Weekly Update

New English Club in Jaszfenyszaru


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Above: Surprise! Instead of the normal turnout of 15-20 people showing up to the launch of an English Club, we had over 60 people show up in the town of Jászfényszaru. Since our team began initial Bible studies around two years ago in Jászfényszaru, God has been steadily opening doors for the Gospel. The public school invited our puppet team a year ago which then led to open doors to teach Bible classes in the school. Later we held a camp for teens in the area and have also met with some young men playing soccer every week. We then planned to begin an English Club to bless the community and to develop more relationships to share the Gospel. We had no idea that there would be a line outside of the building the first night with both elderly and young adults wanting to attend the english club!

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Above: After a time of testing to place the students in different levels for English, we broke off into small groups for basic ice-breaker activities.

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Above: Although this number of people is a blessing, it also poses a challenge to how we facilitate the club with just three teachers (Roger, Brenda and myself). We don’t know what to expect next week since this was our first meeting. The number could drastically drop off, or it could even increase if people bring friends. In any case, we would appreciate prayer for wisdom in structuring our time with all those who attend. And please pray that God would use this as a platform to share His gospel and spread His Gospel through Jászfényszaru. In Hungarian culture, one of the first hurdles to get past in sharing the Gospel is the issue of trust. No matter how accurate the message, Hungarians tend not to hear anything if they don’t trust you. There is a high level of suspicion built into the culture. This english club breaks down the lack of trust as they meet with us once a week and hear about our lives as believers over a period of time. We have seen time and time again that this leads to people being ready to truly listen when we proclaim Jesus.

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Above: Zsolt (center) who lives in Jászfényszaru has been a member of our church in Petofibanya for a few years. Zsolt and his wife Zita have been hosting Bible studies in their home in Jászfényszaru and are part of the core-team focused on churchplanting in their home town.

Celebrating the Reformation


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Above: Teammate Erika talking with Petofibanya’s principal before our presentation.

Last week, we were invited to two different schools to help in celebrating the Reformation. A friend who serves in these two schools (our very own local school in Petofibanya and another in the town of Hatvan) organized the events. It was a great opportunity to share Jesus with teachers and students.

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Above: Miki and Erika performing a drama about how people have misconceptions about God. In the end they present the true Lord and Savior Jesus.

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Above: Our drama team from church presented a short drama about the rebellion of man, rejection of Jesus and the amazing and gracious opportunity to be saved through Him.

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Above: Photos from our Reformation presentation in the town of Hatvan. Some of these kids in this high school remember us from our puppet shows when they attended middle school. Praise God that seeds of the Gospel continue to be sowed into their lives even after middle school.

Off to blue mountain


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Above: We took some church members to trek out to Hungary’s Blue Mountain (Hungary’s highest: 3,327 ft above sea level) for a refreshing hike.

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Above: Reaching the highest point.

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Above: After successfully reaching the peak, it was time to to start a campfire and toast some marshmallows. Thankfully with the slippery conditions, we had no serious injuries. It was a great day.

Bogacs Update


We continue to commute to the town of Bogacs (an hour away) once a week. Pujka, the father of the household continues to grow in His understanding of God’s truth and in his faith in Jesus. His wife Katyus has been opening up more and more as well. Last week Katyus shared with me one of her struggles that I perceived to be spiritual. When Katyus wanted to pray, she felt physical oppression, or pressure. It was hard for her to explain. She said she would begin praying but in the midst of her prayer, this oppression would come upon her and restrict her from continuing. It was as if she could never finish saying what she wanted to say to God.

As I prayed for her that night that Jesus would set her free, Katyus explained that she felt the oppression lift and leave. Katyus also shared that she has a serious medical condition. It was causing great weakness and pain when she bent over. I encouraged her that we could take this request for healing to God who is merciful and powerful to help.

This week, as her husband peered over smiling, Katyus reported that she was able to pray a complete prayer for the first time. She also said that the pain she had when she was bending over ceased and she had so much energy that she was able to clean up her whole yard without the fatigue she had in the past. Katyus continued to share (in her blunt honesty), “There are times when I don’t even want to think about God, but it as if thoughts are just coming in about Him. It doesn’t matter that I’m doing something else. It is as if I can’t get away from thinking about Him.” I believe this is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit drawing Katyus to God. Please pray for our Romani friends in Bogacs. For Katyus to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ and for Pujka to continue to grow in his faith. Pray also for his extended family that they also would come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Hungarian Drivers License


Since we are residents of Hungary, we are required to obtain a Hungarian driver’s license. Over the past few weeks we’ve been attending classes with fellow American teammates to prepare for our first exam tomorrow. Thankfully, we’re able to do this in our native tongue as there is a version of the test in English. But, the translation found in this test can be very hard to understand. While we practiced for this test, we found we often knew the answers to questions, but because of the way they were worded, we couldn’t understand what was being asked and the multiple choice answers were confusing. The test tomorrow allows one minute for each question. We ask for prayer that all of us (Allen, Sharon, Brenda, Roger, Heidi, Janet and Val) could pass this driving exam.
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