Hughes News #60



"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes"

Dear Friends,
 
Last month we were able to talk with the mayor about renting booths in the markets.  We were a bit surprised when he told us that this question should be discussed with the markets’ owners because it is not within his jurisdiction.  We have not been able to talk to one manager and the other told us that all his booths are rented.  We will pursue this idea until we get a definite answer.
 
Last Wednesday “J” found out that her father-in-law had passed away.  With her going back to Germany for the funeral, we postponed her baptism that was scheduled for last Sunday.  Lord-willing we will be able to reschedule it when she returns to Moldova.
 
Most weeks David and I make new visits on Thursday and Friday and follow-up visits on Saturday.  So far, the follow-up visits have not yielded the opportunities we were seeking.  Very few people have been home and others have been less interested than they seemed at first.  We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom to know how to be diligent in our efforts without hounding people.  Please pray also for “M.”  She is a vendor that we have talked to several times.  She is open to discuss spiritual things and she sees the spiritual emptiness of many people’s religious traditions.  May the Holy Spirit work in her heart and lead her to salvation!
 
While most of you celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ last Sunday, we will be remembering it here in Moldova this Sunday, April 12.  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!!
 
In His service,
Jacob and Viola Hughes
 
For Prayer:
1. Rescheduling of “J’s” baptism
2. Visits- both new and return
3. Salvation of “M”
 
For Praise:
1. Relationships that are being built with people
2. Ladies Bible study has gone well

3. Our Savior lives!

Hughes News #59



"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes"

Dear Friends,

 

Utilizing the religious survey door to door has allowed us to ease into conversations and has helped keep people from immediately turning us away.  After a number of good initial discussions, we have several potential follow-up visits.  It did not surprise me when people answered that to go to heaven, a person must do good works/pray/obey commands/try not to sin.  I was surprised by the number of people who have admitted to us that they haven’t been a good enough person in order to go to heaven.  They have an awareness of their sinfulness, but no answer to the problem.  We are hoping many will allow us to share how Jesus’ death and resurrection gives a solution!  For the apartments with no one home, we plan to leave a link to an online survey to see if that will generate any contacts.

 

We do not yet have an answer about renting a booth in the open air markets.  All of our materials are ready to present to the mayor, but the two times we have stopped by, he has been out of the office.  We plan to try again this week.  To the right is an example of one of the posters David designed to advertise home Bible studies.

 

“J” is a lady that has been meeting with us.  She was saved several years ago but has never been baptized.  After she expressed that desire to us, we met to discuss the Scriptural truths concerning baptism.  She seems to have a good grasp of the true nature of baptism and thus we are planning a special baptismal service the first Sunday of April.

 

In His service,

Jacob and Viola Hughes

 

For Prayer:

1. Permission to set up a booth in or near the open air markets

2. Continued surveying and follow-up visits

3. Ladies Bible study that Viola is leading

 

For Praise:

1. Conversations that the surveying has yielded

2. “J” wanting to follow the Lord in baptism

3. New acquaintances and seed sown

Embracing Obscurity- Chapter 9

(A few friends and I began reading this book together. After dropping it for over a year, I am endeavoring to finish it.  After reading a chapter, I am posting my comments, then giving my friends the opportunity to add their thoughts as well. If you would like to join us or simply find out more about the book, you can read about it here.)
 
Chapter 9: Embracing the Spotlight
Even as we truly embrace obscurity, there will be times when we have an amount of power or influence over others.  In this chapter, the author encourages us to not shy away from the spotlight of position, but to embrace it as well.  His suggestions for how to embrace obscurity while in the spotlight are very good.  For this chapter, I have mostly shared the outline of his most salient points as they are fairly self-explanatory.
 
- "Will we use the spotlight for God's glory or our own?" (Page 149)  It really isn't a question whether we will be in the spotlight or not, because we all will at some point, to some degree.
 
- "Life as somebody became more appealing to Saul than holiness." (Page 150)  May the Lord help me to appreciate holiness more than life in the spotlight!
 
- The author suggests the following three things to remember during our time in the spotlight:

• Our roots- we came into this world with nothing, we will leave with nothing, and everything we have in between is a gift from God.
• Our purpose- even our time in the spotlight is for God's glory
• Our purpose is not to: (This is a great list!)
• Praise myself
• Make my name great
• Get rich
• Gain authority over others for my ego's sake
• Leave brothers and sisters in the dust of my ambition
• Make others feel small
• Become self-sufficient
• Earn a five-star rating from the masses
• Our purpose is to:
• Make God's name great
• Advance God's kingdom on Earth
• Serve others
• Our limits- this can be hard because of other people's expectations.  To help us, we can remember the following statements:
• I don't know everything
• I have limited time and energy
• I'm not morally invincible
• I'm not irreplaceable

(The above is found in pages 151-159.)
 
- Near the end of the chapter he talked about humbling ourselves.  I was challenged by this thought.  The Scriptural foundation seems sound, but I feel that I don't know how this looks in everyday life.  I want to humble myself, but I'm not sure how to go about it.  In trying to humble myself, I don't want it to be obvious to others so then I struggle with pride.  I want to learn how to voluntarily humble myself and trust Christ alone to exalt me in His time.
 
I've had my say, what say you?

Discussion on Chapter 8
Discussion on Chapter 10