei, care m-a impresionat placut. Nu stiu daca am procedat bine sau nu, dar am trimis si unui prieten continutul acestei carti si mi-a spus ca i-a facut o mare placere sa o citesca incat, a gasit de cuviinta sa faca comentarii pe marginea continutului Bibliei , cu o fata din China. La randul ei fata, a ramas placut impresionata de Sfanta Carte....

Eu sper sa tinem legatura daca nu va schimbati adresa de e-mail.

Noi va dorim Sarbatori fericite impreuna cu un calduros " LA MULTI ANI!"

Cu deosebita stima Fam. Martinescu

The Lord's Army

Hannah's new favorite song is the Lord's Army. Here is her version (or what it sounds like):

"I may never march in the apple tree,
ride in the cavity,
shoot the empity...."

What Nots

It has been a long time since my last post. We've been quite busy. As many of you may know, we have decided to return to the states in January. Our belongings shipped out December 4 and we will fly out January 8. We will then hit the road to give our final reports to our supporters for the next three months. In the meantime, I will be looking for a job. I've already sent out about a dozen resumes to congregations. I already have a good prospect for one, and I will update you on how that is going.

Last month we brought in an addition to our family. One of Stephanie's students gave us a kitten for the kids to enjoy during the rest of our stay here. His name is Smokey. We will give him back to her when the time comes to leave. Taking him back with us to the states will be hard on us and especially on him since he would have to stay several months in quarantine.

Stephanie and I continue to study with four students. Paul and Rachel have three students between them. We also continue to prepare the Christians for our departure. We have received our new book Help and Healing for Those who Hurt by Tom Holland.

Our website has been switch to an American server under the address www.studiatibiblia.org so that I can more easily manage it from there.

Death Wish

I received the following message below to show you the language in which the pain this person has gone through and that prompted her to write to our website. This is at least one reason why I desire to keep the website up and running when I get back to the states. You can see some of the pain that human ignorance of the Bible, particularly about human nature, has caused. The translation is below. I've responded to the email since.

"Imi doresc foarte mult sa mor...Cand eram mica am incercat sa ma sinucid consumand o cantitate foarte mare de alcool insa...nu am reusit.La varsta de 16 ani am fost lovita de o masina dar...am scapat doar cu o contuzie la genunchi.Am fost foarte suparata pe D-zeu ca m-a scapat cu viata dat fiind faptul ca El stia cat de mult imi doresc sa mor.Toata lumea imi spune ca sufar de depresie de aceea imi doresc sa mor dar...nu este deloc adevarat.Eu cred ca e vorba de un blestem sau poate sunt de vina parintii mei pt. ca nu m-au botezat la nastere,eu fiind pana azi nebotezata.Simt ca sunt speciala in ochii lui D-zeu dar nu inteleg de ce permite ca eu sa sufar atat de mult si nu-mi ofera si mie un pic de fericire" (name withheld)

"I very much want to die...When I was small I try to kill myself by consuming a very large quantity of alcohol. However, didn't succeed. At 16, I was hit by a car, but I escaped just with a contusion on my knees. I was very upset with God that he allow me to escape with my live because He knew how much I was to die. Everyone tells me that I suffer from depression; that is why I want to die, but it is not true at all. I think that it is about a curse or perhaps it is the fault of my parents becasue I was not baptized at birth, me being unbaptized until today. I feel that I am special in God's eyes, but I do not understand why he allows me to suffer so much and does not offer me a moment of happinness

Conference 2007

We had a pleasant time of fellowship at the conference. I will try to post some pictures if I can find some (didn't bring my camera ; ) Anyway, it was my last. I understand that the subject this year "Do not grow weary in well doing" was chosen in part for the specific encouragement of the brothers in Iasi.

Update: Our prayers have been answered concerning our landlords desire to ask us to deceive the bank. They found a solution that would leave us out of whatever deal they plan to make. We thank God that the pressure has been lifted from us and that our relationship with them remains the same.

Tomorrow we are driving to Bucharest for the conference for the churches of Christ in Romania. You may ask, "conference?" Well, you could call it a lectureship. I'm translating the word that the Romanians use for it. This one will be my final one.

Stephanie and I have begun to take inventory of our possessions here so that we can begin selling what we do not want to keep. We are planning to ship back only the essentials and make a fresh start once we move back to the states. We have decided to move back in January. The elders at Parsons will send a letter to all of our supporting congregations about it. The Hollands have applied for work at the Tompkinsville, KY congregation. If they are accepted, they will move around the same time. If not, they will stay until April or May.

We are also trying to prepare the Christians here for our departure. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we make this big transition in our lives.

God bless,
Eric

Corruption

Just when we thought that we found a landlord that we can trust not to ask us to lie, I found today that is not true. Only this time, he and his family want to do the opposite of what previous two landlords did. Those landloards wanted more money, but wanted to declare less to the state so that they did not have to pay taxes. Well, our current landlord wants to declare more money, without actually paying more. Today, they asked if I would be willing to sign a contract that declares that I am paying them 2600 lei in rent per month, instead of 1300 lei so that they can get a loan from the bank for a house. They would actually pay taxes on the the 2600, which I suppose increased their chances for loan approval. As diplomatically as I could, I told them that I cannot sign a paper that declares that I have given them so much money, when in reality I have not. I told them I would be glad to help find a solution, but I could not lie. I am appalled to be asked to lie. We have a good relationship with them, having shared a meal in their home. I just pray that it does not affect their opinion of me since I would not be helping them. I told them that they have the prerogative to increase the rent (at least not before our present contract is up), but I did not say that I have the prerogative not to pay and then move. Our next move will not be here, but back to the U. S. Please keep us in prayer as we handle this situation.

Mr. Filipovici

"I am learning both the Bible and English and my thoughts are changing". This is the essence of what my Bible student Mr. Filipovici said to me last Tuesday during our Bible study. I have been studying with him for over a year and I have seen his enthusiasm grow from just wanting to learn English to wanting to learn more about the Bible. I have not gotten into deeper study with him yet. It will come in the second series of lessons. However, I am patient. I would rather that he take his time soaking in God's word than for me to ruin it by giving him too much at once. This is pretty much typical of studying with those raised in Eastern Orthodoxy. Mr. Filipovici has said that when the temperatures get cooler he would come to worship some time. He has yet to make that step, but I tried to drop some hints Tuesday. I showed him the living room where we worship and the songbooks that we use. I beg you to pray for him. His heart is the most open of all my and Stephanie's students.

Songs

May you be encouraged with the songs on the following page: http://www.austinvillecoc.org/music.html

Have a great weekend!

Summer's End, Fall Begins

At the beginning of September we and the Hollands spent two days at the Black Sea where we were able to wind down from a long, hot and busy summer. I will post pictures later.

Last week, Ethan and Nathaniel started school. Ethan is in Romanian second grade and Nathaniel is in the preparatory class. Romanian children usually start first grade around 7 years old. On the side, the boys are being homeschooled in American subjects. Ethan is in third grade and Nathaniel in first.

Alina Badea is a Christian from Bucharest. She will be with us until next May. She will spend her time proofreading material and translating books and material that we plan to have printed. We plan to print the following books: Help and Healing for People Who Hurt by Tom Holland; God, the Bible and Common Sense by Thomas Warren; The Church of Christ by Everett Ferguson; Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians by Earl Edwards; and From Riches to Poverty to Glory (a harmony of the gospels) by H. B. Frank.

We continue to study from the Romanian Bible Academy material.

I am preaching a series from 1, 2 Timothy and Titus.

We continue our one-on-one English/Bible studies. I have three students now. Stephanie has divided her ten students among Alina and Rachel Holland. Please pray that hearts will be open to accept the gospel.

All of the men are now in Iasi. Sister Granic is in Palermo, Italy, where she works. She attends worship services there in Palermo. Florin continues his work at Selgros (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selgros). Benone returned from the Black Sea coast where he worked as a cook for a hotel restaurant. Mihail has been looking for a job for few months now. He is now working a couple of weeks in another town.

Costel has recuperated from the ordeal with his hand. I am not sure when he will receive a prosthesis. He might need another procedure done to ensure that he can get one that fits. I am not sure at this point what his work situation is now. Beginning in November, he will take a course on environmental ecology.

Benone and Costel have agreed to begin taking over the editing and printing of our magazine Apa Vie. They have also begun sharing in the teaching of the adult Bible class. Please continue to pray for all the Christians in Iasi as we prepare for our departure next May.

I, too, have begun an independent study as part of the MDIV graduate program. I am writing a 50+ page paper on icons in the Orthodox church. This paper will present a history of the controversy, will study the Orthodox rational for icon worship, and will present a Biblical evaluation and how such a study will help the church in Romania. This paper will not be a simple tract, but an indepth study of the subject with extensive research. In the future, I intend to translate it into Romanian. I pray that it will receive a good response by the Romanian brethren. I ask for your prayers as well.

man nutrisystem

Have a laugh

You might not see anything related to missions in this post, unless you think that a good belly laugh helps your stress level seriously drop. Warning: very contagious.

Miscellanous stuff

Well, it has been almost a month since I have posted anything new. We've had another busy month. For two weeks, two young ladies came from Faulkner University came to Iasi to assist us in our campaign. They have since gone and are now beginning school again. One of them was deeply moved and affected by Costel's situation. She says that she has grown spiritually because of having been here.

I am continuing my two studies. Stephanie took a break in August and will resume studies with her 11 students next month. Actually, she plans to share some of her students with Rachel and a Christian lady from Bucharst who is planning to come to help us next month.

Alina Badea is a Christian from Bucharest. She plans to help us for the next nine months to proofread and translate more material for printing. In the meantime, I will be preaching from 1 and 2 Timothy. I am also enrolled at FHU graduate school to write a 50-page paper on icons. This paper will be a historical and biblical study on the veneration of icons.

Next, Monday, September 3, the hollands and our family are going to spend a two-day vacatio on the Black Sea. Florin's sister runs a kind of inexpensive bed and breakfast there. We plan to rent a van to take us up there at once. I have finally broken down and sent off for my international driver license for the first time. I probably won't be able to use it this time, but I hope to do so in the future.

We received our final identification cards and visa.

Check out this live webcamera of Iasi: http://www.hotelunirea.ro:8000/cgi-bin/guestimage.html

Well, that's it for now. I pray God's richest blessings on you today.


Eric

A Goat!

Stephanie looked out the window and found a goat right outside our window, eating grapeleaves that had been cut down and piled thereby our landlord.

Campaign

We have been conducting our July campaign using World English Institute materials. Stephanie has six new students, Rachel four, Paul one and I three. Paul's student and my student left for vacation in the middle of July for vacation, so we will follow up when they return. My other two students had to cancel due to job obligations.

As you can see in this sweet photo of Hannah, we are having a positive influence on our children in what we are doing. Stephanie walked into one of the rooms set up for the studies and found Hannah imitating a Bible study that she had heard Stephanie conduct. Hannah looked up and said, "Shh, I'm studying with my student" and continued to pretend, jabbering as in a study. Stephanie left quickly to scramble for the camera to capture this moment. Hannah then closed her book and said, "Ok, see you next time." As you can see, she had her book upside. :)

Well, I turned 34 on Friday, July 27. One of Rachel's students, Silvia Romanec, baked a U. S. flag cake Thursday and brought it to a study. Her husband owns a bakery in town. So, we used it as birthday cake (but I'll still want Stephanie to make my coconut cake when she can!). It was a good occasion to make a team picture and to send it to Mrs. Romanec.

Update on Costel

Two weeks ago, Costel had all his fingers on his left hand amputated to just above the knuckle. He has two more treatments to go. He will be fitted for a prosthesis, which the factory he worked for will help purchase. Costel is still on medical leave until the end of the month. He has been told that he will be able to work at the same factory but possible with fewer hour or at an easier job. He should be able to get on some kind of government support, but the amount will likely be quite small. We just have to wait and see how all these things work all before we know exactly what he will be up against in the future. We appreciate all your prayers on his behalf--He does too.

Nathaniel's Birthday party and July 4th Cookout

Here are some pictures from Nathaniel's birthday party.

Wednesday we all took a break from our studies to go out to a nearby lake for July 4th cookout.

Zack and Elizabeth

We would like to share with you the blog site of our good friends Zack and Elizabeth Opheim. Zack and Elizabeth came to Iasi last year at this time to help us with our campaign: http://www.zackandelizabeth.blogspot.com/. They married at the end of May and are doing missions in Nicaraugua. They are fairly fluent in Spanish. We are glad to have befriended our brother and sister in Christ. May the Lord bless their work with much fruit.

WEI (2)

This week we kicked off our second WEI campaign. We began with eight students. I myself am studying with three new students, in addition to my on-going studies with a student from last year. Stephanie is studying with three new students. Paul has one and Rachel two.

My morning student is a math teacher and speaks very well. We are studying through the first book of the series. My two afternoon students are father and daughter. He, an engineer, is an advanced beginner whose main difficulty is speaking. She is a marketing student at the university. I first started him on the basic beginner course, but he thought that he could handle the meatier studies of the second series. I am glad since the studies will progess much faster toward teaching him the truth. He has a very kind, jovial personality and I have enjoyed studying with him and his daughter every day.

I ask that you pray for the success of this campaign.

WEI

Next week we will begin to study from the World English Institute material. So far, we have about 12 people who are enrolled, 4 just today. One lady wanted to come by to see where we are. She was very kind, but was scared to go inside our house when we arrived. We conversed on the front porch. She was taken aback that we would not accept money, not even for the material we will give her. I told her that we are a non-profit association and cannot accept money for it. Her reaction is not surprising because of the way money-hungry people are in the world. Some can even be suspicious even if it is free. "Perhaps there is a catch" is what people will often think. This lady works as an zoological engineer at a meat packing plant and offered to bring us a frozen chicken or something. Stephanie told that would be fine if that will make her feel at ease.

I had one person to want to enroll, but as soon as he found out that we were teaching from the Bible, he decided not to. Because people are so prejudice against anything non-Orthodox, I have just taken the study of the Bible out of the announement so that the net we catch more fish. I think after people get to know us and after we have attempted first to study the grammar, then we will introduce them to study of the Bible. In this way, they can decide then if they want to think for themselves religiously and to study the Bible on their own. If not, we'll just have to throw the catch back and let it be.

Please pray for this effort in July and following months.

Nathaniel's last school day

Today was Nathaniel's last school day. His class put on a few skits, one being the Wizard of Oz in English. Nathaniel was Uncle Henry. A later skit has Nathaniel citing something in Romanian, but was not able to capture it on video. Below are a few pictures.