Eric Henderson's news from Bulgaria 10-18-15

Bulgaria has been a brisk pace of meeting pastors, directors of transition homes for orphans, speaking in Sunday services, and also meeting with young adult orphans who, because someone developed a relationship with them before they aged-out, are now born again and growing in their faith...someone was there when they got out.

I wanted to tell you about this one church in Sevlievo where I shared the message. I traveled to this small city to meet an American who was building group homes for orphans, which included house parents. His name is Marty and he is a funny and energetic guy and he also has built a relationship with a young man who came out of the orphanage and into this church family...a good story. We sat down at a small Bulgarian cafe, eating Chinese food, and after he shared his vision for orphans he asked me what I was doing in Bulgaria. Thirty minutes later, halfway through my answer, he asked if I could stay overnight and share the message for the church service on Sunday...I said yes!  He calls his pastor to get permission, gets it, and then we have a meeting with the translater to give my speaking notes in advance....this guy gets things done!

On Sunday, I shared the entire message and the congregation roared with applause,(for God's love for orpans). Two adults who were never adopted, were just full of joy at hearing  the message, and one woman who was adopted, was so full of joy, tears filled her eyes as she expressed thanks for knowing her esteemed position, along with Moses and Esther.  She committed to join the others in the church to minister to orphans and champion the adoption message. Then something happened that shook me up...the pastor came to me with the interpreter to say he wanted to donate funds to the teaching ministry to get the word out to other churches!! I was stunned.  This was a poor church, the pastor does not even receive a salary, yet they take care of many widows and help older orphans trying to transition to adult life. After a brief moment of silence, God gave me a word to respond to the pastor. I told him the best and enduring gift he and his church could give was if they would commit to praying for the success of the message to be spread to other churches, and for it to bear fruit in action for the rescue of orphans in Bulgaria. He liked that and committed to pray.

This one story, out of many, so much reminded me of the reception you and I got at the Journey church before we left for Romania. Remember, the church applauded the word of God for orphans, they prayed for our success, and they gave resources for the word to be spread...the Holy Spirit was moving in the people at the Journey church the exact same way He was moving in the church in Sevlievo!

I have been Sofia for a few days and it has been very fruitfull. The senior pastor over a large group of  evangelical churches is going to set up a major pastors conference in Sofia, and wants all of the pastors and youth pastors to attend. It will be sometime next year as we are winding down 2015 soon.

Recently, after about a month in Romania, Rush Behnke returned to Oregon…earlier than planned.  “With all the successful opportunities we had in Romania to share the message, field-training and mentoring Rush was accomplished very quickly.  Rush really needed to return for family and business, so God was faithful to provide all the perfect opportunities.” 

There is a great need to create awareness and support to keep Eric traveling and speaking to key leaders; leaders that work with orphans and at risk kids.  Rush will begin to look for opportunities to speak and ask for support.  He will be speaking at a Christian Businessman’s meeting that meets in Medford, Oregon, at Tin Tins Buffet, October 28^th at noon.  Rush will share his testimony as well as stories from the Romanian mission experience.   

Rush says, “My highlight was to spend a day in Bucharest with Costinel Keenan, a young man of Gypsy decent  that was in an orphanage until adopted by an American missionary couple when he was 14.”  “Costi” said, “I never felt loved while at the orphanage.  This was my deepest pain.  Then when I was 9 the President of Romania visited the orphanage.  When he learned that I had the same last name he invited me to his house for Christmas.  When the day came the secret service showed up, but the President never came for me.  I cried, and cried!  This is when I became really emotional about everything.”  Costi said when my parents first came to the orphanage “I picked them”.   I’m quite certain this is their story too.

Costi is living proof of a common myth: children, which are not adopted as infants, will ruin families and your life; therefore, they should stay in orphanages where they belong.   Costi fully embraces that God’s heart is, “He places the lonely in families”.  Psalms 68:5 

Costi went to Bible college in Southern California, is 31, married to Elisabeth, and they have three beautiful little girls, Anna Rose, Jasmine, and Elsa.  He is pioneering a new mission ministry for orphans and street kids in Bucharest, Romania.   This is God’s hand!  He uses those who know and feel the pain of others.  Costi’s parents are currently missionaries in Iraq.

Eric will return to Cluj Napoca, Romania in the first part of November to attend a “Romania Without Orphans” conference.  Many of the people we had a chance to meet will attend as well.  This is part of a larger mission org called World Without Orphans. 

Eric Henderson went on to Bulgaria and spoke at a church last Sunday in Svishtov.  He was invited to visit an orphanage in that city as well.  Eric will be in Bulgaria all of October.  We will give updates as Eric writes about each experience. 

There was a request to share more photos.  We will try to post a few more on the blog.  Also, go to our Facebook page “Rush To The Nations” to see more.

Update 09/23/15,

We are 27 days into this journey to share God's heart of love and fatherhood for orphan children to His church in Romania.  Excuse us, because of age it took us 5 days to adjust for jet-lag before starting.

So far, Rush and I have journeyed and shared the message in the following venues:

Cluj-Napoca...at a YWAM 3 day annual leader’s conference. 

 Prod... at a regional, 3 day seminar on at-risk children, with various churches and school ministries involved.

Sighisoara....local church and small home gathering, hosted by Tim and Carolyn Bailey, who has just adopted a little baby girl named Anna. We shared the whole message with them.  They want to adopt two aditional teen boys.  We stayed there in a Guest House for 5 days.  We met with a Nazrene professor/educator who speaks to pastors in Russia, Hungry, Romania and Ukraine.  Shared the message with him, as he has great influence on young pastors.

We took a train ride from Sighisoara to Bucharest.  We bought a sleeper car, but couldn’t find our car, got no help, rode in general seating for 3 hours like zombies, then made a frantic search during a quick stop and found our beds.  This was an 8 hour ride that was supposed to start at 2am, but didn’t leave until 5:15am.  I think the train was old Soviet stuff!

Bucharest to Constanta car ride...shared with Costi, who was a Roma orphan, adopted by an American missionary family at age 15. Three years ago Costi returned to Romania from Huntington Beach, CA, with his wife and 3 children.  They work with orphans in Bucharest...yes!!  Rush will stay the night with them September 24^th and visit an orphanage. He hopes to get video of Costi’s testimony and their vision for Romanian orphans.

Constanta...shared with staff at the YWAM base, university students at International Cafe, 3 Nigerian university students in a grocery store.  We have been here all but one night until now.

Medgidia...shared a shortened message at the main church's Sunday service in this city, and that evening, the full message at a nearby “sister” village church. We spent the night at the church's "Children's Center", they minister to orphaned, fatherless, neglected children....a beautiful work loving, feeding, clothing, keeping them in school, teaching the Bible, and counseling the occasional parent about care for their children. We were asked to encourage the staff with a message from the Bible. I told them they were working at the very core of God's heart for the children, that they were wonderfully altering the course of the children’s lives, and that God was very pleased with their "love and good works" (Heb 10:24 - James 1:27)
Note: There is a ministry opportunity here to do some construction work on the Children's Center.  Most importantly to site-build, light gauge metal trusses and a metal roof, with gutters and downspouts.  The leaking is causing mold and structural damage.  Here’s a mission op for a team from the US to work with Romanians in the church.

Constanta...last night, back to the International Cafe, and tomorrow a meeting with a small group of pastors at the home of Norwegian missionaries.

The message has been generally well received here in Romania. There are many people doing excellent work on behalf of orphan children, but they feel alone in those efforts. Many people feel shame for the condition of orphans, knowing of their lonely life and that trafficker’s prey on them.  They have sincere hearts to do something, but they do not know where to start, and they feel alone in their thoughts. Hearing from the Bible how God wants the whole church to pull together and practice pure and undefiled religion, has given them a sense of..."With Gods help, I think we can do this, all of us together."  In Medgidia, Pastor Vasilica Croitor who is the leader of a whole region of 13 sister churches, wants to discuss a more comprehensive plan to teach all of the churches with this critical message. So far, he and Pastor Pilu, in Sighisoara are the most committed to rescuing orphan children via adoption and other excellent ministries they have implemented.  Pastor Pilu and His wife Hadassah have a foster care program and have adopted one baby daughter.

Rush is returning home due to many family and work related needs, but Eric will continue to Bulgaria on Oct 2^nd.  Cicily is a missionary there from the US who works with orphans and at risk children.  She has set up numerous speaking opportunities for the entire month.  Things seem to be much worse in Bulgaria with regards to the outcomes of orphans.

Thank you for your prayers...they are the fuel we run on.
God's grace and peace to you,
Eric

Note:
The staff at the YWAM base here in Constanta has been invaluable in connecting us, transporting us, feeding us, housing us, praying for us...without their complete dedication to this effort we would be far less effective.  Praise God for these missionaries from all over the world!!!

 

Café International

Romania Update 09/12/15

Eric Henderson says,

Rush and I have been here in Romania now for about 2 weeks. We have been able to share the message of Biblical adoption at 2 conferences. The first was the annual Romanian YWAM Conference that included missionaries from S America, the US, W & E Europe, and one from Hong Kong. The 2nd was at a multi-denominational conference called Restore (Romania), whose attendees were all working with at-risk children, they heartily agreed with the message as they work to restore hope in children devastated by being abandoned and abused.

We have also had the opportunity to share with small groups of teachers, church workers and curious christians on this critical message. They have received the message of adoption, with an almost unanimous agreement that God's word clearly shows that orphan children belong in families and not in institutions and certainly not on the streets. ..both places being the harvest fields for the traffickers and predators.

Please continue to pray for the orphan children of Romania and all of E Europe, that God's people will place them in families according to Ps 68:5,6a " A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families,...

A Romania Arrival Surprise  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aktlOihN7Hc&feature=player_embedded

Rush met a Romanian “PK” on the final leg of our flight who lives in the U.S.   This guy warned us of the corruption in Romania and offered to take us to the hotel in Cluj.  Eric Henderson sat next to a Romanian woman who lived in the U.S. as well, and she warned about corruption too.  We took this as a word from the Lord to be extra careful with unknown people.

The brother of the guy sitting next to Rush gave us a ride to the Beyfin Hotel.  They would not take any money for the ride.  We offered to buy them lunch, but they said “no”, they didn’t have time.

On the way they (we can’t remember their unusual names) told us of how the “Church” in Romania is coming together as one”, even Baptists and Pentecostals.  We were deeply touched by the oneness we felt with these brothers, and we all expressed excitement about the future celebration before the throne.

We knew God’s angels were expressing God’s sovereignty and protection on the first day.  We felt loved, and deep joy, that Jesus’ Spirit was welcoming us to Romaiia 

 These pics are taken across the street from our Hotel.  We are staying here until the conferences. 

Sitting in Portland Airport leaving for Romania this morning.  While your sleeping tonight Eric Henderson and I will arrive in Cluj Napoca, Romania. 


Reflecting on all that will be done and the need for God to open every door and every heart.  We can work with human enthusiasm and human power, but not much will happen.  We need Holy Spirit infused power to make a difference!


We appreciate your prayers and support.  We are asking for the "Church to awake to those who are being lead to their deaths without fault.


Adoption is God's design.  Kids where meant to be in families.  Food shelter and water is not the cry of their hearts.  They want to belong. 


Blessings
Rush Behnke

Less than 2 months now...

Eric Henderson and I are flying to Cluj Napoca, Romania on August 27th, arriving on the 28th.  It's really soon with so much to do in preparation.  We appreciate everyone who has the time to follow us.  I will be blogging more frequently as the time approaches, and while we are gone. 


We are passionate about the need to advocate for adoptions in the church worldwide.  Jesus shared his father Joseph's name and linage to be the "son of David".  This clearly implies that he was fully adopted by his earthly father Joseph.  What a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father's heart for us, that His only Son was adopted so that we might be adopted through Him (Eph. 1:5).  And Jesus gave himself as our "ransom", "long before the world began", to win our adoption; and in Him we share the Father's family and inheritance (1 Pet. 1:20 NLT and Rom. 8:17).


We feel this will be a much more successful time if we have others tagging along through supporting us in many ways.  Please pray, tell others about this mission, and financially support us.  Being gone over 2 months and living without burdening the locals will be a considerable expense. 


When I went to Nigeria it was the people who sent me there that made the difference.  If I go with my resources only it won’t be the same.  Please help us go by following us on this exciting journey as well.


Bless you!