C o n t e n t s

Blessed are the poor...

orphan Mentoring Project

Prayer needs

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the king-dom of heaven." (Mat. 5:3)

If poverty is nothing to write home about, then how could Jesus consider the poor hap-py? It must be something distinctive from the way we recognize neediness. I believe in the text Jesus is talking about nonphysical poverty, the comprehen-sion that deprived of God we are spiritually desti-tute and on the verge of perpetual mortality.

Being deprived materially is not the end of the world. I know a few benefits from my own experi-ence growing up in Communist Romania when we had very little quantifiable possessions but lots of time. Our lives were effectively free from the amusements we experience nowadays. No televi-sion, no Internet, no phones, only heaps of friends, lots of time and uninterrupted periods of out-of-doors playing. Summer or winter we played all day. At sundown we played chess or other board games around a real fire in the company of real people. Nowadays I call this kind of experience a vacation. In those days it was ordinary life. Not having ma-terial possessions prevents you from acquiring de-vices that takes over your life. The modest are for-tunate in other areas also. When they have interest in spiritual matters, they have the emotional space and time to pursue God, even to serve Him. How blessed are we to work with orphans and the poor. Both categories have the time and interest to learn more about God and to experience the teaching of His Word.

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Blessed are the poor...

May 2015

How much excitement and joyfulness we experi-ence in our Bible clubs at CP2 and in the Gypsy churches. We rejoice when we play Bible trivia be-cause we see the youth and the adults really plow-ing thorough their Bibles. Some have acquired a vast knowledge about the Scripture. Only a few years ago some of them didn't even know what a Bible was, but now they recite entire chapters of the Bible by heart. A few days ago some of the young men in the Gypsy Church challenged me to teach them advanced Bible classes. The poor in spirit are hungry and thirsty for the Word of God, the Bread of Life, the Living Water and they want to grow.

Some of the opulent, on the other hand, are satis-fied with their acquisitions and are in no need of God. They are too busy entertaining themselves, killing time while reading the papers, watching the tube, YouTube, and all the other tubes in the house. The poor are free from all that diversion. They are hungry and are begging God for their daily bread, when God provides they notice.

Main OfficePathway to Joy Ministries 1415 Wiley street, Hollywood

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cornel.bucur@pathwaytojoy.orgHaving funMihais big smile

Estate Planning and Living Family MemorialsIt is our desire with humility and respect to become the living testament for your family and friends in their time of grief, offering some comfort as a life-giving partner in ministry to these once aban-doned children we serve. Such a deci-sion should only be made in complete confidence, so we invite you to contact us directly for more information of ways to establish a living family memorial. Please write to cornel.bucur@pathwaytojoy.org

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It is hard to maintain a "poor in spirit" mentality while surrounded with wealth and contraptions, but it is not impossible. Men of God like Abra-ham, Job and David are only a few examples of rich men that kept a realistic perspective on life. Being poor in spirit is a heart condition and has to do with whom we possess not what we pos-sess. Those poor in spirit are beggars of God's companionship and clemency. They are plead-ing people, they pray without ceasing, because the poor ask until they receive. Understanding this aspect gives us a clear picture of who we are and who God is.

The orphans and the underprivileged we min-ister to are almost always hungry for more of God, more of us, more of our time, more love, more care and more investment in their lives. This month in our mentoring ministry at CP2 we began the study of the book of Daniel. The children knew the story of Daniel and his expe-rience in the lion's den, but now they realize for the first time that Daniel spent the whole night in the company of hungry lions and survived. We explained to them about God's love for Daniel and His mighty power that kept hungry lions from devouring Daniel. The kids were as-tonished. They saw recently lions at the nearby zoo and this helped them visualize not only the

muscle and the strength lions possess but also the mighty power of God. The children left the meeting full of confidence in God's power over their lives and over the lions they face every day at the orphanage. The lions they face every day are the lions of lying, pornography, cheating and fear. Later that day we talked about the events in the Middle East and how the Christians, even children are bearing testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ in the face of persecution even cruel death by decapitation or being burned alive. We wanted the children to realize that the story of Daniel is relevant even today. Today like in the old days of Daniel people that have faith in God could take a stand for their faith. We pray that the youth will be able to stand for their faith in the midst of danger and live their lives for God and His kingdom.

Thank you so very much for your faithful prayers so we could lift up Christ amongst the orphans and the poor. Please remember us throughout the summer months in your prayers and finan-cial support.

Because of him,

Cornel and Karen

Please pray for the orphans at CP2, especially for the boys: Alin, Berti, Calin, Florin, Cipri, Traian, Mihai and Adi.Please pray for Mircea, Larisa, Laura and the volunteers that spend time daily with the children at CP2. Please pray for the barriers to breakdown and

the Gospel to be communicated without hindrance.Please pray for the children in Foster Care and for their foster care families. Please pray for Cornel, Karen and the staff in Romania and for the busy summer thats ahead for them. Please pray for the feeding undertaking we are about to launch this month in partnership with Orphans Heart a ministry from Florida.Please pray for the children abandoned at the Oradea Childrens Hospital. Pray for our staff working with these children, for: Mia, Maria, Ana, Adina,

and Maia.

Prayer Needs

Orphan Mentoring ProjectEvery day we do Bible study and read the Scrip-tures with the children. We encourage each child to read the Bible on their own; some of them read the assignment every single day.

In our Bible study this month we covered down-to-earth subjects like; our speech, behavior, and about spiritual life in general. We covered these subjects while reading the books of Acts, Ro-mans, Ephesians and 1 and 2 Timothy.

We made a custom to meet with the orphans personally. These are very beneficial times when they drop their guard, some become vulnerable and transparent. In this context some of them

acknowledge their faults/sins and we pray to-gether for repentance. Pornography is one area each youngster battles with at times. Unlike the United States, pornographic resources are readily accessible at every corner, on Internet sites hosted in Romania, Russia and other third world countries. Please join us in prayer for these children as they seek to live a life free of pornog-raphy and sin in general. Please pray especially for the grown-up youngsters for: Alin, Berti, Calin, Florin, Cipri, Traian, Mihai and Adi.

At the beginning of May we had our own Labor Day weekend here in Romania and we took a large group of grown-up orphans to a picnic in

the forest where we grilled tasty food and played competitive games. These outings build a strong bond between the youth and our staff and enable us to minister to them even better. The fellowship together was great and the food was delicious. Thank you for making this min-istry possible. Please continue to remember us in your prayers.