Who Is My Neighbor?

Why, so few people are interested in helping others? Why everybody seems so interested in protecting their own and carrying only for themselves? Why is it this way? Why is the church so preoccupied with its own comfort and politics and not much with the lost, the orphans or the poor?

As we try to minister to the needs of so many unfortunate children and adults here in Romania we are overwhelmed with the lack of interest we see around.

In struggling with these and other similar issues I realized that the fault lies with our paradigm – the way we see ourselves and people in general. We forget many times our identity and the identity of those we are called to serve.

Ministering each week for the last few years to the Gypsy community of Sabolciu and Tinca, I could not help but ask myself these questions: “What am I doing here?”, “Am I wasting my time working with dirty, illiterate people?”, “Are they getting anything from my teaching?” At times I would also ask, “Why am I doing this?”, “What is my motivation?” While I am at times uncertain of some things we do, I became certain of two things: I have peace about what we are doing and know that God is pleased. Many times one verse kept coming back over and over, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22b) Through the pen of Henri Nouwen I understood that this passage applies not only to Jesus but to all of us. We, like Jesus are the Beloved of God, and in Him we have our true identity.

We are not what we do: one day our work will cease no matter how significant is. When that happens we will still be the Beloved of God. We are not what other people say about us, we need to stop playing this unhealthy game. We are the Beloved of God. We are also not what we have: all our possessions and gains will one day go up in smoke or be left behind. We will exit this world like Alexander the Great wanted, with his hands out of his coffin for all to see that: wealth, glory and fame does not belong to us. In my spiritual passport my last name is not Bucur, it is the Beloved. For me this is great news, I hope it is for you too.

This is true not only for the Christians, but also for those we are called to serve. They are also called the Beloved. To stretch the horizon a little; every man on the face of the earth was created by God in His image, every person is loved by God and Jesus died for all. (John 3:16)

With this new understanding, my attitude has to change. I am loved by God just the way He loves the rest of the world. Yes, there will be a time of Judgment, a time of separation, but until that happens we are all the Beloved. We live only by the grace of God and each person is loved by God. With this new paradigm burned in my mind I am called to extend God’s grace to everyone. I am called to love and serve those God calls “The Beloved”.

”...A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (Revelation 7:9)

We all long for that great day, but until then we are called to go, preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. Some will receive the message and be saved, some won’t. Our call is to be faithful in doing the work.

Thank you for being God’s faithful partner in loving the lost, the orphans and the poor. Thank you for your continual prayer and financial support for this ministry of Grace to go on. Your partnership enables us to serve the Beloved.

Serving Him together,

Cornel & Karen Bucur

Prayer Requests

Please pray for:

† Church Planting Ministry: workers to help carry the load of loving the Beloved.

† Funds to finish the building in Tinca.

† Orphan Mentoring Program: our staff, for patience to love for the 115 teenage orphans.

† Foster Care Ministry: the foster families that care for the 35 children. For funds to sustain this ministry.

† Oradea Children’s Hospital Ministry: the 50 abandoned orphans and our staff working there.

† The Bucurs: protection and strength to oversee all these ministries.

† More partners to join our prayer and support team.

† For the mission teams that arrive this summer to serve the children, youth and the poor of Romania.

†For the new interns arriving in a few days:. an amazing summer of serving.

Big Alex

He lived with us for 9 months and became part of our family. Our little Alex (4 years old) adored him and is already missing him. This is his story:

“For the last nine months, I have been an intern with Pathway to Joy Ministries. Last March I came on a short trip with my church to Romania. I was in the middle of choosing a college, so naturally we talked a lot about where God is leading us in life. Through a series of events and a lot of prayer I ended up deciding to take a year off between high school and college to serve in Romania. It has been an amazing experience and I cannot believe that I will be heading back to "real life" in less than a week. It is strange how people on short mission trips use the term "real life" referring to the life they are accustomed to in US. I certainly understand it, life here is different, and is pretty easily compartmentalized from the hustle of the routines we develop in environments that are so familiar. But I have learned, living here, that this is real life too, we are all just ordinary people serving God in a somewhat extraordinary place. With all the time I spent with the teenage orphans in Romania I started to see just how similar they are to high school kids in America. They have the same needs and the same struggles. There is still a huge difference; the kids here have a lot fewer people pouring into them. That's where I came in, and that's where you can come in too. Interning has given me life skills and experiences that I really and truly couldn't have received anywhere else. It gave me a chance to get down to the nuts and bolts of what ministry really is and how it works on a daily basis. I could tell you many stories and show you tons of pictures but I could really never fully convey to you what this experience has meant to me. I encourage you to come on a mission trip and see for yourself what you read about in these newsletters. And if you've already been here, then you know what I mean when I say “a part of you never leaves”. PTJM has plenty of opportunities to come and serve the needy. I have been doing some work in preparation for our summer interns who will arrive shortly to serve at the orphan camp and to help with the rest of our work. What a great way to spend a few months diving headfirst into what God is doing in Romania. Come check it out!

You can always do what I did before I made my mind. Check out our website and pray.

Interning has given me a chance to serve my neighbor as we are called to do, tithe my time if you will, and pour out my love in His Name. There are plenty of hurting people around the world. Find your mission, answer God’s call.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported this ministry and made my experience here possible. Your prayers are very powerful and very apparent. Being on a mission field doesn’t make us special people, but makes our relationship with God and His people special. God calls us all to serve in different parts of His kingdom. You are just as much a part of what God is doing here in Romania as we all are; your support, thoughts and prayers give us the strength to do what we do. As much as I will miss being here I can take comfort in the fact that there are others coming to take my place. I can only hope I have blessed this ministry as much as it blessed me. Alex Gray”

Please continue to pray and support all our projects, children and workers here in Romania.

In His service,

Cornel & Karen Bucur

Prayer Requests

Please pray for:

† The School for Gypsy children: funds

to accomplish it.

† Church Planting Ministry: workers to

help carry the load of ministering to

the needs of the people.

† Funds to finish the building in Tinca.

† Orphan Mentoring Program: our

staff, for patience and love for the 115

teenage orphans.

† Foster Care Ministry: the foster families

that care for the 35 children.

† Oradea Children’s Hospital Ministry:

the abandoned orphans and our staff

working there.

† The Bucurs: protection and strength

to oversee all the ministries.

† More partners to join our prayer and

support team.

† For the mission teams that arrive this summer

to serve the children and youth of Romania.

†For the new interns arriving this summer.

Youth for Christ!

This week we celebrate Palm Sunday in Romania, and we expect the church attendance to increase. We pray that the preaching of the Gospel will bring forth much fruit. Two weeks ago we organized an evangelistic event in the new youth building in Tinca. We had a Romanian worship and praise band and guest speakers from Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale. We had a wonderful time together with a few hundred people in attendance. During the first part of the program the children had a time of worship. The exuberance and joy they generated was contagious. Following this the young people and adults worshiped God with tears in their eyes and thanked Him for the new building. This wonderful gift they received from God gave them the opportunity to be together with so many unsaved friends in one place and listen to the Gospel being presented. We believe in the coming months will see many people coming to know the Lord in Tinca, through similar events in this new facility.

There are more things to do until the building is completely finished but we began using it to reach the community with the Gospel. We still need to install the heating and the water/sewage system and do the landscaping. Please consider helping us with a small donation to help complete this project for the glory of God.

Answer to Prayer

One year ago we found two girls, Alina 5, and Alexandra 2 ½ years old, wandering the streets of Sabolciu. When we began the construction of the church in Sabolciu we provided food for the girls every day and some of the Christian Gypsy families in Sabolciu helped with clothes and food from time to time. Alina and Alex lived in a box bigger than a dog house, but a lot colder and dirtier.

We found out that the two girls had a mother but she was not able to take care for them. Most of the time the mother was gone and at times disappeared all together. We looked for her and when we ran out of options we called the Child Protection Agency. We waited in vain almost 7 months for the Agency to do something. Nothing was done for the girls. When we finally decided to take Alina and Alex off the streets and place them in our Foster Care ministry we were threatened by the authorities with the removal of our license. Again we decided to wait and see what the government would do about the girls.

We waited until we could not wait any longer. With the approval of the grandmother we took the girls out of their misery and placed them in a temporary shelter. When the government authorities found out that we got involved in “their case” they threatened us again. After weeks of prayer, waiting and dialogue we were finally allowed to place Alex and Alina in our Foster Care ministry. What a joy it was for all of us to see these two girls saved from their misery. Only by God’s intervention and lots of prayer this issue was resolved favorable. We praise God for this successful rescue. I firmly believe that without a prompt intervention both Alex and Alina would be dead today. Imagine two small children wandering the empty streets in the middle of winter with no food, heat or a roof over their head. We praise God that they are safe now; have a loving family, lots of food and a warm place they could call home. We thank you for making this rescue possible.

With every new rescue, there are new responsibilities and new expenses. We need now to find sponsors for Alina and Alex. We covet your partnership in prayer and support and ask you to help us with this need. If you fill lead to do so, please fill the enclosed card and mail it to us as soon as can.

Sincerely yours,

Cornel & Karen Bucur

Prayer Requests

Please pray for:

● The School for Gypsy children: funds to accomplish it.

● Church Planting Ministry: workers to help carry the load of ministering to the needs of the people.

● Funds to finish the building in Tinca

● Orphan Mentoring Program: our staff, for patience and love for the 115 teenage orphans

● Foster Care Ministry: the foster families that care for the 33 children

● Oradea Children’s Hospital Ministry: the abandoned orphans and our staff working there

● We praise God that we were able to rescue Alina and Alex

● The Bucurs: protection and strength to oversee all the ministries

● More partners to join our prayer and support team

The True Face of America

During February and part of March I was in US sharing with churches, small groups and with individuals about the work God is doing here in Romania through PTJM. What an amazing time I had. I was away from US for two years and going back was an adventure and a blessing. I met with friends of our ministry from all over the US, from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in New Jersey, New York, Georgia and Florida, through Midwest in Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, to the Pacific Ocean in California, then to Arizona and Texas. It was lots of travel, many take-offs and landings and many hours spent in the car. Was it worth it? You bet it was. It was such a joy and delight to see the faces of our friends and partners in ministry to the poor and the orphans of Romania. A big and hearty “Thank You!” to all of you for opening your homes, for the meals we shared together, for prayer and the ministry of the Word we encounter together.

While it is almost fashionable today all over the world to hate the United States and the American people, as an American citizen looking in from outside the United States I see amazing things happening. I know the economy is not great, I know some of the problems you/we are all facing, but throughout my travels I saw the true face of America and of the American people. From the soldiers I meet in airports, to the young and older people praying together in small or large church buildings, from the people that love the orphans and the poor zillion miles away in foreign countries to the people that get involved in the neighborhoods across town, I saw love, compassion, charity and sincerity. This is the wealth that most of the world has not. That's why I love America. This is the spirit that God loves in all of us.

I returned to Romania a few days ago and we are already in full swing. The same day I arrived a team of 32 high school students from Atlanta arrived to assist us with the work. We work in churches, at the hospital, in the local orphanage. Part of the team is busy tearing down an old house to make room for the new school we want to build for the gypsy children in Sabolciu. Most of the gypsy kids are illiterate. The reason is, when they go to the Romanian schools they do not speak the Romanian language. Due to this handicap most of them don't get through first grade and drop out of school for the rest of their lives. We want to teach the Gypsy children and youth the Romanian language and give them the necessary tools to succeed in life: language acquisition through the the Word of God. Please pray for funds to accomplish this project.

In the village of Tinca we are now installing the windows at the youth ministry building and are looking with excitement to the day when we will begin to use this facility to reach the youth in Tinca for God. We still lack part of the funds to finish this key building project but have faith in God.

While I was gone the orphan ministry experienced an answer to prayer. The government ban to place abandoned children under two years of age in foster homes was lifted. PTL! This answer to prayer positions us strategically in the lives of the 80 children abandoned at the Oradea Children's Hospital. We are now able to place all these children from the hospital in foster homes and enable them to escape the entrapment they experienced for such a long time. To accomplish this we need sponsors for each child. By God's grace and with your help we can accomplish this. In our next newsletter I will tell you about the two girls ages 2 and 4 that we found abandoned in one of the villages. After many months and lots of prayer they are in a safe place.

Space does not allow me to go any further in sharing with you what God is doing these days throughout our ministry, but let's stay in touch! If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas we want to hear from you. Please write a note to: ptjm4him@gmail.com. If you want to partner with us please fill the enclosed card.

We continue to covet your prayers and support and we pray that Our Father richly bless you in everything you do, according to his Grace and Mercy.

Sincerely yours,

Cornel Bucur

Prayer Requests

Please pray for:

● The School for Gypsy children: funds to accomplish it.

● Church Planting Ministry: workers to help carry the load of ministering to the needs of the people.

● Funds to finish the building in Tinca

● Orphan Mentoring Program: our staff, for patience and love for the 115 teenage orphans

● Foster Care Ministry: the foster families that care for the 33 children

● Oradea Children’s Hospital Ministry: the abandoned orphans and our staff working there

● The two girls we found abandoned in the village of Sabolciu

● The Bucurs: protection and strength to oversee all the ministries

● More partners to join our prayer and support team

The Good Fight

The year 2007 was a year of great ministry opportunities. Many projects were accomplished and many lives were touched in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so very much for being our partners in this great endeavor.

As we look into the next year, we see so much work that needs to be accomplished. We also see on the horizon the evil forces gathering strength trying to re-conquer the lives and territories they lost. We are in a spiritual war, and we must continue our fight. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV).

This passage reminds me of the events just before the battle of Marathon when the ten Athenian generals met on the hills above the battlefield. They saw before them the invading forces of a mighty empire, which had in the previous fifty years shattered and enslaved nearly all the kingdoms and principalities of the then known world. They knew that all the resources of their own country were comprised in the little army entrusted to their guidance. They saw before them a chosen host of the Great King Darius sent to wreak his special wrath on that country, which had dared to aid his rebels and burn the capital of one of his provinces. It was here on these hills that the ten generals decided to go to war and not surrender even though before their own eyes was a mighty army of more than one hundred thousand strong against the small Athenian army of ten thousand soldiers. What an unequal display of forces! Without knowing the full extent of their decision, in their hands rested the fate of Athens, of Greece, and of the Western civilization. Miltiades, Themistocles, Aristides, Callimachus, and the rest of the generals later led the Athenian army to win one of the greatest victories in history.

In a similar way today, as the warriors on the plains of Marathon eons ago, we are in a spiritual war as soldiers in the army of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have important battles ahead of us in 2008; we are not fighting man, we are fighting “principalities, powers, and the rulers of darkness against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We do all this on behalf of our King and to accomplish His purposes here on earth.

In Romania, Cornel and Karen, together with all our volunteers and workers, are called to this endeavor. We are called to preach the Gospel to those that have no access to it, to care for the orphans, those that were abandoned by their parents because of sin, poverty, or lack of spiritual insight. We are planting churches that act as strongholds of faith, love, and charity, and we disciple the young and the adults to become soldiers in our Lord’s Army. Our purpose is to defeat the enemy. The Lord called us to a “total war,” and we want to be faithful to the end.

Just like our forefathers as “they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul” (2 Chronicles 15:12, KJV), we at PTJM make a similar covenant for 2008. We want to seek God with all our hearts and follow His leading faithfully. In this adventure of faith we invite you, our prayer partners and supporters, to continue to be part. Let us commit ourselves to honor the calling He has placed on our lives and claim the victories He has in store for us this year.

Are you ready for battle? Then bend your knees... and begin to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven...”

In His service,

Cornel & Karen Bucur

“τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα·” (2 Timothy 4:7)

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:” (2 Timothy 4:7)

“The national priority”… drifting

Six weeks after the start of this school year, pupils of the elementary school (from the first to the fourth grade) seem to have officially entered a short vacation. I say “seem” because the concrete reality of each locality is not known precisely. And it is not known exactly at a Ministerial level either, for the “simple” fact that the current school year has a very contradictory configuration, which simply disfigures it. Many buildings which were useful to the process of studying were given back as private goods and therefore turned into pubs or night bars. But, even in some buildings that still serve the studying, the buildings’ rehabilitation and hygienic works continue at the time being, as well. This is why some of the classes are improvised somewhere, or they are not taking place at all.But, even in those schools where classes are taking place according to a rigorous timetable, several of them are undermined by an environment that is against study. There are no labs with modern equipment, libraries or consulting rooms. The heat stations of several schools, even in the great cities of the country, are on the edge of bankruptcy. During cold days, children are staying in classrooms wearing the clothes they wear outdoors as well, for fear they might catch a cold. In every quarter of an hour, teachers demand them to do some physical exercising, in order to get warmer. Afterwards, the lesson thus disturbed continues with questionable results. The pupils from elementary classes, who are, by definition, the “disobedient” ones, are frequently catching cold and, therefore, parents will not let them come to school. Therefore, entire classes of pupils enter a fortuitous vacation.This vacation often lengthens endlessly for the tens of thousands of children who have nobody to take care of them, due to the emigration of their parents, to work abroad. Abandoning school, which is constantly increasing in Romania, feeds its percentage especially from this category, named “the home alone” category. Which is the most mysterious, the most unpredictable and the most threatening Romanian reality of today. A possible succession of generations which are thus confused by the separation from their parents and, subsequently, by dumping school, which would bring much more damage to the country than a negative demographic index. Because, in case of the second version, the remedy would still be possible, it disappears in case of the generations struck by the feeling of alienation from the beloved ones, and from themselves as well.Schools from the countryside are confronted with even harsher conditions. Half of them do not have, for years, any health approval which would be necessary for their functioning. Because they lack a sewerage system, water supplying and, sometimes, electric power as well. How could the computers, which are indispensable to modern education, function? Due to these causes, but also to the lack of the official number of students which is necessary for the existence of every class, some countryside schools were closed and the few pupils of those rural localities are forced to cover a distance of 7 to 10 kilometers daily, by foot, to get to a school from a locality nearby, where they were distributed to study. The autumn and winter days, with storms, with rains followed by floods or impenetrable snowfalls turn into unexpected days of vacation.As a result, the Government has adopted an initiative which is correct, in its essence, the initiative that all these rural localities receive microbuses for the pupils’ transport to the schools from the villages nearby. But these initiatives, just like several others, are often embezzled by the local authorities, which are inflexible to school necessities. A research performed by the Institute of Educational Sciences shows that the majority of the school board members have a huge distrust to Local Councils and Mayoralties. Why? Precisely due to the fact that these are not representing public interests when distributing and administrating resources, but subordinate everything to electoral propaganda. Performing an analysis of the manner of preparing the current school year leads to frequent cases of Mayors who have accessed important financial sums for modernizing schools, but those financial sums were embezzled one way or another.But not those Mayors are the ones to blame, as they are quite illiterate themselves, but the Romanian Government that has turned the principle of administrative decentralization into a chaotic reality. Nowhere can the principle of administrative decentralization be turned into a slavish imitation, as “universally good” formula. It requires an organic adoption, perfect adequacy to the field it is applied to. Unlike other domains, the education, health and the army require, each of them, a unitary structure at a national level, that would not create any artificial differences from one region to another, from one locality to another. This is due to the simple but essential reason that the education, the health and the defence are strictly indispensable values that must be equally accessible to the entire nation.For the year 2008, it is stipulated that the education receive 6 per cent of the GDP, the highest budgetary percentage of the latest 18 years. But would the actual chaotic decentralization of the education allow this budgetary surplus to be dedicated to educational projects of an ample perspective, and not to the “traditional” interests of any political group? Whenever they are confronted with this depressing alternative, the members of the Government evade into stereotype declarations, just like: “the education is a national priority”. Indeed, the Romanian education, its recovery constitutes a priority. Unfortunately, it is a drifting priority. The actual priority is the emergency of proclaiming the solidarity of values including the elimination of all centrifugal forces. Of all those forces that are alienating the concept of education itself by a damaging politicizing.This is why the first step for the acknowledgement of the education as a national priority is the institution of an apolitical school system.
by Mihai Iordanescu
(C) 2000-2007 Nine o'Clock,The Web Edition - Your English Language Daily [e]Newspaper

2007-11-07

“Quo vadis, Domine?”

A few months ago, I read again a favorite book of mine, “Quo Vadis” by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz. The author writes about a time when Nero was the emperor in Rome and the Christians were persecuted and even killed. At one point as the story goes, the apostle Peter was encouraged by the Christians in Rome to leave the city, seek safety and save his life. Peter left Rome a few days latter while his fellow Christians were killed and burned alive by Nero. As Peter was departing the Lord, appear to him along the Appian Way. The Apostle bowed down, kissed his feet and asked “Quo vadis, Domine?” translated “Where are you going Lord?” Jesus told Peter, “If thou desert my people, I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time.” Peter was ashamed and returned to the city to be with those that needed him most.
We do not know if the legend is true but there is a great lesson to learn from it. We need to always ask the Lord about his priorities in the world and be part of them; we at times are too much preoccupied with ours.

As some of you might remember when we decide to go back to Romania in 2003, our goal was to work with students and well educated young Romanians. Our desire was to train a young generation of leaders. We still dream on doing that but we needed to reevaluate our plans. Shortly after our arrival, we sensed that God had slightly different plans from ours. For a few months, we struggled with His plans and the open doors God placed before us. We had right in our face, a large population of orphans and the greatly impoverished and uneducated Gypsies. We came to a cross road and we had to choose between our plans and God’s. Looking back, I think we had great ideas but they were not His, at least not for that moment.

Today, every time we finish a church service in the Gypsy villages of Tinca or Sabolciu, I know God is pleased and I drive home knowing that I am where God wants me to be. Every time I return from ministering to the teenage orphans at CP2 (Placement Center 2) I feel the same.

A few weeks ago, I asked my self this question, “Where would Jesus go to church on Sunday? Would He go to a traditional Romanian church or in the poorest Gypsy village to bring the Word of God to people unable to read the Scripture and without access to medication or a doctor? I had no trouble finding the answer.

When we struggle with our place of ministry, we should ask the Lord like Peter did “Quo vadis Domine?” I believe the Lord would meet us on our Appian Way, point to our lack of love for the people that need us and encourage us to turn back and go His way. We need to be willing to alter the course of our lives and align our compasses to His. While His road it is not always an easy road to travel, we discover God’s love, peace, and joy. The real Pathway to Joy is doing His will.

We at PTJM are determined to continue our journey with Him, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)

Thank you for being our partners on this journey and making it possible through your prayer and support.

Serving Him together,

Cornel & Karen Bucur


PTJM Prayer Requests
Please pray for:
† Orphan Mentoring Program: our staff, patience and love for the 115 teenage orphans
† Foster Care Ministry: the foster families that care for the 33 children
† Oradea Children’s Hospital Ministry: the abandoned orphans and our staff working there
† Church Planting Ministry: to finish the church building in Sabolciu as soon as possible
† The Bucurs: protection and strength to oversee all the ministries
† More partners to join our prayer and support teams



Quote of the Month:
“I grew up in Romania in an orphanage for 18 years... I don't even want to remember the times we went to bed hungry and punished.” (Georgeta Swartz, California)