Autumn in Hungary

Come one, come all, and get a taste of what life is like at Word of Life Hungary! October at the Bible Institute means one thing: it’s time to rake some leaves! Not just some, but thousands, probably millions of leaves! With a campus that stretches for seventy-seven acres, you can be certain that there are a lot of leaves to rake. Every October, our students and staff get-together and devote one entire morning to raking-up the property. We did just that this past Friday, working hard as though working for the Lord, not for men! We had fun, singing together, jumping in the leaves, and enjoying each others company. It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, we got a lot accomplished and had a good night’s sleep! Make sure to check out the pictures below to see all the fun we had!

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. There’s just something that rubs me the wrong way with the whole concept of celebrating evil. Call me old fashioned, but I think it is a shame that America makes such a big deal out of a horrible holiday. In Hungary, they do not celebrate Halloween, but rather “Halottak Napja” or Day of the Dead. Originating from the Catholic religion, this holiday is meant to commemorate martyrs of the faith, and remember loved ones who have passed away. November 1st is a national holiday, meaning that all businesses and stores must be closed. However, the cemeteries are packed, as relatives visit their loved ones’ graves and adorn them with flowers and candles. Unfortunately, many believe that if they pray hard enough, the candle’s smoke will carry their loved one’s spirit to heaven. They are praying for the dead’s salvation. What a tremendously sad and hopeless prayer that so many Hungarians believe! Hungary needs hope! Praise the Lord that we can have true hope in Jesus Christ and his blood. It is a message of hope that must be shared with Hungarians who are searching for true peace in all the wrong places.

We were recently blessed to have a visit from the Apostle John! That’s right, John of Zebedee, straight from the New Testament! Paul (my husband, not the Apostle) has been teaching a sermon series in chapel called “Fellowship with the Almighty: the Richest Privilege of a Believer”. It was a three part series in which he took us through the book of I John, explaining John’s special relationship with Jesus and how we too can have that same fellowship. For the last part of his series, Paul decided to dress up as John himself. Boy, were the students surprised! Paul did a monologue as the Apostle John, and his experiences with Jesus. He expressed the great joy we can all have with true fellowship in Christ and the great suffering that sin brings. It was a great way to wrap-up the series and personalize the message. What a creative husband I have! Don’t worry, I got in on the creativity too… his costume was made from our living room drapes and duct tape!

Life in Hungary sure brings a lot of special opportunities our way. We consider it a great privilege to be serving with Word of Life and we are loving every minute of it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Now that I am a "working woman", I have come to really appreciate my weekends. Weekends are my time to sleep-in a little, catch up on chores around the house, and enjoy some downtime. One of my new favorite weekend activities is experimenting with new recipes! While we were in the States this past summer, Paul and I were able to visit my favorite restaurant, Panera Bread. During one of our visits, Paul ordered the Chicken Tortilla Soup, which ended up being his new favorite food. So, being the wonderful wife I am, I attempted to copycat the recipe this past weekend. While it wasn't exactly the same as Panera's, it was definately a hit with the hubby! Check out what I did...

Ingredients:

• 4 tbps. vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 chicken legs (you can use breasts too)
• 3 small onions
• 1 anaheim chile pepper (use 2 peppers for an even spicier soup)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tbsp. oregano
• 3/4 tbsp. paprika
• 10 roma tomatoes
• water
• 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 5 chicken buillion cubes
• 2 c. frozen corn kernals
• tortilla chips
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
  
  

Step 1: In a dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Salt and pepper chicken legs and brown on both sides (approximately 2 minutes on each side). Remove chicken and reduce heat to medium.

Step 2: Finely dice garlic cloves and chile pepper, with seeds removed. Medium dice onion.

Step 3: Brown diced onion in dutch oven until translucent. Then add garlic, chile pepper, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Saute 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: While the vegetables are sauting, remove the skin from the roma tomatoes. This can be done by cutting an "x" shape in the bottom of the tomato and then boiling it for 3 minutes. The skin will fall right off.

Step 5: When the tomatoes have cooled, remove the skin and nose. Gently crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or your clean hands.

Step 6: After the vegetables have sauted with the spices, replace the chicken legs to the dutch oven. Turn stovetop to high heat. Cover the pot with enough water to top the chicken legs by 1 inch. Add the chicken buillion cubes and the crushed tomatoes. Simmer 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the tomatoes have thickened. Do not allow the soup to boil.

Step 7: Remove the chicken legs and set aside until cool to the touch. When you are able, shred the chicken and return it to the pot, along with the frozen corn. Bring the soup back up to temperature.

To serve: place a handful of tortilla strips in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup on top and serve with cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!

Bible Club Harvest Party

The Tóalmási Biblia Klub has officially begun! On Friday, October 8th, we held our first club meeting of the school year. It was a Fall Harvest Party, complete with scarecrows, pumpkins, hay bales, and leaves. We prayed hard and promoted as best we could, and in the end, 21 children throughout the village attended the party. Of the 21, there were at least six who had never been to the club before. Please pray for us this year as we minister to the village of Tóalmás through the Bible Club. Here is a list of prayer requests:

1. That many new children would attend the Club.
2. That many children would be saved.
3. That the children would get excited about the Bible and spiritual growth.
4. That we can find enough leaders who are able to share the Bible story once a month.
5. That the parents of these children would come to church.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We are excited for the new Club season ahead. Please take some time to enjoy these pictures from our Harvest Party!

"Dress up like a scarecrow" relay race!

Prizes!

Pumpkin cookies!

Potato sack races!

Another School Year Begins!

We’re alive! We officially survived furlough! After spending 92 days living out of a suitcase, traveling over 13,000 miles, and visiting 18 churches, Paul and I are very glad to be back home in Hungary. Our summer furlough was a great time of catching up with supporters, family, and friends, but it was also incredibly busy. Needless to say, our post-furlough, crazy lives seem to have gotten even crazier. The day we flew in to Budapest, we hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since!

After arriving back in Hungary, we had just one week before the opening weekend of the Bible Institute. Paul got busy right away, preparing his staff of deans, interns, and administrators for the busy year ahead, while I got ready for student registration. On September 10th, the opening weekend of the Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute began. This year we have 38 wonderful students, from 12 different countries! One of the most exciting aspects of our Bible Institute is the unity we all have in Christ, despite the vast cultural diversity amongst our students. Already, these young people are beginning to form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Our guest speaker for the opening weekend of the Bible Institute was none other than Pastor Chuck Coleman, of the Community Church of Columbus. He and a team of four members from his church joined us for the weekend ceremonies. Pastor Chuck did a wonderful job of challenging our students for the year ahead. He encouraged them to take their studies in the Word this year very seriously, to get involved with ministry as much as possible, and to be open to discipleship and Christian fellowship. The students were definitely amped-up for the exciting year ahead!

The team from CCC also spent the week ministering throughout Hungary and helping us on campus with various work projects. We traveled to a gypsy church, an orphanage, and a public school, where the team lead kids’ Bible programs and taught English. The CCC team also graciously installed insulation in our castle’s roof, so we can be nice and warm for the cold winter ahead. We were all amazed at how much work they could accomplish in just one week! What a blessing they were, not only to us, but to our entire staff and student body!

After the first week of school, our entire staff and student population, as well as the team from CCC, traveled on a bus together to evangelize on the streets of Budapest. The very first course the students are taught at the Bible Institute is called Personal Evangelism, and right away they are challenged to put it into practice. The students did a great job sharing the Gospel on the streets, and they were very bold in their faith. Praise the Lord, at least 30 people accepted the Lord as a result of the Open Air Evangelism conducted just this past Thursday and Friday!
What an exciting start to the 2010-2011 school year of the WOL Hungary Bible Institute. We have a great group of students, a motivated staff, and exciting year ahead to study God’s Word and serve the Lord together!

P.S. because I am finally done with school, I can work fulltime and have an official title: “Admissions Coordinator” and “Financial Aid Assistant”. I even get my own desk! I feel so grown up!

I'm in Love!

Zip your lips and don't tell Paul... I'm in love! On August 9th our newest, most favorite neice, Sylvie Marie Hurst, entered the world! Now, I am usually not much of a "kid person", believe it or not. But this little baby has grabbed a hold of my heart and wrapped it around her little finger! Sylvie is the most beautiful, most precious, and most adorable little being I have ever met. Perhaps I am biased, since her mother is my twin sister, but you have to agree, she is a looker! God has truly blessed Paul and I with a wonderful family, who we have greatly enjoyed this summer. Little Sylvie is making it hard to say goodbye!

Paul and I have had quite a summer, traveling from church to church, planning a funeral and a baby shower, graduating college, promoting a cookbook, meeting our niece, and meeting with supporters; all the while, keeping up with work back in Hungary! We have met many wonderful people, and we have been reminded of the great team God has given us back in the States. We are incredibly grateful for each and every one of our supporters, whether they give financially or through prayer. Although our furlough has been long, we have truly been blessed through each contact and meeting. On Monday, August 23rd, Paul and I will say goodbye to our family in Indiana and fly down to Dallas, Texas, where we will meet with supporters for a week. Then it is back home to Hungary! I can't wait!

All together we will have traveled to 18 different churches and seven different states this summer. We have met with many wonderful people and have truly been blessed by each one. Below are some photos of our summer adventures!

My graduation party

The Amish auction in Pennsylvania

Visiting with friends and supporters

The Bible Club craft supplies drive, held at the Bible Church of Columbus

Testing my first real Philly cheesesteak

Summer 2010

It has been an emotional and exhausting three weeks since I last wrote. As many of you know, Paul's father, Franklin E. Weaver passed away on June 29th, after battling several health problems over the past three months. Frank was a generous and very kind man. He would do anything for his boys, and he loved the Lord dearly. He served in the army as a chaplain's assistant for 21 years, sang regularly in the church choir, and devoted himself to his family. While we are saddened that Dad will not be with us to see his future grandchildren (in the very distant future!), we are blessed to know he was a believer and is finally resting in the arms of his loving Savior.






Frank's funeral was a wonderful tribute to a loving man and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Reverened Jerry Day Sr. conducted the funeral services in which he shared the Gospel loud and clear; it was one of Frank's requests. His three sons, Paul (33), Eric (37), and Keith (35), lead the guests in a rendition of a hymn that Frank wrote called "Trusting in Him". It was truly a touching moment. Frank was laid to rest in Kokomo, IN with an honorary military 21-gun salute. I feel honored to have known Frank Weaver, and even more blessed to have married his wonderful son.





Amongst visiting Dad in the hospital and planning for his funeral, Paul and I continued to have several furloughing obligations. We have traveled far and wide to excite people about missions, and update congregations on what God is doing in Hungary (above is a picture of Paul presenting our ministry with Word of Life). We are continually encouraged as we travel to churches and meet with individuals. It is always exciting to hear that people are praying for us and are excited about God's work in Hungary. I myself have had a couple of unique opportunities to share, independently of Paul. One of these meetings involved a VBS, in which I shared with the children about missions in general and how they can be missionaries themselves. Some of the cute questions that were asked included: "What kind of animals do you have in Hungary?" "How many people have you saved" and "Are there any princesses in your castle?". My prayer is that these sweet children left that night with a greater understanding of missions and the love of Christ.




Please pray with us as we continue our summer-long furlough. We are currently in Clarks Summit, PA in the midst of a month-long road trip covering Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. We have several meetings and engagements along the way, and many miles to travel. Please pray that the Lord gives us safety, endurance, and smiling faces. Maybe we will see some of you along the way!

Start Your Engines....

Phew! What a hectic few days it has been! Last Friday, Paul and I left Word of Life New York in order to officially begin our "tour of churches" on our summer furlough. The plan was to fly from Albany, NY to Detroit, MI that morning and then fly out of Detroit to Indianapolis, IN that afternoon. Unfortunately, our flight to Indianapolis was canceled, so on Friday night, Paul and I found ourselves in a line of about 300 angry people, all trying to rebook flights. After finally securing plane tickets for Saturday morning, we headed to a hotel and ordered-in pizza. It was actually kind of a fun night! I'll tell ya' one thing - the life of a missionary is never boring!






After flying into Indy on Saturday morning, Paul and I headed straight to the hospital where Paul's father is receiving treatment. He has had some serious health problems for about two months now and is having a difficult time recovering. Please keep Frank Weaver in your prayers as you think of him. We then rushed down to Columbus, Indiana where my twin sister, Jane (the pregnant girl in the black dress), had her first baby shower. It was held at one of our supporting churches, so it was exciting to visit with old friends and see some familiar faces. I truly feel blessed that I could be with Jane on a very special day. She is my best friend, and I know she will make a wonderful mother. Saturday night was Jane's husband's birthday party at his favorite Mexican restaurant, which was also a great time of fun and fellowship.






We spent the night at my mother's house in Columbus and got up early on Sunday morning to pack up and head to our first ministry presentation of the summer at Fellowship Bible Church in Noblesville, Indiana. Paul shared about the Bible Institute and our ministry in Hungary. He was also given the opportunity to preach. I am always so proud of my dear husband when we make presentations at churches. He is a professional and passionate communicator (plus, he's pretty cute too!). Afterwards, we went out to lunch with the pastor and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hardison. It was a nice day, and we left very encouraged from the congregation.

There are many more churches and presentations ahead. Please pray for us as we share about God's amazing work in Hungary - pray 1) that the Lord provides supporters for our ministry and for the Bible Institute Scholarship Program 2) for safety as we travel 3) for endurance during a busy summer 4) that we can be an encouragement to people we meet.

It's Summer Time!

It’s hard to believe the summer is here already! Paul and I are currently in the United States, gearing up for our first real furlough together. We have been very busy during these past few weeks, wrapping up details at the Bible Institute, organizing the graduation ceremony, conducting our final Bible Club before summer, and preparing for furlough. But, as we all know, God is good! And although we will miss our dear Hungarian home, we are excited for a wonderful summer of support raising and sharing about the ministry all across the United States. Please take a moment to read about what we have been up-to in the ministry, and our plans this summer.

Graduation at the Bible Institute

Another school year has come and gone. This year we had the privilege of having thirty-one students from nine different countries study at our Bible Institute. It was Paul’s first full year serving as the Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute Director, and what a year it has been! There were many obstacles, discoveries, and blessings along the way, but God has proven himself faithful. It was a great year for Paul. We are convinced that the greatest years for the Bible Institute lie ahead!

On May 29th the graduating class of 2010 participated in the 15th graduation ceremony of the WOL Hungary Bible Institute. The program was a wonderful reminder of God’s provision in the past and for the future. It was sad to see many of our students graduate and leave, but we know that God has great plans for each of their lives. Many students will go back to their home countries, sharing the Gospel to their own people, and winning souls for Christ. What an exciting ministry in which we are truly blessed!

Summer Furlough

Three days after graduation, we packed up our stuff and headed to the States for furlough. Our first stop was Word of Life International headquarters in Schroon Lake, New York. We are blessed to have participated in the annual Missionary in Training Conference held at headquarters each year. This week we are catching up with old friends and meeting new missionary candidates, who are excited to begin serving the Lord. MIT has been a week of encouragement in the Word and fellowship with dear friends. Paul was even blessed to have shared about God’s work in Hungary at one of the main meetings. Some of the key leaders throughout Word of Life's history were present at the meeting, such as George Theis, Paul Bubar, Don Lough, Kris Stout, Mike Calhoon, Dave Robertson, and various WOL directors from around the world. It was exciting to update these wonderful men and women of faith about God's work in Hungary, and we truly feel blessed to have been in Schroon Lake this week.

Please pray with us as we begin our long summer furlough. Presently we are scheduled to visit with sixteen churches, several Bible studies, and many one-on-one meetings this summer. Please pray that the Lord gives us energy and passion as we share about our work with Word of Life Hungary. One of our main goals for this furlough is to raise scholarship funds for our Hungarian students. There are many young people who want to study at our Bible Institute, but simply do not have the financial means to do so. Please pray that the Lord places this burden on people's hearts as we share our ministry's needs this summer.

Below is our summer furlough schedule. Please take a moment to check-it-out and see if we will be in an area near you. We would love to get together and catch-up! Also, check us out on Facebook. You can find my status under "Jill Weaver" where I will be giving frequent updates on our ministry and furlough.