Japan in Romania?

We were able last weekend to make a trip to Gherla, Romania to minister in the Open Bible Church there.  We had a blessed time ministering and fellowshipping with our friends there.  On the way back, we were invited to stop in Cluj and meet a missionary from Japan.

Katsu in the chapel at the back of the Japanese tea house.

 Katsutaro and his wife Kayoko work with the Church of God in Romania, but Kayoko is originally from the Open Bible Church in Kobe, Japan.  They not only lead a church, but also minister to those who come to the Japanese Tea House managed by Katsu in downtown Cluj.  Katsu also finds time to teach Japanese culture in various schools. After Katsu introduced us to their work in Cluj, Kayoko treated us and our friend Karen Rose to a wonderful home-cooked Japanese meal.

One of the employees of the Japanese Tea House

We enjoyed the afternoon listening to stories of God's wonderful acts in Japan and Romania.  It's always good to make new friends, wherever we find them.

New Grandbaby

We are happy to announce that we have a new grandbaby!  Mychael JoAnn was born Thursday to our son Mark and his wife Nadine.  She weighed 9 pounds and 7 ounces and is 20 inches long.  She is welcomed by her older brothers Nathan (4) and Isaac (2). 
We are very excited to have a baby girl in the family!  After three sons and three grandsons, this little girl will be well spoiled by her Grandma and Papa!

Traveling to Romania

We leave on Saturday for a couple of days in Gherla, Romania.  Mike has been invited to preach at the Open Bible Church there, something he is always happy to do when he can.  Please pray for good traveling weather.  We must drive over a mountain pass and they are having a snowstorm today.  We also ask that you pray for God's anointing on Mike as he speaks and that God will raise up godly leaders for these dear people.

What's that?

Doesn't this just make your mouth water?  Know what it is?  It's Nancy's lunch--pizza with ham and corn.  Yumm!

Almost Finished with First Book

Many of you already know this, but we wanted to let everyone know our latest news.  The first book of Level Two INSTE, Church Leadership, is in its final reading!  That means that the book has been translated and edited and is now being proofread.  Soon it will be ready for a pilot group to study.  We are hoping to have all four books of the first semester finished by fall so our pilot group can start then.  Two more books are in the process now.  The second book is being edited and the third book is being translated.  Soon the translators will begin work on the fourth book.  This is so exciting!  The need is great in Hungary for pastors and other church leaders to be trained.  God has provided INSTE as a wonderful means of meeting this need and we--and you--have a chance to be a part of it.  Special thanks to all of you who have given funds to have Level Two INSTE translated into Hungarian.  God bless you!

Next Generation INSTE Group

Katalin- Level One INSTE graduate and now group leader

 It was exciting on Friday to be able to train a leader for a new INSTE group in Ibrány.  Kati is a Level One INSTE graduate who feels called by God to lead an INSTE group in her church.  There is nothing unusual about that.  God calls many people to lead INSTE groups in their churches.  Kati and her INSTE group are special, though.  Their church grew out of their INSTE group.  Before they had finished Level One, they were holding services in the community center and leading people to Christ.  Now their church has been blessed with a building of their own and it is packed every Sunday.  Many new people are coming to Christ and are growing in their faith.  They are expecting to have ten new INSTE students for this semester!  We thank the Lord for what he has been doing in Ibrány and ask Him to bless this new group of students as they study the Word of God.

The congregation at the Shalom Bibliai Gyülekezet in Ibrány

Recycling

This is the collection point where we take our recycling. The blue bin is for paper, the green for glass and the yellow for plastic.  Thankfully, these recycling bins are only a block from our home/office.

One reason we try to recycle as much as we can is our trash bin.  This is the only trash can for all six apartments in our building (though only four are occupied).  We must try not to be wasteful Americans!

INSTE Student's Testimony

Dezső with is wife and daughter

During INSTE class last night, one of the students shared the following testimony.  Desző said he had been praying for an opportunity to talk about God to his family.  He loves them very much, he said, and wants them to experience new life in Christ, too.  On New Year's Eve, his whole family was together in a relative's home. They have all noticed the change in him since he gave his life to Christ. One of them asked him a question about God, and for the next two to three hours, they sat around Desző listening to him talk about spiritual things and asking him questions.  Desző could feel the Holy Spirit speaking through him helping him say things and remember things he could not have said or remembered on his own. 

The next day he began doing his INSTE lesson at home, lesson 10 of the first book.  He began crying and rejoicing when he realized that the things he was reading in the lesson were the very things he had been sharing the night before with his relatives.  And he had not even studied them yet!  Praise God for the power of the Holy Spirit who works through us to do what we cannot do!

Church Law Update

In an earlier post, we informed you of a possible new law in Hungary that would affect Open Bible Churches and most other small Christian denominations in Hungary.  It would change the legal status of the denominations from churches to civic organizations and clubs.  The newest law, however, allows church denominations to maintain their church status if they have an ongoing relationship with an international denomination that had been in existence for more than 100 years, or have been officially registered in Hungary for more than 20 years.  Open Bible meets the second requirement!  Praise the Lord!  There are additional requirements to be met including going before a review board.  God has answered our prayers so far.  Please keep praying for Open Bible.  And please pray for the other small church organizations that cannot meet all of these requirements.  Our God is a great God!

A Couple Photos Nancy Likes

 This is my walking path through the park.  We've had a rather mild winter so far with only a little snow that has quickly melted away.  This, to me, is a sort of sad picture.

This, however, is a happy picture!  This is our friend Berci.  Sandor Bereczki is one of the pastors of the Open Bible Church here in Debrecen.  He turned to greet me before church and I captured his wonderful smile.  I thank God that in the middle of a dreary winter, he gives us such special friends in Christ!