Saturday, September 13, 2008

Full Steam Ahead!


Check out our newest video as we plow through the streets of Budapest, trying to get to language school. This ain't your typical school bus ride!


The school year has officially begun! Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute is now in session! Full steam ahead! This weekend marks the beginning of the 15th year of our Bible Institute. Fifteen years ago, two very brave men, Dave James and Alex Konya, stepped out in faith and began teaching Hungarians the Word of God. In the beginning, there were only a handful of students, and classes could be taught from our castle’s dining room! Now, this year alone, we have 52 students and 12 interns! There are 24 new, incoming students, and 28 returning, second-year students, including me! I will be completing my second year of the Bible Institute as I also continue to take classes online with Liberty University. Should make for one educational year!

Last night the entire staff and student body celebrated the beginning of a new school year with a delicious banquet. We ate, laughed, and caught up on what everyone had been doing over the past three months. It was a great encouragment to hear about the different summer ministries the students had been involved with. One thing is for sure, God is working through the WOL Bible students. The Lord has a great plan for each and every one, and it’s so exciting to see those plans being played out!

After dinner, we all headed down to the meeting room where we did some singing, had staff introductions, and opened the Word. George Theis is the guest speaker for the weekend. He is the former President of Word of Life International, taking over for Jack Wyrtzen, the founder of Word of Life. He and his wife Joan have been married for 49 years and have ministered throughout their entire married lives. They started out in the Clubs ministry with Word of Life Florida, but were then called to begin the very first overseas Word of Life in Brazil. For twenty years they served the people of Brazil, until the Lord called their family back to the States to take over for Jack Wyrtzen. It is such an awesome encouragement to see a couple who have served the Lord whole heartedly their entire lives. God truly does bless those who are faithful to Him.

The rest of this weekend will be packed with seminars, instructional meetings, orientation, and fellowship. This coming week we will start the first class of the year, entitled Street Evangelism. Sam Frey, an expert in open-air evangelism, will be our guest lecturer for the week. This guy is amazing. He travels all over the world, teaching people how to get out there and evangelize, whether it be on the street or to a stranger on the bus. At the end of this week, our students and staff will all travel into Budapest and put what we’ve learned into practice. Armed with the Word of God, a handful of tracks, and a little bit of bravery, we will spread the Good News on the streets of the city. Please pray for this amazing evangelistic opportunity!

Paul and I were busy this past week, preparing for this upcoming school year, and settling back into our humble home after being away at language school. It’s amazing how much a yard can take over in just one summer. I spent and entire day outside trying to tame Mother Nature back into shape. Luckily, our sunflowers needed no help. They have finally opened up! My wonderful Grandma Prebeck sent me some sunflower seeds back in May, so now I have a little piece of her in my own yard across the world! I was so excited, I even decorated cupcakes in a sunflower motif! Paul used them for his intern orientation this past week. He is the official Intern Coordinator for the year. There are 12 interns helping out at WOL in various departments. Each has special talents and abilities and a true desire to serve the Lord.

As we look to the year ahead, it is exciting to see what God will do. His blessings are endless for those who are willing to follow Him and remain faithful.