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Dear Friends,

I am writing this letter just after we experienced a good shake.

We had a 5.5 earthquake that knocked down a bookshelf and

broke frames, clocks and bottles. Many of of the old, dilapidated

houses, where our kids live, have new and deeper cracks.Although we saw many that were frightened, we thankfully

havent heard of any injuries.And moments like this cause us to

take stock, to see how prepared we are to help others in the

midst of emergencies, to see if what we value is really valuable, and to root ourselves in faith in

the unshakable Kingdom.

In Galati, we have been dealing with the phenomena of birth.

About eight of the girls that we have worked with over the years

have had babies in the last year. We have been trying to start a

young mothers meeting, but it has been difficult getting the

mothers to come regularly. Our hope is that we can discuss

parenting skills, answer questions, assure basic health, and mentor

the mothers so that their children are in a better situation than

they were. At the first meeting, one of the mothers, who grew up

coming to our Center, told us: Im so glad that we are having these

meetings. After I graduated from the Community Center, it was if I

wasnt allowed to come anymore. But you are my family.Please

pray for the mothers and that we can continue to build family.

Over the last year, a local company that services the shipyards has been partnering with us in

supporting our activities. This summer they asked us to partner with them in helping five youthcome out of the orphanage, receiving jobs, living independently in an apartment, and being

mentored in life-skills. With the companys initiative and resources and our experience and

organization, we are praying for a significant impact in the lives of these youth.

This past summer we celebrated the high-school graduation of Daniel, a boy who has been

apart of our lives since he was 5 years old. As a graduation gift, we sent Daniel to drivers

school. He has been focusing on that as he sent out his resume to various companies. A few

weeks ago, Daniel was called for an interview and received his first job. As many of the youth

have never found jobs and were forced to leave Galati, we were glad that Daniel can stay

supported by his family and community. Still, it is very difficult. He has to work 8 hours a day, 6days a week for a little more than $200/month. Please pray

that we can help him find a better job with better pay.

With much help from our friends in the UK (Andrew, David,

Dan and Joel), we continue to work on our EarthShip

greenhouse and aquaponics project. The EarthShip is made

of recycled tires that are packed with dirt. The tires form the

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walls and the roof is covered with transparent sheets of polycarbonate through which sunlight

heats the EarthShip. Inside the greenhouse, we will build an aquaponics garden. This urban

farm includes large tanks in which we will raise fish. The refuse and bacteria from the fish will

be pumped into pods where vegetables grow. The children at the Center will help feed the fish

and tend the urban garden. And the fish and vegetables will be our major source of food for the

meals we provide daily. We love this project as it is ecological, sustainable and educational andit provides food for those in need. Our hope is to have a few fish and a few trays planted so that

we can experiment with them over the winter. As we learn we want to raise money to develop

the EarthShip and expand the urban garden. Please pray for wisdom and resources to develop

this project.

This past month I had the opportunity to attend a conference

with participants from Eastern Orthodox, Greek Catholic and

neo-Protestant churches, where papers were presented on the

Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts. It was nice to see the dynamic

interaction and mutual learning as well as to meet professors

whose books I had read. At the conference I met with Kiki and

Sveta Popadici, friends of ours since the early 90s. After the

conference, they came with me to Galati, where they shared in

our churches and visited our ministry. They have a lot of experience in church planting and

founding a theological institute, and we have a ton to learn from them. It

was a joy to have them with us for a few days.

In October, Regnum published the book Theology, Mission and Child to

which I have contributed a chapter on incarnational ministry entitled:

Learning to be Neighbours and Discovering Incarnation in the 'Valley'. If

you are interested in purchasing the book, you can find it at:http://www.ocms.ac.uk/regnum/detail.php?book_id=139

As the weather gets cold, we are trying to insulate our Community

Center. Our 13 year-old wooden front doors are cracked. We want to

replace three sets of doors and a window with thermo-pane, which

will greatly reduce our winter heating expenses. This will cost about

$2500. If you are interested in investing with us, please let me know.

I also continue to find small ways to support other Word Made Flesh

communities in the region. Please also continue to pray for ourcommunity in Sierra Leone as they discern how to be safe and to

keep others safe in the midst of the Ebola outbreak. Also, pray for our

community Moldova as they serve among youth that live in a state-

run boarding school.

Grateful for your involvement in our community,

david and lenutsa