Sheepdog Show

We were out and about today and stumbled upon a Hungarian sheepdog show.  We took a few minutes to watch and snap some pictures:

 There were four breeds represented.  This one is a Komondor waiting his turn before the judges.

 These Komondors are standing in front of the judges, their owners placing them into position.

 

These dogs are Pumis (above).  Even though they are not used often anymore as sheepdogs, they are really cute, fun pets.

These Kuvasz dogs are waiting to parade before the judges.  I didn't get a good picture of the other breed, the Puli, but I did find a picture on the internet (see below).  They look like black rag mops and are amazingly good guard dogs and sheepdogs.

 

The competition included actual herding of sheep by the dogs.  It was quite interesting to watch this dog corral the sheep where the owner told him to.

Glad we chanced upon this dog show.  What fun!

God Cares about Little Things

This afternoon, the two of us came home from running some errands and discovered we were locked out of our apartment.  A piece of Nancy's key had broken off in the lock without her knowing it when she locked it earlier. And now Mike's key wouldn't open it.  So, we called our landlady who said she'd call back in a few minutes because she was driving when we called.  We had nothing to do while we waited.  It was rainy and cool outside, so we just sat down on the stairway and waited.  We were both thinking of all the work that needed to be done inside, wondering how long it would take for a locksmith to arrive and open the door for us.  Suddenly, Nancy said, "I could try my key!"  She did, and the door opened! 

We still have to wait for the lock to be fixed, but at least we can get some work done while we wait and the need is no longer urgent.  It may seem like a little thing, being able to get into our apartment, but we realized that God worked in our behalf in this little thing.  Thank you, Lord!

Pentecost Weekend

We've just finished a long, busy weekend.

Friday night was a meeting of the INSTE board.  Actually, it was the membership meeting of the MBKE (Hungarian Bible Training Association).  Since we now have papers to operate as an association in Hungary, we had some business to discuss about it.  We also discussed plans concerning our upcoming trip to the US for itineration.  Only one member was missing.  Poor Jozsef was stuck on the highway because of an accident some distance in front of him that blocked the highway for three hours!

Saturday we traveled to Gherla, Romania, to visit the Open Bible Church there.  We enjoyed a great service and were able to see many friends there one more time before we are gone for a while.

Heinz and Rosmarie are Swiss missionaries who are part of the church in Gherla.  We enjoyed their hospitality Saturday night.

We enjoyed more delicious food and good fellowship with the Daniel Filip family after church on Sunday.  Daniel is the assistant pastor of the Gherla church.

On our way back home on Sunday, we stopped to take pictures of the statue of Matyiás kiraly (King Mathias) in Cluj.  King Mathias was a famous Hungarian king in the 1500's.  He was born in Kolozsvár (now Cluij) which was at that time a part of Hungary.

Monday was Pentecost Monday, a holiday here in Hungary.  We joined with the eight churches who gathered at a campground near Debrecen to celebrate the birthday of the church.  The day included a joint service, picnic lunch, and games and conversation in the afternoon.

We praise God for the many brothers and sisters we have in Christ and we enjoyed being with many of them this weekend.

Anyák napja

The first Sunday in May was Mother's Day (Anyák napja) here in Hungary, but there was not enough time last week for the children to give their program for their mothers.  So, yesterday we enjoyed songs and poems from the children.  Here are a few pictures:

Each of the children said a poem and then presented their mother with a hand-made paper heart.

 They sang some songs, too, accompanied by recorders played by the two oldest girls.

All the ladies were presented with a beautiful fresh flower.

Of course, the kids were really cute!  Happy belated Mother's Day!

Hungarians

In just over a month, we will be returning to the US for itineration, that is, to visit churches to report what we have been doing here in Hungary and to raise funds to return to continue our work here.  While we are excited to be able to spend some time at home and to see our children and grandchildren, we will miss Hungary.  Here are a few things I (Nancy) will miss about the Hungarians:

Hungarians are polite and respectful. Men hold doors and carry heavy items for women and older people.  Children are taught to greet their elders properly and with respect.  Men and younger people offer their seats on the bus and tram to women and the elderly.  It took me a while to get used to this, but when I realized it was a sign of respect, not condescension, I came to enjoy it.

Hungarians take time.  Friends greet each other on the street, and they not only say hi, but stop to chat for a few minutes.  Social events last for hours.  It is not unusual to arrive for a dinner party at six and stay until midnight.  Church social events can last all day.  Guests are encouraged to relax and have long conversations with each other.  I am still working on getting used to all-day social events.  I'm not sure why, but I'm working on it.

Hungarians are patient.  It is amazing to watch Hungarians wait in line at the post office or grocery store.  They don't fidget or incessantly look at their watches, they just wait their turn.  Amazing.

Hungarians are relational.  Neighbors expect to help each other.  Our eye doctor neighbor has helped us several times with medical matters and refused payment.  And families are especially important.  Hungarian university students routinely return home for weekends and holidays.  It is assumed that even if children leave home to find work, they will return with their families frequently.  Many grown children take less-paying jobs to be able to live closer to their families. 

Of course, Hungarians, like Americans, have not-so-nice characteristics, too, but these are a few of the good things we miss when we are away. 

Two Churches Miles Apart

We enjoyed worshiping with two different congregations yesterday.

In the morning, Mike preached at the House, the International Church, in Debrecen.  We have a long history with the House.  This is the church we attended on Saturday evenings for the first couple of years we lived in Hungary.  The services are in Hungarian and English, so we were able to worship in English while we were learning Hungarian.  We were also able to attend the Hungarian services at the Open Bible Church on Sunday mornings.  A couple of years ago the House moved their services to Sunday morning, so we visit only occasionally, but enjoy being with this wonderful congregation.

Yesterday, we joined Hungarians and university students from Nigeria, Liberia and other places for worship.  One of our former language tutors, Mirjam, visited the service, too.  The worship team included two Hungarians and six Africans.  Mike's sermon was well received.

Later we received a phone call from Mirjam.  She said that the night before, she had had very little sleep.  Her neighbors in the apartment below her threw a party that lasted well into the night.  Twice, once at 1 a.m. and again at 3 a.m., Mirjam went downstairs to ask them to be quiet so she could sleep.  She said she had been so angry after the second time she spoke to them that she couldn't fall asleep.  During Mike's sermon, though, he talked about bringing the Kingdom of God to our neighborhoods by praying for our neighbors and being kind to them.  Mirjam decided that she needed to do something for her noisy neighbors.  After church, she made some Hungarian crepes and took them to them.  This led to a conversation in which some difficulties were sorted out and a better relationship began to be built.  Mirjam said that after she went home she could finally relax and rest.  Praise God!

After the service at the House we had time for a quick bite to eat and then met Sandor who took us to Kemecse.  Kemecse is a village of 5,000 people about an hour and a half from Debrecen.  The church here was begun by our INSTE students, Géza and Gizella Balog last September.  Since then over 100 Gypsies have been saved.  The church meets in a house donated by one of the members and is packed every service.  There is space for about 40 seats, but at least twice that many people attend the services, so many people stand the entire time.  We heard testimonies of healings and transformed lives.  One man said he had been a very angry, violent man and many people feared him, but God has changed him and he is no longer angry or violent but is growing in his faith every day.

The worship included many now-familiar Gypsy songs.  Before Sandor preached the message, he asked the two of us to give a short greeting in Hungarian.  After the sermon, we were asked to join in praying for people.  One lady was healed of a persistent headache and many more were touched by the Spirit of God.  When the service was finished, we were surprised that it had lasted four and a half hours.  It didn't seem nearly that long.  And no one complained of standing for a long time, either!

The pastor told us that the mayor's office had called him last week to talk to him about a question he had.  They had noticed that quite a few Gypsy couples had come to the city hall over the past few months to request civil marriage ceremonies.  Gypsies do not usually get married legally, preferring just to live together,  so the mayor was curious what was happening.  The Gypsies he had talked to said that Pastor Géza could explain.  When Géza told him how God was changing the lives of so many Gypsies that they wanted to live God's way and get married legally, the mayor was surprised there was even a church in that area.  He said, "But even the police don't go to that part of town without commando gear!"

Praise God for how He is working in Hungary!

May Day Picnic

It is traditional for the Debrecen Open Bible Church to gather in the park on the May Day holiday.  Today we enjoyed being with them.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

The Open Bible Church in Nyiregyháza was invited, too.  Everyone who wasn't already helping with making lunch sat around and visited in the morning.

Judit, on the left, checked on the progress Márika (center) and Ildikó were making on lunch.

Lunch was paprikás krumpli served with bread and pickled vegetables, followed by desserts including ice cream.

Pastor Misi gave a short sermon on the Beatitudes, emphasizing the need to be peacemakers.

We sang many worship songs accompanied by Sanyi on the guitar.

The kids and many adults joined in games, but the emphasis was on being together and sharing Jesus with each other.  Happy May Day!