Sunday, February 26, 2017

National believer stepping out in faith

Pray for our friend Zsolt, who believes God is calling him to begin a weekly outreach "tea house" to form connections with people who are in a hard place in life but are not interested in church.  He is in a very difficult time in his own life and has no resources to work with, but he has faith that God wants to call people to Himself.  Right now we are talking with him about mission strategy and working through some practical matters he will need to consider.

We will be helping him the first time, Thursday, March 2, but after that we will not be in town, so pray that other believers will step up to assist both with the supplies and with serving and connecting with the people who come.

Planning and discussion in our living room


Pray that Zsolt will clearly hear God's voice and follow in obedience.  Pray that local churches and believers will step up and help in the new outreach, and that lost people will come for friendships and form a relationship with the best friend of all, Jesus.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Friday update

Praise the Lord for the Hathcock family's safe return to Hungary this last Sunday with all their luggage and one small, black dog.  They have been on Stateside Assignment in the US for a year, so they have a lot of resettling to do, reconnecting with friends, and getting back into language and life here.  Pray for them as they readjust and reorient themselves to service on this side of the ocean.  Keep lifting up their oldest daughter, Arianna, as she continues her studies at Dallas Baptist University.

Gary and I (Carolyn) have been taking turns being sick recently (ugh!)  We appreciate your prayers for us for health and for wisdom in when to push on, and when to take time off to rest. We are going into an even busier time of service, so we are asking the Lord for strength and endurance.

Thank you so much for your prayers!



Saturday, February 18, 2017

Hathcock family's return to Hungary

Pray for the Hathcock family, as they are currently in transit from the US to Hungary following their Stateside Assignment.  Their plane arrives in Budapest tomorrow, then they will come by car to Debrecen.  This is a bittersweet time for them since their oldest daughter, Arianna, is not returning with them; we know that she is doing well at Dallas Baptist University, but she will be greatly missed here in Hungary!

Pray for a safe trip for the family, for a good adjustment back into culture, language, and ministry, and for all of them as they adjust to being so far away from Arianna.  Lift her up before the throne as she continues to adjust to this new phase of life.

Praise the Lord for how He will continue to use the Hathcock family to share the love of Christ with students in eastern Hungary!

The Hathcock family at Arianna's graduation in May 2016.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

European Forum for Church Multiplication

Praise the Lord for the opportunity Gary and Hungarian believer Eduárd had to take part in the European Forum for Church Multiplication Feb. 8-10 in Barcelona.  It was a very useful time of panel presentations, discussions, and hearing from individuals who are working toward multiplicative movements.  The mutual encouragement and networking that took place were a very practical help to participants, who returned home with renewed passion and fresh ideas for church planting in their own context.

Pray for Gary, Eduárd, and others, who are now praying for wisdom in what new steps to take in ministry.

Our friend and national partner Eduárd in Barcelona.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Visit to Békási Golgota church

On January 29th I had the joy of visiting a small, family-style church in Békásmegyer.  This area of Budapest was actually an independent village until 1950, when it became a part of the capital city.  Here's how my visit came about....

Gary and I had spent Friday and Saturday taking part in the Grain Game Hungary conference in Érd, after which Gary left with our friend Chip Riley (Grain Game founder) for a trip into Serbia for some meetings.  I didn't want to go back home to Debrecen on the late train, preferring to make the trip during daylight hours on Sunday (train stations are not always a good place to be at night for a woman alone.)  Our wonderful co-workers, the Baker family, graciously let me stay in their home that night.  The next morning they took me along to the church they have been attending, the Békási Golgota church. They were having a special service which included a lot of time for prayer and quiet contemplation, worship, and the observance of the Lord's Supper.

I returned home on the train that afternoon filled with the joy of His presence and the blessing of time spent with brothers and sisters in Christ. Praise the Lord for times of refreshment and fellowship!

Márkus Szilárd, pastor of the church


The praise team
  • Please pray for this church as they worship and grow; ask that the Lord will guide them in reaching out to the many, many lost people in their community.  
  • Pray for our co-workers, the Bakers, that God will give them wisdom in how to best partner with national believers in the awesome task of making Him known among the nations.
  • Continue to pray for the ministry of The Grain Game. They are currently beginning a new emphasis on starting new ongoing groups of young people - particularly those who are unchurched but spiritually open.  We pray that these groups will grow into church plants.