Monday, June 19, 2017

Gardening project

Gardening advice about the Millers' raised bed*
Praise the Lord for the opportunities that come as believers use their gifts and life experiences to make connections and share the gospel!  We're always excited to see how God can use people from any field of study or career background to creatively minister around the world.

Last week Dr. Curtis Smith, horticulture expert from New Mexico, was here serving in eastern Hungary and western Ukraine.  He has been vision casting and sharing his knowledge as we partner with nationals to start a new ministry called "The Master's Gardeners."

 
Pray with us that local leaders will arise for this work  in many communities across the area, which will not only help provide food and business opportunities for needy families, but will also allow believers and churches to minister to their neighbors in new and very practical ways.



Vali and bro-in-law discuss soil quality
Ukrainian pastor Valentin Nehro & his brother-in-law discussed soil quality with Curtis*


Karcag research center measuring water absorption
Karcag ag center researcher Dr. Kovács explains measurement of soil's water absorption*





Karcag research center project to produce heartier wheat
Karcag research center project to produce hardier wheat. A reminder of the harvest we are praying for!
*


  *Photos compliments of the Smiths

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Pentecost Monday outing to Hollókő

Young couple in native costume in the village
This is a photo from our Pentecost Monday (June 5) outing to Hollókő castle and historic village, up in northern Hungary.  Our full photo album is here if you'd like to see more.

We had already visited there last year as a part of cultural re-entry after being in the US for 10 months, but a group from the Karcag Baptist Church circle were going for the holiday and we went with them. It was a beautiful, bonding day with our friends,  leaving super-early to meet them in Karcag, going on from there on a chartered bus.

The folks at Hollókő were doing a lot of re-enactments in full costume, very dramatic. In the morning there was a ceremony welcoming all of us to the castle..."you came as free men, you may depart in peace as free men!"  (I was glad to hear that.)

There were some pretty warlike confrontations on the village streets between marauding bands of warriors from different parts of Hungary, as well as some Turks. One squabble was over some captive maidens, but after threatening speeches, saber rattling, guns fired into the air, and double-dog-daring to meet later by the castle gate, it all turned out OK.

Hungarian history is very long and interesting -- often tragic -- and learning more about it helps us to better understand the people we live among and minister to.  

Pray with us that God will move in a mighty way in Hungary, showing the people that He loves them and has had a purpose for them since the beginning of time; ask that they will turn to Him with all their hearts.



Friday, June 2, 2017

Goodbye to May, hello to June

Greetings, friends!

Well, we're two days into June now, and I want to pause for a moment and thank those of you who prayed with us through the May prayer calendar.  Each of the prayer requests were carefully chosen because of their strategic importance in the work here and because of what is happening on the ground.  We'll be updating you as prayers are answered and things continue to progress.

Here's a link to our latest prayer update, hot off the press: IMB Eastern Hungary Prayer Update - May 2017

You can subscribe to get your own email copy each month using the link at the top left of that page, and you can also request the Hathcock family's weekly "Salt and Light" updates at http://www.heartforhungary.com/teams/eastern-hu-team/.  We'd love to share more with you about how God is working - He is worthy of all praise!

Thanks so much for praying with us and for us, and for the ministries in Hungary - we appreciate your involvement and want you to know that we consider you part of our team.  Please let us know how we can pray for you and your family, also.