June 2010

SUMMER IS HERE!

Summer is always a full time for our team as we have two major camps to plan for and various local outreach opportunities. Due to these responsibilities, updating our blog has been pushed down the priority list. I apologize for those of you who have been waiting for weeks to hear what has been happening here. I am full of praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for all the work that He is doing and what I expect Him to do this summer as He continues to victoriously build His church.

LOCAL FLOODING A FEW WEEKS AGO

Just a mile from our house, dividing Petőfibánya from the neighboring town of Selyp flows the Zagyva stream which after weeks of rain became a river.

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Above: Local volunteers assembling to help fill sandbags just on the border of our village.

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Above: Ben surveying the area with dad. Ben gave a helping hand, manning the fetching and opening of sandbags to be filled.

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Above: Church planting partner and friend Miki overlooking Petőfibánya. God has lead us to spend time together praying the past week on the mountain just behind our village.

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Above: A better look at some of the flooding in our area.

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Above: God was gracious to cause the rain to stop, and the following week brought in a heat wave that has helped to dry up many areas previously flooded.

ZOO TIME

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Above: Our former Area leader Jack with wife Karen are close friends of our family. God has directed them to move from Budapest to serve in mentoring and training in Africa. We were thankful to spend some time with them at the Budapest zoo before they make their way back to continue full time work in their new calling.

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Above: I can’t say that I remember any other zoo where you are aloud to feed the giraffes.

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GRADUATION (FROM PRESCHOOL)

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Above: Kira who just turned 4, waiting to see her big sister Elianna perform in her graduation show at preschool.

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Above: Beautiful.

VECSÉS CHURCH PLANT VISIT

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Above: PI teammates and friends Attila (far left with guitar) and Tamara who are serving in a church plant in the town of Vecsés invited our congregation to come out, have fellowship and share some of the giftings that God has blessed our body with. Enikő, who was saved at last year’s English Camp and was just baptized a few weeks ago shared her testimony along with church members Hugi and Eszti.

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Above: Dezső, who is on track to be an elder at our church, preached on the importance of fellowship and unity in our visit to Vecsés. As I listened to him preach and watched the confidence that he now has in God working through him, I was just overjoyed. It has been amazing to see the steady wondrous working of God in Dezső’s life over the past six years. I can remember long ago when I was seeking to convince Dezső from God’s word on the very topic he was now preaching bodly about this day. Praise God for leading Dezső into a ministry of preaching, teaching and pastoring and equipping Dezső with gifts to build up His church.

COMMUNITY EVENT OUTREACH

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Above: Every Summer, Petőfibánya and surrounding villages invite us to various community events to help with crafts, facepainting, singing and games. This is a great opportunity for our team to interact with the community, get the word out about our church and also invite kids to our VBS which is just a few weeks away!

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Above: Petőfibánya’s recently built stage that hugs the side of the building we meet in every week for church.

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Above: Miki and Peti outside in the 90 degree weather making balloon animals for the kids.

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Above: Heidi with Bianka who recently began attending our church’s Sunday School.

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Above: For the adventure seekers, Miki and Peti set up the crate climbing tower. Let’s hope that tree limb is strong enough!

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Above: Niki, Erik and Dávid offered their help throughout the day.

SUNDAY WORSHIP

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Above: Wishing Bence (Miki’s son) and Krisztian happy birthday after worship service.

Eszti (who’s face you can see just between the two kids) was rejoicing for just completing months of training for Christian Education for Children on Saturday. Eszti has four children of her own and has been a member of our church almost from it’s conception. Her husband came to faith in Jesus just a year ago and is currently attending Bible school through extension courses with Dezső and Gabi. Eszti has already been worked into our rotation for Sunday School teachers and is gaining more experience using her giftings in this area. We rejoice in God moving members from infancy to using their giftings to build up the body.

Last week we had a man walk into our church for the first time and leave just before the service ended. We prayed on the mountain for him the following week, asking for God to draw him back, and God was gracious to answer. It is very rare for people to just ‘walk in’ to our church as we are not in a traditional church building and there are no prominent signs displaying our presence on Sunday. Our format for this Sunday happened to be break out groups with Dezső, Allen and Miki leading study of Romans 8. This man happened to fall into Dezső’s group and this time stayed after service to talk with Dezső as well. Please pray for him as he is seeking and found a place where he will most certainly hear the Gospel!

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Above: Ben having a little fun with Erik who was just saved a few weeks ago.

I (Allen) was able to meet with teenagers Ricsi, Roland and Erik an hour before service for foundations of our faith /baptism class. I am excited about these young men and look forward to God’s work of grace sanctifying them in His truth. At first glance, you would think these guys just stepped out of a rock concert at midnight with their scruffy faces, black clothing and graffiti strewn tennis shoes. But, it is evident as we talk that something else is happening in their souls, as they confess Jesus Christ as the one who died for their sins, and take baby steps through God’s word seeking to understand His will. Please pray for these young men, that the seed that has been planted would grow into a forrest of strong faith founded on His truth and that these men would be leaders in their generation bringing glory to Jesus Christ.

Please also pray for our core planning team for this years Vacation Bible School. We are just a few weeks away from VBS and have lots of work ahead.
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