September Update

Over the past three months, we’ve accomplished a lot in relation to meeting people in the community, spreading the word about the church plant among Calvary groups in the country and in the community, and enjoyed some time at home in the States. As always, there’s more work to be done, and we are excited and happy to be doing it. While I have been traveling a lot more than usual lately, I am seeing more and more of the same things from the Hungarian and American Calvary Chapels; God is preparing to do something, and we need to be ready to be a part of it.

I first started to see this clearly while at the yearly Missions conference. We were able to attend the Eastern European Missions conference at Vajta, which was a new experience for Emily and a big blessing for Marianna and I. It’s always so great to see so many of our friends at one time, but also the teachings and worship were really refreshing for us after our period in Szolnok alone. We also learned a bit about Emily, like that she has a love for trees and people. In general, the message was on being good stewards of the ministries we have been entrusted with and resting in the Lord. For me, there were some serious moments where God really spoke about His plans for Hungary. When Brian Broderson shared how we need to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit and be willing to do things that might seem radical, but directed by the Spirit. One example he gave was two churches, one Calvary, one not, joining together. He also shared about a growing relationship with the Methodist church in England and how Calvary pastors are being asked to lead Methodist churches. This was an encouragement to me as we have seen a lot of fruit here working with the Methodist church in Szolnok.

The next big events were the Debrecen and Eger Summer English camp outreaches, which are the biggest outreaches of the year and usually quite effective in getting the Gospel out to the kids who come. Debrecen experienced a drop in attendance and Eger encountered some serious problems with students, but both also experienced quite a few changed lives in the process. I was able to visit Debrecen for a day and see the work going on there and was impressed with the teams they had arranged to come out and help. One team from Texas has been coming ever year for 5 years and really goes all out for the kids; doing skits, building relationships, and sharing the Gospel in relevant ways. It was also a treat for me to be back where it all started for me 8 years ago. The Debrecen camp was the ministry that God used to knit my heart to this country. We even ran into a few of the campers I’ve known for years, and could introduce them to Marianna and Emily for the first time.

I was also able to spend three days at the Eger camp assisting in

the accounting, teaching,and music. This year there were quite a few more kids then the previous years and someof the kids really tested our security team, but God protected us and nothing too out of control happened. The greatest thing for me about the Eger camp was to see Balázs, a guy I had been discipling off and on over the years, taking his first steps in assisting in the running of the camp, experiencing his first trials in leadership, and coming through with flying colors. Also, to visit with Ricsi, another young guy I was meeting with for discipleship, and how He is also growing in the Lord. The great part was how many of the kids from the camp came to church the next Sunday with their parents. Now, with school back in, most have stopped coming due to their schedules, but there are a few who have been coming regularly and are growing steadily in the Lord.

After this, we headed to America for a long-postponed visit with family and friends. We were able to spend a lot of time with my family, which was our main goal this time, but we also were able to spend some quality time with quite a few good friends as well as visit some new fellowships. I was able to meet some people from CC Modesto and Fremont and I was really refreshed by the fellowship, encouragement, and advice I received while there. Over all, God used the trip to really confirm and renewed my vision for Szolnok as I felt my desire to get back and get to work growing and growing as the trip went on. One of the best parts about the trip though was getting to share so much with Emily and see her reactions. My favorites were taking her swiming for the first time and showing her the ocean. God really blessed us during our stay and I am so grateful we had the chance to be there again.

Now, we are back in Szolnok and getting back to work. We have spent the past month meeting for prayer every Thursday night with people interested in a study here and began a study through the book of John on Tuesday nghts. While there have been some hiccups, everything has been remarkably smoother then I expected. Eventually, we would like to start a Sunday night service as that would be easier for most to attend then a weekly study. For now, though, Tuesday seems the best for everyone. The good news is that we’ve met quite a few people interested in a Bible study already. One family in particular, the Hajdu family, was a total God thing. I had gone to Eger randomly for a Sunday to help Nick with some accounting stuff and they were in town on vacation and decided to come to church. We met and I mentioned the church in Szolnok, about which they were very excited to hear. They later invited Marianna and I to a garden party with their mother who lives here and we got to know each other pretty well. Even though they live in Budapest, they sometimes drive out and join us and Marianna and Marti, the wife, talk regularly. They also have a young son who is a lot of fun and seems to like Emily a lot.

There is also a young couple, Barna and Zsuzsa, who recently moved to Szolnok. Zsuzsa is from the area and was studying in Budapest, but Barna just moved here for work after graduation. They are engaged to be married and plan on settling here. However, Zsuzsa is spending the next 9 months in Transylvania with a community service group that helps the poor people there. This means Barna is here alone in a city he doesn’t know and with a new job. I am working on building a relationship with him, but Barna is pretty busy with his new job. I am praying for the chance to hang out with him more as he seems like a cool guy and we share a lot of interests.

There is also a woman from a town about 30 minutes outside Szolnok who said there is a large group of people listening to the Calvary radio station there. The problem is there seems to be a faith church in the town that is very anti-Calvary and has threatened people who listen to the radio there. She’s not sure what they would do if they all came to Szolnok to attend a Calvary. I am sure this is a case of spiritual warfare but I have faith that if the Lord wants to do a work, He will open the doors. If not them coming here, He will work out a way for me to go there and teach them.

Now that the dates and times are set for our Bible study, we’ve really begun the posters and fliers work full steam. However, we’ve learned that there are no spots in town where we can put up our posters for free and the people we need to contact to pay are hard to reach. Once, we can get them up, our posters are designed to draw people to the web site where there is a Gospel presentation and lots of information about us and other affiliated churches in the are. Our hope is that people will check us out, and those who don’t know the Lord will be curious enough to check out the web site at least and in the process hear what God wants to say. We will also be doing street evangelism and community outreach, but for now, fliers and posters seems like the best path to getting the word out as quickly as possible to as many people as possible considering the resources and time constraints we have.

I’ve been trying hard to create a solid relationship with the Methodist church in town and I believe the relationship is bearing fruit. They have allowed us to rent their building for our meeting place and are very open to helping us get started. I’m praying now for the chance to get to know two other church leaders in town; the Reformed church and a Pentacostal church. While one has already mentioned a lot of distrust in Calvary, mainly due to misinformation and no personal contact with us yet, both seem like Godly men and I’d love the opportunity to have more brothers to pray, help, and minister with. I know God can do great things when Godly men humble themselves, work together, and pray.

Lastly, I’ve been seeking ways to get to know people in the community and have already meet some great people. We are still seeking new ways to get out there though. Marianna and I have befriended a few couples in the area and I have met some people interested in English tutoring whom I will be able to get to know through helping them. Also, we are trying to visit the same stores on a regular basis and really get to know the people working there. As always, the topic of why I am in Hungary comes up often and I am always willing to share the answer to that question. Our hope is that, through our friendship and sharing of our lives, these people might come to know the love of God and accept them as their Lord and Savior.

On a personal level, I am still struggling with Hungarian though my comprehension and ability to speak has improved a lot in the past few months. I am praying for the chance to take lessons again soon from a trained Hungarian teacher, possibly even signing up for classes at the college here in Szolnok. As always, finances are a limitation, but I am sure I can work something out as I believe it is a necessity now more then ever before. Also, Marianna and I have been really feeling the Spiritual warfare lately. Discouragemet, doubts, and dissapointments seem to weigh on us while the successes and victories seem to barely make a dent. I am praying for more strength in this area but also not asking that the trials be removed. I know that where there are trials, there is a blessing on the way. I don’t want to miss that for anything.

We know that the work is hard, but we also believe that, as the Lord declared, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We can’t imagine doing anything other then what we are doing right now. We are looking forward to the fruit of the tilling and planting we are doing now and are praying ernestly for a harvest that will glorify God and bring honor to His Kingdom. Praise Him for His glorious plans and gracious love.

Our Future Goals:
• The Bible study through John continuing every Tuesday. We hope to expand into a Sunday evening service in January if possible.
• A translator for the Bible study or someone to watch Emily while Marianna translates.
• We need to make contact with the local uinversity for future outreach opportunites, contacts, or possible work
• We need to continue to start and develop relationships with the people in Szolnok
• We are trying to locate a Hungarian teacher who can help me continue my studies in Hungarian
• We will be replacing our windows next month (which is a much needed improvement) and ask that everyone pray that the work is professional, on budget and that God provides the resources to complete the work.

Thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and support. God is truly working and blessing us and we couldn’t be doing what we are doing without you all. May God richly bless your faithfulness!

P.S. If you are interested in becoming part of a dedicated intercessory prayer team for the work here in Eger and Szolnok, please contact us and let us know. We will add your emails to a special prayer request list and update as often as possible, answer questions, and report when a specific prayer has been answered. Thanks!