May month of prayer - Day 6: Püspökladány

Today's prayer topic is another town that's very special to us, Püspökladány.  Check out the virtual city tour linked to from Day 6 on the calendar at http://www.hope4ehu.com/2013mayprayercal.html.  Pray that the small church there will be encouraged as they follow Christ, and that they will grow as they continue to reach out to their community.  Pray that new churches will also be planted and many people will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Baptism in Kaba

Sunday we had the joy of attending a baptism here in Hungary.  Gabi attends the little church in Puspokladany, but as there is no baptistry there the baptism took place at their sister church in Kaba. 

Gary preaching the sermon, explaining the meaning of baptism

 
The youth provide music

 

Pastor Tibor baptizing Gabi

Please pray for our dear sister Gabi as she continues to grow in Christ.

Baseball day wasn't rained out!

Yay--the baseball day happened in spite of dire predictions of gusty winds and torrential rain!  Thank you to everyone who prayed for good weather.  They actually played softball, but the info sheet they got told the difference.  Gary said they really enjoyed it and want to play some more.  He was so busy working with them that he didn't get any pictures, but we'll ask some of the girls from Kaba if they'll share some photos they took on their cameras.

Tonight Gary will be giving the presentation, and the topic given to him is "Heaven and Hell."  Not very easy information to present in a short amount of time, plus he has to be kind of careful since there are some little kids there who probably can't deal with the more graphic material.  Please pray for him as he prepares today and speaks this evening. 

Answered prayers

I'm so thankful to be able to write that Levi is doing better now...thanks so much for your prayers!  Gary was able to talk to him for quite a while and gave him some Scripture verses printed out in Romanian, Hungarian, and English, so he could compare and study them.  He seems much happier now and is getting involved in the camp activities. 

The "Creation and/or Evolution" presentation went well, with some of the young people asking very good questions.  Tonight's event will be the film "The Cross and the Switchblade."

We got quite a bit of rain last night, but not the dangerous winds that had been forecast, so we're thankful for that.  It's too wet to do outdoor sports, though, so they're using the gym again today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be baseball day (every day is an introduction to a different sport), so please pray that the weather will allow them to play outside.  Gary is taking the equipment and will be helping a lot with the training since he's more familiar with this sport than the Hungarians are.  I think it's wonderful that the local Baptist churches are doing this creative outreach, and I'm glad that we're able to help even a little bit. 

More happenings in Püspökladány

I have some pictures I want to post to show you what's going on, but I've got to leave in just a few minutes so I'll have to put them on later.  The Scripture distribution went GREAT yesterday--lots of people now have a Bible that didn't before!  More on that later. 

Today the Püspökladány Baptist Church has been having the first day of their community outreach family fun time, with sports and all kinds of activities.  This evening (in a little more than 2 hours from now) there will be a evangelistic service in a tent, with music, preaching, and testimonies.  Gary will be preaching, and Levi and I (among others) will be giving short testimonies about how God has worked in our lives.  Lots of people have said they'll be coming.  Tomorrow will be a continuation of this outreach, so please keep praying specifically on through tomorrow!

Scripture distribution tomorrow

Tomorrow morning at 4:45 AM we'll be leaving to go to Püspökladány to set up a booth in the open market, where we'll be giving away Bibles.  2008 has been declared the Year of the Bible here in Hungary, so we're trying to emphasize the need to actually read the Bible...not just study about it or see museum exhibits of old copies of Scripture.  Each person who gets a Bible signs a little statement that they promise to try to read it through during this year.  We're also giving away reading plans to help them to stay with it a little each day.  Please pray that it will go well, and that the Lord will use this change a lot of lives. 

We did a similar project here in Debrecen over the Christmas holidays and was great, so we're excited to see what will happen in Püspökladány.  It's a wonderful thing to see people who've always wanted a Bible of their own realize that they can have one, and that they don't have to pay us a thing!  We always try to emphasize that it's a gift, not that it's free.  It allows us to bring up the subject of grace....what God gives us isn't "free,"  it's just already been paid for!   8-)

Volunteers from the little Baptist churches there and in Kaba will also be coming to help us, plus they will be providing free blood pressure checks at another booth.  This seems like a simple thing to do, but it's a great way to help people and show that we care.

Our thanks again to those whose giving made it possible for us to buy the Bibles to share with these folks.  You all are an important part of this project, both through your funds and through your prayers. Thank you!