Be Careful What You Search For

I use Google Analytics on my blog to see how many people are reading my blog and from which countries.

It also tells me how they find their way to the blog, and if they got there through a search engine like Google or Yahoo, it tells me what 'keywords' they typed into the search engine which led them to my blog.

Every now and again I get some weird ones. I guess people type strange things into search engines when they think no one is watching. Today I saw that someone found my blog by searching for this:

A closer view:
I'm guessing Google directed them to this post about a baptism in our church - but why someone is looking for pictures of Pastor Nick bathing...that's just weird.
I just hope that they were looking for a different Pastor Nick!

Justice

About a year ago Balázs got robbed on the train on his way to Szihalom. 3 young guys started harassing him and pushing him around, demanding his money and mobile, as well as his jewelry. It got to the point where Balázs decided to go in and report them to the police.

At first, it seemed to us that reporting it would mostly just be a waste of our time, because Balázs had gotten his phone back from them, and had only lost a small amount of money and a necklace - but we reported it anyway. And it did take a LONG time. We spent about 12 straight hours at the police station filing the report - only finishing at 6 in the morning - just in time to get ready for church!

But it turned out that filing the report was worth it. We found out that Balázs wasn't the only person they had done this too - but in fact these 3 guys spent all day every day riding the train between Miskolc and Füzesabony, bullying people and stealing mobile phones and money. So, when Balázs reported them, although it wasn't a huge crime, it was the final straw.

Over the past year we have had to go back to the police station a few times and went to a court hearing where Balázs had to testify. And last week we got a paper from the court informing us of the sentencing that the 3 guys got. They were charged with a 'gang robbery' (tömeges rablás) against a minor, and the older 2 got sentenced to 3 years in jail, the younger got 2 years.

I have to say that I was impressed with the Hungarian justice system throughout this whole thing. I know that other people have had bad experiences with them - but in this case I think they did things right.
I think this story is a good example of how it is worth it report crime to the police, even if it is just for seemingly small crimes. I only wonder how many other people these guys robbed who didn't think it was worth it to report it to the police.

Anyone else out there had experiences with the Hungarian police - either good or bad?

Starbucks in Budapest: A Report

On our way home on Saturday from a conference in Vajta, we stopped in Budapest to eat and feed the baby, and we figured since we were there, we might as well try out the new Starbucks in the Westend mall.



The long and short is this: It's expensive. But that's probably not a surprise to anyone.

I got a solo espresso for 420 HUF and Rosemary got a caffé latte for 620 HUF. My espresso was good - but certainly not amazing. Rosemary said her caffé latte was very weak and tasted mostly like warm milk.

For anyone who likes Starbucks memorabilia - the mugs or thermoses, they have them there. They also have lots of expensive pies and cakes.
The atmosphere is very hip, and the place was packed. They do have free wifi, which is a major plus for any coffee shop - and an improvement on the US Starbucks, where there is wifi, but it's not free.

They also sell coffee beans for making at home - the espresso roast was 1500 HUF for 250 grams, which isn't bad for gourmet coffee. Illy costs at least 2000 HUF/250 gm.

So, if we go back it will probably only be to buy beans - or to stand outside and use their free wifi :)

The thing is that there are so many other cafés with coffee that is just as good and an atmosphere that is just as good at far better prices. The prices were all the more shocking since we had just come from Vajta, where we spent our days drinking espresso which tasted just as good for almost a third of the price.

One of the only things Starbucks offers which is unique is that if you want - and are willing to pay for it - you can get a GIGANTIC coffee. But I think we've been in Europe too long to appreciate that :)

A Special Bath for Jesus

I love the way that Rosemary teaches Nate about Jesus. She tries to do it in a way that makes sense to him, and I think she's really good at it.

This past Sunday we had a baptism service in our church. Baptizing believers is absolutely one of my favorite things to do - it is so great to be part of someone taking that step and making an outward statement of their commitment to Christ and the new life they have received in him.

Before the baptism, during Sunday school, Rosemary taught Nate about John the Baptist and explained baptism. She told him: "When you love Jesus, you take a special bath to show everybody." I guess that's right - I'd just never thought about it in those terms!

Nate doesn't always like taking a bath, so when we went down in the baptismal for the baptisms, Nate started getting nervous and saying, 'Oh no! No bath!'
Then Rosemary told Nate: 'Look, daddy is like John the Baptist!' - which helped Nate to relax and eat some pretzels while watching the baptisms.
Immediately after I got out of the water Nate came up and gave me a high five and told me, 'Good job daddy!'

After the baptisms we had communion. Nate got excited when he saw all the little cups of juice, and wanted to go to the front to get one - but Rosemary stopped him, explaining, 'Nate, that is special juice for big people'. Nate obviously had a hard time accepting this, as he wanted a snack and couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him have any. He'll figure it out eventually :)

Here are some pictures from the baptism:

Pictures by Balázs Dániel

Felicia's Dedication

We spent last week in Vajta at the annual Foundations Conference for Calvary Chapel church leaders from Eastern Europe. We had a good time and good fellowship with many friends we don't get to meet with very often.
During the conference we had Felicia dedicated to the Lord by Pastor Brian Broderson. Pastor Brian married us, and he was Rosemary's pastor in Vista before she came out to Hungary as a missionary.
When we went up for the dedication, Pastor Brian asked me to tell the story of the miracle that the Lord did in saving Felicia, and then he prayed for her.
Felicia loves people, and she stole the show by acting cute through the whole thing. She was the star of the night and looked very cute in her 'princess dress'. The person who gave us the dress told us, 'after everything she's been through she needs a princess dress!'
We really are still so amazed by what God has done in Felicia's life. She is now 5 months old and doing so well. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for her and continue to pray for her that she would grow up knowing and walking with the Lord.
Here are some pictures of the dedication:

A múlt héten Vajtán voltunk az éves Alapok Konferencián, amelyet a kelet európai Golgota gyülekezetek vezetői számára szervezik. Nagyon jól éreztük magunkat, és jó közösségünk volt sok olyan barátunkkal akikkel csak ritkán találkozunk.
A konferencia egyik estén volt Felíciának a baba bemutatója, amelyet a Brian Broderson lelkipásztor csinálta. A Brian pásztor összeadott minket és ő volt Rosemary lelkipásztora Vistában, mielőtt ide költözött Magyarországra.
Amikor előre mentünk a bemutatóra, Brian arra kért, hogy mondjak egy pár szót arról, hogy mi történt Felíciával, és arról, hogy milyen csodát tett az Úr azzal, hogy őt megmentette és meggyógyította - és aztán Brian imádkozott érte és odaszántuk a kislányunkat az Urra.
Felícia nagyon szereti az embereket, és ő volt a sztár azon az estén. Nagyon cuki volt a 'hercegnő ruhájában'. Aki adta nekünk azt a ruhát, azt mondta, 'azután a sok minden után amin keresztül ment ez a kislány, kell neki egy hercegnő ruha!'
Még mindig nagyon annyira csodáljuk azt, hogy mit tett az Úr Felícia életében. Ő most már 5 hónapos, és nagyon szépen fejlődik. Köszönjük mindannyiatoknak, hogy imádkoztatok a gyógyulásáért és hogy továbbra is imádkoztok érte, hogy megismerje az Urat és járjon vele ahogyan fel nő.
Itt van egy pár fénykép a bemutatóról:

Photos by Németh Laci

New Car

With our growing family we've been feeling the need for a bigger car for some time now. When we first bought our Peugeot right after we got married, we felt like we had a really big car - but now cramming all 5 of us into it we feel like sardines - and like fried sardines when its 38°C (100°F) and the air conditioning isn't working.
I started out looking for used cars, until someone told me to check out the Dacia Logan MCV, a 7-seater that costs new only slightly more than the used cars we were looking at. We we a bit hesitant at first about buying a Dacia, but after reading consumer reports and talking to 'car guys' about them, we started to think more seriously about it. Dacia is assembled in Romania but owned by Renault, and they have Renault motors and parts. A friend of ours in Eger owns the 7-seater that we were interested in, and he let us borrow it for a day to try it out, and we really liked it.
We found the one we wanted in Székesfehérvár, and are picking it up on Monday on our way to Vajta for the Foundations Conference. We're really looking forward to it - and now we're trying to sell our Peugeot. Hopefully we can do that soon.

Here are some pictures of the car. This is the actual one we will get. It was in the showroom, so that's why there's no radio in it, but there will be by the time we get it.


Here's a diagram of how the seats can be moved around:

Homesick

Ahh, the US of A! Home sweet home!

A New Dawn

A new day has dawned in Hungary - a new era has begun today in Budapest.
The first Hungarian Starbucks opened today in the Westend mall, which has resulted in widespread joy and babies smiling all over the world.

Ok, maybe it's not quite that revolutionary that Hungary has now joined almost all of its neighbors in having Starbucks coffee in their country, but hey, at least there is one more thing to spend money on when I go to Budapest :)

June 15

Today is Balázs' birthday - he's 16!

We are taking Felicia back to the neurology department at the hospital in Budapest today for a check up. She hasn't been in a few months, and we are really curious what the doctors will say about how she is progressing. As far as we can tell, she is perfectly healthy - which we are so thankful for. However, last time we went the doctors said she wasn't doing as well as we thought she was, so we are really curious what they will say today.

After we finish at the hospital I am going to meet Balázs at Aquaworld Budapest, where he will already be with one of his friends.
That's one of the nice things about having kids - it gives you excuses to go to places like this, where you might not usually go on your own!

I realized I haven't posted many pictures of Felicia. Here is one I took a few weeks ago:

Dorothy Grace Update

Many people have asked me about little Dorothy Grace and how she is doing. I talked to Enikő the other day and she told me that Dorothy is now been released from the developmental neurology department at the Margit Hospital, and is now at a different hospital, where she continues to receive care.
Dorothy is making improvement, but only very slowly. The doctor in the neurology department did not give Enikő and Robert much hope regarding Dorothy's recovery, but they keep on hoping and believing that God can heal their little girl. She is certainly not a lost cause.
Dorothy is no longer hooked up to any machines or oxygen, she is conscious and she now cries - something she did not do for quite some time after birth. One concern they have had is that for a long time Dorothy was not able to swallow, and so she had to be fed through a tube being placed down her throat into her stomach. Recently Dorothy started swallowing milk on her own, which is a GREAT improvement, but she is still only able to take about 4 gulps and then stops.
In the new hospital, Dorothy is being treated with a massage therapy which should help her muscle and brain development.
Please continue to pray for Dorothy Grace. Her parents ask that you would also pray for them, that God would give them strength during this difficult time.

Sokan érdeklődtek, hogy a kis Dorothy Grace hogy van. Nem rég beszéltem Enikővel, és azt mondta, hogy Dorothyt kiengedték a Margit kórházi fejlődés neurológia osztályból, és most egy másik pesti kórházban van, ahol továbbra kezelik.
Dorothy javul, bár nagyon lassan. Az orvos a fejlődés neurológián nem igazán mondott bátorító szavakat a Dorothy felépülésével kapcsolatban, de annak ellenére Enikő és Robert még mindig reménykednek és biznak abban, hogy Isten meg tudja gyógyítani a kislányukat. Az biztos, hogy ő nem egy reménytelen eset.
Dorothy most már nincs hozzákötve semmilyen géphez vagy lélegeztetőhöz. Ő most már sokott sírni - ami nagyon jó, mert nem sírt egy jó ideig miután megszületett. Ami még gond, az, hogy nem tud lenyelni a tejet, és szondán keresztül kapja az ennivalót. Nem rég Dorothy kezdett lenyelni valamennyi tejet magától, ami egy NAGY javulást jelent, viszont kb csak 4 kortyot tud lenyelni és kész.
Abban a kórházban ahol ők most vannak, Dorothy kap egy gyógymaszázs kezelést ami segíti az izom-tónusát és az agyműködését.
Kérlek, imádkozzatok továbbra Dorothy Grace-ért. A kedves szűlői meg azt kértek, hogy imádkozzatok azért, hogy Isten adjon nekik erőt ebben a nehéz időszakban.

Things You'll Hear Said in Our Home

You will hear some interesting things said in our home. Here are some examples.

1. "NATHANIEL! Stop counting and go to sleep!"
   He lays in bed and takes a while to fall asleep-doing anything and everything but sleeping. He loves to count lately and he is getting very good at it with all this practice.
2. "Nick, will you vacuum Felicia's nose this time?"
   Yes, for those that remember the vacuum cleaner nose sucker-we are using it again. We have all had a cold, and there is no better way to clear her breathing passages. Check it out here: http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2008/11/baby-nose-vacuum.html
3. Sister is fat.
   Nate is not sure how to decide yet who or what animal is fat, so I thought I would help him out by showing him an example-his sister.
4. More Dani!
   Nate has a few friends, and he loves our neighbor and worship leader at church, Dani.
5. Red two here! (Pointing)
   Nate wants us to write numbers for him, and he dictates what color it should be, points to where it should be drawn, and wants it NOW!
6. When dad is driving the car, Nate pays attention from the back seat and says "Zoom, fast!"
7. Oh no wiener.
   He says Oh No about anything that is in trouble in his opinion. He uses this one when jumping on Nick.

~ Rosemary

Cikk a Gyülekezetről - Article about the church

Ma megjelent egy cikk a gyülekezetről egy egri hírlapban.
Jákus Ági írta, aki ide járt főiskolára, újságíró szakra. Ági most végzett a fősulin, de amíg itt volt Egerben ő vezette az egri MEKDSZ-t, és hozzánk járt gyülekezetbe amikor tudott.
Szerintem nagyon jó lett a cikk, és remélem, hogy rajta keresztül minél többen fognak tudni Egerben és a környéken arról a munkáról amit Isten végez köztünk a Golgotában.

Amúgy, a Google Chrome böngészőnek van egy olyan beépített funkciója, hogy fordítja a weblapokat akármelyik nyelvről akármelyik másik nyelvre. Ezt azért írom, mert van olyan, hogy csak angolul írunk bejegyzést - szóval ez egy lehetőség azoknak számára akik inkább magyar nyelven szeretnének olvasni a blog bejegyzéseket.

An article about our church came out today in a local newpaper.
It was written by Ági Jakus, who was a college student here in Eger, studying to be a journalist. Ági just finished her studies, but during the time she was here, she was the leader of the local chapter of IFES, and she attended our church when she could.
I think the article is great, and I hope that through it more people in Eger and the surrounding region will find out about the work that God is doing through Calvary Chapel here.

By the way, the Google Chrome browser has a build in feature that translates web pages from any language into any other language. This is an easy tool to help read websites in languages you don't speak.

Nate's Sleeping Positions

I wrote a post about this before, but here is a collage which also includes new pictures of some of Nate's sleeping positions

LOST Alternate Endings

A lot of people weren't too satisfied with the series finale of Lost.
Personally, I was expecting to get answers to my questions about the history of the island, but in retrospect, the finale wasn't so bad - it just wasn't what I expected.

Here are some alternate endings the writers came up with:

The Other Side - Thoughts on the Lost Finale

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I turned on the final episode of Lost, "The End", expecting that on the other side I would have answers to all my questions about the island, only to end up more confused than before.

My initial thought is this:
Lost is the ultimate post-modern TV show. There are no answers. Everyone is left to make their own conclusions. And the point of the whole show was not to get answers to all our questions anyway, but the whole point was the enjoyment of the ride itself - and it was a great ride indeed. You know - "it's the climb"!

Here are a few random thoughts/questions:

• Did everyone actually die when the explosion went off at the end of season 5? And those who stayed on the island were just "holding on" and refusing to "let go"?
• If that was "the incident" - then was everyone who continued to live after the incident actually dead?
• Did the island actually sink?
  
• What's up with the time traveling?
  
• Was everything real up until the explosion at the end of season 5?
• Are they saying that there is no such thing as reality or here and now, and we all live in a make-believe world of our own imagination, which we have created in order to "find each other"?
• Did Ben and Hurley stay alive and work together on the island for a while before eventually dying and catching up with the others in the alternate reality?
  
• What happened to Michael? Isn't he stuck on the island?
• What the heck is that island anyways? Did it really exist? It seems to me that it did.
  
• Who built all that stuff like the temple and the heart of the island? What's up with the hieroglyphics? What is the origin of the statue?
  
• How did the Dharma Initiative find the island? Why were so many people looking for the island?
  
• What's up with the smoke? I get it that the guy died, but why did he become smoke?

Maybe the most significant line in the final episode was when Desmond told Jack that none of what they were doing mattered anyway, and all that really mattered was what awaited them on the other side...

I've got a lot more questions - but I am interested in what others who have watched the Lost finale have to say.
Did you watch it? What did you think? What are your theories?

Monsoon Season

One thing I've recently learned from Sulekha, our Indian friend, is that everything is more severe in India. Poverty, bad roads, and the weather are all more extreme in India than in Hungary.
For the past few weeks we have gotten a ton of rain. It may not qualify as a monsoon, but nonetheless, for sleepy Eger, it's a big deal - it even came up as a prayer request at church.
In some of the surrounding areas there has been serious flooding. In Eger, the creek did overflow in one place, but it wasn't too bad.

Here are some pictures and a video of the Eger patak (creek) to give you an idea how much rain we've had.
Here is are pictures of how the creek usually looks; these pictures were taken in May last year:

And this is what the creek looked like this past Sunday:

The water has receded a bit since then, but it is still wet and rainy, and I noticed today that the part of the flood wall next to the church had collapsed:


This is Dániel, a friend from church, standing in the street in front of his house in Recsk:

Here is a video of the Szinva creek overflowing in downtown Miskolc:


Here's a report on rain in the region from a TV station:

The Value of Academic Theology

Here is what Augustine had to say about the value of academic study by those who preach the Word of God:

Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation… the shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scriptures are criticized and rejected as unlearned men.

Augustine, St On the Literal Meaning of Genesis, Taylor, J. H. (trans.), New
York: Newman Press (1982), p. 42.

I don't think that someone must be intelligent in order to be anointed by God or to be effective for His Kingdom. However, I have come to believe that if one is called and anointed by God to preach and teach His Word, that they should, as a good steward, be involved in academic study, to make sure they aren't misrepresenting God in their teaching, so they don't bring shame upon themselves, or worse, upon the Body of Christ which they represent. This is precisely what Augustine is getting at here.

I've talked to many people who have concerns about the academic study of theology, and for good reasons. They often say that people go into it with a desire to know God more, and that seminary kills their faith. Others point out that academic theologians often spend all their time splitting hairs theologically and ignoring the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. What I have found is that if one goes to seminary as a born again Christian who has had a personal encounter with God, those things will not be a problem, but rather the study will deepen and strengthen one's faith.

Neglecting theological study in exchange for pragmatism is dangerous because anyone can just come along with little or no training, call themselves a pastor, and start preaching to whoever will listen. Sometimes this can be harmless, but many times it can be, and has been, outright dangerous and destructive. If one doesn't have a basic understanding of how to properly interpret and apply the scriptures, there is a much greater chance that they will teach things which are not the intended message of God in His Word, and this has surely led to much aberrant teaching throughout the history of the Christianity - people who didn't know what they were talking about taught things in God's name, which were not really God's true intention or desire. So, theological training is important.

Personally, the biggest impact my theological studies have had on me is that I feel I have gained a broader perspective. In regard to doctrines and theological issues, rather than just being exposed to one line of thinking, and repeating that which I was told by others, without really looking into things myself. I haven't really changed many of my theological convictions; if anything, I feel that my understanding of those theological positions has been expanded and deepened, and I have a better grasp on the big picture of WHY people believe the things they do, and what the background to different positions are. More than simply "is this opinion right or wrong", it comes down more to "HOW do people come to the conclusions they come to? What is the line of thinking that leads them there?"

Studying theology doesn't necessarily need to be done in a seminary or Bible College - I read about Martin Lloyd Jones that he was completely self-taught, yet he was one of the most influential theologians of the past hundred years. However one goes about doing it, studying theology and learning how to "rightly divide the Word of Truth", it is something which should be a priority to those who teach God's Word. We should have an idea what we are talking about.

Shopping Abroad: Ukraine

One of my favorite things about traveling to different places is going grocery shopping and looking for things I can't buy anywhere else, or things which are specific to that particular country.
I really enjoyed going to the market in Ukraine. You can buy anything there from food to clothes to electronics. There are stands and shops - the whole place is alive and full of people.

They have a lot of good food products there, and the prices are quite low.
Here are some of my favorite things from Ukraine:

• Smoked cheese and "fonott sajt" (woven smoked cheese) - something we also like to buy in Slovakia
• Fruit juice.
  There is good organic fruit juice at really cheap prices. I brought home a big pack of Соки України brand juice, which we have been drinking for the past week - I only wish I would have brought more!
• Dark chocolate. They make good dark chocolate in Ukraine - I like the Корона brand.
• Pomegranate juice.
  You can get a liter of 100% Pomegranate juice, organic with no added sugar or preservatives, in Ukraine for about 2.50 USD (450 HUF). I saw the same product here in Hungary for 2650 HUF (12 USD). I'm trying to figure out how I could make some money bringing the stuff over :)
• Квас (Kvass). This is a drink made from rye, which kind of tastes like cola. I wouldn't say it's great - it's an acquired taste - but it sure is cheap: 60 HUF (30 cents)/3 liters!
  
• Skittles - Can't get this American candy in Hungary, but they sell it Ukraine.

Soon all this stuff I brought back will run out, and I'll have to go back to Ukraine and load up again...but that's no problem at all; I like going there.

Here is a slideshow about our trip made by Kiss András and Ági

Ukraine Trip in Review

Thank you to those of you who prayed for our church's first mission trip to Ukraine last weekend. God really blessed out time there, and everything went very well.
Here's a quick rundown of how the weekend went:

On Friday afternoon we packed everything in to the cars. In total there were 8 of us - 7 from our church here in Eger, plus an American girl who is living in Debrecen, Haley, joined up with us. We took a donation of shoes and clothing, as this is what we were told would be a blessing to the people there. We got many good pairs of used shoes, and we collected money and bought new shoes to hand out as well. We were a bit worried if this would cause a problem at the border, but other than a long wait, we had no problems at all.
We stayed in a house that is owned by a Dutch mission in Beregovo (Beregszász), which was perfect for us, and right in the center of town. The Calvary Chapel meets in the kitchen of this mission house, and they have two side buildings which are perfect for housing teams. These buildings are in a courtyard which also has a bakery in the back - so each night, when they were baking the bread for the next day, we were able to eat the fresh bread while it was still hot. We also got some fresh milk (as in from a cow, not a store) to go with it. It was great!

On Saturday, we went to a boarding school (internátus) for disadvantaged kids in Vylak (Tiszaújlak). The kids in this school all spoke Ukrainian, so we had a translator who translated for us from Hungarian into Ukrainian. Joel did music, and Jani and Ági gave testimonies, both of which were very powerful - Jani talked about his childhood and finding the love of the Lord which transformed him, and Ági talked about growing up with a heart disease, and being told that noone would ever love her, and how she found love in the Lord, and how he shown her so much grace in her life.
The time at the boarding school was great, and we could see that the kids really enjoyed it. Joel was able to play some Christian children's songs which they knew the words to in Ukrainian, and so they were able to sing along. I also taught a short Bible study, as did Józsi. The only disappointing thing is that we didn't get to spend more time with the kids, because afterward they had to go to lunch and we had an appointment to do an outreach at a gypsy settlement in another town. It would have been great to play with them and spend time with them. Hopefully we can do that next time.

In the afternoon we did a concert outreach in a Hungarian-speaking gypsy settlement in Mezővári. The outreach went on for 3.5 hrs, but we kept a steady crowd. Many people gave testimonies of what God had done in their lives and shared the Gospel message. I taught a full Bible study and shared my testimony of how God healed Felicia, and there was a lot of worship music. The worship leader of the Beregszász Calvary Chapel knew some gypsy-style worship songs - which the gypsies absolutely loved, and got super into - even dancing in the streets! At the end we invited people to come forward for prayer, and we prayed for many of them, many of whom had serious problems.
It was great to see the openness of the people there to the Gospel message. It is really a good thing that is going on there, that every Saturday they have church service. When Jesus announced his ministry, he said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. (Luke 4:18)
The Bible has a lot to say about ministering to the poor, and was great to partner with this ministry that is reaching out to this outcast group of people, who literally live at the city trash dump.

Sunday we were in the Calvary Chapel in Beregszász, which meets in a very small room, but that gave it it's own special feeling. 3 people from our group shared their testimony, and then I shared my own and then taught the Bible study. They are a great group of people, and we all really enjoyed being in fellowship with them in the church.
After church we passed out some of the clothing and shoes that we brought to donate, and those who received them were very thankful.
All in all, it was a great time - God really blessed everything. Those who went, and many who couldn't go this time have been asking me already when we are going back! We hope to take 4-5 trips to Ukraine per year, and we are really seeking the Lord's directions as to where and how he would have us minister there. For the time being we really like working together with Józsi and the Calvary Chapel in Beregszász. They have a good thing going on there, and they can use the help.

Before heading back home to Eger, we drove 25km from Beregszász to Mukachevo (Munkács) to visit the city and their famous castle. Mukachevo is a beautiful town, and it was a nice way to wind down the weekend before going home.

One interesting thing comment about Ukraine for the end: Most cities have multiple names - a Ukrainian one, a Russian one, and in some regions a Polish one or Hungarian one. For example: the town we were in is called Bereheve in Ukrainian, Beregovo in Russian and Beregszász in Hungarian. That is all fine and well, but on our way back to Hungary we wanted to cross the border at a different place than we had entered through. So we were trying to follow the map and the road signs - but the confusing thing was that the road signs use the Russian names, whist the map uses the Ukrainian names, and when we stopped to ask people on the street for directions, they used the Hungarian names! The town we wanted to go to on the map was called Kosino, the road sign at the crossroads said Koson-15km, and the people on the street told us we should go to Mezőkaszony. Turns out it was all the same place, and we got there just fine, but it was a bit confusing... Oh well, at least it made it interesting :)

Felicia Today

I realize I haven't put up many pictures of Felicia lately, so here are some I took today.

Tummy time

Laid back

Nate pushing his sister in the swing

Trip to Ukraine

Today 7 of us from the church here in Eger will leave for Ukraine for the weekend. This will be our church's first "mission trip", and we are excited for what the Lord has in store.
Ukraine is a place that I have always prayed for - my family on my mom's side moved to North America from Ukraine, and when I first came to Hungary, my plan was actually to stay in Debrecen for a few months, and then move on to Ukraine. The Lord had other plans for me, but Ukraine's always had a special place in my heart.
For some time now our church leadership has felt that we would like to begin doing some ministry in surrounding countries, possibly in Ukraine - so for us, this is the first step in that direction.
We will be going to the Hungarian speaking region of Ukraine, right along the border, and working with Dankó Józsi, a man who works with Kelet Európa Misszió (Eastern European Mission) doing social work, and has started a Golgota church in Berehove (Beregszász in Hungarian).

We have a few goals with the trip. One is that would like to be a blessing and help to Józsi is what he is doing. On Saturday we will go with him to a gypsy settlement and a boarding school for street kids (internátus) - where we will do music outreaches similar to what we do here in Eger. On Sunday we will lead the church service in Beregszász.
Another goal is that I would like people from our church to see what real poverty is like, with the hope that it will change how they view the world. When I was 18, I took a trip to the Dominican Republic to do evangelism. We went into slums where I saw extreme poverty - and it had a big impact on my whole way of seeing the world. To this day I remember it often, and it made me realize how much I actually have - I began to appreciate my material blessings more; it made me complain less, and be more thankful. I think that everyone should have that kind of experience - it changes you.
One other goal with the trip is to "get our feet wet" in Ukraine. We feel like this is the first step for us to take in getting involved in ministry there, and after we do this, we will wait for God to show us the next step.

Here are some things you can pray for, for the trip:

• Smooth border crossing - that it would be fast, and that there would be no problem with customs because of the donations we are bringing. That all the papers with the cars would be in order, and that we would be able to cross quickly and smoothly.
• For the 2 outreaches on Saturday afternoon - that the Holy Spirit would give us the words to speak, and that the whole time would be anointed and effective.
• We aren't exactly sure of how everything will go - so please pray that we would be flexible and led by the Spirit.
• For safe travel and for the cars to run well. My car isn't running as well as it used to, and neither is Jani's - so please pray for them!

I hope to take pictures of our time there and post them here once we've returned.
Thanks for praying!

First Starbucks in Hungary

A few weeks ago I wrote about how plans for the first Starbucks in Hungary had fallen through. Well, yesterday I got this link in a comment.
Turns out that they really are opening a Starbucks in the Westend mall in Budapest after all.
Check out the pictures:


I can't say I'm all that excited about it - I'm much more interested in the new Café Frei coffee shop that just opened in Eger.

Please Pray for Dorothy Grace!

I just got off the phone with Enikő, the mother of little Dorothy Grace, whom I've been asking you to pray for. Dorothy's condition is not improving, in fact it is getting worse. She is now 3 weeks old, and is not responding to the treatment.
Her life is in serious danger right now. Please pray for her and for her dear family, and ask others to pray for her as well.
Thank you.

Most beszéltem Enikővel, a Dorothy Grace kisbaba anyukájával, akikért kértem, hogy imádkozzatok. Dorothy állapota nem javul, igazából egyre csak romlik. Most 3 hetes, és nem hat rá a kezelés.
Az élete most komoly veszélyben van. Kérlek, imádkozzatok érte és a kedves családjáért, és kérjétek másokat is, hogy imádkozzanak.
Köszönöm.

*Update*
As of yesterday - May 6, Dorothy Grace is back on the respirator. Please continue to pray.

May 1 - Május 1.

We spent this past Saturday celebrating with friends.
Ezt a múlt szombatot azzal töltöttünk, hogy ünnepeltünk barátokkal.

Our day began here in Eger with Réka's high school graduation. Réka has been an important part of our church for the past 3 years. We are glad that she graduated, but are sad that she will go away next year to university, which means we won't see her as much. Réka finished school as the best student in her class! Good job!
A napunk itt kezdődött Egerben Réka ballagásával. Réka egy fontos része a gyülekezetünknek már 3 éve. Örülünk, hogy sikeresen elvégezte az iskolát, de sajnáljuk azt, hogy jövőre elmegy innen egyetemre, ami azt jelenti, hogy nem fogjuk olyan sűrűn. Réka a legjobb tanuló volt az egész osztályában! Hajrá!



After the graduation party we left for Debrecen, for the celebration of the church's 15th anniversary party. The only thing is that the church isn't actually 15 years old - it's only 14 years old :) But we had a great time and got to visit with some old friends.
They had a trampoline - one of my favorite things in the world. We had a trampoline growing up, and when ours ripped, I spent a lot of time as a teenager at other people's houses jumping on their trampolines.
They also had a jumping castle. Nate was pretty scared by it - but Rosemary wasn't :)

Here is a video of the first 14 yrs of the Debrecen church.
Here are some pictures:
A ballagás után elindultunk Debrecenbe, az ottani Golgota gyülekezet 15. évfordulója alkalmára. Az egyetlen izé az, hogy a gyüli nem 15 éves - hanem csak 14 :) De nagyon jó volt régi barátokkal találkozni.
Volt ott egy trambolin - az egyik kedvenc dolgom a világon. Otthon is volt trambolinunk amikor felnőttem, és amikor tönkre ment sokat jártam másokhoz akiknek volt trambolinjuk.
Meg volt egy ugráló vár. Nate félt tőle - de Rosemary nem :)
Itt van egy videó a debreceni gyüli első 14 évről

Itt vannak a képek: