End of the Year Excitement!

 

It’s hard to believe that another school year has passed. Where did the time go?! 34 wonderful Bible Institute students received diplomas this year at yet another emotional and exciting graduation ceremony. It’s so exciting to think about the ways God will use each of these students in the future for His glory! Many of them will go on to become pastors, teachers, and missionaries, spreading the Gospel across the world. What a privilege it is to have even a small impact on their lives. 

The end of the school year is always busy with last minute get-togethers and student activities. Pictured above you can see a group picture of students during our class trip. We spent the day in a Budapest park, where we played sports, sang together, and had a picnic. Afterwards, we all boarded a boat and took a trip down the Danube River. It was a great time of fellowship and many memories were made. 

Gourmet Gals

Ever wondered what Hungarian food was like? I can tell you it is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Some of the Hungarian gals and I got together before the end of the school year to learn how to make paprika chicken and pogácsa, a traditional flakey biscuit. We had a great time learning cooking techniques from each other, and we had an even better time eating! Don’t worry, poor Paul didn’t go hungry.

Paul, enjoying the fruits of our labor too :)

Enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Mmmm... paprika chicken and pogácsa!

First Trip to the Opera

Two weeks ago, Paul and I had the exciting opportunity to attend the opera for the very first time in Budapest! Now, I know what you are thinking... "Paul and Jill? Attending the opera? I didn't know they were so cultured," If that was the first thought that popped into your head, don't feel bad, because you're right! Paul and I are your typical corn-dog eatin', dollar store shoppin', Survivor watchin' Hoosiers, but once in a while, it's nice to have an excuse to dress up and pretend to be someone we're not!

Our wonderful guest teacher for the week, Dr. Daniel Anderson, President of Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia, and his dear wife, Rosealie, were very interested in attending a performance during their trip to Hungary. Mrs. Anderson is an accomplished musician and was quite aware that Budapest is famous for its music. So after taking our guests sightseeing in Budapest, we ended a perfect history-infused day with a trip to the Opera House.


Paul and I outside the Opera House __________________ Paul with Dr. & Mrs. Anderson


The Hungarian State Opera House was amazing! Of course, I had seen the outside of the Opera House many times, during our trips to Budapest, but up until now, I have never been inside. I cannot believe what I was missing out on! The whole building was incredibly elaborate: marble staircases, golden walls, and hand-painted murals. This is the kind of stuff you only see in movies! Construction of the Opera House took nine years, with its grand opening in September of 1884. The auditorium holds 1,261 seats, and I think almost all of them were taken.




We saw the production, Don Pasquale, an Italian opera filled with love, lies, and comedy. Of course, it was difficult for me to understand every detail because the opera was in Italian, with subtitles shooting across a screen in Hungarian, but I got the gist of the story. It was more interesting for me to appreciate the music, scenery, and talent of the opera performers. All of the actors were Hungarian, yet they spoke and sang Italian fluently. They were all exceptional performers and had an incredible amount of stamina to sing for such lengths and with such gusto. I was truly amazed.



Our trip to the Hungarian State Opera House was a great cultural experience. We learned some more about Hungarian history and what the opera was all about. It's so neat to see these little blessings that the Lord brings into our lives; opportunities that we would never have outside of our regular lives, but blessings that the Lord gives because he loves us! How truly blessed we are!

Bible Club Pizza Party!

What do you get when you combine games, a movie, and free pizza? A day full of fun! Just ask the 42 people who attended the second-annual Bible Club pizza party! Saturday, March 12th was a big day for the Bible Club, as we had been preparing this evangelistic event for quite some time. We passed out flyers to the club kids, their friends, and many children in Tóalmás. 39 children and 3 adults/parents attended the party, many of which had never been to the castle or the Bible Club before. What a blessing it was to see so many new faces!




The weather that day was absolutely perfect, so we were able to play many games outdoors. After a short song time, Varga Istvan, a Hungarian staff member, presented the Gospel. We were to watch The Prince of Egypt later that afternoon, so Istvan incorporated the story into his presentation. He talked about the many plagues that came upon Egypt because of their sin, and how God protected the Israelites. He explained that we are all sinners, in need of a perfect Savior. Istvan presented the Gospel in a clear and concise manor, and in the end, 23 children raised their hands that they had asked the Lord into their hearts during his closing prayer! Wow! It was SO exciting! After the prayer, we split the 23 children into small groups and discussed the decision they had just made. It was so wonderful to see the Lord work in the hearts of these little ones!


Of course, we couldn't have a pizza party without indulging in lots of pizza, 18 pies to be exact! The kids enjoyed every last crumb as they engrossed themselves into the big screen movie. What a great day! Please pray that many of these children come back for the weekly Bible Club, which meets in our home on Friday afternoons. We want to encourage them in the Lord!

Just another day in Vienna...

Isn't it amazing that the Lord knows exactly what we need, even when we are not sure ourselves? The Lord sent a little encouragement our way, just a couple of weeks ago when Dan and Shirley Carfrey came to visit. The Carfrey's are long-time friends on Paul's side of the family, so much so that they are also considered his godparents. Paul invited Dr. Carfrey, a professor at Appalachian Bible College, to come teach our Bible Institute students the book of Hebrews. The students greatly enjoyed Dr. Carfrey's teaching, and Shirley was a blessing to everyone she met! It was so nice to spend time with the Carfrey's. The Lord used that week in our lives to refresh our hearts and encourage our souls.

The Carfrey's wanted to take full advantage of their time in Europe, so during their stay we took a weekend and whisked off the Vienna! That's the great thing about Europe; traveling from country to country is only a short trip away! We had a great time in Austria, pretending to be cultured Americans (okay, we did revert back to eating at McDonalds... but just once), as we appreciated the architecture, history, and ambience of this remarkable city. I hope you enjoy some pictures of our weekend trip!

We ate breakfast at a quaint coffee shop down the street from our hotel.
That crossaint, next to Paul, was the most beautiful pastry I ever ate!

Schönbrunn Palace, summer home to the royal Habsburg family (far left).
Paul and I in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral (middle).
St. Stephen's Cathedral. in the daylight (far right).

Naschmkt... my new favorite place!

As I was looking through the Vienna tourist brochures in our hotel room, I came across an advertisement for Naschmkt. The brochure said this open air food market was just down the corner from our hotel, so being the adventurous tourist that I am, I decided to check it out! The plan was for us to leave our hotel somewhat early the next morning, so I knew I would have to wake up early if I wanted to get a piece of this cultural experience. I got directions from the front desk and found my way to this wonderful beauty in the middle of Vienna!

Naschmkt is a one-mile stretch of fruit and vegetable stands, cheese, cured meat, spices, tea, honey, candy, and many more homemade delicacies. It was such a neat experience. I could have browsed the market all day long!

I love looking at all the different kinds of cheese. I wanted to try each one!

Many of the stands were selling spices. It was surprising
to see the great variety. A rainbow of flavors!

Lots and lots of olives.

Homemade candy and bread. I felt bad for the workers; it was pretty cold that day.

If any of our friends out there would like to experience Europe for themselves, stop on by! We'd love to show you our ministry in Hungary and take you to the market!

Missions Conference 2011

January 21-23rd marked the 15th annual WOL Hungary Missions Conference. This year’s theme was entitled For the Least of These, with an emphasis on reaching lost people in urban settings with the Gospel of Christ. Cities are growing at a rapid rate. In fact, it is estimated that by the year 2050, over 70 percent of the earth’s population will live in urban areas.

Our guest speaker for this year’s conference was Tom Mahairas, President and Founder of CityVision in New York City. Pastor Mahairas has traveled the globe, preaching the Gospel in cities, and inspiring others to do the same. He himself was saved out of an inner-city lifestyle, filled with drugs and alcohol. During the conference, Pastor Mahairas challenged our students to serve the Lord with their whole heart. In fact, many decided to step forward and dedicate their lives to the mission field!

This year’s Faith Promise Offering was extra special, because it was given to David and Felicia Lee, graduates of our Bible Institute in Hungary! The Lee’s now work with street children in Bucharest, Romania. It is their hearts’ desire to see many Romanian street children saved from the dangerous temptations of the world, and offer them hope in Jesus Christ. Originally, the Faith Promise goal was to raise $8,000 to send 30 of these street children to summer Bible camp. However, our conference audience of about 120 people were so touched by the Lee’s and their ministry, that almost $18,000 was pledged! Our audience exceeded the Faith Promise goal by 202%! It is such a blessing to think about how God will use these funds to bless the Lee’s and their ministry in Romania.

Another exciting aspect of this year’s conference was our online audience. For the first time ever, the Missions Conference was able to be viewed around the world through a live internet stream. Throughout the course of the weekend, over 250 family, friends, and alumni shared in the conference online. From the messages given, to the fellowship shared, the 2011 Missions Conference was truly a weekend to be remembered!

The Missions Conference videos and recorded meetings can be viewed at:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wolh-missions-conference

Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all the way from Hungary! My oh my, what a crazy holiday season it has been! Christmas is always an exciting time for the ministry because it provides "excuses" by which to share the Gospel. There is no better time to tell about the gift of salvation than at Christmas! The fact that Jesus Christ left heaven to come as a humble baby in order to save the world from its sin... how exciting! Jesus is most definately the reason for the season!


Paul and I were recently able to share about this gift of salvation at an English club in Budapest. The club is run by a Hungarian couple who are Believers, as well as fellow female missionary from Canada. They hold the club meetings every Tuesday evening in a local high school. About 25 adults come every week to improve their English skills, in order to better communicate in the workplace. English is a high commodity in the European business world. The first hour of the club is basic English and grammer practice, and the second hour of the club is a lecture from a "native English speaker". The trick is that the speaker is always a Christian, giving a lesson from the Bible! Only about 25% of the students are Believers, but they all stay to listen, in order to better improve their English skills. What an opportunity!

Paul was the guest lecturer for the evening of the the club's Christmas party, so he spoke on the miracle of Jesus' birth. When I looked around the room, I could tell that everyone was listening intently. In fact, the lady sitting next to me even asked if she could have his notes because she had to leave the club early! It was a very nice evening, and we were so privelegded to share about God's gift of salvation with an attentive crowd. Please remember to pray for those in the English club who are not Believers, and for the faithful servants of the Lord who teach on a weekly basis.


The Bible Club Christmas party was a smash hit! We had Christmas carols, cookies, games, crafts, and of course, the Gospel presentation. The most popular event of the night was the special gift we made for our parents. It was a brownie mix in a jar. The kids enjoyed measuring the different ingredients into a decorated jar, and afterwards, they colored, glittered, and bedazzled the gift's Christmas bag. It was a huge hit with the youngsters! Although, I don't think many of them were able to wait until Christmas morning to give it to mommy. I had several parents tell me at church the next Sunday that they really enjoyed the brownie mix! Oh well, I'm just glad they had fun!



Another exciting event with the Bible Club was our Point Contest outing to the local sweet shop. Ever since the beginning of October, the kids have been collecting "reward points" for various tasks related to the Club. They had the opportunity to collect points if they completed their Quiet Time, memorized the Bible verse, brought a friend to Club, went to church, etc. The children were told that if they collected 50 points or more by mid-December, they could earn a free trip to the cukrászda (or sweet shop/bakery/cafe) with the club leaders. This is a very exciting deal for a young person, as I'm sure you can imagine, but especially for these little village children. In the end, we had four clubbers who completed the contest, and we had a great time! I am so proud of them!


It is amazing to think back over 2010 and remember all the adventures Paul and I had: activities with Bible Club, relationships and growth in the Bible Institute, finally graduating from college, our long summer furlough, and the birth of our first baby niece. Paul and I always say, "Being a missionary may not be easy, but it is never boring!" God is SO good. He has been in the past and he will be in the future. Amen!

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!