Thursday, July 26, 2018

Please visit us on our website

Hello, everyone....all new posts are on the blog page at http://www.heartforhungary.com/blogs/.  See you there!

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Website and blogging changes

As we head into July, we want to let you know about some changes that are taking place this month.  We're in the process of moving www.heartforhungary.com and www.hope4ehu.com onto a new webhost, which will necessitate a re-design. In addition to that, these blog posts will begin to appear directly onto the blog page of heartforhungary.  (Up until now they have been posted on Blogger at http://debrecenduo.blogspot.com and copied onto heartforhungary.)

Please forgive us if during the coming weeks there are some glitches and possible down-time.  If you see an error message or experience problems, please don't give up on us...try again later! 

We appreciate your prayers that all of this will go as smoothly as possible so that we can stay in touch.  It's important to us to stay in contact with you, and we appreciate your prayer support very much.  Thank you!



Monday, June 18, 2018

Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed

How much more can a person handle when it seems no matter how hard they try, they are continually smacked in the face by life?

"J" is a believer and wants to serve God and be on mission to those around him, but he is finding basic survival difficult--he is trying to look to the Lord for his strength and hope but needs your prayers. This friend has been in a very difficult place in life for years now.  Recently he got a new job with much better salary and conditions, and it seemed that finally things could better...then one thing after another have started to hit him from every side.  His young daughter's medical condition has returned, and doctors say she needs another very expensive treatment that isn't covered on national insurance; he is working too many jobs and ruining his health; his bicycle, which he counts on for transportation to and from his jobs, was stolen in broad daylight along with things he had in the new "saddlebags" he had invested in; now something has arisen at the new job that doesn't look good for him.

Pray for wisdom and continued spiritual growth for him, that the truth will come to light at work and that he will not lose that position, that he will be able to moderate his lifestyle to a much healthier balance (including time to sleep!), and that the Lord will provide for his and his family's needs. Ask that God will provide healing for his daughter, whether through the special medical treatment or through outright healing of the condition. Through all this, pray that the Lord will comfort and strengthen him, using this in his life as a testimony of who Christ is - may the lost family and friends looking on see Jesus in him and know that they can trust their lives to the Savior.

 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."   2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NIV)

Monday, June 4, 2018

Mr. and Mrs. G ask for prayer

I just got off the phone from a very sad conversation with a friend.  She and her husband ask for prayer that they will hear from the Lord soon in what to do next, and that He will provide jobs for them that pay enough to cover rent, food, and basic necessities. They moved here not long ago from a neighboring country, believing that it was a calling from God and that He would use them to further His Kingdom through their lives. Now they are wondering what His plan is and are not able to maintain things as they are while they wait for direction.  They are both educated and very hard-working, able people, but just can't find jobs that they can live on.  She has been doing some housecleaning for someone but they can't go on this way.  She said they are willing to stay here or go to another country, but she's aware that many times jobs you find on the Internet are scams and dangerous situations. 

Please pray for this precious brother and sister, that the Lord will strengthen them and lead them in the way He would have them go; ask that He will soon show them what steps to take next and that He will provide for their needs.  May He bring them through this time of difficulty to a place of joy, somehow using it to His glory and their good.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Day 30 of Month of Prayer

Thank you so much to everyone who's been praying with us through the 2018 May month of prayer!  To our great surprise we've discovered that according to the calendar we published there's apparently....no May 30 this year.  (Definitely a moment of shock and awe here.)  Sorry about that!  Please join us in lifting up this very important prayer request today:

May 30, 2018:  Pray for those around us who have been hearing a Gospel witness, that God will soften their hearts and they will turn to Him for forgiveness and new life.

Many of the spiritual conversations have been one-time encounters, some including the gift of a Bible or Gospel of John, but a large number are ongoing, ever-deepening discussions in the context of a real relationship.  To respect the privacy of these friends we of course do not publish who they are, but God knows and is calling them by name. Join us in urgent prayer that the walls around their hearts will come down and they will find the peace and freedom that Jesus gives.

"For he says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.'  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."   2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIV)

Friday, May 25, 2018

Data Protection Matters

This is a special note to everyone who is on the mailing list for our monthly email prayer updates.  You may have found an unusual email from us in your inbox this week.  Yes, the one with subject line "Your confirmation is requested."  We want to reassure you that it really is from us, and is not spam or a phishing attempt from shady characters...we want to assure you it is safe to click the provided "Update Profile" button in that email.

The European Union's new privacy law, the Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), officially became effective on May 25, 2018.  In order to keep in touch with you while complying with the new regulations, we were required to confirm that you'd like to keep getting our prayer updates.  

If you would prefer to opt out at this point we do understand (although we would miss you!)  If you do not update your preferences to give permission for us to keep emailing you then you will drop off the list.

If any of you reading this are NOT getting our prayer updates but would like to, we would love to hear from you!  Request our monthly updates through the contact form at http://www.heartforhungary.com/teams/eastern-hu-team/.

Thank you!

Carolyn Miller
on behalf of IMB Eastern Hungary Team

Friday, April 27, 2018

May Month of Prayer for Eastern Hungary

“Kalocsai flowers 3” by MexCraziness, deviantart.com  
Wow, what happened to this last year? Incredible as it seems, May is already peaking around the corner at us...which means it's time to get ready for our 16th annual 31 Days of Prayer for Eastern Hungary!

Please join in by downloading your very own copy of the May prayer calendar and praying each day for people, places & ministries in eastern Hungary.  Every person and place on the calendar is very dear to us---part of our life---and we would love to have you pray for them and maybe sometime come visit and get to know them yourself.  (We love volunteer mission teams!)   Feel free to copy the calendar to share with your church, Sunday school class, or prayer group...some churches use it as a bulletin insert, which we really appreciate.

Download the calendar as a PDF in color or black and white.  

Thank you very much for praying with us -- prayer is foundational to the missionary task, as well as an awesome way to join in to what God is doing around the world! 

Monday, April 16, 2018

Monday update

Praise God, the protests over the weekend did stay peaceful! We're very thankful that although large crowds did gather, things did not get out of hand.  Organizers say that protests will continue, so please keep praying for the nation of Hungary.  Ask that God will use this somehow to His glory...He is wonderfully able to do that.


Saturday, April 14, 2018

Prayer needed for Hungary today

Our adopted country is in a very unsettling time, and we ask that you pray with us.  Mass protests are planned for today in Budapest and in other cities across the country:

https://budapestbeacon.com/we-are-the-majority-protest-to-take-place-saturday/amp/
https://bbj.hu/politics/anti-fidesz-protest-planned-in-hungary-europe-on-saturday_147995

As you pray, please ask that God will move in the hearts of the people and that protests will remain non-violent.


Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Budapest encounter--and no, I'm not Russian

Photo by RitaE, Pixabay.com (my own gyros disappeared too quickly)
Coming up the stairs from the Budapest subway and needing a quick bite to eat, I stopped by the Döner Kebab kiosk for a nice, spicy gyros.  The guy who took my order tilted his head slightly as he listened to my Hungarian, commenting politely, “I perceive that you may not be from around here…are you Russian?” Not the guess they usually make when they hear my accent!  He was amazed when he heard that I'm American, and asked how it is that I speak his language...it's a difficult one, and most Americans don't bother to learn more than just enough to get by.


The conversation continued as he put together my order, and I explained who we are and why we are here. I told him that the Lord loves Hungary and the Hungarians - as He does all people - and that He sent us to share that good news.  Instead of scoffing or giving me the "you're crazy" stare, he asked simply, "When you say, 'the Lord,' are you talking about Jesus?" 


At my "Yes!" his face broke out in a big grin.  Apparently this young fellow and I had something in common! Unfortunately the customer who had come up behind me was also hungry and we couldn't continue to chat, but as I grabbed my fragrant bag of dinner and stepped apologetically out of the way, Döner Kebab guy called out a "God bless you!"


Praise God for this "chance encounter" that encouraged both of us!  Pray for the young man and others like him who have a Story to tell, that they will fearlessly and lovingly talk about Jesus with those they meet throughout the day.

Monday, March 26, 2018

In the waiting time

Life has continued to be very busy, but in the midst of it all there are still moments when things slow down a bit....when it seems we are doing nothing, only waiting. But God is in those times, too, and often has a purpose to accomplish.

On my way back home from taking care of some business, I plopped myself down on a bus stop bench to catch my breath while waiting for the #22 to arrive.  An older gentleman took the place next to mine, and we exchanged a polite greeting...I searched in my mind for how to continue the conversation. As it was already past the bus's scheduled arrival time, I commented that it looked like it was going to be rather late.  He laughed and said the bus is often late, but that's OK since it would give us time to talk. Apparently we were both looking for a chat!

Finding a listening ear in a total stranger, the man poured his heart out to me about the pain and difficulties of life; he told me of the hopelessness he felt in the face of daily visits to his wife, who lay in an institution lost in a haze of dementia.  Frustrated about the state of things in his country, many times he had dreamed of leaving in search of happier times elsewhere. "But how could I leave my wife here lying in her bed. She really wouldn't know I was gone since she doesn't recognize me any more...but I still know who she is and I can't leave her."

I shared of the hope we can find in God even in dark times, and he said that he had tried churches, had visited several places and come away empty. Only one was mentioned by name, the Jehovah's Witnesses. Sadly enough that's not the only religious meeting place where the Good News is lacking. I shared with him that unfortunately not everyone is preaching truth, but that we can know God from His Word, the Bible.

There was a lot more to say, more listening to be done, but suddenly the bus arrived and the conversation was over. Praise God for how He uses "chance" encounters to sow Gospel seeds...and pray for this gentleman, that he will soon find hope and new life in Christ!

Thank you to those who give through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program, allowing us to be here in Hungary sharing Christ. Your offerings also paid for our language studies, making possible countless encounters with people who have limited or no knowledge of English. We are grateful.


Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Visit from an old friend

We were so thankful for the time with our friend!
First of all, I apologize for not posting in so long - once again life and work got really busy (plus we have been catching every bug that's going around) and I have neglected to keep you all updated.  There's so much to tell you, but I'll just have to catch you up bit by bit.

One wonderful thing that happened about a week ago was a visit from an old friend!  A young man that came faithfully for many years to the outreach coffeehouse we used to have, who has since graduated and gone on to work in another city, was back in town and came over for tea and a chat.  It was great to catch up with him.  He shared how much the coffeehouse meant to him and about some other things that have been happening in his life.  The Lord opened up the opportunity to talk with him about spiritual things, so pray for this dear friend, that God will continue to work in his life.  Also pray for the many, many others who came to coffeehouse over the years and heard a gospel message, that wherever they are now God will keep working in their hearts.

We are so thankful for our Hungarian friends, as well as those from all around the world whom God has brought into our lives, and how much they mean to us!  What a blessing to be able to stay in touch, and especially when we can get together in person!

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Gardening outreach program

Photo from intro meeting for program - more are now coming

Praise the Lord, the gardening outreach program’s first weekly training class went very well!   

All those who had signed up came and showed a lot of interest, and the Hungarian teacher did a great job of presenting the material and answering questions. We are very encouraged that the national believers are excited about improving their skills in order to use them in outreach to lost friends and neighbors. Continue to pray as we work to develop this program, that God will be glorified in all that is said and done.

[Note:  After a long pause in posting I came back and saw that this entry was never finished and posted...so sorry!  Please pray that we will be able to stay healthy and keep on top of things better.]