On the Road to National Convention

We took the long route to Colorado Springs and Open Bible National Convention.  We started last Thursday and drove to Austin, Minnesota, for Mike to pick up his golf clubs that our son Paul had stored for him while we were in Hungary.  And, of course, we got to hug Paul and Kate and Levi.

Nancy's sister Neola loaned us the use of her VW for our trip.  Little Levi really liked it.  Paul said it looks like the car in one of Levi's favorite books.

We drove on to Rapid City, South Dakota, where we attended Mike's 40th high school reunion.  A few of Mike's classmates who were there are pictured above.  We had a wonderful time, but kept wondering where all these old people came from.

On Sunday morning we enjoyed the service at Open Bible Center in Rapid City. We got to see several of the people Mike knew as a kid growing up in this church. After the service, we decided to find a steak house to  eat some good American steak. It took some driving around to find an Outback Steakhouse about a block from our hotel! We had just sat down when Pete and Joanne Kopp spied us and invited us to join them and Pastor Les and Sharon Potts for lunch. What a wonderful time we had talking together and remembering how God has worked in our lives. 

Finally today we drove the rest of the way to Colorado Springs, checked into the convention hotel, and are anticipating a great time with our Open Bible brothers and sisters. 

Thanks, Missions Staff!

We enjoyed lunch today with the Open Bible Global Missions staff. They are (left to right) Delores Winegar, administrative assistant (and Nancy's sister), Jim Winegar, office receptionist and Delores' husband, Mike, Vince McCarty, Global Missions Director, and Julie Patten, accountant.  These wonderful people are a lifeline for us when we are out of the country.  They help us handle our stateside business and many other tasks, not only when we are in Hungary, but also when we are back in the United States.  Thanks, Missions Staff!

Travel Adventures

We arrived safely in the US on Friday evening.  Our trip was long, but we had no problems.  The mini-bus to the airport picked us up in Debrecen at 3:40 a.m. Hungarian time and we arrived at the Budapest airport with time to spare.  We flew to Warsaw where we waited to board a Dreamliner.  This is the new Boeing 787 airplane that has been in the news recently, first with battery problems and then with engine problems.  We waited for quite some time on the bus that was to take us to the plane.  They told us the departure delay was due to "operational difficulties."  Once we boarded, we discovered some nice new features even in the economy section, like footrests, cup holders and noise-canceling earphones.  We finally took off about an hour later than schedule, but once in the air, the pilot said we would probably arrive in Chicago ahead of schedule!  He said that the new airplane can fly faster than the older ones, and he was right.  We were half an hour early arriving, so we were in no rush to go through customs and make our connecting flight to Des Moines.  That flight, too, was delayed, this time by storms in Des Moines.  We landed in Des Moines half an hour behind schedule, but had to wait another half hour in the airplane for our gate to be available for unloading.  But oh how wonderful it was to see the smiling (and patient) faces of Nancy's sister and brother-in-law, Delores and Jim, and to give them hugs!

We enjoyed a good night's sleep after our 26-hour day and the next morning attended the events for the Inste Bible College graduation here in Des Moines.  There we connected with more friends and family and celebrated the awarding of degrees and diplomas to 26 American and Canadian Level 2 INSTE graduates.

Eleven of the 26 Level 2 INSTE graduates

We are pretty much over our jet lag and are enjoying being with family while we prepare for national convention in Colorado.  Thursday we will leave Des Moines for convention, making a side-trip to Rapid City for Mike's high school reunion.

Thank you for your prayers for our safe travel.  Please keep it up!

Travel Day Friday

Our trip back to the US starts tomorrow (Friday) about 5 a.m. our time.  Our planned itinerary includes taking a mini-bus to Budapest to catch a flight to Warsaw, Poland.  In Poland, we board a plane to Chicago and then there another one to Des Moines.  Door to door, the trip should take about 20 hours.  Please pray that we make all our connections and that the entire trip is uneventful and safe. 

We are looking forward to being in the US for at least six months, seeing our family and friends, reporting what God has been doing in Hungary, and raising funds to return to continue our work here.  It is a happy/sad time, though, since we will miss our friends and church family here.  But, since we have two homes, we always miss one or the other.

Next blog post from America!

Thank you for praying

Thank you for praying for Budapest and the rest of Hungary affected by the flooding Danube River.  The river has crested and is again slowly returning to within its banks.  We thank the Lord that the defenses have held and that the damage has been contained. None of our Open Bible churches was affected, but since Hungary is a small country (about 2/3 the size of Iowa), almost everyone knows someone who was affected. You can read more about it here.  Thank you again for praying for Hungary.

Flood Update

Please keep praying for Hungary.  The Danube River crested on Sunday in Budapest at 891 centimeters (about 29 feet) above normal levels, the highest on record.  However, the river has been contained so far in most places behind the defenses built up by an army of volunteers, firefighters, soldiers and even inmates.  Some breeches of the sandbagging has occurred, but no serious damage has been suffered and no lives have been lost.  Praise God.  Please keep praying.  The danger is not yet over and the Danube has not yet crested further downriver in Hungary.

Here is a report of flooding experienced not only in Hungary, but in other parts of Central Europe: BBC News

Prayer Request

Last night at our prayer meeting, our home group leader reminded me that when forest fires threatened our friends and family in Colorado Springs, the home group prayed for them.  Then he asked that we ask our American friends to pray for Hungary.  Heavy flooding is expected along the Danube River this week and into next week.  Thousands of homes and businesses will be affected.  So, we are asking you to pray for Hungary during this time of need.

Thankfully, we are not affected by the floods here in Debrecen since no river runs through our city.  The flood could seriously impact Budapest, however, and the other cities along the Danube.  Thank you for praying.

Highlights from Last Week

This morning's baby dedication

We've enjoyed some time with wonderful people this past week.

Last Sunday Mike preached at the Open Bible Church in Debrecen.  His great message (you can listen to it online by visiting Mike's Facebook page) was followed by a baptismal service.  Four people from Ibrány were baptized and five from Debrecen.  Two baptisms were especially touching.  Pastor Róbi Szabó was very proud to baptize his thirteen-year-old daughter.  And then some of the strong young men helped a man from his wheelchair into the baptismal for his baptism.  He testified that he had been a Christian for several years and was so happy to finally be baptized.  There was a great celebration that day (you can also check out Mike's facebook page for pictures).

On Thursday, we were invited to a different home group than the one we usually attend.  János, the host, said that he wanted us to come to talk to a visitor from America.  One of their regular attenders has a daughter who lives in America and who was home for a visit.  János was expecting them to be at the home group on Thursday evening.  They never did make it to the meeting, but we had a wonderful time talking in Hungarian with and praying for the other people who attended.  One of their questions had to do with why it was important to attend church, and Mike answered the question from Scripture. We were very pleased to see some people from the home group who do not regularly attend church this Sunday at the service.

Also this morning there was a baby dedication.  It doesn't matter what language is spoken, when a young couple presents their new baby to the Lord, it is always precious.

As we make final preparations to be in the US for a few months, we are savoring the sights and sounds of Hungary and our friendships here.  See you soon, American friends and family!  We're looking forward to coming back, Hungarian friends!