Dear brothers and sisters, and dear friends,

It is our hearts desire to share with you what God has done here in the humble villages of Vladeasa. Every day and every week He continues to bless us with his grace and mercy. He kept showing us that these gypsies are precious in his eyes.

About four weeks ago, on a Tuesday, we went in one of the villages, Sacuieu, where we have every week women bible study. But two Tuesdays ago, nobody showed up. I was very disappointed and hurt, but God had something else for us to do. Usually during the women bible study, Nicu, my husband, uses this time to go and visit the men from the village to get to know them better and to share with them personally. In a short while I found it out that a baby, six months old died of high fever, having pneumonia. The parents were unbelievers, the mother came a few times to the church, but the father never came. I went up to their house to see the mom, and when I got there Nicu was out side the house talking with the father. All the children from the village followed me when I went in the house, to see the mom and the baby. They were all there around the house like little angels guarding this lifeless baby. In that moment I understood how blessed I am comparing with this poor family. Their dead baby was laying there, and they had nothing, no money, and no food. Their last money were used to buy some candies for the other children that came to see their baby friend. The father was outside not being able to say a word. The baby was his only son, they still have two other older daughters, but his pain was extreme. The mom was preparing the other daughter to go to the hospital because she was sick, too.

In a short while we left, but both of us felt to come back in the evening to help them with what we can. It is the customs to stay three day and nights with the body. When we went back there, the house was full with people, that were sitting around and smoking, everybody was surprised when we showed up. Some were embarrassed and threw their cigarettes. After half an hour some of the gypsy men started to ask Nicu questions about God, and about things from the Bible. They even brought latter a cd with Christian gypsy music that we gave them, and they were all listening it. Nicu ended sharing with them for more than five hours, answering to their questions, and preaching to them the love of Christ and His grace. It was wonderful. We didn't realized what the time was. God used this sad event so that those who never wanted to come to the church to be able to hear the Gospel. There were the men who are kind of the elders of the village, and surprisingly they were very interested in the Gospel. In this sad evening they could know us better, because now we were like one of them, seating there with them, talking and eating with them. After mid night we went home, being so blessed by what God has done that evening.

The next day we went there again, and in the evening some more gypsies came that attend our fellowship, and we started the evening with prayer and with praise songs. Believers and unbelievers were singing together this gypsy song which they love, "Oh, Lord, I cried to You, and You helped me". It was again a very blessed time, and last week evening even the father could sing together with us. God comforted him with His love. It was for the first time when he was exposed to gospel of grace. His face started to be more peaceful. God's Spirit did the work in his heart that a million words could not do.

The next Sunday after the funeral, he was the one that was waiting for us in the front of the church building. To our surprise, he came and hugged Nicu, and it is something that is not cultural for them. He was like another person, but the surprise continued, almost all the men that were there last evenings came to the church service. Until now mainly the women came to the church and one or two guys. But now the room was full of ladies and there were around eight or ten men. Again they were opened for the gospel and they prayed and sang with us.

Since then, the father of the baby is the first one that come to the church service and he is full of love for God. Two Sundays ago he brought his mother and his father to the church, his father being very sick, he asked Nicu to pray for him in the church, and he prayed for his father, too. He brought also to church his wife and daughters.

We want to encourage you, if you want to pray together with us for him, that the seed that fell in his heart to be in a good soil, to be able to brig forth lots of fruits. Pray also for him to learn how to be a good husband and a light in the village.

Praise God some of the other men from the village, started to attend church regularly. Pray for them, too that they could quite alcohol, and that they could understand how good is our God.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy!!

In His grace,

Silvana & Nicu Hagiu