More Things Hungarian

An interesting thing that we have noted about Hungarian yards and parks is that they are not always cut, mowed or manicured. These are pictures of the backyard at our apartment building. I was surprised when spring turned to summer that no one mowed the grass. Then just a couple of weeks ago, the whole area bloomed with these wildflowers. At some other apartment buildings, the grass is mowed, but many property owners use their backyards (and even front yards) to grow grapevines, fruit trees and vegetables in addition to gorgeous flowers.

Tourists in our own town

We decided to take a little time this summer to be tourists right where we live. We have always admired the Nagy Templom (Great Church) on the main square downtown. This is the home of the Reformed Church in Hungary. Many Hungarians in this part of the country are Reformed (Protestants) while most in the western part of the country are Catholic. We learned that a church has stood on this spot for almost 1000 years, but this building was erected in the 1810's and 1820's. It is a great big church, seating 3000 people, but the pews are arranged in a cross pattern so that no one is a long distance from the front. The best part of our tour was climbing the west tower (the one on the left in the picture. We were in the dark dome just below the clock). There are many steep, narrow stairs, but the view of the city of Debrecen is fantastic. We have posted a picture taken in each of the four directions. While we were up there, we asked God to pour out His Spirit on this city and this country. Would you take a moment now to ask God to do so, too? Thanks.

INSTE Leaders Trained!

Thank the Lord! Yesterday we held our first INSTE leaders training seminar. Eleven leaders were trained and are now ready to lead INSTE groups in the fall.

We again were reminded by the weekend's events how important it is to learn Hungarian well. Mike found it difficult, almost impossible, to lead a discussion through an interpreter. Nancy found it frustrating trying to communicate the requirements for the meal and breaks to the ladies serving on Saturday. We continue to stay motivated to study the language diligently every day.

We were encouraged this morning, however, when Pastor Michael Gulyas talked passionately about INSTE and encouraged everyone in the Debrecen Open Bible Church to become part of an INSTE group in September. We are hoping that the same enthusiasm was expressed this morning in the four other churches represented. Praise the Lord! INSTE is up and running!

Pulyka Nap

Chocolate Turkeys
This last weekend was "Pulyka Nap"- Turkey Day in Debrecen. It seems that this area is well known for the turkeys that they raise and market, so Debrecen takes advantage of that for the benefit of the tourists. There was a big celebration at the piac (downtown) with traditional songs, lots of booths selling items, plenty of good food, and even a cooking contest. I was also surprised to see some "Native Americans" playing their indigenous songs. Having grown up in South Dakota I was curious where they were from and found out that they were actually from Lima, Peru. There's no telling what you will find here in Hungary!


Making gulyás (goulash)










Natives from Lima, Peru












Plenty of good food












Roasted Pig

Praise God We Survived!

We praise God we survived our Super Intensive Spring Hungarian Language Course at the Nyari Egyetem here in Debrecen. It was two solid weeks of constant language study, but not only did we survive, we actually did quite well. Both of us took the optional test at the end of the course and passed with honors. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us! We are still tired, but have already noticed that it is a bit easier to understand what people are saying.
Now we have about six weeks of going over what we crammed into our heads the last two weeks and practicing what we have learned. Then we have another four weeks of intensive study. At least this next course will be only six hours a day, not eight or ten!

Marathon language classes continue

We now have just a few days left of our super-intensive Hungarian language course. Right now our bodies are tired and our minds are mush. Last week we were in class ten hours a day, but this week we are in class only eight! We will be taking a test on Friday to see how much we have learned and are praying that it all comes together and makes sense.
We have met some interesting people during the course. Several people are learning Hungarian for work-related reasons. Two young ladies we met are learning the language because their boyfriends are Hungarian! And two men we met are studying Hungarian as a hobby! One of them (who already knows several languages) told us he is studying Hungarian because it is an "exotic language."
A new missionary told us that she was advised by a seasoned missionary that learning someone's language is a gift of love. We keep telling ourselves that it is only by the work of learning Hungarian that we can most effectively share God's love and our love with our Hungarian friends and neighbors. Please continue to pray for us that we can do just that.