Merry Christmas from Hungary!

We are in awe and wonder that the Creator of the Universe, the One True God would send his own Son to be born like us, to live an obedient life and to die in our place, taking the punishment for our rebellion.  We owe him our very lives, for in rising from the dead, he gave those of us who believe in him eternal life.  Happy birthday, Lord Jesus!

INSTE and Patience

Last Sunday Pastor Róbert's sermon was about patience.  I (Nancy) sure needed that.  If it were up to me, I would have had INSTE in every church in Hungary by now and a Level Two graduation already done.  But, that's not how God does things.  His timing is perfect, but not on our schedule.  He sent His promised Son Jesus thousands of years after He first promised his birth, but just at the right time.  And He will send Christ back as promised, but we must be patient as we wait for His return. 

So, I must also be patient with INSTE and notice the ways God is already working.  Three new groups will be starting soon and the Level 2 pilot group will be starting their second semester in January.  Translation of the Level 2 books is making good progress.  We continue to hear testimonies of how God is changing lives as students study God's Word.  It is all good news.  I am telling myself, "Nancy, be patient.  God is at work."

Not Boring Board Meeting

Monday evening we had our annual Hungarian INSTE board meeting.  Due to conflicting schedules, not all members were able to attend, but we had a great meeting.  The necessary business went quickly and some important decisions were made.  We even took a break in the middle of our meeting for some real American apple pie.  Someone mentioned that it was only part-American apple pie because while a real American made the pie, the ingredients were Hungarian!  It still was delicious and gave us energy for the last half of the meeting.

We really appreciate the hard work, careful oversight and good advice given by our board members.  We thank God for each of them.

Youth Conference

This past weekend we participated in the Open Bible Youth Conference.  Samson was the theme of the three-day meeting and Mike was the Sunday morning speaker.  We enjoyed hosting one of the young men in our home, too.

 Members of the Debrecen youth led worship.

 It is beautiful to watch young people worshipping God.  The young man on the left was our house guest.

 During Mike's sermon, he demonstrated how sin led to Samson's bondage and how sin leads to bondage in our lives.

Mike was caught taking photos.