Malawi

MALAWI

Dear Folk, I hope that this update on Malawi, "The Warm Heart of Africa", will warm your heart in the middle of the very cold weather that much of the US has been experiencing this year. So much is happening in Malawi that I do not know whether I am coming or going. Right now we are in the process of a changing of the guard. As always in the Christian life it seems that our joy is mixed with a note of sadness. We recently found out that a young man has asked for Lily Machedon's hand in marriage. We are excited for her but at time saddened that she is leaving Malawi. Another change in the team will be when I go this spring to take Simona to Malawi. She is a tremendous girl and will be a great new addition to the team there. SImona has raised all of her support including her plane ticket here in Romania! Praise the Lord! At the same Dan Ulici and his family will be coming home from Malawi. Dan went there with the specific goal of organizing a branch of Hope for the Future and getting the ministry there off the ground. He will be missed in Malawi but I cannot tell you how great it will to have him back with us in Romania. We believe that his experience in Malawi will be an asset both in the School of Mission and in the camp ministry. This will also be a time of testing to see how our young team there reacts now that the burden od running the ministry is on their shoulders. Costi continues to do a good job. He is out everyday walking up and down, talking to young people and telling them about the Lord. This is a great accomplishment for him as he must speak to them in English. With two church plants to minister to and then the main church in town they are really busy. Once Dan leaves Costi and Emi will have to carry the burden of the preaching. Loredana, Emi's wife is doing a great job with the children's clubs. The most exciting thing is that she is already discipleing a group of Malawian teens, preparing them to work with children. It will be such an encouragement for them when they finally see young people that they have won to the Lord ministering side by side with them. We already have three young Malawians working fulltime with them helping with translating and helping them to learn Chichewa, the native language. All three of these young folks were saved in our camps during the early years that I spent traveling to Malawi holding camps. Again I want to thank you for enabling me to take my 15 year old son with me on my last trip. The pictures that I have sent are a testimony to you of one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. I do not say this just because of the adventure of walking miles into the mountain to this beautiful waterfall but because of the joy of being able to share this experience with Tommy. We both will always remember this as long as we live. Now I want to share with you another experience that at least for me is quite unique. While traveling to a service in a village near Zomba the Lord burdened my heart to preach about Cornelius and how God sent a preacher to share the gospel to this man who was honestly seeking the truth. The church was crowded and when I gave the invitation there were sixteen that responded. Dan went out to deal with them while I closed the service. As soon as we got to the car Dan told me that all of those that were saved were not from this church but that they had walked from their church, about five miles away. Then he told me that one of those who had trusted Christ was the pastor. He told Dan that he did not have a Bible and that this was the first time that he had ever heard the gospel. Since then Dan has gone to visit them in their church and all of those who had previously been saved were there and another ten trusted Christ that day. The team is now waiting for the rains to slow down so they can go back. Who knows, we may have just had a part in planting a New Testament church. The rest of the trip was amazing beyond belief. There were two funerals, one for Pastor Gama's sister and another for a child. This was the first time in all of these years of traveling to Malawi that we have been invited to a funeral, which I took as a sign of the growing bond of love between our ministry and the nationals. It seemed the Lord would not allow our sorrow to be more than we could bear and during this same trip there was a wedding. Dan has been teaching them the need to make their marriages official if they want their young folks to marry in the faith. This is so important in a country that is literally dying from the AIDS epidemic. I could continue to write and tell you of the beautiful traditions surrounding the funeral and marriage ceremonies or how for over a month the children are hidden away so that they will not be lured, by promises of food and money, into pagan rites that will disfigure their bodies for life and lead to the death of some; but time and space will not permit me. For that I either need to write a book or come to visit you. On that note pray for me. Because of the needs of the ministry I have had to take a year off from coming to the US. I am hoping that by next fall I can plan a visit. With the declining dollar and the radical rise in prices - welcome to the European Union - it is absolutely necessary for me to raise some new support and of course to visit some of our supporting churches. If you would like to have me in please let me know and I will try to work out a date. Right now our biggest prayer request are funds for the cabins here in Romania and trying to get Dan and his family tickets so they can come home. Our biggest praise is that it's a BOY!!! Star gave birth to a baby Justice, (and she thinks that Starlite is a strange name) on Jan 26. Marguerite is there with her now and will be returning later this week. We love you all in the Lord and Praise God for you. Thank you for helping us to bring Hope for the Future to a lost and dying world. Praying for You Pray for Malawi and Romania The Gentry Family	Hope For The Future Ministries Ministries to Eastern Europe Church Planting Camp and Children's Ministries Winning - Discipling - Sending Nationals to the foriegn mission field (Mission to Malawi, Central Africa) Eph 3:20,21 PRAY FOR ROMANIA BIMI PO Box 9215 Chattanooga, Tn 37412 tom_gentry@zappmobile.ro



*Missionaries to the people of Malawi, Africa Marianciuc Family* May-July 2007 Dear ones, Loredana, Samuel and I wanted to thank you all for your many effectual and faithful prayers for us and for our ministry. Our Malawian Christians are also very grateful for your prayers for their families as well as their church families. Our great God has been answering your prayers in many mighty and wonderful ways. Ministry Blessings: We enjoy the children’s ministry here, and we could see how God is working in their lives. We had the opportunity to open a new Bible Group for the children, in a village close to the one where we have a church. God is working wonderful in these groups where we started new cycles of lesson: Life of Paul and the children enjoy the wonderful ways of God to provide and care for us. Also, the youth’s training is blessed because these youths have a desire to work for God and are ready to let them be used by God in the children’s work. Most of them are involved in a group where they experience God’s power in their lives. A great blessing for us, was to see other women come to the woman’s meeting and study the word of God. We have now 25 women come in Nkulumba and 10 on the mountain. Loredana is studying with them “The women from the Old Testament and also are learning every week one Bible verse. On July 8, we had the Opening of the church in Nkulumba , and also we had a baptism where 24 people confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church’s construction Progress: The “ Hope Baptist Church ” in Nkulumba is almost finished,remain only few things to do in it. There is the building of the church, the building for the children and between the baptism .With God’s help will be completed on Friday the 13^th. Thanks so much to our supporting churches and our Christian friends, who have helped us with this important project. Family Events: On May 23^rd, we had Samuel Birthday Party where we invited his good friends, which are Muslims. It was a good testimony for them and also a great joy for Samuel. On June 5^th we celebrate our 3 years of marriage, so we had a good time together in town praising God for getting us together. We had also visitors, Malawian Christians, Muslims, and good friend with whom we had a good fellowship. Also a good friend and brother, and missionary visit us for a short time, but for a worthy time, being encouraged in the ministry here. We also had a “black week” with disappointments, problems when nobody wrote us or call us, but it was for our good, to see that God was there with us. Prayer requests: 1. Pray for us as a family to have time to rest and spend time together, as we continue to be involved in the ministry. 2. Pray for Samuel, as he continue to grow physically, mentally, socially and spiritually (Luke 2:52) 3. Pray for the beginning of the building in Ntyia 2, on the mountain, and for the money necessary for this. 4. Pray for the team that will come for some weeks on July the 27^th to help us with the camps. 5. Pray for the time when we are discouraged and tired, as we deal with problems and loneliness. 6. Pray for the people, children and women which hear the Gospel to be ready to live their lives for the Lord. 7. Pray for those who were baptized to be a good testimony in the village Praises: 1. We praise the Lord for helping us to finish the church in Nkulumba, and for the money that He provided for this. 2. The blessed day (July 8^th) when God showed His power in 24 people’s lives that showed their faith in Him, being baptized. 3. The time we had together with brother Graeme sharing us his experience in the mission field. 4. The Malawian youths that were involved in the work in Nkulumba and for their care for the people. In His work, Emi, Loredana, Samuel