Resita / Lugoj ministry finished...

We just finished our ministry in Resita and Lugoj. The team flew off early this morning (Romanian time) and will arrive home today (American time). Pray for safe travel and no lost luggage. Please pray this same prayer for the team that is flying in a few hours for my last week of ministry in Deva, Romania. It is a team of about 12 and I will have a smaller role in leadership on this mission. Please pray for me to have continued strength and endurance to finish this race the Lord has set before me.

Ministry in Resita where I took 8 Americans was very good. Although we had to travel in a van 4 to 6 hours a day to get to the ministry sites (something we will remedy for next year) the team was very flexible and endured with great attitudes of service. We had 94 people pray with us to receive Christ just in Resita alone! I did not get the numbers from the Lugoj team but I am sure the Lord showed Himself powerful there as well!

Sorry I could not update you more during the week, but I did not have any internet access. I am hoping I will have access in Deva, so I will be able to update you more on the great things the Lord has done and will do in Romania.

Thanks for praying for cooler weather. We had a few days that were much cooler and much appreciated. Keep praying for cooler weather because the Romanians are not used to this and the Americans are used to having air conditioning to rescue them but not many places are air conditioned here.

Pray for many open doors and hearts in Deva. Also for good organization, this is the first mission team we have taken to Deva, so I am sure we will be teaching each other a lot and learning from each other.

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

Chris

Continuing on with my 3rd mission team...

Hello Prayer Team,

Here is an excert from my co-leader Linda Sims' internet update, "Thank you so much for your prayers this first week [second week for me] in Romania. We have completed our time in Galati with all glory due the Lord. God is so good to have given us wonderful and fruitful visits with so many, despite the104+ temperatures for several days. We are now in Bucharest for the day (the capital ofRomania) and will fly to our 2nd [3rd for me] campaign late this afternoon, staying at the Precept Training Center for all of Eastern Europe while we share Jesus in the villages around Lugoj and Resita. Please pray for our team of 35. Many of them are 1st timers, so pray for boldness and dependence on the Lord."
The week in Galati was fruitful. We presented the Gospel to over 350 people! Slava Domnului (Praise the Lord)!! This next week I will be working with part of the team in the Resita area. Thank you for your continued prayers. They are sustaining me and the teams.
Pray that the whole team allows the 'streams of living water that are flowing out of them' (John 7:38) to satisfy the thirst of the lost. Pray for less of us and more of HIM!

Agape,
Chris

One more day of ministry in Galati

Hello Prayer Team,

Please pray for continued strength and endurance as the team has one more day of ministry in Galati. It is extremely hot in Galati and Romania in general. Please pray for cooler weather. I was told it hit 104 today! We are taking the afternoons off to avoid the heat and going out at 4pm into the evening. This helps with the heat but makes for a long day for the team, so many of the team are battling tiredness but they are perservering with God's strength.

Today I was with Holy Trinity Baptist church's team that went into the village of Tulucesti. They brought reading glasses and handed them out as a means to draw people in to then talk to them. I had many good conversations sharing the the Gospel and having God open the eyes of their hearts just like the glasses opened their physical eyes to read. Many seeds were planted. Some team members visited people they had talked to last year. I was able to work with a translator named Ana Maria. She had been visited last year by our team and had a seed planted in her heart, this past December at her university, God used her roommate to pray with her to receive Christ. It was a blessing witnessing with her and seeing her passion for her lost neighbors. The joy of the Lord is in her, in fact she said her lost brother told her that she must be high on drugs, but she has something better than drugs, everlasting life through Jesus Christ!

Agape,
Chris

Galati starting fairly smooth

Hello Prayer team,

We had our first day of ministry here in Galati [Gah-lots], Romania, and it went fairly well. The first day of ministry is always a little hectic, but we have worked many years in Galalti so the two mother churches know the ministry well.

Today I tagged along with the Emanuel team to the village of Sendreni. We had an interesting morning. We met the mayor and he welcomed us warmly to the village (which is not normal). We also met a guy who was voluntering in the mayor's office who spoke English. We found out later he was a believer and is a member of a church in the city, he has many ministry oppotunities in the village because of his good relationship with the mayor. He (Viorel) took us around town and showed us many projects that the town had started and were planning on starting. One of the highlights was when Nadine Breiner was able to present the Gospel to 23 kids at a day center. The other highlight was getting to encourage Viorel by praying with him for money to build some houses for impoverished people.

The schedule has been changed a little for the trip because it is soooooo hot in the afternoons the team is resting from 1 to 4 and then going back out. So today when we went back out we had some great visits, and divine appointments. This lady was about to pass us by when Nadine Breiner felt the Spirits prompting us to talk to her. At first she was hung up on thinking good works could get you to heaven, but after some talking and sharing God's word she prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior.



As far as health our team is doing much better thanks for praying, and everyone seemed to sleep well last night, but continue to pray that the team is able to sleep through the night. Speaking of, I should head to bed so I am well rested for tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers! More to come!


Agape,
Chris

Thanks for prayers during my first week...

Please continue praying!!

I know I have not been able to write and update you on what has been going on, but I will try to catch you up in the next couple of days. I am pretty tired right now so I will just hit the highlights.

We had a great first week! The Lord did some amazing things amidst some hard soil and some hard lessons to learn. HE broke many of the team's hearts and expectations and then built them back up in His power for His glory. We had many come to know the Lord and got to plant 7 churches and strengthen 2 churches with our team of 23 Americans and 50 or so Romanians! Thanks for your prayers, please pray for their re-entry into the USA.

Also please pray for Week 2. I just arrived in Galati with my team of 13. We have 6 from last week's trip continuing on this one. The six are very exhausted and need some good sleep and prayer for strength. One of them Nik Breiner got a fever today, so please pray that his fever breaks and he starts feeling better. Also the team that just flew here needs to adjust to the time change and needs to get a good night sleep so they are ready for the week. We will worship with Emanuel and Holy Trinity churches tomorrow with Jim Crain bringing the message.

Please pray for unity amongst the team, renewed and passionate spirits for HIM! Thanks!

Agape,
Chris Truax

We had a great Sunday! We split the team between the two mother churches we are working with, and then for the evening service swapped, so we got to experience a service in both churches.

We also had a great opening meeting with our translators and other team members. We found out that some of our translators are not saved. This is a great opportunity for ministry! In fact, one of our team led one of the translators to the Lord during our meet-and-greet meeting! I know first hand that the Lord can use the unsaved for His glory and the spreading of His gospel. Please pray for the translators to hear the message themselves but also convey the message correctly to others.

Mondays are always a little hectic so please pray for smooth logistics, flexible attitudes, and the Lord's power to shine through. We have five teams going out to different sites. Three are going to the villages while two will minister in the city of Bocsa. We also have one team member who has been feeling under the weather (Sydney Smith). Please pray for healing and strength and endurance for her so that she can join in on the ministry. The one piece of luggage still has not arrived, continue to pray for this.

I might not be able to email again until Wednesday or Thursday. Bocsa does not have a typical internet cafe, but some of the church members have internet in the homes and have allowed me to send a few updates.

Lord,
Guide us to the harvest field. Guide us to the Romanians that you have prepared in advance for us to talk to. We praise You for allowing us to be a part of Your work here! You are worthy of all the GLORY!! Amen!

WE ARRIVED SAFELY!!!

The whole team of 23 arrived safely in Bocsa, Romania. The NJ team had some fun with flights, in fact their first flight from Newark to Frankfurt was delayed 2 hours, but the Lord allowed the next flight to be delayed 15 min, and this allowed them to make the plane and keep on schedule. Miraculously, we are only missing one bag, please pray that it arrives soon.

The team's spirits are high but they are desperately in need of a good night's rest, so please pray that we can sleep during Romania's night (which is 8hrs ahead of CT). We are looking forward to worshipping with Emmanuel and Grace Baptist chuches tomorrow, our host churches. Scott Russell and Dan Scanish will give a message in the services. We will also have a meeting for the Americans to get to know the Romanians we will be ministering with during the week, especially our translators during the afternoon.

Thanks for your prayers and there sustaining power!

Month long trip to Romania...

Hello Prayer Team,

I fly off tomorrow for a month long mission trip to Romania! I will be working with four different teams and in four different cities during this trip. The first team (made up of a church in NJ and a church in TN) is going to Bocsa [Boak-shah] which is in the West of Romania. This will be our second year working in this area. Then I will travel (with some of the team) to Galati, meeting up with the second team in Bucharest. The second team is made up of veterans most from NJ churches. We have been working in Galati [Gah-lots] (which is in the East) for many years. Then I will travel (again with some of the team) to Surduc [Sir-duke] back in the West (close to Bocsa). We will meet up with our team that is mostly from New Orleans. During the week we will split our team to work in two major cities Resita [Resh-its-ah] (which I will lead) and Lugoj [Lou-gowsh] (which Joe Barron will lead). This will be the second year in these areas. Last I will travel to Deva [Deh-vah] (still in the West but further East than Surduc), and meet up with the last team lead by Adrian and Priscilla Nicoara made up of veterans from all over the US. I will help out Adrian and Priscilla anyway I can at this first-time ministry site for e3. I will arrive back home on August 4. Thank you so much in advance for your prayer support!

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:16b
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." - 1 Peter 3:12

Panama Photoshow

I wanted each of you to be able to see a photo show of the Panama trip. Click here to view the show.

Safely Home

Hello Prayer Team,

Thanks for praying for my team that went to Panama! We had a blessed time and saw God's glory magnified throughout David.

Through your prayers, my team...

...planted 4 new churches!
...strengthened 2 churches!
...presented the Gospel to 304 people!
...saw 151 people profess faith in Christ!
...followed-up with 91 new believers!
...had 616 come out to our evening meetings!
...worked alongside 90 Panamanian believers!
...saw God grow 13 Americans into a closer walk with Him!
...saw God's name glorified in Panama!

Ministry finished strong

Our American team of 13 was able to work with many translators and other Panamanian believers to plant 4 new churches and strengthen 2 existing churches! Many seeds were planted and many souls were harvested! The trip changed many lives: the new believers, the fallen away believers, the believers who worked alongside us, our translators, the pastors, and us. We come back changed with a renewed heart to seek His glory in everything we do. We ask prayer for these churches and the great amount of work they have ahead to follow-up, disciple, and grow these baby Christians, and have them continue to gather as a church for God´s glory.

Planting a church

What do you see in this picture? An open field, two men talking, a gate, trees...

I see a new church. This plot of land was donated for a new church building, but you do not need a building for the church to meet here. Open fields, a large tree, open houses are great places to use for a newly planted church. We can easily get caught up in the thinking that a church is a building, or that a building is required before you have a church. Jesus taught us though that the church is the gathering of His people. This week we are working in four sites and planting churches by evangilizing and discipling and gathering the believers together and developing leaders, but the work is just begining in these sites. My American team will be finishing up ministry tomorrow morning, and then we will be gone. What will happen to the new believers, what will happen to the seeds planted? This whole week we have been working alongside the Panamanian believers, and modeling ministry so that they can continue the ministry when we are gone. The Panamanian believers have committed to the discipleship, and follow-up of the new believers. Also they will provide the needed leadership for these new baby churches. So the work continues, and because it continues please pray for the continued work in Las Vueltas, La Rivieria, Auguacatal, and Chiriqui.

Taking the Bible for granted...

...if you have been a believer for a while you probably take for granted that you understand how to use the Bible. Not that you understand all what the Bible says, but you understand when someone says ¨John 3:16¨ they mean the book of John in the New Testament right after Luke, in the 3rd chapter, 16th verse. For a baby Christian they have no clue what John 3:16 means. Today one of my team, Bryan, got the priviledge of teaching about 20 new believers how to ´unlock´ the reference code so that they can easily read and look up passages on their own. They were so excited they did not want to stop digging into the Word.

The entire team is doing well. Talsy is feeling better and Kevin was able to join us today to translate. Here are some more pics from the day and evening meetings...

Some plant, some water...

...and I sometimes get the priviledge of being involved in the harvest. Today was a great day and many of my site teams have not even checked in for the evening yet. Today we got to split in our 4 site teams and worship with them in their churches celebrate Pentecost and the Global Day of Prayer with them, and then go out into the communities to begin our ministry of sharing the Gospel, discipling, and gathering people together for an evening meeting. I spent the morning with one team and got to worship Iglesia A.G. at Chiriqui. Through translation I heard the pastor preach about the power of the Holy Spirit and how before the disciples were blessed with the Holy Spirit they had lack of faith and fears, but once they had the Holy Spirit to rely on they went out with power and authority preaching the Gospel and performing miracles.
Then I went in the afternoon to check out our site team in Las Vueltas with our Panamanian Coordinator Moises Vega. We got to join the team in going out into the village. We did a lot of prayer walking and easy conversations to get a feel for the area, but we came across an 68 year old man named Marcos sitting by a tree with his friend. We started talking with him and realized through our conversations that the Lord had and was at work in Marcos. We shared the EvangeCube with him and he said he finally understood it, he prayed immediately and is now my brother in Christ. Here is a pic of him...
More to come about all the sites and the great things he is doing through this team of 13 people from the USA, our great team of translators, and other Panamanian believers!

Please be praying for more low lying fruit! Please also pray for Talsy Vega, our other Panamanian Coordinator, and Kevin, a translator, who are both sick.

Great opening rally

Hello Prayer Team,

The team made it to David safely and we had a great opening rally. Here are a few pics...

Moises and Talsy Vega our Panamanian country coordinators.
Pitt´s site getting to know each other
Jimmy´s site figuring out what tomorrow will look like.

Gotta go for now more later...

We made it safely

Hello Prayers,

We made it safely, and Tara our lady waiting for a passport also made it! We also received all our luggage as well! Today, we head to David from Panama City, 7 hour drive, please pray for safe travel. More later...

Another praise but prayer needed

I talked to our campaigner (Tara) and her mother that are waiting for the last passport. The mother told me she had chatted with a friend at work about her daughter's passport situation. The next thing she knew her friend was on the phone. It turns out the co-worker's father works for the passport agency! (God is too cool!) If Tara can get to the DC office Friday morning early the co-worker's father is going to make sure she gets her passport. We need to keep praying though for Tara to get her passport in time, and to make it back to Richmond for her 2:51pm ET flight. Thanks for interceding for her!

Unfortunately it looks like Ruth, our Peruvian that was waiting on her VISA, will not be able to join us. Please pray that the Lord lift her spirits and provide her other opportunities for ministry.

God Provides!

Hello Prayer Team,


I have some great news and also a continued prayer request. Three of my Panama team members received their passport!! Two of them actually went down to their nearest passport agency and would not take no for ananswer :-). Praise God! We still need prayer for one team member who is still waiting on a passport, and one team member who is a Peruvian who is waiting on her VISA (a small window of opportunity tomorrow for both). Both really want to be on the trip and will be sad if they do not get to go, so please pray for the Lord's peace upon them whatever the outcome.


Please also be praying for safe travel and on-time travel tomorrow the first of our group starts flying about 1pm ET and then our whole team will be flying to Panama City together from Atlanta at 5:38 pm ET.


Thanks so much for your prayers for God's will to be done and for His Glory to be shined throughout Panama! Leanne Heise and I are ready to lead the team out into the harvest fields because of God's provision and your prayer coverage.

Still waiting on passports...

It seems that the passport agency is extremely extremely backed up, and not being very helpful to get my team members their passports in time. Please pray for a miracle! I am reworking the budget to see if we can go with out them. Please pray the Lord grants our Panamanian coordinators and me wisdom in how to reorganize if we need to. Thanks!

Panama Trip Prayer Request

One immediate prayer request for my Panama team leaving Friday...because of the large amounts of people applying for passports right now we still have a few team members who have not received their passports yet! We have been in contact with the Passport Agency and they are supposed to be 'putting a rush' on them, but please pray that all team members will get to travel and be part of the trip. I will update you before I leave! Thanks!