Ippistle 18

Ippistle 18
Jack and Cindy Ippel
Thanksgiving, 2009


Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is almost here! There is no such holiday in Hungary, but we are going to celebrate with thankfulness anyway. We continue to have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed us in so many ways, but what we’re especially thankful for is the gift of relationships. We have spoken of many of these relationships before, but we again marvel at how God has brought so many new relationships into our lives here. So this Thanksgiving Ippistle will be spent reflecting on these relationships and asking you to pray with us for each person that God has brought into our lives.

God knows that we need “children” to help fill the void of having had to leave our own children back home. So it is not surprising that so many of our new friends here are in that age range. We love our Hungarian “daughter” Orsi and her husband Zoli. She was our exchange student in Zeeland five years ago. Our love for them is as spiritual mentors as well as parents. We watch Orsi in her busyness with school and long hours at work in the pub, and as parents would, we have a concern for her health and well-being. Zoli brings home the szalonna (bacon) by working full time in a shop making microscope lenses. We go to church together and try to find time in their busy schedule for a meal and some rather competitive games of Tichu, our favorite card game. If Orsi is our daughter, then Dénes and Petra are our Hungarian nephew and niece. They live only a five-minute’s walk away, so we are able to spontaneously get together for meals or to work in their yard, something our highrise apartment doesn’t have. For being in their late 20’s, they are mature Christians with a great outlook on life, and we have really been blessed by our friendship. Another “couple” we see with some regularity is Balázs and Dori Kovács, brother and sister who are both lawyers in the city. Along with Dori’s boyfriend Zoli we enjoy times of good food, drink, and conversation. Last spring they invited us, while Jodi and Ben were here visiting, for a weekend at their family vineyard and wine cellar at Lake Balaton. Their generous Hungarian hospitality is both very enjoyable and culturally educational for us Americans. Another good friendship that began providentially in Zeeland is with Joco Várro. Because of his Transylvanian background he has taught us a lot about life under communism in Romania in the 80’s and 90’s. He’s a great teacher and travel guide, but we love his Christian maturity and ability to discuss what it means to be a Christian in the context of life here. Pray that God continues to use these relationships for our mutual growth, encouragement, and blessing.

As we mentioned in the last Ippistle, we have joined a small group of Christian believers. We give thanks for this fellowship. The group is made up of five couples and one single girl, and our backgrounds are so refreshingly diverse. Jonathan and Rebecca are from the UK and have two grown sons. We love their proper British manners and way of speaking. John and Bernadett are Liberian and Hungarian, having met when he came to Hungary to play soccer for the Hungarian National Soccer Team. They now have two daughters. Dori is Hungarian and is a university student, Lee and Keesha and their two young daughters are from Texas, and Jeff and Holly are also from Texas and have a six-month-old boy. We got connected with this group because of our friendship with Jeff and Holly; he was formerly an ESI teacher and is now working for the US embassy. The nine original members of the group attend the Danube International Church. Meetings are held weekly, with an occasional “potluck” fellowship. We know that God has brought us to this group for His purposes. Please pray that God will use us in this group of believers, for ours as well as the group’s spiritual benefit.

We are thankful for the roles that God has provided us here and for the many relationships that have developed with our colleagues in our respective work places. Cindy’s relationships at the Mission Institute continue to grow in building trust with each other. She has the respect of her colleagues and is appreciated for the time that she takes to encourage each of them. Anne-Marie continues to develop the many programs of the Institute and appreciates Cindy’s organizational skills. Cindy has become closer with both of her colleagues Moni and Gabi over the past year and is an encourager to both of them in their professional and personal lives. Jack, in his second year now at Trefort, enjoys the colleagues he is working with. Obviously there are some relationships that develop naturally, and others that probably never will. But he believes that his presence in the English teachers’ room is a positive one that helps maintain a cordial and enjoyable work environment. He is well respected and appreciated for his helpful attitude. Juli, Eszter, Ildi, Kata, and Eniko are five Hungarian colleagues that Jack is often able to engage in more meaningful conversations. There are seven or eight other colleagues in the room, so there is certainly the potential for making an impact on other relationships as well. Please pray that God will use us in our workplaces to bring our colleagues closer to Him.

One last note of thanksgiving: we are so thankful for our relationship with you! Thanks for your prayer support and financial support. We are so blessed! In our time in Hungary we have never wondered where the money would come from. All of our financial needs have been met…above and beyond! We also know that you sustain us with your prayers. This is our greatest need, and the best gift for you to give us. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!

Jack and Cindy