Hungarian Grandmas in Romania

This weekend we again made a trip to Gherla, Romania to minister in the Open Bible Church there.  After lunch this afternoon, we had time to visit two Hungarian "grandmas." These precious ladies are 85 and 90 years old, are of Hungarian descent and speak primarily Hungarian.  We enjoyed meeting these ladies, visiting in Hungarian and praying for them. 

Karen Rose, a missionary friend in Romania had requested some large print Hungarian Bibles for some of her Hungarian friends who couldn't read their Bibles because their eyesight was getting poor.  We had bought a couple of them and brought them with us when we came down a month ago.  Today, we were able to meet one of the ladies who received one of those Bibles (she is the one in the picture above).  She was so excited to receive the Bible that she just had to show us how much of it she had read since receiving it.  It was encouraging to see how excited these precious people are about the Word of God-  it is a valuable treasure to them!

Getting Used to a Place or Loving It?

This afternoon I (Nancy) was talking with one of my conversation partners.  Conversation partners are native speakers of a language you are trying to learn who take the time and patience to talk with you and listen to you stumble around trying to talk back to them.  Well, that's kind of how it works for me.  But talking for half an hour or so in Hungarian is very good Hungarian practice, and I really appreciate those who help me learn their language.

Anyway, I was talking with Annamaria, and she told me that she may not be able to continue helping me since she is moving to a small village and will be too far away to visit with me regularly.  She sighed and told how she would miss Debrecen, the city she grew up in.  She would miss the people, the hustle and bustle, the many activities and amenities of the city.  She was dreading moving to the village with its slower lifestyle, quiet streets and traditions.  In my hesitant Hungarian, I tried to encourage her that she would get used to village life, that it would only take some time.  She said, "It's like you moving here to Hungary.  I'm sure you really miss America, don't you?"  I told her yes, sometimes I do, but I have learned to like it here, too.

I wish I could have expressed myself more clearly in Hungarian.  If I could have, I would have told Annamaria that I not only like Hungary, I love it.  Hungary has become my second home.  I have not only gotten used to living here, I love living here.  Not that I don't love America any more.  I love both countries and am happy living in either.  However, I miss whichever one I am not in at the present time!

It is more than just getting used to a place or learning to love a country, though.  I know God has called me here.  And when God calls us, he gives us everything we need to complete that call including a love for the place and the people he sends us to.  I am ever so thankful to God for giving me everything I need including contentment with where he has placed me.

Be Holy!

I (Mike) have been reading through Leviticus for my devotions.  Usually the books of Leviticus and Numbers are not my favorite ones to read because they mainly contain a bunch of laws and lists of people, and I often end up skimming through a large portion of the books  (I can see many of you smiling because you know you do the same thing).  However, this time I am looking at them a little differently.

When I came to Leviticus 19, I noticed that God began his conversation with Moses by saying; "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (vs. 2).  He then continued with a series of laws and regulations He wanted Israel to follow periodically stating; "I am the Lord (your God)."  This phrase is used 15 times in this short chapter so you get the impression that this is something God really wants us to comprehend.

Now usually when we talk about laws or rules, I think we have a tendency to react the same way teenagers react to their parent's rules.  "This isn't fair.  It doesn't make sense.  You're just trying to spoil my fun.  Why should I do that?" etc. etc.  And teens really hate it (at least I did) when they question the rules and all they hear from their parents is; "Because I'm your dad (mom), and I said so!"  We, like these teenagers, don't often see the reason for the rules and regulations God places upon us, and when we read verses where He says; "I am the Lord, your God", it is possible that we can hear our parent's voice saying; "Because I said so!"

However, I don't believe that this is the message that God is making to His people.  I don't believe that He is simply making demands upon us, and then saying; "Because I said so!"  I believe that, instead of being restrictions upon Israel, these laws are a means by which God can reveal Himself to the world.  I believe God is saying that He has chosen Israel to be His instrument to reveal His character to the world, and in order to do that, they need to accurately reflect that character through their lifestyle. 

When He gives them instruction on how to treat the poor (Lev. 19: 9-10), He is saying that they should do that because He is the Lord, their God who is LOVE and this is how He would treat them.  When He tells them not to steal, defraud their neighbor, mistreat their hired servants, or pervert justice (verses 11-18), He is saying, do this because I am the Lord your God who is JUST and this is what I would do.  When He gives them directions regarding the types of foods to eat, religious ceremonies, and avoiding sinful lifestyles that the other nations followed (verses 20-37), He was saying, follow this way of living because I am the Lord your God who is HOLY and this is who I am.  So, by keeping the commands and laws that God had established, Israel was making themselves distinct from other nations and other religions, and showing them just who God really is.  It was a way to draw the people of the other nations to Him.

Today, the church has the same task that God had given to Israel.  We are to demonstrate the nature, character and power of God through our life.  In the Old Testament the only way this could be accomplished was by keeping a strict code of external rules through human effort.  However, we know that this is impossible to do.  In the New Testament and for the church today, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to enable us to do what we cannot do in our own power (Rom. 8:1-4).  The laws of God that we see written in the Old Testament are now written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, so they are not just a list of "do's and dont's"  but are actually part of our nature.  We do them because it is now who we are, and by living holy and distinct lifestyles we are showing the world who God is, and hopefully drawing them to Him.

I guess the point that I am making is that from now on, whenever I read the laws and regulations that God places in the Bible, I will no longer see them as a legalistic restriction upon my life, but as a tool of evangelism to demonstrate His character to the world.

Passport

Whew! I (Nancy) have my passport back! I know I shouldn't worry after I have prayed and asked God to take care of a situation, but I did anyway. Last week on Wednesday, a representative of the American Embassy was in Debrecen, offering services to Americans and Hungarians. I needed some additional pages put in my passport. It was getting full of stamps, but I didn't want to get a new passport since my Hungarian residence visa is in this passport and it's just more convenient to get pages added to this one. The embassy representative and his assistants were very helpful and I had no trouble ordering the new pages. They had to take my passport back to Budapest to insert the new pages and asked if I wanted to go to Budapest to pick up the passport or if I wanted to use a courier service to have it delivered to my door. It was easy for me to decide--to go to Budapest would cost me about $75 in gas and an entire day. The courier only cost $9. I ordered the courier service. They told me my passport should be delivered either Friday or Monday. It didn't come Friday, but on Monday morning, the courier called and said he had my passport and was waiting at the gate. I met the courier at the gate, paid him, signed the delivery slip, went inside and opened the package--it was someone else's passport! I tried calling the courier back--no answer. So, I called the Embassy. There a kind man said he would try to sort it out. When he called back, he said the courier service had mistakenly put my passport in someone else's envelope and hers in mine. I gave him the name on the passport I had. Later that day the courier arrived to pick up the wrong passport. Mine was to be delivered on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, the courier's office called to say they would deliver it Wednesday. Thursday morning I called the embassy again. My passport was delivered 30 minutes later. It was the right passport this time. Praise the Lord!

I was so happy to have my passport back again. I felt lost without it. Even though I had no plans to leave the country for a couple of weeks, it still bothered me that I couldn't leave if I had to since I had no papers. It is sure nice to have my identity back!

Meeting Tammy

I (Nancy) was able to see Tammy Swailes one more time today as she was traveling back to Ukraine. We met about half an hour north of Debrecen in the parking lot of a grocery store so Tammy could give me a package that she needed to get to the new INSTE director in Romania. Since we are planning to be in Romania again in a couple of weeks, it made sense for us to deliver the package. My meeting Tammy in this parking lot saved her driving out of her way in order to handle this little bit of business. She re-injured her back last week and, although it is much better today, she needs to spend as little time driving as possible. I was happy to be able to save Tammy and her back the extra time in the car. Mike did not come with me since he is still recovering from shingles. He is limiting his activities as much as possible until the pain and weakness subsides. We heard yesterday via the International Ministries Hotline that many other Open Bible missionaries are suffering physical challenges, too. Please continue to pray for Tammy, Mike and the other missionaries who need God's healing touch today.

Signs of Hope

We are enjoying the flowers around our neighborhood again this spring. It is good to be back in Hungary for this beautiful season
Mike is feeling much better. The rash from his shingles is not as bright red as it was and is not quite as painful either. He is eager to get out of the house soon--another good sign. We thank the Lord that many prayers have been answered and that the medicine is working well. Please keep praying for him that the pain will completely go away.

Update on Mike

We just got back from another doctor visit for Mike's painful rash. When we talked about Mike's problem on Facebook, several people said it sounded more like shingles than eczema. Andi Feher, one of our translators, suggested we visit one of the doctors who attend her church. We were able to see Dr. Emri, a skin specialist, this morning. She took one look at it and said it was shingles. She gave Mike some prescriptions that should help. Thank you Dr. Emri and Andi! God has helped us through you! We would appreciate everyone's prayers for Mike's healing.

Prayer Request from Mike

Last Sunday driving back from Romania I noticed my left arm started feeling weird. Monday, I saw some bumps developing on my arm. Tuesday, those bumps turned into a rash with blisters. Yesterday we went to a doctor. She said it was eczema and prescribed some medicine.

I always thought eczema was just a white, flaky, scaly problem with the skin that caused some itching. WRONG! I have not been in this much pain and discomfort for a long time. Would appreciate prayers.

Translation Update

Our wonderful translation team is working hard translating Level 2 INSTE into Hungarian. Andi, one of our two translators, is working on the fourth book. She and Éva, our other translator, take the English INSTE books and turn them into Hungarian versions. Klári, our editor, just finished correcting the third book. Her job is to compare the English and Hungarian versions, make corrections to the translations, and make sure they are consistent, using the same terms for the same ideas, for example. When her work is done, it is ready to give to our readers. Sandor and Eszter are almost finished polishing up the second book. This husband and wife work as a team to read the Hungarian version, making sure it "sounds Hungarian," is understandable, and is ready for the first group. Our job in the translation is to coordinate the whole process, answer questions that arise and handle the administrative duties. Also, we must not forget the first members of our team, you the donors, who give sacrificially so that the needed funds for the work are available. Thank you, Father God, for each of our gifted translation team members!