Hungary Pix

A quaint lake and park we found on our bike excursion










Our daily routine of skyping our kids back in Colorado










Hungarian food is not geared for a low-carb diet










Tasha at the castle










With our friend Jeff Long, Pastor of Parkwood Baptist Church










Tasha humoring me with a pose on our excursion (what a hottie!)










The MKs (missionary kids) had a lot going on throughout the week. They had their own VBS all week. Some of them are seen here playing at the carnival.








Having coffee with some of the missionaries










We found the evasive castle!

Back from Hungary

We're back in the US. Got in late last night into Colorado Springs with no luggage! It's supposed to arrive tonight. My body is praying that will be so as it begs for fresh clothes! We'll head back into Charlotte on Sunday afternoon.

It was a great trip to Hungary. Thank you all for your prayers. The Lord showed up in some really cool ways during our worship times throughout the week. We heard on numerous occasions from the missionaries just how refreshing it was to worship together in English--something I never really think about, and definitely take for granted.

We met some really cool missionary families, and got to hear firsthand stories of what God is doing all over Eastern Europe. There about 180 people total including kids and volunteers, from about 6 or 7 countries including Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Moldova. Many of these families have now become some of our dearest friends, and we hope to return soon to help some of them minister within their own cities.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support.

God Of This City

Here's a song that is sweeping the world and became the anthem for our week here in Hungary. We sang it several times throughout the week encouraging the missionaries to embrace a huge vision for the city in which God has placed them. We sang it with conviction. We sang it with passion. We sang it believing that, in fact, God is not done with the cities of this world--the cities represented by these missionaries scattered all throughout Eastern Europe.

Here's some quick background on this song. While leading worship in Belfast, Ireland, Chris Tomlin and his band discovered this little obscure band called "BlueTree." They heard this song and were immediately captured by it. The band explained to Tomlin that the song was birthed out of a time of ministry in the city of Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya has over 30,000 prostitutes over the age of 18, and hundreds more under that age. While ministering in the city, BlueTree was invited by the owner of a bar to play some music. They immediately took him up on the offer, seeing it as an opportunity to sing the love and power of Christ over the city. And it was during this time of singing in the bar that this song was birthed. In a few short moments, "God of This City" was spontaneously created for the glory of God as a message of hope over a destitute city. And God is using it all over the world to stir the hearts of people to embrace, love and draw to Christ the city in which God has placed them. Let it be that for you, as well.

Hungary Recap with Pastor Jeff Long

The Deaf Need the Gospel

This morning a deaf missionary named Steve James shared about his recent experience battling leukemia. Steve serves among the deaf population in Hungary, and was diagnosed about 3 years ago with the disease. Steve had to come off the mission field for treatment in the states, and was determined to get back on the field. After months of blood transfusions and finally a stem cell transplant, the Lord has fully restored Steve and he's now 3 days back onto the field with his wife serving again in the country they love among the deaf population who also desperately need to hear, or rather see, the Gospel. Thanks, Steve, for being so faithful to the calling of God on your life.

In Search of a Hungarian Castle

To the tune of "It's Natural to Be Afraid" by Explosions in the Sky

Basketball and Blood Clots

When I was in seminary, I had several classes with a guy named Steve Brown. Steve was one of the many guys that I would see almost everyday, but just never really interacted with--probably due to laziness on my part, but definitely not due to a lack of coolness on his. Steve's a sharp guy. Witty and hilarious. Loves his family. And definitely loves Jesus.

When we arrived here in Hungary on Friday night, I immediately recognized him. We talked and caught up and I soon discovered that he is ministering and church planting in the Czech Republic. Steve and his wife, April, have 3 kids (soon to have four through a Czech adoption) and have been serving Christ among the Czech people for about 4 years now. Steve shared a little bit of his story yesterday.

A year ago, he blew out his knee playing basketball. They immediately left town to seek better treatment. During surgery, a blood clot developed and moved to his lung. The doctors were not hopeful. In fact, they put Steve on blood thinners to ease their conscience and told him to prepare his will. Before going to bed that night, Steve and April had the most difficult conversation of their marriage--about organ doaning, arrangements for their family, and all the rest. He told me it was one of the toughest nights he had ever had, not knowing if he would wake up the next morning. But he did. And he and April were convinced that God was not through with him.

Upon leaving for the hospital, he told his Czech people that he would return on such-and-such a date to continue ministering. About 6 months later, after three excruciating surgeries and weeks of rehabilitation, Steve and April returned to their city and to their people on the very day that they said they would, attesting to the amazing mercy and kindness of their all-powerful God. Steve and April haven't looked back. Almost a year since the accident, they are more resolved than ever to continue the work God has for them in the Czech Republic as they truly give of their lives in service to Christ and for the sake of the Gospel.

Leaving the Delta Dream Behind

I've been a slacker since we arrived here in Hungary. We do have an internet connection, albeit slow at times. I simply have not pulled away to write. Tasha is doing much better about writing on her blog. Nonetheless, here we go:

It's been an amazing trip so far here in Budapest, Hungary. We're actually about an hour and a half outside of the city (not sure exactly where), at a little place called Villapark. We're here with missionaries who are scattered abroad all over Eastern Europe with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. This is one week out of the year they all really look forward to, to come together, have fellowship, give testimonies of what God is doing in their respective cities, to sit under some biblical training and teaching (by my good friend, Jeff Long) and to worship together in English, which they never get to do--a small commodity I take for granted back home.

We met one couple, Wes and Tamara Banks, who gave up a comfortable lifestyle in Atlanta, Georgia to come to the mission field of Eastern Europe to interface with the gypsies of southern Romania. Wes left his job with Delta after 16 years of climbing the ladder, and gave it all up for the cause of Christ, to answer God's calling on their lives. They have 2 little boys, Wesley and Colter (8 and 6), whom they are seeking to raise in the admonition of the Lord, and with the understanding that the American Dream is just that--nothing more than a dream--fleeting--a chasing after the wind that only leaves you more empty than when you first began the chase.

The gypsy culture that Wes and Tamara are working in is unique, to say the least. Gypsies have a culture within a culture. They are drifters--roamers. They have their own hodge-podge of religious belief borrowed from numerous currents of religious thought mixed together with superstition and family tradition. But nonetheless in need of the light of the Gospel. They are loyal and committed to their family traditions, whether it be circus bear trainers, musicians, metal workers ... whatever. They stay true to their traditions. The Light of the Gospel is the only hope for gypsies. Pray for Wes and Tamara as they seek to find in-roads for the Gospel.

I'm doing a study of 1 John while I'm here in Hungary. Here's some things the Lord has shown me so far.

Chapter 1

1. THE REASON - v. 4 - "...that our joy may be complete..." - The world is looking for sincere joy - not fabricated.

2. THE MESSAGE - v. 5 -

A) God is Light

B) There is no Darkness in Him

Cross-Reference - Ps. 119:105 - "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

3. THE WARNING - vv. 6, 8, 10 - "If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we are lying ... If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves ... we make Him a liar."

I would never make these claims verbally, but I think sometimes I speak them with my lifestyle. My actions take the place of my mouth. Actions become words.

4. THE REWARD - vv. 7, 9 -

A) Fellowship - (koinonia) - this is not coffee and doughnuts fellowship - this is genuine fellowship. Fellowship that holds each other accountable. Walking in the light means exposing the truth to one another in love. It means sin confrontation, weeping with each other, etc. It involves holding the blacklight of the Word of God over our lives and exposing the nasty sin that is hidden.

B) Cleansing/Forgiveness - means genuine change - Isaiah 1:18 - "though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Ps. 103:12 - "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."