What else can I say other than God answers prayer! Join us in thanking the Lord for the blessings mentioned below and petitioning for the following requests.
HUGHES’ FURLOUGH
Jacob and Viola made it back to America safely for their furlough. We thank the Lord for the safety thus far in their travels (I believe over 3,000 miles thus far in the span of just about a month). Please continue to pray that the Lord will strengthen, encourage, and refresh them during their time visiting churches, friends and family.
I had specifically requested prayer for help in using my time wisely and keeping up with my responsibilities during the Hughes’ absence. Thus far, the responsibilities are being fulfilled, in part due to the Lord providing some Moldovans to help in different aspects. Please continue to pray for me in this area as a number of unexpected but good responsibilities have been added to my schedule recently.
VAN
Thank you for praying for us to find a van. After much searching, praying, and seeking 
counsel from many sources, we decided on a van to purchase for our family. As I write this, a friend of mine from Soroca is on his way to Germany to check out the van and Lord willing make the purchase. The trip is about 25 hours each way, non-stop, add in the times to fill up, cross through customs at borders, and it is over 30 hours each way. Please pray for him and his co-driver to arrive there safely, the van end up being what we are expecting, the money transfer to arrive without problems, and for them to make it back safely with the van.
RESIDENCY PERMITS
We thank the Lord that we were granted the two year residency permits. I always rejoice to see the new residency cards in hand, thankful for our service to Christ to continue here in Moldova. Though we will not be attempting this in the near future, please pray for us to receive permanent residency permits in the future. I inquired further at the migration office if this is a possibility for us. I was given a paper with the list of requirements, which we currently could meet, if we took a language test and worked on a couple other documents. This is a goal of mine within the next 6 years. Our lawyer said they don’t give out permanent residencies. Maybe the Lord would see fit for us to be the first.
GREATER INFLUENCE
During our ministry team retreat in August of last year, we specifically began praying for two things. First, we saw the need to gain entrance into people’s inner circle. We had people coming to services but not willing to come over for a meal or allow us to personally disciple them. We also saw that people we witnessed to through day-to-day life or visitation were not interested in us going further with the Gospel than the first visit. We began asking the Lord to allow us to enter into people’s circle of influence. Second, we started praying that God would raise men that we could disciple and lead along for Christ.
Over the past couple months, we have seen answers begin to both of these requests. One lady who had visited us our second year started coming regularly with her daughter to our Sunday evening Bible study. She was facing a very serious decision in life. Through a couple long conversations and much prayer, she chose to do what was right. Another man has started coming regularly each week and was also counseled in an important decision. He also has seen the validity of the biblical counsel he received and is following the Lord. On a weekly basis, I have been meeting with another man, going through a discipleship course. He lives outside the city in a village and would like to see a church planted in his village. I am also working to start a weekly discipleship with another young man. The majority of these have been men! Please pray for the Lord to continue to work in the lives of these dear people and to raise up strong, male, godly leadership.
OPENING CLOSED DOORS
Over the past couple weeks, I had tried to call a young man in another village to see if we could meet and talk about salvation. Both times I called, the young man’s father answered the phone. He asked me numerous questions very rudely and refused to let me talk to his “child,” a young man in his 30’s. I was told to never call again, and he made some threats. I thought that the door was closed. Much to my joy and surprise, the young man showed up at our house Sunday evening! He did not have time to talk much, but we did get to start talking. Please pray for this young man, who is strict Orthodox, to meet with me again and allow us to open the Bible to see what salvation really means.
Thank you all for praying for us and the work here in Moldova.
weather, we rented the Adventist building for a Sunday morning and used their baptismal. 
Back in September, when we started holding a Bible Club at a children’s home in town (“Azimut”), we were told that it would be closing down after a couple months. Well, the home is still open, and we continue to teach them the Bible each week. Even though we are going to be a blessing to the children, we feel the children are a great blessing to us as well.. The 15 or so children there range from age 2 through teenagers. 
husbands, wives, parents, and children which also included the Gospel. Though few actual complete families came, a myriad of children and adults did come by and participate. We were able to talk to some individuals about the Lord, too.
face-to-face and my mother’s first time to be with our two youngest, Ana and Simeon. We enjoyed getting to be with family again.
with the Orthodox priest from our neighborhood. He wanted us to take down our VBS sign that was outside our house and to leave the children alone. We continued along without any further conflict with him, thankfully. Both weeks combined, we had 45 different children come. Please pray for these children and for us as we plan to start a one-hour Bible club each week at our house to continue to influence the children that came.
here in Soroca.
Lord orchestrate so many of the details. The Lord provided a nice place to rent and wonderful landlords. The Lord provided a Romanian teacher for her. The Lord also provided a way to get her belongings here cheaper, quicker, and more efficiently than originally expected.
We had planned to go to the capital city on Stephanie’s 36 week appointment and stay there until the birth. The day before, I was leading the Sunday evening Bible study at our house, and Stephanie started to have regular contractions. When they continued for an hour and a half, many being only 5 minutes apart, we quickly loaded up and sped to the capital. The entire way there, the contraction, though not the strong, painful ones, were consistent. When we arrived at the hospital, though, they stopped and did not begin again. While waiting in Chișinău, wondering how this would all work out, we were able to do some other preparations for the baby and pick up Sarah from the airport. The evening after the Hughes picked up Sarah and her luggage to take her to Soroca, Stephanie began to have contractions again. This time we went to the hospital, the contractions continued and Simeon was born.
for Sunday and midweek services as well as Tuesday English classes. This past Sunday, a man who lives nearby joined us for the morning service. Years ago he had attended the Adventist church and has since not been a part of any church. Please pray for Victor as we find out further where he is spiritually and help him take the next step.
A couple months ago, we started giving free English lessons in order to meet more people and share the Gospel with them. We have had between 15 and 20 people most weeks. Some are Pentecostal, some unregistered Baptists, and some unsaved. We have a Bible study after the lesson in which students may participate. While we were expecting the young adults to be the ones to stay, our only student to join us for the Bible study is a 70 year old woman. Though only one person, we rejoice in her hunger for God’s Word and to learn more. Please pray for Ala and our students.
