This is for my granny

Forget New Year's resolutions, if you want to make a change do it now! I have always wanted to learn to ice skate. I would watch some of the competitions on tv and only imagine what it was like. I still have no idea what it is like, but it is a blast trying to figure it out.

Tis the Season

I love Christmas and all that comes with it! I love the christmas lights, the gift shopping, the baking, christmas cards, christmas parties, and even christmas carols. It is also easy however to get wrapped up in all of the festivities without acknowleging why it is that we celebrate. I have been reminded a couple of times myself this year. Two different times I was explaining the ornaments on my christmas tree and once I was asked to write a devotional. All of these things made me take a moment to reflect how different the first Christmas really was. I am excited to be with my family and friends this year, but Mary wasn't with hers. I'm excited about people greeting me with in get into town, but Joseph was turned away from all of the inns. I know that I will eat and eat until I cannot hold anymore and curl up in my bed. Jesus was born in a barn outdoors and placed in a feeding trough. For those that do not know the story it is found in the Bible in the book of Luke, chapter 2. For those that do, reread it again and Praise God that he loved mankind enough, (YOU) that he would go to such great lengths to make a way for us to spend not one day a year, but eternity with Him!

First Friday

This school year my desire was to create a monthly program that would be an outreach to students. The first event was a szalonnasutes, or bacon roast. Think of this as a hungarian cookout. What you do is to take your bacon (which in my opinion is just big pieces of fat) and melt it over bread. then you add veggies and eat it like a little sandwich. This event was the first of October. We had several students attend as well as friends from the church i attend that came to lend their support. We threw the football a little, but mostly chatted around the campfire.
For more pictures click here.


November's event was a movie night. We were going to show remember the titians but technical difficulty ensued and we watched second hands lions instead. At this event, a coworker of mine from budapest came to help as well as my new partner AP (Anna Paige). We only had 4 students to come, but we had fun all the same. December's event was called proof and practice because it was to help the students with any english problems they might have be it conversational or gramatical
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The pictures above are of AP and I cleaning her kitchen and us at halloween. She arrived in mid October and has been at language school for most of November and some of December. Now that she has finished, she will be helping me at the university campus as well as doing sports outreach.

pictures i hope

Hey guys i'm trying to get some pictures of the summer up, so i hope this link works, if not sorry! What i'm hoping that you will see are pictures starting in egypt, then my meeting with people from central eastern europe, followed by saying goodbye, camping, english camp, my friends comings, basketball camp, and my parents coming. There is ofcours many more pictures then these, but here is a little something.
Click Here!!

a new school year

I always loved the beginning of school, it always seems like a fresh start. This year I was given a visit from my parents. We were together 2 weeks and it went too quickly for me. They first came to Debrecen where i drove (haven't done that in almost a year) to get them from the airport. They were able to go to church with me and help me do some survey work on the campus. Then we went on vacation.

Now I am back to my beloved city and want to begin the year off right. I will be hosting a cook out for the students and hopefully enlarging the student basis and contacts that i know. Prayerfully it will not rain, it did a little today. From there I will be starting my weekly bible study at the end of the month and welcoming a coworker to the city mid October. Thank you to everyone who keeps tract of all that the Lord is doing here, I am more grateful than you can imagine. Grace and Peace to you all in abundance.

Praise the Lord

I can not say there has been many new developments since my last entry, but i did just want to update you on a fews ways that the Lord continues to show me favor. My fabulous coworker has been able to retreive files from my computer so all is not lost. What a blessing. My parents are coming! And with them comes a computer so that I will be able to do my work here a little more effecently. I have had 2 students ask me to have a bible study and many from my church here who would like to help me in the different outreaches that i will do each month. Praise the Lord! What a blessing to know that God is into the detail even when i am not. In face these days i even try to run from them. Wow his mercies truly are new every morning Great is his faithfulness.

a new start?

Well it is the end of august which means 2 things, its hot and school is about to begin. I always like the beginning of school because it seems like you get a clean slate, no papers are due yet and i always have asperations to do everything in a timely manner. Since my return from budapest it has been anything from a fresh start. Things just don't seem to be falling in to place, however, since when was it ever promised to me that things would be easy? Nothing big happened just little detail that seem to wear you down after a while. One being that my computer died and with it all the work and picture of my last year here.

Determined not to be swayed by this, i am planning a back to school event. The first part will take place when my parents come to visit me (YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We will be talking with students of campus and handing out surveys. The next part will be a kick off to what i hope is a monthly schedule. We will be having a cookout. There are so many details that have yet to work out but i have an enemy that hates me and will take every opportunity to derail me from my task. Please pray that His word will go forth and that new relationships will be formed and that the Lord will direct my steps and make me obedient to his ways.

a long overdue update

Ok so i know that i have not updated in a while, but please do not take that as a sign that the Lord has not been doing great things because he has. In the month of may the Lord allowed me to see two of my friends here come to know him. One's name is Alex and the other Anita. It has been such a joy for me to watch these two women commit their lives to Christ and see their hunger to know Him.


As for what else i have been doing, I went on vacation to Egypt and to an annual conference with my organization. Afterwards, I went back to Debrecen to tell 2 of my friends goodbye as they headed back to Canada and the US to begin university there. Next, i worked in an interpreter's camp, and english camp and a basketball camp. Finally my dear friends came to visit me and i was able to spend time with them. what a blessing. Now i have been in budapest for about 3 weeks, and am about to head back to debrecen to plan for this upcoming school year. I'll post pictures of these event later, but know that i'm truly blessed by everyone who reads this and partner's with me in my life here.

Germany!

Sigen, Germany! I was able to go to a leadership conference with the church that i attend here, Calvary Chapel. I'm standing infront of the student hostile for their Bible college. This is were we all stayed together. Pat and I went with Dori, Lydia, Gyori, and Luca.
After each session, we went out on that patio for coffee or tea. wow free coffee is a beautiful thing until you realize that you have had 3 cups a day or so... then it is time to take control. Oh that and a chai latte in the morning, during your QT, that is the way to start off the day.
There is just something wrong with the idea of sushi in a crepe. And daddy i took the pictures of the bridges for you!

work hard, play hard

j
My friend Adi and I are at the market that comes to Debrecen twice a year, It reminded me a little of Locust Grove days. There were booths and crafts, clothes, jewelry and of course food. Unfortunately nothing as good as the barbecue chicken. I say that but i didnt' really try it.

Speaking of food, i went to a cookout with my friend Judit and they were having the traditional roasted pig fat. So yes on that stick there is not a marshmallow waiting to be put between a gram cracker and chocolate, but fat waiting to be dripped over bread garnished with possibly a sausage. Afterwards someone pulled out the guitar and we sang or at least i tried in between the sneezes, i must be allergic to something here.

A little shopping, a little cookout what is left besides AMERICAN FOOTBALL!!! Me the one in the middle with the ball, Yen the one learning to throw, Alex, the one teaching, Pat, Zsombie, and Ben played a game of touch football. Well at least it was susposed to be two hand touch, Alex either didn't get the memo, or just thought it would be fun to watch me hit the grass. (I personally think that it was the later) Don't worry i returned the favor.

Well, after the circus me, alex and pat all went to a biblestudy that one of my friends was having. We have been studying through the book of romans and afterwards one of the girls and i were talking and she surrendered her life to Christ. Words can't express the joy and gratitude in my heart. I am daily amazed at His goodness towards me and all who would call to Him. This past month really seems like a blur, but one thing i do know is that the lost are found the dying are given life and God is the one who holds all things together. He is moving in the hearts of men and women here and I'm thankful that i get to watch.

circus under the big top... literally

On friday we went to the Hungarian circus! This was sooo much fun! All i can say is bring in the clowns... in really bad outfits! This is pat buying cotton candy and we also had popcorn.

And as you can see we really like the cotton candy! We also like the REALLY OLD elephant and the african man stand. This group was quite talented. It was an amazing day.

happy birthday to me!

Well as many of you know I had a birthday in the month of April. I was planning a relaxing day of doing nothing much. I went to the gym, hung out with Alex and was going to meet Rita and Anita later on that day for coffee. Rita and i had a nice time together and we were meeting Anita later on. So we all ran some errands together and they asked me what all i had planned for the night, when i said not much except for meeting up with alex later they put a blind fold on my head, put me in a car and we drove around Debrecen for a little bit. Then they proceeded to take me out of the car, into a courtyard, upstair and then i heard alex's voice, it was a surprise party! some of my friends had gathered and we eat and talked and had a great evening. It was a great day! I have pictures, but they will have to come when my camera is not acting up. So stayed tuned.

Easter pictures

This is a typical hungarian home and the town over the river. This is the main street.

me and my friend rita and her father sprinkling me for easter.

This is our Easter feast that was blessed here at the alter by the priest. the sign over the altar says he is not here he is risen.

Me and Rita's family in Patyod

dying easter eggs. And this is how they they make them shiny... bacon fat.

This is the piac, or market in Romania and one of the churches there. There are beautiful architecture.

boat ride.

Here is a lovely river/ stream outside of the city of Patyod. Patyod is the city that I spent easter in with my friend Rita and her family. Easter Sunday after we went to mass and had the traditional hungarian lunch we went on a drive through Patyod. We went to their warehouse where they store their crates for their apples (they are apple farmers) and machinery. Afterward, they decided to take me to this river because it is pretty and also to show me the ferry. The ferry exists because there is another city on the other side and they needed a way for them to get to the other side, so instead of building a bridge they use a ferry. This ferry is powered by the current and guided by a cable. One drives the car onto it and floats to the other side.
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I also had to take a picture of plan b or the escape raft. I'm not sure if I wouldn't risk the river over the raft, man do I love Hungary. So here are two pictures of the cable that the ferry operates on, and the man that operates it.