"Apam Hitte" is a Hungarian song that we consider our favorite. It really gives a feel for popular folk music in Hungary today. It is a great song for Father's Day.
"My Father Believed" by ZoráN
My father believed in the home's warmth
My father believed in the holiday's happiness
My father believed in the father's happiness
and I believe this was beautiful.
My father believed in the first night
My father believed in the rind's gold
My father believed in the truth of the words
and I believe this was beautiful.
Tü rü rü rüü
and I believe this was beautiful.
My father believed in the heroic deeds
My father believed in wisdom
My father believed in beautiful poems
and I believe this was beautiful.
My father believed in the messenger's words
My father believed in Chaplin's sadness
My father believed in the river's way
and I believe this was right.
We have attempted to add a link here, but are unable to do so. Copy and paste, or search "Apam hitte zoran"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EETzwMzu4MI
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Ippistle 13
Ippistle 13
June 20, 2009
Jack and Cindy Ippel
Dear Friends,
We are nearly finished with our first year in Hungary. The time has certainly gone quickly. God has blessed the entire experience, and we even now look forward to being back here in August for Jack to start teaching another group of 9th graders and for Cindy to continue her work at the Mission Institute. Besides the school relationships with students and staff, we have also developed friendships with people that God put into our lives in many different ways. These wonderful friends will be here welcoming us at the end of August, and that makes us glad.
The last two weeks of school were quite a unique experience for Jack. The 9th graders finished their exams around June 3, but all students were required to be in school through June 11. So the teachers “supervise” while the students play poker games, or other card games. Jack presented some learning opportunities through word games and puzzles that a few of the students took time to do.
The end of the school year also brought some staff get-togethers that were great relationship building experiences. On June 6 we enjoyed a “gulyas” (goulash) party at the home of a colleague who lives in a small village outside of Budapest. The beef stew was cooked all day over an open fire in the back yard. That gathering was made up of the English teachers, plus a few other teachers that frequent the English department staff room. The train ride was a unique experience, especially the ninety-minute delay on the way home when the train struck a car. No one was hurt, and we found ourselves in the midst of another cultural experience.
A week later Jack joined the rest of the Trefort staff, about 60 people in all, on a bus trip to the city of Szekszard. Two buses brought them to a national park nature area, the birth-home of the famous Hungarian poet Mihaly Babits, a gingerbread museum, and dinner at a restaurant. The last stop of the trip was a vineyard for a wine tasting; that was also a new and unique experience.
We were privileged to be invited to the home of the student who Jack tutored this semester. Jozsef (Coci) and his mother prepared a beef perkolt in the back yard of their home, and then served us a wonderful Sunday dinner. It was a great way to get to know Coci better and to strengthen that relationship. Even though Coci graduates this month, we trust that God will still use this relationship for His purposes.
Now for a bit of a family report: Our daughter Jodi and husband Ben were here for the past ten days (they’re in the air as I’m typing this). We enjoyed being tour guides once again, showing them the Budapest sites and then traveling through Hungary into Austria for four days. Highlights included an overnight visit with Balazs and Dori Kovacs and their parents near Lake Balaton; breakfast with Cindy’s work colleague Moni and her family, also in the coutryside of Balaton; a hike and ice cave exploration in Hallstatt, Austria; and two days in Salzburg, where The Sound of Music tour and the Marionette Theater’s production of The Sound of Music got us singing “The Lonely Goat-herd” for the next few days! We also squeezed in a stop in Vienna to see the Schonnbrun Castle and the Hundertwasserhaus. It was a fabulous vacation for the four of us.
Today Cindy has begun packing for our trip home; we leave next Tuesday. It is so exciting to think about being together with our family again. We are so blessed to have this privilege of going home for the summer. We ask again for your prayers for our visa renewal. We started this process three weeks ago and have hit a few snags along the way. On Monday morning we will make our third trip to the immigration office to hopefully show all the documents necessary for our residence here next year. If we run into problems, we will have to get temporary status and finish the paper work next September. So your prayers are greatly appreciated for that, and for our trip home next week.
Thank you again for being a part of the work that we are doing here.
Áldás és békesség! Blessing and peace!
Serving for TeachOverseas.org and Christian Reformed World Missions,
Jack and Cindy
June 20, 2009
Jack and Cindy Ippel
Dear Friends,
We are nearly finished with our first year in Hungary. The time has certainly gone quickly. God has blessed the entire experience, and we even now look forward to being back here in August for Jack to start teaching another group of 9th graders and for Cindy to continue her work at the Mission Institute. Besides the school relationships with students and staff, we have also developed friendships with people that God put into our lives in many different ways. These wonderful friends will be here welcoming us at the end of August, and that makes us glad.
The last two weeks of school were quite a unique experience for Jack. The 9th graders finished their exams around June 3, but all students were required to be in school through June 11. So the teachers “supervise” while the students play poker games, or other card games. Jack presented some learning opportunities through word games and puzzles that a few of the students took time to do.
The end of the school year also brought some staff get-togethers that were great relationship building experiences. On June 6 we enjoyed a “gulyas” (goulash) party at the home of a colleague who lives in a small village outside of Budapest. The beef stew was cooked all day over an open fire in the back yard. That gathering was made up of the English teachers, plus a few other teachers that frequent the English department staff room. The train ride was a unique experience, especially the ninety-minute delay on the way home when the train struck a car. No one was hurt, and we found ourselves in the midst of another cultural experience.
A week later Jack joined the rest of the Trefort staff, about 60 people in all, on a bus trip to the city of Szekszard. Two buses brought them to a national park nature area, the birth-home of the famous Hungarian poet Mihaly Babits, a gingerbread museum, and dinner at a restaurant. The last stop of the trip was a vineyard for a wine tasting; that was also a new and unique experience.
We were privileged to be invited to the home of the student who Jack tutored this semester. Jozsef (Coci) and his mother prepared a beef perkolt in the back yard of their home, and then served us a wonderful Sunday dinner. It was a great way to get to know Coci better and to strengthen that relationship. Even though Coci graduates this month, we trust that God will still use this relationship for His purposes.
Now for a bit of a family report: Our daughter Jodi and husband Ben were here for the past ten days (they’re in the air as I’m typing this). We enjoyed being tour guides once again, showing them the Budapest sites and then traveling through Hungary into Austria for four days. Highlights included an overnight visit with Balazs and Dori Kovacs and their parents near Lake Balaton; breakfast with Cindy’s work colleague Moni and her family, also in the coutryside of Balaton; a hike and ice cave exploration in Hallstatt, Austria; and two days in Salzburg, where The Sound of Music tour and the Marionette Theater’s production of The Sound of Music got us singing “The Lonely Goat-herd” for the next few days! We also squeezed in a stop in Vienna to see the Schonnbrun Castle and the Hundertwasserhaus. It was a fabulous vacation for the four of us.
Today Cindy has begun packing for our trip home; we leave next Tuesday. It is so exciting to think about being together with our family again. We are so blessed to have this privilege of going home for the summer. We ask again for your prayers for our visa renewal. We started this process three weeks ago and have hit a few snags along the way. On Monday morning we will make our third trip to the immigration office to hopefully show all the documents necessary for our residence here next year. If we run into problems, we will have to get temporary status and finish the paper work next September. So your prayers are greatly appreciated for that, and for our trip home next week.
Thank you again for being a part of the work that we are doing here.
Áldás és békesség! Blessing and peace!
Serving for TeachOverseas.org and Christian Reformed World Missions,
Jack and Cindy
Monday, June 8, 2009
Village Visits to Dunaharaszti and Szigethalom
This last weekend was spent with people connected with Trefort school. On Saturday we took the suburban train out to one of Jack's fellow English teacher's home in the village of Dunaharazti, south of Budapest. It's only 20 minutes by car but by train it's usually about 45 minutes. The gulyas party was attended by about twelve Trefort collegues. Most "garden parties" feature outdoor cooking. Here is the pot which had been over the camp fire. Gulyas contains cut up beef, and Hungarians like to slow cook their gulyas for four hours or more!
Enjoying the food and fellowship on the porch. It was a beautiful day!
As we got to the platform where we had to catch the returning train, we found two mulberry trees that wanted to be picked. We enjoyed the usual purple variety and also a white variety that we have not seen before.
Here is the inside of the train car. With the weather being quite warm, we had all of the windows open. We spent more time on the train than we anticipated. At one point near the beginning of the trip the train stopped, which in itself is not unusual. There are many stops along the way. But after three or four minutes the conductor came through and said we would be stopped for thirty minutes because the train hit a car. She also said no one was hurt. We got off the train and enjoyed the cool air, not daring to go too far away from the train. We did hear a siren after a while, and later a couple of police officers drove along side, examining the undercarriage and the front of the train. Thirty minutes became ninety minutes that we were there waiting. Our Hungarian colleagues were concerned for our safety, so they called another teacher to come and pick us up. But after another ten minutes the police said to get on the train, because we would be leaving soon. So we cancelled our rescue. We got home at 11:15 instead of 9:30.
Here is one of the stations along the way. It was a beautiful night for being stranded.
Jack could not resist sticking his head out the window as many Hungarians do.
Kriszta, Reka, Eszter, and Eniko pass the time singing along with music on their phones.
On Sunday we were invited to the home of Coci, the 13th grade student Jack has tutored this semester. Szigethalom is also south of Budapest, but this trip was made longer because the tracks for the HEV train were being repaired. So after meeting Coci at Boraros Ter at noon (with the sun shining) we took a tram to where the HEV normally begins. There we got on a "substitute" bus as it started raining. Then fifteen minutes into this ride we got off the bus and onto the train. Once we got to Coci's town, we had to wait for another bus (now it's raining quite hard.) We arrived around two o'clock. Here also Coci and his mother had prepared the food in a kettle over an open fire in the "garden". They prepared a wonderful beef stew called "pörkölt" that is eaten with nokedli, or noodles. Dessert consisted of two different pastries. Yum! We enjoyed their company and hospitality, and appreciated learning more of their life in the country. Here is Coci's mom Iboya, Coci in the middle, and brother Istvan. It is occasions such as these that teach us so much about the people of Hungary.
Enjoying the food and fellowship on the porch. It was a beautiful day!
As we got to the platform where we had to catch the returning train, we found two mulberry trees that wanted to be picked. We enjoyed the usual purple variety and also a white variety that we have not seen before.
Here is the inside of the train car. With the weather being quite warm, we had all of the windows open. We spent more time on the train than we anticipated. At one point near the beginning of the trip the train stopped, which in itself is not unusual. There are many stops along the way. But after three or four minutes the conductor came through and said we would be stopped for thirty minutes because the train hit a car. She also said no one was hurt. We got off the train and enjoyed the cool air, not daring to go too far away from the train. We did hear a siren after a while, and later a couple of police officers drove along side, examining the undercarriage and the front of the train. Thirty minutes became ninety minutes that we were there waiting. Our Hungarian colleagues were concerned for our safety, so they called another teacher to come and pick us up. But after another ten minutes the police said to get on the train, because we would be leaving soon. So we cancelled our rescue. We got home at 11:15 instead of 9:30.
Here is one of the stations along the way. It was a beautiful night for being stranded.
Jack could not resist sticking his head out the window as many Hungarians do.
Kriszta, Reka, Eszter, and Eniko pass the time singing along with music on their phones.
On Sunday we were invited to the home of Coci, the 13th grade student Jack has tutored this semester. Szigethalom is also south of Budapest, but this trip was made longer because the tracks for the HEV train were being repaired. So after meeting Coci at Boraros Ter at noon (with the sun shining) we took a tram to where the HEV normally begins. There we got on a "substitute" bus as it started raining. Then fifteen minutes into this ride we got off the bus and onto the train. Once we got to Coci's town, we had to wait for another bus (now it's raining quite hard.) We arrived around two o'clock. Here also Coci and his mother had prepared the food in a kettle over an open fire in the "garden". They prepared a wonderful beef stew called "pörkölt" that is eaten with nokedli, or noodles. Dessert consisted of two different pastries. Yum! We enjoyed their company and hospitality, and appreciated learning more of their life in the country. Here is Coci's mom Iboya, Coci in the middle, and brother Istvan. It is occasions such as these that teach us so much about the people of Hungary.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
ROMANIA (Transylvania)
This weekend we, along with our teammate Scott, were invited to Romania by our friend Joco Varro.Joco was born and raised in the Transylvanian (formerly Hungary) part of Romania. We first met him in Zeeland (it was another one of those God-ordained meetings) and now we all live in Budapest. Since it was Pentecost which is a holiday in Hungary we all had a four day weekend to enjoy traveling and seeing a variety of sights in Romania. We were only in the Northwest corner of the country but traveled 1000 miles over
the four days and saw some beautiful countryside. Lots of rolling hills (kind of like the Appalachian Mountains).
Joco planned a very interesting itinerary for us that included a variety of cities and villages. We stopped at the "Merry Cemetery" that has grave markers that describe the person's life or their death. They are all brightly painted and have poems that are often funny in a somber way. It was really interesting to see.
We spent quite a bit of time at a famous prison that has now been turned into a memorial museum. It was really well done. Each room explained a different aspect of prison life and the government during the time. Some rooms were a tribute to a particular prisoner. "Juliet" Visky's husband was imprisoned there and we saw his picture. Also Richard Wurmbrand was inprisoned there. If you remember his book "Tortured for Christ" it gives you an idea of the horrors of this prison.
These are "gypsy palaces". There are different kinds of gypsies...some are nomadic and some are not. The ones who live in these palaces are not. You can't really see it but the roof is all silver and shiny...very interesting. These houses were along the highway that we were driving on.
We also toured a monastery built in the 1800s. All of the structures were made of wood. You can see the well in the foreground and the church behind it.
This is the castle in Ozd, the village that we spent most of our time in. It's where Joco worked for several years with Bonus Pastor, a non-profit alcohol rehabilitation ministry. This castle is being refurbished by Bonus Pastor volunteers to hopefully be used as a hotel or conference center to help support the ministry.
On Pentecost Sunday it was the 100-year anniversary of the Reformed Church in Ozd present building. (The congregation itself dates back much further.) There were many out of town guests for the special service. The women sat on the left side and the men on the right. You can see the man in front of the organ is the organist. The man next to the organ is the organ pumper. The white cloth is over the communion elements. We sat up in the balcony where Cindy got some attention by fainting. Fortunately Jack caught her and Joco had someone open a window which quickly brought her to her senses. After church we joined everyone for a big traditional meal in the town hall.
Later we went to visit Joco's 84-year-old grandma who still lives on her farm in Ozd. She no longer has a horse, cows, sheep, or pigs like she used to. Now she just has her chickens. She still has a garden and you can see her with Joco in this picture in front of her well (no running water and she still only has an outhouse!)
We saw storks nesting in every village we passed through.
On the road home Joco spotted a shepherd's house and drove up the path to see if we could get some sheep cheese. This shepherd's wife was glad to show us around and show us how she made the cheese. The cheese we bought from her was from milk that they got from the milking that morning...can't get much fresher than that! She had some sweet cheese (similar to ricotta) and some salty (it reminded me of feta). We bought a kilo of salty for 20 LEI (equal to about $7...so about $3.50/lb)
Monday, May 25, 2009
TeachOverseas End-of-Year Retreat
Each year the TeachOverseas teachers in Hungary and Slovakia get together to discuss the year's expectations, disappointments, accomplishments, and surprises. We spent the weekend crossing back and forth between Hungary and Slovakia--four times. Our three main meals were at a pub in Esztergom (HU), as well as our worship/conference meetings. We also had free time on Saturday afternoon at a beautiful water park in this city along the Danube. Our lodging and breakfasts were in Sturovo (SK), just across the bridge. Our pension had a very nice sweet shop below, where two-scoop ice cream cones cost only $1. Plus, the clerks were very entertaining, tossing and catching ice cream balls. We always enjoyed the twenty minute walk across the bridge and took many pictures from that vantage point (see below).
It is always so good to worship together, and we had three opportunities for this. Singing times were a wonderful blessing for us all. On Saturday night we celebrated communion together, a great reminder of God's love for us and a call to serve Him faithfully, wherever we are.
One of the more important topics discussed was Going "Home"--Reverse Culture Shock. We are quite aware that our experience overseas has changed us in many ways, and we may not fit into our home culture as well as we did before. It's possible that our family, friends, and church have changed too. Plus, many of our attitudes have adjusted with our cultural adjustment. We were alerted to the possibility that friends back home may not totally understand our experience. Another shock is over-stimulation, something we both experienced when were were home at Christmas: being able to understand every conversation, every advertisement, and having too many choices.
We eagerly anticipate having our feet on US soil in four weeks. Our hearts are eager for the re-connections with all of you. Our arms are ready for hugging. (Beware, we are also habitual cheek kissers!) PLEASE pray for our last four weeks in Budapest for this year, and also for our re-entry back into American culture.
This is the sunset over Sturovo, just before our walk across the bridge.
The Esztergom Basilica really stands out in the night sky!
The some of the Slovak girls across the border in Slovakia, while we stand in Hungary.
Border kissing!
Saturday morning view of the basilica.
The water park during our Saturday afternoon free time.
It is always so good to worship together, and we had three opportunities for this. Singing times were a wonderful blessing for us all. On Saturday night we celebrated communion together, a great reminder of God's love for us and a call to serve Him faithfully, wherever we are.
One of the more important topics discussed was Going "Home"--Reverse Culture Shock. We are quite aware that our experience overseas has changed us in many ways, and we may not fit into our home culture as well as we did before. It's possible that our family, friends, and church have changed too. Plus, many of our attitudes have adjusted with our cultural adjustment. We were alerted to the possibility that friends back home may not totally understand our experience. Another shock is over-stimulation, something we both experienced when were were home at Christmas: being able to understand every conversation, every advertisement, and having too many choices.
We eagerly anticipate having our feet on US soil in four weeks. Our hearts are eager for the re-connections with all of you. Our arms are ready for hugging. (Beware, we are also habitual cheek kissers!) PLEASE pray for our last four weeks in Budapest for this year, and also for our re-entry back into American culture.
This is the sunset over Sturovo, just before our walk across the bridge.
The Esztergom Basilica really stands out in the night sky!
The some of the Slovak girls across the border in Slovakia, while we stand in Hungary.
Border kissing!
Saturday morning view of the basilica.
The water park during our Saturday afternoon free time.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Church today
We were way up front on the side so I decided to get a video of the singing to give you a taste of the worship here. The songs are usually sung in Hungarian with a verse in English at times but the powerpoint has both English and Hungarian. The praise team was composed of 8 violins, 3 cellos, a flute, guitar, bass and drums along with the singers you see. There are 3 services each Sunday morning. There's a good mix of ages though 20 somethings are the largest group.
Ippistle 12
Ippistle 12
May 17, 2009
Dear Friends and Family,
The numbering system for our Ippistles indicates that we have come to the twelfth month of this adventure. This past year seems to have flown by rather quickly; but we have learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and still believe that we are making a difference in the lives of those around us. Our colleagues at work are happy to know that we are returning for another year, and now the words “next year” creep into many of our conversations.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us here in Budapest. We appreciate the emails that many of you have sent, encouraging us and keeping us connected with your lives.
Students and teachers at Trefort Ágoston are beginning to see the end of the year. Four groups of 12th and 13th graders had their graduation two weeks ago, and now are studying for additional tests that they must take in the next month. The rest of the student body now anticipates written and oral tests, to be completed before the last day of school, June 11. Unfortunately, students are losing steam and are having difficulty focusing. By noon they are ready to be outdoors and away from school. The teachers are very likely feeling the same way.
Evergreen Ministries, our home church, is using its "corners offerings" for May for us to use for special projects. We have decided that one way to use this money is towards gift Bibles for Jack’s graduating students. We were able to order the "Good News" English/Hungarian Bible through the Mission Institute library. Nine of the graduating boys were in Jack’s 12th grade conversation class and one was the 13th grader that he tutored this year, Jozsef (Coci). Please pray that the students will value this gift enough to read it, if not now, sometime in their future. We have the promise that God’s word will not return void.
The church that we have been attending here in Budapest has plans to begin a new church here in Kispest, the area of the city that we live in. We are excited about Calvary Chapel’s church-plant plans. There are many activities being planned as outreach tools during the first week of August, such as sports camps, concerts, English camp, and children’s games. Pray that God’s Spirit will open doors so that Calvary can find a place to hold these events, and pray for open hearts to the message that they bring to Kispest. You can see an introductory video produced for this occasion at http://www.labnyom.com/labnyom_wsubtitle.mp4
It will give you an idea of the plans as well as show you the area where we live. It’s in Hungarian with English subtitles, so you can get a feel for how life sounds here as well. The Hungarian word “labnyom” means footprint. We’re praying that these outreach events and future church plant will truly leave an imprint on the lives of many in Kispest.
Cindy has just been attending a seminar on Gypsy Ministry/Prayer/and Church Growth. (She also acted as videographer for this conference—bet you didn’t know she was so gifted in this area; she didn’t either!) It was sponsored by the Mission Institute and featured a ministry leader from Mumbai, India, Arthur Thamgiah. He had much to teach and many came from around Hungary and Ukraine to learn. His insights on breaking “strongholds” were straightforward, and he gave powerful insights into how Satan controls people and cities and how to effectively break those strongholds. We are so often blinded as to how we are blocking God in working effectively through us. You have heard us often refer to the hopelessness that we see here in Hungary. Arthur taught that one effective way to break a stronghold is to do the opposite. As an example: if one acknowledges that greed is a stronghold in his life, the best way to break it is to be generous and begin giving generously. So we know that our calling here in Hungary is to break the stronghold of hopelessness by bringing hope. Whenever we can, we are to be encouragers. Whenever we see hopeful things happening, we need to notice them, give God the credit and point them out to others. We know that this is how God is using us here. Please pray that we will continue to bring encouragement to others and that God will begin transforming their lives through the hope He brings.
If you haven’t visited www.hopeinhungary.blogspot.com in a while, please check out some of the recent posts and pictures. We want you to stay informed as you partner with us.
Áldás és békesség! Blessing and peace!
Jack and Cindy
May 17, 2009
Dear Friends and Family,
The numbering system for our Ippistles indicates that we have come to the twelfth month of this adventure. This past year seems to have flown by rather quickly; but we have learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and still believe that we are making a difference in the lives of those around us. Our colleagues at work are happy to know that we are returning for another year, and now the words “next year” creep into many of our conversations.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us here in Budapest. We appreciate the emails that many of you have sent, encouraging us and keeping us connected with your lives.
Students and teachers at Trefort Ágoston are beginning to see the end of the year. Four groups of 12th and 13th graders had their graduation two weeks ago, and now are studying for additional tests that they must take in the next month. The rest of the student body now anticipates written and oral tests, to be completed before the last day of school, June 11. Unfortunately, students are losing steam and are having difficulty focusing. By noon they are ready to be outdoors and away from school. The teachers are very likely feeling the same way.
Evergreen Ministries, our home church, is using its "corners offerings" for May for us to use for special projects. We have decided that one way to use this money is towards gift Bibles for Jack’s graduating students. We were able to order the "Good News" English/Hungarian Bible through the Mission Institute library. Nine of the graduating boys were in Jack’s 12th grade conversation class and one was the 13th grader that he tutored this year, Jozsef (Coci). Please pray that the students will value this gift enough to read it, if not now, sometime in their future. We have the promise that God’s word will not return void.
The church that we have been attending here in Budapest has plans to begin a new church here in Kispest, the area of the city that we live in. We are excited about Calvary Chapel’s church-plant plans. There are many activities being planned as outreach tools during the first week of August, such as sports camps, concerts, English camp, and children’s games. Pray that God’s Spirit will open doors so that Calvary can find a place to hold these events, and pray for open hearts to the message that they bring to Kispest. You can see an introductory video produced for this occasion at http://www.labnyom.com/labnyom_wsubtitle.mp4
It will give you an idea of the plans as well as show you the area where we live. It’s in Hungarian with English subtitles, so you can get a feel for how life sounds here as well. The Hungarian word “labnyom” means footprint. We’re praying that these outreach events and future church plant will truly leave an imprint on the lives of many in Kispest.
Cindy has just been attending a seminar on Gypsy Ministry/Prayer/and Church Growth. (She also acted as videographer for this conference—bet you didn’t know she was so gifted in this area; she didn’t either!) It was sponsored by the Mission Institute and featured a ministry leader from Mumbai, India, Arthur Thamgiah. He had much to teach and many came from around Hungary and Ukraine to learn. His insights on breaking “strongholds” were straightforward, and he gave powerful insights into how Satan controls people and cities and how to effectively break those strongholds. We are so often blinded as to how we are blocking God in working effectively through us. You have heard us often refer to the hopelessness that we see here in Hungary. Arthur taught that one effective way to break a stronghold is to do the opposite. As an example: if one acknowledges that greed is a stronghold in his life, the best way to break it is to be generous and begin giving generously. So we know that our calling here in Hungary is to break the stronghold of hopelessness by bringing hope. Whenever we can, we are to be encouragers. Whenever we see hopeful things happening, we need to notice them, give God the credit and point them out to others. We know that this is how God is using us here. Please pray that we will continue to bring encouragement to others and that God will begin transforming their lives through the hope He brings.
If you haven’t visited www.hopeinhungary.blogspot.com in a while, please check out some of the recent posts and pictures. We want you to stay informed as you partner with us.
Áldás és békesség! Blessing and peace!
Jack and Cindy
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