Contributions

I traveled alone to Bucharest, arriving on the early afternoon of Monday, Dec 14. It was a couple hours before I saw Br. Cecil and others with him. Br. Nate and Sr. Marge Williams amved a couple hours later from London.

Br. Nate, Sr. Marge, and I went immediately to the home of Br. Virgil Tanasescu in Budapest, where we met Br. Vasile Giloan and Br. Marcel Rus who had come to meet us from Cluj. Both of them spoke some English. While we all expected to start out on our trip the next morning, we ended up staying there till Thursday morning while Br. Cecil and the others worked to get all the packages through the red tape at customs. During this time, Br. Nate and I were in detailed discussion and study with the brethren in Budapest from early morning till late each night. The discussions became very deep. Their biggest joy was to find out that there were other free Bible students in America. The next morning we then went to the American embassy to register as aliens, and visited the house of Mr. Marius where Br. Cecil's crew was staying. There we met Br. Cecil's daughter, son-in-law, brother-in-law, and others.

On Thursday morning, Cecil decided that there was not enough time left for us to all go on the full trip around Romania, so we should go our separate ways. He and his crew would go to the orphanage, the Dorcas house for teens, and to the various villages he supports with aid, mostly in central and northeast Romania. Nate and Marge and I would go to Cluj in northern Romania. So, with personal regrets, but full confidence in the Lord's leadings, we left on our separate paths.

We arrived in Cluj on Thursday evening and stayed at Br. Vasile's house, where we met his wife (Ana Lidia) and his three young daughters. Andreea (12 years old) was our primary translator. The following day, we met additional brethren at Vasile's house, including Sr. Sabina, Br Marcel's wife, and Br. Romulus Bondor, and Sr. Semida. We also briefly met Br. Gligor Marc.

The next two days we spent at Br. Gligor's house in meetings with many new Romanian brethren, and Sr. Cornelia and Sr. Nathalie as translators. A number of the brethren there had come from other towns and villages. Again, we went over many of the points of the beliefs of the free Bible students in America, and also over the history of the movement in America along with its many divisions and the differing beliefs of these. We later also were appraised of some of the history of the Bible students in Romania, both under Communism and since the revolution. The unity that all Bible students had under Communism has developed into more divisions since the revolution with the greater liberties all have to pursue their own beliefs. Many of the Bible students in Romania now have come from the Baptist and Pentecostal denominations and have brought some of their own emphasis on Christ-likeness.

Over the remaining days in Cluj, we talked non-stop with the brethren to accent the meaning of freedom, and of faith, and integrity, and love, and action, and other important doctrines that apply to our lives today, including our belief in the goal of this age being the selection of the bride of Christ, and the goal of the future being the resurrection for restitution of all mankind.

All the brethren we met were extremely happy with our presence and our message. They were overjoyed at the knowledge that so many brethren in America perceive God's plan as they do. They are anxious to meet more of the Americans, and we can heartily recommend them to you, and encourage your visits. The Romanians are a very warm and hospitable people. They are very gracious hosts, and will provide beyond your needs in your stay with them. The Romanian brethren thoroughly enjoy and appreciate discussion of the scriptures and the encouragement we can provide to them in their beliefs, and in their actual, though undesired, separation from the Divine Plan Bible Students. We should all pray to the Lord that He make available such brethren as are needed to accomplish this, and that He particularly make it clear to us if we are to be among such brethren. There is a trip being considered for spring, and for later in the year.

The weather in Romania was not at all difficult. It mostly stayed around 28 - 35 degrees, and there was little or no wind. Evidently the prayers of the brethren in advance of the trip were very successful. Although we were prepared for Polar weather, we had no need of the heavy gear we had taken with us. Then too, Nate and Marge and I were in houses almost al1 the time, and they keep their houses warmer than we do. Possibly Br. Cecil and his crew had more need of heavier gear as they worked much more outside making deliveries in poorer and smaller towns.

We also ate like kings. The food was excellent, and prepared beautifully as in a five-star restaurant. It was incredible. The Romanian hospitality is not to be outdone. They don't have everything we do, but they have far more than we would have expected. Remember though, that we were staying with brethren in two of the largest cities in Romania. It may be very different in the smaller towns and villages where Br. Cecil traveled. We hope to find this out on our next trip.

Some sights and sounds of memories of Romania:

*Bucharest is old, dirty, drab, with rubber-stamped apartment buildings w/old balconies. No houses.

*Cluj is similar in architecture, but much cleaner. (Cities are architecturally dead).

*McDonald's all over Bucharest and Cluj, but too expensive for the brethren.

*Dogs single and in packs, barking most of the nights.

*People beating rugs every night, echoing off the 10 - 12 story apartment buildings.

*Beautiful food dishes. Most very excellent tastes. Some strange to us.

*Cell phones and cigarette smoking all over cities.

*Trolley cars w/tracks and overhead electric cables.

*Very friendly people. Very hospitable.

*Gypsies all over, most with brightly colored costumes.

*Very scrawny Christmas trees.

*Sheep and shepherds in fields and small towns.

Love from all the free Bible students in Romania to all the free Bible students in America, and specifically from Br. Virgil Tanasescu (Phil 2:12b-16); Br Vasile Giloan (Ruth 2:12); Br. Marc (Rom. 15:13; 2 Thess. 2:16, 17); and the brethren from the town of St. Peters (Prov. 3:1-6).

All the Romanian brethren we met thank you for your love, and they all wish to you in America, "Pace Isu si Dumnezuel nostru pe tatal frati" (the peace of Jesus and our God to all the brethren).

--Joe Knapp

"I never make New Year's Resolutions anymore," a friend told me, "I never keep them, anyway." I can remember all too many resolutions I've made and let slip away, as well. But I believe New Year's resolutions are worth making. Let me tell you why.

First, we all need changes. I've heard people who say, "I have no regrets about my life. If I had it to do over, I'd do it the same way again." But that attitude is way too blind and self-serving as far as I'm concerned. There is great power in confession: to ourselves, to God, to others. Owning up to our failures is the first, painful step on the road to something better.

Second, a good time for reassessment is when we change calendars. How did last year go? What do I want to do differently this year? This time of year always rerninds me of a passage of scripture, better understood by farmers than suburbanites: "Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns" (Jer. 4:3). It makes sense. The more land you put into production, the more prosperous you'll be.

But some of us are dumb enough to try to sow seeds in land overrun by weeds and thistle without breaking up the soil and taking care to root out the thorns as they come up. Call it laziness. Call it stupidity. Let me ask you a serious question: What percentage of your life is producing something of value to God? How much "unplowed ground" do you have that should be broken up in this coming year and made useful? Reassessment: The start of a New Year is a good time for reassessment.

Third, the New Year is an excellent time for mid-course corrections. Sure, we might fail in what we set out to do, but if we fail to plan, as the old saying goes, then we plan to fail. If you're so fearful of failure that you never set up your row of tin cans to shoot at, you're not very likely to hit any at all. Failure is not the end. For the person who determines to learn from it, failure is a friend.

One of my heroes in the Bible is the Apostle Paul. Talk about failure! Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, deserted by trusted co-workers, slandered, and scorned. Sometimes it seemed that projects to which he had devoted years were turning to dust before his eyes. But during one of his stints in prison, we can see from one of his letters an unwillingness to quit. "Forgetting what is behind," he wrote, "and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:13-14, NIV) No wonder he made a mark on this world. He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn't let the fear of failure keep him from trying again.

Fourth, the New Year is a time to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God. Now I've met a few self-made men and women and so have you, but so often these people seem proud, self-centered and driven. There is another way: beginning to trust in God's help. One more secret from the Apostle Paul: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength," he said. (Phil 4:13, NIV) And God's strength saw him through pain, joy, and accomplishment.

If this last year, you didn't practice relying on the Lord as much as you should have, there is no time like the present to make a New Year's resolution. In fact, why don't you say a short prayer right now: "Dear God, I want the New Year to be different for me." Now spell out in prayer some of the changes you'd like to see. And close this way: "I know that I'm going to need a lot of help for this. So right now I place myself in your hands. Help me to receive the strength of Our Lord Jesus. Amen." Good!! Now you've got a much better chance for a Happy New Year!

--Roy R. Boswell