Now, where were we?

We have enjoyed the comfort of being with family and friends since Mike's dad's funeral, but we are looking forward to being back to work in Hungary soon. We left in a hurry, of course, and now our minds must shift back into work mode. Our plane leaves Friday and we should arrive back home on Saturday evening. Sunday morning, Mike is scheduled to preach. This should be fun!

We are looking forward to checking on the INSTE groups--those that are going now and those that should be ready to start soon after we return. It will be good to hear from our translation team about the progress they have made since we left. And we hope to have good news about the application we made for INSTE to be registered as a foundation in Hungary.

Please pray for a safe, uneventful trip for us back to Hungary.

Elwood Juntunen

Alton Elwood Juntunen

 We received word on Thursday that Mike's dad, Elwood Juntunen, had passed away.  Elwood was 85 years old and had been sick only a short time.  We are thankful that Elwood put his faith in Jesus Christ and is now with him and Mike's mom, Myrtle, in heaven.  Elwood was a quiet man who had a wonderful, dry sense of humor.  He was a gifted mechanic and musician.

Mike with his parents and brothers.  Mike is the oldest of six boys.

We are also thankful that we will be able to return to Iowa for the funeral.  Please pray for safe travel for us and for the rest of the family who will be traveling.

Prayer Week

Praying all together

 This is a special week here in Debrecen.  Seven churches are joining together to pray for each other, the city, the country and for God's will to be done.  Every night we are meeting in another church with those who are willing to intercede and worship God together.  The week will conclude with a 24-hour prayer and worship time at Life Church.  As enjoyable as it is to pray and worship together, it is even better to know what an awesome affect we are having on the entire community.

Praying in small groups

Cold in Debrecen

One more weather post.  It's cold in Debrecen!  -12!  Celsius, that is.  That is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  That's cold enough, though.  Europe is in the grips of a cold snap that is forecasted to last at least another 10 days.  This is a real strain on households and governments in the grip of the economic crisis.  We are praying it warms up soon.

Snowstorm

This is the street in front of our apartment.  You cannot see the snow coming down, but it was still snowing and VERY COLD!

The weather here in Hungary is generally a little milder than what we were used to in Minnesota and Iowa.  Right now, though, we are experiencing a snowstorm.  We are thankful that we do not have to drive anywhere today, but will need God's wisdom tomorrow about driving to Tomor for our INSTE group there.  Meanwhile, we thank the Lord that we have heat and all we need to spend the day indoors.