February Update: 17, 10, 8½, or 3?

“How long have you been in Romania?” This seems like such a simple question, but I always find it difficult to give a simple answer. February 7, 2018, marked 17 years since I first came to Romania as a college student. During the past 17 years, I’ve spent 10 years (cumulatively) in Romania: 6 months as a study-abroad student, 6 ½ years as a Nazarene volunteer missionary, and March 1st will mark 8½ consecutive years that I've been living in Romania and 3 years in my current status as a Nazarene partner-funded specialized assignment missionary. As I embark on this new year (whether you consider it Year 18, Year 11, Year 9 or Year 4), I want to share with you a brief look back at the past year, and then give you an opportunity to partner with me in the coming year.

This past year has brought some significant changes to my ministry responsibilities. Instead of wearing multiple different “hats” and feeling that I don’t have time to do any single thing well, I’ve been able to refocus my efforts, so now nearly all of my responsibilities fall under the umbrella of ministerial preparation and literature development. While I still have plenty to do, I no longer feel like I’m being pulled in so many completely different directions.

Students in "Introduction to the Old Testament" course

Ministerial Preparation. During the past few months, I have been getting immersed in the ministerial preparation side of things -- which falls into 2 categories: theological education through European Nazarene College and preparing ministers for ordination through the Board of Ministry. My new role is serving as the administrator for EuNC's Romania Learning Center. Additionally, I’m continuing to purchase and catalog books for our theological library, working with visiting teachers, and currently teaching the course “Introduction to the Old Testament.” I'm also serving as secretary of our newly re-imagined Central Europe Field Board of Ministry. (You can read more about the development of this board in my "November Meetings" blog post, linked to below.)

Literature Development. Closely related to Ministerial Preparation is Literature Development, which provides resources for our ministers. We’re currently working on 4 projects: 2 books, a resource, and the updates to the 2017-2021 edition of the Nazarene Manual.

Attending a meeting for Learning Center coordinators & administrators
at the EuNC Faculty Assembly in February

As I write this, I am optimistic of what will happen in Romania in the coming year in these two ministry areas: we already have a full calendar of theological education courses scheduled for next year, the Board of Ministry is looking at very practical ways to encourage our ministers as they pursue ordination, and I have been introduced to a few new translators who may be able to work with us in our literature efforts.

I ask for your partnership in 2 ways:

First, for your continued prayer support. 

• Pray for our Romanian pastors: as they prepare for ordination by taking theological education courses and as they balance those courses with their current ministry responsibilities. Pray also for God to call others into ministry.
• Pray that we can offer a full load of courses so students can meet ordination requirements in timely fashion. Pray for me as I schedule courses and find teachers for the courses that need to be offered.
• Pray that our literature projects will fill the gaps where there are no resources available in Romanian. Pray for me as I follow-up on connections to work with new translators whose assistance could potentially help us speed up our efforts.

Second, for your continued financial support.
During the 10 cumulative years that I’ve spent in Romania since 2001, God has provided for all of my needs through the faithful financial support from my home church, from the churches where I speak on home assignment, from my LINKS churches, and from individual donors who make monthly or one-time gifts.

As I begin this 4th year as specialized assignment missionary in Romania, would you prayerfully consider helping me meet my fundraising goal of $1,000 in monthly donations? For more information about giving (whether monthly or a one-time donation), click here.

Recent Blog Posts..

In case you missed some of my blog posts since my last newsletter, you can check them out here:

November: Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings! 

District minister's licenses were renewed
 for our 3 Romanian pastors at
District Assembly in November

November was a very busy month. It started with Board of Ministry meetings in Macedonia, followed by a celebration of Roberta Bustin's 20 years as a Nazarene volunteer missionary to Romania, the Romania District Assembly, and then the Manual Translation Summit. Although it was a busy month, each of these meetings was very productive and I'm glad that I was part of each of them.

King Mihai of Romania (1921-2017)
King Mihai of Romania passed away on December 5, 2017. He served as king from 1927 to 1930 and again from 1940 until he was forced to abdicate by the communists in 1947. The funeral was held on December 16. This post includes a documentary that aired last year about King Mihai's role in World War II, as well as a link to a blog post I wrote about Romania's royal family in 2016.

Meet the Herndons
In August, Joshua and Shannon Herndon, and their 2 children, joined the Nazarene missionary team in Romania. Their current focus is language study, but they will be moving into the areas of district leadership and compassionate ministries. Check out this post to get to know the Herndons.

Thank you for your continued partnership!
Jonathan