glossyibis
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« Reply #31 on: March 15, 2006, 09:06:17 am » |
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Dear Friends
I am forwarding brother Martin's letter to you. I am also taking this opportunity to tell you that I am going to visit Martin and the assemblies in Romania on March 29. I will be there 2 week. If any would like to send a gift to Ron and Sue or Martin , please get it to me by Mar. 27. Pray for Martin and for me.
Dear Bro. Steve, I am trying to control my emotions.
Yesterday, Sunday morning I went to a big Gypsy village which is about 3 hours away from here to preach. I preached at Brother Viorel's funeral, a 22 year old Gypsy brother, who had been married and left behind a wife and a baby. He was a leader of the young people at one of the Churches that I am a part of. He was killed in a highway accident. It killed him and also in the other car it killed two of the most popular singing Stars in Romania. Three or four of the major TV station were covering the story. But all they showed on the TV was the past life of this women singer named Laura Stoica and the Drummer of her band that she was living with and pregnant by. The News reporters were covering the story of the multitude weeping for the lost of these two Idols of theirs. I was shocked that they didn't say anything about the young man that was killed. I wondered if anyone cared enough about him or his family or past life to even tell the Public his name. After all he died too, he must have a family, a mama and daddy. I kept asking myself, who or would anyone weep over this young man, and who cares. At this time I did not know that this young man was Brother Viorel Duia. I was planning my Sunday morning trip and message. Bro. Calin called and asked me to preach at a funeral and then he told me who it was. I said in shock, this was this poor Gypsy boy that I was so grieved over and who's family I was praying for. So Sunday morning at 5:30 am we left. Brother Dan Vernescu and I left the Capital, Bucuresti to be there at the Sunday morning Church service where the funeral was to be held. When we arrived, they were still having their Vigil service for the dead (the people in Romania practice the night watch custom of keeping the open casket and the body in their home) until they burry them. It was held at his house, the Duia family's home. As I enter the house I heard his family inside around his body, weeping, screaming and wailing like you can not even imagine. His 16 years old wife, his mother, Daddy, brothers, sisters, and the people packed inside the house. I then knew who was weeping over this boy and that The Lord Jesus cared. I then remember the scripture, "Jesus wept" and I wept also, and Christ in me was weeping. I can not describe it, or even explain to you what happen to me inside my spirit, it was like a groan!
“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
I went outside his home and stood out on the steps and preached over the sound system the Gospel. The house was situated on a hill with muddy roads running everywhere, beside, around, below his house were roads. The freak winter storm that no one expected was so bitter that the snow was blowing so hard you could not open your eyes all the way. There were rain, ice and snow that was running like a muddy river right down the roads to the lower one. As I stood and preached the glorious Gospel to about 900 people with the storm raging on the outside, but it seemed like a bigger storm was raging on the inside of the hearts of the people that were listening. The snow storm outside was blowing so hard that it was blowing side ways, hitting us on the sides of our faces and bodies. After the preaching they brought the body in the opened casket from inside the house . About 8 men carried his casket (a little cheap Pine box). They carried the body out to the street where a farm tractor and a flat hay wagon covered with clear plastic was waiting in the front of the house. (This was a little different than the beautiful Mercedes van that I saw on TV carrying the Singing Stars!) After the Brothers placed the casket on the hay wagon, they carried the body with his weeping and scream family riding with him through this community to the grave yard about a mile away. Everyone (900-1,000 people) walked behind the tractor. All of this rain, ice and water was running like a creek down the road. It ran over and into my loafer shoes and covered my socks. I even got wet up my suit pants legs 4 inches at the bottoms, with mud also. My shoes were filled because we walked shoulder to shoulder with all the people and I had to step where they did. Almost every one was soaking wet and frozen. This took about 3 hours, from 1 pm. until 3 pm. After this two other brothers and I were invited to eat and get warm and dry out at a home on the street there. They built a fire in the heater and while we were eating a meal the wife and daughters of Brother Sorin were still baking for us. As we started to go out of the warm room where we ate, we saw that all of our shoes were cleaned by the sisters. These dear gypsy people are so kind, humble and clean, they break your heart with their hospitality. At 63:0 we had the night service and two of us preached. I have never in my whole life been in a meeting or the presence of the Lord like in that meeting. It was like the Holy Spirit breathed on us during preaching and the whole meeting. Before the end of the church service and before any invitation could be given by any man, The Holy Spirit started drawing the lost people forward to receive the Lord. Maybe about 20 or 30 out of about 900 people that were there in the meeting.
Well Bro. Steve you are one of the first ones I am sharing this with. This may give you an idea of what the Lord is doing here as an awakening among the Gypsies is taken place in the little spot on other side of this spinning Planet. Thank you again for your prayers and support. Martin
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