10 months married...happy as ever

Family Barbeque

Romania

Worship Team

What a Team!



Below, our worship team had gathered for a night of "hanging out" and celebrating the past year. From left (back row) Dan the drummer (who missed that night and thus was craftily imposed), Laura, Emma, Ramona and Lidia (the singers), and then in front from left, Adrian, Iosif (also singers), Chad (guitar), Alin (guitar), Nicu (guitar), and Victor (bass).

Over the past year we have really seen God's hand over our team as we grew in unity and the ability to flow together in worship. Emma and I have been asked to take over the worship department until Allan Taylor returns, at which point Emma will continue to lead on stage in rotation and I will play guitar until we leave.

Emma's heart is 100% for worship leading and seeing worship leaders prepared and released. For this reason we are planning on coming back to the states for a short period of time in order to prepare more. Our church is growing rapidly and will need a skilled person to run the Music and Worship Dept. Emma is to be that person. She plans on attending a private worship leader school for one year beginning in the fall of 2006. We wish to return to Romania in the summer of 2007 indefinately. We are in search of a good school in which to enroll Emma in. Please let us know if you have any recommendations.

Graduating with Honors

We had a wonderful year!

This last year, 2004, we had wonderful students. Eugen Bucurescu, Nicu Carstea, Claudia Olariu and Andrei Nicut graduated from our 8 month ministry training program...and with honors! It was clear by the confidence with which they shared that day, that they had come a long way this year. Each student, in their own way, grew in their character, abilities and confidence in God's working in their lives.

Preparing for Next Year

We are now in preparation for next year's Intern Program. We are in search for another 6-8 students from within our own congregation who have succesfully finished the 101-501 first year courses in our church. They also must prove active involvement in a local cell group and show signs of having a real and serios relationship with God. We wish to invest the following year in their lives and see them end in success and more prepared for what God has for their lives.

Advice anyone?

Urgent Request for Advice!!!

Emma and I are completly committed to our ministry and church here in Romania. We are, however, growing rapidly. Emma and I feel that God may be leading us to return to the U.S. for a time in order to get more training. Emma wishes to study music and worship leading. We believe that with this training, we will be able to better funcion here in Romania long-term. Our church here will be sending us out with their blessing and with the expectancy for us to return.

We need your prayers and help. We have little idea as to what school would be perfect for what Emma wishes to study. Do you know of a school with a very good "Worship Leader Training" program? We would like to try and avoid attending a private university because we just cant afford it. We are looking for something that is maybe 1-2 years long and specifically aimed at this area of ministry. We are not looking for a WASC accredited school, though that would be nice, but just a school that is recommended for this subject. Can you let us know if you have any school in mind that meets these parameters? We would love to stay in the Southern California or Fresno area.

Thank you so much, and we appreciate your prayers as well

Ministering Together

Emma and I often get to minister together. We enjoy so much to be together on the worship team, as she sings and leads worship, and I play the guitar or bass. Every so often, as well, we will sing a duet on stage. We have learned many songs together and love singing them together. This is just one of the ways that we are working here together as a team.