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