Sunday, December 11, 2011
Busy times...Gary preaching today
Thanks for praying for us, and also a big thank you to those of you who give through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which makes it possible for us to remain here and do the work that we do. You all are a blessing, and we appreciate you!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The ministry continues!
There was lots of help from the church plant folks.....people were happy to find needed items
We had a table of Bibles & Christian literature............Sanyi giving a Bible after a great conversation
EXCITING NEWS - After the event, the people from the church plant continued to see so much need and interest that they decided to organize another clothing distribution to make the left-over items available to more people--this follow-up distribution will be Saturday, November 19. We're so happy that they are taking the initiative to continue this ministry! Gary and I are available that day and will also be going to help, but we know that they would have it even if we weren't able to be there!
With cold weather settling in, families are in need of warm clothing - coats, boots, shoes, etc. - for both children and adults. Please pray that the Lord will supply what is needed before Saturday, so that when these families come to the distribution they will be able to find what they need to stay warm. Continue to pray for spiritual impact in addition to the material assistance that is given.
Thanks for your prayers!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Not the normal birthday
We have encouraged the members of the church plant group to consider needy people that they know as they have been sorting through the donations we have delivered to Tiszafüred over the past week or so, and we told them that before the "sale day" they are free to go ahead and donate items to those that need particular things. Our friends there have been very happy to do that, and it's been wonderful to see their excitement about making a difference in lives. Just one example: a gentleman who is going through a very hard time in life was very happy to receive a good supply of warm socks last week, which will make a real difference for him as temperatures continue to drop. What a joy it is to us to see members of our little group, who are themselves just beginning to learn what it means to follow Christ, already reaching out in love to those around them!
As we meet and talk with the people who drop by this Saturday, we will also be giving away New Testaments and children's Bibles to those who are interested, as well as inviting everyone to the weekly Bible studies and the monthly "first Sunday" worship services. Please pray with us for a Kingdom impact at this Saturday's event, that both the physical and spiritual needs of the people will be met. To God be the glory!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Please pray re: court date on the 20th
Thank you!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sunday October 16 is Day of Prayer for European Peoples
"October 16, 2011 has been designated a Day of Prayer for European Peoples. Please download the 2011 Prayer Guide that that highlights what God is doing in the European affinity and enlist your church to pray consistently and effectively for the lost of Europe. Join others around the world on October 16 and petition the Father to remove the spiritual blindness pervading Europe and bring many to faith...." [more information is at http://imbeurope.org/2011/09/day-of-prayer-for-european-peoplesoctober-16/]
Monday, October 10, 2011
First Thanksgiving at the church plant
On Sunday, October 2, the Tiszafured church plant had its first Thanksgiving service, and friends from some of the area Baptist churches came to celebrate it with us. What a blessing to see another "first" in the life of the developing church there! As we worshiped together and thanked the Lord for His blessings, high on my "thankfulness" list was this small group of people; what a privilege it is to be able to be here, to see God working in lives and changing hearts...mine included.
Church plant group on Sept. 30, 2011 Group photo after the Thanksgiving service
Friday, October 7, 2011
Difficult conversation today - UPDATED
The meetings that Gary had hoped to have with representatives of the Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania didn't happen on this trip, but hopefully he can get together with them before too long.
Now for today's main prayer request...this afternoon (10 a.m. CST) Gary and I and Pastor Csaba will be having a difficult but necessary conversation with someone. A real problem has been going on for a while now with someone who was formerly a very regular member of our church plant in Tiszafured, and we believe the time has come to try to talk it through with the person. Please pray for wisdom, clear communication, and for emotional, spiritual, and relational healing. May the Lord's name be glorified in all that is said and done.
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UPDATE: The meeting that we had that afternoon was very difficult, as we had thought it would be. Nothing seemed to be resolved, but we were able to bring a needed message to that home. Please continue to pray for the person and the whole difficult situation, and that the Lord will ultimately be glorified in whatever happens. Thank you!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Important meetings in Romania tomorrow
While he's in Romania Gary also hopes to meet with some leaders of the Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania regarding future opportunities for partnership work.
Please pray for Gary's travels and for everyone involved in the meetings. May the Lord be glorified in the discussions and in all the decisions made.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Connections Debrecen starts tonight!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Border crossing went great, PTL!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Prayer request re: Ukraine trip
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Feeling thankful
Gary made it safely back from Romania after a good week of camp...it's so great to have him back, and I know that God will continue to work in the lives of the young people there. Gary had no problems at the border with all the stuff in the car or with the paperwork issues we were a little concerned about.
Another praise...I got a call to come by Immigration, and we have now picked up our new residence permits. It feels so good to have this taken care of! We won't have to deal with that again for three years.
There's always so much to be thankful for. Sometimes in the midst of the busyness of life it's good to just stop for a few minutes and say, "Thank you, Lord!"
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Please pray as Gary travels and for the camp - UPDATED
Here are some photos from last year's camp so you can get an idea of what it's like:
A teams of campers with the wind tunnel......Gary teaching, with Pastor Edmond translating to Romanian
Staff & campers enjoying good Romanian food...one ultralight getting ready while another comes in to land
Please pray for safe travel for Gary, that he won't have trouble at the border (his cargo looks very unusual and there is also the possibility of trouble with paperwork), and that the camp will greatly impact the young people for Christ. Principles of flight will be used to illustrate spiritual truths, the young people will experience a lot of Christian love and bonding through sports, music, and worship times, and they will have the opportunity to fly in an ultralight plane. For many this will be the first time they have ever flown in any kind of plane! Please pray for safety in all of the activities.
For more information about the camp and the Angel Wings foundation, find them on Facebook, the foundation
web site, and their YouTube videos (the newer video or the original that gives more background info.)
Thanks for your prayers!
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UPDATE: I got a message from Gary that he made it through the border crossing just fine! Thanks for praying...please continue to pray for him and the ministry at the camp. May this week be a turning point in many lives.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Saying goodbye
Please be in prayer for her over the coming hours, that she and her luggage will all arrive safely, and that her reunion with her family will be a great time for all of them. As she adjusts back to life in the U.S., please pray that she will find a job to support herself and work on paying off college loans, and that the Lord will guide her as she begins seminary in preparation for future ministry.
Stacia, thanks for your heart to serve the Lord, and for all that you invested over these last two years. May God richly bless you as you move into this new stage of your life....we'll miss you!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
August 20 - St. Stephen's Day
Here in Debrecen a big part of the celebration is the Flower Carnival, which includes a huge parade drawing participants and spectators from around the world. Flower covered floats, marching bands, flag teams, baton twirlers, and marchers in traditional dress represent countries such as Italy, Germany and Israel, as well as those above wearing traditional Hungarian clothing.
**The photos shown above were actually taken a previous year--our camera is currently having serious problems which we hope to have repaired soon.**
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Camps going on this week - UPDATED WITH PHOTOS
UPDATE - Pictures from that week
Kids at both Grain Game camp locations, Puspokladany and Karcag, learned truths from the Bible in a fun way...lots of games and object lessons to make the nuggets of truth stick in their memory.
Photos from the Grain Game camp in Puspokladany - Grain Game staffers are in the blue T-shirts
The Weems Creek volunteer team made a big impact in Debrecen at the Pac Kerti Mission, too. They made a lot of good relationships among the kids and adults that were there. At the closing ceremony of the camp the mission had a baptism for three new believers (unrelated to the camp that week), and believers came from the mother church, (Debrecen Baptist) and from other area churches. A lot of people from the neighborhood also came out of curiosity, and they heard the Gospel shared over and over through music, testimonies and preaching. It was an awesome day!
The Weems Creek team with kids from the camp.......Justin, Weems Creek team leader, giving his testimony
Pastor Tibor from Hajduszoboszlo baptizing our new sister...Pastor Lajos (Debrecen Baptist), Pac Kerti Mission pastor Csaba, and Pastor Tibor pose with the baptismal candidates. Please pray for these new believers as they continue to live out their faith with joy even in difficult times.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
31 Days of Prayer for Eastern Hungary
Meet our new team members: the Hathcock family
Darrel and Kimberly have three daughters: Arianna (13), Abigail (11), and Sophia (7), and a small black dog, Ella (see below). Darrel was born in Amory, Mississippi, and is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Kimberly was born in Big Rapids, Michigan, and is a graduate of Missouri Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
During seminary, Kimberly and Darrel were parts of separate evangelism ministries in New Orleans’ French Quarter. That is where they met in March of 2003. This experience continued to remind both Darrel and Kimberly of God’s desire to reach the nations, and on June 4, 1994, the couple married. Before serving with the IMB, Darrel served as a campus minister with Baptist Student Ministries in Carthage, Texas, and in Springfield, Missouri.
The Hathcocks have served with the IMB since April 2002, first in the country of Belarus, followed by a second term in the country of Ukraine. During their next term the Hathcocks will join us on the Eastern Hungary team, moving to Hungary in June of 2011. Following a year of intensive language study in Budapest the family will move to Debrecen, where they will focus on student ministries. Please pray for the Hathcocks as they continue the process of following Him and seeking His Kingdom.
While the Hathcocks are in the U.S. Ella has been staying with the Millers, helping with computer work and other tasks. She will be very happy to see her family arrive in Budapest in June!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Urgent prayer requests re: concert tonight - UPDATED
We’re getting ready right now to leave for Nádudvar to set up for Aubree & Seth's (our interns) concert tonight, but we are having technical difficulties with the trailer electrical system, also one problem after another in everything we’re trying to do. Please pray that we can becalm, think clearly, work through things, and get the team and equipment there and back safely.
Pray that Seth and Aubree will be able to keep their concentration and energy level up, and will communicate the joy of the Lord through both their music and their conversations after the concert. Most of all, pray that what the Lord wants to accomplish tonight at the concert and afterward will NOT BE HINDERED by the multiple problems that we are having, and that He will receive all the glory!
UPDATE: Thank you for your prayers! The technical difficulties with the trailer were overcome (at least for now--we do have to get repairs made this week) and the concert went very well. We are so thankful!Thursday, March 10, 2011
Coffeehouse continues
Cappuccino muffins and our coffeehouse cups are ready to go...we rent the room but bring all our own things in bags. Sometimes we even take our electric piano, which is not an easy thing!
In February we had American line dancing one week. As always, there was a lot of time to hang out with friends and talk.
Also in February, a Valentine's Day party with cookies to decorate & craft supplies for making Valentines.
Something new that month was our first Art Night, with an exhibit of photos, drawings, paintings, and pottery. In addition to that, Aubree gave a presentation on a 3-D art project she had done in high school, and we saw a Youtube video on sand art by Joe Castillo.
Other popular events we've had recently were a musical evening with Seth and Aubree (February) and an evening of Hungarian folk dancing (March). The folk dancing was such a hit that we continued it the following week.
Please pray with us that as we have a great time together at the coffeehouse, good relationships will grow and flourish, and that an eternal impact will be made in the lives of these young people from around the globe.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Prayerwalking in Nádudvar
Gary prayerwalking in Nádudvar. At times we waded through deep mud to make it to the
houses, but the cold and mess were a small price to pay for the joy of praying on site and
inviting people to the concert.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Partnering for future work
From left to right: Gary, Chris Elston, James "Chip" Riley, Nesha Smelley
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Please pray for Gary as he travels - UPDATED
Thanks!
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UPDATE: Gary, Chip, and those they were traveling with all made it safely back home after almost 2 weeks of intense travel, on-site prayer, and meetings with people all across the Balkans. Thank you for your prayers for them; praise the Lord for the contacts that were made and for the future possibilities for ministry that are now being considered. Please pray for provision for the projects, for wisdom in decision-making, and that the Lord will work in a mighty way through the ministry that will result.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Coffeehouse
Tonight (Jan. 20) will be the first coffeehouse of the semester following a break for the holidays...please pray that it will continue to be a blessing to many, and that we will have wisdom and good communication in sharing with those who come.
Monday, January 10, 2011
More about Tiszafüred
This last Friday night several people from other churches in the area that Csaba pastors came to worship with us at the church plant (Csaba is the Hungarian pastor who is partnering with us in the work.) Two Tiszafüred ladies were also there, so along with our own team we had a nice group - it was very encouraging! Aubree, Seth and I led in some praise songs, then Gary taught from the Scripture. We were going back to the basics of faith, and talking about what Scripture is and how God uses it in our lives (2 Tim. 3:16). At the end there was a testimony from one of the visiting ladies about how the Lord was working in a troubled relationship she had been having with a neighbor, and the peace she had found in Christ.
Praise the Lord with us for the work the Lord is doing in our area, and pray that many in Tiszafüred will come to repentence and new life in Christ.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Church plant in Tiszafüred
This building is the culture house in Tiszafüred [TEE sah few red], where we have been renting a room each Friday evening for the new church plant. It's about an hour's drive from Debrecen. There is no other Baptist church in the city, but Csaba Pesti, the pastor from the town of Karcag, is partnering with us in the work. At this point only one person is coming regularly besides our team, Pastor Csaba, and some people from his church: the lady's name is Ida, and she is a very special person. We've had some really good discussions during our Bible teaching times--led alternately by Gary and Pastor Csaba--and she absolutely loves the praise time with Aubree and Seth playing their guitars. Please pray for this new friend of ours, and also that many others in the town would come join us and open their hearts to the Gospel. Also pray for wisdom and direction, as Csaba is currently discussing with his church people the possibility of changing the time and place for the work there.