October 2024

Autumn update

Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Cor 3:7)


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Above: Memory from 2013 beginning outreach in the town of Bogács. Pulyka (far right) invited me into his home for Bible studies and was one of the first to put his faith in Christ. A few years later he went to be with the Lord after an unexpected heart attack.


Since 2013, God opened a door for me to travel once a week (about an hour commute) to the village of Bogacs reaching out to a few Romani families with the gospel. That ministry ended in 2022 because of growing responsibilities as pastor in our hometown of Petofibanya and doors that seemed to be closing in Bogacs. After those nine years of ministry, I would sometimes have the thought, “Why did it seem to fizzle out? Were those years wasted?” I had lost contact with those that had been baptized and the family that was most open to having me in their home relocated to different towns in Hungary.

As we’ve mentioned in previous updates, Adilene committed to serve with us six months and her time was coming to return to the U.S. Before returning to the U.S., Adilene asked if we could visit Bogacs since she had seen various updates I had posted about our experiences there on our blog. It had been close to two years since I had been there and I didn’t know what to expect. Would those that professed faith and were baptized and met for Bible studies for years still be in the faith?

Little did I know, God was orchestrating a meeting beyond my expectations. I contacted Maci, who is Pulyka's daughter. Maci had come to faith after her father's death and had recently moved back to Bogacs with her daughter. Maci said that the week prior to me contacting her, a man began talking to her at a bus stop asking her about her life. He then went on to talk about faith in Jesus and Maci began to be reminded again about her relationship with God and how she had become hardened in her heart. Just after this man stirred up these thoughts about God, Maci said that I wrote her. Maci said, “It was like God was calling me back to himself!”

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Above: Adilene, Maci and Norbi.

We arranged a time for me to come out to visit and I was only expecting to see Maci. To my surprise, as I walked up to the house, her brother Krisztián, her mother Katyus and other children I had known from the past came running toward me. I gave Krisztián a big hug and he was nearly in tears saying, “I have been waiting for you to come. I want to be saved right now. I want to give my life to Jesus!”

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Above: Reunited with Krisztián after close to two years loosing contact.

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Krisztián in the past would come in and out of our Bible studies but previously never showed true interest in pursuing Jesus. We all sat together and I asked him why he wanted to be saved. I wanted to know what had changed. Krisztian shared about his life falling into drug abuse and how he was close to death when God gave him the gift of being admitted into a hospital for recovery. The type of drugs that he was addicted to were truly deadly. Kriszitán knew that his recovery was a gift from God and he had been clean for four months. He knew God was giving him a chance to be restored to his family (wife and two kids) that he had abandoned. I spent some time explaining the gospel and Krisztián put his faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. In the past, in this Romani community, it was a struggle with the distraction of kids running in and out and phones and TV in the background to do a Bible study in this home. But Kriszitán and Maci sat down and truly sought to pay attention and fully participate in our Bible study together.

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Maci asked, “Is it God who is seeking us or is it me who is seeking God?” Norbi who has been joining me as we visit chimed in, “God has been seeking you and Christ has already died on the cross for you. But we need to seek him in response to have a relationship with Him.” Norbi himself has recently rededicated his life to Christ after drifting away for some time. Our times commuting out to Bogács together are a great opportunity for discipleship. I’m thankful for what God is doing in Norbi’s life!

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We continue to visit weekly and Krisztián is learning how to read the Bible and pray and follow the will of Jesus in his life. At our second meeting, his wife passed him a cigarette as practically everyone in that poor community smokes. I told Kriszitan, “You know that Jesus can set you free from smoking just as he did from drug addiction?” I was surprised by his response. Krisztián immediately threw the cigarette to the ground and committed himself to stop that moment. Since then, God has given him the grace to be free and he has not smoked since. Each week Krisztián asks for prayer that his entire family come to know Jesus. After a few weeks of meeting and studying the word together, we baptized Krisztián in a local stream in Bogács. We continue to see evidence of deep change in his life and praise God for the move of His Spirit to lead Krisztián to put his faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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1 Thessalonians 3:7 “We have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God.”

Noémi and Panna


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On the first Sunday after our last summer Bible camp, I saw new visitors in our church that I recognized from camp. Panna, along with her mother Noémi began attending week after week. I got some time to talk to Noémi who shared that she grew up Catholic, but she was required to go to church instead of attending because of a personal desire. She shared that since Bible camp ended, her daughter Panna has wanted to go to church every week and said, “This is where I want to be.” Noémi went on to share that one weekend, she told her daughter that she wouldn’t be able to take her to church and her daughter Panna responded, “Then let’s look at the bus schedule, because I’m going.” What an answer to prayer as we’ve asked the Lord not only to reach children in our Summer Camps but also to bring families through the children into relationship with Him.

Community presence with presents


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At a recent “Miner’s Day Celebration” in our hometown, we were given the opportunity to set up a station where we offered facepainting for the kids and set out various evangelistic materials for those passing by. We also offered brick-oven ‘pogácsa’ (mini-biscuits) as a way of thanking the community for their reception of the Romani families that had fled Ukraine and settled in our hometown of Petofibanya.

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Above: Some posters, one thanking the community and the other evangelistic along with fresh baked biscuits.

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These Romani families that have fled Ukraine and settled in Petofibanya attend our church and have been given opportunity to live and work in the community. They long for the war to end and still have family members that remain in Ukraine. One of them, Erno recently shared with me that he would like to stay in Petofibanya even if the war ends as He sees how God has given them a home church, a school that is a blessing to their daughter and supportive community. We praise God for each of them and how they have strengthened the church through their own giftings.

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Above: Erno has been able to join us a few times when we've traveled out to Bogacs. He has helped lead worship and is a powerful evangelist.

Mourning and comfort


“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 Recently in our missions community, a beloved husband and father of two children passed away from a hiking accident. He was 33 year old and we had just been with him the prior week before his death. He was a powerful testimony to the love and care of Christ in his family, in his local church and at his workplace.

At the memorial service, his father turned our attention to some of the lyrics we had just sung with those who were in attendance: “God is with us during our darkest hour”. His father also read from Psalm 48:14, “For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”

Our loving Father turns our attention back to the “forever” reality of our existence. Our story of having life forever with Jesus can be temporarily threatened by the enemy, but the reality of what God has given us ‘forever’ is what sustains us in the darkest hour we experience in this world. When I think about the loss and tragedies of life of the believer, I think to myself, “The story is not over!” There are hidden chapters ahead that God has composed. Those chapters ahead move us to a grand conclusion that will lead us to being utterly amazed at the goodness of God. And God who has written each chapter and composed each line, has complete control as to how our story works together for His grand purpose to conform us to the image of Christ and powerfully and faithfully bring us to glory in His presence everlasting. Would you pray for this young man’s wife and two children to experience the deep comfort of God and to be provided for abundantly as they move back to the US after their tragic loss.

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Adilene returns to the U.S.


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Above: Adilene was able to develop good friendships with people like her neighbor Eniko in the 6 months time she served with us.

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We’re going to miss Adilene who recently returned to the U.S. after fulfilling her commitment of serving 6 months with our church planting team in Northeastern Hungary. In that short time, Adilene was able to use her giftings in many ways to bring blessing to our church and community. Adilene was able to connect with her neighbor Eniko throughout her stay here and had good conversations with various teens about a life of faith in Jesus. Please pray that God would raise up and send more like Adilene to the harvest field. Pray for Adilene as she seeks God’s direction for future steps and whether He is calling her to return to Hungary or remain in the US.

NEW AREA LEADER appointment


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Our wonderful Area Leader Cathy who has served in Europe over the past 30 years passing the baton to us at a celebration dinner together.

As of October 1st, both Sharon and I have been appointed area leaders in our organization serving Hungary, Romania and Moldova. Some of the responsibilities of this role include helping existing teams in our area through member care, mentoring and empowering them to fulfill their calling of facilitating church planting movements among the unreached.

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We will also continue to serve in our hometown of Petofibanya in Northeastern Hungary as Allen continues to pastor and both of us are involved in ministries to strengthen the church. We ask for your prayers for God’s wisdom, the gift of discernment and His direction as we desire to be faithful in these callings.

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Thank you for taking the time to catch up with how God is mightily at work in Hungary. Thank you for your continued partnership with us and faithfulness to stand with us through many years of ministry!

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
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