Ippistle 19

Ippistle 19
January 25, 2010
“Mid-year Reflection”


Dear Friends and Family,

This is the time of year when, as ESI teachers, we are asked to reflect on the past half year. We are asked to reflect on our adjustment culturally, our teaching, our expectations and how they have or have not been met, how well our team is building community, how we are growing spiritually, how our gifts are being used to do ministry, and whether we anticipate returning for another year. Also, because we, Jack and Cindy, have leadership positions, we have been asked to reflect on how God has used us within our positions as CA/Country Administrators. (This is just a role within ESI…we really are not part of the Hungarian government!)

We thought we would use this Ippistle to share some of our midyear reflections with you.
• Culturally things are more confusing this year than last year and so have been harder to adjust to. The confusion comes mostly because we thought we had figured some things out, only to find out that we were wrong. We also realize that the depression that seems to hang over Hungary begins to affect our outlook on many aspects of life. God has faithfully used His Word and other people to get our focus right again. We have grown to really love the Hungarian people and love to find ways to be encouraging of those God puts in our path.
• Teaching for Jack has been proceeding well. A four-day transportation workers’ strike two weeks ago brought education to a halt, and the few students who did come to school had extra word puzzles, watched videos, or had more time for conversation. He continues to enjoy his time in the classroom. Jack’s impact on the students is not so much with his words, but with his gentle way of listening and being in their lives.
• Our expectations mostly revolve around the relationships we began last year. We were told that coming back for a second year, gives us an opportunity to really build on those relationships. We have seen evidence that people that we got to know a little last year, have even more trust in us this year. They are eager to get to know us better and spend time with us. We pray that God will continue to use us to share His love within each of these relationships.
• Our team (Jack and Cindy) continues to improve and mellow with age. We have found that we work well together and compensate for each other in our strength and weaknesses. It’s good to know that after almost 40 years of marriage that we still enjoy being together. We are sad to say that one of our flat mates is leaving us and heading back to the U.S. next week. She has had a difficult time living in Hungary. Please pray for her as she makes the transition back home. Also pray for our team as we anticipate our new teammate Maria. She will be joining us around the beginning of March.
• We have both grown spiritually through so many of our experiences in this past year. God continues to teach us especially through our Bible reading and devotional times. We are reading through the Bible along with other members our home church, Evergreen Ministries. Each morning we receive an email containing the reading for the day, with comments and questions to consider, just before we sit down to do our devotions. We also spend time together in prayer each morning in preparation for our day. Cindy has a half hour each way to and from work where she gets extra reading time. She just finished reading Josh Riebock’s book “mY Generation” (correctly capitalized and highly recommended) and now Jack has started it. We also have been reading Henri Nouwen’s “Way of the Heart” and discussing it with our ESI leadership team. Finally, we are a part of a great small group that meets every Monday night to study the life of David and pray together.
• Cindy has really enjoyed her role as CA this year in mentoring the other teachers in Hungary. They are mostly young single women about the ages of our own daughters, so it seems to be a natural fit. She also enjoys having an impact at work through the organizational skills that she brings to the Mission Institute. Her colleagues appreciate her counsel as well. Jack’s gift of enjoying life flows over into the time he spends with his students and colleagues. He is obviously admired and respected by everyone at the school.
• “We don’t know what the future holds for us…but we know Who holds our future”. We are confident that God will use us wherever He has us go. We feel His blessing on our work here and could easily return for another year. This is our plan unless God shows us that He has somewhere else that He would rather use us.

Since this is our first communication of 2010, we say Boldog Uj Évet Kivánok! Happy New Year!

Jack and Cindy Ippel