Chuck Bridges Blog

This past Sunday at Washington Avenue Church we celebrated all the wonderful things God did on our Mission Trip to Romania. The pictures helped us share with the congregation what God did. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. We displayed about 250 pictures — you do the math!

I shared with the group last week how wonderful it would be if we could get a team put together to go back this year so we can possibly get the church building ready to be used this winter. It would at least be good to get the outside done, get the windows and doors installed, and get the outside painted. To be honest, while I would love to go back, I guess my faith that it would really happen was very weak.

I have had 3 people to tell me that they definitely feel led to go IF I will plan a trip in October. That’s amazing!! But, the reality of the money we would need to buy the materials remained an issue. I said that we would need approximately $8,000 more dollars to get the building to a place where the church could use it. God is so Amazing that over $4,000 of it has already been given!! Go ahead, shout a little with me.

Now I have no choice but to seriously plan for another trip this October. I have been checking on airline tickets and they are much lower than the last trip we took. (about $950) This would make the expenses for each person to be about $1,200.00 The possible dates for this next trip are October 8-18. We would leave on a Thursday afternoon and get back on a Sunday. People who have to take off from work would be able to work a little while on Thursday, October 8 and would then only miss one week and one day. Hopefully this will be easier to manage for those who have to plan for time off.

I ask that you join me in praying for God’s clear direction. Of course, based on what He has already done, it seems pretty clear that He is opening the way for us to go back and accomplish something major in this village. I also want to encourage you to think and pray about going with us. I need some people who can paint, do some minor carpentry, hang and finish drywall, and it would be good to have someone who understands electricity. If we have enough on the team, we could plan to do some ministry with the children in the village as well. These details will have to be determined by the team we are able to assemble.

I look forward to hearing from those who are ready to take the journey!

First, I just want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to represent Him, our church family, and many more Believers in the great country of Romania. Sometimes when I am over there I am overcome with thoughts about me being a simple, country boy from the deep south in a foreign country. Never did I realize that the world would become so small to me. It is amazing how many opportunities God has given me to see the splendor and grandeur of His world! I am about to get caught up with my sleep (I think). I definitely got caught up with my fast food intake at the Clock today.

I am so proud of the Men who went with me to Romania this year. There is no way I could have assembled such a great and gifted bunch of guys. Each one had exactly what was needed for our Divine Assignment on this trip. The construction project, the children’s camp, our accomodations, the food, our times of fellowship, worship, praying, etc. were all absolutely wonderful. We laughed alot and cried some too! Trust me, until you have gone on one of these trips it is impossible to grasp how powerful the emotions are. I have seen many times grown, rugged men weep openly as God does something incredible in their lives. (Yes, that is another strong encouragement to get you to think about going with us the next time!!! — possibly as soon as this October!)

Our guys this year worked extremely hard in some very unseasonal heat. I told the guys that they would love the weather over there — upper 70’s to mid 80’s in the day, 60’s at night — but they had a heat wave while we were there. A couple days the temperature reached 38 degrees Celcius (that’s bumping 100 degree Far.) Even though it was hot, the guys kept working on the church building. And, the children kept coming in the hottest part of the day. They played hard, sang hard, loved their craft time and were absolutely amazing in the Bible lesson time.

God did an amazing job assembling the team from Romania who came to help us with the camp. Actually, we were just there to help them, they are the ones who made it all work!! Again, because God assembled the team each person had the exact gift needed to make this one of the best camps I’ve ever been associated with. I can’t wait to see what they can do with a little more planning and coordination from us! Next time we will have better preparation with the theme, prizes, T-Shirts, etc. Not only did they do a great job with the camp but they gave us their friendship as well. Everyone in our two teams were so compatible it is scary. We all just wanted to hang out together, laugh, cut up, talk about the things God is doing in our lives, etc. It was like we had all known each other for a long time.

God is definitely doing something incredible in this part of Northern Europe. I am blessed to be a part of watching His plan materialize. Remember, God already knows the END of things as well as the beginning. To God, the FUTURE is history! In our lives we sometimes strive too hard to find out what God’s plan is. What He wants us to do is “WAIT” upon Him (Isaiah 40:31) and then we will be renewed. He is much more concerned about our WALK with Him than He is our WORK FOR HIM! As long as we pursue His heart, He will reveal His plans. (cf. Jeremiah 29:11-13)

God has allowed us to purchase a piece of property in this Sanger Village that is large enough to construct several structures to make it a Christian Retreat Center where children can come for summer camps or weekend trips. Also, it can be a place where Pastors and other church leaders can come for training, education, etc. The possibilities are as limitless as the vastness of the Cosmos.  It is my prayer that within 3 years we will have the necessary facilities for the first group of campers to come to a well-planned, well-staffed summer camp. They will come on Monday and leave for home on Friday. Most (if not all) of the children and youth in this part of the world have never experienced anything like that.

I ask that you continue praying for our Romanian partnership. We have a Romanian Partnership Fund in our church where you can give anytime God leads you to. I can assure you that all the money given for Romanian Missions is used exclusively for that project. Our church supports the Pastor we work with both financially and with our prayers. We can always use assistance with his support. With this support he is able to concentrate on the 4 small churches he Pastors without having to work another job. He has a wife and 2 small children.

Again, thanks for your interest in and Support for Romanian Missions! May God Bless you for your faithfulness.

The rest of our team returned home safely from Romania this evening. Kevin and Bill returned home on Saturday. WE thank God for the opportunity to go on this Mission trip. Because of our Great God, it was a very successful trip. I can’t wait to see the difference it is going to make in the lives of this year’s team. And, we all hope and pray that our church will catch fire because of the experiences we share with everyone. I will share later more details about the work that still needs to be done in Romania and how you can be a part of it.

As great as this trip was, I can still say that the best thing about going away is coming home. So, now I am going to bed so I can sleep. Thanks again to all who helped us go on this trip.

I have just returned to the house where I am staying from the evening services at Betel Church in Cluj. The Lord’s Presence was very evident in that place. We thank God for all the things that He has done both IN and THROUGH our team and the team from Cluj. We have partnered together for the Kingdom of God. We pray for much fruit to come in the future because of our efforts. God has reminded me on this trip that He truly is Sovereign in ALL that HE does. He had a plan this week that was not fully revealed until we arrived. Then, each day His plan unfolded. Now, at the end of this journey, we can say with shouts and praises — LOOK WHAT GOD HAS DONE!!!

While the precious Brothers and Sisters we have worked with here in Romania are on my heart and mind, I am very anxious to get home and see my wife and children. The only bad thing about being on Mission so far from home is the separation from the most special and important people in my life. Being away reminds you how blessed you are to have such a wonderful family. They are wonderful because they support me in the Work that God has called me to do; they pray for me and our teams while we are away; and they are excited to hear all the details of the trip when we return. I hope God allows me to return and to bring my family with me. Matthew has been to Romania and I hope he will get the opportunity to return. Ashley would love it as well because she is so passionate about history. Romania is a country that is rich in history.

Tonight we said goodbye for a period of time to some special young people whom I believe God is going to continue to use greatly in His service. Please join our team in praying for Valer, Camillia, Ioana, Emillia, Bogdan, Marius, and Mihala. Also, pray for Pastor Marius Sabau as he leads the wonderful church in Cluj. His vision to reach the lost and help other struggling churches is contagious. Pray for Pastor Marius Orosan who we are partnering with in Sanger Village. This young brother faithfully serves God by preaching in 4 different churches. He is a wonderful Pastor, man, and has a wife and 2 beautiful children. Pray for God to raise up more laborers for these village churches.

What else can you do? Of course PRAYING is always the most important thing to do! Another thing you can do is to plan on coming to Romania with me. If God is willing I would love to get a team together and return to complete the church in Sanger before the long hard winter sets in. October would be the best month to return so let me know if you have any interest. I believe approximately $8,000 and a good team of construction workers could make this building useable by winter. You can also give financially to help us accomplish God’s purposes in this Mission Partnership. I would not be sitting here in Romania writing you this report without the sacrificial giving of so many. (some of who are reading this Blog right now) If possible, plan to be at Washington Avenue next Sunday, August 2nd at 10:30 to hear from this year’s Mission Team. I expect God to really bless in this service.

Please pray for our safety as we travel tomorrow. We have to be at the airport at 5:15am in the morning so I have to wake up at 4:30. If all flights are on schedule we will be back in Greenville at the airport at 6:30pm on Monday. I eagerly await the reunion time with my family and seeing many other friends. May God bless you for praying for this Mission trip!!

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!!!

Right now our Mission Team is back in Cluj, Napoca, Romania, the city where we arrived and will fly out. We finished up our Camp Ministry in the Village of Sanger today. We had 83 children to show up today! Praise the Lord. There were over 50 children who stepped forward to speak with a Romanian Counselor at the end of the service. I don’t know all the things that God was doing in these children’s lives but we pray that many of them understood that they were giving their heart to Jesus and receiving His wonderful Salvation. Pray, Pray, Pray for these children as they go back to their homes. The people in this Village of Sanger are captured in their understanding about God by many years of influence by the Orthosdox church. It is very difficult to help them understand that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to have the Abundant Life, both here on this earth and forever after death.

As in past trips my heart has been touched by so many of the children. Their smiles, enthusiasm for singing about Jesus, and their appreciation for us coming to spend time with them make all the expense of this trip worth it. I would love to bring many of these children home with us. They are so precious! They are also the future of the Evangelical Church in Romania. I believe God is allowing us to partner in a ministry that will bring fruit for the Kingdom of God for many years to come. Below is a picture of the group on day one. Each day more and more children came. We began the week with 32 and the final day we had 83 children. The most exciting news is that most of the children live in the village of Sanger so there will be opportunities to work with them throughout the year.

Actually, two of the young people who came from Cluj to help us with the camp felt God’s calling to come back once a month on a Saturday to have a similar program for the children. By constructing a new building and offering a program for the children all through the year, pray that the parents and grandparents will come as well and listen to the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. The harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray for more laborers to come to the villages so that the people might hear and KNOW what it means to have Eternal Life.

Bill and Kevin are getting ready for their flight back home so pray for their safety and for all their flights to be on schedule. They will have a long wait in Washington, DC before flying back to Greenville. Maybe they could go and help the politicians or something! We love all of you and thank God for your interest in the Mission work in Romania. Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ here are very dedicated to the Lord. I hope many of you will plan to come and be blessed, challenged, and strengthened by their love. They truly do treat us like Kings and Queens!! May the Lord bless you and keep you close to His side today, and give you PEACE. (In Romania, the Christ-Followers greet each other by simply saying PEACE — or PACE, which is pronounced Pah-chee). Blessings!

The first day of our Camp on Monday was fabulous! We had 32 children to come and share in the experience of the camp. Our Romanian Brothers and Sisters who have come to help us are College-Age students who are very committed to the Lord. The children are really drawn to them. We are having so much fun with all the children.

We told the children to bring someone with them for the second day. When they started arriving we were blown away that we had 55 children!! Praise the Lord! We are only drawing children from the village where we are building the church. The last time we were here we offered transportation from other villages but this year we are only concentrating on the church in Sanger. (pronounced SHIN-GER). We are anticipating another great day today. Pray that the children will return and bring their friends with them. I will be teaching the Bible story today to the older children so I ask for your prayers in trying to explain how Jesus can save us!

The men continue to work very hard on the building. They installed half of the metal roof yesterday and will attempt to complete the job today. We are going to be very close on having enough material to finish so please pray for the Lord to stretch it. He fed thousands with a small quantity of food so we know that he can do it. It would be great to complete the roof on this trip so that the building can stay dry on the inside. We will begin plans for buying windows and doors and having them installed before we return. It would be great if we could get another team here before Winter to hang the drywall and complete the inside so the church can use the building this winter.

I have many pictures and cool video that I would love to share with you but the internet connection I am using is too slow to even upload a picture. We will be back in Cluj on Friday so hopefully I will have faster internet speed to send pictures and video.

I really enjoy reading your comments on the blog. The guys are always glad to hear information from home. Keep them coming. Thank you so much for all the prayers. God is providing and guiding beyond our ability to even think to pray. (He is so good about that) We really miss all of our family and friends at home but cannot possibly describe the way God is working in our lives on this journey. This trip caused me much anxiety in the preparation phases but has resulted in much more than I thought it could have been. The people in the Village of Sanger are amazed at the skills of our guys to put up the building so quickly. They come each day, look at the structure, lift their heads to heaven and thank God with tears in their eyes. We are blessed much more than we are blessing them!

I must go because my Romanian companions are just sitting here watching me type. I will send more news later.

I have had major issues with trying to post a blog for everyone. The internet comes and goes on the mobile device I am trying to use. Sorry for the delay in sharing our progress.

As I am writing this it is about 12:15 on Monday. The construction project is going well. The worship services in the churches yesterday were wonderful. The Christ-Followers here are so sweet and genuine. They are treating us like kings. I told the church last night that people had been so good to us that we had decided to send for our families and stay here. I have to be careful about what I say because they were all like “OK, the Americans will stay.” O well, we will just have to break hearts when we leave.

Every member of our Team shared their testimonies yesterday in the two worship services. The guys did an amazing job. I can’t wait for you to hear them share on August 2nd. I think this experience is proving to be much more than they could have imagined. We can try to share with you what we experience when we come on these trips but you really cannot grasp it until you come. God is working mightily through these Believers in our lives. They are so simple in their lifestyle and so deeply committed to Christ. I have allowed the men to form their own conclusions without telling them what I knew they would experience. We have some of them on video shedding tears liberally during the worship service. We could not understand the words of the songs the Romanians were singing but the Holy Spirit girpped our hearts!

Pray today for us to get the necessary materials to continue the  construction. Also, we will begin the children’s camps today. We have a Team of 6 who have come from Cluj to help us with the camps. They are all wonderful Christ-Followers and they all speak very good English. Praise the Lord! They will be such an asset in our attempts to communicate with the children. Pray for a good start to the day camp and for many children to come. Of course, even if there are only a small group to come, we will enthusiastically work with them.

All of the guys are doing well with the food. We had a cookout last night. We had pork chops, chicken and bacon cooked on a home-made grill. It was fantastic. We also grilled cauliflower, squash, and something else? I think you will see that our guys are eating well. I am not supposed to say anything but even one member of our team who does not eat chicken said that the chicken was very good. (that means he ate it but don’t say anything because I was not supposed to tell)

I am in the city now trying to purchase building materials so I will have to end now. Hopefully I will be able to write again on Tuesday or Wednesday. Continue sending your comments. I am sharing them with the Team. They are very inspired to know that they are using their construction skills to help some of the most committed Christ-Followers they have had the chance to meet. We are all very blessed to have this opportunity. We miss our families, friends, and church family but just can’t explain what a Spiritual High this is.

There is still much work to be done here in this part of the world and God has opened the door for us. Pray now about coming back with us. We will return with a list of all the work that needs to be done on this building and what it will cost to finish it. God Bless!!

Jesus says to the Church in Philadelphia: “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” (Revelation 3:12a) While I know that this verse has much greater application, it actually explains our first day of construction on the new facility in Romania. TJ and Kevin, our “Construction Specialists,” had to spend a large portion of the morning looking at some of the structural designs of existing buildings to determine how to “frame” the building for the Church in Sanger.

After the plan was formulated, we began cutting and shaping the “PILLARS” that will support the weight of the building. We had trouble cutting the 6X6 beams. Every possible power tool that was available was brought out. We borrowed a chain saw and then had no gas or oil. Once we got the fuel needed, we learned that the chain was very dull. We have a skill saw and drill but, as we were finally making some progress, the electricity went out for the entire village. So, we waited.

We were reminded to maximize our “down” time. As our “plans” were altered by circumstances beyond our control, we turned out attention to relationships with our Romanian hosts. It gave us some quality time to get better acquainted. We then took a walk through the village and, while we were merely strolling, an elderly lady approached us. Through the help of our translator we learned that she had been sick and was in pain. She is of the Orthodox faith and we told her why we were in her village. We asked if we could pray for her and she was elated. After our prayer, our translator explained to her more about the Christian Church in her village and the lady said she had thought about coming to the church.

It occurs to me that, while our circumstances on the job site were not what we wanted, God had a divine appointment for us that exceeded our awareness. Later in the day I was asked to ride to town with our translator to get a car that we could use during the week. We were getting ready to stand up the exterior walls so it was not good timing. But, since we needed the car I needed to go. (By the way, I have been given permission by a Police officer to drive while I am here! God is so good) Because I went to get the car I was able to speak with the Police officer about God, faith, the “after-life,” etc. Again, God had a “Divine Appointment” for me that I could have missed if my schedule had been allowed to supersede His!

The bottom line is that we “OVERCAME” our obstacles, got all the exterior, load-bearing walls stood up and installed enough ceiling rafters to make sure the walls did not fall over night. Not only did we make some significant progress on the facility, we had the privilege of sharing love, light and the Hope of Jesus Christ!!!

We have been called by God to BE OVERCOMERS! Your schedule may not be realized according to your plan today, but, trust God to use your unexpected interruptions” as opportunities to be His Light and His Hope for a world in NEED of HIM!!

Pray for continued safety as we work to construct the facility today. Also, pray for us to be “OVERCOMERS” because I know there are obstacles awaiting us that require God’s power to give us victory. We are called to be “more than conquerors” through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37)

It is very HOT here during the day. Yesterday it was 32 degrees Celsius (that’s about 90 degrees for us). We got a little sun burned but are thankful for the great weather to do construction. And, the Team seems to be doing fine with the food. I keep telling them not to listen to Bobby! Stay tuned for more to come from Romania.

It feels good to be back in Romania. This is my 4^th Mission trip in this great country. God has given me the privilege of coming here and sharing in KINGDOM work with some very faithful Followers of Jesus Christ!

On this first day in the village of Sanger, we have much to do. We are going to be building a New facility on the property now owned by the small group of Faithful Believers who make up the church of Jesus Christ in this village. Over a year ago, God provided this struggling group of Believers with a piece of property for their very own. Before, they were meeting in a dance hall and were many times told they couldn’t use the facility. I returned from one of our trips and shared with some people how this small group was struggling. A precious and generous Christ-Follower gave the money for this property to be purchased for the church. I cannot tell you how elated these people were. They wept, praised and worshiped God for His goodness to them.

There was a small house already on the property and this is where the church now meets. A few weeks ago we sent some money to have the foundation constructed so it would be ready to build on once we arrived. We were also able to send some more money last week to purchase building supplies. The materials are on the job site so we are ready to get started putting up the walls of this new facility that will house this faithful band of Believers.

We ask for your prayers for safety as our guys work together with these Romanian Believers to build the physical house of God in this village! Pray for open lines of communication so that there will be continuity between the building they want and the expertise of our construction team. In America we build things differently so we want to do our best to understand what they want. They have a plan but it is different than what we are used to.

It will take a little time this morning to get our heads together with the Pastor and People so that we can have UNITY in this building project. We desire your prayers for this project and for the testimony we share with the people in this village while working on the House of the Lord! Pray for our relationship with the believers and those who do not understand what Christ has done for the world! And, pray that God will grant me the opportunity to share with the Orthodox Priest in this village once again. I met him the last time I was here and shared the Gospel with Him. He told me himself that no one could be sure about going to heaven! May the Holy Spirit draw Him to the Cross of Christ so that he can be saved!

Everyone is doing great!

Our Romanian Mission Team leaves this coming Tuesday for our 2009 partnership effort. We have 5 men going, 4 of whom are first time Mission Trip participants. That’s Exciting! They are so pumped about going that it has renewed my zeal and enthusiasm for going. We are going to be doing construction on a small building for the church that meets in a village called Sanger. Through the generosity of God’s People, we were able to purchase a good sized piece of property in this village to give to the church. They were meeting in a borrowed building and would many times have to cancel meetings if they were told that they could not use the building. They are so thankful to God to now have their own place to meet!

There is an old house on the property where the church is meeting now. We are going to build a small structure that will be used as their primary meeting place. The new building will have bathrooms (with indoor plumbing)! That is something very rare in these remote villages. We are hoping to get the facility in the dry on this trip. With additional monies that we can raise and possibly taking another work team to Romania this Fall or next Spring, this first Church building will be dedicated and used by the church.

We also have a Master Plan for this property. Over the next few years we hope to raise the money and get more people involved so we can build a Christian Camp facility for the growth of God’s Kingdom in that area of the world. We want to construct dormitories for boys and girls; build a good sized meeting facility with a kitchen, bathrooms, showers, and some rooms for our teams to stay in when we are there. Please help us pray for God’s Wisdom, provision, and guidance as we Partner together with our Brothers and Sisters in Romania to “Build the Kingdom of God, One Soul at a Time!”

NOTICE: I will be posting updates  on our Mission Trip while I am in Romania so be sure to check out this blog regularly (Dates: July 14-27)