The Bridge at Balaton

This past weekend we were able to join with The Bridge--our Bible study group that meets on Tuesday nights--at a cottage on Lake Balaton that is owned by two sisters who are a part of The Bridge. We had a great time relaxing and just being together. The highlight of the weekend was the baptism of two of our friends, Chris and Della. The water temperature was perfect, the sun shone most of the time, and we shared some good food and fun together.

 The lake is so shallow that we had to walk out at least a quarter of a mile to be shoulder-deep. Balaton is the largest shallow water lake in Europe and only sail boats are allowed; you can see some way off in the distance.

As the pastor of The Bridge, David offered baptism to any who were ready to take this step. He gave a preparatory class last week before our regular meeting and Chris and Della both expressed their desire  to be baptized.

 Della first...

...then Chris

Since there were seventeen of us at the cottage there was a lot of food preparation necessary. Taking the adage seriously "many hands make light work", here is the group preparing the veggies for the gulyás: Susan, Dave, Márta, Tibor, Ákos, Chris, and Cindy. 

The bogrács is the essential component of making good gulyás. Syilvi, Dave, and Chris keep an eye on the fire.

Part of the gang accompanied by the "Mudman" who emerged from the depths of the lake.

Since coming to Hungary, we have shared our favorite game, Tichu,  with many others. Over the weekend three more Tichu lovers were added to the nine people in the group that are already avid fans.

 Even on the train home, with standing-room only, Dave, Kirsten, Justin and Agi continued the Tichu mania.

It was a great weekend!