Above: An overview of the small towns and villages we visited with our Christmas Puppet Outreach. The grey map of Hungary in the bottom left shows our region in red where we live and do most of our ministry.

We've just completed an amazing two weeks sharing the Gospel with over 2000 kids in public schools through our Christmas Puppet Ministry. This open door in Hungary gives us the opportunity to visit schools every Easter and Christmas. Check out the short film below to get an idea of how free we are to share the Gospel through this ministry!


Thanks all of you that partnered in praying for our Christmas Puppet Outreach in public schools. We know we can expect spiritual battle as we are going into unreached areas to sow seeds of the Gospel to the next generation of Hungarians. We are so thankful that we had many of you praying for us!

The day before our first puppet show, we drove from one gas station to the next, only finding orange cones set up.

Above: Gas stations throughout Hungary were "out of order" the weekend before puppet ministry began.

At one point, after getting in line and pulling up to a pump, we thought we would be able to fill up our tank only to be told by an attendant, “We’re all out.” We realized we might run into some serious problems with all of our traveling to schools throughout our region as an ongoing gas problem became a gas crisis in Hungary. Praise God that we were finally able to find a station with a long line of cars that meant we would be able to fill up. We began praying and asked the Lord for help and at midnight the government made an announcement that they were lifting the long standing gas cap that was causing the crisis. Gas would be more expensive at the pump, but this would alleviate the problem of stations being out of fuel. God was making a way for us.



The night before our first show, Sharon who would be serving as one of the puppeteers came down with a fever. God gave her strength for the next day and she was able to serve with His help. Sickness was a definite problem throughout this outreach, as members of the puppet team came down with various sicknesses as well as our children becoming sick which led to one puppeteer having to drop out of the rotation. But looking back, we praise God that He made a way for others to fill in and we were able to serve in each of the 28 schools on our schedule with no cancelations. Your prayers were heard!






Above: At each school we go through the process of unpacking, setting up and then breaking the set down, repacking and driving to our next destination. The team worked great together with unity and a spirit of joy.




Above: We had a few days with flurries and mornings with icy roads. But overall, God provided beautiful weather which was very helpful for all of the driving we would be doing. Praise God there were no problems with our vehicles or traveling when the conditions were more hazardous.




Above: At the beginning of each show, to break the ice, Miki helps the kids imagine a snow storm and together we build snow men (and of course have an imaginary snow ball fight).







Above: Three from the Fülöp family! Our long time Hungarian partners in ministry Miki and Erika, as well as their daughter Anna (now married) served together.











Above: Kids are very quick in learning this year's song and join in with the motions.





This year's story was about a boy who falls into a deep pit while out in the mountains. He remembers the advice of his grandfather to pray in situations like this and trust in God to answer. He prays for help and that no wolves would come near since the area is known to be inhabited by wolves. A wolf does come, but soon after, an eagle swoops in and frightens the wolf away.






After the wolf leaves, the boy's sister happens to come near to hear her brother shouting for help. She happens to have jump rope that she lowers to save her brother.





Later, after coming home and sharing what had happened with their grandmother, she uses it as a lesson on how God answers prayer (not always the way we expect). She then begins to tell the Christmas story and how Jesus came in a most unexpected way.














After the puppet show, Erika shares the Gospel with the kids hitting on themes that they just learned from the show.







After Erika shares the Gospel, we have the kids sing the song one more time. By this time, they are much more familiar with the words and do a great job singing along.






Above: The children's workbooks that we provide to each of the schools we visit. It also includes a QR code that takes them to a site to be able to view the puppet show again and hear other stories that help them to understand the Gospel. We distributed 2000 booklets as well as Christian literature for teachers in each school. Please pray that the sowing of these seeds would lead to transformed lives as a new generation turns to put their faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Mothers of preschoolers Christmas Gathering

To bring the same blessing of the puppet show and the Gospel to mothers (and their families) in our community, we organized a gathering for Mother's of Preschoolers that our teammate Heidi has developed relationships with over the years.




We were thankful for a great turnout of families who were able to see the puppet show. We also distributed invitations to our Christmas worship service as well as printed testimonies of some of our church members.




Above: This is also a time where I break out all my photography equipment to provide free family portraits as a gift to each family that attended.

Gizi's husband passes away

In the midst of puppet ministry we got word of Gizi's husband Misi passing away. We were privileged to be part of the funeral service and had the opportunity to proclaim the living hope we have in Jesus Christ. Gizi is a strong believer and we trust she will continue serving with deep joy at the retirement home where she resides.

Gift Donations for our community

As a way to bless the poorer families in our community, teammate Heidi organized a swap table where people from the community were asked to bring donations of children's gifts. There were also children's Bible's available for kids and hot tea for visitors. We had a pretty good turn out and we trust those who donated and those who received were blessed.

Romani from Ukraine

Above: Hungarian speaking Romani families that have been displaced from Ukraine because of the war. These families continue to pray for peace as they have family members still in Ukraine and they long to return to 'normal' life back at home. By God's grace the local government in our hometown has provided housing for these families and the men have found work. It is a challenge for them as they are all in one living space, with a shared bathroom and kitchen which has led to tension in relationships. They are all believers and have been attending our church and I have begun meeting with them once a week focusing on teaching about how God has equipped us to live with Christlike love in relationships. They have commented multiple times that the Scripture and teaching I have brought was as if I knew what was happening in their midst. It was just what they needed to hear. I told them that all of God's word has powerful truths that we need to be reminded of, but it was God who loves them that directs which Scripture to bring for encouragement, correction and direction in their lives. Please pray for the war to end in Ukraine and for these families to continue to grow up in their faith as they learn new lessons from the Lord in this time of difficulty.

Christmas Choir

Our church loves to sing and each December we bring our voices and the story of Christmas into the community. Today, we visited the retirement home where church member Gizi resides. After the presentation, Gizi came forward and began introducing each of us personally to those attending and talking about how she regard us as family. She was also excited to see both Kira and Ellie who are back visiting on Christmas break. Tonight, the choir plans to sing outside at Petőfibánya's local market.



Above: We're very thankful to have Ellie and Kira home for Christmas! You can imagine how excited Ziva is to have her sisters back.



We wish you all a blessed Christmas! May the gift of Christ and the peace of His presence bring you spiritual rest and an overflow of joy as you remember all He has done to rescue and restore you. Thank all of you for your prayers and generous support that enable us to continue serving in Hungary! We appreciate all that you do to stand with us.