Thanksgiving 2014

Since our home group from church meets on Thursday evenings, we decided to invite them to our apartment for an American Thanksgiving meal.  We enjoyed the time together, being able to introduce them to traditional American food, sharing about the history of Thanksgiving and thanking God together for what he has done for us. 

We served turkey breast (a whole turkey is too big for the oven), mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, corn, sweet potatoes, cranberries, apple pie and oatmeal raisin cookie bars.  One nice thing about cooking American food for Hungarians is that even though the stuffing and gravy didn't turn out right, they didn't know the difference.

 

We were glad so many could come.  Little Norika provided a lot of entertainment.  We thank God for each of the home group members and especially for leaders Róbi and Judit Szabó.

Thanking God

This is a wonderful time of year when we are reminded to give thanks to God for all that he has done for us.  We thank God first of all for his Son Jesus Christ who came to earth and took the penalty for our rebellion by dying on the cross and then rose again so that anyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  God not only gave his only Son for us, but he freely gives us everything else we have.  So we thank God for his blessings to us this year including:

- Successful itineration.  In May, we finished ten months of visiting churches and sharing what God has done in Hungary. During that time we drove thousands of miles without accident and raised enough funds to return to Hungary.  Thank you, God!

- Faithful supporters.  Not only did people give in offerings when we visited their churches, they have continued to give toward the ministry in Hungary.  And they pray for us.  Thank you, God!

- INSTE students and group leaders.  We are thankful for the many students who are studying God's Word through INSTE.  We are thrilled to see their growth in the Lord and how they take their places in ministry.  And we thank God for the group leaders who tirelessly meet with their students, encouraging them and helping them along the way.

- Translators.  We have the best translators in Hungary working on the second level INSTE books.  They are dedicated and very skilled.  Thank you, God!

- Family.  We thank God for our sons and their families who allow us and even encourage us to minister far away from them.  We are especially thankful for our fifth grandchild who should be born any day now.

I'm on a roll, so if I don't stop now, this could become a very long post.  God has given us all that we need and is not stingy with his blessings.  Thank you, God!

Which path?

Walking through the park last week, I (Nancy) came to a familiar place, a little clearing where the path diverges.  Which one should I choose?  The one I know leads me to where I planned to go or the other one that is so close to it?  Which one would you choose?  All of us face decisions every day.  Some make no difference to our lives, others are life or death decisions.  How do you tell which way to go in the woods?  You look at a map and talk with those who have been there before.  Or combine the two with your GPS.  How do you make life or death decisions?  You look at the map, the Bible, and talk to those who have been there before, those whose decisions have led to life.  Or you combine the two and pray, asking God which way to go, checking what you hear with what he has already said in the Bible. Which way will you go?

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

One of the fun things about living in Hungary is being able to share a bit of American culture from time to time.  We have introduced our Hungarian friends to Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars.  These are easy to make and the ingredients (at least close enough ingredients) are readily available here.  So, we have made oatmeal raisin cookie bars to take to meetings and church dinners.  Comments have ranged from "Is there honey in these?" to "These taste a lot like granola bars."  Of course, not everyone likes them, but we have received requests to make more from those who do like them.  American Thanksgiving is coming up and we have invited our small group to our home to share a bit more of American culture with them.  We'll let you know how it goes.

Goose Days

It's amazing where God leads us when we least expect it.  Saturday Mike went to a 90-year anniversary service at the Free Christian Church here in Debrecen.  We have relationships with the pastors and several others in the church and he wanted to join the crowd in celebrating such a wonderful milestone.  What a surprise it was when he met Pastor Teo Bulzan!  Pastor Bulzan is the director of the Pentecostal Holiness Churches in Romania.  We work closely with him regarding the Open Bible Church in Gherla.  His son is also the director of INSTE in Romania.  What we did not know is that the Free Christian Church is affiliated with the Pentecostal Holiness Churches.  In fact, the president of the Pentecostal Holiness Churches of America was the guest speaker.  Pastor Bulzan introduced him to Mike after the service.  He mentioned that he knows former Open Bible president Jeff Farmer and will be meeting with our current president Randall Bach later this week.

Then on Sunday evening we went to the Trinity Baptist Church to hear a fellow missionary speak.  Mike was able to talk with some of the church leaders after the service for a few minutes about INSTE.  They are very excited about it.  In fact, one of the men said, "Why have we not heard about this before?"

We are thankful that God continues to open opportunities for the expansion of INSTE in Hungary.  We are also thankful for three new groups that have started in the past few weeks.

But life is not all work.  Sunday for lunch we went to see what was going on at Goose Days in the central square.  There were lots of vendors there, so we looked around and then got in the long line to order food.  Mike enjoyed goose kolbász (sausage) and Nancy tried goose stuffed cabbage.  The food was worth the wait.  Yummy!

Goose Day festival in downtown Debrecen

The choices of food we had for lunch- all with goose meat

All Saint's Day

Today is a holiday in Hungary, All Saints Day.  On this day Catholics have a special mass to celebrate all the saints that don't have their own special day on the church calendar.  Many Hungarians visit the graves of their loved ones and decorate them with flowers and candles.  It is a national holiday, so stores and offices are closed. 

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I walked along the street that leads to the main cemetery in Debrecen.  Hundreds of people were walking, biking or driving toward the cemetery. 

Usually, anyone can drive into the cemetery, but it is so busy today that they allow only foot traffic. Many people park along the streets that are close and walk in.  The picture above shows the distance some have to walk even after they drive.  The entrance to the cemetery is at the far end of the street, about a quarter mile away.

Here is some more information about the holiday.