Meeting a Hungarian in Des Moines!

Today we were privileged to meet with István Zsengellér at Subway here in Des Moines. We had a great time getting to know István and hearing about his work in Hungary with Campus Crusade for Christ. (We spoke mostly in English so we could understand exactly what he said.) It was wonderful to hear how God is working through these wonderful people to bring many Hungarian young people to faith in Christ.

István showed us a couple of videos that describe how Campus Crusade for Christ is working in the schools and universities in Hungary. They even have a special event in October where Americans can help witness to English-speaking university students. If you would like to know more about Campus Crusade in Hungary, how you can support them financially or how you can participate in their October outreach, just go to our links column and click on the Campus Crusade for Christ link.

Family Gathering

One of the best parts of being in the US for a while is being able to get together with family. Last Saturday, Nancy's extended family in the Des Moines area got together for a barbecue. We enjoyed some wonderful food and a great time visiting. Sorry the picture isn't better. The wind was blowing in our faces! But otherwise the weather was beautiful. Thanks, Nick and Leona, for hosting our family gathering! We love you all!

Nancy Speaks Her Mind

I, Nancy, have a pet peeve. I can't stand it when people treat us as if we were some kind of "super Christians" or extraordinary saints just because we are missionaries. Look, we're no different from any other Christian. We have good days and bad days, days when we really trust God and days we worry. The things we do are just another expression of what other Christians do.

Someone may say, but you have to trust God for money to live on through the donations of other people. True, but how is that different from the believer who, even though her workplace does not allow discussion of religion, talks to her co-workers or even her supervisor about Jesus and what He has done in her life. She is risking her job and the money she needs to live on to be obedient to what God has asked her to do.

Another person says, but you gave up your home and possessions here in the US to move to another country. True, but how is that different from the pastor who sells everything possible and moves his family into a small apartment because he took a pay cut from the church he serves. He doesn't leave the church because of a financial downturn, he stays, knowing God has called him there.

Others say, I couldn't learn as hard a language as Hungarian like you are doing. Maybe, but how is that different from the youth leader who has to learn the new "language" of the youth he ministers to--and it changes constantly! He doesn't give up and lose touch with those he has been called by God to lead, he works hard at being able to continue to communicate with them.

Yes, we are missionaries and we love the Hungarians God allows us to work with. But we are no different than every believer who obeys God and depends totally on the Holy Spirit for the power and anointing to make disciples of those around them. We are only doing what God has asked us to do. And we are thrilled to be able to be a small part of God's Army that is going into all the world.

Counting Down

Six weeks from today we leave for Hungary. We are really looking forward to being back in our Hungarian home. (We have three homes, one in Hungary, one in America, and one in Heaven!) There are still things to do here before we leave, including making two more itineration visits, spending a little more time with family, packing, finishing a few items of business, and going to National Convention. But, our minds are increasingly drawn back to Hungary. Many questions are on our minds--how is everybody, what has happened since we left, how quickly will we be able to readjust, what business needs to be done there first? And we are praying to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit in order to live, love and work in Hungary. The excitement is building!

Where are we now?

If I were to tell you that we were at a place where we saw...

canals...

wooden shoes...

lots of tulips...

little girls in Dutch costumes...

windmills...

and cheese. Where would you say we were? If you said Holland, you would be wrong. We went to the Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa today.

Pella is a town about 45 miles SW of Des Moines. It was settled in 1847 by approximately 800 Dutch immigrants who left Holland for political and religious reasons. The community is very proud of its Dutch heritage and every year they put on a festival to celebrate their history.

During all the years that Nancy and I have lived in Des Moines we never made it to the Tulip Festival, so this year we went with Nick & Leona Venditti, and Caleb and Claudia Pahl. The weather was great, the tulips were beautiful and we had a good time.

Levi Home from the Hospital

Our grandson Levi is home from the hospital! Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for him. God is so good to answer our prayers!
Levi is in a body cast with Curious George on it, as you can see in the picture. He will remain in the cast until the end of May. This makes it awkward for his parents to care for him, but they are very happy to have him home for the rest of his recovery.