shreddin'

I remember the first time I heard a Californian use the word shreddin'. I had to ask the basic question, "it that a positive or negative expression?" I could imagine it either way and it was not clear by the context. Simply put, it is a positive expression. Someone is shreddin' when they're really cutting it up, as in cutting up the waves while surfing, etc.

Well I never thought I could use the term for worship, but last week while leading worship at a team meeting I was shreddin'! Perhaps more precisely, it was my guitar pick that was shredded. Check out the picture.

I have had picks that crack or break while playing, but I've never had a pick disintegrate in my fingers. But the end, I has having a hard time grasping what remained.

If you curious, the set was:
1. Jesus, Jesus: the Fa, la, la song (Thanks Rob Still)
2. Beautiful One
3. Oh, Our Lord and King
4. How Great is Our God
5. Manger Throne
6. Here I am to worship

Szenna

We haven't told you about an interesting weekend we had in November. We went to Szenna, which is a village in south-west Hungary. Szenna has a nice guest house we stayed in, a village museum, and several paths for hiking in the neighboring hills (yes, these crazy Hungarians like to hike even in November weather!)

The people we went with were the home fellowship group we hosted in our apartment before we left for the States. It has been lead by our good friends Zoli and Emo Horvath. Zoli and Emo used to be in the small group of believers Matthew was part of when he first came to Hungary (just like Arpi - see Thanksgiving entry). Many from that group of 15 became the first members of our home church in Budapest, which now has more than 600 attending.

The picture shows a tourist farm we visited. You can see Emo, Melinda, Oliver, and - no, it's not Matthew! - a type of pig called the mangalica. The interesting thing we were told is that its meat is actually good for you - it contains the good kind of cholesterol or something like that. :)

Please visit the photo album Farm life in Hungary illustrating other interesting species of Hungarian farm life. We actually know several people (especially folks in Indiana - go Hoosiers!) who would enjoy such a presentation. :)

Esztergom

We spent the weekend in Esztergom, a town north of Budapest. We attended a "mini-conference" on the topic of revivals in church history and the work of the Holy Spirit. Matthew lead worship and Melinda translated some of the sessions (while Oliver was being spoiled by the grandparents :). It was a great time. We also got a chance to spend some time with our friends Jani and Kata (who live in Esztergom) and to visit Slovakia, which is right across the River Danube! The picture is taken from the Slovak side and you can see the beautiful basilica on the Hungarian side.

On our way home after picking up Oliver we had a strange adventure. As we were following a car, we noticed that it kept swerving into the oncoming traffic lane and was very close to causing a head-on collision several times. We were sure that the driver was either drunk or stoned! So we called the police on our cell phone and gave them the car's license plate number. Unfortunately all their patrol cars were busy with accidents (it was a nasty day, terrible weather for driving, let alone if you are drunk!). So we didn't know what else to do but kept following the car and honking at him when he swerved into the wrong lane. Then it pulled into a parking lot by an apartment complex. We both got out and knocked on the window (God gave us the boldness I guess - but don't tell our moms! :). The guy opened the door, and indeed, he was totally drunk! We told him in no uncertain terms that he is insane driving like that and he is endangering lives such as our precious son on the back seat and other children on the road. He first was very defensive, but then got very humbled. He told us that he is a university professor and lost his wife a couple of years ago, and now his girlfriend left him. It was shocking to see such an intelligent man completely broken and aimless in life. As we were standing in the rain in front of the apartment complex, we thought surely there is a reason why God put us right there right then! So we shared the Lord with him, and gave him John's gospel, along with our phone number and some fresh rolls. Please pray with us for this man's salvation!

Well, hope your weekend was as good (and safe) as ours! :)

Thanksgiving in Hungary

In case you're wondering . . .

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the usual way. We roasted some turkey (though not a whole one, just two thighs and a breast), mashed some potatoes and squash, baked a blueberry pie, and even made something like cranberry sauce out of red currants.

But before all that work, we invited two friends, Arpi and Kata. We tried to spoil them as best we could.

We had a great time. Arpi and Kata are fun guests to have. I met Arpi when I first came to Hungary in 1993 and learned all sorts of useless slang from him, like "belcsavaroan undorito." (Intestine-twisting disgusting)

That phrase, by the way, was not used at all during the course of the evening. Everything was delicious and tasty. To add to the feeling, we even ate on my grandma's vintage crazy daisy Correll ware.

But just three hours before dinner we weren't so sure that things would turn out so nice. We had no gas, which meant no heat, no hot water and no stove - all of which are important for an enjoyable evening.

The only thing missing, obviously, was our American family.

One more observation by Melinda who just celebrated her first Thanksgiving in Hungary. It was strange to celebrate a holiday without anyone around us being aware of it. We wanted to great everyone with "happy thanksgiving" but for them, it was just another Thursday in November.

We hope you, at least you who are Americans, had a happy Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.

~Matthew and Melinda

Washing the dog

If you know Oliver, you know that he has a little doggy friend. Here, he is getting his fur styled after a bath.

Incidentally, this is the most important item that we own. Guitars, cars, computers and Dr. Seuss books can be replaced easier that this. Even losing our passports would be a minor inconvenience in comparison to losing this doggy!

So what are you guys doing "over there"?

Dear all,

Hope you are all well. Today and tomorrow are holidays in Hungary - All Saints Day. We are still enjoying the beautiful sunny (albeit cold) fall weather.

A few people have mentioned how they check our blog and pray for us regularly (thank you, dear Granny Sally from Northern Ireland and many others! :-)).

You may have noticed that we kept this web blog more family and fun focused and don’t mention specific prayer requests or names of people we are ministering to, etc. (though Hungary is not closed to the gospel, we do want to respect the people’s privacy). For those who are interested in ministry news and prayer requests, we send out e-mail updates once or twice a month. All you have to do is e-mail us.

However, in this entry, we wanted to write a little bit about what we are doing "over here" and how you can pray for us.

Ofalu bible study: Matthew leads worship and teaches (in Hungarian!) at this church-plant in Ofalu Tuesday evenings. Please pray for many more people (especially adults) to come, meet Jesus and grow!

Tatabanya: We go down regularly to the Tatabanya Bible studies on Wednesday and every second Sunday. Please pray for this little flock and wisdom for us and Jani & Kata (the pastor and his wife) as to when to move to Tatabanya.

Friday children's club: Melinda is involved in this Bible club for children (ages 6-12). Please pray for the children and their parents!

Basketball ministry: Matthew takes part in this outreach to young boys (ages 10-14). We need a lot of prayer as to how to share the gospel with these boys, who are rough on the outside, but hungry for love on the inside!

Odd Jobs: We try to help out however and whenever we can. For example, this week Matthew is leading worship every morning for a group of missionaries attending a training conference in Hungary and Melinda is cooking lunch a couple times for them.

Hospitality/networking: We have had the opportunity and privilege to share meals and cups of coffee with past, present and future ministry partners, as well as friends and family. We are letting God weave us back into the fabric of Hungary. How's that for a metaphor?

OM's various ministries in Hungary: Church planting, mobilizing Hungarians to missions, village ministry, baseball outreach, English classes and training.

Thank you so much for praying! Please keep the news coming from Stateside (or wherever you are! :-))

M&M&O

Six Years

Well, it’s been six years since we started saying, “I do.” For those who are married, you know what I mean. You don’t just say it once. You say it everyday if you want to enjoy the passing time and not just endure.

We were able to get away for the weekend. While Oliver was being well cared for at Grandma’s, we visited my favorite Hungarian city, Eger. We enjoyed relaxing in the sunny, but cool fall weather.

The picture above is taken from the fortress at Szarvasko, about 10 miles north of Eger and below is a picture of a few of the sights of Eger. If you want to see more, check out www.egeronline.com.

~matthew

Baseball?

I always thought it would be important to get a ball and gloves to teach Oliver about baseball. We wouldn't want him to be in the dark concerning this all -American sport. And besides, when he's older and throwing rocks at the sea side, I don't want him "throwing like a girl!"

Joska, an American-born Hungarian is on our OM team with his wife Sandy, who lives in the apartment behind ours, just happened to have the smallest baseball gloves I've ever seen - one for a righty and one for a lefty.

At this point it is difficult to know what Oliver's dominant hand will be, but I won't be surprised if he's a lefty. All the more reason to teach him to pitch. If he makes it as a lefty, he could take good care of us in our old age!

So bring your ball and glove and meet us in the park. We'll be ready. Exciting, huh?

~matthew

New Focus

We just wanted to show a picture of our new car. I hate even writing this, as it is only a car. But it was something that we prayed about, asked about, looked about, etc about, a lot! We believe the Lord provided just this car for us. It was the only one that we saw on the market with low miles within our budget. Another selling point, for Melinda anyway, is the color.

I don't know if we explained before how dependent we are on a car. If we were living in Budapest, or a bigger city, there would be buses and there would be little need for a car. But Erd is a big suburb, or I should say it is a big village attached to Budapest. We have found that we are as dependent on a car here as we were in the States. This is a bit of culture shock for us.

We still have to register it, but we are glad the process is coming to an end. Now we can go and come as we please and take a lot of gear (baby/music) with us.

If you would like to suggest a nickname for the car, please post it here, or send us an e'mail.

~matthew

Protection

Hi there!

Just to add somehing new, some of you may have heard how the Lord protected our team last week. Six of our team members were in a car accident on Saturday and the Lord miraculously saved them. An update on this is that Alma (Germany), who was driving the car had some pain in her neck (no pun intended!) and numbness in her fingers. She is still undergoing tests (MRI and the like) but for now she has to wear a neck support, which can be pretty uncomfortable at times, considering that she is the lady who takes care of all the administration around MTS and does a fabulous job! Her attitude is great though even wearing the neck support thing! :)

Then on the same day Victoria (Northern Ireland) was reading in her bed and she fell asleep. The book she was reading fell on her lamp and almost caught fire. She did not wake up and the room was starting to fill up with smoke!!! Her roommate (who happens to be Alma - what a day for her!) came into the room just before the book would have caught on flames!!! Victoria (who is affectionately called "Doria" by the children, including Oliver, whom she watches during the sessions) shared her testimony at Moszkva Square yesterday and did a great job! :)

The outreach (where Victoria shared) was at a square in Budapest, and it went quite well. Matt played his guitar and I translated (surprise!! :) and we sang, shared testimonies, did a drama, handed out books, etc. We invited people to a Christian coffee shop which is on tonight (Matt and the team are there so no updates yet on how this went).

Melinda

MTS

Dear all,

Our apologies for not updating this site for such a long time (well, except the pictures...). Sorry especially to the faithful "web surfer" friends who check out our site regularly!

We are doing well. We are living in our apartment in Erd, Hungary and are attending MTS. Oh, and what is MTS? It stands for Missionary Training School. It is a four-week training for people who will be serving in various countries of Central Europe. The topics range from discussing cultural and language issues to ministering to children. Our group consists of 12 people and they are from all over the globe, from Canada to South Korea. They are people on fire for the Lord and doing His work, and they are a lot a lot of fun to be around!!! :)

Oliver is doing great. He turned 2 on September 8 and celebrated his big day with a series of parties! He enjoys his new home and his new little and big friends at the training. He is a cute little boy (except for the moments when his 2-year-old defiance "shines through") and loves to talk (mostly to people but dogs and cats too!) and sing. His number one hit these days is Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so...I have sung this song about a million times in the last few days...but hey, nothing is too big a price to pay for instilling these Biblical truths in his heart at such an early age...

We are sending out regular e-mail updates. If you would like to sign up, please e-mail us. We would love to hear from you! :)

Love to you all!

Melinda and the boys

Summer Photos

Hello,

I finally uploaded 10 photos showing what our lives (or at least Oliver's) have been like during our stay at Bristol.

My parents live at Bristol Lake. It is a very quiet 30 acre lake. My appreciation of Indiana's beauty has increased during our stay in the cabin that sits only 10 yards from the shore. Living this close to nature, you begin to notice things that would be unimportant in the city, like which way the wind is blowing.

The sunsets have been wonderful and the storms incredible. We've seen lots of deer, even spotted wobbly baby deer, and now that it's later in the summer, we can eat out of the garden.

Bristol has been a great place to live. First off, there's cheep enthusiastic baby sitting available with grandma and grandpa. Next, is the water, which is always refreshing. Then, there is the peace.

But what I've enjoyed most about Bristol is the guests. It is a fantastic place to be hospitable. I only wish there was enough time to invite everyone out.

So check out the photos to see what summer has been like at Bristol.

~matthew

ETD

In case you haven't heard, we are officially moving to Hungary. We are inches away from being fully supported and will be moving on August 10th, that's two weeks. In other words, soon.

The basic plan is to stay with Melinda's parents in Budapest while we situate our apartment. We will be living initially in Erd, a western suburb of Budapest. That is where OM - Hungary is located. We will be living in a tri-plexed team house. But not for long. Early next year we will be moving to Tatabanya.

What an exciting, albeit nerve racking, time in our lives. We are anxious to be obedient to the Lord, but pulling up tent stakes again is no fun.

Please pray for us in the final days here. We have much to be anxious about - visas, passports, shipping and travel arrangements. And then there is the incredibly sad task of saying good-bye (for awhile!)

Tonight, some major thunder storms are passing through Indiana. It is always reassuring to me to hear the thunder. It reminds me of two things. The first is that God is powerful. The second is that cooler days are coming.

I'm looking forward to the cooler days. For a week now, we've felt like this snowman. He was formed from the frost in our freezer. We enjoyed his company, though he didn't stay around too long.

Don't ask me what this snowman and thunder storms have to do with moving to Hungary. I don't think they have anything to do with that, but if we figure something out, we'll tell you. I think, though, that after mentioning how sad we are to be leaving, I just needed to change the subject. So there you have it.

Be sure to check out the new photos!

~matthew

Five Tips for Traveling with a Toddler

1. Stock your carry-on with LOTS of diapers, wipes, changes of clothing (both for Baby and you - you don't want to fly around the world in a shirt that has hmmm... smelly stains on it!). These are items you don't want to run out of.

2. When buying the ticket, confirming the flight, checking in, ask for the bulkhead seats. Then ask again. However, what we learned is that seating is actually decided on the plane! We have been given awful seats despite our requests on the phone and on the ground at the airport, then thanks to some wonderful attendants, we were moved to cool seats or given an extra seat on the plane.

3. Take LOTS of interesting, small, non-messy and relatively quiet toys. Put them in zip-lock bags or wrap them up separately and present them one by one to your Munchkin. Legos, books, play dough, and Daddy's earplugs have proved very entertaining for O. Also, a combination of his old and loved toys and a bunch of new ones works the best. Just don't spend hundreds of dollars on this project - borrow from a friend! (Thanks, Debbie Lemmon! :)

4. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! There are no "mealtimes" on the plane for our family. Just snack away! Our strategy is to give Oliver goldfish one by one - the more time it takes, the better! They do give you food on the plane, but little kids typically don't get a separate meal; and by the time take off, security presentations, etcetera are done, your toddler may lose patience, which is the last thing you want to happen!

5. Last but not least at all: PRAY! We are always anxious about flying with Oliver, but somehow the Lord provides for us, whether it is an extra seat, a wonderful stewardess, or a long nap for Baby O! :) This last trip I had prayed that there would be other kids on the plane so they would entertain each other, share toys, etc. Guess what? We were seated next to a Bosnian lady whose younger son was 4 days younger than Oliver! Talk about answered prayer!

We're Back

In case you've lost the thread, we're back in the States. We arrived June 7th after a long but uneventful day of travel. We are just about recovered from jet-lag and currently working on the summer Goulash. We are praying that the remainder of our support will be committed by the end of the summer. Stay posted for more information & pictures about how our trip went, what our future plans are, as well as tips for traveling with a toddler and becoming a naturalized US citizen.

Budapest

This is such a beautiful city. This photo, which I took last night is pretty stunning, but it doesn't even come close to the feeling of sitting there on the castle wall on a cool summer's evening. The traffic in Budapest is horrible and like most cities it has a way of beating you down. But then it rewards you will sights light this. Once we get settled in, you'll have to come for a visit! ~matthew

Well, I tripped on daddo's foot and fell headlong into the corner of the bed. I'm alright, but mamma looked a little pale. ~oliver

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Mother's Day walk in the park

Happy Mother's Day!

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Inherit the Earth

foI thought I'd look on-line today and see what's going on in the world. Front page of MSNBC.com, next to the story of Al-Libbi being arrested in Pakistan, is the article entitled, "Giant Rats May Inherit the Earth."

According to the article, some evolutionists are predicting that rats and dandelions will thrive in a trash-heap world extinct of humans. For those who don't necessarily like to read, an artist has depicted these bizarre creatures and their new habitats.

Now that's newsworthy!

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28 April 2005

Plan B

Hello and welcome.

I just wanted to let you know that we are going with plan B. (Plan A, if you didn't know was moving to Hungary in May.) We are looking to move to Hungary on August 10, 2005. We are pretty confident that the Lord will provide all we need and that all the timing issues regarding visas and nationality will be resolved by then.

We will be visiting Hungary between May 23 and June 10 - give or take a few days. This visit will afford us an opportunity to take stuff - almost eliminating our need for shipping. We will meet with all of our partners. We will also be able to visit Tatabanya, the city we have been praying for, and visit the small group of believers there who have been praying for a church to be planted.

Though we are disappointed in having to change our plans, we are confident that God is not changing his. God's peace already testifies in our hearts that this is good, and yet still there is eagerness and urgency. Soon!

Please continue to pray with us that God would match his provision up with our need.

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