rothwellsmission: WEEK 3 - USING OUR GIFTS

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us Romans 12 : 5-8

This week has been one of ups and downs, and using gifts that we knew about, and ones we didn't, and a week of both sad and happy news.

Daniel's dad passed away during the early hours of this morning, in his own home as he had asked, with his family around him, and, as Daniel has described 'with no pain and a smile on his face'. The funeral will be later this week so Daniel and Ema will not be back here for a while.

The man who threatened Liz made an apology of sorts, but an apology nevertheless. The good news is he has continued to allow his children to come to the mission house - he had threatened to keep them away.

Edy and Costina (Edy is the pastor and Costina is director of the youth centre) are going to Israel tomorrow for 2 weeks - this will put more pressure on Liz.

We have Pastor Rodney Moore and his lovely wife Kathy here for the next two weeks from Texas. They are a great couple who are arranging eye tests and spectacles for many of the Roma (see the facebook page for 'Ava's eyes').

Also here this week is Joyce Patterson who has been a long-time supporter of FAST.

Returning to the UK this week were a group of 7 teachers and teaching assistants from Bath, led by Kathy Mitchell. Those of you from St Andrew's who have been to FAST will know Kathy.

Liz has been unwell this week, and as you can see it has been a busy one. We have tried to help ease the pressure (or at least not add to it), and Stan is hereby voted 'Gift-user of the week' - especially the ones he didn't know he had. God surely does equip us - details below.

THIS WEEK IN BRIEF

The October birthday party. Many of the children (and their parents) don't know when they were born, so they select a month and FAST celebrate with a party. We have been madly wrapping presents in preparation (in fact the present wrapping is, as you can imagine, an ongoing occupation here at the centre). Liz asked Stan to help with the party, and by the way could he dress as a clown as the regular one couldn't make it. So not only did Stan don the clown costume, he also had the full make up, handed out presents, was generally silly AND did a very funny mime act of driving an imaginary car with Liz as his passenger.

Not only that, after removing the clown clothes and wig, but still wearing full make up he drove the minibus to another Roma village, Zizin, to the amazed double-takes of very macho Roma men.

Not only that, as Liz wasn't well and couldn't come he drove us all in the minibus to Alina and Avram's on Friday evening for a meal.

Not only that, he drove the minibus all the way to Bucharest on Saturday to collect Rodney and Kathy.

Not only that, today he found and drove to Kaufland hypermarket in Brasov and shopped, without any complaints, for all the food for the mission house this week.

The groups this week have been very successful, in particular 'Stan's boys' of our TGI Tarlungeni groups who discussed very openly forgiveness and loving their neighbours and being salt in their community. The girls on the other hand had to be told off for being silly - it's just been a Stan Rothwell week :)

It's not been all hard work - we went bowling Sunday evening (take heed - never go bowling with anyone from Texas, they are born with a bowling ball in their hand), and then to a Romanian Chinese restaurant.