Supporting Our European Missions

Well, good morning and kids. You're going to be staying in today. I think I'm on. I think so. Nobody's listening to me. Oh, well. All right. So, pres uh preschoolers can head out and the rest of us are all going to be in here. Kids going to be in with us today. We're doing something a little bit different. (00:27) And uh the main difference is that Renee and I were gone for three weeks and we were in Europe and yeah, as Rick I think said, good riddens. Um um but uh it wasn't really a vac ation that we were on. We did have a good time, but we were not going with vacation in mind. (00:53) We are going because we are uh going to encourage and visit uh and be part of the three families that we are involved with who are part of our extended church family here. Uh uh Niku and Maddie Bregaderanu in in Romania uh and their ministry there with Katie and Willie Duke in Germany and the things that they have go going there and then with Ron and Sandra and their work at the ETF and several o ther things they have going on. (01:18) And so we're going to just kind of do our vacation slides today. And um but what we really want to do since this is an opportunity or was really an opportunity to represent West Valley and to and they're part of our family, it's really a reconnecting and we were asking kind of a couple of questions. How can we encourage them by being there, not just eat their food and take up their time? Uh how can we understand better what they're involved in? So we went with the intent to listen well to what they're doing and how encourage them and then in that how do we what do we bring back to us as a church family so we can be (01:54) thinking how we can be more deeply involved with the ministry that they are doing there. So we're going to just kind of walk through the time that we spent with them. We'll tell you a little bit about their ministry to remind all of us what they're doing and then we uh we'll just tell you some of the things that we did with the m. (02:15) And then we're going to try to give you with each one of them how um we can be praying for them more specifically and some areas where we can be uh maybe looking to encourage the encourage them a little bit more. So that's what we're going to be doing this morning. So hopefully um hopefully it'll be encouraging time for you, but also um nothing really planned out here. We're just going to be talking. (02:39) So, we may be talking back and forth or talking with you and uh but I hope yo u find it exciting. We're going to start with Niku and uh Maddie Bragaderanu. That's them pictured there. Uh that's on the Danube River just outside. That's in Georgu, Romania is where they live, which is right on the Danube. Um the background is Bulgaria. Yeah. So, it's a border. Across the river is Bulgaria. (02:58) So, we uh we made a a very fast trip into Bulgaria. It was intended to be longer, but when we crossed the bridge, just a little side story, when we went into Bulgaria, there's one bridge that goes across in that area, uh, and it's the main traffic going, I guess that's pretty much north, south, and it is the main trucking lane that goes all the way down to Greece, Italy, and all the way down. (03:24) And uh so we noticed as we were going across or heading there, you got to the bridge they and since oh the other side of the bridge, the Bulgarian side, they're doing construction over there. So the bridge is in one lane. And so they do a half hour going one direction, shut i t down, half hour going the other direction. And so you just have to get in line and wait. So we got in line, we waited about an hour. Yeah. (03:47) And then we got across. We crossed over and uh Niku was taking us to to a spa specific place, but we're driving and we're looking at the line on the other side. It's waiting to go across and it's I'll say miles because we're from here. (04:08) Mile after mile after mile of a line that is waiting to get back across the bridge. And we had an event tha t night at 6 o'lock. We realized that we weren't going to get back if we didn't get right back in line or uh even then we weren't sure. So Niku, having been there several times, he goes, "Well, I think I can get us back, but we have to head back right now. (04:27) " Went back through the town that's there came up and he somehow got us right up at the front of the line and uh and there was a guy running traffic there and waves us on and we got back across and so God was good and and uh Niku knows what he's doing. So he does. That was that was very good. But let me give you a little background with Niku. (04:48) Um I went over and even before I did, my parents were involved in a ministry in Romania for several years. They lived in Romania. Uh and their ministry was building orphanages over there. There was a um when when uh communism fell, when Chaesiq was removed, uh there were a lot of kids who were in orphanages and uh they just kind of emptied out the orphanages because they didn't g overnment didn't want to take care of them. (05:19) And so at one point they estimate there was over a million children in the underground sewer system of of uh Bucharest. Um there was just it was an absolute mess. So there was a my parents were involved with the ministry of creating um these uh orphanage homes where they would build go in and they'd build a compound of five homes and they would put a Romanian family into each of the homes and then they would take five children into each of thos e homes and and raise them in a family environment and they did that in several cities throughout Romania. So my that's that those are the roots of where for me uh (05:51) in connection with Romania. I went over with my parents one time, actually a couple times, uh, to help with some builds over there and in the process me met Niku. Niku is a pastor of a church over there in Jeru and he was also since he knew my parents and stuff, he was involved in and Niku is involved in hundreds of things. It seems like he's an Energizer Bunny. That guy can do so much with the time that he has. (06:17) He's amazing. He He really is. He's involved in so many things and he works full-time. He works full-time in a bank. He does. And but I met him there that first trip over there, got to know him a bit and realized that his situation and the way the economy is over there that he he really to be able to carry on the church ministry needed support. (06:40) So I came back here to our church and say, "Hey, let's figure out a way to start supporting him." And we did. And we've been supporting him for uh at least 20 years, 20 plus years. And what'su uh unique and you're going to see some things here as we go through this. Um we are the only church that supports Niku personally. (07:00) He has some other churches and he's been able to make some connections with other churches here in the states to help them with uh a church build and some other things but we as a church support him and the difference that makes is it really has allowed um him some a little bit of breathing space for his family. We'll tell we'll give you some more insights in that in a little bit. (07:19) But I want to give a thank you to you as West Valley from them for the impact you've had in their lives. And he said they said to us several times, we can't believe that you have done this for us for so long. Uh this has made a huge difference in their lives. And so uh Niku is a friend. It was great to be there. (07:37) We took off out of Portland here and 34 hours later we were in GU and we were um miserably exhausted but uh that in Niku's mind he said the best way to beat that is keep busy. So um he kept us very busy. So yes, we uh the next morning we hit the ground running and I'll let you take it from there. (08:06) we uh had the opportunity to I think there's a picture of the church he um lives in Jurgju which I'm not sure what the population of Jurgu is but there's all these surrounding imagine villages um t hurches they're trying to move out of is we were driving a van he said it's about the size of this van um but people come because they're they're hungry and the Orthodox church. (09:43) We can't really fathom how deeply embedded the Orthodox church is in their culture. And the Orthodox churches are all these giant ornate buildings and you know just in historically just you know centuries old. Um and so people are steeped in the Orthodox culture and and the Orthodox church if you don't have a bui Renee was saying, it gives them a sense of um to the community a sense of um significance and presence. And so they and where that building is located, the government gave them that building, they're remodeling it. The government gave it to them. (11:29) Uh and there's since communism has fallen, there's a lot of empty buildings, and this is one of those buildings. They gave it to him and they said, "You guys can have this." It ends up being in a in one of the most central locations it could be the seat of our pants with with Niku. He was just taking us places. We were going, "Okay, what do we do next?" And the first Thursday night that we were there, we got there Wednesday. Thursday we looked at the churches. He took us a tour. (12:56) Then Thursday night they had a church service where Joel was able to preach. Um and then the next day we um they have started a Bible college. Yeah. And in one of these other villages and just because people are hungry to know more and to go deeper, it e front all dressed in black. Um she usually had a black head covering. She's in mourning for her husband that was lost. And I couldn't tell couldn't get a read on her how she was how she was going to interact. She looked very solemn. (14:31) But at by the end of the time we she through her daughter who could speak English, she said, "I want you to come back." And I told each I told these women I said I'm gonna go back to the US to our church and I'm going to tell them about you and tell them uh took took us across to Bulgaria. Um, and the smile caravan is, this is in another one of the villages. Uh, they will go in, you see the big, uh, blowup slide back there. They go in and make a big carnival out of it. And, um, they'll set it up. They usually are working with uh, the the mayor of that village. (16:15) They'll go in and set up and then uh, it's aimed toward the kids. And as you can see here, they had a a very good turnout here. And Niku was saying this is was even on the smaller si ilarious. The kids were having so much fun. But it was so well done and I mean I mean they were had songs and the kids are learning Bible verses and these kids were enraptured by it and um they it was really it was really fun to uh and and very humbling to see their investment in these villages. I should have put his picture in here, but there was a young boy. His name was Prison. (17:46) Um, his dad's name was Jail. Um, and so they named him Prison, but um hopefully that's not forecasting anyth ay night. So, Sunday morning we were preaching at the church. (18:53) Yes. Sunday. Yeah. Sunday we uh both were able to preach which is you know unusual um for them to have a woman speak in their church but he was very gracious and he said I think the people need to hear what you have to say and I felt so it was very humbling to uh be in that position um but so gracious and there was a there was a little lady in the back who was just smiling the whole time and I Joel and I both noticed her in th said, food was a a big deal. I think that was Rocklet that night. They they took real good care of us and uh we had a great time. But what we tried to do, they had stuff planned for us going. (20:46) I mean, every minute they had something planned and we finally just kind of said, you know what would be great is if we could just spend a day not doing anything and just sit and talk. And so we had that opportunity to do that. And we just sat and talked. I think that was on Friday, maybe. I lost tr h setup and regime. And so oftentimes if one person in the building didn't pay the rent, the whole building got shut down. Um, and so they've suffered. And so what we would we kind of had encouraged him to take the money we were giving him. (22:20) Let's see if we can start setting up a way for you to get out of that. And over a course of it was 10, it was quite a few years. They they saved and did it. And they were able to build the house that we're in there now. And it was a it's a beautiful p s running uh pastoring one of the village churches and now he's raised up and Niku's got another pastor who's beginning to take over uh for another village and he's trying to find those. (23:44) He's doing a good job of trying to do that, but he's as a result of he I mean he works 40 plus actually more than 40 hours a week at at the bank and then he uh is constantly going every night with either teaching at the Bible college, doing something with the with the Smile Caravan, uh doing I mean some that. And uh, as you said, pray for the women uh, in the ministries that they are doing. Um, God's doing great work. And they were as we were getting ready to leave, so many of them came up to us and said, "Would you please come back? Please come back. (25:10) " And so that's Yeah. Yeah. Maybe that's one of the things we need to be praying about. I maybe that's your invitation. Maybe the Lord's prompting you to go visit. They would love to have you. There's a lot of ways that they could use you r his sinus infection and they just they're just so relaxed and um delightful. And we were able to spend just so much time catching up with them and what's going on in their lives and what they're involved in. (27:00) They showed us around where Katie is a graphic designer. She works at a Christian school. Um, and uh, uh, Willie is a uh, like a lifellight pilot and um, they're also involved in a really large church in that area and so they're very involved in a lot of things, but we had more of do many of you know them, not only have we been part of their uh lives for a long time, but they really have talked about the impact that West Valley had on them and how they really felt like they never felt at home in a church. I think I'm saying this correctly except for the time that they were here. (28:33) That's what Katie said. even even you know she's lived her whole life there but she said she never felt more at home and more connected and more um accepted as she was at West Valley in t ish. They wanted to speak English. (29:50) And so we had great conversations with them. It was a lot of fun. But it was so exciting to watch uh just sit there in the middle of that experience and see see if I've got um probably not the next one we'll do here. Um again eating food. Um but uh but being in that camp there is another picture coming up here in a minute um of okay there's there's uh uh Willy's helicopter and he is in Germany they have these helicopters stationed throughout the country tening to where what's happened to them and also to just maybe be an encouragement that that they weren't alone. Even though maybe we weren't there with them at the time, we were praying for them, knowing what they're going through. (31:37) And then to see God really intervene and begin to do some amazing things. And uh a a big portion of that has to do with their son Yan Louie. And uh he was you saw him a minute ago, but I believe yeah, there he is next to me in the black. Uh Elias is on my lef Katie had always said that Yan Louie had um said that if he ever got baptized, and this was a big if, if I ever got baptized, I want Joel to do it. (33:14) And and this was like years ago, she told us that. And so when we were in Romania, we got this text from Yanlie, and he said, "When you're here, would you baptize me?" Mhm. And of course nobody cried either one of us. Um you can imagine um and so we got a chance. Yep. This is uh his baptism. Had a chance. (33:45) Prior to this, he and I had s we will make something work. I got some great ideas for them. So pray that that might work out. pray for um just pray for their family and that church ministry in that camp. Katie is totally invested in that camp and making that an impact through that. They're doing a great job. (34:57) It's a really cool thing. So pray for them in that as well. Yeah. So after that we um went ended up in Belgium. We went through Netherlands to get there which uh we thought of you Richard texted you many times b ary to be trained to go out back to their countries of origin and um start churches and so as a result West Valley very very literally is having an impact throughout the world as a result of us supporting their ministry (36:46) and they've been there for 30 years. They are I just want to interrupt that for a second and say that when we launched West Valley, Ron and Sandra were part of this church and they went out as really our first support uh support ministry. (37:06) We've been with them the y're very close to the war. They have friends that are in Ukraine that are being bombed every day, you know, so they are very very closely tied into what's happening in that region of the world. (38:17) And so that's that's an important part of what they're doing as well. This is an unimportant picture other than this was proof that Renee was sick while we were in uh Belgium. I got over it. She was sick. Um but thankfully we had the opportunity to just just to hang out. Try to get better quickly little more toward retirement now, but it's still going to be it's still a ways down the road. Um, and they've got some family things going on. Uh, be praying for Nathaniel, their son. Uh, he's been going through some challenges. (39:48) Um, and I always think it's a challenge to be the son of, uh, uh, expats doing ministry in another part of the world. I just think it's very tough, a child of that. I think you carry a lot of things. And then as a result, I think there's, you know, you don't re be. One cool thing, I don't know if you've ever been there, off of outside of this picture on the other side over here is where Victor Hugo lived and Arasmus, remember your uh church history, Arasmus from the from uh who's a kind of a contemporary of John Wesley and and yeah, so Martin Luther, I'm sorry. Martin Luther, you threw me on Martin Luther. (41:24) So we got to see it's like this is so it was fascinating. Victor Hugo wrote lay miser rob. It's where he So anyway, I happen to like that bo using you and your generosity through not only just our our financial support but also through our prayer. And it this if nothing else comes from this. One of the most important things for me is to to uh you know be convicted that I wasn't praying nearly enough for these people that are living throughout the world uh that are having such an impact. (42:59) And the other the other thing is that I so enjoyed to get out of our, you know, western American bubble and see what God is doing throughout for Niku. (44:14) Um, the impact would go a long way on that. And then Ron and Sandra, we want to make sure that they are just continuing to be supported. And then like I said with Katie and Willie with their boys, we want to make an investment there. So be praying about that. So thank you for taking time with us this morning to go through our trip. (44:37) But it was really a trip as you as Renee said to represent this church and what God has done through this church in different parts of the ave supported me and you've had an impact on uh the faithful and those." And he's saying, "Continue that. Keep it up. Keep that heart toward ministry." And so, as Renee said, we want to just be a church that continues to really clearly is a conduit for God to be able to use us to make an impact where he desires to do that. (45:59) And so far, he's given us that opportunity with Niku and Maddie, with Ron and Sandra, with Gat and Willie. and there's been others. We want to pray "