Graduations

Last week we had two graduations in our family: Nate graduated from Kindergarten and Balazs graduated in High School.

We are very proud of both of them, but especially of Balázs because of how far he has come sine he first came to live with us. High school wasn't easy, especially since he had to study in a foreign language, but he did it, and he finished well. His last semester was probably his best in all his years of schooling so far.

One week from today Balázs will start his new job at LEI companies in Denver, in an electrician apprenticeship program.

Here is a video of Nate's kindergarten graduation and some pictures of Balázs' high school graduation.

 

Receiving an acknowledgement for his community service:

 

Felicia's First Ballet Performance

Felicia has been going to a Russian ballet school here in Longmont for the past several months. She's in a class with other kids her age - the youngest group in the school.

This past Sunday the school put on a performance of Swan Lake, and Felicia's class got to have a part in it. She was very hesitant to get on stage, but once she did, she had a lot of fun.

 

Day Trip to Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison

 

Big Day for Nate

Yesterday was a day Nate has been waiting for, for a long time. About 2 years ago I took Nate skiing for the first time, to Bánkút in Hungary. At the time I went snowboarding, and Nate really wanted to snowboard, but I told him he had to wait until he was 6. He never forgot those words - and yesterday I took my 6 year old to Eldora for an all-day snowboarding lesson.

He did really quite well; I think part of it was that he was motivated. He told me his goal is to get good enough to go riding with me :) I look forward to that day!

Here's a video of him learning to ride:

Exactly 1 hour after his snowboarding lesson ended, his Tae Kwon Do class started back here in Longmont. A few weeks ago Nate tested for a yellow belt; we weren't sure if he would get it since he didn't know some of the forms perfectly, but his teacher awarded it to him because net never gave up during the test. Some of the other kids he tested with didn't get a belt - so we were impressed with Nate's perseverance and determination. It's little wins like this which motivate you to keep going and work harder.

Here's the video of Nate receiving his yellow belt:

 

Funny things Felicia says

Today playing with her dolls:

"I have 6 babies. This one has been crying for a long time... for 5 months!"

"Some of my babies are all grown up now. Yeah, they're 15! But they aren't super old, because they don't have old skin."

Me: "Felicia, how old do you think I am?" Felicia: "You're not super old. You're not 15 yet; that's super old, and when you get old, you get old people skin."

Later on: Felicia: "Can you stay home with the babies? I need to go out to the store to do some shopping." (Gets dressed to go to the store...in a bath robe). "I'll have my phone with me, but it's set to pretend, so you can call me if something happens to the babies while I'm away."

Merry Christmas - Boldog Karácsonyt!

We had a great Christmas this year. The Christmas Eve service at White Fields was packed, we ate töltött káposzta forint dinner, which is a Hungarian tradition for Szenteste. Ocean cooked the stuffed cabbage for us, and it turned out great; one of the best we've all had, even compared to in Hungary. The nice thing about Hungarian food is that it is designed to be made from scratch, so you can theoretically make it anywhere.

On Christmas Day my parents came over and we had a big meal, opened presents and played and assembled things together. After they left some friends came over to play a board game to close the night. All around a great Christmas. Hope yours was great too!

 

Golgota Coming to America

Check this out - Golgota Budapest is coming to America.

It was a joy and a pleasure for us to be involved in the work of God through Calvary Chapel in Eastern Europe for over 10 years. It's a story that deserves to be shared and heard all over the world.

Here's the promo video:

The End

Guess who got his Social Security number today!

This means that now he can get a driver's license, get a job, etc.

We thought the process of getting the SSNumber would be easy- just a formality- but like everything else in this process, it wasn't as easy as we had expected.

Anyway, it's good to be done, and we're glad Balázs can start his life.

Parenthood in All Its Glory

This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. LOVE IT!

Felicia Quotes

Rosemary talking to Felicia the other day:
"Good job, Felicia!"
"Don't say 'good job', say 'great job!'"

Walking down the hall tonight, I heard Felicia talking to Rosemary:
"Mommy, I love you, and I love daddy!"
I stuck my head in the room and said, "Oh, Felicia, I love you too!"
She walked towards me, I assumed to give me a hug, but pushing past me, she said "Get out of my way - I have a movie to watch!"

Yesterday on a family outing:
"Felicia you are very cute!"
"Of course. That's because I'm a child."

5 Years: Joining Day

During the time we lived in Hungary, Thanksgiving didn't have quite as much pomp as it does here in the US. We usually gathered with a handful of American friends. There was certainly no Black Friday over there.

This Thanksgiving we got together with family and some friends from church, but this Thanksgiving marks an interesting anniversary. 5 years ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends Ryan and Anita and Shane and Marianna - but there one was extra person there that Thanksgiving who has been with us ever since.

This Thanksgiving marked 5 years of Balázs coming to live with us.

It was in December of 2008 that we were given guardianship, and in December of 2011 that our adoption was finalized in Hungary.

Yesterday, to celebrate 5 years of Balázs in our family, we went up to Estes Park - saw some deer and elk and ate some ice cream.

We're glad you're with us, Balázs!

Americana

Just another Black Friday in the U.S. of A.

Trabant in Longmont

I saw this Trabant driving down Hover street in Longmont the other day.

Never expected to see one of these on the road all the way over here!

Thanksgiving Video Update

This is a video we made for our friends and supporters over at Calvary Vista. They showed it as part of their Thanksgiving Eve service.

It was pretty cold outside when we made it - I thought I wouldn't need a jacket. I was shivering!

Calvary Vista supported us while we were in Hungary and they have continued to love us and support us since we've come to Colorado. We are thankful for them!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! What are you thankful for this year? How have you experienced God's grace and provision?

The Longmont Pastor

I recently started another blog, which is titled: The Longmont Pastor and can be found here: http://longmontpastor.wordpress.com/

I will continue to update this blog, so please do keep checking in. This has always been more of a personal blog, detailing the lives of our family and ministry for those who know us personally and want to keep up on our lives. The Longmont Pastor is going to be very focused on issues relating directly to the Longmont from a pastor's perspective. I have written articles on there about marijuana legalization and other local issues.

If you have a Wordpress account, make sure to follow me on there, and if you don't, be sure to click the "Subscribe by Email" button at the bottom of the page.

 

 

Pastor Chuck Smith Memorial Service and Tribute

A few weeks ago, during our series called DNA: The Building Blocks of Life, I spoke about Pastor Chuck Smith, who recently went home to be with the Lord (click here to listen to it).

Pastor Chuck was a man who was used greatly by God and left a profound legacy. His ministry had a huge impact on my life and on the lives of people around the world. 

A memorial service and tribute to Pastor Chuck is going to be held this Sunday, October 27th at 6:00pm MDT. The service is going to be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, but will be simulcast on the internet so you can watch it live wherever you are at on your computer, tablet or smart phone: http://watch.pastorchucksmith.com.

The story of what God did through Chuck is one that should be shared and heard around the world. I encourage you to tune in on Sunday night and listen to the stories and be encouraged and celebrate a life well-lived for God's glory.

The End of a Long Road

Balázs got his green card last week!

It has been a long road... We began the adoption process in June 2011, which means that we have been jumping through legal hoops for 2 years and 5 months. But now we're done!

There were times along the way when it looked like it would be impossible for Balázs to stay with us here in US; like every door closed in front of us. God blessed us with some good lawyers and the means to pay them, and with favor in the eyes of officials who made the final decisions. We are also glad that the laws existed to support people in our situation.

Balázs got a green card for 10 years, after which he will be eligible for citizenship. Now he can work, get a driver's license and go to state college if he wants. God is good and we are glad.

 

Autumn Hike

Colorado is a beautiful place in every season, but autumn is maybe the most picturesque as aspen leaves change from green to yellow, then orange to red, and while the peaks are getting their first dustings of new snow.

Here in Longmont we are cut off from the nearby mountains because of the floods. We can't get to Lyons, Estes Park or Nederland, all places that were quick trips into the mountains previously. This past Monday we went down to Golden Gate Canyon, the closest access to the mountains to where we live - about a 50 min drive south of us. Here are some pictures:

Grays and Torreys Peaks - both about 14,000 ft.

Longs Peak and Mount Meeker

 

Missional Mindset

This coming Sunday I will be continuing my series called "DNA: The Building Blocks of Life" with a study on Mission.

Check out this video of Tim Keller discussing characteristics of missional Christians and missional churches:

 

Feel free to leave feedback in the comments and let me know what you think.

Colorado Floods: How You Can Help

(Mirrored here from the White Fields Community Church blog)
In the last few days we experienced a historic and destructive flood, and so many people have been asking how they can help.
Here are some ways that we as the Body of Christ can shine light in the community:

Pray!

Pray for those affected by the floods, that not only would their needs be met and their hearts comforted, but that as a result of this time of crisis, they would remember how fragile life is and how temporary and fleeting possessions and the things of this world are, that they would turn to the Lord and find hope in the Gospel that goes beyond the circumstances and material things of this life.

Serve!

Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16). We encourage you to serve people in our community in the name of the Lord. There are many ways to do that, starting with helping those in our congregation whose homes were affected, to helping neighbors or friends who were affected.As a church, we are working closely with Longmont EOC (Emergency Operations Center) and Convoy of Hope Christian disaster relief ministry to help in recovery efforts, which will begin in the next few days and continue probably for the next few months. We will be looking to put together work teams to be able to go in and help with repairs and clean up. If anyone has special skills, please let us know, so we can help you meet those specific needs. For a list of current volunteer opportunities click here.

Give!

We have started a fund, called "Colorado Relief". You can give to that fund online here. In speaking with the EOC, they are going to help direct us to use these funds to help particular families meet important and specific needs. This is a good option if you would like to help people in our community and aren't sure how, as this will go directly to helping flood victims in our area, without any of it going to overhead.As of now, there are no particular material needs that we or the EOC or the Red Cross have, so we encourage you to give to the relief fund and we use those monies for hurting families as they come to our attention through these organizations we are partnering with.