December Update

Hello and merry Christmas everyone! It's time again for an update on things here in Eger, Hungary and I have a lot of great news to share! First up is the exciting news that Dani, our pick for the new Worship leader in Eger, has returned and started taking over duties in the church! This is a really exciting thing as it is specifically what we have been praying for; he is from the area, already has the respect of the church members, has a heart for their spiritual health, a desire to love on and serve them, can be a strong helper for Nick, and, most importantly, he is an anointed worship leader. All of these things will make Dani a great fit for the role here in Eger and free me up, mentally and Spiritually, to begin the work in Szolnok. It's very exciting for me to see God moving in this way and I can't wait to see how God grows and uses Dani in this new capacity.

These past few months, we've been involved in a lot of outreaches and community projects again. Sometimes, it felt like every week we were doing something! It had good results though and the city has really moved to a new level of accepting us as a real church and not a cult. Some of the things we did this month were community service based, but also plenty of evangelism. In September we helped with a project in the dense population section of the city. It's estimated that about half of the city lives within this 2 square mile area. Our job was to help with the painting and restoration of a playground. It wasn't a lot of work but it took us a good four hours and we were even on the local TV station that night. What's more important is we met a few of the locals as they expressed their appreciation for the work and were able to share with a few of them about Jesus in the process!

We also took advantage of the global heart health awareness day and offered free blood and heart health screening. Hungary has a socialized health care system and, unfortunately, most of the people here don't get regular consultations from their doctors because they are so busy and worn out. On top of that, Eger's hospital doesn't have a very good reputation for being caring and helpful to it's patients. The chance to sit down and actually talk to a doctor about their health, both physically and spiritually, for free, was a real treat for them and we had long lines all day long. Christian, a doctor from the fellowship in Debrecen, was able to share the Lord with quite a few people and prayed with most of them. It was mostly the older generation, but it really gave us the chance to minister where there was a need and really bless the people in the process.

We also have been active in sharing the Gospel with the local college freshman as they come for their orientation. FÉK, or Hungary's version of Campus Crusade for Christ, donated a lot of free material to give out and allowed us the chance to do the legwork of handing it all out. In total, we handed out close to 400 "survival packs" to students and received contact information from over 150 of them. We are now in the process of contacting those students, meeting with them, and sharing the Gospel with them as time allows. So far a few have started coming to church, but not on a regular basis yet. We are praying that these students would see the glory of Christ and desire to follow Him, just as we have. On a side note, this is the same program that led Marianna and many others in Hungary to the Lord, so it is a very fruitful investment and we are looking forward already to the next chance to share in the work.

We were blessed with the chance to baptize three young guys in the fall who were all saved this spring through the FÉK program. One of them, Marci (Martsi, next to Nick on the right) has been very active in the church since being introduced to us. He is now helping with our new monthly Youth bible study and often writing devotionals for our weekly bullitin. He is still young and new to the faith, but we already see a lot of growth and maturity in his walk and desire to serve the Lord. We are praying that God will sustain and grow him through our fellowship into the man God desires him to be. Also, that we can help him to develop leadership skills and guide him in the path God has for him.

On a personal note, I have returned to the Bible college (through correspondence) to try to complete a degree through their program. The great news is the school has been granted an EU accreditation so the degree would be recognized throughout Europe as an official degree and it's all about a subject I love; the Bible! It's also a blessing as it gets me in the Bible even more then I already am and I already feel myself growing Spiritually. The program is supposed to take 3 years (of which I have almost 1 completed) and then I will receive a Bachelor's in Theology. From there, I could continue through seminary and receive a Master's if I decide to continue. Right now, I just want to focus on finishing the Bachelor's program though.

We are happy to report that Marianna and baby are both doing well and growing strong. As of now, we are in week 21 and the doctors are all saying the baby is doing great and Marianna has a healthy weight gain. Marianna says the baby is constantly moving, especially when I am talking. I still haven't really felt it though. I have to admit that I think pregnancy is really a blessing for Marianna as she truly does look more and more beautiful as the time goes by. We went to an ultrasound appointment recently and were able to get a 3d picture of the baby as well as a DVD of the whole examination. We still don't know if it is a boy or a girl though.

As for the future, we are continuing our plans for the move to Szolnok. We are going to slowly begin transitioning things from me to Dani and the other elder in the church, Jani, over the next two months. We are looking into organizing an Eastern Hungary men's conference which will focus on examples of Godly men in the Bible. It's still in the early planning stages, but I am praying that the experiences I had at San Jose's men's fellowship will help create an encouraging, yet challenging, event for the men here. No official date has been set yet though.

Starting March, I will only be in Eger every other Sunday to cover Nick or Dani as needed. During that time, Marianna and I will be preparing our flat in Szolnok for the baby. It's a good size flat but has really old windows and the heating system is not so great. We also have a big problem with storage (no closets here) so we will have to build some. Marianna will begin maternity leave also in March so she we can stay in Szolnok near the doctors while we await the birth of the baby. During this time I will be focusing on meeting with local Christians, trying to figure out the area a bit Spritually, and meeting with people interested in a Bible study. Most importantly, it will be a much needed time of rest for us both before the baby comes and the actual work of planting the church begins. We are praying a lot that this will be a fruitful time for us and our marriage. After the arrival of the baby, we are planing on helping with the summer programs in Eger, inviting anyone we have established contact with from Szolnok to join us for the summer conferences and outreaches. We are also praying about a trip home to visit the family, introduce the baby to everyone, and just enjoy some fellowship with you all.

Please join us in praying over the next few months how God would like to use us during this time of transition to the maximum effect and what we should be doing to prepare ourselves for the work coming up. We are really looking forward to the upcoming changes and can't wait to see what God will do, though sad to see the time here in Eger drawing to a close. We hope you are all excited as well and looking forward to hearing more in the coming months! Thank you for your prayers and support! God bless!

- Shane, Marianna, and Baby

Praise Reports:
* Dani has returned to take over the worship ministry, just as we were praying for!
* Church is still growing and about to reach 5 years old!
* Marianna and baby are doing well!
* I received my 5 year residency permit! I can now live, work, and move around like a native Hungarian citizen!

Prayer Requests for Eger:
* That Dani would grow into the ministry position God has prepared him for and be bold in the work.
* The church in Eger would continue to grow and become even more of a powerful witness for Christ.
* More elders and leaders would be raised up in the fellowship to share the work and spread the Word of God.

Prayer Requests for Szolnok:
* God would introduce us to people in Szolnok interested in a Bible study and in helping with the work.
* A place to meet would be provided for the study
* God would raise up a partner to share the work with me

Personal Prayer Requests:
* A strong marriage for Marianna and I
* A healthy baby and safe birth for Marianna
* Smooth transition to living in Szolnok