Glimpse of Romania

We traveled again to Gherla, Romania, this last weekend. The trip takes between four and six hours, depending on traffic and stops, so we had lots of time to take pictures. We see shepherds with their flocks here in Hungary, too, but we wanted to show you this picture from Romania.

Horse-drawn wagons are not uncommon in Hungary, especially in the countryside, but we seem to see more of them in Romania. The part of Romania we traveled in, Transylvania, was for several hundred years part of Hungary, so there are a lot of similarities between the two countries. More than ten percent of the population consider themselves Hungarian and still speak the language. We ate some traditional Romanian food over the weekend and it was very close to Hungarian food.

There are some definite differences, though. Romania is a poorer country than Hungary. They have yet to recover from the severe poverty they suffered under Ceausescu and the Communists and the recent world economic situation has set them back in their recovery. Also, Romania's main religion is Eastern Orthodox while Hungary is mostly Roman Catholic and Reformed. The Orthodox Church has a very powerful hold on the people and the government in Romania.

Please pray for Romania, that God will bring revival to the churches and that a great wave of evangelism will spread throughout the country. Pray also for the Open Bible Church in Gherla, that God will provide for them the pastor they need and that these dear people will continue to grow in the Lord.

Kanikula!

We have been having a heatwave (kanikula) this week. Hot winds from Africa have warmed us up to about 94 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with lows around 70. Other places in the country have had higher temperatures and several records have been broken. We know that doesn't sound bad to those in the US who experienced higher temps this summer, but most people here (including us) don't have air conditioning in their home. We only miss air conditioning about two or three weeks a year when the temps get this high. This is one reason that August is vacation month in most of Europe. We cope by opening the windows wide early in the morning to let the apartment cool down as much as possible. Then, before it gets too hot, we close the windows and pull the drapes to keep the cool in and the sun out. Sitting in front of fans helps, too.

We are thankful that it should be a bit cooler this weekend since we are heading for Gherla, Romania on Saturday. Please pray for safe travels for us and for God to minister through us again this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

We made a quick trip to Gherla, Romania, this weekend. The trip takes four to six hours, depending on traffic and stops. But it's always good to know that you are following God (see license plate above.)

We enjoyed stopping in the mountains at an overlook to take pictures.

And, of course, we had to stop at Starbucks in Cluj Napoca, especially since it was Mike's birthday.

Traffic was heavy, it took a little more time than usual to get through the border, and since we made a couple extra stops, it took us six hours to make it to Gherla. We really enjoyed our time with the wonderful people in Gherla. They treated us well, fed us too much delicious food, and sang the Romanian happy birthday song to Mike, twice!

The best part, though, was the time we had worshipping the Lord together. The presence of God was awesome in the service. We are looking forward to another trip this weekend. May God bless the Romanians, especially the believers in Gherla!

Big Weekend Ahead

Tomorrow, August 20, is a big day for three reasons. One, it is Saint Steven's Day, Hungary's national holiday. There will be a huge parade here in Debrecen with lots of flower-covered floats and lots of other events followed by fireworks in the evening. Two, tomorrow is Mike's birthday! He enjoys the fact that the whole country celebrates his birthday. And three, we are leaving to go to Gherla, Romania, for Mike to speak in the Open Bible Church there. Our plans are to go to the parade in the morning, leave for Romania right after lunch, and celebrate Mike's birthday over coffee at Starbucks on the way to Gherla.

Please pray for us for trouble-free travel and that God will minister through us to the lovely people in Gherla. Please pray for Hungary, also. We are crying out to God with our fellow believers for revival to once again come to this country.

Flowers in the Neighborhood

We enjoy the fact that Hungarians are good at growing things and like to fill their homes and gardens with flowers. Here are a few pictures from our neighborhood.

Wedding Time

I (Nancy) was walking back from the university this morning when I saw this car in the parking lot. It was easy to see that this car is being used by a bride and groom. It is customary for the bridal party to go to places like Debrecen University and the Big Woods Park to have pictures taken.

As I walked though the park on the way home, I saw this wedding party, maybe the one that the car belonged to.

There are a lot of weddings on Saturdays in the summer. Besides having pictures taken, the bridal party has the first wedding at city hall. Then there is usually a church wedding followed by the wedding supper. This reception lasts until breakfast the next morning!

Adventure with Tammy

Traveling with Tammy Swailes is always an adventure! Tammy is the European Region Director for INSTE and is our immediate supervisor and friend. She stopped in Hungary on Monday to see us on her way to do some INSTE business in Romania. Tammy asked me (Nancy) if I would like to go with her on Tuesday and return on Thursday. It sounded good, so I packed a bag and we headed out Tuesday morning for Romania.

Or trip to Oradia (in Hungarian Nagyvárad) was uneventful. Our two meetings there were really good and we enjoyed talking about what was accomplished over lunch afterward. Then we headed for Gherla for our next meetings. About one hour out of Oradia, there was a strange noise and the car lost power. Tammy pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant along the road and looked under the hood. Even I could see that the belt to the alternator had come off. We needed help. We started praying and God started working.

There were a few people waiting to be served on the terrace of the restaurant, so Tammy asked if anyone spoke English. A young lady said she did a little and a gentleman also offered to help. They were able to call a service garage in a village close by and tell them about our problem. About 15 minutes later, a mechanic arrived and was going to call for a tow truck, but we convinced him the car could make it the ten kilometers to the garage. As we followed him back for what seemed like hours (more like 15 minutes), we kept praying.

At the garage, a man who appeared to be the head mechanic spoke to us in English! He looked at the car, made some calls, and told us he found the right parts. It looked like the part that turns the alternator belt was broken. It would take about an hour, he told us. It did not look like they took credit cards as payment and we had not yet stopped at an ATM to get any Romanian money, so Tammy told him we had no money. You should have seen his face fall! Then she asked if she could pay in US dollars. He was very happy to say yes. So we sat down to wait.

After a couple of hours, they said the parts were still coming, so we took a little walk and took some pictures like this one of a goat herder and his flock.

We saw some storks, too. The best picture I could get was of this one on a telephone pole. (I am not as good a photographer as Tammy.)

By the time the parts arrived and were put on, it was five hours after the breakdown and far too late to make it to Gherla. We had to cancel our meetings there and drive back to Hungary. It was disappointing to have to cut our trip short, but we had many things to thank God for. One was that God gave us "angels" who helped get us to a garage even though neither of us knew the language or were familiar with the area. We thanked God that the mechanic spoke English, parts were available, that Tammy had enough money with her to pay for the repairs, and that they were finished that evening so we did not have the extra expense and trouble of staying overnight in a strange place.

Tammy says that, as much as she travels, she very rarely has car trouble. God is always watching over her and he was watching over both of us this time, too!

Nagy erdő

A walk in the woods is good for both body and soul.

Baptism in the River

Zoli Ács, far right, with those from Tomor who were baptised.

Ferenc, second from left, with those from Ibrány who were baptised

Baptism brings such joy!

Yesterday we went to Tokaj, about an hour and a half from Debrecen, to witness the baptism of eight new believers from Ibrány and Tomor. These folks are special to us since both groups are the result of INSTE students acting out their faith. The church in Ibrány was started and is led by INSTE First Level graduates. The people saved in Tomor were brought to Christ through the testimony of another of our INSTE graduates.

The baptism was held at a beach on the Tisza River where the Open Bible Churches are conducting a week of youth camp. Right next to us was a team from the Nyiregyháza Fire Department that was practicing river search and rescue! They were respectful and did not disturb the service, but it made for some funny comments at the time.

Saturday will be a second baptismal service for new converts from Nyiregyhaza and Debrecen. Praise the Lord for those coming into the Kingdom of God! And praise the Lord for INSTE's part in fulfilling the Great Commission!