Along the Road With Larry & Dede

A Feast of Love

2009-01-02T13:23:00.004+01:00

After 10 years of living in Hungary - off and on - I am still amazed and humbled by the hospitality and generosity of spirit of Hungarians. Last night was no exception. We had spent the morning packing and cleaning the house where we had been house-sitting for the previous 2 weeks and my heart was in a little bit of a "frump". An elderly couple who had befriended us 7 years ago when we lived in an apartment above their home, had offered to move us and our things to the home we would be staying at for the next week until we leave for the States. During the course of the move they invited us to their home for a visit.

From the moment we arrived in their home they could not do enough for us. It was, "Here, sit in this chair as it's more comfortable for your legs." "Would you like something to drink?" "You must be hungry, what would you like to eat...." - at which point an array of food items were being hauled out of the refrigerator in the kitchen and from a room in the back of the house. The simple little countertop where they eat their meals soon became the scene of a great feast. Festive napkins were folded into fun shapes, good china and glasses were set out for us and every food item in the house seemed to be set in front of us. I drank in the cozy scene...the magical little Christmas tree...the warmth of the tiny apartment...the peace and joy etched on their faces...I was totally 'in the moment', not wishing to be any other place or thinking of all the details needing to be taken care of....time was suspended.

As we ate they hovered over us asking what else they could bring. We tried many times to say we had plenty and that everything was wonderful, but out came more food and desserts! As we went to leave, our hostess went to their little Christmas tree where they had laid out their opened Christmas gifts on display and began picking out several of their own gifts to give to us. No amount of saying "it's not really necessary" would have done one bit of good. They had known we weren't able to have a Christmas tree this year and one of the opened gifts under their tree was a white towel with a beautiful embroidered Christmas tree on it....this was one of the gifts our hostess chose for me. With tears in my eyes I humbly accepted this precious act of love.

When we walked out the door, our hands were carrying 3 full gift bags of things from their home. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, lit up by street lights that turned the ground into little twinkling diamonds. Overwhelmed by the love lavished on us, my heart was definitely no longer in a frump. It was full. I was reminded through this sweet little couple that God was once again lavishing His love for us through their hands. Through their hearts. God sat us down and spread a feast of love before us. I could think of no better way to start this brand new year than with the knowledge that our Father is continually watching over us....looking for ways to show His love again and again to two of the least of His children.

Information

2008-12-23T17:39:00.002+01:00

As we close out this incredible year of 2008, we are amazed at how the Lord continues to move our feet in ministry to His people. The Jews have suffered and have been persecuted for way too many years on the continent of Europe and around the world. God is calling those who are willing to stand up for them and with them. We are so humbled that God has placed this calling on our hearts. We thank you for being such an important part of this whole journey! We know many of you are facing increasing pressures with the economy in the state it is in and for what is coming in 2009. Yet, despite these pressures, we all need to keep moving forward and allow God to use each of us in His world. We would like to ask you to consider being a part of the work here by a tax-deductible gift through Shepherd's Staff....to walk with us in faith through this. We are needing to return to the States for a brief time in order to share about the ministry here and raise some much needed funds so we can get back here to continue on in what God has called us to accomplish. Right now, our biggest need is for airline tickets and living expenses.

Here's the info for sending checks (please make sure to put our acct# 1112 on your check):
Payable to:
Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators
PO Box 53640
Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640

If you'd like to visit Shepherd's Staff's website, the address is: shepsstaff.org

Thank you!!

Hanukkah Celebration

2008-12-23T17:18:00.004+01:00

On Sunday night we were invited to attend a Hanukkah lighting ceremony, which was held outdoors in Heroe's Square in Budapest. It was a very moving sight to behold. It was absolutely freezing outside, but there was not a cloud in the sky and the air was crystal clear. When we arrived, there was already a fairly large crowd gathered and they were lighting torches. The entire area was surrounded by police and security. We made our way through the security and Larry went to grab us a few torches while we waited for our friend, Andi. We immediately saw several groups of the opposition which sent chills down my spine. There was a group not far from where Larry and I were standing - the police was between us and them. We lit our torches and then a rabbi climbed up the steps of the museum where we were all gathered and began giving the blessing in Hebrew. Then he spoke in Hungarian. That was followed by the "Hava Nagila" - which means "let us rejoice"! It was very moving to see the torches all lit up against the dark sky, while throngs of police and security placed a shield all around the group.

The was no violence! We know it could have turned out differently - it was expected to be so - so we are thankful for the shield of the Holy Spirit last night. It was sad to see the hatred of the opposition groups represented. It's heartbreaking to realize that after centuries and centuries of bloodshed and hatred of the Jews - God's chosen people - that it still continues today and is only going to increase as the days go by. We know it is a spiritual battle of course, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.

The Miller Nomads

2008-12-12T18:39:00.002+01:00

So.....we were greatly enjoying our temporary apartment for the month of December (the one we wrote about in our last post), when we began to notice with each new day that we weren't feeling the best. We both began to get quite sick and it was then we noticed some mold growing on the wall of the bedroom down near the baseboards. We had noticed when we first moved in to the apartment that there were some old water stains on the walls near the floor, but really didn't think anything of it. The building is a newer building and we thought perhaps there had been some pipes that hadn't been installed properly and had burst or something! We found out from our friend that actually the builder hadn't properly sealed the building with insulation and therefore, whenever it rains heavily the bottom apartments sort of "soak up" the water. It had snowed the week we moved in and then rained heavily and warmed up....perfect mold-growing conditions.

We continued to feel worse and worse until one morning I had difficulty breathing and we just knew we needed to find another place to stay. We were able to find a room in a guesthouse/hotel in downtown Budapest for a reasonable rate. But, we only had enough money for a few days. Didn't know what we were going to do after that!

Larry continued to get worse and finally ended up going to a hospital. Our friend with the moldy apartment had a friend who is a nurse, and this nurse arranged for Larry to see one of the head physicians in the hospital where she works. Even though it was her day off, this nurse friend told Larry to meet her at the hospital. Through the course of the appointment, this nurse friend found out we were needing a place to stay and told Larry right then and there that we were coming home with her and her husband to stay in their home. This nurse friend is all of 4 feet tall and is a Jewish believer with a huge heart for Jesus....and when she speaks....you listen! :)

So, off we went to their home. I noticed right away that they have convector gas heating and knew in my heart it was going to be a problem for me because of the fumes these heaters release. But, Larry and I were both not feeling well and had nowhere to go and it was such a blessing for us to be invited by this sweet couple. I thought I would give it a try. Four days later we had to leave. I was becoming very ill. Nausea, migraine headaches, pain in my liver. So, we packed our bags again and have been back here at the guesthouse/hotel for the past 2 days.

We have had enough money to purchase 3 nights here and in the meantime have been praying and seeking the Lord and trying to maintain a good sense of humor! :) God has been so faithful to us during all this time...in all our moves....there have been some incredible times of Him revealing His plan to us and doors that are opening because of these moves. So, we praise Him!

So...that brings us to today. When we woke up this morning we had no idea where we were going to go on Sunday when we need to leave here. But, God is a God who answers prayers and is so faithful! As of this afternoon, we now have a place to stay for the next few weeks during the holidays! We will be house-sitting for a teacher I worked with at the International Christian School outside of Budapest. ....the same town we lived in this summer while house-sitting for the Director. And...NO convector heating!

I've been reading and studying about the life of Abraham and have been immensely blessed as I have read once again about His faith. And, I really have more appreciation for that nomadic life they had to lead! So, off we go again.............

Where's the Heat?

2008-11-28T15:52:00.003+01:00

So, yesterday was our first full day in our "new" dwelling for the month. We were enjoying being truly alone for the first time in a month and a half. We were humming along, enjoying the day when Larry - the - tool - man - Miller, being the ever helpful kind of guy that he is, notices that the heated towel rack in Andi's bathroom is not functioning properly. He sets to work releasing the air in the system and feeling proud that this is something he can help with....because, well, we had a system similar to this when we lived in Hungary in the 90's. A little while later, I notice it's beginning to get a little nippy in the apartment. Larry quietly leaves the living room and pretty soon I hear, "uh, something may have happened when I released the air out of the radiator system. It appears to have shut the entire system down."

OH?? my heart says. But, it'll be easily fixed, I assure myself. Tinkering continues in the bathroom. Time goes by and a dejected Larry comes out and announces he doesn't see how to fix it. He feels just terrible, of course. Meanwhile, the afternoon has disappeared and darkness is setting in (it gets dark here around 4:00 now). And, along with that...cold is more than settling in over the apartment. We cannot reach Andi until much later and she goes to work trying to find someone to come to the apartment. We later receive a message from her that there may not be anything we can do about it until the next day. What??? my heart says, a little louder. Uh, Lord....you do know there is snow on the ground outside and it's COLD, don't you?? The humming in our hearts has stopped by now and we are beginning to pile on clothing and blankets.

The night wears on and it becomes obvious that we are facing a night without heat. Poor Larry, he felt SO badly. But, he was just trying to help...could have happened to anyone.

Because Jesus cares about even the smallest details of our lives..................about 9:00, Andi arrives to the apartment and through a series of phone calls someone walks Larry and her through the process of getting the system going again. And voila! 10 minutes later, heat again!! Thank you, Jesus!

Not a chance encounter

2008-11-17T20:33:00.003+01:00

One of the things we like to do when we are out and about in the city is to keep our eyes open for people who look like they are in need and then see if there's anything we can do to help them. One day a few weeks ago, Larry made the long trek across the city to buy a special bread that I can eat and afterward he decided to go to the nearest Burger King for a cup of coffee...because coffee is very cheap there. He walked in the door and couldn't decide where to sit down and then finally chose a spot near and facing the door. He sat down and not long afterward a young man came in the door. Long, dark black hair. He was dressed nicely, but Larry noticed he had a backpack that was very worn and held together on top with a bobby pin. He said the young man took out a discount Burger King menu and then looked into his wallet. Larry said he didn't see any money in there. He said at that moment he knew he was supposed to go over and give the guy 1000 forint, which is equivalent to about 5 dollars. The guy took it, but said to Larry, "what is this??" Larry joked with him in Hungarian and said something like, "you know, it's Hungarian money.." At that point, Larry went back and sat down. Larry saw the guy coming over to him and the guy said, " Wait, wait just a minute....I have to know.....where did this money come from??? When things like this happen I have to know why." He sat down and waited for Larry to answer. Larry said he hesitated for a moment and then said, "well, it came from God".

At that point, they began talking. The guy told Larry he is a believer. He shook his head and looked intently at the money. He then said to Larry: "You just saved my life. I'm going to keep this as a reminder." Larry told him to remember that our God is a living God and went on to share with him some more. Larry said at that moment he felt that he needed to ask the guy something. He said, "I had to ask him what he thought about the Jewish people". When Larry asked this of him the young man became quiet and serious and then said, "My grandfather fled from Hungary in 1956 during the revolution. He was a Jew. I am a Jew." Yet another Jewish connection!

They spoke for a few minutes more and Larry gave the young man our cell phone number, along with instructions to call us if he ever needs anything at all. Larry has been in touch with him several times over the past few weeks. We know that the comment he made about Larry "saving his life" had nothing to do with money. This was not a 'chance encounter'...but a God-ordained encounter....on an ordinary day....in a Burger King half way around the world. If you think of this young man, say a prayer for him......and, keep your eyes open as you go through your days for people God would have you bless and encourage!

Just us

2008-11-15T15:50:00.000+01:00

Me, hanging out at Lajos'

Sunset on the house of refuge land

A happy Larry

Gratefulness

2008-11-03T13:59:00.002+01:00

OK....I know.....I took a blog vacation for a few months, but I'm back! So, let's just start all over. As I was enjoying the beautiful Fall sunshine today, I was thinking of the ways God takes care of me and watches over me. Little things like.....not too long ago we were on our way back from the Monday evening home fellowship group we attend. It's physically draining for me. We walk from Lajos' apartment for 10 minutes to the bus stop. Wait for the next bus to come along. Ride on a bumpy, often crowded bus for 20-25 minutes to the metro station. Walk to the metro and ride that for 2 stops. Get off the metro and walk another 6-10 minutes to the apartment where home fellowship meeting is held. We are there for 3 hours and then we repeat the whole transportation process all over again. On this particular night, Lajos was with us. When we finally got to the bus station that would take us the 25 minute ride back to his apartment, it was late and I was extremely tired. The first bus was very crowded, which meant we would have had to stand up the entire way. So, we waited for the next bus......us and about 25 other people. As the time came for the bus to arrive, you could just see people jockeying for position to be the first ones on the bus to get a seat. Lajos, ever watching over Larry and me, saw the bus coming and realized we were waiting in the wrong stop. He proceeds to start running toward the bus as fast as his little short legs would carry him....hat on his head, coat flying....all so that he could get on the bus as quickly as possible to try and save seats for us. When Larry and I finally got on the bus, there was our sweet little friend sitting in one seat, with his hand over the back of the one in front of him....just daring anyone to even try and sit there! We gratefully sat down and were so glad to see that Lajos had also secured a seat for himself.

Just a little act of kindness, but a reminder of God's care and provision, through the simple act of one of His servants....small in stature, but HUGE in heart.

Animal-sitting Missionaries

2008-07-07T13:39:00.009+02:00

Over the years, we've had numerous "occasions" to "animal-sit". Now, we love animals, so we usually agree to do so with great joy. However, this recent animal-sitting adventure is one that has brought to mind several things we have learned over the years that we would like to share with you.

1/ When the owners leave you 2 pages of notes about the care of their animals, and then say to you that "they really are no problems at all".....the translation of that is: You'd better memorize each and every point of those 2 pages....and don't, whatever you do, misplace those pages of notes....they are your lifeline!

2/ If owners say, "she (the dog) usually just goes to sleep on the couch".... translation is: This dog will NOT sleep on the couch at night....in fact, this dog will not be sleeping at all at night, but will instead be whining, howling and in general make you think she is in the process of dying, for most of the night...thus rendering you useless for anything the next day because you have spent the night caring for a psycho dog that has HUGE issues with separation anxiety.

3/ If the owners say, "she really doesn't bark at all, except if someone is trying to break into the house," (at which point you wonder how many times has the home been broken into???) ....the translation of that is: This dog will bark at every dog's bark in the neighborhood and beyond. Not only will she bark, but she will run to the door and jump up and down spastically (is that a word?) at the door until you let her out or face the possibility that she will ruin the door and you will have to pay for it.

4/ The Cat. If owners say, "she just comes and goes, just keep food in her dish"....translation is: She comes and goes all right.....ALL day long until you go to bed! She will stand at the door and meow wanting in and then when she has grazed on a few tidbits of food she will stand at the door once again and want back out. If you decide you have had enough of The Cat coming and going and try to ignore her, she will jump up on the table outside the window and stare you down, meowing all the time, until you give in. If, when she is eating, she looks at you and meows loudly, the translation is: "why is my dish only half full you imbecile....I must have a full dish of food at all times...get it right!"

5/ The Cat, part 2. When first arriving to "animal-sit", the cat plays the whole indifference game. "What? Who are you? Whatever, just make sure you feed me." After a week, the cat has decided that perhaps you are sort of OK and decides to try out their, "Aren't I cute Meow" and brushes once up against your leg to see what kind of response she will get. When she realizes that you will pick her up and love on her she begins to let you more and more into her world.....i.e. meowing constantly at you in the kitchen, telling you all about her mousing adventures at night and why she looks so scrappy in the mornings, and could I please have a little espresso with my Tender Vittles??

6/ You have officially won The Cat over when....you are sitting at the dinner table and have the front (screenless) door open for fresh air and The Cat saunters in and sits down not far from you. Something big and black has entered your vision from the corner of your eye and you look over at The Cat who is staring down at its love gift that she has brought in for you to oooh and ahhh over. A half dead bird that is still fluttering a little. Now, having grown up on a farm you have seen it all, animal-wise. Grew up as a tom-boy, following after your Dad. And, you have two older brothers.....need I say more?? However, when The Cat brings in this poor little half-dead bird, your response to The Cat is definitely less than favorable, and let's just say that in your tears over this little defenseless bird, your husband has to come downstairs to the rescue. The Cat is sitting there wondering what in the world could be so terrible and why she didn't get the ooohing and ahhhhing experience she had hoped for. The Cat ignores you for the rest of the day. The "winning over" has to begin anew the next day.

7/ If owners say, "The Dog gets a bone every 3-4 days", the translation is: You had better make sure that dog has a bone laying around on the floor somewhere at all times, or The Dog - who has a bone addiction - will begin shaking uncontrollably, run to and fro at a frantic pace, as you hurriedly run to the pantry and fly through all the packages hoping against all hope that there are still bones left or you might be ending up at a pet psychiatrist's office with said Dog.

8/ If owners tell you "The Dog is very smart, just a little devious", the translation is: The Dog knows exactly what she's doing at all times in how to get your attention and sometimes....sometimes....you swear that you can almost see a glint of a smile in those cute, devious eyes.

9/ If owners tell you, "The Dog likes to play a little ball," the translation is: The Dog will hound you every second of your day to play ball. During a moment of frustration over 'the hounding', you "mention" to your husband that it's all a little unclear how you ever thought the stinkin' dog was cute and "no problem"....and then you look around, hoping that there isn't an animal cam in the room somewhere, because you just said some unkind things about the owners precious little ball lovin' dog.

10/ Owners say, "The Dog has a wee bit of a weak bladder".....translation: The Dog needs a diaper and you are going to be spending a whole lot of times on your hands and knees with paper towels and Resolve spray, cleaning up after the spraying dog with the wee bit of a weak bladder!

But, alas....after all is said and done.....after looking daily at the calendar and wondering how many more days until animal-sitting freedom, The Dog comes over to you as you are lying on the couch feeling too sick to get up and bats her sweet little eyes at you, jumps up and snuggles up against you giving you a quick lick to the face....you sort of forget the psycho outbursts and enjoy the moments of cuddle.....while, The Cat, is out scouring the neighborhood trying to drum up a little action, hoping to win you over again by finding a little 'something' to give you that will hopefully get the oooh and ahhhh response The Cat is looking for. Yeah, don't hold your breath.

House-sitters Extraordinaire

2008-06-25T10:57:00.003+02:00

I've sort of been in a blog funk lately....I know! I've only written 3 blogs and I've already hit a funk. Actually, the truth is I haven't felt the best lately, so most of my energies have been spent in other areas.

We are beginning to think that our true calling in life is to be "house-sitters". :) Not complaining. It's a blessing to us at this point in time, and it's a huge blessing to the owners of the house. We've been at our summer house-sitting gig in the "country" for 2 weeks now and we love it! We love being outside of the city. We are in the small town of Diosd, which is sort of a suburb of Budapest. Having lived briefly in Diosd before, we are very familiar with all the stores and streets, etc. It's very peaceful....a place where we hear church bells several times a day....where we go to sleep at night to every dog in the neighborhood making themselves heard for the last time of the day....where people work in their yards in their speedos (not a pretty sight:)....where old men sit around on park benches and talk over the day's events....where the best place to be on a Saturday is the local cukrászda (bakery) eating an apple palacsinta - pancake -topped with nuts and vanilla cream, and drinking a cappuccino (well, that would be Larry doing that while I watch and drool :-)

Outside of the church in the middle of town stands a simple statue. We passed by it last weekend as we were meandering around. The statue is of a shepherd.....a staff in his hand. I found myself drawn to it. It's not an ornate statue like you would find in Italy, but it's simplicity is what I found so appealing and beautiful. It's simple beauty beckoning my heart....just like our Shepherd, Jesus. Amidst the current drums of war, amidst the suffering in the world and the cries for justice......the heart of our Shepherd is calling for his children to 'come'....to find rest, peace and hope in His embrace. It's a call we're learning to heed every day as we match our footsteps to the footsteps of the Shepherd on this path He has for us here in Eastern Europe. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.....He makes me lie down in green pastures.....He restores my soul.....He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.....you are with me.....your rod and staff comfort me.....my cup overflows......"

Rickety, old elevators and.....Trust

2008-06-03T17:00:00.003+02:00

For the past 2 weeks, God has been trying ever so gently to get a message of "Trust" into my heart. Usually, I'm fairly perceptive and not overly dense. However, the past 2 weeks I seem to be especially dense and "not quite getting it". I'm not really sure I can even blame this apparent "denseness" on menopause, although it's such a nice phase to be able to blame a lot of things on. :) Every day last week God plopped Matthew 6:25-34 in my devotional reading. (you know, "Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; talks about the lilies of the field and seeking first His kingdom, etc.......) Well, the first day I read it I thought, "God are you trying to tell me something? I mean, I did pray and ask you for guidance in regards to our concerns." The second day there it was again. Same thing...."God, are you sure this is what you're trying to say?? Really? Don't worry?" "But........." 3rd day, 4th day, 5th day......well, you get the picture....a little dense.

So, today, Larry and I had a wonderful time of prayer together and re-focusing. It was just great! The hairs on my right arm even stood up right after we prayed! Never had that happen before! Definitely can't blame that on menopause! :) I came away from it all more full of faith and a lightness in my spirit. But....just to make sure that I "got it", Jesus gave me a simple little object lesson in the form of our special elevator.

In our temporary apartment building exists an old, smelly, dirty elevator (we'll be leaving here on Monday of next week.....the same apartment that we told you about in our last email....."God's apartment", so named by the owner....the same apartment where a cockroach met us on our first morning here....which, if this is God's apartment, then that cockroach was God's cockroach...God's emissary cockroach:).
So....this isn't your typical elevator. It has no flash. No pizazz. No nice, light classical music playing over speakers. No air-conditioning. No, this elevator is a workhorse and has likely existed as long as this building has been here, which by the look of things is older than my dead Grandpa. There are 6 floors to the building and since our apartment is on the 6th floor this means we get more time to fully experience the elevator and all it has to offer.

Well.......I stepped into the elevator this afternoon - my mind trying to remember to press the correct floor, because you have to remember that "0" is actually the first floor and the first floor is the second and the 1/2 floor in between "0" and "1" is....well....it's just a dark and cold mysterious floor that I don't care to ever mistakenly go to again! As I correctly pressed "0", I stood there looking at the gap of light coming up from the abyss below me, between the doors and the elevator. The elevator started to move, creaking and rocking as it slowly descended and all of a sudden it hit me. "Dede, you trust that this old, rickety elevator is going to get you to the bottom floor safely, and yet, after all these years with Me you still have doubts in my abilities to take care of you." Hmmmm.......Now I get it, Jesus. Only took me 2 weeks to get it this time. :)

I was reminded of the time my Mom and Dad took my brother, Randy, and I on a trip back to Arkansas to see my Mom's relatives. We drove back East in a small pick-up truck with a camper on the back. As we were getting ready to return from Arkansas for the drive back home, we ran into one storm after another. Tornadoes were behind us and in front of us as we drove was hail, lightening, rain and then, unbelievably, snow. I remember my Dad drove straight through all the way from Oklahoma City to Mojave, California with no sleep to get us safely through the storms. I wasn't afraid, because my strong Dad was at the wheel and I knew we would be safe. I still have a picture indelibly written in my mind of my Dad, his hands firmly gripped to the steering wheel with all his concentration on the road in front of us.

There's a verse in Habakkuk 3:17-18 that says, "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, YET I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." Well, we don't have fig trees, or grapes or olive crops (although, I wish I did!:), or cows or sheep......but we all can fill in the blanks in each of our lives for the Habakkuk verse. YET.......we will rejoice in the Lord! We will be joyful in the God of our salvation.

And....I will smile every time I get into an elevator now and remember what Jesus said to my dense heart on June 3, 2008, and I will rejoice knowing my "Dad" is at the wheel of our lives.

Ahhhh.......languages and a menopausal brain

2008-05-28T16:49:00.002+02:00

Humility takes on a whole new meaning when you speak in another language. Native speakers will tell you how well you speak their language....that you are "fluent" (if they only knew!)....they build you up and you begin to pat yourself on the back....you walk with a spring in your step....you feel like you have conquered Mount Everest....the true exhilaration of thinking that perhaps after 9 years of speaking the 3rd most difficult language in the world you have somehow "arrived"......You start to think about buying poetry books in Hungarian and books that take you into a whole new level of the culture you have adopted as your own......you actually feel somewhat intellectual. And then it happens. In one fell swoop, much like a tornado that comes blazing through with its path of destruction.....you have one moment where your brain comes to a grinding halt during a conversation and all of a sudden every Spanish (what country are we in???) word you learned in 9th grade Spanish comes into your brain and every piece of Hungarian has suddenly flown out through some portal in your brain to who knows where! As your brain is on hold - for what seems like an eternity - you stand there with your mouth open with the feeling like you just went from a 46-year old adult to a 6-year old first-grader, sitting in an elementary classroom at your square little desk, holding one of those big, fat orange pencils in your tiny little fingers....lips pursed and tongue slightly out of your mouth in concentration, while you struggle to write the word, "CAT", as a boy named Keith sits across from you picking his nose with one hand and the other waving wildly at the teacher to be given permission to go to the restroom!

You struggle to gain your composure as you realize you may have just told the very kind waiter that you would like to invite him to your apartment, INSTEAD of saying that you would like to take your Cappuccino back to your apartment. You mutter something almost unintelligible and amazingly the waiter finally gets what simple thing you are trying to say - and have said hundreds of times before - and voila! you are able to gracefully slink out the door...cappuccino for your husband in your hand.

Images of Moses come to mind as God asked him to go to the Israelites and lead them out of Egypt. I can relate to our buddy, Mo. He muttered something about being "slow of speech and tongue." Yep. I'm definitely related to you in that way, Moses! But, then I remember that the same God who told Moses to "Go" and that He would be with him and help him is the same God who has invited us to be here in this wonderful country. He understands I have days of "slow speech and tongue" and somehow, miraculously, He will be glorified in spite of speech issues!

So, off I go.....the spring in my step is back....I can laugh at myself, especially knowing I must give the Lord plenty of comedic relief. Thanks for keeping us humble, Lord.

First blog!

2008-05-27T14:49:00.002+02:00

I'm new to this whole 'blog' thing, but hopefully you will find our blogs interesting enough to pass the time when you are bored! We wanted to find an easy way for everyone to keep up with us and Larry told me that I need to do this....so in trying to be more like Jesus I decided that in this one thing I would be obedient to my husband. :)

So....we've been back in Hungary now for what....almost a month?? Definitely enough time to see many changes that have taken place since we first started out here in 1991. So, for the next few minutes let's do the "while you were away" changes that have occurred (these are just random, no particular date order):

Almost everyone has cell phones now and phones in their homes. In the beginning..."back in the day" (said with an elderly accent)....we had to walk about 5 minutes to a red phone booth where we could place a long-distance, collect call to our parents...hopefully once a week....if the phone was working. If not, we had to get on a bus in search of another infamous 'red phone booth'.
Laptops and PC's are everywhere. We used to have to do everything via electric typewriter (What's that?!) and fax machine (which I, personally, am still amazed by. I'm not really known in technology circles for my technological abilities. :) Boy, gotta miss those literal 'cut and paste' days of putting our newsletters together, faxing it to our friends in the States who would then put it into their word processor and send out to our supporters.
The city is filled with really nice cars! It's hard to even find a decent Lada or Wartburg anymore! I sometimes miss our little "Lady Lada" car that wouldn't budge when it rained until you took a complete wheel off and banged it a few times. We had an 'understanding' of sorts.
Malls......they're everywhere! A curse from America. Sorry to say that, as I love shopping as much as the next girl....but, they've sort of taken over Hungary and changed the landscape.
Tram drivers actually say the next stop in English! Before, they would barely even utter the upcoming stops in Hungarian, if you could hear them.
There are tons of "Hypermarkets"......HUGE monstrosities, bigger than Super Wal-marts, with 80 check-out stands....daunting for even the most physically fit person. Boy, a map of the store and one of those electric carts would really come in handy. Thank goodness there are still the little Zöldség (vegetable) stands with the little old ladies who will tell you about every kind of bean available and how best to cook them!
There are suburbs everywhere....American-style burbs....with beautiful homes.
Credit is plentiful now.....credit cards, bank loans, etc.
Prices have gone up....way up! With the declining dollar, Americans are finding it a very expensive city to live in and many of our missionary friends have left or are in the process of leaving.
With entrance into the EU, Hungary has more access to goods from abroad.

As we stand out on our balcony at night and gaze out across the city, it's hard to believe we began this "love affair" with Hungary 17 years ago....a love placed in our hearts by Jesus. There are many unknowns to being here, but we stand on our balcony knowing that the wings of the Father are encircled around us and we listen closely to the whispers of His voice in our ears.