Urgent prayer needed for potential church plant

Calling all praying friends.... 

Unexpected opposition has arisen to the new church we believe that God is leading us to plant in a town here in eastern Hungary, and permission to rent space in the community is being denied. Please pray with us for grace in the eyes of the authorities, for changed hearts, and that the Gospel will not be hindered.

Thank you very much for lifting up this situation!

Divine encounters in everyday places

Debrecen train station waiting area

Monday I took a trip to Budapest that I had considered "unplanned." As it turned out, it had apparently not been unplanned on God's part!  Throughout the day I had encounter after encounter with ladies who were either needing some help or just looking for a friendly person to chat with.

The most in-depth conversation I had was with a very sweet lady, "I," who had the seat across from me on the train.  She told me later that she didn't normally talk with people on public transportation, but in spite of that we immediately struck up a conversation that lasted the several hours it took to reach the capital city.  We talked about music, pets, family, and life--the good times and the bad.  When I brought the Lord into the conversation she didn't shut me down, but she also didn't show herself to be a person with a real relationship with God.

Pray for "I" and others like her who surround us in the everyday moments of life.  Ask the Lord to help us see these people with His eyes; ask Him to prompt us to give them a smile and start a conversation, to share the Hope we have in Christ. Pray that "I" and I will be able to deepen our friendship, and that soon she will come to know Jesus as her best friend and Savior of her soul.

Balmazújváros ministry weekend

Praise the Lord, the health fair and evangelistic service in Balmazújváros went great this weekend--God was really moving!  We are so thankful for the work of the Coastal Community Church volunteers, the Hungarian medical professionals, the national believers from the churches, and others who helped. Older people, families, and quite a few teenagers came to the health fair and interacted and asked questions during the presentations.  Useful health information was given, medical screenings were performed, and a Gospel witness was shared with many.

At the Sunday service the people listened intently and responded when the Coastal Community team gave their testimonies and Gary preached, and several people acknowledged that they knew they were not on the right path in life and wanted prayer.  The church is following up with them.  The pastor of the church plant’s mother church said he knew that others were also impacted with the message and would be “soaking it in” over time, so pray that they will turn their lives totally over to Christ.

• Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in the lives of those who were impacted this weekend, calling them to Himself. 
• Lift up all the people of Balmazújváros, that they will see their need for the Savior and give their lives to Him.
• Pray that the church plant will be encouraged and continue to grow both spiritually and in numbers, as they reach out to their community with the love of Christ.

Testimonies of changed lives at the evangelistic service

See more photos from the weekend in our Google album.

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 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!

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.

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.