What do you do with your time?

Our kids asked us the other day, "If you have language classes only three times a week, what do you do with the rest of your time?" Other people might have the same question, so here's some of what we do.

Language classes are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, two lessons per class. We also study on our own two or more hours every day. Of course, for this year, language acquisition is our primary purpose, so we devote as much time as we can to this. We also get out among people every day to hear others talk and do our best to interact with them. This is the hardest part, but the most helpful part of learning to speak Hungarian.

We are working on getting INSTE classes started in September or October. We are setting up the office, getting up to speed on the files, books, computer programs, etc. We are also going to meetings of pastors and churches to establish relationships with people who will want to start INSTE in the future. Mike has already been asked to speak in churches, so this requires his time in sermon preparation.

We are doing what we can to become involved in the Open Bible Churches here. There is little we can do in the line of ministry with our limited language ability right now, but we are attending services, joining in prayer, and doing whatever else we can. Today, for example, we have been invited to participate in an evangelistic outreach in Nyiregyhaza. Our main contribution today will be prayer, but we will also be building relationships with people.

Much of our time is spent in doing daily living tasks. As we learn where to find things, how to communicate to get what we need, and how things are done here, it will take less time. For example, last week I wanted to make a simple potato soup. (I go three or four times to the grocery store since I walk and cannot carry a week's worth of food home in one trip.) At the store, I looked for butter and picked up a package next to a sign I thought said "vaj" (butter). The package didn't say "vaj" on it, but a lot of the products in the store have just brand names on them and/or are from other countries with other languages on them. When I was ready to add it to my soup, it wasn't butter, but some kind of cream cheese. Oh, well, the soup tasted good anyway, not what I had expected, but good.

God is good to us and we spend time with Him every day. It seems that we are not doing much right now, but preparation time is very important. We see what God has done and is doing to establish INSTE in Hungary and we are so happy to be a part of it.