Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute Class of 2009-2010!

The notebooks are printed, the pencils are sharpened, and the desks are arranged…. That’s right! The 2009-2010 Word of Life Bible Institute school year has begun! Last weekend the official opening orientation of our Bible School began in full swing. Thirty-one students from 8 different countries have come to WOL Hungary to dive into a year of 24/7 Bible study, Christian fellowship, and training for the ministry. This is Paul’s first official year as Director of the Bible Institute, and although he was overwhelmed at times, he did an amazing job organizing the orientations, preparing for classes, and meeting new students. He even preached twice over the weekend! Words cannot express the pride I have for my husband or the joy in my heart for the amazing things I know God will do this year. Though we have a smaller class than usual, I truly believe the Lord is going to use each and every student for His glory! Each one is special and the Lord has an amazing plan for their lives.

The topic of the opening weekend was “Discipleship”. The focus was to encourage the students for the year ahead; to prepare their hearts for God’s working, and to remind them to stay faithful in their walk with the Lord. This year Paul is implementing a new discipleship program between the staff and students. Each staff member will take 2-3 students under his or her wing and encourage them throughout the school year. There will be a Bible study that we go through together, and times of prayer and conversation. I’m really excited to see the ways God will use our leaders to encourage the students.

Pictured below are five our Hungarian female students from last year, plus our Dean of Women on the far left. How exciting it is to know that each of these women have been trained in God's Word and are going out to reach others for Christ! The Bible School ministry is so unique because it has a ripple effect. The students are trained in the Word, and then through them, others are saved and discipled. Awesome!

This first week of Bible school deals strictly with personal evangelism. The students are learning how to share the Gospel and their testimonies in a clear, concise, and exciting manner. On Thursday and Friday, each and every staff member and student will all hop on a bus, travel to Budapest, and hit the streets to evangelize! Please pray for this exciting event. I am certain several of the students are nervous about street evangelism, just as I am. But once you realize the Man you are sharing about, all fears go out the window! Please pray that our student’s hearts will be sensitive to the spirit and that God would be preparing people to receive the Gospel!

Paul and I were able to take a two-day vacation this summer to Lake Heviz. It is a famous mineral lake in Western Hungary. We enjoyed getting out for a couple days and feeling like tourists! Here we are, relaxing at a coffee shop near out hotel. Now it’s back to work!

Please pray for Paul as he prepares to teach Biblical Theology next week. He has a lot on his plate this year, but I know that he is the right man for the job. With the Lord’s grace, he will do amazing things for the glory of God.

And as for my garden… I think she has finally called it kaputs for the year. I was able to can 7 jars of salsa, 10 jars of tomato soup, and 12 jars of pasta sauce, not to mention the entire drawer full of green beans and zucchini we’ve got stashed away in the freezer. I think “we done pretty gud”. I went to the garden nursery today… oh man, I wanted everything in that place. It’s so hard for me not to overdo it! I’m really trying to wait to landscape until we put up a fence next spring. That is, if we have the funds to do it. Until then, I’ll just have to stick with my maters and greenbeans!