ZBINDEN MINISTRIES, Inc.

204 Patricia Ln

West Frankfort, IL 62896

618-932-8221

www.zministries.org

 

Greetings in the Matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

            Thank you so much for your prayers while I was in Romania March 29 through April 6.  It was a good ministry.  Our first service was in Iclod where I was able to fellowship with old friends.  However, after I returned home, I found out that Bro. Vasila Pogaceanu was in a wreck.  He is recovering but the injuries were extensive so please be praying for his return to health. 

 

Thursday night we went to Baciu.  They have made even more progress on their building since February.  More new people continue to come to the services.  Simona, Bro. Florin’s wife got to come to the service with us.

       

 

After the service in Baciu we went to the home of a young couple from Unu-Unu Baptist in Cluj for a meeting with the young families from the church.  It was a good time of fellowship.

 

Friday evening we went to Topa.  They are meeting in the unused school building while they are remodeling their church building.  They have started reaching out to the few children that are in the village.  There were 10 of the 12 in our service.  Pretty impressive when you figure none of their parents go to church anywhere.

    

 

Saturday we went to Dretea and Bedeciu.  These are two small villages that are close together.  Because of their size, or rather, lack thereof, few people go to minister there and they always look forward to having a team come to preach.  Dretea is still carrying on the ministry to the few children that are in there village.

 

Sunday morning early we headed out to Ilva Mare.  Bro. Jesse Powers had brought a team of 15 men to work on their church building and I joined them for a couple days.  I have preached in Ilva Mare somewhere around 15 times but had never been in their church building because they normally only meet there on Sunday morning and then have their other meetings in homes so lost people will feel more comfortable coming to the service.  Sunday evening I preached in a home in the nearby village of Ursoia.

 

 

Monday I learned how to stucco. I got the main room in the basement stuccoed.  Bro. Jesse’s men got the walls built up 12 blocks high plus got several other things done.  

 

I left for Croatia but Bro Jesse and his team stayed and worked on the building through Monday April 12.  The building was in the dry, the baptistry was done and the boards were up for the ceiling.  Praise the Lord for enabling them to get so far!

 

 

I arrived in Zagreb, Croatia Wednesday evening April 7.  John and Lois Stefan met me at the airport and took me to their house in Petrinja about an hour south of Zagreb.

 

Thursday evening we went to Bethel Baptist Church in Sisak.

Pastor Milosh interpreted for me.

 

Friday evening we went to church in Pretrinja.  By request I preached the same message I preached in Sisak.

 

Saturday we went with Pastor Perkovic to visit some of his people.  He pastors three churches up in the mountains.  It is beautiful country but it takes a man who is totally sold out to the Lord to do the work he is doing.  It is very difficult.
              

 

Sunday morning we went to church in Petrinja.  Bro. John Stefan preached on the Lord’s Supper.  Sunday evening we went back to Sisak for me to preach again.  Pastor Milosh had gone to Serbia for his brother’s funeral so I had a different interpreter. 

 

I had been given crocheted cross bookmarks to give out and was able to give them to the people at the churches in Sisak and Petrinja.  It was a tangible way for the people who received them to know they are thought of and prayed for by others even when they can't go on a trip.

    

 

They very much want me to come back in October to teach “Spiritual Disciplines.”  I would very much like to go.  Please pray with me that if it God’s will for me to go He will provide the resources.  If you are interested in going on a trip let me know.  I’ve got several in the works.  The next one, as far as I know will be Mozambique in June.

 

As always, I want to thank each and every one of you who supports ZMI.  It is truly exciting to watch God at work in His world and a blessing to be able to obey His great commission. 

 

In His Love and Service,

 

Bro. Joe