Above: Family arriving in Philly Airport at the end of June for our summer furlough. However, we were still missing our oldest daughter Ellie who was finishing a short term mission trip in Guatemala.



Above: With a week still remaining before Ellie was supposed to join us in the U.S., our friend Brenda secretly conspired with Ellie to surprise us. Brenda invited us one by one to come out from the house to see something in the trunk of her car. We thought it may be a new pet. When the trunk was opened and the blanket removed, our daughter popped out one week early with her beautiful joyous laughter. What a gift!



Above: We are often asked, what are some of the differences between Hungary and the U.S.. Going to a grocery store can be a bit overwhelming here as there are so many options like the cereal aisle that goes on and on and on!



Above: And you can't get donuts like this in Hungary :)



Above: Believe it or not, when we returned on furlough, the only child in our family that had a license was Kira (even though Ben and Ellie are older). And even with her license, Kira didn't have any time to practice driving when she attended high school in Germany. Ben and Ellie had failed their driving test the last time we were in the U.S.. So, much of my time this summer has been helping Kira, Ellie and Ben practice driving. Praise God that Ellie and Ben have now successfully passed their driving test and received their license!





Above: Allen and Ben took a trip to Philly and enjoyed an Eagle's preseason game together.

This is a season of many transitions for our family. Our son Ben will be staying in the U.S. to establish himself as his residency status in Hungary does not allow him the opportunities needed for continuing to live there.

Our daughter Kira was planning on going to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, but in a recent turn of events has instead decided to go to a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Discipleship Training School in Orlando in October. You can find more information about Kira's journey on her blog by clicking

Above: Kira's first job experience at Chick-fil-A. We praise God that both Ben and Kira have found work in the U.S. Ben's next need is to find an apartment.



Above: Leading teaching time with Kids Club at BFCN.

We were thankful to be able to visit our supporting churches: Brandywine Valley Church, Bible Fellowship of Newark and Columbus Baptist in New Jersey. We are deeply grateful for our partners that offer encouragement and practical support to keep us on the field!



Above: Our youngest daughter Ziva was able to help out at Brandywine Valley's VBS. It was great to see how many kids attended and the way God used this to proclaim the Gospel.





Above: We're also thankful for the time we were able to spend with my mom. As most of you know, my dad passed away last April and mom has been going through grief and lots of change since that time.



Above: A recent trip with my mom to Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery. This is where my dad, my sister in law's dad and Sharon's dad and mom are buried in very close proximity.

Summer camps in Hungary

One major opportunity for ministry in Hungary is summertime. Once school lets out, we have camps from the beginning of July to the end of August.

Our teammates Roger and Heidi in partnership with members from their home church in California kicked off camp season with an English Camp for elementary school kids in our home town of Petőfibánya.





Above: The third year of holding English Camp for students from Petőfibánya's elementary school where Roger teaches Bible classes.







Above: Each day, the kids rotate through classes that keep them engaged while learning English.







This was a great start to the summer and many of these kids would be joining us again just weeks later in our VBS ministry.

VBS Camps in Petofibánya

Above: Panna who after last year's VBS decided to begin coming to our church and attended consistently the entire year.



Before returning to the U.S. we did our best to prepare materials (like crafts above) and help with administrative planning for our two VBS camps that draw in hundreds of unchurched kids from our neighborhood and surrounding villages.







We praise God for the many capable volunteers from our church who used their giftings and talents to share the love and word of Christ through our two VBS camps.



Above: One of my great joys was seeing Edit (center) be able to serve in our second VBS camp after fighting cancer for the past eight months. Months ago, it was our prayer and hope that she would recover from treatments and regain her strength. Praise God for His healing provision. Edit is in her seventies and her grandchildren Csanád (left) and Marci (right) also attended VBS. Edit shared the following:

Above: I was also thankful that Zsuzsa (center with Miki and Erika) who had been attending a bridge-building Bible study in Miki and Erika's house has since been attending church and also served as a helper at camp.



Above: The oldest group of kids in our VBS have grown up attending and end up signing up for our camp as helpers to satisfy civil-service requirements for school. After being with us over the years and hearing the gospel over and over again, we often see kids from our oldest group choosing to put their faith in Jesus.



Our Hungarian partner in ministry Erika shared this good news about the teens:

Above: Bogi who years ago was saved through ministries in our church now teaching in one of our morning VBS sessions. Bogi's little brother Beni attended VBS and Bogi shared that since attending, Beni has started asking questions like, "Is it Jesus or God? Are they different? Are we sinful?" And Beni kept asking Bogi to sing "Our God is so Mighty" and thinking about all the lyrics in the song.

Bogi's mom, who many years ago was opposed to Bogi getting serious about her faith in Jesus and being baptized, decided to come to VBS on the final family day of camp. Bogi's shared with me, "

English Camp for teens and young adults

Praise God that there were plenty of volunteers from the U.S. and from Hungary who came together for this year's summer English Camp for teens and young adults in central Hungary (south of Budapest).







Cathy reported the following from English Camp:

What's next?

Above: Allen and Ziva will be returning to Hungary next week as Ziva begins 8th grade September 1st.



Above: Sharon will delay her return to Hungary until mid-September as she'll be going to a song-writing conference in Orlando with Kira. And as mentioned earlier, Kira will be attending a YWAM DTS in October that you can find more about

.



Above: Ellie is safely back in Chicago and getting ready to finish her senior year at Moody Bible Institute.



Above: Ben will be staying in the U.S.. He currently has a management position in retail and will be looking for an apartment.







Above: Beginning of summer trip to Ocean City with family.



Above: A trip to Baltimore celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary.

We're very thankful for quality time with family and friends since we've been back on furlough. Thank you for partnering with us through your gifts and faithful prayers to bring the gospel to Hungary!

Celebrating 25 years in Hungary!

We are very thankful for your partnership with us in bringing the gospel to Hungary over the past 25 years. Sharon and I celebrated by visiting a restaurant we had enjoyed in our days when we lived in Budapest. As I write this, we are now down to hours away from

Kira Graduates from BFA!

This past Friday, we praise God to have been present in Germany for Kira’s graduation from Black Forest Academy. Many of you have helped Kira on her journey through prayer and financial support in order that she could attend this school. Thank you all! We remember the dark place Kira was in, when she began 9th grade in the Hungarian school system. She was failing her classes and suffering from anxiety. We weren’t sure where she was in her walk with Christ. God took her from that dark place and planted her in an environment at B.F.A. that would bring just the right nourishment, training, discipline and encouragement to cause her to flourish in so many ways! The change has been dramatic and we praise God for how He is transforming her life.



Kira not only graduated with honors, but was chosen as the recipient of the Philemon Award which was presented in this way:

Kira will be attending Moody Bible institute with a focus on youth ministry. Please pray for her in this new season of life that she would continue to know Christ deeply and live for Him passionately.

Above: Ziva, Sharon, Mayer (Kira's boyfriend also will be attending Moody), Allen, Kira and Mayer's sisters Ellie and Karis.

Ellie in Guatemala

Our eldest daughter Ellie is currently serving on a short term missions trip in Guatemala. Things have not gone as initially planned when she arrived as the organization she was partnering with had some internal reshuffling of leadership just when she arrived . She’s getting a real taste of life in missions where flexibility is a must! Ellie ended up serving in a hospital helping translate for visiting doctors and comforting children waiting for procedures. This is a big deal for someone like Ellie who used to dread going to the doctor and almost passed out multiple times when she was younger in this scenario.



Through the years Ellie has worked to overcome her fears with the Lord’s help and now she is right in the middle of where she used to be most afraid. Please pray for Ellie to continue to shine the light of Christ among those she is ministering to and for growing intimacy with the Lord in the midst of her mission.

Health challenges

Above: Some of the guys from church and the local community that I get to play soccer with each week.

Bridge building small group

For this summer’s two VBS camps, we have 200 kids registered and the majority of these kids and their parents do not attend church. Over the past few months our Hungarian partners in ministry have been holding a bridge-building small group for some parents that have been sending their kids to Summer VBS camps through the years. We have developed deeper friendships with those who have been attending and have had open discussions based on various Bible accounts at each meeting. We’ve discussed great questions that they bring up in the group such as: If God is love why not forgive all? Is there life after death? What about all other religions?





After meeting consistently each month, the group was informed that we would have to take a break because of some other needs that had come up and we would be restarting the group in September. To my surprise, on our last Sunday before returning home for furlough, I saw Zsuzsa come into our worship service for the first time. Zsuzsa shared with me that after hearing the news that we would be taking a break from meeting in the bridge-building small group, she was deeply saddened because it had meant so much to her.

Zsuzsa said with a smile, “Well, I’ve run out of excuses not to come to church that I’ve been making each week.” Zsuzsa shared with me that over 20 years ago she had attended a church in Budapest and was even baptized, but there were some issues with the church culture and leadership that turned her away and she had not been back to church since that time (until today). She said that since that bad experience she has had fear when thinking about attending any church, but because of her getting to know us through our camps and the bridge-building small group, God was dealing with that fear. Zsuzsa has two children that have attended our camps over the past few years and is a teacher in a local school. Praise God for the way He is calling Zsuzsa back to Himself! Would you pray for Zsuzsa and the other parents who have been attending the small group to turn to Jesus and experience true life in Him as their Savior and Lord.

Post-Christian Europe?

Back in November at a meeting with other Area Leaders in our Region we were shown a picture of a nearby church structure. The steeple still remained but the other parts of the building had long ago crumbled away. There was a thin pipe structure that mimics the shape of the building and it is covered with Christmas lights.



Our leader remarked that this is the way the church is in Europe, with both a rich history and yet a thin frame to house the actual Church. And a quote was shared from the recent missions Lausanne congress meetings in Seoul.

Song ideas stirred in me. The soil receiving the stones and glass of the ancient churches of Europe. What might God like to grow in this soil? Out of these thoughts and prayers a song called Cathedrals was born.



God graciously provided the music team (above) at our regional conference to take it from paper to a living song. It seems to reflect what God is speaking to others in our movement about Europe.



At the end of the conference a regional prayer coordinator told me of his astonishment when he heard the song. The chorus what exactly what God had been speaking to him using the beauty of the poppy flower. “Come and die,” God told him, “and see what I will do.”

Our teammate Heidi graciously combined these many different parts of the story into a single picture.







Please pray with us for Europe that God would raise up a generation devoted to Him above all else. Please pray especially that God would raise up the Roma across Europe to be a witness to the majority cultures.

Romani in Bogács

I’ve been able to continue commute out to meet with Maci for the past few months for Bible study. Maci was thankful that her husband Imi who had been working outside of Hungary would finally be coming home for good to try to find local work and remain with his family. It is common for Rómani husbands to work in other countries to provide for their family as they can make much more money for manual labor.

Above: Daughter Szimonetta, Imi & Maci, Sharon & Allen.

Imi shared with me how he used to avoid me and was afraid to be near me when he was around years ago in previous visits. His reason? Imi knew he was still living in sin and just felt convicted when I was there. He knew I took my faith seriously. By God’s grace, when Imi was sent to prison, God continued to call him to himself and he began attending a worship service for inmates. Before prison, Imi had gotten addicted to antidepressants. It’s a miracle that he is still alive. He told me horror stories of how many drugs he was taking and how difficult it was for him to gain his freedom. Now, he is not only released from prison, but free from drugs and learning how to be responsible to care for his family. When he returned home, he prayed to put his faith in Jesus and I was able to meet with both Maci and Imi for Bible studies weekly. They both show signs of continued spiritual growth, but being so young in the faith, they still have much to learn.

One week, I was close to informing Maci that I would not be able to visit for our study. God worked it out so that I was still able to go and it was for good reason! Maci greeted me with a bit of a concerned look on her face. She invited me inside and told me with an unusually serious expression, “Allen, I’m pregnant and we’re going to get an abortion. I know it’s wrong, but we just can’t afford to have a baby right now.” As I talked to Maci and shared how her news was disheartening and not God’s will for her life, she told me that she knew it wasn’t right and she would rather keep her child, but Imi wanted the abortion. She asked if I could talk to him. Imi returned home from work and said, “So, you heard the news?”

God was gracious to give me the wisdom to direct Imi to understand the terrible consequences of sin and the joy and peace of committing our ways to following God’s will. What seemed to be like a quick fix in having an abortion would actually be a terrible act of murder of a life that God was forming in Maci’s womb. I encouraged Imi that God could provide, even though it seemed as if Imi had no idea how he would have enough for two children. As we talked about these things, it was clear that the Holy Spirit was confirming what I was saying to his heart and by the end of the conversation Imi knew God’s will was to keep their child. But to be honest, as I returned home that night, I still did not know what would happen next and kept it in prayer.



The following week when I returned, I was filled with joy to know they decided to trust in God and live according to His will. They told me their daughter Szimonetta was already talking about the baby and how excited she was to have a sibling. Maci has had issues with previous pregnancies, so we ask that you please pray for her and Imi. Pray for their continued growth in spiritual maturity, for a healthy pregnancy and for them both to become a family who can reach their community for Christ.

Other tidbits

Above: A church portrait taken at Easter.

Above: Ziva with some friends at church.

Above: Church members helping prepare for our upcoming VBS camps this Summer. We're thankful for how these camps bring the church community together to serve as one and make an impact in our community for God's glory.


Above: Sharon and I have taken on the Area Leader role for Hungary/Romania/Moldova in our mission's organization. These are some of the wonderful people we get to serve in these areas.



Above: Szabi and Lidi from a VBS in 2006 to their wedding in 2025. What a joy to know Szabi and Lidi who are now married and living as followers of Jesus Christ. Szabi continues with theological training and Lidi will be working at an international school in Hungary.



Above: Patrik and Anna are expecting their second child! We've known Anna since she was born as her parents are our Hungarian partners in church planting ministry. I first came to know Patrik through summer camp ministry. They have recently attended a Pioneers Candidate Orientation and are looking into pursuing full time ministry opportunities. Please pray for them as they seek God's guidance and next steps for their family according to His plans.





Above: Because of various factors in changing laws that have happened over the years in Hungary, our oldest son Ben does not have a viable path toward residency in Hungary. Ben will be returning home with us on furlough and seeking to establish himself in the U.S.. With most of his experience and connections being in Hungary, this will be a difficult transition and we ask you to pray for Ben to find a suitable job, an affordable place to live and grace to be drawn to Christ through it all. Pray also for Ben to find good friends who know the Lord and a good community that can encourage him in this new season of his life.

O.K., time to get back to packing. We hope to see you face to face over the next few months in the U.S.