theamenministry

Dear Friends and Partners,

Thank you for your your prayers during our recent mission to Romania.  We knew you were praying for us throughout the entire trip and that continually encouraged us.  Almost everyday God reminded us He is in charge and we are not.  Most of the plans we had made ahead of time did not happen due to weather or other circumstances, but the Lord amazed us with how He worked out His plan.

We had hoped to do mostly street evangelism in Halmeu (location of the newest church) and then have the week culminate in the first baptism service in the new church.  Rain, sleet, and later four inches of snow hindered most of our street evangelism.  Then we were disappointed to hear that the baptism would not take place because the man who was scheduled to be baptized had to be in another country due to his work.  Then God stepped in and began to weave a tapestry of provision, open doors, and ministry that was more beautiful than anything we could have done.

The first extra provision God made was in the number of Bibles we had.  We had sent enough money to purchase 300 Bibles, but the Lord provided 450 Bibles and 100 of them were Hungarian!  Through some of Pastor Mihai’s contacts in Halmeu, we were able to speak in two of the government schools.  One of the classes was a group of Hungarian speaking children.  We were able to give them Bibles and gospel tracts in their own language.  I don’t think we have ever had a trip where our team had to be more flexible and had to be able to improvise more than on this trip.  Everyone had a great attitude, accepted all the last-minute changes in stride, took what God gave us and made the most of it.

The next morning we awoke to a cold, rainy day.  Pastor Mihai contacted the government orphanage in Satu Mare to see if we could visit some of the classes there.  He told us that normally, the director liked to have a two or three week notice.  This was at 7:45 a.m.  The director said he would be glad for us to visit.  Mihai told us it is always good to take gifts of candy, food, or other supplies when we visit.  I asked Mihai how much he thought it would take for the purchase.  He told us it would take two hundred dollars.  Just before we left Demopolis, a lady handed us one hundred dollars for anything that might come up last minute on our trip.  Also, someone gave Leslie Spiller some money before we left and jokingly told him, “Use it to buy some candy for children.”  Before we left we had no idea that we would be able to visit the orphanage or that we would need two hundred dollars, but God did!  He truly is Jehovah-Jireh!

There are other examples I could share with you of how God surprised daily with His plan and His provision.  One other example is what we were able to do instead of the baptism service in Halmeu.  Mihai’s church instead organized a one-night evangelistic rally at Bethel Baptist in Satu Mare.  The buses and vans we used all week went out to the four villages where we had held services all week and brought the people to Bethel.  It was a wonderful night of celebration where several prayed to receive Christ.  Also, we were able to surprise the people with the final gift needed to finish the work at Halmeu.  Those gifts were given to me literally just a few minutes before we boarded the bus in Demopolis to drive to the Atlanta airport.  God is so good and faithful!

We know of 84 people who prayed to receive Christ during the week.  Several hundred tracts were given away and the gospel was shared with many.  Everyone on the team played a vital role and God blessed their obedience.  Again, let me thank you for your prayers and financial support.  It all makes this ministry possible.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

In Christ’s service,

Allen Atkins

Psalm 72:19