Sponsored by the
Berea Baptist Church
P.O. Box 39
Mantachie, MS 38855
Milburn Cockrell, pastor

MAY & JUNE PRAYER LETTER, 1998

Monday, July 13, 1998

Dear Pastors and Churches:

Warmest Christian greetings to each of you!

We have waited until July to send out a prayer letter so as to inform you of the decision of our home Church regarding my request to sent me to Romania as their missionary. As is evident from the letterhead above, Beverly Manor Church has voted for me to go! Janet and I expect to be on the field as soon as possible. We are involved in all those final things necessary to our leaving here. Please pray regarding the sale of our house! Several Churches have asked us to visit with them before we move to Romania and this we expect to do, Lord willing, over the next few months.

Though facing trials from her enemies, the Church in Carcross is going forward! Visitors from the Yukon and from other places have attended from week to week and have heard the Gospel. Most have seemed genuinely encouraged by hearing the Word preached! It seems there are visitors almost every Lord's Day during the Summer tourist time. One 27 year old man has been added to the membership by baptism and another addition is likely by letter in the next week or so. Bro. Reti has been preaching excellent messages which have been encouraging and most certainly doctrinally sound. His job takes much of his time and living conditions (hauling water, getting in firewood, etc.) are additionally time consuming, but somehow he makes time to study and prepare faithfully. Please pray for him and for the Church in Carcross!

Our "contacts" in Romania are increasing. By e-mail, phone and regular mail we have heard from several people in that country and others who have contact with persons there. We are learning much - though obviously we have much to learn! One young Romanian man wrote me the following: "I know personal our Jesus Christ for the past 4 years and I can't to not live near Him and for Him. Jesus Christ did very much for me even if I don't deserve." Surely all God's regenerated ones "can't to not live near Him and for Him"! Since this young man labored to write to me in English, I took the time to write to him in Romanian with much help from dictionary and phrase book and - no doubt - in much poorer grammar than he used in writing to me.
We continue to pray about exactly where to first locate in Romania. While our language study is progressing, we are very much aware that to be effective in Romania we must have fluency both in speaking and writing the language. So, one criterion for locating there is the accessibility of Romanian language courses. Since our contacts seem to be mostly in and near the city of Timisoara (tee mee swar uh), at this time, we are looking that direction. Timisoara is a city of some 390,000 people and home to the Politehnica University of Timisoara, the West University, and The University of Medicine and Pharmacy. These as well as other sources of Romanian language study are available in Timisoara. Timisoara is located in southwestern Romania, not far from both the Yugoslav and Hungarian borders. It is more central to Eastern Europe than Bucharest.

I have been impressed of late with the fact that we American Baptists do not need to go to Romania (or elsewhere) and "do for" the people there. Surely it is important that the Gospel be preached, that converts be Scripturally baptized, that saints be taught to observe the "all things" of Matthew 28, etc., but the dangers, it seems to me, are twofold: (1) some "independent Baptists" seem to have become "spiritually paternalistic" by "doing for" the people what they, under God, ought to do for themselves, and (2) that other "independent Baptists" have, unwittingly, perhaps, fallen into the trap of "hiring" locals to do the actual work of preaching and teaching by using "interpreters" and not learning the language themselves. (These are my observations based on information supplied by missionaries and others who have visited Eastern Europe and Romania in particular.) May God use us to raise up Churches and God-called men to do the work!

It is my aim to preach the Gospel and to see autonomous, self-governing Baptist Churches started, and established in the faith. I believe also in order to combat the increasing compromise of our day and to overcome those doctrinal weaknesses always present (due to "natural-born-Arminianism") that sound Baptist/Biblical books and literature must be made available to the pastors and members of Churches throughout Romania and, as God enables, throughout Eastern Europe. Bibles, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and sound books placed in the hands of those who will use them should (1) better enable the people of God to do the work God has called them to do, and (2) bear long-lasting fruit - fruit which will outlive my own remaining years.

I earnestly solicit your prayers on behalf of the people of Romania and Eastern Europe. There is evidence that a real effort is underway to restore the supremacy of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Romania, to the detriment of freedom for Baptists. It seems that similar pressures are being brought to bear on other Eastern European governments by various former state-churches. Militant gangs aimed at persecuting Baptists and others have been formed in Romania with, it seems, the approval of the Orthodox powers.

There is much more I would write, but time and space prevent me. I do ask for your earnest prayers on behalf of the peoples of Romania and for the Pughs as we make our way there.

In the cause of God and truth with you,

Curtis and Janet Pugh

P.S. In the midst of all our preparing to move to Romania, our younger daughter, Anna, was married this past Friday to Mark Cattemull in nearby Haines, Alaska. They will be making their home for the next 2 or 3 years in his hometown, Auckland, New Zealand. Mark and Anna both give evidence of being real Christians, are doctrinally sound, and seeking to serve the Lord daily. Your prayers for them are requested as they begin life together.