Opening Meeting for the Bible Club: 5 Days in Counting!

It's hard to believe that in only five days, our dining room will be filled up with neighborhood children. In five days, our entryway will be turned into a puppet stage. In five days, the children in our neighborhood may hear the Gospel for the very first time. In five days the official Tóalmási Biblia Klub begins! We are SO excited to see what God is going to do! Our plan: most of the children in our little village have not grown up in Christian homes. In fact, they may not even have one Bible available to them in their home. Our desire is to get these kids excited about God and His Word. We want to share with them all of the exciting Bible stories, miracles, and promises that we were so priveleged to grow up with in a Christian home. But most importantly, we want these children to come to faith in Jesus Christ and trust Him as their savior.

Make no bones about it - Bible clubs are effective! In fact, there is a family of 3 girls and 2 boys who used to attend a Bible club in Tóalmás about 10 years ago. They had a difficult home life, and were able to find some peace by attending the weekly club meeting. All five children were saved through the club and are now living out their Christian faith daily. In fact, two of the sisters graduated from our Bible Institute, and one sister even works for Word of Life!

Although we are entirely excited about the beginning of Club, we really need your prayers. Satan will do anything and everything to hinder God's work in these children's hearts. Please pray that the Lord is preparing these children to hear the Gospel; that they would be receptive to the message, and come to know Him. Please pray that you will give us clarity in our presentation and loving hearts towards these children. And finally, please pray that they will come back! We will be having the Club every Friday afternoon, and we want the children to bring their friends so more can come to know the Lord!

Amongst other things, we have stayed pretty cotton-pickn' busy! To the left is a picture of four good-looking Dallas Theological Seminary Alumni. In fact, the man on the left is the Professor of Missions from DTS. Walt Baker and his wife were on the mission field in Haiti for 11 years. Since then he has taught Missions at DTS. The Bakers were taking an extended ministry trip to visit various former graduates throughout Europe. What a blessing for us! The man in the middle is Ronnie Stevens, the pastor of the International Church in Budapest, and to his left is Laci Kadar, one of our teachers here at WOL. We had a mini Dallas reunion lunch in our home while the Bakers were in town.

Three weeks ago we were blessed to have Dr. Carlos Pinto, from WOL Brazil, come and teach Dispensationalism to our students. I invited his wife, Artemis, to come to our home and speak to our staff ladies about the godly wisdom and knowldege she has gained from raising a family on the mission field. It was a blessed time, and I really think all our ladies left the evening encouraged in the Lord. Above are some pictures of our fellowship.

Please pray for us as we continue to balance a life of ministry and relationships. Paul is constantly having to prioritize his time for the day. There are just not enough worker bees in the hive! But God is good and He has truly blessed us with a wonderful ministry and life. Until next time... sziazstok!

Don't forget to check out my new pole for ya'll on the left side of this website!

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!

Preserving and Preparing

It's that time of year again! Tomatoes are in season and our garden is working overtime. I think I had 23 tomato plants this year! Unfortunately, a few were destroyed by a terrible windstorm about a month ago, but the survivers stood strong and are producing like crazy.

I thought maybe you would like to see a pictorial of one of my maniac canning sessions. Last week I canned 16 jars of homemade pasta sauce to have on hand for the year. A 24 oz jar of marinara sauce costs about $3 here in Hungary. According to my calculations, I probably saved around $40 doing the work myself. Maybe I should convince Paul to add that $40 to my allowance!

Step 1: Remove the skin from the tomatoes. I did this by making an "x" with a paring knife on the bottom of each tomato. I boiled the tomatoes in hot water for about 3 minutes. The skin falls right off!






Step 2: Chop onions and garlic. I am proud to present my brand new food processer! Wow! I love this machine! It chopped up thoses onions and garlic in no time! I can't believe I've been living my whole life without this beauty. I am so Amish!






Step 3: In a dutch oven, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Then I added the tomatoes (which I had pureed earlier in the food processor), basil, oregano, salt, and peppper. Allow to simmer until sauce is reduced and thick, about 1 hour.






Step 4: Get canning! I was so incredibly blessed to receive this beautiful pressure cooker/canner from a wonderful supporter earlier this year. Mary Moffitt is a dear friend who told knows my domestic desires and asked if I would like to have her pressure canner. I jumped on the opportunity, and now here it is, all the way in Hungary! Thank you so much, Mary! Maybe I should give you my saved $40!

All in all, it took me about 5 hours to prepare and can 16 jars of sauce. It was a long morning, but it will be well worth the investment on a night when I don't feel like cooking, or an unexpected guest drops by. I hope to also can some tomato soup and salsa later next week.

There are still plenty of tomatoes in my garden. Come on by and get ya some!


Ministry Update

I suppose I should also talk a little bit about our ministry, since that's why we are here! Paul and I have spent the entire summer settling into our new home and learning Hungarian. It has been a very tiring but encouraging three months. The Lord has really blessed us by making it possible to buy a home in Tóalmás, and by opening up our brains to be able to learn Hungarian. We are understanding more and more everyday. And although we cannot speak anywhere near fluently, God has given us a peace. I used to stress and be hard on myself for not speaking better by now, but the Lord has shown me and Paul that we need to work hard, do our best, and seek to please the Him first. That's all we can do. Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages in the world, but God is showing us that through Him, all things are possible!

Please pray for us as another Bible school year is quickly approaching. Opening weekend is September 11th! Paul is very busy preparing for his first full year as Bible School Director. He has to organize guest teachers, prepare the classroom, keep in touch with students, get offices ready, and many many other tasks. Please pray that he does not get overwhelmed and is able to devote enough time to each responsibility.

Meanwhile, I have stepped into the Admissions department until an intern comes to take my place sometime in September. I have been busy processing applications, writing emails to students, and organizing Visa information. I had no idea this job is so involved. Next week I start my online courses with Liberty University. Please pray that I do not get overwhelmed either!

The 2009-2010 Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute school year is sure to be one of change, excitement, and anticipation. Our greatest desire is to train as many young people as possible to know God's Word and to serve Him faithfully. Please pray with us for these incoming students. God is going to do a great work in them this year!

Blueberries and Buddies!

Blueberries: a true taste of summer. Nothing can quite compare to the mouthwatering taste of fresh blueberry pie, or homemade blueberry muffins. They are truly little gems of perfection. Eventually I would like to raise my own blueberry bushes right here in Hungary so we can have goodies all year long. Recently, I ran across the website for the U.S. Highbush Berry Council. Over the years, the highbush blueberry has been cultivated into one of the juiciest and healthiest berries available. While reading the website, I noticed that they had posted a blueberry recipe contest. First prize: $1000! The rules were to create any original recipe using blueberries as the main ingredient and to post your recipe with a picture on your blog. So here I go... my entry for the U.S. Highbush Berry Council's Blogger Blueberry Recipe Contest... Blueberry White Chocolate Souffle! Wish me luck!

Blueberry White Chocolate Soufflé

Sauce:
3 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 ½ C sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn starch

Soufflé:
½ C sugar + more for dusting soufflé ramekins and tops
6 egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp cream of tarter
3 oz. white chocolate chopped very finely

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease 4 cup-sized ramekins with real butter and then coat all sides with sugar.
   
2. Combine all the ingredients for the blueberry sauce in a medium sized sauce pan. Cook on medium-low until blueberries have burst and sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cool to room temperature. Reserve ½ C of the sauce for garnish later.


3. In a glass or metal bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tarter. While beating whites with a hand mixer, slowly add ½ C sugar. Beat until whites are at the soft-peak stage.


4. Slowly fold blueberry sauce into egg white mixture until the two are thoroughly combined. Carefully fold in the white chocolate.


5. Evenly distribute soufflé mix into four ramekins and sprinkle tops with sugar to form a crispy crust.


6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until soufflé has risen and the tops are a golden brown.


7. Serve immediately with reserved blueberry sauce and powdered sugar. Enjoy!
   

One of the most rewarding blessings about serving with Word of Life Hungary is the opportunity to see graduates of our Bible School at work in their own ministries. We have graduates all over the world, serving the Lord in many different capacities. Some are pastors, some are Christian school teachers, and some are on the mission field themselves. Recently we were blessed to have three of our WOL Hungary Alumni from Romania come for a visit, David and Felicia Lee (pictured far left), and Niko along with his wife Marta (far right).

David Lee and his wife Felicia both attended our Bible School about five years ago. David is from Ohio and Felicia is Romanian. They fell in love during Bible School, got married, had twin boys, and have been raising support ever since to return to Romania as missionaries. Their true passion is for the street children of Bucharest, Romania. Many are orphans or runaways from abusive homes. Unfortunately, many of these poor chidren turn to gangs to find acceptance and a family, which eventually leads to drug and alcohol abusive. David and Felicia have officially been back to Romania for three months now. They have raised support, packed up thier lives, and are living in the center of their mission field and in the center of God's will. Everyday, David heads to the streets in search of these street children. He shares with them the love of God and the hope they can have in a savior. He builds relationships with these children and offers them the medical help they may need. Though it is very difficult to break through the emotional and spiritual walls these street children have built over the years, David and Felicia are continuing to walk in faith and follow God's will for thier lives. We are so proud to call them graduates, but even more importantly, our friends.

Link to the Lee's website: http://www.4theleastofthese.com/news%20page.htm

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Everyone knows that a new house brings about new responsibilities... grass to cut, walls to paint, and neighbors to meet. But the biggest responsibility of all is, of course, decorating! I have been doing my best to use my time wisely, inbetween studying and language school, to add a woman's touch to our little home. Pictured to the side are some of the pillows I sewed recently. I love to sew, so any excuse I get to whip out the machine is gladly welcomed! Total cost for eight brand new pillows, $10! Of course, it helps when you have old pillows you can rip apart and steal the stuffing from, and old placemats and tablecloths to use as fabric. Honestly, I really am that cheap!

Also pictured is a little skirt I sewed to cover up our microwave. Two large drawers were originally positioned in this nook, but I found them very difficult to pull in and out. They were more of a headache than a space saver, so I decided to yank them out completely and create extra counter space by hiding the microwave within the cabinets. I hope to sew some window treatments later this month to match the fabric.

Amongst other projects, Paul is busy painting the sunroom, hanging pictures, and changing light switches. He's become quite the handy man! I'm so proud of him.

Camp is in full swing at Word of Life Hungary. About 100 kids and teenagers have attended camp every week since it began back in June. Each night, the campers hear the Word of God and his amazing love for them. This is no small thing; many of these young people have never heard from the Bible at all, much less the Gospel. Paul and I have attended the "salvation meeting" every Tuesday night since camp began. It is SO exciting to see kids from all over Hungary make a decision for Christ and to be devoted to Him. Praise God for his amazing gift of salvation and the opportunity to share it daily! Pictured below are enthusiastic campers singing the "Word of Life Theme Song."

Esther Dixon Siebenmark

February 3, 1915 - July 1st 2009

Finally, I wanted to pay tribute to my wonderful grandmother who passed away just a few weeks ago. Esther Siebenmark was a remarkable woman, who dearly loved her family and the Lord. I can remember spending many afternoons at Grandma's house, playing the back yard or in the basement. She didn't have many toys, but somehow we always found something to do. Whether it was painting ceramics, learning to sew, or just watching Disney Channel, we always had a good time at Grandma's house. And she always had chocolate chip cookies and Mt. Dew...with a straw, of course!

Grandma was the most patient person I have ever known. She truly had a heart of gold. I will never forget her telling me, "Never say you 'hate' anyone. It is okay to dislike a person, but we should never hate anyone." Her wisdom and purity will forever be imbedded in my heart. She was so very generous. Grandma would do anything for you, and help you in anyway she could. I feel so lucky to have had such a godly and special woman as my grandmother. The Lord truly blessed me with her love. And although I could not leave Hungary to attend her funeral, I am at peace knowing that she is finally in the arms of her loving savior.

Here is the link if you would like to read Grandma's obituary http://www.knappjohnson.com/

New House + New Teacher = Busy Weavers!

Sziasztok mindenkinek! It has been about 3 months since my last post! No...we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We have just been incredibly busy - which really isn't anything new, but it's my only excuse:) That, and our camera broke, so I couldn't post any pictures. But now we have a used camera, so I am forced to keep blogging away!

A LOT has happened since March (my last post). The most exciting news is that I graduated from Bible School! That's right, I am an official 2nd year graduate of Word of Life Hungary Bible Institute. But please don't get into a theological debate with me; that's why I married Paul! I am so excited to be done with Bible School and to begin serving the Lord full time! I am not 100% certain which department of the ministry I will be serving in next year, but I am sure, whatever it is, the Lord will use it for His glory!

Paul was of course nervous and excited to lead his first graduation ceremony as Director of the Bible Institute. The program went off without a hitch as many proud parents watched their sons and daughters receive recognition for two years studying God's Word. If you would like to watch the graduation ceremony for yourself on video, you can view it by clicking on this link:
www.weaverwebpage.org/Videos2.html

Only five days after graduation, Paul and I moved to our new home (pictured above). Talk about a busy time! Looking back now, I literally don't know how we survived graduation, packing up the house, and moving, all within one week. I think I am getting old :(

The previous owners of our new home are no other than Dave and Karen James, former Director of the Bible Institute. You can read about their new and exciting ministry in one of my previous blogs. Paul and I had no plans to move from our cute, one bedroom, Hungarian cottage, but the Lord masterfully worked all the details together for us to be able to own a home after only one year living in Hungary. Guess we are here for good! Not to mention, it was a huge load off the James' back as well. Since then, we have painted the walls laid some new tile, and added the Weaver touch to the house. Pictured to the left is Paul painting the front of our house. There is still lots to do, but we are punching out the projects one by one. I am determined to be super organized in the house, no matter what. (you can tell I don't have kids, right?) I've spent hours organizing tools, office supplies, cleaning stuff, clothes, etc. into clear containers, and next week I plan to use my nifty label maker to mark each one. My prized label maker was a gift from Paul for our 2nd anniversary. He knows me too well!

Other than working on the house this summer, a seemingly endless project, Paul and I are continuing to go to language school 9 hours a week. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we drive into Budapest to meet with our private tutor, Virág (her and I are pictured above). We met Virág last summer during our group studies in the university. She is very professional and qualified. We are continuously encouraged after each lesson. It seems like the flood gates have finally opened up and Hungarian is beginning to make some sense. Just today I listened to the whole sermon at church in Hungarian and understood about 70%. God is really using this summer and this teacher to push us towards our goal of fluency. We want to serve the Lord with all our hearts here in Hungary, and part of that is learning the language of the natives. Though it may seem impossible and overwhelming, God and his grace is showing us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. One day I will be able to write to you and tell you that Paul has preached his first sermon in Hungarian and I am having Bible study with the neighbors. Thank you Lord!

And just because I couldn't resist, I posted a picture of half of my new garden at the new house. I tried to keep it small this year because of the little time we have available. We have three kinds of tomatoes, green pepper plants, squash, and eggplant. Earlier in the season we had lettuce and peas, and yesterday I planted green beans! Stop on by anytime and pick yourself some!

Faithful Servants of the Lord

The past few weeks have been full of excitement and encouragement here at Word of Life Hungary. We were recently blessed to have the great Jimmy DeYoung come and teach the books of Ezekiel and Daniel to our students. Wow! What a great couple of weeks that was! Dr. DeYoung is an amazing teacher who is passionate about Eschatology. I can definately say that he truly encouraged us in the Lord as we wait for the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As Dr. DeYoung led us through the prophecies and promises of these two books, he helped us realize that the return of the Lord is sooner than we think. Our understanding of biblical prophecy and End Times should spark our desire to tell everyone the Gospel. Christ died for our sins and will return again! Thanks be to God!

Paul and I had Dr. DeYoung and his lovely wife, Judy, for dinner one night last week. The men enjoyed talking theology while I got to learn a little more from Judy about their experiences in the ministry. The DeYoung's have traveled all over the world, sharing the Good News and teaching the prophetic literature of the Bible. They have met with several historical and political figures. They moved to Jerusalem in 1991 as "journalists," a.k.a. undercover missionaries. During their 12 year stay in Israel, Dr. DeYoung started a Bible preaching church in Jerusalem, named the Assembly at Jerusalem. The church has grown ever since and is a tremendous witness to the Jewish people. Actually, two members from his church have attended our school here in Hungary!

Today the DeYoungs live in Jerusalem three months out of the year. The rest of their time is spent at their home in Chatanooga, Tennessee, or traveling around the world, sharing the message of Jesus Christ. One thing is for sure, the Lord has gifted Dr. DeYoung with a passion to tell everyone about the soon return of Christ!

Here is the link to Dr. DeYoung's ministry for more information: http://jimmydeyoung.com/

Not only did we get the pleasure of learning from Dr. DeYoung last week, but this week, Dr. Tom Constable from Dallas Theological Seminary is here! Dr. Constable is the Department Chair and Senior Professor of the Bible Exposition Department at the Seminary. Over their many years of service, Dr. Constable and his wife, Mary, have planted a church in Plano, Texas, ministered in 36 countries, and written and contributed to many books. Dr. Constable has also written a commentary on every single book of the Bible! But of course he is most well known for having mentored Paul through his internship process at Dallas :). This amazing man has accomplished so much, yet he is so humble. In fact, I don't think I have ever met a more humble and gracious servant of the Lord. What an amazing testimony!

The Constables brought along two other couples from their home church in Texas. During this week they will be doing so much needed work on the grounds as well as some other odd jobs. Yesterday Paul and I took the whole gang into Budapest to do some sightseeing. Above is a picture of us with Tom and Mary Constable at Hero's Square. It was a fun day of fellowship and adventure, and of course, shopping! There were four ladies around, what did you expect?!

God has truly blessed us here at Word of Life Hungary with many amazing men of faith. These teachers have devoted themselves to to the study of His Word and the proclomation of His promises. At the end of two years, our students will be able to return to their home countries to teach and preach the Lord Jesus Christ, where perhaps there are little to no Believers. Because of these faithful teachers and servants of the Lord, the Gospel is being spread to the uttermost parts of the Earth. To God be the glory!