mission: Sopron, Hungary

2009 Sopron Nemzetközi Yo-Yo Verseny

2009-06-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
We wanted to let you all know about the Sopron International Yo-Yo Contest.
It has almost been a week and we have been so busy that this is the first chance either one of us have had a chance to sit down to write.

First, Kim and Kai were able to go to the Lutheran High School, here in Sopron, the Friday before the contest and share with 5 classes about what we were doing here in Hungary.
They were able to share our testimony and Kai was able to do a yoyo demo and share about the contest, which was the following day. Many of the kids attended.
Kim also shared about the VBS coming in August and a couple of the kids volunteered to help.

About the contest...
About 8:45AM Kai and I walked to the train station and met 7 of the first arrivals from Budapest.
And they kept coming......
8 more from Budapest, a couple from Veszprém, Dunaújváros, Fertőszentmiklós, Székesfehérvár and even Sopron. About 25 in all.
We spent the morning setting up and many of the guys practiced their routines.
Finally at 1PM the contest started. They all had a blast and were thrilled at the opportunity to come to Sopron for the day.
I can't tell you how many of the kids came to me and thanked me over and over for organizing the event. Balint, the guy that helped me, told me that they were embarrassed
that they just showed up to compete (normally they do all the leg work and spend all the money). This gave me the opportunity to share with them about how the Lord had brought this all together over a series of events and had provided the money through many of you all. The contest was held in a city park and many people stopped by to watch over the course of the contest. We were able to share with many of them as well. Many relationships were deepened and many new ones began.
Kai made a new friend in that a 13 year old showed up to compete that was from here in Sopron and we did not know about him before. Kim was able to share with his mom about why we were here and they exchanged numbers to get the boys together sometime.
I definitely consider this a total success and am stoked about how well the first event came off.
We are already planning for next year and have many ideas on how to make it better. I really want it to be a contest that the kids will want to come to and tell everyone about.
Most all to give us a chance to share God's love with the people and to tell them about Jesus, the one who matters the most!

Well, this has been a mini update and we have the larger one in the works for next week.
We have new several new families coming to the study as well as the possibility of a new building in the near future.

Thank you all again for your prayer and financial support for the contest. I just wish you could have been here to participate.
Maybe next year there can be a team organized to come.
Blessings from Tony and Kim

2009-06-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

Weimar, Germany ILYY Camp Video '09

2009-06-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

Look for Kai in many places..............

May Update and Prayer Requests

2009-05-19T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Family and Friends,
2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. This has never been truer in our lives then in these last few months.
It's been a bit crazy and busy around here, but God as always is so good and gives us all we need for each challenge or trial that we face.

Mother’s Day- I had the best Mother's Day ever!! My first one with 3 children; our family feels complete. We had a great day. It started out with Tony and the kids fixing me breakfast while I waited for them with my coffee. And then we went on a long bike ride. Later the kids all painted me pictures and then Tony fixed me my favorite dinner, BBQ’d chicken. It was a great day!

Life in Sopron- We are loving the beautiful Spring weather we are getting here. There are colorful tulips, daffodils and trees blooming all around us. The kids are spending a lot of time outside now and we go to the park after dinner almost every night. Kai is practicing the yo-yo and is getting quite good at all kinds of different tricks. School is going good for him. He reads like crazy and Astronomy and History are his favorite subjects. He could spend all day, everyday doing them. He has just recently become interested in Archeology and now says he wants to be an Archeologist when he grows up. Kale is busier then ever!!! He has just started playing soccer 3 times a week in Austria and it's been wonderful for him. He is also home now full time; he's not going to the preschool any longer. I am homeschooling him now along with Kai. As his Mom I am thrilled to have him home with us.

Klaudia continues to do well. Overall she is adjusting to her new family and surroundings, but she has a lot of hurdles to overcome. Everyday is a new discovery; some good and some not so good. But, we love her SO much and she is a blessing and a joy to us. We are enjoying getting to know her little personality. We are convinced the Lord created her just for us. She is learning how to be a normal child and most days enjoys playing with her brothers. For sure her brothers LOVE having her and enjoy her as their little playmate.

Last week we had a particularly hard day. It was a day full of some of the ‘not so good’ I mentioned above with Klaudia. It just felt like one thing after another and on the very same day Kale was having some issues that needed to be dealt with. It was truly one of those days when you just want to bury your head and forget about everything that happened. Also, we are constantly asking ourselves how do we deal with these issues that Klaudia has and are in constant prayer over it. On this day I heard a true story that was on a Christian radio station and it went like this. A little girl got a glass bead stuck in her ear and had to have emergency surgery to have it removed. Well, the Dr's gave it all they had but failed in getting the bead out, even after surgery. That night as the Mom was lying in bed praying for her daughter and asking the Lord how was this bead going to come out. He then gave her specific instructions to get a Q-tip and to put a small dab of super glue on the tip and after putting a few drops of vegetable oil in the girls ear to insert the Q-tip into the ear, leave it there for a few minutes and then slowly bring the Q-tip out. And VOILA!!! The glass bead was out! Well, this spoke to me so strongly. Like the verse above says "He gives us EVERYTHING we need”. I knew right then and there that the answer to all of our problems lies with Him. No matter how much reading or research or seeking advice of professionals, He is the All Knowing One and will be faithful to give us EXACTLY what we need. Well, then after we had put the kids to bed that same night we sat down and there is an email from one of our dear support team members. She her and another member had been thinking and praying about us more then usual and wanted to know if we were OK. God is so good to put us on these dear ladies' hearts. Then we sat down to listen to a sermon by Bob Coy. Tony had tried to get a specific message up but it would not play for some reason. So, he gave up and just picked a random one. It ‘just happened’ to be about foster and adoption families and children in need of homes. It was so incredibly encouraging and just what we needed! Tony and I sat in amazement at God's goodness and both agreed that even though it had been a very trying day we could actually feel God's presence and His hand holding us up and encouraging us.

The very next day as I was putting Klaudia down for a nap the Lord gave me specific instructions to do something with Klaudia that would help her to heal emotionally. I was so amazed at how well she responded to it and this was nothing I would have ever thought about doing. It was totally the Lord. Daily she is responding to this and we can see that it is really helping her to get over some of the deep wounds she has. So, I have shared this rather long story with you to show just one example of how God works and is working in our lives and hearts. Yes, we have some very difficult days, but God is faithful and never leaves or forsakes us and gives us ALL we need for every situation. Thank you Lord!

Ministry- The Lord has brought 2 new families our way and we are so excited. They are both Hungarian families with kids our kids' age. They have been coming to the Bible study off and on and we just pray we can be a light and encouragement to them. We are enjoying getting to know them and our kids are thrilled to have new playmates.

This Saturday we are having our 2nd annual church picnic. Can you believe this June we will have been here 2 years? It is held at a local park that has a stream, open fire pits and a play area. This will be a fun time of fun and relaxation together with our church family. We are also inviting other friends who don't come to the church as an outreach opportunity. Please pray with us for good fellowship and good weather.

We are gearing up for the Yo-Yo contest and it's turning into quite an event. It really has been amazing to see this all come together. Not only the contest, but that the Lord has used a little piece of plastic on string to connect us with kids from all over Hungary. I am really excited to see where this will lead in the future. The contest is happening June 13th in one of the city squares during our “Week of Festivals”. There will be kids coming from all over Hungary and possibly, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for this contest. For those of you who think yoyos just go up and down, check out this link: www.vimeo.com/1661789

We are planning our second VBS in August. Once again the Lutheran Church is allowing us to use classrooms and playground at their elementary school. We’re praying for help and for kids to come.

I have begun to pray about getting our own building for the study. Right now you could join me in prayer about this. The Pentecostal church has been great to allow us to use their building on Friday nights, but there is a small stigma that goes along with this. You must realize that if you are not Catholic or perhaps Lutheran, here in Europe, then in many people’s eyes you are not even a legitimate church. At this point in time we’re talking more about tradition than anything as this opinion stretches even within those who haven’t stepped foot into a church in years. The point is there are some that won’t come to our study because it is being held in the Pentecostal church. Perhaps this isn’t really an issue right now and the people that God wants to be there for now are there. But we’re seeking Him that we may know for sure. The city has MANY buildings that are sitting empty that they want to rent. We are also just beginning to see the need to move to Sunday service as there are some that cannot come on Friday evenings due to small children.

In Closing- Last of all we want to thank all of you who are supporting us in whatever way the Lord has put on your heart. We have honestly felt your prayers and NEED your prayers!! We have never been more blessed then we are now having Klaudia with us but honestly it hasn't been easy at times. Please, if you think about us or her, say a prayer for the Lord to untie the knots that are in the depths of her heart. She has endured a lot of physical and emotional pain and distress in her short little 4 years and she needs the Lord's powerful touch of healing.

And pray for the ministry. Along with ministering to our family, God has put many people in our lives that have needs. Many people with different challenges that only He has the answers to. Pray that we would have the knowledge and discernment to minister to them. Most of all that we would be prepared to point them to Jesus in each situation.

Please pray for God’s provision for the things we believe He is leading towards with the ministry. Just as in America it takes money to do things here. Rental and utilities of a building or outreaches, such as the yoyo contest, VBS and even a church picnic take financial resources. We pray that you all understand that your involvement here exceeds the 5 minutes that it takes to sit down and write a check. Praying for and giving to this ministry makes you involved more than you can comprehend. And we’re praying that even more people will catch the vision for what God is doing here in Sopron. Perhaps even another church that has been praying to support a mission. God knows. We truly believe that where God guides, He provides. And we need workers. We truly desire to have young couple come that would come along side us to help with the daily work. Visitation, discipleship, English clubs, worship and lots of practical needs.

Again, thank you for all that you are doing and have done. Blessings!

Tony, Kim and family

Prayer Requests-

For Klaudia. That the Lord would completely heal her in every way. That ALL of her wounds, anger and fears would come out and that we, as her parents, would have the wisdom, strength and love to deal with them in the right way.

For Kai and Kale, that they would continue to grow in their relationship with Him and that He would be a personal God to them. That they would depend on Him for everything. That the Lord would help us in raising them and to know how to deal with their individual challenges and personalities and would steer them in the right direction/path.

For the protection of our marriage and our family to stay united and free from spiritual warfare.

For Kim as she home schools both Kai and Kale now along with needing to pay lots of attention to Klaudia.( As much as I LOVE having all 3 of my kids home and homeschooling them it is a time of stretching for me!!!)

For the Yo-Yo contest that God would use it for His glory and to give us opportunities to minister to people.

Pray for these new families that are coming to the study

Pictures top to bottom: Kids with their friend Sean from Vajta; Kim and Jeni; Kale playing soccer; the kids; Kim sharing at local high school; Kai at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Weimar, Germany; Klaudia at Easter; the kids at Sumeg fortress

March Update and Prayer Requests

2009-03-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends,

It's the end of March and time is flying! So sorry it's been so long since we've sent out an update, things have been pretty crazy in our household since the new addition.
And speaking of her……

Klaudia……..
Wednesday we signed the papers making the adoption final.
She is doing great! She is adjusting to her new life, new surroundings and new family really well. She makes progress everyday and we are loving having her. It's been 6 weeks now since we brought her home and it feels like we were made for each other. God is so good to do such a miracle in our lives!
As we look back on the first few days and weeks she was with us we can see how much better she is doing. She is beginning to act like a normal child, and is learning how to play on her own and with her brothers. She still gets scared easily at times, feels insecure and can be clingy to her momma, but more and more she is coming out of that and becoming carefree. We realize it's going to take months and maybe even years for her to be healed of her wounds and scars, but with God's help and grace and love covering her she's going to do it!
She has made the realization that she is not going back to her old home, which at first was hard for her, as she misses some family members that were there. But it seemed to be a turning point for her and she started to really bond and attach with us after that. She asks me now every night to "rocky rock" her. That means to sit and rock while I sing a bedtime song, it's a very sweet time and precious to me that she's asking for this. In the beginning I had to gently but firmly insist on this ritual. She did not like it at all. So, this is big progress.
We are SO blessed to have her and it's still amazing to us to think that she is really here with us in our house. Sometimes Tony and I just sit and look at each other in disbelief and can't believe God has blessed us with such a beautiful and precious little girl. The boys have adjusted very well to having her. It was a little hard on them at first, especially Kale, but they quickly fell in love with her and now could not imagine life without their little sister. She and Kale are perfect play mates and Kai is her big brother/helper. He loves helping her get dressed in the mornings and of course she just eats up the attention. It's so cute to see them in the room together and she lets him pick out her clothes and everything. She is also picking up English very quickly, talking a lot now and understands everything we say to her. If only we could learn Hungarian as quickly.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and for her. We feel your prayers.

The rest of us………..
We’re all doing well. We’re all looking forward to warm weather and getting outside everyday.
Kale is winding up another year at the ovoda (Hungarian pre-school). It’s still a challenge for him, but he enjoys going there. He’s really growing right now. We bought him new pants while visiting the States in the Fall and many of them are already too short on him. Kai, as you know, is home-schooled and in the middle of many projects right now. While studying the Incas he has become interested in archaeology and is excavating a large section of the back yard. No ruins or fossils yet…..
Kim and I, along with all that is happening in our home life, are still trying to focus on spending time with our unsaved friends.
Last week we were able to attend a conference at the Bible College with 2 pastors who really spoke into our lives; Fidel Gomez of CC Fort Lauderdale and Thomas Powell of CC Virginia Beach. They both spoke truth from God’s Word that inspired us to keep marching in the vision that the Lord has given us.

Ministry……..
The Friday night Bible study is going really good. Tony is teaching thru 1 Corinthians right now. The university and one of the high schools here have just allowed us to post flyers about the study and we are anxious to see results from this.
Tony is going to a local high school on Monday nights to help in teaching a English class there. This is opening some new opportunities to share the Lord with these people. He has been going to the Wednesday night English club for nearly 2 years, where you never know who will show up. He has had some awesome conversations with people there encouraging and answering questions that some have about the God and the Bible.
We have been praying for quite a while now for some help here. And now there is a young Hungarian couple (Tibor & Mary) praying about moving here to help with the ministry. This would be really good in many ways. We need help teaching the kids on Friday nights and they will be able to help in ministering to kids from the university as they both have a vision to reach out to kids, including the kids homes here. Since they are native speakers they would be able to help in many practical aspects; as in planning events that include permission from the city, dealing with public entities, etc. Please pray regarding this.

Outreaches……
As you know we have a yoyo contest coming up this summer as an outreach to the community. The origin of this is really something and we are excited to see what will come of this. It is planned for June 13th; we are waiting for approval from the city on the date. They may give us the use of the square for free. It will be held outside, in the town center, during Sopron’s “Festival Week”. We have kids already committed to coming from all over. Because of Sopron’s location we are inviting kids from Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, making it an international event. What we are really looking forward to though are local kids that this contest could bring out of the woodwork. We have people coming to help talk to the kids.
We are planning our second VBS for the second week of August. Again the Lutheran elementary school is allowing us to use their facility. While many kids are involved in day camps and families away in June and July, August seems like a good time for this.

Prayer Requests
-The Lord’s continued wisdom and vision for the ministry. Perseverance and determination thru discouragement.
-Protection for our family and marriage. No way to really explain the extra pressures that go with this type of ministry.
-Please continue to pray for Klaudia, and for us, that God will give us wisdom with her. She still has a lot to overcome. And that she would be completely healed emotionally. We discovered that she was hit in the face and head by her foster mother, this is so sad! She cringes and cowers whenever our hands come close to her face or when we say the words "no-no" to her. We were able to assure her that this will never be done to her again. Also for Kai and Kale as they also are adjusting.
-Pray for this summer’s outreaches (yoyo contest and VBS) and for opportunities to share the gospel. For provisions for some of the expenses; right now we cover all ministry expenses from personal support which has been working fine, just that some of these bigger things may take a little more.
-Pray for Tony in preparing for and presenting God’s Word at the study. We want our sheep to be the best fed in town.
-For the opportunities that we have with friends and acquaintances. For boldness and wisdom.
-For Tibor and Mary; that the Lord would confirm to us and them. That they would have the courage to do what the Lord is leading.

Thank you all again for your continued prayer and support.
We love you, The Wilbanks’

February Update & Prayer Requests

2009-02-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It's already the end of January, time seems to go so fast. It's been a good month for us and for the body at Golgota Sopron. The Bible study is going well. The people are really eager to hear and study God's Word. The Lord continues to present us with many opportunities to minister to people in and outside of the church.
We are already starting to think about outreach activities for this Spring and Summer. Two that we will have for sure is a VBS in August and whether you can imagine it or not we are planning a yoyo contest to be held here in Sopron sometime in June. Golgota Sopron will be presenting this as an outreach to the community and at the same time it will actually be the Western Hungary Regional Contest. Duncan and YoYoJam will be providing the prizes. This is one of several regional contests throughout Hungary that will lead to the National Championships, held in Budapest, in December.....and we are putting it on. There will be Hungarian professionals here to do the judging. How did this come about you ask? Well, I am in the process of writing the story all down. But this is definitely something that I could have never dreamed up. I will share it with interested parties sometime next week. Please keep this in prayer. We just spoke with the city today to get permission to use one of the city squares for this event and they were very helpful and optimistic.

Of course our last 2 weeks have been busy preparing for our new daughter as most of you already know. We have her bedroom all set and ready to go, there are a few more things to get but that can be done when we get back. All the paperwork is in our hands and in order (we hope! and as far as we know!.....like the old saying goes, "it's not over 'til......well, you know), anyway, we were supposed to have a house inspection this past Friday, the house was CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN and then..........No show. So, oh well. that will have to done later also. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. We leave tomorrow morning and it's a 5 hour drive. We will be staying with the pastor and his wife of the Calvary Chapel in Pecs, who have graciously offered us a place to sleep for the 6 days that we will be there. Wednesday morning we will pick Klaudia up and spend the day with her to begin the "getting to know" process. We will continue to be with her everyday and then if the bonding has gone well, we can bring her home on Monday the 9th. Sometime in there she can also start spending the night with us. It will be up to her and depends on how comfortable she is with us. The boys are SO excited and can't wait to have her with us.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, it's so important to us to know you are all behind us in this. We will stay in touch as much as possible by email and give updates as time allows. Here are some things you can be praying for regarding the adoption. Thanks again.

- For safe travel.....it's been snowing here in Sopron. There will be a lot of travel once we get there. The village she lives in is an hour away from where we will be staying.
- For quick and real bonding/attachment to take place between Klaudia, myself (Kim), Tony and the boys.
- For things to do and places to go during the day. We are not quite sure yet how this is going to work. The weather is too cold to be outside, so maybe the malls, restaurants, indoor play areas? I have packed plenty of books, color books/crayons, play dough and other craft items to keep us all busy.
- That we will all be able to get plenty of rest during this week. My concern here is mainly for the boys, that they will be rested and in good moods during the day, especially Kale, he is NOT a happy camper when he is sleep deprived (who is right? but trust me, it's especially hard on him when he hasnt' had his 12 hours!!) and I'm thinking with the change of routine and sleeping place, it could get difficult.
- That we all stay healthy. Kai is complaining of a sore throat tonight. But thank the Lord we have been healthy so far. Out of 30 kids in Kale's preschool class last week, only 6 of them were at school, even both teachers were out all week.
That all would go smoothly where the paperwork is concerned. On the day that we are to leave Pecs with Klaudia, we have to go to the courthouse where she is registered and sign papers giving us permission to take her home. That part is a bit scary. We have been told that they can be agreeable and happy with the zillions of papers we have to present to them OR they can say "oops!! Sorry! You have to present this particular paper". So, we are hoping and praying that the first option happens.

And then some other requests:

- For me (Tony) to be able to clearly see the Lord's leading here in Sopron
- For discernment regarding a couple of situations
- For co-laborers to work with us here in Sopron
- Blessing on my study and preparation time

Again, our thanks and love to everyone. We appreciate you so much. Please let us hear from you!

Love, Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale and soon Klaudia

Happy New Year 2009!

2008-12-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

“We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!" 2 Corinthians 5:20

Hello Family and Friends,

We are back. It’s been a little longer than we anticipated getting this update out, but here we are……………

Our visit to the States
We had such a great time while in CA visiting with and catching up with all of our family and friends. It was a busy, busy time though, filled with LOTS of Dr. and hospital visits. Both Kai and Kale had their tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in both ears. They are doing so much better now, and they sleep much, much better!! Tony and I both had our visits to the Dr. also, with Tony having a cardiac work up that showed just some classic Bp issues. That is under control now with a little bit of medication. Most of you know, Tony's Mom had a stroke 3 days before we were to come back. The Lord miraculously provided the funds for us to extend our stay. And, Praise the Lord, she is doing great and is almost back to 100 percent.

Well, we hope that everyone had a great Christmas!

The Holidays
We definitely did here in Sopron. It was a quiet one, just the boys and Tony and I. Last year we had about 20 people in our house. So, comparatively we enjoyed a quiet one this year. I fixed a pot roast (found in Austria), sweet potatoes, (found in Hungary but pretty pricey, but also VERY worth it for a special dinner), baked potatoes and corn. Apple pie and Jell-o pretzel salad was for dessert and it was all very good. Tony read the Christmas story to us from the Bible before opening gifts, to remind us of what the day was really about and then we all played Monopoly in the afternoon. It even snowed for a bit and that was a treat. It was a very good day. We started a new tradition this year. At the Friday night Bible study, before Christmas, the boys and I made a cake to serve and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus before serving it. Another reminder for us all the "reason for the season".
There was lots of baking of cookies and candies and then packaging them up and delivering to our many friends here in town. It's hard to believe that it's all over now. But we look forward to the New Year and all the blessings it will hold.

The Adoption
One (or I should say "two") of those blessings is that we could be getting our girl(s) anytime soon. We really don't know for sure when it's going to happen as we could get a call anytime. It might be tomorrow or it could a few months from now. At any rate I, Kim, am beginning to feel the "nesting syndrome" setting in. In other words I want to dig in and do some deep, deep spring cleaning; even though we are smack in the middle of a really cold winter. The high was 26 today.
So, today, Tony and I got started. Yes, I have a really good husband who is going to help in all of this. We want to be as prepared as possible, because when they call, it'll most likely all happen pretty quickly.

Kai and Kale
Kai and I are deep into homeschooling and it's going great. We have started a new curriculum this year called Sonlight. We both love it!! It's heavy in literature and came with a ton of really good reading material. Kai can read a long book in a day’s time, so it’s nice to have lots of readers. Kai has a new hobby, which is yo-yoing. (See foto) While in the States we attended the US National Yoyo Championships and 2 weeks ago we were able to go to the Hungarian National Championships. Before you laugh follow this link to see what you all are missing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eORRvfCzjcg You can be praying about this as I see some ministry opportunities opening up…….more later.
Kale is doing great in his preschool. His teacher says he is speaking a lot since being back and actually asked us if we practiced our Hungarian while we were away. It's good to hear that things are starting to click in his busy little mind.

The Ministry
Things here in Sopron are going really good. Since we have been back the Lord has re-confirmed His vision for the ministry here and that we are to concentrate on the relationships He has already brought to us. We are feeling that these already established relationships will be deepened and this has already happened just since we've been back. There have been several examples of this since being home that was pleasantly surprising. There have also been some new opportunities for both Tony and I. I was invited to go into a public high school a few weeks ago to teach them some Sunday school songs that had motions to them. It was a lot of fun and the kids were so cute and very nice and really enjoyed the time we had together. I will have more of these opportunities in the future. Tony has also been invited to 2 different high school English clubs starting in January. Please pray for these opportunities, that they will be fruitful as the Lord wills and that we will be able to establish relationships through these meetings. Of course we are continuing the Friday night Bible study through the book of 1 Corinthians. We’ve held the last couple at the house as we are having some heating issues with the building downtown. We hope to have that resolved in the next week or two. We are also getting ready to put up some flyers around the city inviting people to the study. We have received permission to put them up on the university campus here. That was an answer to prayer.

Thank you all again for being a part of this ministry with your prayers and support.
These people need to see and experience God’s love; pray that we will be that salt and light for Him here!

Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer requests:

-For all the relationships already established. That they will continue to be deepened and the doors will be open to speak with them about God's love for them. It’s happening!

-The opportunities for both Kim and Tony in the public schools. That these doors would continue to open and would have eternal results.

-For the adoption. That things will go as smoothly as possible. For God's timing in when the girls come. For the girls, that the attachment process will be quick and painless for everyone. That Tony and I will have wisdom in preparing the boys for the changes to come. They are so excited!

-For spiritual warfare.

-For us as we continue to learn the language. We need some extra prayer and wisdom concerning Kai. We are considering a personal tutor for him, but are not sure where to look. Pray the Lord brings along the perfect person for this and that the expense would not too much.

-Continued wisdom and knowledge for the direction of the ministry as we continue to reach out

-Protection for our family and marriage

August Update & Prayer Requests

2008-08-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

"O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. "O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins-for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful. "O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name." Daniel 9:17-19

Dear Family and Friends,
Here we are, into August already....
Time does fly! And things in Sopron are going so good. We are so blessed by God's goodness and faithfulness. It was a great month with lots of answered prayers and spending time with the people of Sopron.

For 4th of July we were with a bunch of other American/Hungarian families having a “real” American BBQ. Well.....as American as we can get here in Hungary! We had hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken and someone was able to find some REALLY good corn on the cob. My boys must have eaten 4 cobs a piece. They loved it. There was no real mustard for the dogs, but plenty of ketchup. I made a Jell-o cake with whipped cream topping, decorated with strawberries and blueberries in the design of a flag. And the best part was the kids and also the adults had a parade in the back yard, with everyone carrying either an American flag or a drum or something red, white and blue.
It was a good time. The fireworks were the only missing ingredient, but we didn't let that spoil our fun!

Kale turned 5 on July 10th and we had a simple but great kid’s party in our back yard. He was so excited to be 5, and kept saying all day, "Mama, guess what?, I five now!!"

The ministry…..
The Friday night study is still going well. Tony is teaching through the book of 1 Corinthians. We have a new couple, that you'll read about below. As you may know we are now using the Pentecostal church building for our Bible studies. This is a definite answer to prayer. It's just the right size and there's even a separate room for the kids. The leaders of the church are very nice and helpful. We are so grateful to the Lord for being able to use this building. Thanks for all your prayers everyone.

Another American missionary couple has just moved to town. Jim and Grace are their names and they have lived in Hungary for 12 years in various cities. They are English teachers and will be going into the schools soon to teach English and then they are able to reach out to the kids. They are a lovely couple and we feel an immediate bond with them. We believe we can learn a lot from them and look forward to spending time with them. They are right across the street from us, so that'll make it easy.

I, Kim, was asked to teach some Kindergarteners English. Kale's preschool teacher has a friend who is an elementary school teacher here in town and she is looking to start a English class for this age group. I am thrilled at this prospect of this. I’ve been able to spend some time with Kale's preschool teacher and her little boy, she is a precious lady and we look forward to spending more time with her. I’ve also had the opportunity to spend time with some of the ladies in the church, praying with and encouraging them.

We were able to get our papers translated and handed successfully over to the adoption official. And she has sent our case to the adoption office here in Sopron. They called this week and we have and appointment to meet them on July 27th. Again, thank you for your prayers concerning this. We are excited that we are moving forward. Our biggest prayer is that the people we are in contact with here will have favor with us and really like us. I'm sorry to say but it really is all about "who you know" and "do they like you enough to help you". Well, we know God and that is we are depending on.
Another answer to prayer is that we have about 3/4 of the money needed to buy tickets to come home to visit in September Hooray! At least now there's hope. Also, another very important part of us coming home is that we need to have someone take over the Bible studies. A missionary couple who was here to help us with the VBS has offered to come and stay here at our house and do the studies for us. Plus they would be here in town to stay in touch with people and do visitation. This was HUGE! So, we are going to pray that the Lord will provide the rest of the money to make the trip home.

Where we’re headed….
Hey, Tony here. We are blessed that God is so faithful to teach us.
Did you know that God cares about the minister more than the ministry?
He really does. He is interested most in our personal relationship to Him; our growing closer to Him that we might come to have His mind and heart.
What does this mean, you ask? Let me put it this way.
The prophet Daniel was a man of personal rejection. There was nothing more important in his life than his relationship to God. Nothing! And he did not allow anything in his life, physically or emotionally, that could remotely come between him and God. Most importantly he knew his position before God. Daniel 9 verse 4 says, “And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments”. God, you’re always right. You’re the God that keeps His covenant. And then look at verse 5, “we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments”. He says it’s us who have sinned and done wrong, rebelled and ignored you commands. Daniel says I take all the blame.
Daniel knew how to move God’s heart. Look at his prayer in verse 17. “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate”. For who’s sake? It’s for our Lord’s sake! Let our lives and everything we do in it be for His sake. Let our prayer be, “Lord for your name and your glory do something pure, righteous and honorable; something that reveal your mercies. Have favor on us, forgive us.”
It’s from this place that our lives are transformed. And it’s from this place that ministry happens.

Thanks again to you all! We hope to see you soon!
Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer Requests:

That our hearts would continue to be burdened for the lost here in Sopron.

For the relationships that we have already established; that we could encourage them and lead them to the Lord.

For Kim, she will be having a ladies Scrapbooking party with a talk encouraging the moms in raising their kids. There are some real cultural issues here, your prayers are so appreciated.

Provision for the rest of the money for us to visit California in September. For places where we might have the opportunity to share, both in SoCal and NorCal. That God would supply a place to stay and a car while in SoCal.

For kale and his tonsils. So far they are still enlarged and we are hoping to have him treated by his Dr. in CA.

For the continued protection of our family and marriage and against spiritual warfare.

July Update & Prayer Requests

2008-07-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it. Matthew 10:38-39

Hi Family and Friends,
God is good and we are so privileged to serve Him!....
The Lord has been teaching us about a deeper level of trusting in Him and surrendering to Him. It's not so much about praying, "Lord, bless my plans" but praying "Lord, lead me into your perfect plan". He is showing us this over and over again, that this kind of prayer is what pleases Him most and that this is where real peace and freedom lies. This is not easy to do, especially when faced with tough situations; when your children are hurting and when our (my) specific, carefully laid out plans go awry!!! But with His strength and guidance this is our desire, not just for ourselves but also for our children. He is showing us that it is imperative to teach and train our boys in this way. We are already seeing fruit in our boys' lives from teaching these principles to them and it's absolutely priceless to see them growing in their love and passion for the things of God. He is faithful.
You know when Nehemiah’s brother gave him a first-hand account on the condition of Jerusalem he wept, mourned, fasted and prayed. When he came to that point God spoke and told him, now I can use you. This is where God wants us. This is where WE should desire to be. Only when our hearts are broken over our condition can God make the changes in us. Only when our hearts are broken over the condition of others can God use us to help them. Pretty cool stuff. We were all put here for this purpose and bought with a price. A high price! Now we are not our own. Our time is not our own. We are learning to be about the things of the Lord. He is so good to teach us. "The joy of the Lord is our strength!"

What we’ve been up to….
We had our first VBS here and it was awesome! The Lutheran church allowed us to use some rooms and the playground at their elementary school for this. They were very accommodating. There were many seeds planted and the Gospel was shared. A lot of families that we thought would be participating went away on vacation. Europeans don't mess around when it comes to their "holidays', most of them leave for at least a month and many the whole summer. So, we didn't have as many kids as we had hoped, but it was a good time. One highlight was having the Todd family here for 2 weeks. The first week we were able to visit and hang out with each other, pray for and get prepared for the VBS. It was truly a HUGE blessing and encouragement having them here. We feel so privileged that they came to be with us.
We also had a team of 4 others, from here in Hungary, to help out. One couple went out everyday and just talked to people and met people on the streets and in the parks. They not only told them about the VBS but they were also able to share Christ with different ones and even pray with some of them on the spot! We felt so honored to have them here as they are on fire for the Lord and true, true servants of God.
….or going through….
The weekend before VBS and during the week there was quite a bit of spiritual warfare. Thinking back on it, it seems unreal, but again God was so faithful and so good to carry us through that time and bring all of us out okay in the end. You may not believe all you are about to read, but I promise I am not making any of it up……The week before VBS started I began noticing Kale having trouble swallowing and choking on his food, so when I took a look at his tonsils they were HUGE! He wasn't sick and they were not red but they were BIG! So, I took him to the Dr. and he confirmed what I saw and said they need to come out. Surgery!! And referred him to a Pediatric ENT Dr. (We are praying about this and will probably wait until we come home, hopefully in the fall to have this done). I (Kim) broke out in a rash on my legs and cut my toe, fairly bad, but no trip to the Dr. was necessary. Kale was playing outside and fell on a cement planter, splitting his eyebrow open. It could have used a stitch, but we opted not to go the ER route. It would have been way more traumatic then it was worth. The Friday before VBS Tony went to bed with a toothache and woke the next am with excruciating pain after his new crown fell off. He was in bed for most of the day trying to deal with the pain. There's no calling a Dentist on the weekend. The Saturday before VBS started we were all at a city festival and Rachel Todd leaned against a very hot oven (food was being cooked in it) and got a very large burn, 2nd degree, on her upper arm. A trip to the local pharmacy was made for large gauze bandages and tape. On Monday (1st day of VBS) Keith Todd came down with a sore throat and Wednesday night had a fever of over 103! It was a struggle to get it to stay down. With lots of Tylenol and lukewarm showers we finally had success. A trip to the Dr. the next day confirmed he had strep throat. The next morning (Thursday) Rachel had to go the Dr. with an ear infection. By this time a couple other team members were also not feeling well. Later that same day, Laura's baby, Landon, became sick and we took him to the Dr. that evening and he had a double ear infection. Also, sometime that day, Lily, our Hungarian translator came to me saying she had taken some cold medicine and thought she was having an allergic reaction to it, but wanted to make sure the hives that were starting on her face and throat were not mosquito bites. No, unfortunately it wasn't mosquito bites; she was definitely having an allergic reaction. Oh my! A hefty dose of Benadryl did the trick. Thank the Lord I always keep this on hand as you can't buy this here in Hungary.

So, you can see there was a lot going on. Between treating Rachel's burn, getting Keith's temp to stay down below 103 (it was a struggle for awhile!!) keeping a watch on Kale's eyebrow and making sure the baby got to a Dr., making sure Lily didn't go into anaphylactic shock! It was quite a week. It felt like we had our own hospital ward here, I was definitely putting my nursing skills to use. But God is good and provided the necessary medical care and translators just when we needed them. By the end of the week it seemed everyone was getting somewhat back to normal. And the good news is the boys did not get sick. Thank the Lord!

Where we’re headed….
We have some news about the adoption. The lady we are working with from the adoption office, Marta, called and wanted the last of our official papers, asap. We had been holding off on getting them translated as it was going to be around $300 and we were saving this money for the boys' home schooling curriculum for this next year. Marta said she was going on vacation at the end of July and would be gone until the end of August and she is anxious to pass our case onto the office here in Sopron. This was exciting to us because it showed us that she is so willing to help us out and it is the next step in this process of getting our girl(s). So, we stepped out in faith (in regards to not getting the curriculum right away) and went to town this morning to see about getting the papers translated. Well, the bad news is this office can't do it as soon as we had hoped. So, we are going to pick them up ourselves and hand carry them to Marta, which will only leave her 1 and 1/2 days to work on our case before she leaves for vacation. But, God is in control, all this is in His hands, not ours. This is a perfect example of praying, Lord your will be done, not mine, your timing, not ours. But please pray for us in this as it is difficult to do at times. So, all in all, we are very excited and really feel the Lord leading in this whole process. Thank you all for your prayers in this matter.

We wanted to let you all know of an answer to prayer. The local Pentecostal church has said that we can use their facilities for our Bible study. This is great news and we are excited about it. We are meeting with the pastor in the next few days to work it out. Please pray for the Lord to continue to work out the details. We haven’t discussed cost or whether Friday evenings will work for them yet.

We can see that God is working in the lives of the people that he has entrusted us with. At the Bible study as well as the everyday contact we have with those we have met over the last year. We’ve seen spiritual growth in several people and a more sincere desire to know God and serve Him. We have met many who are seeking and we have been able to share with them. There have been a few who we’ve had the pleasure to knock down the “seldom exuding joy”, “furrowed brow”, “hands folded meekly”, stereotype of Christians. We may not be in our teens any longer, but we still know how to have fun! And yeah, some of you (Phil M.) may be saying to yourselves, “You’re no longer in your 20’s or 30’s either.”
The great thing is that we see the foundation of this ministry coming together. Day by day and brick by brick. There is no denying that God is the “Master Builder” and that Jesus is the “Cornerstone”.
Once again….
Thank you all for your prayers and support, we appreciate all of you so much. We are looking forward to the rest of the summer and all the Lord is doing and will do here in Sopron and in our lives personally.

A great verse to live by…

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts (*daily routine) will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 *added by me

Prayer Requests:

Pray that we will truly be able to have God's heart in ALL areas of our lives and to be lead by Him and not by our own wisdom. To be completely surrendered to Him.

For the boys to grow in Him; to have a real and deep passion and desire for the things of the Lord. To have a heart for the lost. That nothing else in life would matter more to them then this. Tony and I need this prayer as well.

For Kale's tonsils, that they would decrease in size and he would not need surgery.

For provision to order homeschooling curriculum and to come home in the fall.

For Tony's tooth to settle down once and for all.

For God given wisdom in raising the boys.

For protection of our marriage; that we would continue to grow in love for each other as we grow closer to the Lord.

For the ministry here; God’s leading, our following, for fellow laborers.

That our hearts would be broken for the lost, so that we could then be truly used by God to reach them.

Most importantly, that each of us would be used here in Sopron the way the Lord desires. That our time here would be fruitful. We know that each day is a precious gift from God and we don't want to waste a minute of it or miss even one opportunity!

Fotos: Sopron tower walkthrough, VBS storytime, VBS singing, Kale, Kim and Kai, VBS craft time, muppet and Rachel, Laci, VBS kids, Kai and I cutting barbed-wire from the former Iron Curtain between Hungary and Austria.

June Update & Prayer Requests

2008-06-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

Hello Everyone!!!

Hope everyone out there is having a great start to their summer. We sure are!
Tony’s parents were just here for 3 weeks and we had a great visit with them. It was SO good to see them and the boys, of course, LOVED every second with their Papa and Grandma. We stayed busy while they were here but left plenty of time to sit and just be with each other. And of course it was very painful to say good bye.

On June 9th we celebrated being here in Sopron for one year. Can you believe it's been that long already? We can't.
It truly has gone by so fast. We have enjoyed being here in this town and being lead by God and getting to know the people. Tony and I are more convinced then ever that this is His vision for us is to settle in, live our lives here with our boys and get to know people. Then as we make friends and build relationships we bring God's love to them. This is exactly what we have done and the Lord continues to bring people our way. It's amazing!! We have met two new families in the past month, both with young kids. We are so excited to see what He has for us and this town in the next year
We want to continue to be faithful daily in the small things and watch the Lord work.
As the first year has gone by so quickly Tony and I are more committed then ever to fulfilling God’s will for our lives. We feel with much passion this is where God has brought us to, and feel a burden for the people here to share with them that Jesus is their Savior, that there is more to life than what they now know. BUT, what the Lord is showing us more and more is that prayer and commitment to prayer is where He wants us. It is SO easy to get busy, to get too settled into life, to get too comfortable in life’s routine, raising two very busy and active boys, learning the language, keeping up a house, meeting with people, entertaining.................in other words, doing "busy work" and slowly (it always happens slowly doesn't it?) forget the "real" purpose. The thing that HAS to take priority is prayer.

So, as we commit to obey Him and to pray more fervently, with more passion, bringing these lost souls before the Lord with more consistency would you please commit with us to pray for us as well as the people here? I have said it so many times before and it sounds so cliché, but I can't help it, it's the truth. We CANNOT do what we are doing here without you doing what you do there!!! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being committed to this. And the people of Sopron will be eternally grateful for your prayers!

Well, we have a VBS coming up next week. We are so excited to be having our first VBS and to see what wonderful things the Lord will do from this. We have had very good response from the people so far. We are excited that the Todd's are here. They will be here a week before we start a VBS next Monday.
Thank you for praying about this as well.

Prayer Requests:

For both boys to learn the language more quickly. They will be involved in a lot of summer activities in order to surround them with Hungarian children to help with this. Pray the Lord will cement in their hearts His purpose for their lives, even as children. That they will come more and more to the understanding of why we are here.

For Kim as she spends the summer getting organized for the coming homeschooling year for both Kai and Kale. While Kim loves to be organized it doesn't come easy for her and can be a struggle.

For the funds to be able to order Kai’s school curriculum for next year. Kim needs soon it to be able to go over it before they start this fall.

For committed workers to come along side us in the ministry here. (Translation, children’s ministry)

A meeting place for the Bible study. The pastor of the local Pentecostal church is considering letting us use their facilities.

Continued vision for the ministry as it grows. To see and confidently act upon where the Lord is leading.

For me, Tony, as I share God’s Word each week at our Friday night study and for my daily studying of His Word.

For Kim and I, protection for our marriage and for wisdom in raising Kai and Kale.

May 2008 Update & Prayer Requests

2008-05-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Hello to all our Family and Friends,
Well, it seems we waited so long for Spring to arrive and now it is quickly slipping away and almost Summer time. Things in Sopron are wonderful and God is ever so faithful and full of love and mercy for us. He is teaching us more and more each day and just feel privileged that we get to be a small part of His big picture.

The school year is winding down here, a little more quickly for us personally then for some. Tony's parents are arriving tonight for a 3 week visit. HOORRAY!!
So, Kai will take a break and finish up a few things, Math mainly, this summer. The beauty of home schooling is that we can be flexible. A week after Tony's parents leave the Todd family will be here for 2 weeks. Hooray for the Todd's!! We will be having a VBS while they are here and we are so excited about this. It will be our first outreach of this nature. Please remember to pray about this for us.

Well, I said the Lord is teaching us a lot and it's the truth!! Mid April, I, Kim went to a Pastor's wives retreat at the Bible college. It was a wonderful weekend of rich fellowship with old friends and with some new friends. The theme of the retreat was "What is a Pastor's wife?" and was mainly taught by Pam Markey. She and her husband (he went on to be with the Lord a year ago) were the first to start a Calvary Chapel in Kiev, Ukraine over 15 years ago. They arrived there with 8 kids in tow!
The youngest 6 months and the oldest 12. She's an amazing woman, to say the least. She reassured us that a Pastor's wife doesn't have to play the piano or sing in the choir like one of God's angels! HA!HA! It's a good thing because I can't do either one of those things. Most of us were relieved. So, the main message of her teaching was to simply love and serve ALL those people around us, that the Lord brings our way; to be "servants of all". We should especially be servants to our husbands and children first. If we are doing this daily the rest of our ministry will fall into place. She encouraged us wives to ask our husband what kind of home he wants, what does he want us doing? For example, some husbands want an open door policy in the home with hospitality at the top of the list, having others into their home frequently. Other husbands spend so much time outside the home in ministry they need the house to be their get-a-way and want few visitors. Still others want a little of both of these worlds. She posed the question, “How can we as wives best serve our husbands so they can reach their potential in ministry?”

I think this can apply to most Christian marriages. All of us are in ministry. All of us are missionaries, some in a foreign land and some in our homeland. I would encourage all of you wives to ask your husband the same question and see what exciting things the Lord does in your household. Ephesians 4:32 says it all. Pam Markey used this scripture as the foundation of the conference. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. I know this verse well, but never really applied it to my husband before. But with kindness, compassion and forgiveness at the forefront of my mind and actions, only then is God able to work in me and in our marriage and then as a result of that in the ministry.

Mother's Day was very nice here. In Hungary it is celebrated the Sunday before the one in the States. I got very spoiled and we celebrated both Sundays. The first weekend we had a very nice picnic and BBQ at a beautiful park nearby. There were open fire pits where we could roast hot dogs and marshmallows. There were forests all around us with hiking trails and the boys had a blast playing literally all day. Then the next weekend I was served breakfast in bed by my 3 boys. All of the schools had a special celebration for the Moms. Kale's preschool also did this, inviting the Moms to come in the afternoon on a weekday. They sang songs in Hungarian and German, played some games and presented each Mom with a small planted flower in a pot decorated by their child. It was very nice and sweet.

A couple of weeks ago we hosted a weekend team from the Bible college. the team and several from the Bible study spent the morning at a local park picking up trash and then we had a church picnic that afternoon. It was a great time. We are looking forward to the summer months as the rest of you are I'm sure. There will be many ministry opportunities for us here and we look forward to all the Lord will be doing. Thank you once again for all your support and prayers for us. We desperately need them as we live our lives growing in Him and in our marriage and in raising our boys, then as reach out to others to show them God's love. Much love to all of you.

Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Pray for the VBS. For Larry, Lisa and family as they come to minister here.
Praise: The Lutheran church here is allowing us to use their elementary school.

For another building to meet in for our Bible studies.

Provision for Kai and Kale's home schooling curriculum for the fall. It needs to be ordered the first of June in order for us to receive them in time.

Please pray for the many details regarding the adoption process. We are still trying to get the Medical clearance for Tony and I. I could write a book about the many ups and downs of this one step itself.

Pray for Tony and I, protection of our marriage and wisdom in all the joys and challenges of raising Kai and Kale.

Pray for quick learning of the language for all 4 of us. We are praying about putting the boys in some children's Day Camps and swimming lessons to help with this. Pray for wisdom and that the activities will be attractive to them.

Pray for workers!!! We desperately need more Hungarian helpers, especially for the children's ministry.

We would really love to come home in the fall for a visit. It will have been close to 2 years by then. Please pray God will provide for the tickets and other costs of this.

Pictures: Shack in Sopron; Gabor, Flora & Reka; Tony, Richard & Gabor; Kale, Lily, Zsuzsi, Reka & Lynn; Kim & Kale; English club; leading worship in Vienna; Kai

April 2008 Update & Prayer Requests

2008-04-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

I came to you in weakness-timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. I did not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was powerful among you. I did this so that you might trust the power of God rather than human wisdom. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Hello Family and Friends!
It's April already and Spring is here. Hooray! We had some warm weather in March and some snow in March. The day after Easter we woke up to snow everywhere. The boys ran outside by 8am to play in it and by noon it had melted. Now, it is warming up for good, thank goodness. We had a very nice Easter. Went to the Calvary Chapel in Vienna and Tony led worship. And of course hiding eggs with the boys, it was a good day. Hope everyone out there is doing well and enjoying warmer weather as well.

March was definitely an amazing month for us. A lot happened that was very exciting and continues to confirm God's purpose and plan for us here in Sopron. A couple weeks ago we were out walking on a Sunday afternoon in our neighborhood. We stopped to watch a man who was burning brush in his backyard, he heard us speaking English and we struck up a conversation. He invited us in to his yard to meet his wife, who was expecting a baby, any day, and their 4 year old daughter. We stayed for over a half hour talking and visiting. We were able to share with them about why we are here and they invited us to come back to see them again after the baby is born for a BBQ. (As in the States, where there is ministry there is food) We are so excited to meet yet another family. This is exactly how the Lord has been working since coming here. We will be going back there in the coming week and look forward to meeting their baby.

There is a Christian couple in town, Rico and Kati, which we have become very good friends with. They attend the Baptist church in town. They have 4 kids and she is home schooling their 7 year old with plans to include the 10 year old in the fall. She is also the one who does the English club for kids twice a week that Kai attends. The Lord has given them a vision to start a Christian school here in town. They have the land and buildings and teachers are coming forward wanting to be a part of it. It is so exciting to see this. But, Kati went through a really tough time these last few months with home schooling. Discouragement, being overwhelmed with household duties and schooling, not having time for her two younger children etc.....the list could go on and on. She was ready to give it all up. I could totally relate and quickly met with her to pray and be an encouragement to her. I could see clearly what was happening, as satan does NOT want home schooling to catch on here. It has just become legal to do so in the last couple years and there are only a few Hungarian families who do this. The culture here regarding school is so different, the people are taught that academics and school is THE most important thing in the whole world and they push their children to do well. But things are still so socialized here, it's a sink or swim situation in the classroom. If there are kids that aren't "getting it" they are quickly passed up and not taken care of. And things come to an abrupt halt when they are at the end of their studies as adults finding themselves with quite an education and many years of their lives invested in school but with no real training or certificate that will allow them a job in the "real world" or a way of making money. So, needless to say home schooling is NOT accepted by the general population here (they look at me like I have 5 heads when I tell them I am doing it, but hey!!! I'm an American, I'm different anyway!!) Also there is the issue of what the kids are exposed to at school s here at such a young age. Pornography is rampant here in the schools. Kati’s 10 year old has told her about what his classmates are able to access via their cell phones while at school. You wouldn’t believe it!
We are able to see that home schooling would be a great benefit to the people here as well as having a Christian school and satan has been working overtime on this family to hinder and discourage them. This family is the pioneer family, the people who will be starting this work. Really though, what the bigger picture here is, is that that the Lord is working here in Hungary. The Holy Spirit is here working among the people, it's not just about Calvary Chapel being in Hungary or Europe. It's not just about Tony and Kim Wilbanks being here in Hungary. It's ALL about God being here and doing a mighty work, and it's just beginning. We believe and can see that it's going to explode here. So, we are excited to be here and feel privileged to be a small part of it.

About the adoption process; first of all most of you know Tony and I attended a mandatory 3 day adoption conference at the beginning of March. It was extremely informative and we enjoyed it very much. There were 3 other couples attending with us and formed a bond with them that will last for many years to come. We also had a home visit from the Social Service office and saw the Psychologist. While these 3 things are big steps forward in the process of adopting we still have a long way to go. Lots more paperwork and more home visits, and Dr. visits. But, we are well on our way. We want to thank each of you for all of your prayers in this matter.
The Lord just answered a HUGE prayer for us this last Friday night. One of the immediate things that needs to be done in the adoption process is finding a medical Dr. to do a routine physical and blood work on Tony and I. It is our preference to find one who speaks English. Well, finding one who is willing to take us (we don't have Hungarian insurance and this creates paperwork problems for the Dr.s) has been very difficult and very frustrating. Friday night at our Bible study I mentioned this as a prayer need and a dear lady who attends our studies, Harriet, knew of a English speaking Dr., she got on the phone right then, called a Dr. friend of hers and hooked us up! It was amazing it all happened!

We have a lot happening here over the next few months. We have a team coming for 2 days from the CC Bible College at the beginning of May. We will be picking up trash around Sopron and later in the day we will have a picnic inviting lots of unsaved people we have met. Lily will be moving here in June and we are excited to have her here full-time. (She is in Israel right now with Pastor Chuck) There is another girl from the Bible College, named Deanna, who is planning on coming to Sopron to serve with us for a few weeks this summer. She feels called to Hungary and is checking out different places as she seeks the Lord. Then in the middle of June we will have the team from North Valley Calvary Chapel. We are looking forward to their time here with the VBS and whatever else the Lord leads us to do. We are excited as already so much has happened and we know that this is only the beginning. We’re anxious to see what this summer will bring.
And that brings me to each of you; you by your prayers and support every month are each a part of this work as well. It might sound cliché, BUT we cannot do what we do here without you doing what you do. Your prayers and support are so needed. We appreciate it all so much.

Here are some prayer requests.
Please if you have time write to us and let us pray for you. If you have a need please let us know and we will hold you up in prayer as well. We love you all.

-pray for the weekend team coming in May.

-for the team coming from North Valley Calvary Chapel in June

-for Kim and Kai as they are home schooling. Wisdom and patience for Kim. The Lord has blessed Kim so much and home schooling has been much more rewarding and fun this semester. Open heart and perseverance for Kai (in other words he has Spring fever!!!) Don't we all right now!!! HA!HA!

-for Kale at preschool, that he will continue to learn the language quickly.

-for all the families we have contact with, mainly outside of the church. That we will minister in the way the Lord leads.

-pray for Rico and Kati as they continue to see and live out God's vision for their lives, their children's lives and the community; that they will have the strength to persevere through all the obstacles that will come their way.

-for monthly provision for us.

-for the people now attending the study, as I believe they will be the foundation of this new work.

-for the protection of our family and our marriage.

-for a meeting place that we can use more than once a week.

March 2008 Update & Prayer Requests

2008-03-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Hello to Family and Friends,
Unbelievably it's March already. As always God has been so faithful and so good to us. We are so blessed in so many ways and one of those blessings came in the weather. February started off warming up for us here in Hungary and we enjoyed it so much. We were able to take the boys out to the park and enjoy some weather in the 50's and even 60's!! It gave me (Kim) spring fever big time!! So we bought a little bit of planting soil and a few flowers, seeds and pots and the boys and I went to town on our window gardens. Well, as the end of February, first of March approached it cooled off a LOT! We even got some snow earlier this week. So, hopefully the flowers will survive. But we are not complaining, we know more warm weather is around the corner.

Things at the Wilbanks' house in Sopron, Hungary are going great! It's been quite busy here lately as most of you know that the proceedings for the adoption got sped up a bit, which makes us very happy! So, I'll start right off and give you a quick update on things.
We had the home study with 2 adoption officials from a nearby town. They are the same ladies (one of them the Psychologist we met with) that we have been dealing with from the beginning. The home study involves them coming to our house and looking thru the whole house to make sure there is enough room for more children and that the living conditions are satisfactory. We had to sign some papers and they gave us lots of info and told us what needs to be done next, and there is a lot to be done. First we have to gather several official papers/certificates of various types, such as birth certificates etc., we need to see a medical Dr. and he fills out a form saying we are healthy and the list goes on. Somewhere in this process our case will be turned over to the Child Protective Services here in Sopron. After all this paperwork is collected, the Sopron office will come out to our house to do another home study (Oh joy!!!). Actually it wasn't bad at all, and the house has never been cleaner!! HA! HA! Then all documents will be transferred to the capital, Budapest. We just returned from an adoption seminar. It was absolutely awesome and invaluable!!! There were 4 couples there and 3 of us are missionaries. We all made a special connection with each other. Even the Psychologist that led most of the classes said that in all the 42 of these classes that she has held never has she felt this kind of chemistry within a group. We also asked her to take a group picture of us and she said that also was a first. We made some very important contacts that will surely be very valuable in the future. Also, there was some very good news!! A new law just passed that will allow us foreigners to be treated as nationals thru the WHOLE process; which means we are not on the "leftover" list anymore (I hate to word it that way, but that's what they said). We will now go on the same list as the Hungarians, so this will speed up the time of us getting the children we want. So we were very pleased to hear this. We are however, a little overwhelmed at this point. There is even more paperwork to do then we thought and things to be done. But the good news about that is the other couples that have already done all these things gave us all their info and are guiding us thru. And the boys had a great time this weekend. It was hard to be away from them, especially since Saturday was my birthday, but we all survived and are back together now.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support for us regarding this.

The Friday night Bible study is going great. Tony has just started the book of 1 Corinthians and it is clear that the Lord is using these teachings to lay a foundation, within the body, for the work ahead. We have had several people new to the area calling and emailing, asking about the study….so we expect to see some new faces in the near future. The circumstances continue to be amazing how these people just start showing up. I just got an email from a Christian man in South Africa, who somehow found us on the web, and is moving his family here and looking to make connections. I have at least 4 other similar stories from people in Europe coming here. What’s wild is that we know that this is just the beginning.
Last Friday night we had a very sweet time of prayer, where I (Kim) got to join in also. The Lord blessed our time together in prayer. We continue to have contact with a lot of different non-Christian families in town. These people are precious and have a sincere desire to be our friends. We are enjoying their company, as well as being excited about how the Lord will use us to influence their lives for Him. In this Kai has found a new friend, a Hungarian boy, who is the brother of one of Kale's classmates. The Lord provides for us in all the ways we need, we are so thankful!

Special note to you at North Valley Calvary Chapel:
Hey guys, as many of you know Larry Todd is organizing an outreach team to come here this June. I trust that if the Lord has laid this on your heart that you are prayerfully considering this. We’d love for you to come for many reasons. The first, having the opportunity to see first hand what God has begun here and what a HUGE part that you all at NVCC are playing in it and secondly that you get the opportunity to see what the Lord is doing outside of the USA. I guarantee it to be life changing! Keep praying.

Also, a great big Thank-You! to everyone who have so generously donated craft items for children's and women's ministries.

Blessings, Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer Requests:

1. For the Lord to continue to give us a strong love and desire to love and serve these people. That we would have the opportunity to share God’s love.
2. For continued vision for the ministry. I have some neat things that the Lord has been showing me that I will share with you in the next newsletter. Please pray!
3. For a building to meet in regularly. This summer (soon) we have some things planned that will require somewhere to meet other than the home we are meeting in for the Bible study. ie: VBS. Remember Kim had 15 kids at our home for a Christmas party and we believe we will have these and many more kids interested in the VBS.
4. God’s protection for our family and marriage. I cannot stress enough the importance of this right now. The enemy is having his way with many relationships over here.
5. Continued provision for living and ministry expenses. Weak dollar, Bad!
The adoption process; that all will happen according to His will and timing
6. Pray for Lily; coming each weekend to serve and moving here this summer
7. Pray for the Lord to work in the hearts of others that would consider coming here to help full-time
8. Please pray for all of these individuals and families that we have come to know, Gabor, Zsuzsi, Reka & Flora; Harriet; Kimo, Marina & family; Richard, Etta & Max; Marika & Pali; Paul, Ibi & family; Zoltan, Anni & boys; Ernesto, Judit & Vivian; Gabor, Julie & family; Gabor (our landlord); Lazlo, Edit & Szabolcs; Erika; Rico, Kati & family; Zsuzsi at bakery; Frank at sport shop; Nora (Kai’s tennis teacher); Berni (Kale’s teacher); Dingo, Kriszta & family; Conrad, Benita & family; & Ildiko. We’ll catch the rest next time. God knows!

Pictures: downtown sopron, kai and kale at kale's school, kai with friends in front of Bible college, kale & cookie, kai and fox, kim & i at adoption classes

Praise & Prayer

2008-02-20T14:02:00.001-08:00

Hello Family and Friends,

We have good news! After all the waiting we got a phone call from the adoption agency today.

First of all, we will be able to adopt in our county and not go to Budapest. So we are very excited about that. Second, there is a class that is required for Tony and I to take before the adoption can take place. This class is usually one of the last things that happens before the adoption is approved. However, there is one taking place, in English, March 7, 8 and 9th. The ones in English are not offered very often so our case worker is trying very hard to get us into that one. But, there are a few things that have to take place first, like a letter written and submitted of what kind of child/children we want, an appointment to see the Psychologist and a Homestudy (this is where the adoption officials come to our house and make sure we are set up to have more children living here).

And, all this has to happen before March 7, which is right at 2 weeks! So, now it's hurry, hurry, hurry on our part. Tonight our heads are kind of spinning but we are very excited!Marina, our friend here in town, is so gracious to help us with all of this. I will be going to her house in the morning to write the needed letter and she will translate it. Then I will get all the details as to when these other appointments will take place. We would treasure your continued prayers in this matter. We know God's hand is in all of this. It is highly unusual to have all these things that we need done happen in such short a time. But the officials are willing to help us get them done so we can go to this class. As you can see, God is going before us, leading and guiding us and that's the ONLY way we want it.

This is all I know for now. When I have more info I will let you all know. Below are listed specific prayer requests. We appreciate your prayers and letters of support so much. Thank you so much.

1. Pray for God's will and timing in all of that happens.

2. Pray for the appt. with the Psychologist and Homestudy to happen before March 7.

3. Pray for all the details, things we are not even thinking about now, to all come together.

4. Please pray for financial provision for the process as each step will be costly. The 3 day course in Budapest alone will be around $300.00 for both Tony and I to attend and then we may need to stay the night there both nights, which will be an added expense.

5. Last but not least please keep praying for the little girl or girls, more than likely they are living already in this county. Pray for God's protection over them and for their caretaker to take a special interest in them and give them lots of nurturing and hugs and affection. This will hopefully prevent attachment disorder later on when they are with us.

Again, thank you so much for sharing in our excitement. God bless you! Kim and Tony

February Update and Prayer Requests

2008-02-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4

Hello family and Friends,
Unbelievably January is gone and here we are already into February. Things here in Sopron are going really good. Even though it's still very cold and we are all ready for some warm, sunny days, we are encouraged by the things that the Lord is doing and by His tremendous faithfulness. He continues to direct and guide us, giving Tony message after message for Friday nights, which have been very fruitful. We had our first communion service this past month and it was such a blessing. Kai joined in, and it was his first time. It's such a blessing to see our children growing in the knowledge and love of the Lord as well. New people are continuing to come to the study and we are in awe of how God is working and using us in spite of our weaknesses.
We have been blessed to go the Calvary Chapel Vienna on Sundays this past month. Tony taught there one Sunday morning in January and will be filling in for the Pastor a couple of times this month, including this coming Sunday morning. It's been so nice for us to be able to join in with them for the fellowship and feeding.

Kai and Kale are doing good and staying healthy, although they are anxious for some warm weather as well. We did have a couple warmer (in the high 40's) days with some sunshine and went to the park for a few hours. Those were very fun days and they can't stop talking about it. Kale is now going to the preschool 5 mornings a week. It was a heart wrenching decision for Mommy!, but after talking to his teacher we all agreed that he would learn the language faster and would feel more a part of the routine if he were there everyday. He has adjusted well and loves being with his friends. Kai and I continue with home schooling. It's such a joy and right now we are enjoying doing some Valentine crafts. He is a good student and it is getting easier for me with each passing week.

We appreciate everyone's prayers and support. Here are some prayer requests. Thank you all for your dedication and lifting us up.

Prayer Requests

- Kai and Kale to continue to do well in school. Also, they have both been extra home sick lately.

- For the protection of our marriage. For wisdom with the boys in disciplinary matters; that we can shape and mold their characters without breaking their spirits. That we can point them to Jesus and that their hearts would be soft.

- For the women's ministry. The Lord has been laying on my heart to do a women's craft night in the Spring as an outreach. Thank you to those who have offered to send craft supplies! Pray for the women to come and for the message that should be taught.

- Whether or not to pursue a building for the church to meet in. The Hungarian family that is hosting us on Friday nights loves doing this but we are feeling that we could do a lot more things (like the ladies night and possibly a VBS this summer) if we had a building; for God's direction and provision for this.

- For the individuals in the Bible study, to grow closer to Him and know Him more personally. Please pray that the foundation for this ministry would continue to be laid.

-Continue praying for the adoption process.

- Gabor and I (Tony) are meeting each Thursday afternoon for prayer. Pray for this time to be fruitful.

- Continued provision for us here. As is normal things have dropped off over the last year and the dollar continues to get weaker against the Forint and Euro. Good for U.S. businesses wanting to export, not good for missionaries
on the field. Enough said.

Praise Report!
Lily has committed to being with us every Friday night! Hooray! She will be attending the Bible college during the week and travel here for the study on Friday’s. We are so excited. Now we just need a Hungarian speaking person to do the kids ministry on Friday nights. I am doing it myself in English but we really need a Hungarian speaking helper. We need laborers.

January 2008 Update

2008-01-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hi there Family and Friends,
First of all let me apologize for this being late. I can hardly believe that not only is Christmas well over but it’s January and we’re well on our way into the new year of 2008!!!
We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's. We sure did. Ours was full of baking cookies with the boys, decorating our tree, making ornaments, wrapping gifts and putting out cookies and milk for Santa (of course we didn't forget a carrot for Rudolph!!). Even though all these things were much fun and make for wonderful memories for our family the most important and most life impacting thing we did this year were all the traditions that center around the real meaning of Christmas, Christ's birth. One of those is as we finish decorating the tree the last ornament that is hung is a special nativity scene, then Tony reads the story of Christ's birth in Luke. After that is a discussion with the boys of what and why we are celebrating. That is the best way to start the season off and a good one it was.
We were blessed with a house full of people to celebrate with this year. And we had some snow about a week before Christmas which made everything white and pretty. Kai has learned how to ice skate and Kale just enjoys sliding on the ice on his belly! One day we went to a local lake that is frozen over, and I (Kim) attempted to ice skate also, and I did pretty well until I fell flat on my "you know what". That was the end for me!
The children's Christmas party we had the Friday before Christmas was a huge hit! Thank you to all of you who prayed for this. We had about 15 children under the age of 8, most of them from non-Christian homes. It turned out so well; all of the kids had a really good time. The theme was candy canes. The locals here don't know what candy canes are and have never seen one, so it was great fun to be able to give them a real candy cane (which had to be imported) and then share the story of the candy cane with them. This story tells the Gospel message and this is what we did. We sang Christmas carols; American and Hungarian, played pin the candy cane on the candy cane, decorated cookies, and of course had some yummy goodies. Each child went home with a candy cane and the condensed version of the story attached to the candy. We were so blessed to be able to do this.

We are blessed as the ministry here in Sopron is going great! More and more people are finding out about and coming to the Friday night Bible study. We are still having them at the Hungarian family's house and it has been good. With the COLD weather it has been very difficult to get out of the house. Seems everyone in town, us included, are going stir crazy. We haven't seen the sun in over a month! But in spite of this the Lord is blessing and continues to do His work here. He is still bringing non-Christian people and families our way, and as we get to know them and build relationships with them the doors are opened to share the Gospel. It is so exciting to see this happening in front of our eyes and so much more exciting to be a part of it. People that we have met and are now friends with are starting to ask questions about the Bible and show an interest in the Bible study. This is amazing!
So, we are just continuing to live out our lives here in Sopron and trying our best to be faithful in the little things and let the Lord do His work, bringing along those divine appointments and blessing our socks off in the meantime.
We so look forward to this new year and feel more then ever a renewed passion and excitement and burden for the lost souls in this town and for the hurting who need encouragement and love. We look forward to the things the Lord will do this year and again feel so privileged to be a small part of His work.
As we begin this new year we are so thankful that each of you will be right here with us in spirit and prayer. As we try to be faithful in living our lives here and are obedient in the everyday things the Lord asks of us, likewise we are thankful that you are also faithful in covering us in prayer and supporting us.
We have so much to be thankful for and all of you are one of the biggest reasons we have to give thanks.
God bless you and much love, Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer Requests-
-Continued wisdom as we are given opportunities to touch people's lives here in Sopron.
-Pray for the people coming to the Bible study and for the many others that are not coming that we have contact with.
-Pray for the study as I (Tony) am teaching God's Word, that a solid foundation is laid within the hearts of the people.
-Please pray for God to send workers to join us in this ministry.
-Please continue to pray for leading about a women's outreach (sometime in the future).
-Children's and women's ministry is in need of art and craft supplies. If you are able to help out in this area let me know and I will give details.

-Please continue to pray for the adoption process, which is in the early, early stages. There is nothing new to report as of yet.

-Pray for the protection and growth of our marriage and family.

-Pray for Kim as she continues to home school Kai. For wisdom.
-For Kale as he goes to Hungarian preschool. We are considering sending him 4 days a week, up from 3. Again wisdom.

December Update & Prayer Requests

2007-12-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Dear Family and Friends,
Hello to everyone. Thanksgiving is now behind us and we all have so much to be thankful for. Now Christmas is just a few weeks away! We are the type of family that can't wait for Christmas, the decorations and everything else that comes with it. We started watching Christmas movies back in the middle of November. Christmas music has been playing in the house and car for weeks now. We also have a tradition of putting up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, BUT that's going to be a problem this year. In most of Europe the tradition is to put up the tree and decorate Christmas Eve, and then the kids wake up the next morning to see the sights. So, trees are not available yet. We are told that they should be out in a week or two though. So, in the meantime, all the Fall decor is down and we have a house decorated for Christmas, thanks to the eager help of Kai and Kale who could NOT wait.

We just returned from 9 days in Vajta, Hungary, where the Bible College is located. The boys had a blast playing with all their friends they haven't seen for a while. We spent Thanksgiving there with friends and had some really good food. Of course Hungarians don't celebrate Thanksgiving but where there are Americans you can, for sure, find a Thanksgiving celebration going on. And it was complete with turkey, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie!
Then there was a conference called Speaker's Week. Pam Markey was the women’s speaker. It was a privilege to learn from her many experiences on the mission field. She and her husband George took 8 kids to the Ukraine over 14 years ago and started Calvary Chapel Kiev. George passed away earlier this year, but his legacy lives on through Pam, who is now on staff at the Bible College, and many of their children who are now in ministry. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and teaching from God's word. It really was an awesome time of growth for Tony and I. The topics seemed to center around humility, having a soft heart, forgiving.........immediately! and then some more on pride on humility. And of course I was sitting there thinking "hmm, I don't really think this is for me", when the Lord revealed something so real and true, that I knew it was indeed for me. It was really, really good.
This past month has been very busy, as usual, and a good time in leaning on the Lord and letting Him lead us, even when we didn't understand everything. Tony and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Wow!! That sounds like such a long time, but in fact it feels like it was just yesterday. And we love each other more than ever.
As most of you know we are having the Friday night Bible studies at Gabor and Zsuzsi's house. (It was hard and a little sad to not have it at our house, but Tony felt very impressed to do EVERYTHING possible to stay at peace with our neighbors.) Our neighbors by the way act as if nothing ever happened and we talk to them quite often. I took the wife a Poinsettia plant. I admit I really didn't want to (she kinda scares me) but the Lord wouldn't stop pestering me about it. So, I did and I could tell it truly blessed her, although she was openly confused as to why I did it. I said it was, just because. When she kept questioning me about it, her husband said, just take it and be thankful. So, for now, we continue to have the study at the Hungarian families' house. The Lord is blessing this but we are looking and praying for a building to have the studies in. There is something in the works now that we are praying about.
Anett, the Hungarian gal that was helping us with kid’s church on Friday nights, has returned to her home in Budapest. We were sad to see her go but she was not able to find a job here in Sopron. So, we are anxiously waiting to see what God will do. For now, I (Kim) will be doing it and pray the kids will understand, they do speak and understand some English.
It seems the Lord is bringing more and more people our way from the community with children the same age as Kai and Kale. They just want to hang out. They are not interested in the church but know why we are here/ We are trying to do all we can to nurture these friendships by having them over for dinner, meeting with them one and one and setting up play dates. It's exciting to see what God will do through these friendships.
So, we are getting closer and closer to the time of celebrating birth of our Lord and we are so excited to see what God has next for us in the coming new year. We are realizing as this verse says above, that God IS able to make all grace abound to us, BUT we have to let Him first. A very important fact that Tony and I are learning over and over again. God can do the impossible and the miraculous, BUT first we have to present a willing, humble and open heart before Him. Then the possibilities are limitless. How exciting is that!!?

Prayer requests:

-Continued wisdom as we lead this infant ministry.
-Please pray about the possibility of doing a women's outreach craft time (sometime in the future). I went to one at the Baptist church here and the Hungarian women really enjoyed it.
-Children's and women's ministry is in need of arts and craft supplies. If you are able to help out in this area let me know and I will give details.
-Pray for the people in the church and for the many others that are not in the church. There are several families (a total of 12-15 children) that we are friends with but do not know the Lord. That we can witness and minister as the Lord wants us to.
-We will be having a Christmas party for the children mentioned in the request above. This will be an outreach to show them God's love. Pray that we will do the things the Lord wants done and that Jesus will be the emphasis.
-Pray for a building of our own. There is a possibility in the works; we are praying for God's will.
-Please continue to pray for the adoption process, which is in the early, early stages. There is nothing new to report as of yet.
-Pray for the protection and growth of our marriage and family. We are seeing that the attack on the family is getting heavy, especially in pastors here in Hungary and around the world.
-Pray for Kim as she continues to home school Kai. It is a blessing that she loves, but it continues to be a challenge.
-Pray for protection for Kai and Kale, for them to learn the language quickly. And for Kale as he goes to Hungarian preschool. That more doors will open there to minister to the parents and teachers there. The Lord has used this already to minister to a set of parents.
-The doors to the Orphanage have been closed for now. We are so sad about this. There have already been relationships started and it breaks our hearts to not be able to see them for now. We know and trust the Lord will take care of this in the future. Pray especially for Erika, a 15 year old girl, that Kim got to know. That her heart would be softened and that Kim can stay in touch with her. We do have her cell phone number so we have that connection, thank the Lord. Kim would like to take her a small present at Christmas but doesn't want to jeopardize future relationships with the supervisors.

November Update and Prayer Needs

2007-11-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12:15-18

Hello Family and Friends! It's by no mistake that we are studying Romans in our Bible study and that we are at chapter 12. Read on........

October is officially over and once again I find myself saying "where did the time go?"
So much has happened in the past month. Once again God just blows our socks off with blessings and His goodness and His faithfulness to us.

On a personal note, home schooling is going great, I (Kim) am enjoying it very much and Kai really seems to as well. Kale loves his Hungarian preschool and is thriving there and picking up more of the language. We are SLOWLY putting our house together and little by little are getting the necessary items we need to organize and get things off the floor and out of boxes. Imagine packing up everything in your house and moving into a house that has absolutely NO closets, cabinets, drawers, shelves or furniture in which to put all your clothes, dishes, books, the kids' toys and all the other "stuff" you have. That's the way it's been here and it's been quite a challenge. Thank the Lord for IKEA!

At the beginning of the month we were gearing up for the 10 day outreach team to come and be with us. As Tony was seeking the Lord for His vision for the outreach time, he felt impressed that we should focus on prayer. He also felt like the Lord wanted to do a work in each of our lives individually. So, that's what we all focused on, prayer. There were times for individual prayer, times of group prayer and times spent out in the city praying. There were also times of worship and fellowship and Bible studies. For some of the studies the girls and guys were separated and some were done as a group. It was a very powerful time and the Lord really used it in each of our lives. The Lord ministered to each one of us and we were all changed because of it. There was also a lot of answered prayer during this week. It was so exciting to see God answer prayers in this way and to be right in the middle of it. And each of you were a part of it also as you were at home praying for us. Thank you! The team of kids were also so helpful and nice to us. They stayed with the boys for me during the day so I could attend a prayer meeting and Tony and I got to go out on a date! That was very nice. They wouldn't let me do dishes and left the house very clean! In other words they spoiled me.

One of the exciting answers to prayers was about the adoption process Tony and I have been working on. We have been trying to get an appointment at the agency in a nearby town where the paper work needs to start. I (Kim) was getting a bit (ok, I admit it ALOT) discouraged that we could not get an appointment after trying for 2 months. So, on Friday, towards the end of the week of the team being here and after lots of prayer by everyone regarding this I got a call from my dear friend Marina, who lives here in town and is helping me with this, that we have an appointment for November 9. Thank you Lord! We are very excited to finally be on our way and get things going. This is just one example of how the Lord worked this last week.
On the down side Kai was sick almost the whole week. He was VERY sick with strep throat and a sinus infection. Poor guy. And on the last night the team was here our neighbor (we live in a connected home) complained about all the people and the extra noise. (We had the 4 guys from the team staying with us). They had an interesting way of letting us know they were upset; they turned off our electricity! So, Tony talked with him and was able to calm him down, thank the Lord. Actually the guys weren’t that noisy while they were here and were either heading to bed or had settled down to study by 9:30 each evening. It actually has more to do with someone who is so unhappy that they can’t stand to be around someone who is. Please help us pray for them. As you already know by the prayer request that went out a couple days ago, we don't feel it's good, under the circumstances, to meet here anymore on Friday nights. So, together we have been praying for a place to meet. Thank you for your prayers. Tonight one of the families that attend the study offered their house until we can find another place. At first we were discouraged about this, but now realize and see that this is part of God's plan. He is in control and we are excited to see what good things will come from this.
While the team was here we were able to visit an orphanage for the first time and it was a great experience. There was a definite connection made with the kids there. We are planning to go back once a week. This is something we have been praying about since we arrived here over 4 months ago. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in their lives. As an awesome example to us as to what He can do in the lives of these boys and girls can be seen in a boy named Andras. Tony and I met an 8 year old Andras nearly 10 years ago at an orphanage in Kaposvár. Now at 18 we were reunited with him as he was part of the outreach team that came here. He has accepted the Lord as his saviour and is now attending Bible school. It was exciting for us to see fruit from so long ago. God surely knows what He is doing and it’s great to be a part of it.

The Friday night study is going great and has been growing weekly. New people have been coming and saying that they want to bring their friends or relatives. We just want to be faithful and prepared to minister to whoever God sends our way.

Once again Thank You all for your support, thoughts and prayers!
Blessings, Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer requests:

- Erika, a 15 year old from the orphanage that Kim connected with. Pray that Kim is able to share God's love with her.
(One of her first questions to Kim was how long will you be around. She is obviously wanting to know how much she should let her guard down and allow herself to get attached)
- The meeting in the city of Gyor on Nov. 9 to start the adoption paperwork.
- Please pray for this weekend's Women's Conference in Vajta, Hungary. Kim will be attending.
- Pray for our neighbors that we can show them love and have the opportunity to share with them God’s life-changing gift.
- Pray for the Friday night study. That we are simply faithful to do what the Lord has called us to do. Teach, Love and point all to Jesus.
- Please pray for Anett, Erika and Lily. These are the girls who are serving here with us and/or are planning to serve here. For God’s will to be done concerning each situation.
- For the language. It is coming, but sometimes not without some pain….
- Protection for all of us as a family and unity. That the Lord would bring us closer to each other as we all grow in Him.

Sopron Update and Prayer Requests

2007-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

"Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" Romans 10:13-15

Dear Family and Friends,
Hi there to everyone!! It has been 2 months since we last wrote; it's been a busy time!
We are sorry for missing last month’s update. One of the delays was caused when our AC adapter for our Dell laptop went out and by the time we got things back up, it was the middle of the month. But here we are now. Fortunately they have a Dell store in Budapest and a friend was able to pick one up for us.
The Lord continues to bless us tremendously with His love and grace and in His leading here in Sopron. It is so exciting to be here and be a part of His work. The opportunities are so many. These past 2 months have been very, very busy. In August we celebrated Kai's 8th birthday. We had a small party for him here at the house with a couple of his new friends. The rest of the month was busy visiting people, having families over for dinner and Tony is continuing in his language lessons twice a week.

The first week of September Kale started Hungarian pre-school and he loves it!! He is thriving there. They only speak Hungarian to him and he is quickly learning and speaking the language. The school is actually bi-lingual…Hungarian and German. The teachers there love him and he has made lots of new friends. He is going 3 days a week and we pick him up right after he eats lunch there. He looks forward to going every morning and talks excitedly about all that he is learning. This has been a good opportunity for us to meet other families here in town.

I began home schooling Kai the same week. The first 2 weeks were quite hairy for me!! I was pretty overwhelmed and felt like I was drowning!!! But things are settling down quite nicely. We are in a routine and I am learning to relax a little with it. I really am enjoying it and it is actually fun now!! I have some very good support via email (a couple other home schooling Moms are staying in touch with me). Kai is enjoying it and seems to be learning a lot. He gave his first oral report this past Friday and did a great job!
Socially things have really picked up for the boys. When I think back to before we came here and knowing that we didn't know a soul, I was scared and apprehensive. I would wonder how the boys were going to make friends and who would they play with? Well, I needn't have worried. God ALWAYS supplies our every need above and beyond!!!! They have so many invitations now we have to say no to some things!!!! The couple Kimo and Marina, who have 3 kids close in age to Kai and Kale, call at least once a week with offers to go on hikes, salamander hunting, apple picking adventures or just a walk in the nearby forest!! It has been so fun for them to be with these kids. Kale is playing on a soccer team with other boys his age twice a week. Kai is involved in a kids' English club with several boys his age. He is the only native English speaker which helps these kids learn English and the teacher (who is a Mom like me and has become a very good friend) is teaching Kai Hungarian. He came home the first time knowing how to do a magic trick in Hungarian!!! Of course he was thrilled!!! This was a 2 fold answer to prayer. We had been praying for more friends for Kai (since he is home schooling) and for someone to teach him the language. So, I was overwhelmed with God's goodness when this offer came to us. Kai has also continued his tennis lessons. This has been a very good way for him to learn the language as well and he has gotten quite good at tennis.
God is so good and faithful to meet our needs above and beyond anything we can ask or desire. He continues to give us a burden and love for the people here. He is also confirming to us, in many ways, the vision that He gave Tony over a year ago for this city. That is to reach out to people by building relationships, to show people genuine love and interest in them and in that the opportunity to share Christ will come. You know the Bible tells us in Matthew 28 to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”. Nowhere does it say to go and “plant churches” in all nations. God will build His church from our following Jesus’ example; loving on people, serving them and pointing them to God. He continues to bring people into our lives without our seeking them out.
The Friday night Bible study is going great. We have 12-13 adults and children when everyone comes. The girl from Budapest, Erika is a regular with us every Friday night. She is translating for Tony. We also have a gal, Anett, who we knew from the Bible College living in Sopron now. She is helping with the kid’s church on Friday night. However, she has not found a job yet, so we are keeping that in prayer. We have 2 young girls that come regularly and they are really enjoying the kid’s church.
In October we will be having a small team of kids from the Bible College here for a 10 day outreach. We are very excited about this and look forward to working with them. The focus while they are with us will be on prayer and it’s power. One of the resources we will be using will be K.P. Yohannan’s book, “The Lord’s Work Done the Lord’s Way”.
It’s an awesome book with a very challenging message…especially for those caught up in doing ‘things for God’. When was the last time any of us were still before the Lord, literally sitting at His feet, listening and absorbing what He wants? In our lives, our ministry? Check it out! One of the things we will be doing while they are here is visiting an orphanage that is close by. Tony had the wonderful opportunity to meet with the head supervisor of all the orphanages in town (there are 4 or 5) and he is a Christian!!! He also met with all the workers of those orphanages. This was very exciting and a unique opportunity. The supervisor was very excited about us being here and would love to have us work with these kids.
I, Kim, still have women calling and wanting to get together with me and the family. Sometimes they are people that I may not have thought I should pursue, but the Lord is showing me that I am to follow up with the relationships. It is so exciting to see God's hand moving and directing us. All in all, we are extremely busy right now. But as long as we know each and every thing is from Him, He will give us the strength and the ability to do it all.

Thank you all again for your correspondence, prayers and support. It is all needed and appreciated.
God is truly working here and we are honored and privileged to be a part of it. And please know that through your support and prayers you all are equally a part of what is happening here. It’s true!

Love Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

See the new Golgota Sopron website at: www.sopron.golgota.hu

Prayer Requests:

- The 10 day outreach. That the Lord's will and work would be done. That our focus would be on Him.
- For Anett to find a job and for the Lord to completely confirm His will for her to be here
- Pray for Erika as she travels, by train, from Budapest each Friday. Also for provisions for this expense.
- That the Lord would increase our passion and excitement for the city and the people.
- That God would continue to lead us in His way and His direction, showing us exactly what He wants us to do with each day.
- That we would not be "too busy" but instead be busy with the things He wants and to have the wisdom to say no to the things that are not of Him.
- For quickness of the language for each of us.
- For Kim and Kai in the home schooling process.
- The adoption process, it has come to a standstill right now. That is very difficult to deal with, especially since we have to rely on others to make the contacts for us. Pray for God's will to be done and for patience for us.
- Protection for all of us as a family and unity. That the Lord would bring us closer to each other as we all grow in Him.

August Update and Prayer Requests

2007-08-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes

upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people

about me everywhere—in Jerusalem,

throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Hello Family and Friends!!!
Wow!!! What a time it has been here in Sopron. We have been here not quite 2 months and so much has happened.
We are so excited and have soooooooooo much to report. As I write this we are literally pinching ourselves and saying "is all this really happening?"
Where do I start? How about first I say how faithful and full of grace and mercy our wonderful God is. We are so imperfect, but He is our strength. He is our confidence and He directs our path and He puts the words in our mouths. We wake up each morning and say "okay, Lord what do you want us to do today?" And He has been so full of surprises! As we go about our day taking care of our children, taking care of the necessary, routine things in life He uses us and brings people our way. It feels like the floodgates have opened up and people are coming out of the woodwork to meet and find us. People have been asking us for many, many months now "what is your plan when you get to Sopron, how will you attract attention to yourselves and let others know you are in town?" Well, we prayed about that and thought, "Hmmm, what is our plan? Because we don't have a plan, per say." The vision the Lord gave us is that we are to pray, pray and then pray some more; to saturate the city with prayer. Honestly, we have not gone out "looking" for people. They are literally coming to us. The Lord has done all the work. I have a list of all the people that we have met so far (there are over 20). These are all people that we now have regular contact with and all of them are interested in us as friends and want to get to know us better. Most of them are very interested and curious about what we are doing here, what we are about. They ask questions about Calvary Chapel (Golgota), how does it compare to the Roman Catholic church (which is the main church in Hungary) and ask very detailed questions that have usually led to sharing with them the whole Gospel!
Now, if that doesn't excite you, I don't know what will.

The boys are such an attraction to the people here. The Hungarians love children and they have been the reason for many conversations that have been started. One example is a lady I (Kim) met in the park. She saw Kale riding his mini skateboard and thought he was very cute and stopped to talk to me. She was there with her newborn grandson. We talked for about 15 minutes, then she invited me to see another park that was nearby. The end of the story is, the boys and I went with her, she invited us to her house for a drink of water and then to come back the next day. All four of us went the next day and spent a couple hours with her and had a great visit. She told us all about her family and her life and she asked us lots of questions. She really seemed to enjoy playing with the boys and having them around. She fixed us a very yummy dessert of fried apples and peaches. And we had to eat them all!!! They don’t take no for an answer!!! She’s a divorced woman living with her son, daughter in law and grandbaby. We have an invitation to go back again this week, which we will do. The amazing thing is all of the conversation we had with her was in Hungarian. She doesn’t speak a word of English. The Holy Spirit is truly coming upon us during these times and helping us to understand and to be able to converse back. It’s been amazing!!!
This story I just told you has been repeated many, many times here with different people.

Another example is regarding people from the Baptist church in town. We had a friend visit us a couple weeks ago. She used to go to that church while she was attending college here in Sopron and knows quite a few people there. She took to a Sunday service. They had heard that we were in town and were very anxious to meet us. After the service we were surrounded by people all at once wanting to meet us, get our phone number, and there were invitations for dinner at their house and a couple women asked me (Kim) to meet them for coffee just to talk. One gal has an exercise class that I was invited to attend in September and I plan to be there. We spent one evening with the Assistant Pastor and his family. They have 3 children close in age to Kai and Kale. We had a great visit. They are very happy we are here and want us to work together when it is appropriate. The wife speaks no English, the husband is fluent. Justina (his wife) and I spent 2 hours in the back yard talking all in Hungarian and again the Holy Spirit was my helper. I was able to talk and understand almost everything she said (of course with my new best friend, which is the Hungarian dictionary) and the exciting thing is we talked about some deeper things, not just the weather.
It was so exciting! Then last week this same lady invited us to go to a nearby town for a kids day at the park. There were several moms and their kids there. It was a lot of fun and quite an adventure!!! These ladies are all Christians and love the Lord but a lot of them are suffering from depression and don’t know how to have real victory over the everyday cares of life. They don’t pray about the little things or even a lot of the big things. They are very interested in being friends with us and we feel the same way about them.
I am praying the Lord will use us to minister to them. It’s been so interesting though because we are not going after them, they are calling and pursuing us. During the kids day I met some new friends with plans to get together again soon.
The other exciting thing about this group of women is that a couple of them are starting to homeschool their kids. This is a VERY new thing in Hungary. Up until now it was against the law to do this. They are being helped by a Christian school that is in a nearby town. They are very scared and unsure of themselves and need lots of encouragement. Thet are very interested in how I am doing things (since I will be homeschooling Kai in the fall). So, it seems the Lord has brought us together and I am very excited about being friends with these women and ministering and encouraging them in the Lord anyway that I can.
We are very excited about all of these opportunities and are especially excited about how the Lord brings someone new into our lives almost everyday. People have been calling, asking us to meet with them to help them with their English. They have been referred to us by other people we know. Others have called the Bible college in Vajta looking for us because they heard there was a Calvary Chapel here in town. Others that we have met at the Wednesday night English club are coming to the Friday night Bible study. This past Friday night a young Hungarian man, Zoli, came to our house early to talk to Tony and stayed for the study. He had a TON of questions and Tony was able to share the Gospel with him and more. It was so exciting.

Here is a little update on Kai and Kale. Kai is doing great in tennis lessons. He loves it and it is enabling him to learn the language (which was the plan). He has made some new friends and that makes him very happy, although he does miss his old ones. His latest hobby is drawing and making up his own comic books. He is such a joy and a big help to Tony and I.
Kale turned 4 July 10th. Wow!! How time is flying fast!! He is growing up and talks more grown up also. He’s a sweetie and getting to be more and more of a dare devil all the time! He scares me sometimes. He is getting better on his skateboard, and is using his helmet for any of you who wonder. He has also made new friends and loves it here. He will be starting preschool (Ovoda) in September and is looking forward to that, In fact, he asks me everyday if it’s time yet.

God bless you, Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Praise reports:
-The boys have met some new friends their own age, they are very happy about that.
-All the new ministry opportunities and new people met.

Prayer requests:
-For all the people we have met so far, (there are way too many to list them by name) that their hearts would be softened to the Gospel and that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in sharing with them what they need exactly.
-For Zoli, the young man I mentioned above. He is truly searching for the Truth.
-For a group of American Mormon missionaries, they are 4 young men. We got to talk to them on the street for 15 minutes one night. Our hearts go out to them. They are giving up so much of their lives but are lost to the Truth. We pray we will see them again and be able to share with them.
-For Kim as she meets with individual young Hungarian women who are interested in practicing their English. She will be meeting with one gal, Esther, on Wednesday afternoon. There is another woman she will be meeting with soon for the same purpose. Pray that Kim will be able to share as the Spirit leads according to their spiritual needs. Pray these meetings will develop into long term friendships.
-Pray for both Tony and Kim to use their time wisely, especially as more and more people want to meet with them. Pray that the Lord would make clear to us what relationships to pursue. Kim will be starting to homeschool Kai in September and scheduling her daily activities will be a big challenge for her. But they both want to be available to others in whatever way the Lord leads.
-Pray for wisdom as the decision will be made soon as to whether or not Kai should have surgery later in September. (Adenoids and possible tonsillectomy.) Right now we are thinking to put it on hold for a long while. His hearing is much better.
-Pray for Kim as she is going to the orphanage in town (finally!!!!) with a lady who offered to take her, which is a miracle in and of itself. This had been a closed door, up to now, plus it will be an opportunity to spend some time with this Hungarian woman.
-Pray for Kale as he will be starting preschool in September, three mornings a week. For protection, quick learning of the language, and for personal safety and health.
-Please pray for guidance and wisdom as Tony and Kim begin the process of adoption.
-Please pray for transportation for us. We love walking and the exercise, but our schedule is getting busy enough that we need to get into the center of town more than once in a day. That’s a 20-30 minute walk one way. So, not only for time usage, but for our “soles”...... get it?
-We need more workers........Matthew 9:37! Pray that the Lord would impress on hearts those who He wants here.
-Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. All of you are part of our team here in Sopron. We are not doing this on our own. Each one of you is a needed part of this team and we appreciate you so much. Your prayers and support are so felt and so very needed. “Thank you” just doesn’t express it like it should.

July Update and Prayer Requests

2007-07-03T02:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family,
Well, it has been right at 3 weeks that we have been in Sopron now and so much has happened already. Let me start with saying the house is wonderful and we are just about all unpacked and are beginning to feel settled. The neighborhood is great; there are plenty of places to eat close by, ice cream and a Langos cafe included. If you do not know what a Langos is, I will explain. It is a flat bread deep fried and then smothered in garlic oil and it is our new favorite treat. The boys beg us to take them there.
The Lord is so faithful and just everyday gives us more and more of His grace and goodness and blesses us with the outpouring of His spirit. We have quickly gotten into a routine. Three times a week Tony, Lily and I (Kim) meet for prayer at 2pm while Kale is napping. We already have a long list of people from Sopron that we are praying for; people the Lord has brought us to. Every day of the week Tony, Kai and I have Hungarian language lessons with Lily for 2 hours, again, in the afternoon while Kale is napping. On Friday nights Tony leads Lily and I in worship and a Bible study. Tony is teaching on the book of Romans and it has been really good. On Sunday mornings we are doing a "kids church" for the boys.
Some mornings are spent walking to town to do shopping of different sorts. You can't go to WalMart or Target and get everything you need in "one stop shopping". We are still spending lots of time exploring the city and finding out what kinds of things are here. There have been quite a few mornings and days spent taking care of business or errands of different kinds. One day we took a train ride to a city called Gyor (an hour away) to register and let the government know we are residing in Sopron. We have also been able to take the boys to the nearby park or to the city swimming pool that is up the block. A lot of evenings after dinner we go for walks in our neighborhood. Our surrounding area is beautiful. It looks as if this whole community were dropped in the middle of a pine forest. We have a large hill/small mountain close by that is covered in pine trees. I’m sure that it will be beautiful when it snows!!
We are still in the process of meeting our neighbors and today plan to take apple muffins to the ones we haven't met yet to introduce ourselves. (thank-you Lori Fields for the great idea about the muffins). The house we live in is a split level duplex and we have spent quite a bit of time with the man who lives there, Laszlo is his name. He has a wife and an older son that lives with him. His wife is a pretty unhappy person who seems bitter or angry. They were supposed to come over for dinner a couple of Sundays ago and that morning we were having children’s church. Tony was playing his acoustic guitar at 10:30 in the morning and she came over to complain and informed us we were not at a concert. That night Laszlo came as planned without his wife stating she was not able to come. He is quite a nice, friendly man that loves to talk about anything, and is very engaging. He also seems unhappy and somewhat lonely. It is amazing the bond that has already formed between us. The most exciting thing that has happened since we've been here has to do with him. Just this past Friday night we were having our Bible study and at 9:30pm he knocks on our door to tell us we left a light on in the adjoining basement. (and let me add his family was out of town for the weekend) So, after he left Lily looked at us and said we should invite him to stay for the study. We all looked at each other thinking there is no way he would say yes, but decided we should ask. Lily and Tony went to his door to ask him and he enthusiastically said yes, he would like to join us. We were pinching ourselves with excitement and disbelief that he was actually going to join us for the study. Here we have only been in Sopron less than 3 weeks and already we have our first person attending our Bible study!!!!! As it ended up he sat in our living room listening, discussing and asking LOTS of questions regarding Romans ch. 2. During that time the gospel was presented to him, the salvation plan was presented to him and we were able to tell him about Heaven and Hell. We invited him back for the next weeks' study and he said he would like to come.
God has been so faithful to meet our needs in every way. One way specifically came last week when Kale got bit on the cheek by a mysterious insect. The whole side of his face and eye became very swollen and he needed to see a Dr. I called the American man, Kimo, that we met back in March (who by the way has been extremely helpful and kind to us. He invited us to a swimming exhibition that we went to last week and also referred us to a young Hungarian friend of his who is in need of practicing English. Are you seeing how much the Lord is orchestrating our paths to meeting people and having those divine appointments? And this is just the tip of the iceberg, I would end up writing a small book to include all the details) So, anyway, back to the need for a doctor. Kimo spent at least an hour out of an evening calling some of his friends to find a English speaking doctor for us. I was able to go the next morning, after the friend of Kimo's who doesn't even know me, called this doctor to let him know ahead of time that I would be calling. Kale saw him the next morning and the doctor was very pleasant and knowledgeable, He prescribed the needed meds and Kale was better the next day.
Now, on to what has been happening with Kai. We wanted him to take tennis lessons for the exercise but also would be a great way for him to learn the language and for all of us to meet more people (the tennis courts are a block away!!). We tried for a week to get in touch of one particular teacher to no avail. Finally, we thought we would leave it in God's hands and pray about it. Novel idea, huh?!!!!! So, we did and a few days later our contact calls us back to say the original woman we wanted was not available but he was able to find a gal named Nora who could do it and gave us her phone number. We were a bit disappointed that the person we thought would be best wasn't available but went ahead with it. Kai had his first lesson yesterday and we could NOT be happier with her. She is young, very patient and we learned yesterday that she especially likes working with children. It would not have been that way if we had gotten the other lady. So, once again we see that even in the small things to let God have control.
Literally, this is just a bit of what has happened in the last 3 weeks. Then there is Szuzsi at the pastry shop who will be coming for dinner next week, and the couple that run the used clothing store a block from us. We are blessed and excited to see what happens with these and other people we meet.

Thank you to all of you again for your prayer and support of this ministry. As we all know this is just the beginning and there is much more ahead to do and look forward to.
Tony, Kim, Kai and Kale

Prayer Requests:

Pray for all the people that we mentioned, Laszlo, Edit, Szalbolc, Zsuzsi, Nora, the couple at the clothing store, Kimo and family, and Frank at the sporting goods store.
Language, we need the language……it is coming along!
For a vehicle; we walk most places, but have to use taxis for major shopping and a train for distance.
Pray for continued growth thru prayer and God’s word; wisdom and knowledge for Tony as he teaches.
That the boys would feel at home here, make friends and be a part of this ministry. For their schooling.
God’s guidance and leading for each step we take……what to be involved in.
That we can truly get to know the people here and show them God’s love…it’s already happening!
For Lily as she continues to seek the Lord regarding her life.
For our family, health and protection for our marriage.

.........to Sopron

2007-06-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hi to Family and Friends,

Please note that this will be our last note to you until we are able to establish an internet account in Sopron. Our final opportunity to check email will be 12 midnight tonight, your time.

Our time at the Bible college has come to an end. Kai and Kale finished school, we are packed and ready to go!! In some ways it feels like a long time that we have been here and in other ways just a blink of an eye. It will be hard to say good-bye to so many close friends (when you share a kitchen, laundry room, telephone and live in such close proximity to about 30 people you get pretty close.
Tomorrow is the big day and we are so excited! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. The house in Sopron does not have any furniture, washer or fridge. But we have been very blessed with your gifts and we were able to go to IKEA yesterday and purchase what we needed. Since there is no such thing as garage sales here and used furniture is just about as expensive as new, IKEA was the most cost efficient way to go. It was a marathon of a day yesterday. The boys stayed behind with Lily while Tony and I first drove some fellow missionary friends (headed to Ethiopia) to the airport in Vienna, then headed back to Budapest (a 2 hour drive) to IKEA, arrived at 6:30, the store closed at 10:00. Let’s just say that there was a lot to do in 3 hours. It was a close one!! Needless to say Tony was a mess, me too! We were worn out and tired but it was a good tired. Then we got home about 1 am. Good, good day!!!
The plan for tomorrow is to leave at 9am and will hopefully arrive by 1pm, get lunch, then unpack the van and trailer (which have been rented or borrowed.) We have a staff member driving us to Sopron who will return the vehicle for us. So, while he is with us with the van we will immediately go to the grocery store and stock up and also buy the fridge and washer which will hopefully be delivered.
We are so excited about the work the Lord has planned for Sopron and we are privileged to be a small part of it. As we drive there tomorrow and start unpacking boxes and getting settled into the community and start living there, we honestly feel that a piece of each one of you goes right along with us. It CANNOT be stressed enough what a vital part each one of you play in this ministry with your prayers and support. We feel so blessed to have such a great team of people at home backing us up, rooting, cheering and praying for us. We have met and gotten to know lots of missionaries here at the college and it's safe to say we are very blessed. We’re not just talking finances, we’re talking about people who are truly interested in the spreading of gospel being behind you…………the workers, and senders, are few!
So, this will be the last email for awhile. Internet hook up is possible and we apply for it as soon as possible but we don't know how long it will take to get connected. You will hear from us as soon as we on.
Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Here are some specific prayer requests.

-Safe trip to Sopron Monday
-Unpacking and setting up the house will go as smooth as possible
-For the boys (and Tony and I too), saying good by tomorrow will be hard
-For divine appointments in meeting people and getting to know neighbors and people in the town. For the boys to meet children their own age.
-That our family will grow together as we are serving the Lord together
-For the boys to have a passion and burden for the lost in Sopron, we feel this is their ministry too. They are not just being dragged along but are fulfilling God's purpose in their lives as well.

House hunting in Sopron, Hungary

2007-05-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow!!!!!!!!!!! What a weekend we had!!! So much happened and the Lord blessed us so much, it’s overwhelming to think about. Thank you all so much for praying for us, we could feel the prayers and it was an amazing and exciting weekend!!!!!
We left Friday am with our dear Hungarian friend and team mate Lili. We were all a little apprehensive about this trip considering what we have been through the last 2 times in trying to go. (Even the boys were nervous.) But we made it there without incident at all, and can you believe it? We were all healthy!!! After lunch we started right away on our hunt for a place to live. We had no expectations at all, just wanted to find a place with walls and a bathroom to live in and then if need be we could look for something different after getting there. (We just didn’t want to make another trip back, it’s a 3 ½ hour drive one way and expensive to rent a van and get a hotel etc.) So, we had heard about a real estate agency in town and went directly there. She (Aniko) was very nice but didn’t have any listings that would work for us. But she did have some magazines with rentals in them that she gave us. Tony and Lili sat in the car for an hour making phone calls. Finally after about an hour the first contact that was made was for a house and we were told we could see it the next day at 2. We drove by to take a look at the outside and could NOT believe what we saw. From what we could see on the outside we loved it!!! The whole neighborhood and surrounding area was built in the middle of a forest. There were large overgrown pine trees and other types of trees everywhere. It was a beautiful setting. Lots of parks close, bike trails in the middle of the forest with benches to sit on. And one block away is the city pool which the boys love. All of it seemed too good to be true. We could not wait until the next day. In the meantime we set up other contacts in case this didn’t work out. Let me stop right here and say that the week before we left the scripture from 1 Cor. 2:9 kept coming to my mind, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can imagine what the Lord has planned for those who love the Lord.” But, I almost felt numb going into this and Tony and I both did not have any expectations. So, the next day we go to see the house, talked to the landlord, before we knew it the deal was done. We loved it as the inside was just as good as the outside. It was like a dream and we kept asking each other “is this really happening?” It’s a 2 story duplex which has 3 bedrooms, with a very large living room, roomy kitchen with attached area for dining, downstairs bath with shower, upstairs full bath (with a tub!! Hooray, we haven’t had a bath tub since we got to the college). There are large windows everywhere (Kai and I, Kim, love large windows, he has been praying for a bedroom with a large window and his room has 2 of them.) It has a large back and front yard all fenced in and completely safe and secure for the boys. The back has a large patio area perfect for summer BBQ’s. We were just in awe and amazed at how wonderful it was and at how good God is to give us above and beyond what we could have imagined. And it all just seemed to happen so easily, no fuss, no hassles.
God is so good!! It doesn’t have a stick of furniture or any large appliances, so we will be busy working out those details in the next few weeks. As a side note we were able to take the boys to the indoor pool down the street and check things out there and the boys and I swam for over an hour. A definite treat for the boys and needless to say the highlight of the day for them!!!!
Now, for the next amazing part!!!! Tony and I have felt very strongly that what the Lord wants us to do when we get there is concentrate on meeting people, making friends and building relationships. The “church” will grow out of this. So, after the swimming we went out to find a place to eat and while driving saw the real estate agent that had helped us the day before. We were able to stop and thank her for her help and tell her we found a place to live. Then we turn around and see our landlord walking by. We say hi to him and Tony and he talked briefly. We were amazed that in such a large city we saw the only 2 people we know and it was a confirmation to us that the Lord was bringing people into our paths. Now, this next thing was unbelievable. When we were in Sopron back at the beginning of March we met an American man named Kendall who has lived in Sopron for 17 years. We met on the street, he was very friendly and we had wished we had gotten his contact number but didn’t. So, we have been praying fervently that we would run into him again. All day on Friday and Saturday we were looking around as we were driving hoping to see him again. After seeing the real estate agent and the landlord in the city we joked and laughed that it would be the topping on the cake if we could just meet up with Kendall. That night after dinner we all had a craving for McDonald’s ice cream. While sitting there eating our ice cream Tony looks up and says “hey Kendall”. I thought he was joking but sure enough Kendall was standing in front us!!!!! I don’t know how Tony recognized him either because he had a bicycle helmet on and the long bushy beard and long hair he had when we saw him last time was all trimmed and neat now. I had chills and could not believe he was standing in front of us. We talked to him for about 20 minutes while his 2 boys (close in age to Kai and Kale) and our 2 boys played together on the playground. I think I might have startled him because the first thing out of my mouth was “Kendall, we have been praying for you ever since we met you!!” When he asked a surprised “why?” I told him we had been praying that we would meet up with him again. By the end of the conversation we had his phone number, email address, an invitation to his house for dinner and to meet his wife and daughter. And the boys already had 2 new future playmates. Now, how is that for God working and answering “above and beyond”?!!!! We were so blown away!!! The whole weekend was a series of confirmation after confirmation. On Sunday we had one more encounter with a lady who works at a local pastry shop. We stood and talked to her for over a half hour. She told us so much about her personal life and seemed to be lonely and a little unhappy. She was a very nice, warm and sincere person. We told her we would be moving soon and would be seeing a lot of her because we love the pastries she sells. She said she is looking forward to seeing us again. So, there you have it! One more person the Lord put in our path to build a relationship with.
And, just think, as exciting as all this is, each one of you out there because of your prayers and support for us are a part of this and have helped all this to come to pass. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers, it is so vital to a ministry and to what we are doing. We are so excited to be going to Sopron and could just feel that the city is “ready and ripe for the harvest”. It will more than likely be a slow process, but that’s okay, building relationships one person at a time and pointing them to Jesus with our lives is what it’s all about. And that’s what we are going to do.
So, when you pray please pray for the people of the city, that the Lord would direct our paths to the ones he wants us to meet. Pray for Kendall and his family, Aniko (the real estate agent), Zsuzsi (the pastry lady) and Gabor (our landlord). By the way, our landlord’s brother lives in the other half of the duplex with his family. He told us that the teenage son is just starting to get involved in the mormons. We have a mission field next door.

We have 3 different churches here that have already offered to come and help us with the ministry in Sopron. Two Calvary Chapels in nearby towns in Hungary and the Calvary Chapel in Vienna wants to bring a group over.
This is very encouraging. We are looking forward to teams beginning to come within the next year and we especially anticipate the team coming from our home church, North Valley Calvary Chapel.

So, Kai finishes school here on Friday, June 8th and we plan to make the move on the following Monday.

Prayer Requests:

Pray the Lord would open the doors to have more opportunities to meet with these people and just love on them as we look for opportunities to share the Lord with them.
Continued prayer for the city and its people.
That we would continue to seek the Lord and His will for this ministry. His ministry.
That the move from here to there will go smoothly. Many of you that have made moves know that there is a lot to do and some of it is played by ear.
For the provisions to purchase basic things needed for the house. Beds, fridge, washer, etc. We have some money set aside for this but not sure how far it will go.
Vehicle
Pray for Kai as he will have is adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears on June 4th.
Pray for all of us as we say goodbye to many friends, new and old as we leave the college.

Pics: Sopron, us in front of the house, first prayer meeting in Sopron, Lili, our house, Kim and Lili, Kai and Kale at park and swimming

2007-05-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Wien, Österreich: 10 Day Outreach

As we prepared individually for this trip we were also praying together as a team for the people of Vienna. We wanted to go with our hearts prepared to reach out to the city and to serve and encourage the body and leadership of Calvary Chapel Vienna. I also reminded the team, along with myself, to be prepared for the Lord to want to make changes in us and to allow it to happen. In hearing from our team during our times of sharing I am confident that there was growth.
On the train trip there we were all talking about and anticipating the events to come. Some were confiding that they had never shared the Gospel with people on the streets and were nervous about it. One of the guys shared that even as much as he had done street witnessing that he still feared sharing with people. But, that he used that fear to remind himself to depend on the Lord for his strength and courage. Another encouragement provided by God happened as soon as we got off of the subway there. A guy approached Kim with a survey that he was conducting and asked if she lived in Vienna. When she told him no he asked what she was doing there. She immediately was given an opportunity to share the Gospel with him and by the time the rest of the team got up to where she was Kim and this guy were talking about who Jesus was. The team immediately went into prayer mode. When it was over they rushed Kim and asked her how that happened so fast. They were in awe. Kim was able to tell them that she was about as shocked as they were and that God had just created the opportunity. At our first devotion time, the next morning, Kim shared about how this had set her heart to focus on others during the week and not her own life situations. To be prepared to share the Good News with people at all times.

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2

No doubt that God had provided this as an example to us all and it really set a fire under the team. It’s needless to say that all had opportunities to share; which was good for the sharer as well as the one being shared with.
One of the things that has stuck out in my heart and mind since the trip is the excitement of how much I want to affect others for Christ with my life daily, so that they can then affect (disciple) others. I whole-heartedly believe in this. I don’t think that “Outreach” is only a planned event, such as when teams come. Outreach or reaching out should be part of who we are as followers of Jesus; a natural outpouring of His love for others through our lives. It should be a daily happening.
I also saw how important unity is within a group, team or church body. With everyone having one goal, one heart or one mind towards seeing souls not only saved from hell, but having a fruitful life here on earth, pointing people to Jesus so they can live the life that was planned out for them before their birth. To share that future and hope with those that God puts them in contact with. (Jeremiah 29:11) That’s for all of us to remember.
During this outreach the Lord did AGAIN confirmed the calling He has placed on my life along with continuing to develop the gifts He has given me and is giving me. Does that make sense? I guess they all would be gifts that He has given me. Maybe there are those that are newer in my life that I am shaky about. Such as leadership, responsibility for others the Lord has entrusted to me. Like the guy on our team that though he had had many opportunities to share the Gospel was still fearful and needed to rely on God every time for wisdom and strength. This type of fear is not a bad thing. In fact, let’s not call it fear, but wisdom. The knowledge that we need to look to God for the strength that enables us in all the gifts He has given us. How important is this in ministry? This is not a question but a statement.

Guys, I am so stoked to see what the Lord has in store for us. He has been so faithful in my life and yet I need to learn to trust Him more. I stated this many times lately, but again I must say what a privilege to be a vessel used by God!

Lord, I believe but help me in my unbelief! Help me to remember that my strength comes from You.
Lead and guide me in all that You have directed me to do.

2007-05-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Just a short note to let you know that Kim is preparing an update for you all and you should have it Monday. We realize how important it is to keep you all posted in what is happening here so you can know how to pray.
This update will include the latest about our move to Sopron....happening in 4 weeks and also a report about our leading the 10 day outreach to Vienna, Austria.
Thanks again to all of you for your love, prayers and support.

Tony, Kim and boys