Therefore we do not lose heart..
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen , but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
(2 Corinthians 4: 16-18.)

Slovakia

Early this year we heard the good news that Pastor Stano’s Pramen Zivota Fellowship has joined with the Krestanske Spolocenstvo Radostne Srdce run by Pastor Peter. They meet on Sundays in the hotelin Partizanske. Please pray that the unity of the church will be strengthened and that it will be a good witness in the town. Marik is a Gypsy man in this group and we hope to help him with his outreach work to his people. We will continue the Play Group started with Dita’s help and we would value prayer for the children and their families. We do not know where we will meet so please pray that a suitable venue may be found. The Dorcas Sewing Group will continue and the women who come along need prayer too. Sonnie plans to start a sports club with coaching in football and swimming for the older children. Please pray that this will find favour with the manager of the sports centre in the town so that he may have access to the premises. Derek has written to all the London Football clubs asking for support but so far have received only two negative replies. Please pray that the money needed for this project will be released to GFC. With Kumar’s help we plan to continue outreach in Handlova. This area needs prayer too.

Hungary

At the moment There are no plans for Hungary apart from the support we give to Pastor Imre Kovacs for his Awana Club. Please pray that the Lord will show us the way forward.

Romania

Our main concern has been the Water Project in the Chirileu village. A letter was sent to the Embassy expressing our concern that the water supply had been diverted from the people it was provided for. This was supported by a letter from the elders of the Woodford Christian Life Church which was one of the chief donors to the project. The Embassy referred the matter to the requisite government department in Bucharest and we will follow it up when we are in Romania this summer. In addition the Gypsy Council wrote asking for a meeting with the Ambassador which will take place in early April. So we have had to delay our trip and now hope to set off by mid April. Please keep these matters in prayer and also the vehicle, our safety on the roads and at the border crossings. We need wisdom as to the way forward for the Medical Project. Since we have been travelling into Eastern Europe we have taken and distributed toms of humanitarian aid to the Gypsies in the towns and villages we have visited, but due to the many  regulations imposed by the authorities we are unable to do this anymore. If the work is to continue we will need people and vehicles to carry it on. We are also looking for new contacts who are working with Gypsies so that we can help and encourage them in their work. There are many opportunities – the harvest is ready but there are few reapers. Please join with us in prayer that these needs may be met and the finances may be made available to GFC.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell god what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4: 6-7)

CONGRATULATIONS

We are pleased to report that Valdemar Kalinan has been awarded the Hiroshima Prize for Peace and Culture by the European Committee in Sweden. It was presented to him in StockhoLm on January 20th 2002 by a member of the Council of Europe. In his native Belarus Valdemar is well known as a poet and it is a source of pride to the Gypsy community that he has received this public acknowledgement for his work. Well done Valdemer!

SPONSORS NEEDED

Yelena Marchuk is a Romani missionary who works in the Ukraine entirely at her own expense. At present she is a student at the Donetsk Christian University and is need of financial assistance. If anyone is able to sponsor Yelena during her studies please get in touch with our treasurer, Derek Cartwright.

WELCOME

We welcome Adrian Coe from Nene Family Church, Peterborough as an observer at our Trustees meeting in January. He has been helping with the outreach to the Czech Roma asylum seekers living in the area and visited two families in Brno Roznov Pod Rad in Czech Republic in February. His daughter, Susannah will be taking a course to teach English as a Foreign Language in the autumn. She will be visiting Plavecky Strvtok in Slovakia with a view to teaching in a Gypsy school there. We have visited this town twice in the past and are looking forward to a visit from Adrian and Susannah during the summer

REVIVAL TOUCHES EUROPE’S GYPSIES

Across Europe the despised and persecuted Gypsies are experiencing revival and taking the gospel to the nations through which they are scattered. Gypsy church leaders expect the revival to change the political and social status of their people. Christian Gypsies do not fit the stereotype of being fighters, thieves and drunkards and the more they are the stronger will be their position  in the political battle for recognition as a nation in their own right.

PUBLICITY

Peter Brown can no longer continue as Publicity Officer for GFC – We are grateful for all his hard work and trust that his expertise will be put to good use elsewhere. Thanks you Pete!
Nigel Joda will be looking after the website in future and we welcome him to his new position. Nigel can be reached by email at n.joda@ntlworld.com
P.S. You can now make donations to our work on line. All contributions will be gratefully received carefully used.

THANK YOU

As always we thank the Woodford Christian Life Church for enabling us to send out our Newsletters, for their prayers and all the valuable support they give us. We appreciate it very much!
AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU FROM ROSEMARY TO EVERYONE WHO PRAYED FOR HER EYES. The problem has cleared up. PRAISE THE LORD!

“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.” (Psalm 17:6)

GREETINGS FOR EASTER FROM THE TRUSTEES & THE TEAM OF GYPSIES FOR CHRIST

JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES
I HAVE BEEN GIVEN COMPLETE AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. THEREFORE GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS BAPTISING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. TEACH THESE NEW DISCIPLES TO OBEY ALL THE COMMANDS I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU. AND BE SURE OF THIS: I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.
(MATTHEW 28:18-20)