Hughes News #89

"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes"

 

Dear Friends,

 

Our last prayer letter began with the following sentence: “We are pleased to report that we were able to resume or begin each of the ministries we mentioned in our last prayer letter!”  Since then a high number of Covid-19 cases has changed or paused every ministry.  For five weeks we have not been able to have our Bible club at the children’s center.  There is a possibility that we can resume it on Tuesday, April 6.  We moved our English classes online for the time being.  We’ve had some technical difficulties with that switch but it has allowed us to continue instead of having to take another break.

 

We had completed five lessons of a chronological Bible study in Bulboci before several cases were found in the village.  About the time we thought we could get back there, our region in general and several locations in particular (including our city and that village) were placed in Code Red, meaning tighter restrictions for the rest of the month.  Lord-willing, we will get back there this week.

 

Please continue to pray for “V,” the older man I mentioned in our last letter.  As we were talking to him last time, the person with whom he is staying spoke out against the way we were leading the conversation.  We need God’s wisdom to know how to present truth to this man and his caregiver and we need the Holy Spirit to open their understanding.  We are due to visit him again soon. 

 

Many of the decisions the government has put out concerning the virus have not addressed religious meetings.  Because of that, we’ve had to try to interpret what is both the letter and spirit of the law.  Thankfully, the most recent decision specifically addressed religious gatherings (the first to do so in nearly nine months) and helped answer some questions.  It was not my intention to fill this letter with more Covid news (I’m sure you get enough of that already), but it has affected our ministries more so in the last month than it had in awhile.  The Lord is helping us through it and it seems we are about to dig in and get back to work.

 

In His service, 

Jacob and Viola Hughes

 

For Prayer:

1. Discernment in understanding and following restrictions 

2. A young family in Soroca that has been visiting services 

3. Witnessing to “V” with David

 

For Praise: 

1. Health and continued spiritual interest of our people here 

2. Return of a believer after staying with family several months 

3. More work accomplished on our house  

Hughes News #88

 

"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes"

 

Dear Friends,

 

We are pleased to report that we were able to resume or begin each of the ministries we mentioned in our last prayer letter!  The first to resume was our weekly kids’ Bible club in the nearby village of Cosauti.  We have been pleased with the response of the kids and their involvement in the program.  It feels to me that we have picked up with them right where we left off.  There are three boys who live full-time in the center.  Starting next week, Lord-willing, David will stay after our regular program to try to specifically minister to these young teens.  We would appreciate prayer for “M,” “I” and “C.”

 

We restarted English lessons the same day as the Bible club.  After some general review, we have divided the students into groups and plan to teach lessons for the rest of the school year.  We have already seen how this ministry puts us in contact with people in Soroca that otherwise we would not have met, but we pray that God will bring spiritual opportunities from these contacts.

 

We had planned to start an evangelistic Bible study in Bulboci on January 21, but the first lesson ended up being a week later.  Our initial start date coincided with one of the days the Orthodox priest was blessing houses (going house to house down the street).  We think a couple of people who had considered coming to the study were waiting for the priest’s visit.  Despite the delayed start, the lessons have gone well.  Coming are: a solid believer, two young in the faith, one unsaved who has attended services for several months and one unsaved neighbor of the believers.  There is at least one other woman who expressed interest but who has not shown up yet.  We pray the study will be beneficial to all but especially that the Lord will use it to draw the unsaved to Himself.

 

David and I have made three visits to witness to an older man.  As we understand it, he has not been particularly religious up to this point in his life, but now has some interest in spiritual things.  We ask that you pray for “V” and for us as we talk with him.  Age has slowed his understanding and memory and while the person with whom he is staying is eager to help us talk to him, often the additional input does not match what we are trying to say or how we are saying it.  Due to some missing documents, this man should be in Soroca for awhile.  We hope to keep visiting him every couple of weeks. 

 

After dealing with health problems for several months, a dear sister in the village church has been able to attend services again.  Her presence, as well as that of a couple of others in January, has been an encouragement to us.  With things starting back up we are settling into a more regular weekly schedule and life is feeling more normal.  We are eager to see how the Lord will work in this year.  Thank you for your concern for us and for our ministry.  We appreciate your prayers to our Father on behalf of those we’ve mentioned in this letter. 

 

In His service, 

Jacob and Viola Hughes

 

For Prayer: 

1. “D” and “Z” – the unsaved attendees of the evangelistic Bible study 

2. The kids at the Bible club and specifically “M,” “I” and “C”  

3. “V’s” understanding of and belief in the gospel

 

For Praise: 

1. Resumption / start of ministries we had planned 

2. A great Romanian teacher who is helping us to continue to progress 

3. A decent start to our group Bible reading projects 

Hughes News #87

"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes"

Dear Friends, 

 

If given the choice, I always want to hear the bad news first.  Since I can’t find out your preference, that’s what I’ll share first.  In our last prayer letter, we mentioned hoping to start Bible studies.  We were disappointed when neither the couple nor the college student agreed to start a study.  No one has given us a hard “no” so we pray one day they will change their minds. 

 

I wrote about “V” last time- a young man who had been attending midweek services for almost a year.  His work schedule changed in November, causing him to miss most weeks.  My prayer is that his desire for spiritual things will not wane during this time.  We’ve stayed in contact with him and have other ways in mind to meet with him and encourage him. 

 

Attendance has been down in both Soroca and Bulboci.  A strong believer in Soroca left in December to visit her family in Russia.  A believer from Bulboci moved away from the village.  Another believer is in Chisinau with her daughter for the cold months.  

 

The oldest believer in Bulboci has had health issues that have kept her from services for a couple of months.  Her story is a good segue into the good news I have to share.  While she is not back to full strength, she has recovered enough to again stay in her own home.  The sister in Christ that is staying in Chisinau had been on a ventilator in the hospital with Covid and double pneumonia, but the Lord is bringing her back to health and she has been out of the hospital for a few days now. 

 

There are several things we are excited to either resume or start up in January.  Barring another Covid case at the children’s home in Cosauti, we should be able to restart our kids’ weekly Bible club there.  Later in the month, we plan to reopen our doors for English classes.  Also, we are scheduled to begin an evangelistic Bible study in Bulboci on January 21.  Two people have specifically expressed interest in attending and several others have been invited. 

 

Something else new is a group Bible reading project.  In both Soroca and Bulboci, we are attempting to read the entire Bible this year as a group.  Each person will be encouraged to choose a book, read it, then pick another that has not been read yet.  This Sunday we will be asking people to pick their first book. 

 

The Lord has blessed us with good health, a mild winter so far, and a pleasant and meaningful holiday season.  We enter the New Year wishing some things were different but hopeful that the Lord will work in those areas in 2021.  The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. 

 

In His service, 

Jacob and Viola Hughes 

 

For Prayer: 

1. Evangelistic chronological Bible study every Thursday starting January 21 

2. That “V’s” interest in spiritual things would continue to grow 

3. Contact with the kids and workers at the children’s home and with our ESL students 

 

For Praise: 

1. A few visitors to services the last couple months 

2. “Z” attending services in Bulboci and planning to come to the Bible study 

3. Wiring is being done at our house