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Matthew’s House
Volume 9 Issue 3
Veste Buna
(Romanian for "Good
News")
Matthew’s House Farm and Coins for Calves
Pet the milk cow being delivered to
the nearby
village of Horleceni. She is part of
Matthew's
House program of giving away milk cows to
poor
families.
Through this past winter and spring
Matthew’s House was blessed with a program of giving called
Coins for Calves.
Over $2000 was raised to buy calves for Matthew’s House beef
program. Similar to
the pig program in orientation we give away milk cows and steers
for beef to the poor and needy families with young children and
orphan children in Christian child placement.
Mature beef cows and milk cows
represent a large investment not readily affordable to the poor.
So with the success of the pig program we have had over
the last decade (literally dozens of sows have been given away
and many more swine slaughtered for pork) we prayerfully decided
to embark on a similar program with cows.
Many problems existed then and some still do.
Cows being bigger than pigs take a longer time to mature
and produce calves.
And we had to start from scratch with the local calves we had to
buy and house. We
had no fenced pasture, and this idea of fenced pasture is a new
one for Romania.
Quality calves, especially of beef breeds are almost
non-existent, so we took what we could find.
This is still a problem though somewhat eased over the
last couple of years. Now we are able to artificially inseminate
local heifers with good sires.
Before this service was not
available in the villages.
We now have available to us sires from both beef and milk
breeds of good quality.
And we no longer have to keep a bull.
Last year when my pastor with other
brothers from my home church, Evergreen Freewill Baptist Church
of Erwin, Tennessee, came to help; Chris Godsey asked, “What can
we do to help you?”
I responded that we could use some funds to purchase a few
calves. That was
when Coins for Calves was born.
Over the next months Chris and his wife, Michelle, made
little Holstein hide covered Pringle’s Potato Chip cans
challenging theirs and other Sunday School Classes, along with
other folks to help buy calves for Matthew’s House.
Three calves have already been bought and three are
scheduled to be bought in October when we will slaughter two
steers to feed hungry orphans in Romania.
We have also just recently given away a young milk cow.
As the harvest is taken new calves of milk and beef stock
will be added.
Meanwhile, we are building more fences and preparing more
grazing acres for these cows.
It has taken a lot of labor and materials along with much
patience: but slowly
and to the joy of local Romanians Matthew’s House is looking a
little more like Tennessee or Texas than Romania; with its
grazing cattle, hayfields fenced grazing acres; etc.
But, as always, we want Matthew’s House to look more like
Jesus everyday, because it is like the Bible states, it is more
blessed to give than to receive.
Because of motives that are pure and consistent in
Christ, Coins for Calves is already paying dividends for the
poor and orphaned children here in Romania. We also establish a
stronger testimony of Christ here at Matthew’s House and back
there at home also.
The short term value of Coins for Calves is already being
realized. And who
can say what the far reaching value of this act of kindness in
Jesus name will be.
One thing is certain; we cannot out give our Lord Jesus. He paid
it all.
Here is the beef, burgers
for children
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20th
Anniversary
At this very moment 20
years ago,
the LORD JESUS asked me to represent
his
wonderful Gospel message of love
to the people of Romania
The 14th of
September of 2010 marks 20 years since I first set foot in
Romania. My prayer
for this mission is that the coming years will be greater than
the former ones. My
personal prayer is “My heart, my heart, O Lord, is fixed on
thee.”
His calling to represent THE
GOSPEL
has not changed through to present day
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 The
Construction
In short, much work has been
accomplished and much more needs to be.
The roof is on, many of the interior walls are in, the
spiral staircase leading to the prayer tower is being built at
this time. The area
between the two buildings is being dried in and finished both
without and within.
Wooden window frames have been built and installed.
The windows themselves have been bought except for the
3rd floor. Praise
the Lord! A
container has been bought and paid for to ship the windows and
other needed materials from the U.S.
(Yes, the cost of building materials are so expensive
here, it can be bought there and shipped here for a
substantially cheaper price! With
the bonus of keeping the container here for vermin free grain
storage.)
We are pleased that the
construction, fences and well fed animals plus the lovely verse
in scripted well make such a beautiful presentation of God’s
work here in Romania.
The hard work is not lost on the villagers who live here.
There is still much to be done
here. Electrical
supplies, plumbing supplies and experts in these trades are
needed, along with plasterers and dry wall installers and finish
carpenter, tile layers, concrete finishers and those experienced
with exterior finishing of stucco and so on.
Perhaps the Lord would speak to your heart about joining
with us to bringing this construction to a close; and this part
of the vision to fruition.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that
build it.” Many
thanks to all those who have helped so much all ready.
Many types of materials for the
above trades are also still needed.
Shipping costs to bring the container from Tennessee to
Romania are also needed; along with volunteers to help pack and
prepare the container for shipment.
Please pray for all of this and our encouragement and
strength in the Lord to be strong and powerful.
Marin and Stelica
install the window frames
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Contending for the Faith
Over the last year, I have made an
in depth study in the Epistle of Jude and the book of the
Revelation. I think
both these books are timely for the Church today.
Verse 4 of Jude proclaims “For
there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of
our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This problem was encountered
at the time this verse was originally written and has continued
to this very day!
The remedy was given in the previous verse.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto
you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Since our Christian faith rests in
Christ; let’s see what He speaks in His letter to the Church at
Ephesus from Revelation chapter 2.
Remember that Christ still today walks among the
churches. (Rev 1:13)
If we are Christ’s he is walking among us.
What does he see?
Look what he said to the Church of Ephesus.
Sound doctrine alone is not the answer.
Please do not misunderstand me.
Sound doctrine is super important, but it alone misses
the mark. The church
at Ephesus had sound doctrine.
They had good works (Rev 2:2)
They had patience.
They could not bear them which were evil.
They had tried those who were false apostles and exposed
them as liars. Verse
3 “And hast
borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted.”
But verse 4 shows their greatest weakness: they had left
their first love.
They had all those other things just about perfect, but their
love was not perfect.
They had left their first love.
So how can we contend for the faith in these wicked
times? (By the way,
more people have died for the cause of Christ in this last
century than all the centuries put together before these
“modern” times.) The
best way is to hate evil and love evildoers.
If we lack this one thing, we are outside the will of
God. I repent of
this, for my Lord commands it.
Let us contend for the faith together in this time of
evil. This is the
hope of the world, that we love others as Christ has loved us.
We have nothing to fear as dear children of our wonderful
Father. The lost
world cannot see this through any other means than Christ’s
love. Contend for
the faith through the love of Jesus; and watch what he does.
Pace si dragoste din Romania,
Frate Delbert
(Peace and Love of the Lord from
Romania
Brother Delbert)
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