I Survived!

I survived and completed my first marathon last Sunday! Thanks for your prayers! Sorry for the delay in an update. I was recovering, but I did not post an update because I was waiting to receive some professional pictures that were taken at the race. Unfortunately because of the large number of entrants they are still not available, but I did not want to delay any further. Plus I had a few good friends follow me around the course and they took some good pics that you are seeing here.

A cold front ended up rolling in Saturday night, and race day temp started at 51 degrees and only went down from there. I actually was very happy with the temp, but I was a little worried about the forecast of thunderstorms. The Lord decided to hold off most of the rain and I only got sprinkled on a few times, Thank You Lord!

I am very glad I chose to set the goal of finishing in 5 hours because during the last few miles my legs wanted to stop, but I wouldn't let them :-). It was a great race, I felt good throughout. The cheering fans and many other runners were good distractions to get my mind off of my aches and pains. I kept a pretty steady pace of 11:21 and finished just under my goal at 4:58!
I am not sure if this will become a regular thing for me or not but I am very glad I did it, and I am excited I can share it with all of you. I hope it encourages you to persevere in whatever is going on in your life right now.

Marathon!!!

Yep that's right I am a little wacko! I am going to be running in my first marathon this Sunday, Dec. 9! I am excited about this opportunity to really put my body to the test, and to literally 'run the race that is before me'. For those that do not know too much about marathons, a marathon is 26.2 miles (42.25K) long. I have been training for the past 4 months, and you know from my previous blog back in April that I have run a half-marathon (which led me to believe I could run a marthon, with proper training). So I think I am ready for the Dallas White Rock Marathon! I am not looking to break any records, just finish :-). My goal for the race will be to do it in under 5 hours. That's right, I will be running for 5 hrs!! Please pray!

You can also track me during the race! You can go here and sign up your email, cell phone, or pager to get updates of my time at different mile markers or one update of my finishing time. I will also post my results here with pics of the race once I recover :-).

I also wanted to apologize for still not updating you on my last week in Romania from this summer. It is on my to-do list. Also I wanted to thank all of you who prayed and sent financial gifts toward my new MacBook Pro laptop! I got it and have been enjoying getting to know the Mac world. I feel like a novice with my Mac computer which is a little odd for me since I know my way around a PC pretty well, but it has been a fun learning experience that is continuing.

Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Please pray for me as I literally run a race set before me, and please continue to pray for me as I run the race of life and ministry that the Lord has laid before me. And even though that 'cloud of witnesses' refers back to the "Hall of Faith" mentioned in chapter 11, God has placed each of you in my life as part of those witnesses that allow me to throw off everything that hinders me. Thanks for your partnership!

Reflections on week 3 - Resita

If I am going to truly reflect on week 3 in Romania, I would be reminded of the 1.5 hour car ride each morning just to get my team of 8 to the mother church, and for half of my team another hour drive to the mission site. Luckily my whole team of 8 were troopers, never complaining. In fact they realized if they were going to get any ministry time in the sites we needed to leave earlier each morning and get back later. They came to me with this suggestion and I made the changes. So we would leave from our hotel at 7:30am and normally not get back until 10pm or later. This made for loooonnnngggg days, but the Lord blessed our endurance by allowing our two teams of 8 Americans to share the Gospel with 251 people! 94 prayed with us to receive Christ and for many others we planted the seeds that the nationals will water and God will bring to fruition.
This man was one of those who prayed to receive Christ! My first impression of him was that he was gruff and tough and would probably run us off. But the Lord had already softened his heart and he listened very intently to my presentation of the Gospel. He came to the realization that he was a sinner and he needed a Savior.
Then there was this older man who listened to our presentation and had many good questions, and he too prayed to receive Christ! His friend came over to visit while we were talking to him, but he stayed focused on us. After he prayed we also presented to his friend... ...but this man's heart was hardened. After talking to him he was still set in his ways, but a seed was planted. I came to realize that when witnessing to an orthodox, it was a worthwhile visit if you got them to analyze and question one thing in their 'religion' that got them one step closer to a 'relationship' with Jesus Christ.
Here is a picture of half our team with our translators and nationals after an evening service. I added this pic though for you to see the lady in the back who is framed by the glass of the door. Her name is Giorgiana. My translator, national and I went to this one house and a man graciously invited us in, had us sit down and began showing us pictures of all the great work he had done as a sculptor. I was thinking the visit was going well but then he kept being distracted. We waited for a long while in his courtyard while he dealt with other business, and it seemed like we were just wasting our time. During one of the brief times he came over to talk he mentions he has a daughter who is an English teacher (Giorgiana), this makes him decide she should be talking with us, so he goes to get her. Again leaving us sitting and waiting thinking we are wasting our time. Finally he comes back and we have a pretty good conversation, and while we are talking Giorgiana arrives and joins the conversation. The sculptor again gets called away by business, but this is a good thing because we get some great sharing time with Giorgiana. We talked about reading the Bible and she said she had tried once to read the Bible (starting from the beginning) but got bogged down. So I was able to suggest starting with the Gospel of John. She did not pray with us but she did come to our evening meeting that night and showed real signs of desiring to read the Bible and understand truth. God had a timetable and a plan, and even though we thought we were wasting our time God was working everything out for His glory!

Photo Show of week 2 Galati, Romania

I uploaded this again because it seemed to be having troubles -> 8-21-07

Reflections on week 2 - Galati

First off if your looking for the video recap of week 1 scroll down one entry.

The second week in Galati looked a lot different than the first week. For starters it was a smaller team and everyone was a veteran, so the trip practically ran itself. Which was a good thing b/c myself and 5 others were wore out from week 1. We had to face oppressive heat, but with a change of schedule to keep us out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, we persevered. I briefly hit on a story in a previous post about a lady named Ana Maria. Her story is a testimony to God's timing and the importance of seed planting. I asked Jean Kinney, the campaigner who first met Ana Maria, to write up the story so I could share it with all of you so...

"It was July, 2006, when my team (my translator Dragos, and his mother Marianna, my Romanian National, and myself) went to the small village of Tulucesti, outside Galati, Romania, to do visiting and share the Gospel. Because the houses do not have numbers and the streets do not have names, we were asking everyone we met if they knew the people we were trying to visit. We were not having much success, or so we thought.

We turned down a dusty and rocky road that had deep cart ruts. When I looked down this road, it seemed to go on forever. We did not know if this was the right road or not. But, the three of us began our journey. I looked up, and in the distance, I saw a young lady walking towards us. As she neared, I could see her more clearly.

My Romanian friends conversed with her in Romanian, asking her if she knew the family we were searching for; she said no, but her Mother might. She asked us to follow her back home so that we could ask. I thought that was very nice of her to be so helpful and thoughtful. So, the three of us followed our new friend. As we walked, she looked at me, and I just smiled at her. There was just something about this young woman I could not put into words.

While Marianna spoke to her Mother, the young woman looked at me and began to speak to me in perfect English. She told me her name was Ana Maria and that she was a college student. Ana Maria was a beautiful young woman, but to me, I saw some sadness in her eyes that spoke volumes. I did not know what the sadness was from, but I knew Jesus did. It was at that moment that I knew we were not lost; we were right on schedule and at the right place. This lady had a need, and we had the eternal cure: Jesus.

I was surprised when Ana Maria agreed to help us find as many of the families as she could that we had on our list to visit. As we walked, I began to witness to her and share the Gospel. The Lord brought verses to my heart that I felt she needed to hear. She listened as we walked. We talked for almost two hours. My heart told me that there was just something special about this lady and that this was a divine meeting. As we parted, I asked her if she would come to Galati for lunch on Friday, my free day. She said yes. I was so excited. I wanted an opportunity to share with her more. I knew I had given her much to think about.

She came to my hotel on Friday with my translator, and we all went to lunch. We talked and shared our hearts, as well as discussed questions she had about the differences between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Christian faith. She had reservations about making the decision to accept Christ, and so she did not. We spent the rest of the afternoon together at a museum, just getting to know each other. I knew she needed to trust me in order to hear me. I felt the Holy Spirit was working in her heart, and was testifying to her. At the end of the afternoon, I had shared every thing the Holy Spirit told me to, and so my part was finished; the rest was His job.

Ana Maria was heavy on my heart all the way home. I prayed for her every time she came across my mind. I prayed the Lord would bring circumstances and opportunities into her life to be exposed to the Gospel. I prayed that people would come into her life to water the seed that had been planted. This was my prayer for her.

The Lord placed her into a dorm at the university that fall with four Christians roommates. Ana Maria found a friendship with these ladies, and began to talk to them about Jesus. As all of the roommates shared, they were able to also witness to Ana Maria. She was able to see how Christians lived out their faith daily.

It was in December, 2006, that I received the email that Ana Maria had accepted Christ and had been baptized. I was so excited; I told my husband that it was the best Christmas present I could have received.

This year in 2007, Ana Maria came to Holy Trinity to see me, and it was so wonderful. The sadness was gone in her eyes, and it had been replaced with the joy of the Lord. Her face was joyful and she had the sweetest spirit. There was no doubt that Jesus had touched her life and was in His rightful place in her heart. She agreed to not only help us translate, but she also agreed to go back to her village of Tulucesti. It took courage and strength (the Lord gave her) to go back with us to her Orthodox village, where her parents lived, to help us share the Gospel.

The Lord has been working in her heart so much. She is a Senior at the university studying English and Hebrew, and I know the Lord is going to lead her to a great place of ministry and service. She is now my Sister in Christ. - Jean Kinney"

This story reminds me of 1 Cor 3:6-8, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." So planting has a purpose, and God will bring others along with the purpose to water, but pray first and foremost for God to make it grow.

Photo Show of week 1 Bocsa, Romania

Reflections on week 1 - Bocsa

Well, I promised to write you on Sunday and now it is Friday, so I apologize for the delay. I think I am finally adjusted back to Dallas time. It took me a few days. I had a few afternoons that I was walking around in a complete brain fog.

In the next few days and weeks I want to recap for you my exciting month in Romania. I did not get to update you as much as I would have liked on the field because of exhaustion and lack of internet access, but blogging about the trip will be a good way for me to reflect on the great things God did in and through my teams.

My first week was in Bocsa, located on the West side of the country. We had worked with these Romanian churches in a very limited capacity last year, but this year we brought a full team of 23. Our team included people from TN and NJ of all ages but a tilt towards young adults (college and high school). It turned out to be pretty overwhelming and difficult ministry for the entire team, but God showed himself faithful. Through our struggles he stretched and grew us and we surrendered our ideas of a successful mission trip for His perfect plan. One campaigner pointed out that we should not always focus just on the 'happy' stories, but sometimes our struggles and 'sad' stories are what God uses to grow us and teach us the most.

Like I said the Lord showed up in a mighty way and allowed us to share the Gospel truth with 647 Romanians! Of those, God opened the hearts of 244 to pray and accept Him as their Lord and Savior! We were able to follow-up and disciple 102 of those new believers, and the host churches are continuing the follow-up. We were able to start or continue the planting process of 7 village churches! People in these villages now have a Bible speaking church within walking distance that they can attend. We also were able to do some outreach around the two host churches. We strengthened them by bringing in new believers but also by training up 40 of their members that went out with us daily to share God's love.

We were able to share with the Romanians the 'living water' of Jesus Christ. You too if you are a believer can share the 'living water' to the lost and dieing. Don't go out in your power but in God's power and the promise of His Word in John 7:38, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Arrived safely home in Texas!

Thanks for all your prayers! I will update you more tomorrow when my brain is functioning correctly. I am falling asleep writing this short note, sooooooo ....................

Cooler weather!!!!

Thanks for your prayers for cooler weather! I almost was wishing for a jacket today! We had some rain over night and during the day, not anything to disrupt the ministry but enough to cool things off. Ministry is going very well in my small team, but a few of the sites are facing strong opposition and cold hearts. Please pray that God directs us to His ministry and we praise Him for letting us be a part even if it is not what we expected. Knowing His plans are so much better than ours.

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.