Fruit Soup. Yumm!

Our neighbor Éva, who is always spoiling us with her cooking, insisted we try this fruit soup today.  Yummy!

Sometimes we're asked what our favorite Hungarian food is.  There are many, but one of our favorites is fruit soup.  It's a cream soup, usually served cold, made with any kind of fruit and its juice, cream just a little sugar and spices.  It is served as a soup, before the main course, so it's almost like having dessert first, especially when it is garnished, as it is in some restaurants, with whipped cream or ice cream.  Jó étvágyat! (Bon appetit!)

Busy but Fun

Students of the new INSTE group at The House (A Ház) Church

We are in a busy time now, but it sure is fun!  Most of the INSTE groups that began last fall have taken or will soon take their final exam for the first semester.  That means that there are finals to be graded, grades to be sent and books to be made and sent for the second semester.  That also means that God is working in the lives of these precious INSTE students and that they are giving Him a chance to teach them more from his Word during the next semester. That's fun!

We have also met with pastors and leaders from other churches who are interested in INSTE.  One new group has begun and there are possibilities for several more to begin at least by September.  That means a lot of meetings, phone calls and questions.  That also means that God is helping us help churches make more and more disciples!  Now that's fun!

Birds in Flight

We enjoy living in a city that has lots of trees and lots of birds.  This time of year, every morning and evening, the birds take to the air and fly over our home in wave after wave.  This may last for half an hour or more.  It is a sight to behold and quite entertaining while making INSTE books. You might be able to hear the sound of the printer in the background.  This video was shot from our living room window as it snowed outside.  God's creation is amazingly beautiful!

Level 2 INSTE Pilot Group

The four books of the first semester

We are very excited that a Level 2 INSTE pilot group will be starting soon.  The leaders have been trained and the students have been chosen for this trial group.  The plan is to begin the first semester by the end of January!

Translation of the Level 2 books has been in process for over a year and enough books have been translated so that the first group can begin.  The pilot group will not only receive the biblical training in INSTE, but will also be responsible to "work out the kinks" in the new system.  They will keep us informed of errors they find in the translation, problems they have with the procedures, and ideas they have to help Level 2 INSTE work best in Hungarian.

Please pray for these students and leaders as we take this new step.

Fasting and Prayer

Part of the group gathered for prayer.  This was taken looking through the window in the door where the group prays.

Churches throughout Hungary have declared the first three weeks of January a time of prayer and fasting.  The Open Bible Churches are participating again this year and here in Debrecen, people gather in the church every weekday evening to pray together.  We join as often as we can.  Last year began with a similar time of prayer and fasting and God blessed the churches with new growth, baptisms and healings.  We are looking forward to see what God will do this year.

American Football!

Some missionary friends of ours from America, Gary and Carolyn Miller, have an internet subscription to the NFL football games.  They asked permission to use a room in the international church, projected the Sunday noon games (for us they start at 7 pm) on a wall and invited all those who were interested to watch the games with them. We were able to join them a few times this season when we had Sunday evenings free. We really enjoyed being with the Millers and the handful of others who came.  Last night's game, the Falcons vs. the Seahawks, was fantastic!  It is so amazing to be able to enjoy a little bit of American culture right here in Hungary.  Thank you, Gary and Carolyn!

Review of 2012

Here is a short video that will give you a quick review of our activities in 2012.
  

INSTE in Hungary- A quick look at 2012 from Mike Juntunen on Vimeo.

If you would like to support the ministry of INSTE in Hungary you can give online by clicking on the following link:
http://bit.ly/MikeandNancy

We appreciate your prayers and support throughout the past year, and we pray that the coming year will be a blessed and fruitful one for you.  God bless you.  (Isten áldjon meg!)

Pastor Circle

We are honored to be accepted as a part of the Debrecen Pastor's Circle.  Last Friday evening the pastors and most of their wives met together for supper and a time of thanksgiving and prayer.  These pastors and the eight churches they represent work together with the purpose of reaching Debrecen with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They are also a great encouragement and support for one another.  May God bless them!

Back to Work

Wishing each other Happy New Year at the Open Bible Church in Debrecen

We have really enjoyed the holidays the past couple of weeks, but today it's time to get back to work.  There are Level 2 INSTE books to prepare for the translation team, Level 1 books to print for a new group being formed, meetings to attend, phone calls to be made, emails to be written, decisions to be made, and so on and so on.  Happy 2013 everybody!