Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Farewell

One of the hardest things for me about being a pastor is having to say goodbye to so many people. In the church you build relationships with people, relationships which are most often more than superficial. You have fellowship with people - something which goes beyond hanging out or just doing something together.
But people move on.
We've said goodbye to a lot of good friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord over the last few years, who have been important in our lives, but have moved on to a new stage in their lives. Its understandable; we know that God moves people on, and people have to do what they have to do, but it's still hard.
Last week we said farewell to Ryan and Anita Aberle. Ryan and Anita were part of our church and part of our lives for the last 4 years or so, and have moved to Colorado, where Ryan is from. We are going to miss them.

It's hard to build relationships with people, and then say goodbye. It seems like we do it pretty often. I guess it's just part of what we do. And the good thing is that we know that as brothers and sisters in the Lord, we'll be together again eventually in eternity.
Farewell Ryan and Anita!
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Num 6:24-26

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Drive

Last week I drove over 3000 km (2000 mi).

Here's how it went:

Sunday
After church, took Pastor Ken Lang from Eger to Millstatt, Austria, to the Calvary Chapel conference center there, where he was teaching at a conference for Croatian Calvary Chapel churches. I dropped Rosemary and Nate off in Vajta on the way.
Eger - Vajta - Millstatt
Total: 785 km

Monday
Left Millstatt around 11am, and arrived in Budapest just in time to pick up Pastor Pete Nelson from the airport. We found a great Indian restaurant in Budapest, and then headed to Eger, where we spent the night.
Millstatt - Budapest - Eger
Total: 787 km

Tuesday
Left Eger in the morning for Ukraine. At the border we ended up waiting 2 hrs, because our car is in Rosemary's name, and the permission we used in Hungary was not valid in Ukraine, because they require it to be notarized. The Hungarian authorities afterward told us that they had known this - but they didn't tell us! If they would have told us, then we would have saved 2 hrs! So, we parked the car, walked across, and took a taxi to Mukachevo. We got a ride back to the border from the Reformed pastor of Mukachevo, and then headed back to Eger.
On the way to Eger we had a blow out on the highway, going about 130km/hr. Here's how big of a hole was in the tire:

The tire blew out right outside of Eger, so we were able to get a guy from our church to drive Pete to Vajta, since he had to teach the next morning. I went with him, and came back that night, so I could get the car fixed.
Eger - Mukachevo - Eger, Eger - Vajta - Eger
Total: 1039 km


Wednesday
I got home at 5am, woke up at 9am, and went to the tire store to buy a new tire and a new wheel. I actually wanted to buy 2 tires, but the guy at the store refused to sell me 2... I think he was trying to be nice, but it was kind of funny that he didn't want to take my money :). Bought the stuff, and drove to Vajta.
Eger - Vajta
Total: 255 km


Saturday
Pleasantly uneventful.
Vajta - Eger
Total: 255 km


Grand total: 3125 km.

That's roughly the same distance as between Eger and Sevilla, Spain or Denver and Montreal.
I'm just glad to be out of the car.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

The King is Dead

I haven't been able to write on this blog for the past week, because I was in Vajta for the Foundations Conference. It's not that there is no internet connection in Vajta, it's just that you have to pay for it, and I'm too cheap to do that.
So as a result, I've got some catching up to do.
The first and most obvious thing that's happened lately is that Michael Jackson died.
I realize that unless there is someone who lives in a cave and only comes out for the purpose of reading this blog, everyone has already heard about this.
The only think I wanted to say about it is that America truly is the land of opportunity - and Michael Jackson proved that. Only in America could a young black man become a successful, rich white woman.
Here's a video about his life. Pretty tragic really. I'm sorry he didn't know the Lord.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Dumpster Diving - Kukázás

As of July 1st, dumpster diving and trash collection will be illegal in the city of Gyöngyös, the second largest town in Heves county (Eger is the largest).
According to this article (and this one), gypsies collecting trash on the streets has become a characteristic aspect of the city. Aside from being unsightly, the local government says that they are making it illegal because these gypsies often take this trash back to where they live (often ghettos), and then realize that what they collected is actually useless, so they just throw it out - but because they often don't have trash collection, the garbage ends up littering the creeks, streets, and other areas.

I'm not sure if I think that making trash collection and dumpster diving illegal is a good move.
We certainly experience it here in Eger too. Every week when we put our trash out, within a few hours people - almost without exception gypsies - come by and go through it.
Its unsightly, but I don't think it should be illegal. If we are throwing it away anyways, then it is fine with me if someone else takes it! As they say: 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.
There have even been fights in front of our building for our trash. Every spring there is a lomtalanítás: a week when you can throw out big items like old refrigerators, furniture, etc... And during that week there are usually hundreds of gypsies on the streets, 'claiming' territories, to guarantee that the trash from that area will be theirs for the taking. One time during this week, Rosemary took an old fan out to the street, but as soon as she stepped out the door of the building, someone was waiting there and asked if he could have it. Sitting nearby on a chair was the person who had claimed that territory, and they get in an argument over the fan and started pushing each other around.
So, sometimes during lomtalanitás the streets can feel a bit dangerous, because of all the crews guarding their junk...

But still, sometimes if we have something that is usable, but we don't need it any more, we will just put it on the ground outside of our door, and by morning the next day it is usually gone. I don't mind this at all - at least someone will get use out of it, even if I won't.

What do you think of this law in Gyöngyös?

Július elsejétől a guberálás és a kukázás tilos lesz Gyöngyösön.
Eszerint a cikk szerint (és eszerint is) az szemét gyűjtögető emberek már a város „jellegzetességének” számítanak. Azon kívül, hogy ez nem egy szép látvány, a város önkormányzata azt mondja, hogy azért teszik ezt törvényellenessé, mert ezek az emberek sokszor haza viszik ezt a szemetet, és aztán kiderül nekik is, hogy haszontalan amit összeszedtek, úgyhogy kidobják – de mivel sokszor a kukás autó nem jár oda, a szemét a patakokba, utcákra, és más helyekre kerül.

Nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy illegálássá tenni a kukázást és a guberálást egy jó dolog.
Mi is tapasztaljuk ezt Egerben. Minden héten, amikor kiviszük a kukákat, egy pár órán belül – a legtöbbször roma emberek – jönnek, és megnézik, válogatnak.
Nem szép látvány, de nem hiszem, hogy ez olyan dolog amit tiltani kell. Ha úgyis kidobjuk, akkor nekem nincsen semmi bajom azzal, hogy ha valaki haza viszi! Ahogy angolul szoktunk mondani: ’Ami szemét az egyik ember számára, kincs egy másik ember számára’.

Volt már olyan is, hogy az épületünk előtt verekedtek a szemétünkért. Lomtalanításkor sok ember van az uctán, és területeket foglalnak magukért, hogy biztos legyen, hogy az övék lesz az ottani kirakott cucc. Egyszer amikor lomtalanítás volt a mi utcánkon, Rosemary kivitte egy régi ventilátort az utcára, de amikor kinyitotta a kaput, már ott állt valaki, és elkérte tőle. Azonban, nem messze a házunktól, volt egy másik ember aki egy széken ült, és vigyázott az ’ő területére’ – és elkezdtek veszekedni és lökdösődni egymást a ventilátor miatt.
Tehát, néha amikor lomtalanítás van, egy kicsit kevésbé biztosságosnak tűnnek az utcák, mivel ezek a bandák kint vannak éjjel nappal és vigyáznak a területeire.

De mégis, amikor van egy hasznos dolgunk, amit már nem fogjuk használni, csak kiteszük a járdára az épületünk előtt, és általában reggelre már nincs ott. Ez engem nem zavar egyáltalan – legalább valaki használni fogja ha én nem.

Mit gondolsz erről a gyöngyösi törvényről?

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Fake Rapture - Hamis Elragadtatás

This is a little bit mean, but pretty funny!
Ez egy kiscit aljas dolog volt, de elég vicces!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Prophetic?


A few weeks before we found out that Rosemary was pregnant, I got an email from a friend of mine from high school named Corrie.
She rarely writes me, so I found it interesting that she sent me an email out of the blue. Her email said that she had a dream the night before that Rosemary was pregnant and that it was a girl. She also mentioned that before she found out that she was pregnant with her little girl she had also had a dream that she was pregnant...
I responded to this email, and told Corrie that we were trying to have another baby, and we wouldn't mind it if were a girl, and so I hoped that her dream was prophetic. She responded, and told me she had no idea that we were trying to have another baby...
She sent me this email on May 5th, which means that Rosemary was 2 weeks pregnant. We won't be able to know the sex of the baby for another 10-12 weeks, but it would be a little too interesting if Corrie's dream did turn out to be prophetic, and was correct...
Weird, eh?

Egy pár héttel azelőtt, hogy megtudtuk, hogy Rosemary várandós, megkaptam egy emailt az egyik középiskolai barátomtól, Corrie-tól. Ő nagyon ritkán ír, úgyhogy érdekesnek találtam, hogy emailt küldött nekem csak úgy.
Az emailében azt írta, hogy az előző éjszakán volt egy álma, amiben Rosemary terhes volt egy kis lánnyal. Azt is mondta Corrie, hogy mielőtt ő megtudta, hogy terhes volt az ő kislányával, akkor is volt egy ilyen álma, amiben azt álmodta, hogy terhes...

Válaszoltam erre az emailre, és mondtam Corrie-nak, hogy már egy ideig akartunk második babát, de még nem sikerült, és hogy reméltem, hogy az álma profétikus volt. Ő azt válaszolta nekem, hogy fogalma sem volt, hogy akartunk még egy babát...

Ezt az emailt május 5-én küldte, ami azt jelenti, hogy akkor Rosemary 2 hete volt terhes akkor, és még nem is tudtunk róla. Még kb 10-12 hét lesz, mire kiderül hogy kisfiú vagy kislány, de egy kicsit
túl érdekes lesz ha kiderül, hogy Corrie álma tényleg profétikus volt, és minden úgy lesz...
Fura mi?

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Ballagás

Yesterday was Balázs' ballagás, or 8th grade graduation. His mom didn't bother to show up... Poor guy. We got to meet some of his family, and had some of them over to our house for a party afterward.
Congratulations Balázs! We're proud of you!

Tegnap volt Balázs ballagása. Az anyukája nem is jött el... Szegény srác. Találkoztunk néhány rokonával, és egy páran eljöttek hozzánk egy kis bulira az ünnepség után.
Gratulálunk Balázs! Büszkék vagyunk rád!





Saturday, June 13, 2009

Something I don't understand

This picture was up on fail blog the other day:
fail owned pwned pictures
Not to mention 12 yr old girls, I seriously just don't understand why anyone would think sporting the Playboy bunny is cool.

First of all, I don't get guys who use the Playboy symbol in any way (t-shirt, air-freshener, bumper sticker, etc...). What are they trying to communicate? That they like to look at porn? Who exactly are they trying to impress by doing that? Other dudes? "Hey bro, I like to look at porn, just to let you know..."
Or are they trying to impress girls? Did they not get the information, that girls aren't impressed by the fact that they look at porn? FYI - that's not a cool thing. Girls don't find that hot, they find it lame.

One thing I see a lot in Hungary especially, that I have a hard time understanding, is ladies sporting the bunny. I even seen young, pre-teen girls with Playboy t-shirts on, or with Playboy folders for school, etc...
It would not be too surprising to see a cake like the one in the picture above at a birthday party in Hungary! I was just at the mall today and saw a woman who must have been in her 50's wearing a Playboy bunny shirt.
I'm just curious - what exactly are these ladies hoping to communicate with this? Is it a message to guys who like Playboy or porn in general, that they are available? "Hey, if you like porn, then you'll like me! And I'll like you too!"

Maybe I'm daft, but I just don't get it. As far as I'm concerned, sporting a Playboy bunny is a fail every time.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Quote

This quote from the text book for my theology course caught my eye, as it addresses two things which are on my heart in regard to the church.

On the significance of the genealogy of Jesus which begins Matthew's Gospel, Exploring the New Testament, by Wenham and Walton says this:

"The Christian belief in the incarnation is significant at this point, since the idea of God becoming human in a particular historical context (first-century Palestine), though it seems very strange to some people, speaks of a God who does not communicate in abstractions, but who comes to us where we are and speaks in 'our language'. It is therefore not just a practical necessity that our teaching should be related to where people are today, but a theological imperative."

"The passage is equally relevant to an age that tends to be very individualistic and that emphasizes personal salvation and fulfillment: the Bible affirms the individual, but sees God as bringing us together as his people"


Figyelmeztetés! Nem volt könnyű lefordítani ezt a szöveget, úgyhogy, valószínű (a kedvenc színem, amúgy :)), hogy nem tökéletes az alábbi fordítás - de azért remélem, hogy legalább érthető lesz!

Ez az idézet a teológiai tanulmányom tankönyvéből nagyon megragadott, mert két olyan dologról szól ami a szívemen van a gyakorlati kereszténységgel kapcsolatban.
Arról, hogy miért jelentős a nemzedékrend amivel kezdődik Máté evangéliuma, az Exploring the New Testament Wenham és Waltontől így szól:

"Itt a keresztény hit az Isten megtestülésében jelentős, mivel az a gondolat, hogy Isten emberré lett egy bizonyos történelmi kontextusban (első-századi Palesztina), bár furcsának tűnik némely embernek, egy olyan Istenről szól aki nem elvontságokban kommunikál, hanem aki hozzánk közelít és beszél a 'mi nyelvünkön'. Így tehát nem csak egy gyakorlati szükséglet, hogy a mi tanításunk összekapcsolodjon azzal ahol a mai emberek tartanak, hanem egy teológiai felszólítás."

"Egyaránt, ez az igerész lényeges egy olyan időben ami nagyon egyén-központú (?) tud lenni sokszor, és hangsúlyt helyez az személyes üdvözségre és beteljesülésre. A Biblia megerősíti az egyént, de úgy mutatja Istent, hogy összeszed bennünket, mint az Ő népe."

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Doctor Visit

We went to the doctor Thursday to get an ultrasound of the baby.
The good news is that the baby is alive and well.
The surprise for us was that Rosemary is only 7-8 weeks along - not 10-11 weeks, as we had originally thought. Which means that the baby is due towards the end of January, and not the beginning.
But he/she is doing well. We heard the heartbeat and took his/her picture - which is hanging on our fridge, and which I would have posted, but we don't have a scanner yet.
Please pray for Rosemary and for the little baby!

Csütörtökön elmentünk a dokihoz, hogy megnézzük a babát ultrahanggal.
A jó hír az, hogy a baba élő és jól van.
A meglepetés a számunkra az volt, hogy Rosemary csak 7-8 hetes - nem 10-11 hetes, mint előbb gondoltunk. Ami azt jelenti, hogy a babát január végére várjuk, nem január elejére.
De amúgy jól van a kicsi ember. Meghallottuk a szív hangját és csináltunk róla egy fényképet - ami most rajta van a hűtőgépünkön. Feltettem volna ide a képet, de még nincsen skennerünk.
Kérlek, imádkozzatok Rosemaryért és a picurkáért!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Photo of the Day

I like to check the National Geographic Photo of the Day whenever I get the chance, and today's was pretty cool: a great shot of a sunset in Boulder.

New Trick

Nate figured out a few weeks ago that his fingers fit quite nicely into his nose.
Since then he can also be seen making a number of combinations, including one in his nose, one in the mouth or one in the nose, one in the ear, not to mention the all-time classic: both in the nose!
 

 

Digging deep:
 

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Property Recovery

Here's a video we made yesterday - we found some stuff that Nate's been storing away...

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Lost

Lost will have its 6th and final season next year. I have to say that I have a hard time imagining a world without Lost. Rosemary and I look forward to it so much and are ritualistic about watching it.
In my opinion this past season (season 5) was the best ever. So many important things were revealed, and it wasn't cheesy and predictable. Some things were revealed which make us want to go re-watch the whole show from the beginning, because in light the new information we will see a ton of stuff differently now.
If season 5 was the best season, I would have to say that season 3 was the worst, and the worst episode ever was Stranger in a Strange Land, the episode about how Jack was in Thailand and how he got his tattoo. That episode was not only boring - it was a waste of time. Exposé was also a waste of time.

What are your favorite/least favorite Lost episodes?


Here's a video wrap-up of the season 5 finale. Check it out:

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Christians Face Persecution in Britain

On my way back to Hungary on Sunday, I was reading the Sunday Telegraph newspaper on the plane, and was surprised to see this article about how Christians face persecution in British society.

The article says that according to a poll, almost half of Christians in Britain feel that they are being rejected or discriminated against at work and at home because of their Christian faith. New laws are being proposed by an atheist group to forbid people from sharing their faith in their workplace, classifying it as harassment, and grounds for firing. Three out of four people polled said that there is less religious freedom in Britain now than 20 years ago.

This is sad news coming from Britain, which has historically been such a bastion of Christianity, but I think this is fairly characteristic of Europe in general. At least its being admitted and reported on in Britain.

Check out the full article here.