September Update

Otto Von Bismark once said something very true; “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” This past month, Hungary learned this lesson in a very clear way. A tape was released of their Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, admitting to lying about the economic condition of Hungary before the election. This sent the people into an uproar and caused demonstrations all over Hungary. Fortunately, the violent demonstrations were only in Budapest. Still, the message was clear; the people are not happy. And yet, in the midst of this, quiet little Eger has been moving along and God’s Spirit has been moving in great new ways. It truly is a blessing to be here and be a part of it.

First, this week marks the end of my five weeks as interim pastor while Nick and Rosemary are in the states on vacation. This has definitely been a hard, but rewarding time for me. I learned a lot about teaching, leading a church, and remaining steadfastly in the presence of the Lord. I had my failures and defeats, to be sure. However, God has really been blessing me during this time. Also, I have to admit that I am now very appreciative of my pastors and the work that they do. One thing I began to really struggle with was the lack of peers, particularly strong brothers, with which to fellowship. I am used to having mentors and friends to just hang out with, but here that isn’t really an option yet since I still don’t speak the language well. There are a few people here who speak English, but most of them are very busy. So, I am slowly learning to depend on the Lord more and enjoy what little company I get when I can. I am blessed to know a few strong brothers and sisters in Debrecen and I hope to visit with them next month during a quick vacation I will take once Nick and Rosemary return. Also, Geof Stimack, a brother from Denver, is going to be in town for the next month. Hopefully this next month will be one that is less lonesome and more energizing then the last.

An awesome praise report for this past month is the approval of my missionary visa! Something to know about Hungarian government; they will make anything as hard as possible. I have been told that if you go to the post office for anything other then receiving mail, you are truly blessed if they don’t send you away at least once. So, imagine my surprise when I went to turn in my visa application and everything was fine! This is a huge blessing because the trip takes two to three hours, one way, and involves crossing into another country. If I had to make this trip repeatedly, it would have cost a lot of money and involved a lot more time. However, God blessed it and I received the visa without any complications. Even the trip up to get it and come back was blessed! Of course, it involved two days of on and off travel to Slovakia, but it was definitely worth it. My friend Ike, a missionary from Debrecen, came along with me for the chance to pick up some Dr. Pepper. Apparently, Hungarians are not too fond of my much beloved drink. Well, we made sure to show our support of the not-so-highly-favored cola and both proudly wore our Dr. Pepper T-Shirts. We got a few strange looks, but for the most part people just ignored us. Crazy Americans.

Some other great news is I have purchased my tickets to come home for a visit in December. I am so excited to see everyone again and tell of everything going on here. I also am really excited to see the beach again and my family. Of course, I am also super happy to get some good old American food too. As of right now, I should be stateside from December 5th to January 7th. If you are going to be in either Los Angeles, San Jose, or Sacramento and would like to visit, let me know. I won’t have a set phone number during that time, but email access should still be ok. I intend to spend Christmas with the family, but will be visiting LA at some point to catch up with all you people down near there.

Some exciting possibilities are opening up here too. We have begun praying for a college outreach program we would like to start soon. It involves creating a non-denominational hang-out spot as well as possibly a coffee shop. We are praying mostly about God’s will right now, but if He moves us to go ahead, there is a strong possibility that this could turn into an energizing force in Eger, both for unity in the body and for evangelism to the unsaved. The largest obstacle right now is finances and location. We don’t have a church building, let alone a place to host a coffee shop. Also, there is the problem of the Catholic church and their stranglehold on downtown Eger. They are not too fond of us non-Catholic church groups and have made it clear they do not want us staying here. This is interesting to me considering they allow the Hari Krishnas, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons have events in the square, but heaven forbid we Christians do anything in their home turf. So, much prayer and seeking the Lord is going on regarding this right now, but there is definitely an interest among the Christian youth in town.