ROMANIA - VISIT TO SATU MARE and VAL TAYLOR

ROMANIA - VISIT TO SATU MARE and VAL TAYLOR

Mark Robson, Nick Briggs and I had the pleasure of visiting our church missionary, Val Taylor, in north west Romania. Remus and Diana Oanta and Claudia Hotea once again offered their hospitality and Val assisted in feeding us well.

Val remains focussed on the plight of the Gypsy community at Ordoreu and it was a joy to witness the fruits of her patient work, in partnership with Emanuel Baptist Church, within that underprivileged gypsy community. It was also good to be present at the very time that the complicated legal securing of access to the church was established, thanks to significant financial donations from several sources including Christ Church (I have photographic proof of the legal papers and the land which has been purchased). Remus was active in co-coordinating practical work by local contractors, one church member and his son and our own Mark and Nick.

There were some frustrations, communication/language difficulties and concerns, as is to be expected in mission work but one of the highlights for me was to play my violin alongside a local professional cor-anglais player, Andrea, as part of the church services and this resulted in us all going to see her play with the Satu Mare Orchestra in a high quality classical concert (a new and memorable experience for Mark and Val). I was also able to network with 5 local doctors, both family doctors and hospital doctors and I pray that this will bear fruit in a future medical partnership with Christian doctors from the UK.

We finished off our time in Romania with a visit to the University city of Cluj-Napoca, sleeping in our hire car (a Vauxhall Corsa) prior to our early morning flight home - none of us will forget that night!!

Finally, I would like to recommend continued support of Val as our missionary. Contributions can be made through Stuart Anderson, Christ Church Treasurer, EITHER to Val personally for use at her discretion, OR for the Feeding/housing/support programme for the gypsies OR to the Emanuel Baptist Church. Please continue to pray for Val and for the possibility of further partnership between our churches.

Anthony Clarke