Thank God for His promise that He will give us the nations for our inheritance. When we challenged you to pray for the November elections in our last newsletter, we sensed an urgency in our spirits about the outcome but I don't think anyone was prepared for the constitutional crisis that has followed. Aren't you glad that we serve a God who knows the end from the beginning and will alert us to impending spiritual attack or the need to pray for spiritual breakthrough. The impasse over the election results is a wake up call for the Body of Christ in America. We need to pray for our new President after the last lawsuit has been settled just as much if not more than we prayed for the election in the days and weeks leading up to November 7. Let us uphold our new President in prayer regardless of who we voted for and pray that God will give him the wisdom he needs to lead a deeply divided nation. Let's ask God to give us the nation of America for His glory, that He will restore righteousness and justice to our nation.
We have returned to Romania to continue on with the work God has given us to do. On November 11 we had the formal dedication of the new Logos High School building in Timisoara. There are still a few finishing touches to be put in place but everyone was in agreement that the new building God provided is far better than the one we lost. Not only did God give us more classroom space and a chapel, He turned around the hearts of those who fought so hard against us. He literally caused our enemies to be at peace with us. The very man who tried to close us down a year ago was there to cut the ribbon at the dedication of the new building.
One of our Logos graduates who is now teaching Bible and foreign language at the school has also taken over as youth pastor at the church. We are so proud of what God is doing in Sami Susan's life. It is so rewarding to see fruit from your efforts over the years. It has become increasingly obvious that the Romanians are at a point where they can continue on with the work here without our help.
The Deborah Arise Europe rally in Caransebes the end of October was a tremendous success. About 300 women gathered from six cities in different regions and from numerous smaller villages for a Saturday afternoon prayer rally. It was such an encouragement for the ladies to know they were not alone in their daily struggles and burden to pray for the young people of Romania.
There is great power released when God's people come together in unity to seek His face in prayer. The group from Timisoara was so encouraged by their time together that they are now meeting together monthly to pray for the young people in their city. What a joy it was for Barbara to join them for their November meeting and encourage them in praying for their children.
It was a joy as well to visit the work in Caransebes where the foundation for the new church has already been poured. The pastor was so blessed to receive your generous offerings that will buy needed building materials. He shared how that the city architect had surveyed the property and found bedrock right under where the building will sit. Because it is solid rock, there was no need to use steel to reinforce the foundation, just the supporting pillars. The result was a savings of thousands of dollars. A few feet from the foundation is normal topsoil for planting trees, flowers, and grass. God had provided a solid rock on which to build His church! They didn't discover that happy "coincidence" until they tore down the dilapidated old house that had been on the property before. Yet God knew all along what He had prepared for His faithful children.
Romania also had a presidential election in November. They chose Ion Iliescu, who had been president from 1990-1996. He had been part of the communist government before the Revolution in 1989. The Christians are very concerned about the future. It seems to be a step backwards toward communist oppression but it is much too soon to tell. The economy is so bad that people are ready to go "back to Egypt" if that will give them food to eat.
God is also concerned that the people have food to eat. He has allowed us to be part of a very exciting project. We have had opportunity to help ship two containers full of food, along with some clothing, over to Romania for those who are facing starvation this winter because of the severe drought this spring and summer. The containers arrived safely and passed through customs without the loss of a single item. We are on our way to Oltenia this afternoon to help distribute the food and clothes to the areas hardest hit by drought and high unemployment from Oltenia in the south to Moldova in the northeast. What better way to spend the Christmas season than delivering thousands of pounds of food and warm clothes to desperately needy families! Thank you for making it all possible through your prayers and financial support for this ministry. God has indeed given us the nation of Romania for our inheritance.
Just when we thought we could sit back and rest a bit, God has brought a new and totally unexpected challenge before us. Psalm 2 says to ask for the nations (plural). We have been asked to go to the Philippines to train tribal workers to plant churches among the unreached mountain tribes on the island of Mindanao. The tribal pastor who contacted us by email has been working among the people in this region for seven years and realizes how hard the Muslims are trying to infiltrate the area to bring these animistic groups under the influence of Islam. He wants to train laborers who can reach them with the Gospel of Christ before that happens. He knows he can't do it alone so he has asked for our help. Many of these Believers do not yet have the Word of God in their mother tongue but they realize that does not excuse them from doing their part to reach out to those who are still in darkness. Can we equip them for the task using the same Bible school training materials that we used at Logos Bible School last year? We believe we can! We won't know for sure until we go there to see the need and the possibilities available to us to meet that need.
We will be returning to the States in January and then flying from there on to the Philippines. It is a little closer to fly from Romania but only costs 1/3 as much if we fly from San Francisco. Please be praying with us as we make this exploratory trip in late January and early February that we will know God's will and His timing in setting up a Bible school in the tribal areas of Mindanao.
Is that stepping outside our "comfort zone"? Of course it is. The signs of the times are everywhere. Israel and her neighbors are poised on the brink of all out war. The trumpet could sound at any moment. God is looking for willing workers to reap the final harvest. No Christians should stay in their "comfort zone" at a time like this when thousands of souls are at stake. Isn't it dangerous to go to an island where Muslim rebels are fighting government troops? When it is not safe to sit in the library at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado then the ONLY safe place to be is wherever God calls you to go, doing whatever He puts in your hands to do. That's why we need your prayers.
We have also been asked to do pastors training seminars in West Africa and in Haiti. The Spirit of God is moving throughout the Earth. God has laid it on our hearts that we are to go and make disciples, training the workers to go and gather in a worldwide harvest. Will it be easy? Of course not! The powers of darkness will not give up without a fight. One look at our presidential election should teach us that. Will it be expensive? Yes, but the souls of men are worth whatever it takes. Jesus proved that when He left His comfort zone in Heaven to pay the terrible price for our redemption. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to share this eternal redemption with others.
Are we turning our backs on Romania? Not at all! The work here will continue to go forward, led more and more by the Romanians themselves who are best equipped to reach their own people. We are just looking at a worldwide harvest field in need of trained workers and saying like Isaiah, "Here we are, Lord, send us wherever we are needed most." Please continue to stand with us through your prayers and financial support, making it possible for us to go and make disciples. The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. Help us train more laborers for the harvest fields of the new millennium. God bless you with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Him.
In His service,
Howard & Barbara Gard