Chuck Bridges Blog

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.