Calvin Synod Herald, 2004 (105. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-05-01 / 5-6. szám
10 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD man but against Satan and the one thing he cannot stand to see is a saint on his or her knees. It is power of the greatest magnitude, calling down the mercies of heaven to work in the lives of men. We need to stop talking so much to others about what we should do and start asking the Lord what He would have us do. We need to bring our concerns and our sins to the throne of God and seek His guidance. Each day we must take the time to lift up to God those we love, those we don’t, those who sin (including ourselves), the hurting, the lost, our country and so on. We need to pray that God will spare our Land and not turn His face from us. You need this time; others need you to take this time, our country needs you take this time. And the best thing of all is God, the Creator of the Universe, desires you to take this time with Him. What an awesome appointment! As I stand in the gap for you and our country, will you stand in it for me? Love always, Kathy “Mom” (Kathy Smith is a member of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. She is very involved in Christian youth ministry and the Hungarian Church Camp that takes place every summer. She writes these inspirational letters once a month to continue to encourage her “Camp Kids” throughout the year.) “Dear Friends, When Rev. Dénes Tamás died it was our wish that no one should bring flowers in his memory. The Church of his birthplace in Szentgál, Hungary had to be renovated, and that work is already in progress. The complete restoration cost is an enormous amount. The members of the congregation and the town did their utmost, and the government is also supporting the project. We ask that in lieu of flowers the members of the congregations he served previously, his friends who appreciated his ministry and friendship, and all of the good people who knew him, would send thier donations in his memory for the rebuilding the pulpit of this historical sanctuary to Mrs. Susanna P. Tamas 743 Stone Lick Road Jane Lew, WV 26378 and we will send the amount and the names to the Church of Szentgál, Hungary for restoration of the pulpit in memory of the Rev. Dénes Tamás as well as supporters of the continued ministry from the renewed pulpit. Everyone’s help is greatly appreciated. Mrs. Susanna P. Tamas TRAC - Lessons from Romania “First class again! I can’t believe it! This is great!” Those were just a few memorable thoughts that I had during my travel experience to Romania this past July. It all began a year ago last fall, when my friend, Amanda, asked my sister and me if we would be interested in going to Romania the next summer. Right away, my interests were peaked, and through prayer and discussions with others, I decided it would be a worthwhile and exciting trip. It was definitely that indeed! My two-week visit in Romania was a very memorable experience, and one that I will not soon forget. While in Romania, Amanda and I were given the special task of visiting an orphanage in the village of Bogata. The name of the orphanage is the Emmaus House. The minister of the Hungarian Reformed Church and his wife, Karoly and Ezter Molnár, manage it. We stayed with them and their two children during the three days that we were there. Ezter spoke fluent English and was our right-hand during our visit. When we first arrived in Bogata, Ezter met and greeted us with coffee and cookies, and then brought us to the Emmaus House to meet the children. The orphanage was just across the street and one house down from the minister’s house. When we walked into the orphanage the unique smell of the building hit me hard, but it was soon forgotten when the children at the breakfast table greeted us with singing. They sang “Jesus Loves Me” to us in English and then shared a song in Dutch. It was so neat to hear them sing, and I was touched by their efforts to learn these songs especially for us. Our purpose in visiting the orphanage was to conduct some research for Cornerstone PRC, because they are considering giving financial support to the Emmaus House. We were to interview each child at the orphanage and get some background information on each one of them, as well as discuss the financial needs of the orphanage. We were able to accomplish the majority of this work in the first day of our visit. As we asked each child questions through our interpreter, Ezter, we learned many interesting and also sad facts about the children. I found myself longing to help these children and in a way feeling a bit helpless. Some of the children came from broken and/or abusive homes, while others live at the orphanage simply because their parents are too poor to support them along with the rest of their siblings. Despite the many trials and difficulties that the children bear, God has been gracious unto them in leading them to the Emmaus House. They have each other to lean on and care for, they have Karoly and Ezter who give them Christian guidance and encouragement, and above all, they have the love of Jesus in their hearts. The common bond of Christ that we shared with the children was one of the most rewarding things that I experienced in my visit. Even though we live many miles from each other and come from extremely different backgrounds, we were both given the same work of salvation. It was truly a witness of how God gathers and preserves his people from all over the world. I have learned much from my trip to Romania. The people of the villages were so generous and kind. The children of the orphanage taught me the importance of community in the classroom and promoting godly friendships with one another despite the differences that may exist between them. Ezter encouraged me to labor hard in the work of the Lord. Above all, God taught me of his great goodness to us. He gives us much more than we need even though we are so undeserving. My hope is to take what I’ve learned and share it with others. 0 yes, I almost forgot to give more details about the first lines of this article. Due to a “few” travel problems, such as tickets not being confirmed, myself along with a few others in our group were given the privilege of flying first class over the ocean, both ways! It was truly a neat surprise both times, and we were very thankful for the relaxing flights after having so many difficulties in our overall travel experience. Jennifer Rutgers TRAC (Transylvania Reformed Assistance Committee) is made up of members from various denominations, who have been assisting the Hungarian Reformed people in Transylvania, Romania, for the last 12 years. The organization has been addressing the monumental struggles of these fellow Christians who have been left in poverty and despair from the effects of Communism which ended in 1989.
