Fresh Snow

Today we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow. I estimate that we received about 5 cm (approx. 2 inches) and it is still coming down. Since the temperature was at a nice "balmy" 0 degrees C. it was very pleasant, and certainly beautiful, on our walk to church this morning. This is the kind of winter I (Mike) really enjoy!

The street outside our apartment.

Mike trying out his new hat on his way to church.

That is Nancy all bundled up. She is not as thrilled with winter as I am.

Ravens?

Can somebody tell me--Are these ravens? Sorry, this is the best picture I (Nancy) could get with my little camera. These are the biggest birds we see here. Well, in the city, that is. In the villages we've seen storks much bigger than this, but these are good sized birds. Are they crows? Ravens? Let me know if you need a bigger picture.

Residency Permits

Praise the Lord with us! We got our residency permits today! And they are for five years! That's the longest time possible. Thank you everyone who prayed for us. Wow! God is good!

Birds

Every morning and every evening hundreds of birds fill the skies over Debrecen flying to and from their resting places in the tops of trees and on peaks of buildings. What a sight! I am watching them now from the office window. It is time to write my Hungarian assignment, but the birds seem almost innumerable and are fascinating to watch.

INSTE Students Testify

Three INSTE students gave wonderful testimonies at church yesterday. Anna told how her little granddaughter was so very sick in the hospital. The doctors and medicine were unable to help her, but after she was prayed for, God healed her completely!
Pastor told the whole congregation that Katalin is the hardest working and best student in her INSTE group. She was so embarrassed when she was called forward to be recognized, but gave God the praise and told how she was saved.
Pál sang a beautiful song in the Gypsy language for us. He testified that he had been sick his entire life with a lung disease. He moved from Budapest to eastern Hungary in hopes that the cleaner air would be better for him. After he moved, some new friends started witnessing to him and inviting him to church. After attending church a few times, he turned his life over to God. Not only did the Lord save him, but He completely healed him, too!

Residency Permit Papers

This morning we headed out to the immigration office to hand in our paperwork for extension of our residency permits. There was thick fog and beautiful frost on everything. I snapped this picture of the bush by our front gate while Mike scraped the frost off the car windows. :-)

Our meeting at the immigration office went smoothly. The agent who helped us said that he believed we had all the papers necessary and that, if everything goes smoothly, our permits should be ready in 22 working days. We asked for 5-year permits, the longest available. Now we wait and pray.

Possibilities

It's traditional in Hungary to give flowers to the hostess when you are invited to someone's home for a meal. Last week we had one of the leaders of the Hungarian Church of God (Cleveland) and his wife over for lunch. They gave us these beautiful flowers.

The best part was that we talked with them about INSTE and discussed the possibilities of INSTE helping disciple people and train leaders in their churches. Please pray that they will find the best places to utilize this wonderful program.

"Helping"

I was reminded this morning of a picture that was taken of our oldest son, Paul, when he was about 2 1/2 years old. Paul is crouched down next to his granddaddy's car "helping" Granddaddy change the tire. I remember how my dad so enjoyed having Paul with him, even letting Paul hold the lug wrench while Granddaddy loosened the nuts on the tire. They both had a great time together while Paul "changed the tire." The job was impossible for Paul to do, of course, but he could do it with Granddaddy's help.

I think that's the way we work with God. God asks us to do things that are totally impossible for us to do and then "helps" us to do them, all the while providing all the power, resources and direction needed for the job. Our part is to be with the Father, enjoying him, listening to him, and doing what he asks. Our Father is so pleased to have us with him that he does the impossible through us. How amazing!

Open Bible Camp

We enjoyed participating in the Open Bible Camp December 29 through January 3 at the Dorcas campground just 15 minutes from Debrecen. This camp was made possible through Dorcas Aid International in Holland. Donations were made through Dorcas Aid by several individuals who wanted to bless a church that would not be able to afford to hold its own camp. Everyone from the three Open Bible Churches was invited to attend free of charge.
We ate together,

worshiped together,

learned together, and enjoyed spending quality time with each other.

It was great getting to know some of the people, including INSTE students, from the other churches. We even got to pray with a few people. We tried not to rely on translators and did okay with communicating, thanks to the patience of those who talked with us.

A special program was planned for New Year's Eve. There were skits, a visit from Mikulas (Santa Claus, pictured above), games, fireworks, and the traditional singing of the national anthem at midnight. We were asked to sing our national anthem, too, so we did our best.

All of us were encouraged and challenged to live a victorious Christian life. We don't know who the people were who paid to make this possible, but we pray that the Lord will bless them richly for their gift.

Welcome 2010!

Boldog új évet kivánunk mindenkinek! (We wish everyone a happy New Year!)

We just spent four days at a camp with Open Bible people. It was a wonderful time with great food, great conversation, great teaching and constant language practice! Our brains are mush. We'll say more about it later and include pictures.