March 28, 2024 Update

A lot has transpired since out last prayer letter in December. I sat down multiple times over the past month to write this letter but more came up and there was more to add.

Thank you for praying regarding Abby’s Moldovan residence permit. By God’s grace, she was granted a standard 1 year permit. Please continue to pray for her and Caleb regarding post-graduation plans. They both graduate this Spring.

The first week of January, we did a one-day winter VBS in Bulboci and one at our house in our village. That same week, we also did a Christmas program for the officers and their families at the Soroca penitentiary. The Gospel was given and seed planted.

We had been granted permission by the mayor in Bulboci to use the library for our VBS programs and also for doing English lessons with Bible study. Due to a woman who is opposed to us and made a petition in the village for us to not use the library for the ESL/Bible lessons, we ended up moving the weekly lessons to the house where we hold our Sunday services. The mayor is not against us but was put in a difficult position. Future use of the library for our VBS programs is now in jeopardy as well. Pray for the Lord to work in hearts and grant us wisdom.

On January 14th, while in the village for our Sunday afternoon service, I found out that

Last picture with Dad

my Dad died unexpectedly from a heart attack. We had just talked via Skype on the Thursday evening before. A day before that, I had taken Abby with me to attend a funeral in a village. We talked about funerals, death, and how to respond to a loved one passing. Little did we know she would need to put all of that into practice in a matter of days. Stephanie stayed in Moldova with Simeon (who was sick), and I took the other four with me for two weeks back to the States. God gave me grace to do Dad’s funeral with Delaney Young. The list of blessings and God’s provisions and mercy are numerous. Through some churches and individuals, the cost of the airfare ended up being covered within a short time. I miss Dad but look forward to seeing him again one day, all thanks to Christ.

Victor’s baptism

On March 3, we had the privilege to baptize Victor, a man from Visoca who has been coming with the Eli, another missionary here in Moldova. What a joy it was to baptize this new believer. Please pray for him to continue to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and be a light for Christ in his village.

On March 9, the day after International Women’s Day, we held a ladies luncheon outreach. We had 13 Moldovan ladies, about half from Visoca, the other half from Soroca.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

October 2023 Prayer Letter

I struggle to write some prayer letters due to there not being much exciting to report on. This is NOT one of those prayer letters.  Read and rejoice with us for what He is doing here in Moldova.

Tamara, the one battling cancer and a host of other problems, had a brother named Nicolai. He was born without developed feet, living his whole life as an invalid. My heart sunk when she told me this year that her brother had cancer and was not expected to live long. I visited him and shared the Gospel with him, leaving him to think about what I had shared. A few days later, Tamara called me enthusiastically to say he called on Christ to save him.  In just a few months, he passed away.  I thank God for the chance to share the Good New with him before it was too late.  Please pray for Tamara as she continues to battle physical, emotional, and financial needs.

In September, I was in the States for 2 1/2 weeks to attend a Deliberate Discipleship Retreat. This was the first time I had been back to the States other than our furlough every 4 years.  I have been trying to attend one of the retreats by our mentor over the past three years but without success.  In addition to being fed spiritually and encouraged by the fellowship with other men, I surprised my mom for her birthday and spent three days with my parents, brother, and his family.  God opened the doors for many opportunities to share the Gospel on the way to the States and on the way home to Moldova.

While I was in the States, the children came down with a cold that has now lasted two weeks.  Simeon also needed medical attention due to lumps that started developing this summer but had increased in number and size.  The doctors in the capital did not know what the cause was.  They had us do a multitude of blood tests and recommended we see a dermatologist.  On Monday, we saw the dermatologist and found out they are callouses that developed due to his shoes being too tight and rubbing on certain spots on his feet.  We are thankful that it ended up being something minor rather than something more serious as some were speculating.

Jacob and Viola have started evangelistic Bible studies with two Russian-speaking individuals, a young lady from Soroca (“N”) and a young man (“V”) from a village where we pick people up for the Sunday afternoon service in Bulboci.  Please pray for these two to continue seeking the Lord and come to faith in Christ.

The Sunday after I returned, we had the privilege of baptizing three Moldovans, our first time to baptize Moldovans.  The two ladies, Iulia and Ioana, are the two that trusted Christ a few years ago through our chronological Bible study, and the man, Volodie, is the brother of a lady who used to attend services before moving to her brother’s village.  Pray for these three and for the Lord to add more.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 11th, we will be starting an ESL/Bible Club in the village of Bulboci at the library.  We have the permission of the mayor and school director, which has been encouraging.  We plan to have 30 min. of English lessons and 30 min. of Bible.  This will give us a more consistent influence in the lives of the people.  Please pray that the Lord will bless this new outreach in Bulboci.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

 

July 2023 Update

A lot has transpired since our last prayer letter, thus I will just jump into the update.

April

                 Our Resurrection program at the Soroca Penitentiary for the officers and the program in Bulboci both went well.  During a holiday that is buried in superstitions and traditions, it was a blessing to share the truth of Christ’s resurrection and its significance in our lives.

May

During May, Stephanie’s parents came to visit for two weeks, and we took a family vacation in Romania.  While in Romania, we met with some friends of ours.  Among them was the Muldoon family, new missionaries to the deaf in Romania.  What a blessing to spend some time with them and their children.

June

June was full of VBS prep, including getting up a porch roof that could be used for VBS at our house.  We were able to get most of it up in time and cover it with a temporary tarp.  In addition to the regular Bible studies and services, I have enjoyed the weekly meetings with “V.”  He is the English-speaking man seeking God that I mentioned in our last prayer letter.  He is growing in his understanding of Scripture as we go through the chronological Bible study.  He has become a friend I look forward to spending time with each week.

July

We have three weeks of VBS scheduled for July.  The first week was at our house and went well.  We had 37 different Moldovan’s come, ranging from 4 years to  13 years old.  We still have two more weeks of VBS the last two weeks of July, one in Bulboci, and the other in Soroca.  Please pray for us to have endurance and the Spirit’s enablement.

Back in March, I had given Stephanie’s number to a woman I had met who was seeking God.  After losing my wife’s  number, she decided to try to find our church’s contact info online.  She called this past week and asked us to visit her at the hospital.  “M” has been seeking for God through Hinduism and other religions.  When she married an Orthodox man and was baptized in his religion, she had questions about things in the Bible, but the priest would not answer her questions.  Please pray for “M” to continue seeking the Lord and for her to meet with Stephanie when she gets out of the hospital.  Please also pray for her son who is battling a serious illness. 

This week, I received a phone call from our lawyer.  He said that the recent overhaul of the immigration laws in Moldova has complicated the granting of residence permits for foreigners.  They are granting only one year permits or denying them completely.  He recommended we apply for citizenship.  Please pray for wisdom as we look into this option.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

March 28, 2023 update

We enjoy having our garden.  We like different aspects of the work but enjoy seeing the growth and prospect of harvest the most.  The last couple months have been that kind of enjoyment in ministry.  As with our garden, the harvest is often in danger of disease or pests that desire to steal the fruit.  Please rejoice with us in the development of fruit but also pray for wisdom in tending to these precious souls so that there will be fruit that remains.

I would like to give you some updates from our last prayer letter.  Victor, though still with volatile health issues, recently received a motorized wheel chair, which has been a blessing to him.  David, the 80-year old, will be coming back to Soroca, Lord willing, some time this Spring.  After passing out invitations, doing a week of Facebook Ads, and having the door unlocked and place heated each Wednesday evening for seven weeks, no one came to the new Soroca Bible study.  Though this is discouraging, the Lord has other plans for that evening (more of that below).  “Love” has continued to come to both services each week and the evangelistic Bible study with Jacob and Viola.  What a joy when she invited a newly retired friend of hers to start coming, too.  She has also joined Love in the services and study.  We thank the Lord for using her already to draw others to God’s Word.  Lena and Vania have  not returned yet from Russia, but please pray for Vania to start coming to services upon their return.

For 9 weeks (middle of January to middle of March), we held weekly Bible studies in the village of Visoca with the group that Eli has been bringing to our Soroca services.  Being with a mix of believers and unbelievers who are seeking truth, the studies included topics like salvation, Bible study, and prayer.  We enjoyed the time getting to know them better and hearing their questions during the studies.  Please pray for them to take the next step of faith from where they are now.

For March 8, International Woman’s Day, we held an outreach for the women in Soroca.  Seven Moldovans came, only two of them believers.  Another two of them came a couple weeks to our midweek service.  Please pray for lasting fruit from the event. 

For a long time, we had been praying for Iulia and Ioana to start coming weekly to the Sunday service in Bulboci.  They had trusted Christ through my Bible studies in the village a couple years ago.  After a couple years of discipleship, they still were not coming to services, though.  I stopped meeting with them each week and encouraged them again to come on Sundays.  With the encouragement of another believer who has been discipling them, too, they have now been coming faithfully for several weeks!  Pray for this growth to continue and for them to take the next step of baptism this year.

Around the time I stopped trying to start the Wednesday evening study due to no one coming, the Lord brought a young man into my path.  He speaks English very well and has been meeting weekly with me.  It started with questions about God and is now a Bible study on Wednesday evenings.  Please pray for “V” as he seeks truth and to believe or not in the God of the Bible.

Like we did for celebrating Christ’s birth, we are planning to do programs about Christ’s resurrection at the Soroca penitentiary and in the village of Bulboci.  Please pray for the Lord’s blessings and for fruit from these outreaches.

Thank you for your part in our lives and ministry here in Moldova.  May you have fruit added to your account because of your part in giving and praying.

January 2023 Prayer Letter

The war next door in Ukraine has reminded me of the spiritual battles we face in life and ministry.  At times it seems we are gaining ground, and at other times it seems the enemy wins some battles.  As much as we want to see an end to the conflict, the war continues, and thus we must be vigilant and persistent.  Please continue to pray for us in the battles we face and rejoice in victories won.

In our last prayer letter, I mentioned Victor and his choice to believe the Gospel and trust in Christ.  While he was in the hospital this last time, he had talked with another person about the Bible.  What a joy it was for him to call me and ask me for a Bible to give to the person.  Please pray for Victor as his health continues to be very volatile.  He currently cannot even walk with crutches due to the weakness in his legs.

Two days after writing our last prayer letter, I received a phone call from an 80 year old man named David.  Many months before, my auto mechanic friend gave him my number.  As he sat alone at home, the Lord put on his mind to finally call me.  I had just finished my monthly planning meeting with Jacob and was able to go right away to visit him.  He began coming to each church service and was very open to the Gospel.  After going through the Gospel with him one evening at his house, he said he understood and planned to accept Christ later that evening.  Shortly thereafter, he moved to the capital for the winter to be with family.  After talking with him on the phone since, it still isn’t clear to me if he made the decision or not for salvation yet.  Please pray for David to trust Christ if he has not yet.

For several months, our coworkers, Jacob and Viola, have been meeting with an older woman “Love,” taking her through the evangelistic Bible study we have been using.  She has been coming regularly to services now and continues to have a hunger to know more.  Please pray for her to continue to grow in her understanding as we explain the Gospel and Bible truth, and for her to be saved.

Vania, Lena’s husband, continued coming to services until they left for Russia at the beginning of December.  Though it will still be a time before they return in the Spring, please pray for Vania to resume coming upon their return. 

In January, we held an outreach in Bulboci for all ages, with the theme of “The Greatest Gift.”  We had about 22 children and 11 adults come who do not normally attend our services in the village.  The one-day program went well, and the Gospel was preached.  Please pray that our influence will grow in that village in this year as we have additional outreaches planned.

The next day, we held a program on “The Prince of Peace”  at the Soroca penitentiary for the officers who work there and their families.  We had prepared 163 gifts for all the officers’ children between ages 2 and 14.  In the end, we had around 80 of the children come plus parents.  In addition to the gifts, we had games, snack, singing, prizes, and a clear Gospel presentation.  Ivan Nebesni (John Heavenly) continues to meet with the folks there and reach them with the Gospel of Christ.  Pray for the seeds to continue to be watered and grow.

For the last two weeks, I have been trying to start a new group in Soroca for the evangelistic Bible study.  Unfortunately, even after putting up advertisements in town, personally inviting folks, and putting an invitation on the programs handed out to the officers at the penitentiary, no one has come yet.  Please pray for wisdom to either continuing pursuing this or not at this time.

Thanks again for praying for us.  Pray for strength and wisdom as we continue in the battle for the Lord.

November 2022 Prayer Letter

Greetings from Moldova!  Thank you very much for praying for our return to Moldova.  This was the easiest and best trip we have had between America and Moldova.  No missed flights, the short layover in Istanbul was not a problem.  We walked into the airport off one flight and found our last connecting flight just across the hallway!  All our luggage made it, too!  During our 10 days in Romania, I preached twice, had some meetings with individuals, and had our van in the repair shop three times.

As a short testimony, our serpentine belt shredded when we were right in front of a store where we could pull in and park our van (Cluj does not have much public parking at all).  This was blessing #1.  We needed a taxi to get home.  After calling all the taxi numbers I could find online and none being available, we stopped and prayed in the parking lot.  Right after we prayed, a guy threw some trash away in the trash can near us.  When I looked up, I saw him walking towards his car in the back corner of the lot.  It was a taxi cab!  In addition to the basic maintenance and serpentine belt needing changed, we also needed to change the back wheel bearings urgently before the long drive back to Moldova.  God provided the funds needed for all this through a generous gift beforehand from a supporting church in Florida.  What a joy to see God provide.

Since our return to Moldova, we have faced a number of challenges.  The 93-year-old man, Petru, passed away just a few days after I was able to visit him again.  Through this, I was able to start witnessing to his son, who a couple of years ago was very antagonistic towards us.  Please pray for Anatol’s salvation.

The last couple of months brought different health issues, too.  Stephanie started having difficulty breathing, pains in her arm and blood pressure 40 points above her normal.  After going through tests and doctor visits, they believe the problem is due to  stress.  We have since worked to lighten what we can from her responsibilities.  The symptoms have been improving since.  While playing goalie at the children’s center where we do Bible club, Abby fractured her wrist.  After six weeks in a cast, she finally got it taken off yesterday.  I have had some of my own health issues that I am working to get resolved.  With all the time eaten up with doctor visits, I was reminded of how blessed we have been with the health God has blessed us with.

Some other discouraging  news came just last week.  The head office in the capital, that oversees the children’s center where we do Bible club, said we are no longer permitted to teach the Bible there.  The director at the center was just as sad as we were of the news.  Also, three teenagers, to whom Caleb had been witnessing and with whom he thought he had an open door, told him they didn’t want to hear any more.  We know that closed doors mean we are to seek other open doors.

Now for encouraging news.  Last Fall, I had mentioned that the husband of a lady in our Soroca church-plant had come to a couple of services before leaving for Russia for the winter.  Since our return to Moldova, Vania has come to the last three services!  Please pray for Vania to trust Christ.  Jacob and I also met with a young man who used to be at Bible club.  Please pray for Marcel to come to the midweek Bible study as he said he would.

While on furlough, the Hughes continued the weekly Bible study with Victor and his family in the village of Bulbocii Noi.  Upon my return, I saw that Victor had really progressed during that time.  His answers to questions were confident, correct, and sincere.  A couple of weeks ago, I asked him if he knows where he will spend eternity.  He answered,  “In heaven.”  I asked him, “Why? Do you think you are a good person?”  He replied, “No, I am a sinner.  But I am trusting in God.  I am trusting in Jesus’s blood.”  What joy filled my heart to hear that he is now trusting in Christ.  Please pray for Victor to grow and for God to use him in his village.  Also pray that we will find a reclining seat for him to have at services so that he can come.  He weighs less than 100 pounds and cannot be in a regular chair for very long due to health problems.

Between the four from Soroca and the group from the village of Visoca (where a single missionary lady, Eli, is serving Christ), we had a really good group in Soroca for our Harvest Thanksgiving Service.  We have been encouraged to see the room on Sunday filling up again.  Please pray for the Lord’s blessing as we witness to folks in Soroca. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Here are some other pictures of what we have been up to since our arrival back in Moldova two months ago:

Harvest Thanksgiving service in Bulboci

Harvest Thanksgiving service in Soroca

Harvest Thanksgiving service in Soroca

Helping load corn stalks onto a trailer

August prayer letter

Hard to believe it, but we have just about finished our furlough.  As a family, we feel that

Pic of our last day of traveling for furlough visits

this was the best furlough we have had thus far.  We believe it has been a success in many ways.  We reported to supporting churches, gave out Gospel tracts and witnessed to folks across America, enjoyed good visits with family and friends, had extra time with our sending church, and feel refreshed to return to Moldova and press on in the ministry there.

For those of you who like statistics, here are some of our stats.  We traveled over 13,000 miles in 17 weeks.  We were in a total of 33 churches (25 supporting churches, 4 new churches, and 4 unplanned stop-ins where the pastor

New supporting church! – Our pin on their map

graciously gave us 5 minutes to talk about our ministry during the service).  In addition to the added prayer support in the new churches, one of them voted to start supporting us.  Our travels included 21 states.  Our only car trouble was that one flat tire.  Out of our 25 supporting churches we visited, 13 of them had new pastors since the last time we visited them.  It was a blessing getting to meet these men.

Since our last prayer letter at the end of June, we had several weeks of refreshment

BIMI Enrichment Week—they met Dr. Sisk

between meetings.  Our children enjoyed a week of Christian camp for the first time (family camp week at the Bill Rice Ranch).  We also had a week of vacation with my parents, brother, and his family.  We also experienced BIMI’s Enrichment Week for the first time ever.  That was an amazing week for everyone in our family to remember.  Stephanie and I got away for several days to celebrate our 18th anniversary at some places that offered free accommodations to missionaries.  We enjoyed the change of pace from the first half of furlough.  We just arrived home today from our last scheduled furlough meeting.

Please pray for us as we work on packing and finishing up the last things on our to-do list before leaving next week.  We fly out early morning on Thursday, August 25th.  We will fly from Memphis to Chicago, Chicago to Istanbul, Turkey, then from Istanbul to Cluj, Romania.  We only have a one hour layover in Istanbul.  We appreciate your prayers regarding us making that last flight.  The plan right now is to spend about 10 days in Romania before driving home to Moldova.  While in Romania, we have an oil leak on our van to fix and x-rays and possible wisdom teeth extraction for Caleb.  Pray for a smooth transition back into life and ministry in Moldova.

While things can change quickly in the future, things seem to be peaceful and somewhat stable in Moldova right now, for which we are thankful.  Please continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine.  I am still reading reports that Odessa, Ukraine is the main barrier we have that is keeping Russia from taking Transnistria and the rest of Moldova.  God knows the future, thus we trust in Him.

Thank you for your prayers and support.