Spotlights

August 2008:  Spotlight on

Back to the Market

Gary and Carolyn Miller have spent many hours prayerwalking the town of Puspukladany asking God to stir the hearts of the people there. When they began in 2003 they did not know anyone in town and had been told by several sources that there was not an evangelical church. They prayed that God would establish a core group of believers that would grow into a strong, reproducing church.

During the summer of 2005 volunteers came to work with them, providing a free blood pressure booth and prayerwalking the town. In December of 2005 the Millers distributed Bibles in the open market to get God’s word out and to meet people. Then in 2006, volunteers helping with projects discovered that there was a small independent church of about seven believers. Not only that, but other churches were also praying for the town and holding outreach projects. By partnering with believers in the area the Millers have been able to help the existing church as well as plant seeds for future work.

God is answering the prayers of believers by stirring the hearts of the people. A sign of what God is doing can be seen in the number of people that accepted a Bible during a recent Scripture distribution in the open market and beside the tent the church used for its outreach.

Volunteers from the local church and from other towns came and helped to man the table and explain the Scripture distribution to inquirers. They also offered free blood pressure checks and just visited with the people. The Friday market is only open in the mornings. Rain moved in, cutting the time down to just a few hours. Saturday morning the Millers then moved the booth and set it up beside the tent that the church was using for their special meetings. The tent was right in the center of several apartment buildings and beside one of the main sidewalks. This was a great location for engaging people in discussion.

Over the course of two and half days they were able to distribute 244 whole Bibles and 68 New Testaments. “Three hundred and twelve pieces may not sound like a lot in a town of 17,000,“ says Gary. “But we didn’t just hand them out; people had to sign a commitment card promising to read the Bible.“ He adds, “We could have given out more whole Bibles, but we ran out of those designated for that project.“

More than half of the whole Bibles were distributed during the few hours at the open market. This is the same market where in 2005 the team reported the wonderful news that they “gave away many copies of God’s word.“ That was a total of 38 copies over 5 days. “That many copies seemed like a miracle to us, then. Now just two and a half years later, we gave out eight times that many,“ says Gary.

On both occasions the Millers’ friend “Annie“ was the key person who opened the door for success. Both times she shared her rented space and encouraged people to take a Bible or New Testament. She strongly believes in God, and they eagerly await the day she puts her full trust in Jesus Christ.

The Eastern Hungary Team asks that you please continue to pray for the people of Puspokladany, that they will read the Bibles they have received, that they will repent and follow Christ, and that they will share their faith with those around them.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

July 2008:  Spotlight on

Larry and Melinda Ewing, working in Győr, Hungary,  have recently received an answer to many prayers. One young woman named Emőke taught their 60 hours of language when they came to Hungary in 2003 for two years of ISC service. During that time they shared the Gospel with her but she just wasn’t interested. Since their return to the field in April 2007, Emőke has been working with Larry and Melinda on language three times a week. Sometimes they got together socially. The Ewings and their prayer partners continued to pray for Emőke’s salvation. 

This spring she asked if she could come see an immersion baptism, as Larry was to baptize three students on March 8th. Everything that she saw and heard that day moved her heart. Then at the next language lesson after the baptism she began to open up her life, telling the Ewings how she had sought forgiveness in past years from both the Catholic and Reformed Church. Sometimes she was forgiven and sometime she was not forgiven, depending on who it was she talked with. Larry and Melinda explained to her that she needed to ask Jesus, the Real High Priest, for forgiveness of her sin. She asked if she could come once a week to study the Bible. 

Last Saturday was her fifth time to come, and the chronological Bible study that day was on the Abrahamic Covenant. At the end of the lesson Melinda began going through the bridge witnessing illustration using just Romans 6:23 as the major verse. At the end Emőke said that she also wanted to enter into a covenant relationship with God. Then, at the kitchen table and through tears, she prayed the sweetest prayer asking Jesus to forgive her, as she repented and turned to follow Him. She now has entered into His rest, a rest that she has for so long been searching. 

Larry said, "We are thankful for those who have been praying with us for her salvation, and we wanted to let everyone know that God accomplished that on Saturday as she was 'born again' into His family."  Melinda asks that others join them as they praise the greatness and wisdom of God. Please continue praying that God will strengthen her new relationship with Him in faith, and also that she will make Godly choices for her life. Please pray that she will be bold to share with her children, and that she and the Ewings will be able to continue to meet for discipleship. 

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

March 2008:  Spotlight on

“ I don’t know where, I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but here I am—I want to be baptized.”

These were the words expressed earlier by Ari, one of four new believers baptized in a hotel pool in the city center of Győr, Hungary on Saturday afternoon, March 8^th. This was a day of rejoicing over the events God orchestrated during the past several months, using many of His people. Volunteers from Arkansas and even IMB-led Germans had come to Győr in early fall to pass out 2,500 Bibles and to give a witness on the university campus.  From the many contacts made, several have been faithful to a Bible discussion group every Tuesday in the flat of IMB missionaries Larry and Melinda Ewing. The baptism was truly a celebration with 50 attending, including both believers and unbelievers. One of the baptized was Vivienne, an English woman befriended and led to faith in Jesus by Paul and Tena Brock and David and Tina Taylor, who lead a house church in western Hungary. Her baptism was very special to all of us because we were very aware of her fear of water, but in faith she went all the way under and came up rejoicing in her obedience to Jesus’ command to take this public stand.

Andras, a computer science major,  told with a big smile of how he found Jesus as His Lord through the Bible and a witness he received earlier this fall. Six members of his family attended, and his mother spoke of the joy they have seen in Andras since he made this commitment to Jesus.  Rozi, who graduated earlier, boldly gave her testimony before her parents and invited friends. Speaking publicly was a big step for her, but remembering what Jesus had done on her behalf made the ordeal a blessing. One of her friends who attended with her husband, a priest, said to one of the missionaries, “This has been a wonderful service, everyone is so happy and following Jesus is so personal—I want this!”

Ari, an engineering student, before she was baptized said, “You are going to take me all the way under, aren’t you!” When she was told, “Yes,” she said, “I want my baptism to show that I have been totally immersed in Christ!” Her story began at the age of six when her mother was very ill. When she took Ari and went to see the priest, he told her that Jesus would take care of her little girl. Ari looked and saw on the wall a picture of The Last Supper. She thought “the Man in the middle” must be Jesus, the man about whom the priest was speaking. Ari believed that day that Jesus would always be with her. Soon after, Ari’s mother took her own life. When Ari was eight, her father, whom she never knew, also died. All through her childhood and teen years Ari knew Jesus was helping her. At the age of nineteen she decided it was time to learn more about Jesus. After going to four bookstores and not finding a Bible, she prayed that God would help her find one. At the fifth bookstore she found one, but when she tried to read the older Hungarian translation she found it was very difficult to understand. We are honored that God in His grace and mercy allowed our volunteers and us to be the ones to put the new Hungarian translation in her hand and to invite her to a place where she could hear the Scriptures explained. Ari has taken full advantage of that opportunity. She repented and made her commitment to Jesus last December. Her joy, as well as that of Rozi and Andras, in finding the Lord has been an inspiration to us all and a witness to those still considering Jesus.

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

February 2008:  Spotlight on

One of our team members has been able to form quite a few relationships at her gym. The younger people in Budapest tend to be very health conscious and gyms are a very common thing. Because Denise is American and speaks English she has been able to make friends with several girls who like to meet her for coffee and to practice English. None of the girls she meets with are believers and Denise has been able to share about her life and her relationship with Christ. They all really like Denise and like to meet with her but they find her beliefs puzzling. This is a very common reaction. Most Budapesters are polite and will listen to what you have to say, but their hearts are hardened and they have very little interest in the Gospel. Pray that God will give these girls hearts to understand and ears to hear. Pray that His Spirit will move in their lives and convict them of their sin and their separation from Him. Pray that He will continue to bless Denise with relationships and that she will have more opportunities to tell people about what Christ has done for them.

For more information, contact us at teamBudapest@gmail.com.

January 2008:  Spotlight on

The British are coming, the British are coming...
oops, they are here!

Yes, I know we have all heard this before. This time however it is a little different....

Over the past few years that the Taylors have lived in Hungary they have not heard many English accents, neither while walking through the streets of Győr, where they lived for two years, nor in Keszthely, the city they moved to about 19 months ago. They heard a lot of Germans but not many British. It is amazing how our ears are attracted by what is familiar when we are in foreign lands.

Paul and Tena Brock and David and Tina Taylor, members of the Western Hungary team, have recently met a lot of British people that seem to be arriving in Hungary in groups. Two years ago Paul and Tena met one British woman named Vivienne and a man named Paul that moved here to retire and run a bed-and-breakfast. Last Easter Sunday the Brocks, the Taylors, and Paul and Vivienne spent time worshipping on a local hill called “St. Michael’s Hill.” It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time of worship. Paul and Tena Brock before this had shared the Good News with Vivienne and she became a Christian and is now growing in her faith and in love for Jesus.

Through Vivienne the Taylors found out there is a group of Brits that meet once a month to play games and just chat. Last month Tina and David went to the meeting and discovered that it is a great place to begin and strengthen relationships with these folks. 

This past week Paul and Tena and David and Tina and Vivienne went to another such meeting, and quite a few conversations took place in which they were asked why they are here in Hungary and what they do. The people really want to know more. Another question that was asked quite often was, “Why Hungary? Isn’t it a Christian nation?” One other question posed to Tina and Tena was, “Does your organization send people to England?” The Brocks and the Taylors see this as another door being opened; yes, they are in Hungary, but they can also reach out to those here that speak the same language.

David and Tina both mentioned that the second time they went to this place it seemed lighter, people were more open. Upon pondering this the next day it came to mind that there were five Christians in the group that night -- the light of Christ was brighter and stronger.

It seems that many of these Brits are coming from Spain where the cost of living is extremely high now and violence is also on the increase. The typical 
answer when the couples asked the Brits the question, “Why did you come to Hungary?” was that Hungary is like England was many years ago as far as a peaceful livestyle, the cost of living, and friendly neighbors.

It just goes to show here in this corner of Europe there is a gem, a country called Hungary, that is now seeing an explosion of nationalities coming to its doorstep. Please continue to lift up these people in your prayers--not only Hungarians, but also those that have come from other countries and now call Hungary home.

Pray as Paul and Tena and David and Tina make and build relationships with these British people, that they will share the Good News that saves, and pray that eyes will be opened to the truth. Pray as the Brocks and the Taylors go out to where the people are gathered, that the light of Christ will shine brightly. 

In whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  (2 Corinthians 4:4) 

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

December 2007:  Spotlight on

Holly McMickle, student outreach worker on the Eastern Hungary Team, writes:

The Lord is continuing to stir the hearts of men with thoughts of Himself, and I stand amazed at the ways that He works. We are just beginning to reach out to the students in our city, and what we have found are hearts that are hard, those that are questioning, and those that are deceived. The college years are known as a time for "finding oneself" and establishing one's character, but how much more valuable it is to find out why you were created.

Our hope and prayer is that students will come to a knowledge of God and a saving relationship with Him. That instead of finding themselves, they would die to self and become alive in Christ. To give an illustration of the vast range of where these young people are spiritually, in one week I talked to one student who was searching--not for the next party, because that isn't what "does it for them" anymore--but for something else; later I talked to one who denounces the existence of God; finally, I spoke to students who are of other religions. Students are searching. The question is, what are they going to find, and what voice are they going to listen to? Our prayer is that it will be the voice of truth.

God has also been working among those that do know him. There are a group of girls that are interested in beginning a Bible study. It is an encouragement when one surveys the vast amount of lostness among the 27 thousand university students, to have those who want to pursue the truth. These girls found me and asked if I would meet with them after exams...what a blessing and honor! 

In the picture is my friend Patricia who came to help me decorate my biblically-centered tree. This year I wanted to have only ornaments that reflect Christ. The decorations I used are apples, stars, angels, and white balls. The apples represent man's sin. It is because of our sin that he was hung on a tree.  The stars reflect both the star at his birth and the prophesy of the star of Jacob that will bring strength to Israel, judgment, peace, and an everlasting kingdom for all nations; they also symbolize the bright and morning star. The circles represent communion, and the lights, that he is the light of the world. The angel garland is for the host of angels at his birth. Not only is it a pretty tree, but it has already open the door to share the Christmas message with two students. That is the best gift I could give this Christmas.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

November 2007:  Spotlight on

Political Unrest and the Peace of Christ

This last month saw some excitement in the city. Though not nearly as violent as last year or as serious as the media portrays (that is a whole other story) there was and still is a definite feeling of unrest in Hungary and in Budapest specifically. For those of you who have not been keeping up with the situation, let me try and explain it.

Hungary's government is a multi-party, parliamentary democracy. Right now there are two major coalitions of parties, the Left led by the SZDSZ (social democrats) and MSZP (Hungarian socialists) and the Right led by Fidesz (young democrats). Basically the two sides HATE each other. Think Red state/Blue state but more intense. The Left is in power and the Right wants them out. The tension is palpable and when a struggling economy, failing health care system and other maladies are thrown in, you have a pretty volatile situation. It doesn't take much to get the two sides pretty hot. If you are interested in reading about the situation click here.

Why am I bringing this up? Though the politics of Hungary do affect our team, we are not here to concern ourselves with it. The reason why I am writing about this is to elicit prayer. For multiple reasons the city of Budapest is in a state of unrest. We are asking for prayer for this beautiful city. Pray that peace will replace the hostility. Pray for reconciliation for a city and a country that has had more than its share of betrayal and brutality. Pray that in all of this God would be glorified and that Christ would be known.

For more information, contact us at teamBudapest@gmail.com.

October 2007:  Spotlight on

A year ago a lady came into the lives of Tina and David Taylor in Keszthely, Hungary after an event they held at a local hotel. Tina explains that since that time this lady has grown to not only become a friend, but has grown in Christ as well, which is so exciting to see. Here is a little about their friend Erzsi.

Last year in July, Campus Crusade for Christ held three weekly English camps in Keszthely, Hungary. Also at this time they worked with a church from the USA that sent a huge choir of 250 teenagers to sing at the local theater. The Taylors went to the event and found the place packed; the choir sang oldies and really had the participation of the Hungarians in the audience. About halfway through the performance the choir started to sing praise songs, and it was fantastic! During the closing, a Hungarian man gave his testimony and asked the audience to fill out a paper if they were interested in knowing more about Jesus.

 David and Tina were blessed to receive those papers. They were so excited that they had 120 responses in their hands; after weeding out the illegible ones, they ended up with 87--and they were still excited. To follow up on the first event, the Taylors planned another. 25 of the 87 people said they would be interested in attending. Well, they held the event, and guess what? Yes, Erzsi was the only one who came. David and Tina were still excited, though, because this was one person who did not know Jesus Christ as her Lord.

Erzsi began to attend a weekly Bible study in the Taylors’ apartment. The first time she came she would not sing, would not pray, and would not read the Bible. As time went on she continued to come. They have seen her grow to love to read the Bible, to have favorite praise songs, and to pray for many--even for a dear friend of theirs who has cancer. Erzsi was the first one to say, “Let’s pray for her.”

She is now studying English with Tina, and she is learning from the book of Mark. Last week she was so excited to be able to understand the simple yet very important words from the Bible. Last month Erzsi attended the basketball camp that was held in Keszthely. As the trainers asked who would like to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Erzsi raised her hand and understood the Gospel and said the sinner’s prayer. This to the Taylors seems a long process, but God’s timing is perfect. Continue to pray for Erzsi that she may grow more in Christ.

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

September 2007:  Spotlight on

Goulash and the Gospel

People tend to congregate around food and fun. That is why this summer the Eastern Hungary Team decided to focus on having outreach parties instead of traditional evangelistic events.

Two years ago when the summer interns stayed with the Coppersmiths (name changed for privacy) there were no believers in the household. Now T. B. and his wife are baptized believers with a strong desire to reach others for Christ. This year, the Eastern Hungary Team and their interns were working in the same town where T. B. and his family live. They asked him if he would be willing to host a goulash cookout so that the American students could meet more Hungarians; this would also provide an opportunity to share Christ in an informal setting. Along with many lost friends, T. B. also invited some people from the Free Christian Church they attend some 15 miles (25 kilometers) away. During the course of the evening a church member led one of the guests to Christ.

In the town of Puspokladany the team again sponsored a cookout, this time in partnership with the small independent church there and the Baptist church in the next town. The dinner provided an opportunity to share Christ with many people. In addition to this, the elder from the local church explained how encouraging it was to the tiny congregation of eight in a city of 17,000 to know others were willing to help.

An elder from the Baptist church was so excited to see three separate evangelistic efforts come together at one point in time. Four years earlier, he and the youth of the Baptist church in Kaba and had started coming and holding evangelistic outreaches in Puspokladany, unaware of the small group of local believers that had started meeting. The Eastern Hungary Team had been working in the city for almost four years, not knowing of the efforts of the other two groups. They learned about each other through mutual contacts, and then, on this night, God brought all three groups together around a pot of stew. And each group brought along with them another group that needed to hear more about Jesus.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

August 2007:  Spotlight on

Every summer Team Budapest members Daniel and Ann Chu lead a youth retreat near Lake Balaton for Chinese youth. Budapest is home to over 20,000 Chinese immigrants, most of whom live in the downtown area of the city. Team Budapest is excited about this opportunity and sees that it serves two important purposes.

 The first is that it provides the Chus and their partnering churches a great opportunity to share the gospel. Usually around 70% of the kids are not Christians and many of them have not had an opportunity to hear about Christ. Through Bible study, games, outings, and other means, these kids get the chance to hear how much our holy God loves them and how much they are in need of repentance. 

The second purpose for the retreat is that it gives city kids a chance to get out of the hustle and bustle of the big city and to get away. Most of these kids’ families work in the enormous Chinese market. When these kids are not in school they are working in the market. It is an outdoor market so the summers are hot and the winters are cold, not to mention rain and wind. Life in the market is not easy. With the opportunity to go to the retreat, these kids are afforded the chance to take a vacation, to get away from the city and to just relax for a week. It is also a chance for them to fellowship with other young people. 

We thank God for the chance to have this retreat so that we can provide a valuable service to the young Chinese students of Budapest, and in doing this show them the love of Christ in word and deed. Pray for these young people that God will touch their lives and make them aware of their sin and their need of Jesus. Pray for the Chu family as they work among these wonderful kids. 

Pray that God’s will will be done in Budapest among the Chinese.

For more information, contact us at teamBudapest@gmail.com.

July 2007:  Spotlight on

How can the art of protecting and decorating photographs in an album be used to bring glory to God? In a word: “scrapbooking.” For those who are not familiar with this wonderful craft, you are able to decorate, personalize and preserve your cherished memories in an album to share with others now, and then can pass it on to future generations.

In March 2007 Anita Dixson and Michelle Pankey of Arkansas came on mission with God to the city of Keszthely and helped reach out to Hungarian women using a totally new craft called scrapbooking. IMB missionary Tina Taylor, who lives in Keszthely, was not sure how God would work this out--or even if any women would actually come to the sessions. Well, God is faithful, and during four afternoons and evenings seventeen people attended. They not only learned scrapbooking, but more importantly, they heard the Gospel and testimonies of God’s goodness from a young Hungarian believer, Györgyi Virág, as well as from Anita, Michelle, and Tina.

One month later in a city called Nagykanizsa another IMB missionary, Tena Brock, also opened her apartment to a scrapbooking event. Once again not knowing how this would be received by the Hungarian women, she was amazed; God brought fourteen together that evening. A Bible study about families was shared by Tena, who also explained why she lives in Hungary. Tina shared the art of scrapbooking with these ladies, and they absolutely loved it. That evening each lady left with a new craft, a Hungarian Bible, and God’s Word on families.

Tena and Tina are able to reach more Hungarian women using this very exciting and creative way to share and preserve family memories; it also leads into sharing God’s heart for families and His desire for Hungarians to preserve their relationships within families and with Him through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Tena and Tina plan to offer monthly events in the two cities. They hope as they share God’s Word with these women that they will be drawn to Jesus Christ through the study of God’s Word.

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

May 2007:  Spotlight on

Over the past two years the Eastern Hungary Team has had  student interns riding bicycles around eastern Hungary conducting a major ethnographic survey. The nature of the task required a team that was trained for a special type of work, each time carried out across the entire summer. With characteristic humor the students nicknamed the project “Spandex for Jesus” because of the bicycling shorts. When the survey was finished in 2006, the need changed from students for survey work to students for evangelism.There were many who had wanted to come before but were unable to commit to the entire summer, so the 2007 season was broken down into two-week trips. The project summary was simply this: to bicycle around eastern Hungary telling people about Jesus.

But then God began to impress on the hearts of some students to come for longer than two weeks. He has provided four university students to work the entire summer, in addition to other short-term teams.  To prepare the soil for the summer’s work, the Eastern Hungary Team put together a prayer calendar for the annual 31 Days of Prayer during May.  Prayer partners are asked to pray for a specific city each day.  After the soil has been prepared through prayer, the summer missionaries will sow the Gospel seed as we continually ask the Lord of the Harvest to give the increase.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

April 2007:  Spotlight on

     Team Budapest currently is focusing on two people groups within the city, the Hungarians and the Chinese.  These two groups do not always get along as well as we would hope, actually just tolerating each other. The Chinese provide cheap goods in their markets, and the Hungarians provide the money when they buy. But sometimes God shows us things that demonstrate His plan for all people. 

      Recently a young Hungarian woman, who had come to Christ a few years ago through one of our English camps, helped out with a Bible study our team was conducting. Our team members, Daniel and Ann Chu, had been witnessing to a young Chinese woman for some time but she just was not ready. The Hungarian woman started witnessing to her about how Christ had saved her, and after the two talked for a while the Chinese woman accepted Christ and was saved. It was such an amazing thing to see a young woman who had come to Christ be used of God to cross a strong cultural barrier and share Jesus. We pray that this will be a glimpse of things to come between the two cultures.

For more information, contact us at teamBudapest@gmail.com.

March 2007:  Spotlight on

March Musings on Hungary's Walking Streets

   Last month was the observation of the annual masked costume ball celebrations which originated in Venice and accompany Lent. In Hungary, this is known as "farsang",  a day when you can be anyone that you want to be. Schools have costume parties where children dress up and enjoy a mini-carnival experience of music, prizes and treats; the most creative outfits win the judges' favor. 

        There is rich symbolism here. As do the people in America, Hungarians seek to project the image that says to others: "All is well." These masks can communicate that one looks upstanding in the community, is successful at work, and has a model personal or family life that reflects cultural and media expectations. Humanly speaking, the appearances are well maintained.

         However, as with all people, when Hungarians encounter the expectations and demands of a holy and righteous Creator, they come to realize that even the best intentions do not measure up to His incomparable perfection. The Bible operates like a surgeon who strips away the masks in order to examine the state of the heart, pointing out sin and the helpless state of man. It can lead people to cry out as Isaiah did upon seeing the majestic holiness of God: "Woe is me. I am undone."  When they see themselves as God sees them and accept Christ's righteousness as their own, Jesus sets them free to be the sons and daughters of God as they place their hope, trust and deepest longings in him. As they seek after the Father's glory, those familiar masks begin to fall away. Jesus said: "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin . . . if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-35 ESV)  

        Pray that the Holy Spirit will use every witness and proclamation of God's glory in Christ Jesus to draw Hungarians to the Father, bring deep contrition for sin and joy for the forgiveness, new life and hope they can experience in knowing Jesus Christ.

        Commemorating 1848-49: On March 15th, Hungary will remember their revolution for independence from Austria. Until the Austrian emperor requested Russia's assistance, Hungary had won a series of battles against his troops. With their troops, the emperor was able to squash Hungary's bid for freedom. Thirteen Hungarian generals were executed in Arad by the fall of 1849. 

        This memorial date marks one of several bids for freedom in Hungarian history. At the hands of various foreign powers and occupations, their aspirations for national independence and autonomy were denied. Although the Iron Curtain fell in 1989 and membership in the European Union was officially granted in 2004, Hungarians continue to pay homage to those who struggled valiantly against overwhelming odds. Hungarians today enjoy freedoms and privileges that their forefathers could not have envisioned. 

        Jesus Christ laid aside his rights and privileges to offer himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of a world that continually fails to acknowledge, pay homage and worship God, who is worthy of all praise, honor and glory. Hungarians seem to know some things about Jesus, but do not truly understand who He is and why He came and willingly died on the cross to cancel the debt of sin and reconcile men to God. For many, He is merely a religious symbol who is strangely distant. They do not know Him. 

        We are not in chains for the Gospel as Paul was when he wrote to the Ephesians, but his prayer echoes the request we ask of you. "That words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel . . . that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak." (Ephesians 6:19-20) 

Thank you for your prayers. We depend upon your intercessions for us in telling Hungarians about Jesus and making disciples for Him. 

We are also grateful for your sacrificial support of the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program and your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Serving Christ together with you,
The IMB Hungarian People Group Team

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

February 2007:  Spotlight on

Ethnic groups in Eastern Hungary

Officially out of the 4.7 million people in eastern Hungary, 95% are ethnic Hungarians. That means there are at least 235,000 people in minority groups. Many say that the official count of minorities is about half of the actual number. The IMB Eastern Hungary Team is looking for ways to help connect the right people to the right job to reach this estimated half million people.

Among the minorities, the Roma (Gypsy) population is the largest. (Note: In English the term "Gypsy" does not really carry a negative connotation, but most belonging to this people group prefer to be called by the proper term, "Roma.") They face much discrimination here in Hungary as well as in most other European countries. However, God is opening the hearts of the Roma population, and at this time they are the most responsive population segment in Hungary. Due to this current responsiveness many different organizations are now working with the Roma people. Since there are ministries focusing on this people group, the Eastern Hungary Team does not have a separate initiative, but often encounter Roma during evangelism ministry projects. They also work to encourage these other organizations and stand ready to help with training in evangelism, church planting, and leadership development. 

Another sizable minority group is Romanians. The border between the two  countries has shifted many times throughout the centuries. The break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI drew the current line on the map and placed most Romanians inside Romania, but about 20,000 still live in Hungary. Out of that number, it is estimated that less than 1,000 are born-again believers. Many families are ethnically mixed, and many of the believers attend Hungarian or dual-language churches. God has brought the Eastern Hungary Team into a good relationship with some of the Romanian believers, and they are now trying to help the Romanian church in Hungary; time, distance, and financial resources make it difficult to do all that is needed, however.

Other ethnic groups include Germans, Slovaks, and Serbs. The eastern Hungary team is still trying to find "men of peace"* that will help them find ways to minister to each of these ethnic groups and reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

*See Luke 10:5-9

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

December 2006:  Spotlight on

What We Want For Christmas: Present and Future

Not a Fanciful Wish List

• We want to see God work and move in such a mighty, miraculous way among the Hungarian people that people will glorify Him, saying: “God has grabbed hold of our country! He is doing wonderful things in our midst. Only God could do this; man could not change and woo hearts as the Lord has done.”

• We want the Lord to start a spiritual awakening among the Hungarian people. Oh, for Hungarian hearts to be broken and contrite before God over their sins, crying out: “Tell me about the Lord! Is there hope and mercy for me?”

• We want the Lord to revive the churches across Hungary, for the Holy Spirit to breathe afresh upon Baptists and others. Prayer, confession of sin, and pleading for the salvation of family members, neighbors, colleagues, and classmates would be the heart cry. The preaching of God’s Word would be powerful and unapologetic, bringing glory to the Lord through circumcised hearts and transformed lives.

• We want Hungarians to hunger to know God through the reading, study and meditation of the Bible. The question will not be: “How will it speak to me?” but “What does God want me to know and do?”

• We want believers to be unapologetically bold in sharing their faith. They would speak about God’s righteousness, how sin insults and offends a holy God, who Jesus is, what Jesus did and why He came, justification by faith alone in Christ, and the obedience of faith – without apologizing for God’s character or what He deserves.

• We want believers to take Jesus’ call to discipleship seriously and to be disciples who make disciples.

• We want new communities of believers to form in every city, town and village; these would be new congregations. We want to see churches, old and new, to intentionally start new churches so that every man, woman and child would have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

• We want the Lord God Almighty to be praised, worshipped and adored throughout Hungary by people who love Him with all their heart, mind and soul, who desire Him more than life itself.

This is what we long to see happen among the Hungarians this Christmas and throughout the years for many Christmases yet to come.

Will you join us in praying for the people of Hungary?

Your IMB Hungarian People Group Team

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

November 2006:  Spotlight on

It is often said that you cannot get to where you want to go unless you know where you are now.  Ethnographic research is a vital part of mission work, enabling missionaries to know where they are so they can then plan how to get where they want to be. Eastern Hungary is a large area, with five cities of over a hundred thousand people and a total population of about 4.7 million. How could the research be done effectively?

The answer was "students." American university students were able to come and enjoy the adventure of touring through the countryside by bicycle, learning about the culture, meeting local residents, and providing some vital information to the mission community; some of them even earned class credit for intercultural studies.

It took two summers to sufficiently cover the eastern half of Hungary, but the information-gathering part of the project is now finished. It will take some time to evaluate all of the data and see what trends are developing or dying, which areas are open to the gospel, what types of outreach ministries are needed, etc., but the missionaries have been greatly helped by the students' work.

In addition to finding basic demographics, the students were able to form ongoing relationships with a number of people where they continue to communicate through cards, letters and emails. In some cases, true friendships are developing. The survey work has already opened up a number of opportunities to share the gospel. Now plans are being made to follow up on the survey work with evangelism projects in the next few years.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

October 2006:  Spotlight on

Over the last ten years or so there has been a large influx of Chinese, with most of these coming from the mainland. Most have come for better economic opportunities and have often left family and friends back in China.  It is not uncommon for spouses to be separated for the sake of a better economic life.

The Chinese market is made up of hundreds of open-air stalls that are open all year.  At some point during the month virtually every Chinese person in the city will walk through this market.

When the numbers of Chinese first started to become substantial, a church was started; this was about six or seven years ago.  After about three more years the church split, but not in a productive way.  Over the last two years these two churches have become five, and again not in a healthy way.  At one point about eighteen months ago, there were five churches and five pastors.  As of September of this year, there are still five churches but now there are zero pastors.  The churches which perhaps started out of bad situations, are now shepherd-less.  This leaves our team leader for the Chinese, Daniel Chu and his family, in a peculiar position.  Not only are the churches fractured, but the reputation of Christians in the city is not favorable due to the splitting and accompanying fighting.  Now we find ourselves as a team in a situation where the ground has already been worked, though perhaps not so well, and the lost are desensitized and dubious of Christianity.

Daniel and the team have felt that God is leading us into a ministry of reconciliation and rejuvenation with the goal of having healthy churches which can spawn new churches.  The land is ripe for churches, but not fractured ones which only affirm the stereotype that Christians cannot get along.  Pray with us for healing among the body here.  Pray that differences will be put aside for the sake of Christ.  Pray that God will raise up pastors and leaders from within the Chinese to lead in this ministry of reconciliation.  Pray also that the Gospel would not be looked at in scorn because of the conduct of believers, but would be seen as the true hope and true peace for this life.  Finally, pray for our team as we seek to follow God in the work with the Chinese.  Only through His will and guidance can there be lasting peace and effective ministry of the Gospel.

Fanny Crosby penned the familiar hymn: Rescue the Perishing. Her first line reads: "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep over the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the mighty to save."

Did anyone wake up on Wednesday, October 20th of 2004 with the intention of being a hero? David Taylor certainly did not. For David, it was a typical Wednesday,  involving language study and an opportunity to participate in the Baptist church's feeding program for the hungry.

That afternoon, David walked to the bus stop so that he could get to the church in the city center. This particular bus stop sits across the street from the Gyor Plaza, which lies across the railroad tracks from the Taylor's neighborhood. As he approached the pedestrian crossing at the railroad tracks, David was approached by a teenager who was also walking in the same direction at that moment. The young man asked David what time it was; David responded by showing the young man the time on his wristwatch. About fifteen paces behind them walked two young ladies and another young man; each were probably in their late teens. The young man was walking his bike while the two young ladies laughingly sang songs as they staggeringly approached the pedestrian railroad crossing. David sensed that the ladies were either intoxicated, high on drugs, or both. Both seemed totally oblivious to everything around them as they wobbled and teetered while singing loudly on the walkway.

David turned to the teenager and asked if he knew the young ladies, if perhaps they were family or friends of his. The boy said he did not know them, but his reaction to the ladies seemed to betray him. David handed him a couple of tracts and spoke briefly with him.

Suddenly, as they approached the pedestrian guard railing at the railway crossing, the barriers came down, the lights began to flash, and a train sounded its horn. David could see the train as it approached the intersection only seconds away. He felt his senses heightened and he became very alert and watchful as the train approached - God was prompting David to be ready for something.

David had walked through the pedestrian zigzag barrier, which is a steel frame that stands about waist-high to slow pedestrians and stop them from carelessly wandering into the path of oncoming trains. Here David stopped, waiting for the approaching train to pass. There were others at the barrier waiting, too, in addition to the car traffic on the adjacent road.

The weird part for David was that time suddenly seemed to move in slow motion...the two intoxicated, staggering young ladies continued to walk through the zigzag barrier, past the people waiting, beyond their friend with the bike, the teenage boy, and David. These ladies stepped right out toward the railroad tracks...the train whistle blew! David jumped up from behind them, grabbed them by their shirt collars, and hauled them back into the zigzag barrier!

He looked into their eyes. They returned empty looks; they were under the control of some unseen substance.

In the next second, the train roared past and the whistle stopped. After a moment, the guard lights ceased flashing and the guard rails lifted, allowing both pedestrians and cars to cross the tracks. Everyone and everything seemed to proceed as if nothing at all had just happened. David proceeded across the tracks, just behind the two ladies. About twenty steps later, the ladies stumbled to the ground. David stepped over to where they had fallen so that he could help them up, but the young man with the bicycle was there first. David turned to the teenager next to him and asked him: "Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ?" The boy said he did not, and David explained who Jesus is and of God's love for us. They parted ways. Then David noticed that the teenager, the young man with the bike, and the two ladies were walking in company toward some apartments with the young men guiding the staggering ladies as they walked.

As David pondered these events, various questions and thoughts swirled in his heart.

• "If I had chosen to turn around and went home, would anyone else have pulled these young women from certain death?"

• "Everyone seemed oblivious to the ladies, like no one cared about them." 

• "The ladies themselves seemed totally oblivious to the rest of the world with no regard for their surroundings or even themselves." 

• "How many times do we lose sight of our mission to proclaim the Gospel and rescue others?" 

•  "We need to learn from our yesterdays and realize that we are not guaranteed that there will be a tomorrow." 

• Hebrews 9:27 says: "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." 

• "What would it look like if we lived in total submission to Christ, available every moment to do all that we can for the purpose of winning souls for Christ?"

Please pray for the IMB Western Hungary team that we will live in total obedience to Christ and boldly seize every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel among the Hungarians.  Pray for Hungarian Baptists and other believers to see the urgency to become bold and reckless in the rescue mission of telling others about Christ.

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

May 2006:  Spotlight on

 On the Road Again

Following the success of the 2005 large ethnographic survey project through central Hungary, a new group of summer interns working with the eastern Hungary team is hitting the road to complete the task.  During June and July they will be traveling by bicycle on four strategically planned tours conducting personal interviews and recording their observations.  The purpose is to discover naturally occurring cultural and ethnic divisions among the people in the different cities and regions.  They will then apply what they learn to help find culturally relevant ways to share the gospel, and to pinpoint key places from which the gospel will spread the most rapidly. 

The first tour will be in the mountainous area of north-central Hungary, and will take place from June 1 to June 7.  On the second tour, June 24 through July 2, the team will be surveying the area where both geography and culture transition from the mountains to the open plains, as well as Kecskemet, a city of over 100,000.  This will be a particularly challenging tour since it will take place while the career missionaries have to be away.  The third tour runs July 5 – 14 and covers the flat plains between the Tisza and Danube rivers.  The fourth and final tour takes place July 24 – 30 in the southeast of Hungary on the lower part of the Tisza, and includes the city of Szeged, which has a population of about 170,000.

In addition to the ethnographic surveys, the interns will also be helping with at least two evangelism projects.  They will be joined by a married couple coming  to help for the entire summer.  In addition to helping the students, the couple will be doing student outreach, street evangelism and prayer walking in the city of Debrecen.

Please pray for the team's safety, and that God will bring them into contact with the right people at the right times--not only for discovering the information needed for future ministries, but also for opportunities to share Christ.

You can read about the summer workers coming to help reach eastern Hungarians for Christ at http://www.hope4ehu.com/team_2006.html.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

April 2006:  Spotlight on

The Hungarian People Group Team of the International Mission Board works to ensure every Hungarian has the opportunity to hear and respond to a culturally relevant presentation of the gospel. The three teams function independently, yet coordinate their work with each other, local churches, and other mission organizations to get the gospel to Hungarians. Of all the work they do, the most critical is enlisting prayer supporters to continually lift the Hungarian people before the throne of grace. The Eastern Hungary Team is currently organizing the fourth annual May Month of Prayer for eastern Hungary. May was chosen to cover their many summer projects with prayer and to coordinate with the prayer efforts of Operation Mobilization. Click here for more information or a copy of the prayer guide.  

The Hungarian People Group Team doesn't just focus on Hungary, though. They have a heart to reach Hungarians no matter where they live in the world. One place outside the country's borders where many Hungarians live is in the northern part of Serbia. The entire Vojvodina province was at one time part of Hungary. About 300,000 Hungarians still live in the area today. Out of the 300,000 Hungarians, less than 1,000 are born again believers in Jesus Christ. 

The Hungarian Baptists in the area have worked hard at bringing hope to many in this war torn, economically devastated and ethnically divided region. With only six churches and two pastors, they founded the Bethesda Humanitarian Society to help meet the overwhelming needs of people from all ethnic groups. Zoltan Nyul, the organization's founder, says that they have fed the people physically, but now would like to feed them spiritually. Please pray for the Hungarians in Serbia and for the Hungarian People Group's leadership team as they develop a strategy to help Zoltan and the other believers to share the good news of Jesus Christ in this area where hope seems so distant. For more information about the aid foundation see www.bethesda.org.yu/English/kezdolap%20angol.htm. 

March 2006:  Spotlight on

March 15th: Freedom’s Cry!

The revolution began with fervent jubilation in front of the National Museum in Budapest on March 15th, 1848. Crowds had gathered in a light rainfall to hear a recitation of Petőfi Sándor’s "The National Song."  Afterward, the people captured the city’s press and overthrew the government. Hungarians arose in defense of their constitution against the Austrian emperor, who would not accept it. At that time, Hungary was under the control of the mighty Austrian Empire.

Although their hastily enlisted, poorly equipped militias were victorious in several battles, the Hungarians were no match for the highly efficient Austrian troops backed by Russian forces. A year later, the Hungarian struggle for independence was terminated. In the autumn of 1849, thirteen Hungarian army generals were executed by the Austrians in Arad. Those previous joyous exultations of March 15th had turned to bitter tears.

There would be two other significant revolts in Hungarian history: 1918 and 1956. Both ended disastrously, crushing  the hopes of the nation and leaving an indelible imprint upon the nation’s psyche.

Today, however, Hungarians not only enjoy  a strong national identity, but also experience unprecedented levels of freedom. Hungarians can freely express their opinions, ideas and beliefs in public and private forums and through the media. Debating politics is a favorite national pastime.

Yet, in spite of these freedoms, Hungarians still live under a subjugation and oppression greater than any known during foreign domination: the bondage to sin.  Jesus described the plight of all people in John 8:34: "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (NIV) Sin is the cruelest of all masters; sin brings destruction, death and eternal separation in hell to all. But through Christ, deliverance and new life are available to all who believe!  "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 (NIV)

Pray for Hungary! Pray that Hungarians will realize that they are under bondage to sin and that sin separates them from God! Pray that they will hear and respond to the salvation found in Christ and truly know what it means to be free!

For more information, visit the Western Hungary Team website.

February 2006:  Spotlight on

Into the Market Place

Believers are commanded to go and tell the good news of Jesus Christ.  So often in our churches we turn that around to “come and hear.”  We organize special events to attract unbelievers to come, and then we can tell them about Jesus.  Gary and Carolyn Miller of the eastern Hungary team decided to turn that back around, and like Paul in Athens take the Gospel to where the people are already gathered – the market place.  So for the Christmas season they set up a booth at the local open air market in Puspokladany, a small city with no evangelical church, but where the Millers have a strong desire to plant one. 

“The apostle Paul went to where the people were,” reports Gary.  “In Athens we see him  ‘reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.’ (Acts 17:17 NASB)  That’s what we wanted to do also – get the gospel to the people where they are.”

Almost every city and town has an open air market called a “piac” [PEE ahts] somewhere in it, where many of the locals go to shop.  But they do not just shop, they go to get a cup of  coffee, visit with their neighbors, or just hang around a bit.  Market day is an event, not just a trip to the store.  The Puspokladany market is open only three mornings a week, so a much larger percentage of the people turn out on any given market day than in the towns with full-time markets.

The project did not go exactly as first planned.  The Millers originally planned to occupy a larger booth in the special Christmas market in downtown Debrecen,  the city where they live.  The company organizing the event mistakenly put them on the list for another Christmas market in another part of town, and then just two weeks before its start the event was cancelled.  While they were seeking God’s direction for what to do, they sent out prayer requests to their prayer partners to get many more people involved in finding the right place.  Through much prayer and seeking, God led them to go back to Puspokladany, where they had worked with a volunteer mission team  in the summer.

The piac manager first said that there were no places available to rent out, but to come early and see if another vender didn’t show up.  The first day there were several empty spots available, so they set up a small table and just gave away free copies of the Hungarian New Testament.  People were very reluctant to come by the table and pick one up, because, for some reason, they felt uncomfortable with it.  Most walked on by, giving the table a sideways glance but not approaching it.  The Millers were, however, able to give out some Bibles and make friends with some of the vendors. 

The next market day they set up the same small table, but in addition to giving away the New Testaments also sold goods that were left over from a similar project in Prague, and other donated items. The fact that there were products for sale on the table broke down the barrier of “strangeness,” allowing the people to feel comfortable with stopping and striking up a conversation – also helping them to feel free to accept one of the New Testaments. “It sure went a lot better when we had products to sell,” says Carolyn.  “The people would stop to see what we had, and then we could talk to them.”

The weather was cold and snowy, but they went ahead in spite of the difficulties.  Carolyn was having back trouble, but in a follow-up prayer letter she states, “Praise the Lord for being with me physically and allowing me to endure standing in the snow for hours each day that we were there--I would have muscle pain during the afternoons and evenings to the point I had to just lie down, but from 7:30 until 11:30 while we were there working, I was pain-free!  There is no explanation except for the grace of God.  He is good!”

The Millers were able to share the gospel with several people and gave away many copies of God’s Word.  Some people stopped more than once to talk with them.  “We did not get to spread [the Gospel] as widely as we would have liked, but we got to go deeper with people,”  says Gary.  Many new contacts were made and some older ones strengthened in this town.  Now the team is trying to follow up with personal visits, cards and letters. 

Please pray that the people will read the New Testaments, and that new Bible studies will be established as the first step to planting a new church in Puspokladany.

For more information, visit the Eastern Hungary Team website.

January 2006:  Spotlight on

 The young people of Budapest find themselves in a peculiar position.  The  20-somethings of the city are the first generation in 40+ years not to have been educated under the communist system, and therefore have a completely different outlook on their futures than the older generations.  Instead of a narrow and strict future dictated by others, their future is in their own hands.  They are optimistic and have a keen awareness of the need to better themselves to insure a successful life. 

One of our team members has developed a close relationship with a young person, Z, over the course of the last few months.  This young Hungarian is typical of so many.  They are learning a third language, pursuing higher education, and are always open to new places, ideas and people.  Our team member has been able to share openly about Christ, but as yet there has been no real response, just questions followed usually by a change of topic.  Unfortunately, our friend also has the typical characteristic of being self-reliant.  So many up-and-coming 20-somethings feel that their future is theirs.  They are in charge and they make the decisions.  No outside force is needed to have a successful life.  Life is what you make of it and they are trying to make the most of it.

Our team asks for prayer as we seek to communicate the gospel to people like our friend.  Pray that God will use us to soften hearts and lead them to the reality that humanity is powerless to do anything “good” or of eternal importance.  We are totally reliant on the power of God in Christ.  Pray that this young and highly influential generation will one by one, person by person, individual by individual, confess their weakness in sin and claim the power of Christ.

For more information, contact us at teamBudapest@gmail.com.