What a day! We began the day with a tour of several of the poorest areas of Arad. These are parts of the city where the Roma (gypsy) community live. The churches here are burdened on how to reach this culture within the culture. The Roma have separated themselves and, in some cases, have their own separate language. The Hope Church has some property near the community that they hope will be used for some sort of outreach in that area.
In the afternoon we went to a youth camp that is run by the churches of Arad. It is located in the countryside of Romania about 2 hours from the city in the village of Sistarovat. They host over 900 youth every year during the summer and they are making a major impact for the Kingdom of God in that area. We toured the facilty and met some of the staff were preparing for a group of about 150 youth arriving in a few hours.
Tonight we were a part of three worship services. I preached at a church in the village of Lipova…Daniel preached in another village called Radna…Reed preached at a youth service in Arad (Adam and Matt leading worship). Jim S. and Roger L. shared testimonies and once again we were all blessed in the services. The Romanian churches are gracious hosts and they are passionate about their worship.
Tomorrow we will be leading the second session of our leadership training seminar and then get a little time to see Arad.
Please continue to pray! We miss our Parkwood family and are extremely grateful for your love and support.
Blessings!