Christmas/Karácsony

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6)

Merry Christmas to you all!

Matthew, Melinda, Oliver and Benjamin

"Mert egy gyermek születik nekünk, fiú adatik nekünk.
Az uralom az ő vállán lesz, és így fogják nevezni:
Csodálatos Tanácsos, Erős Isten,
Örökkévaló Atya, Békesség Fejedelme." (Ézsaiás 9,5)

Boldog karácsonyt mindenkinek!

Matt, Melinda, Olivér és Benjámin

Ella Caroline!!!!

Dear all,

We just got the wonderful news that Aaron and Jen's baby, our niece, was born!!! Her name is Ella Caroline. She was born at 3 am today, weighing in at 8lb 4 oz and measuring 18.5 inches. Both mom and baby are healthy. Praise God for this new life!!! We can't wait to see her in 3 days! :) Can you imagine Matthew's parents? They just welcomed a new grandchild and they will see another one for the first time on Tuesday! Hope they'll handle the excitement well... :)

For the detail oriented: both 2006 babies in our family (Benjamin and Ella) were born on their due dates - only 5% of babies are this punctual...interesting! :)

The proud uncle, aunt, and cousins

Kedves mindenki,

Most kaptuk a csodálatos hírt, hogy megszületett Aaron és Jen kisbabája, az unokahugunk!!! A neve Ella Caroline. Ma hajnalban jött világra, 3,75 kg és 47 cm. Mama és baba jól vannak. Dicsőség Istennek ezért az új kis életért!!! Alig várjuk, hogy 3 nap múlva találkozzunk vele!!! Képzeljétek el Matt szüleit: most született egy unokájuk, kedden pedig először találkoznak majd egy másikkal! Micsoda izgalmak! :)

Azoknak, akiket érdekelnek a részletek megírjuk, hogy mindkét 2006-os évjáratú baba a családunkban (Benjámin és Ella) a kiírt dátumon érkezett meg. Csak a babák 5%-a ilyen pontos...érdekes! :)

A büszke nagybácsi, nagynéni és az unokatesók

Praha

We spent the weekend in Prague. Two friends of us got married and we attended the wedding (Matt helped out with worship and sound) and did some sightseeing as well. We met the couple at the OM training last year (in fact this was when they met too! :). Almut is German and James is Australian, brought up in New Zealand. Now they live and serve in the Czech Republic. So as you can imagine, the wedding was a truly international event!

Benjamin did well on his first trip abroad (Oliver spent the weekend with my parents). The trip was around 5 hours in the car. He saw Prague in his Snugglie carrier and he was a star! As Prague is a huge tourist spot, we probably heard the word "Cute!" in 20 different languages as people spotted him hanging out (literally) under his Daddy's coat. :) When he had enough of the sights and Christmas festivities, he took a nap. All in all, a great weekend was had by all! :) Now we are getting ready for our trip to the States, preparing for Christmas like crazy and anxiously waiting for our niece's arrival!!!

A hétvégét Prágában töltöttük. Barátaink esküvőjére mentünk, ahol Matt segített a dicsőítésben és a hangtechnikában, és várost is néztünk. Az ifjú párral tavaly ismerkedtünk meg egy OM-es tréningen (sőt, ők is itt ismerkedtek meg egymással!). Almut német, James pedig ausztrál, de Új-Zélandon nőtt fel. Most pedig Csehországban szolgálnak. Úgyhogy el tudjátok képzelni, milyen nemzetközi volt az esküvő!

Benjámin nagyon jól érezte magát élete első külföldi útján (Olivér a szüleimnél töltötte a hétvégét). A kocsiút Prágába kb. 5 óra volt, a városnézést pedig a kenguru-hordozójában töltötte. Mivel Prága telis-tele van turistákkal, szerintem legalább 20 nyelven hallhattuk azt, hogy "Jaj, de édes!", mikor az emberek észrevették, hogy egy baba kukucskál ki az apukája kabátja alól. :) Aztán mikor megelégelte a látnivalókat meg a karácsonyi vásárt, szunyált egyet. Úgyhogy nagyon jól telt a hétvége! Most pedig ezerrel készülünk az amcsi utunkra meg a karácsonyra, no meg izgalommal várjuk, hogy végre megszülessen az unokahugunk!!! :)

Hasonlítanak?/Do they look alike?

Eddig sokan mondták, hogy a fiúk nagyon hasonlítanak egymásra. Imhol két kép, amin ugyanannyi idősek. Mit gondoltok?

Many people said that our boys look alike a lot. Here are two pictures showing them at the same age. What do you think?

Pics/Képek

Here are some pictures that I took this morning. Oliver called me from the living room saying "Mama, look how cute we are!" I went in and he was sitting here snuggling with Benjamin - melting my heart! :)) Enjoy the pictures and have a good day!

Imhol egy pár kép a tesókról, amiket ma reggel készítettem. Olivér kiabált a szobából, hogy "Mama, nézd, milyen aranyosak vagyunk!" Beléptem és ott ült Benjáminhoz bújva - van ennél szívet melengetőbb egy anya számára? :)) Élvezzétek a képeket és szép napot mindenkinek!

IQ

Our kids are so smart! Look at this picture of Benjamin reading. Cute! :)

Annyira okosak a gyerekeink! Nézzétek, Benjámin már olvas...cukipofa! :)

Off we go!/Indulás!

We are ready for our trip to the States! We will be there from December 19 to January 23, spending Christmas with our family, meeting our new niece (due any time now! :), showing off Benjamin and Oliver, seeing friends, and speaking at churches and home groups as well. In order to cross the borders, we are in possession of 7 passports! (Notice how the kids' new passports are different color because of the EU). The one lacking is Matthew's Hungarian passport - maybe in a few years... Oliver has been so excited about the trip and his passport that we made one for him (and his best friend, Doggy) at home too! :)

Készen állunk az amerikai utunkra! December 19-től január 23-ig leszünk ott. Karácsonyozunk a családunkkal, megismerkedünk az új unokahúgunkkal (aki bármelyik pillanatban világra jöhet! :), eldicsekszünk mindenkinek Benjáminnal és Olivérrel, barátokkal találkozunk és beszélünk egy pár gyülekezetben és házi csoporton is. Összesen 7 darab útlevéllel vágunk neki a határoknak (érdekes, hogy a gyerkőcök már a szép új bordó EU-s útlevelet kapták). Kitaláljátok, hogy melyik a hiányzó láncszem? Hát igen, a magyar állampolgársághoz nem lehet csak olyan egyszerűen hozzájutni ám, úgyhogy Matt magyar útlevele még a jövő zenéje...! :) Olivér annyira izgatott, hogy megyünk, hogy itthon is készítettünk neki (és hűséges jóbarátjának, Doggy-nak) egy útlevelet! :)

Cheese! :)

You may be wondering how Benjamin is doing. He is doing great and he did well at our training in Balatonszemes too. In fact, he was named Mr. Content by people in our group. He has also been smiling and cooing for a few weeks. He is very cute! However, when we are ready to take a picture of him, he stops smiling. :) So this is the best we've got so far! :) When he is not smiling, he is growing like crazy: he is off the charts weighing 7.2 kg (15lb 12 oz) at two and a half months. :)

Biztos kíváncsiak vagytok rá, hogy van Benjámin. Nagyon jól van és jól viselte a két hetes tréninget Balatonszemesen. A csoportunk el volt ájulva, milyen nyugis kis fickó. :) Pár hete már mosolyog és gagyog is. Nagyon cuki! :) Sajnos hiába próbálunk képeket csinálni az elragadó mosolyokról, nem hajlandó produkálni magát, úgyhogy be kell érnetek ezzel a képpel. Mikor éppen nem mosolyog, akkor őrült módon növekszik: két és fél hónaposan már 7,2 kg. :)

Delirious in Vienna

I, Matthew, traveled to Vienna yesterday after chuch with 200 Hungarians to see Delirious in concert with Reuben Morgan (Hillsong worship) October Light (Croatian ska) and 3 Austrian bands. It was a great afternoon of pogoing, singing and worshiping.

There were many things that made the day interesting and memorable. One of which was the venue. The concert was in a gas can. Yes, a gas can - a renovated one. If you're curious, check out this site.

MTS II

Hello from Balatonszemes. We are in the final week of our Missionary Training School II. This conference is for 30 some missionaries who have finished their first year of service. It is a chance to be refreshed and have a general check-up on our health, vision and effectiveness. We have had some great teaching, worship and fellowship. It has also been fun to laugh at everyone's cultural bloopers!

Unforgettable Men's Retreat

Today I led worship in a bowling alley in Slovakia for a men's retreat where the topic of the day was, "why naked women look good."

Now I realize there's more than one surprise in the statement above, so let me explain.

First off, Slovakia is only an hour's drive by car. But I really didn't feel as if I were in a different country because there are many ethnic Hungarians who live in the cities near the border and nearly everyone speaks Hungarian.

Secondly, bowling is a rapidly growing segment of the entertainment industry here in Europe. Bowling centers are popping up in all sorts of places. As a side, note: I bowled a 151, which is a pretty good game for me, to become the bowling champion of this men's retreat, a distinction I am very proud to own.

Thirdly, the topic of the day came straight out of Bill Perkins' book, "When Good Men Are Tempted." I recommend this book to any man wanting to live a life of purity. There are few discussions out there that are as honest and plainly articulated as this one. (Thanks Bill!)

Oliver, the guy teaching the Bible study, gave a clear challenge to all of us to live in freedom from sexual addiction.

Exciting/relevant Bible study + leading worship in a bowling alley (something I had never dreamed of doing) + high score = an unforgettable men's retreat. So that was my day today, what did you do? ~matthew

Balatonszemes

We'll be leaving tomorrow for Balatonszemes (a town next to the one we spent our vacation in at Lake Balaton) to attend a two-week OM training/retreat. We'll be back on November 11. We will have e-mail access, so type away, but I don't think we'll able to post anything or Skype. Hope it will be a useful and refreshing time and that Benjamin will do good on his first longer trip! :)

Holnap indulunk Balatonszemesre, ahol egy kéthetes OM tréningen veszünk részt. November 11-én jövünk haza. Tudunk majd e-maileket nézni, úgyhogy írjatok nyugodtan, de valószínűleg nem fogunk tudni írni a blogra vagy Skype-on beszélni. Reméljük, hasznos és pihentető lesz ez a két hét és hogy Benjámin jól fogja viselni az első hosszabb útját! :)

Stunt/Mutatvány

If you are a mother, grandmother, or have weak nerves, please don't look!!! :)
Matthew's done this stunt with both our kids...it looks scary but so far both of them survived!

Kérjük, az anyukák, nagymamák, illetve a gyengébb idegzetűek most ne nézzenek ide!!! :) Matt mindkét gyerkőcünkkel végrehajtotta párszor ezt a mutatványt, ami igencsak hajmeresztőnek tűnik, de eddig mindketten túlélték!

Family pictures/Családi képek

Here are some family pictures taken last weekend at
Melinda's brother's house in Veszprém.

Imhol néhány családi kép, amit tesóméknál csináltunk Veszprémben az elmúlt hétvégén.

Circus/Cirkusz

The circus is in town a block from our house, so we went to see the animals and Oliver got to go on a few rides. He especially liked the camels. Benjamin slept through all the commotion in his baby carrier. :)

Itt a cirkusz tőlünk egy utcányira, úgyhogy elmentünk megnézni az állatokat és Olivér persze felült néhány játékra. A kedvencek a tevék voltak. Benjámin békésen átaludta az izgalmakat a babahordozójában. :)

1999-2006

We celebrated 7 years of marriage on October 16. :) We went to a restaurant called Fenyőgyöngye (if you are a non-native speaker of Hungarian and can say this word three times real fast, we invite you for a free meal at the restaurant! :) But anyway, this is the restaurant where we had dinner after our civil ceremony 7 years ago. We enjoyed our time and it was great to get away just the two of us! :)

Október 16-án ünnepeltük a 7. házassági évfordulónkat. Abba az étterembe mentünk el, ahol a polgári szertartás után volt a vacsora (Fenyőgyöngye Étterem Budán). Nagyon jól éreztük magunkat és jó volt kettesben kimozdulni! :)

Lomtalanítás

A few days ago it was lomtalanítás day in our neighborhood. What is that? Well, around twice a year the local garbage company takes away all the junk that you put out on the street. This means that you can see piles of old TVs, kitchenware, knick-knacks, etc. all around the neighborhood (a nice sight to behold for sure! :) We (well, Matt and a teammate) worked on emptying the building in our yard that used to be the upholsterer's workshop. They built this huge wall of stuff (see photo) after a guy already took away a pick-up truck full of metal scraps - and the workshop is still not empty! I have never seen so much garbage, stuff, junk, and dust, dust, dust in my life! On the day of the pick-up (which happened to be our anniversary - how romantic! :) Matt was pacing up and down our house; he was so nervous that they won't take away this much stuff...but thankfully they did! :) Now we are waiting for the next lomtalanítás so they can take away the rest of the junk!

Kedves magyar olvasóinknak ugye nem kell ecsetelni, hogy miként is néz ki egy lomtalanítás. Azonban a mostani nem volt akármilyen, ugyanis az udvarunkban levő volt kárpitosműhely tartalmát ürítette ki Matt egy munkatársunkkal az utcára (lásd fotó). Ha láttatok már lomot, szemetet, kacatot, cuccot, és port, port, port...na szóval értitek. Ezt a hatalmas barikádot építették fel a fiúk úgy, hogy egy fickó már előzőleg elvitt egy kisteherautónyi fémet - és még mindig nem üres az épület! Matt a lomtalanítás napján (ami épp az évfordulónkra esett - romantikus, nem? :) fel-alá járkált a lakásban, úgy izgult, hogy mi lesz, ha nem viszik el a falnyi lomot...de hála Istennek elvitték! :) Most már csak a következő lomtalanítást várjuk, hogy elvigyék a többi szemetet is!

Brothers/Tesók

Here are two pictures of Oliver and Benjamin. They seem to be getting along well and Oliver is learning how to be gentle with his little brother. He loves to talk and sing to him and show off all the big boy things he knows. Benjamin - as a typical second kid, I assume - seems not to mind the noisy big brother around. On the contrary, he loves to look at Oliver! :) He has even peacefully endured the squeezes and a couple of toy cars "accidentally" running over his head. :)

Imhol két kép a tesókról. Elég jóban vannak egymással, Olivér tanulgatja, hogyan kell gyengédnek lenni, és nagyon szereti produkálni magát a kistesó előtt. Benjámin pedig (mint minden második gyerek gondolom) jól viseli a hangos bátyust, sőt, állandóan őt bámulja ha a közelben van. Eddig még azt is egész békésen tűrte, hogy Olivér jól megszorongatta, vagy hogy "véletlenül" áthajtott a fején egy pár kisautó. :)

UI: Egy kis megjegyzés: észrevettük, hogy a legtöbb magyar ékezet nélkül írja Benjámin nevét. Szóval a neve helyesen magyarul BenjÁmin. Köszi!!! :)

Hike/Kirándulás

Of course our life is more than just work! :) Hungary has been enjoying beautiful weather, so we are trying to make the most of it and went for a hike (a typical Hungarian thing to do on the weekends). Oliver did a good job walking and collected several things in his bag: berries, leaves, acorns, and who knows what else. Benjamin enjoyed the hike in his Snuggli (baby carrier) - sorry, no good photos of him this time!

Na azért nem csak munkából áll az élet! :) Kihasználva a csodálatos időt, elmentünk egyet kirándulni. Jól sikerült és Olivér is jól bírta a strapát. Végig gyűjtögette az utat - került a zacskóba bogyó, falevél, makk, és ki tudja még mi minden. Benjámin egy kenguru-hordozóban élvezte a táj szépségeit (bocsi, de erről nem született szalonképes fotó).

Studio project

The guys have been busy working in the basement. They are building a studio/office area where Matthew will work. Right now they are hauling out dirt on a wheelbarrow. As you can see, Matthew has a big helper! Oliver's favorite part is when Dado gives him a ride in the wheelbarrow on the way back to the basement. :)

Ahogy látjátok, a fiúk a bányában dolgoznak! Matt (és persze Olivér, a nélkülözhetetlen segítség!) egy stúdiót/irodát építenek a pincében, ami jelenleg abból áll, hogy naphosszat hordják ki a földet egy talicskán. Természetesen Olivér kedvence az, amikor Dado tolja őt a talicskán a pincébe visszamenet. :)

Who named the baby?

It's time we got back to you about the Name the Baby contest. First, we want to thank you for submitting your ideas either through the blog, e-mail, or in person. We really enjoyed hearing from you and appreciated your interest in the name of our baby. Well, the truth is, there is no winner! :) The name Benjamin was our idea. In fact, we have been thinking about it for several months, but were still open to other names. Benjamin works in both languages. In Hungarian it's Benjámin (Ben-ya-min) and it is less common than in English. As for the middle name, Glenn, it is a family name. Matthew's grandfather was called Glenn Kreider. He passed away at a young age, when Matthew's mom was only 5 years old. He left his wife, Grace, and five children behind. We wanted to honor our family by choosing this name.

Itt az idő, hogy beszámoljunk a babanév "pályázat" eredményéről. Először is köszönjük mindenkinek a javaslatokat, amit itt a blogon, emilen vagy személyesen kaptunk. Az igazság az, hogy nincs nyertes! :) A Benjámin a mi ötletünk volt, és már jópár hónapja megtetszett, de azért nyitottak voltunk egyéb ötletekre. A Benjámin mindkét nyelven működik, angolul kicsit gyakoribb mint magyarul. A kisfiunk második keresztneve Glenn. Matt nagypapája Glenn Kreider volt. Nagyon fiatalon meghalt, mikor Matt anyukája még csak 5 éves volt. Feleségét (Grace) és öt gyermeket hagyott maga után. A családunk tiszteletére választottuk ezt a nevet.

New photos

We have posted a few new photos in the album Benjamin Glenn. Enjoy!

Felraktunk néhány új képet a Benjamin Glenn albumba. Reméljük, tetszik!

So how is it going?

You must be wondering how we are doing after Benjamin's birth. Things are going well and we are enjoying being a family of four! Benjamin has been a good baby and he eats and sleeps well. He shocked the nurse in the doctor's office when she measured him and realized he had gained almost a pound in a little over a week! :) He also caused some amusement when he...well...deposited both number 1 and number 2 on the dr's office floor...oh well...why do they measure babies naked anyway? :) He does have fussy times (hey, we all do! :) but can always be comforted when we pick him up. Oliver has done well with the transition and he loves his little brother! He is learning how to be gentle (not an easy thing when you just want to squeeeeze that little bundle! :) and can't wait for the day when Benjamin can play with him! :) Matthew has been enjoying being a dad of two boys and he is trying to be around and help as much as his other commitments allow him to. I (Melinda) am also doing well and my recovery has been faster than with Oliver. My labor was long and I ended up having a c-section, but it was all worth it!!! :) I am enjoying my boys and love to be outnumbered!

Gondolom már vártátok az életjelet tőlünk Benjámin születése után. Jól vagyunk és élvezzük, hogy már négy tagú a családunk. Benjámin jó baba - jól alszik és eszik. A védőnőt sikerült megdöbbentenie azzal, hogy majdnem fél kilót hízott alig több mint egy hét alatt! :) Aztán azzal okozott némi derültséget a rendelőben, hogy...szóval kis- és nagydolgát is a padlóra végezte el - hoppá! :) Dehát minek is mérik a babákat meztelenül, nem igaz? Vannak nyűgösebb időszakai (mint mindannyiunknak :), de ha felvesszük, mindig sikerül megnyugtatni. Olivér nagyon szereti a kistesóját és alig várja, hogy már lehessen vele játszani. Egyelőre még meg kell tanulnia, hogyan legyen vele gyengéd, ami nem egyszerű, amikor az ember csak meg akarja ssszorrrongatni azt a kis csomagot! :) Matt is élvezi, hogy most már két fiú apukája, és amennyire ideje engedi, igyekszik minél többet itthon lenni és segédkezni. Én (Melinda) is jól vagyok és gyorsabban felépültem szülés után mint Olivérnél. Maga a szülés hosszú volt és császárral végződött, de persze nagyon megérte az eredményért! Élvezem a "fiaim" társaságát és szeretek kisebbségben lenni!

Benjamin Glenn

Here's the news we've all be waiting for. Benjamin Glenn was born on Friday, September 1st at about 8 p.m. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 20 inches (3.65 kg/51 cm).

Melinda and Benjamin are doing very well. We hope they will come home by Wednesday.

In the meantime, check out theses photos.

~matthew

Lecso

Right now, the only square of ground on our property not covered with concrete is covered with tomatoes. Tomatoes from the garden can't be beat.

Here is a recipe for anyone wanting to know what we're doing with our tomatoes (besides frying them Bristol á la mode). We make lecso. Please forgive me for lack of details, after all, this is Matthew writing, not Melinda.

Saute a couple of onions in oil. Remove from heat, stir in a couple teaspoons of red paprika. Next, add peppers and tomatoes, about a pound of each diced coarsely. Stir, return to low-med heat and let simmer for 30 minutes or so. Everything should be soft and on the verge of falling apart. You'll probably need to add some salt and pepper as well. 5 minutes before serving, add few handfuls of sliced smoked sausage.

That's lecso. You can serve it with rice. Or if your lazy, like I am, just throw the rice and water in the pot along with the vegetables at the beginning. Just stir often enough that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Just a note about the peppers: In Hungary we have these pale yellow peppers that are quite sweet. I remember seeing them at Mejier in Ft. Wayne but you can use the typical bell peppers to get the idea.

jó étvágyát!
~matthew

Bilingualism/Kétnyelvűség

Hi!
Sziasztok!

You probably noticed that our last few entries were written in two languages. Originally we designed this blog for our American family and friends that we are far from now. :( Then we learned that many of our Hungarian friends are checking out the site and some of them are only able to look at the pictures. :( So in the future we'll try to please everyone. We also thought this would be excellent language practice for those of you wishing to learn Hungarian. :)

Biztos észrevettétek, hogy a legutóbbi pár bejelentkezésünk két nyelven történt. Eredetileg ezt az oldalt ugyanis az amcsi családtagok, barátok kedvéért hoztuk létre, akiktől most távol vagyunk. :( Viszont egyre több magyar barátunk jelezte, hogy fel szokta keresni virtuális otthonunkat, de sokan nyelvi nehézségek miatt csak a képeket tudják megnézni. :( Úgyhogy ezentúl igyekszünk mindenkinek a kedvében járni és érthetően írni mindenki számára. Ja, és így az angol anyanyelvűek is csiszolhatják a magyartudásukat! :)

Thanks for reading our blog! Have a great day!
Köszi, hogy olvassátok az oldalunkat! Szép napot!

Flying into bed

We thought you may like this picture. Oliver had a hard time going up on the rope ladder leading up to his bed. So he figured out a way to stand on the couch and jump into bed like this. My brother caught the moment when he was mid-air. :)

Olivér elég nehezen tudott felmászni az ágyába a kötéllétrán. Pár napja viszont rájött, hogy fel tud mászni a kanapéra és onnan beugrani az ágyba. Ezt a pillanatot örökítette meg a tesóm. :)

Look who's 3 years old!!!

Oliver's had two birthday parties the past two weekends. The first one was for family, the second one for friends. His actual birthday is September 8, but we wanted to make sure he gets plenty of attention before the baby comes.

The pictures show you that he liked his cake (trains and cars and a railroad crossing) and his gifts a lot. His new big boy bed was also put to the test when four of his friends had a "balloon fight" on it. Thankfully Matt did a good job with the bed, so it stayed in one peace. All in all, a great time was had by all. :)

Bár Olivér csak szeptember 8-án lesz 3 éves, mindenképp meg akartuk ünnepelni ezt a jeles napot még a baba betoppanása előtt. Két bulija is volt, az egyik a családnak, a másik barátoknak. Amint látjátok, mindenki nagyon jól érezte magát, szép volt a torta (vasúti átjáró Túró Rudi sorompóval), szuperek az ajándékok és még egy lufi-csatára is sor került Olivér új ágyán (szerencsére Matt ügyesen dolgozott, így az ágy kiállta a próbát). :)

fireworks, storm, panic

Maybe you heard, maybe you didn't - August 20th is the day Hungarians celebrate the founding of the Hungarian State 1000 or so years ago. In American terms, this is Hungary's 4th of July. The celebration culminates with one of the most impressive firework displays - the backdrop of which is one of the most scenic/romantic city centers in the world.

But this celebration ended badly and abruptly. The fireworks started at 9 and at 9:08 a massive storm came over the hills. There was 65-70 mph winds, torrents of rain, hail and panic.

Oliver and I were also caught in this storm, though we were not very close to the downtown. I took him to see the fireworks from a bridge over the Danube in the north of the city. When the wind picked up and the first drops were felt, I put him on my shoulders and started walking back to the car.

But we were too late. We wouldn't have been more wet had we jumped into the river itself. Oliver was crying as were all the other children on the bridge. At one point, the wind actually blew my glasses off my face. Fortunately no one stepped on them and fortunately I found a spare change of clothes for Oliver when we reached the car. It didn't take him long to warm up and stop quivering.

But it didn't end quite so nicely for everyone. In the end, 5 people died and about 350 people were injured. Hundreds of trees gave up their branches or simply uprooted. At least one boat capsized in the Danube. I am sure that the property damage figures will be in the millions of dollars.

Click here to see pictures of the damage. It is in Hungarian, but the pictures are self explanatory. Simply click on the photos in the left column to open and scroll through albums.

~matthew

Mint tudjátok, az augusztus 20-i tűzijáték borzalmasan végződött idén. A részleteket ismeritek a sajtóból (Matt itt a külfoldi ismerősöknek írta le részletesen az eseményeket). Személyes hírünk annyi, hogy Matt és Olivér is kint voltak az Árpád hídnál. Hála Istennek épségben, ámde bőrig ázva értek haza (illetve a szüleimhez Pesten). Olivér persze nagyon sírt a vihar miatt (csakúgy mint a többi gyerek a hídon), de megnyugodott és volt a kocsiban egy váltás ruha, amibe Matt át tudta öltöztetni. A fenti link segítségével láthattok képeket a vihar pusztításáról, bár gondolom, TV-ből, újságokból láttátok már a szörnyű károkat...no meg a politikusok, illetékesek egymásra mutogatását, amit most inkább nem kommentálnék...Reméljük ti és szeretteitek is megúsztátok a napot!!!

Artúr

Dear all,

Some of you knew or at least heard about my beloved dog, Artúr. He was like a member of our family for 13 years. Unfortunately as he was aging, his health was getting worse and worse. He had a hard time getting up and staying on his feet. After a while it was clear that every move he had to make meant suffering. So a week ago we made the hard decision and the vet put him down. It will be so strange to visit my parents and not have him there. He will be greatly missed!!!

Kedves Mindenki!

Talán sokan emlékeztek kedves kutyámra, Artúrra, aki sok kirándulásra elkísért minket. Szinte családtagnak számított az elmúlt 13 évben. Sajnos az idősödés őt sem kerülhette el, és egyre inkább leromlott az állapota. Főleg a mozgás jelentett nehézséget, és a végén már nem tudott lábra állni, sőt nyilvánvalóvá vált, hogy minden mozdulat szenvedéssel jár neki. Úgyhogy egy héttel ezelőtt meghoztuk a szomorú döntést, és az állatorvos elaltatta őt. Furcsa lesz a szüleimhez menni ezután úgy, hogy nem ő fogad minket. Nagyon fog hiányozni!!!

Back from Balaton

Dear friends,

We are back from our vacation! We spent a great week at Lake Balaton, resting and having fun as a family. Check out the photo album "Our vacation" to see our pictures and read about our adventures!

Hope you are having a great summer too!

Matthew, Melinda, Oliver and ? (coming in about 4 weeks!!!)

Evacuation

Hello,

Here is my account of my time in Lebanon. I'm sorry it is long, but it was actually the short version. Not to make light of the situation, but I feel more like a real missionary now that I've been evacuated! It was quite an experience. So please sit down with a cup of coffee and prayfully - with thanksgiving - read my travel log.

Blessings! ~matthew

News from Lebanon/Hírek Libanonból

This is an update I just sent out through e-mail. So if you already got it, you don't have to read it again. :) However, if you haven't and want to be updated on Matt's situation, please drop me an e-mail (edwards@post.com) and I will put you on the list. Thanks!

Ezt a levelet küldtem el pár perce emilben, úgyhogy ha megkaptad, nem kell mégegyszer elolvasnod. :) De ha nem és szeretnél híreket hallani Matt-ről, akkor küldj nekem egy emilt (edwards@post.com) és felteszem a címed a hírlevél listára. Köszi!

Dear all,

Just wanted to send you a quick update about Matt. You are probably following the news, so you know that things are not looking good in Lebanon, though Matt wrote that the night was quiet so maybe things will calm down a bit. As he wrote in his last update, their area is safe and he is not in danger. The real problem is still his way home, as at this point he can't get into Syria because he doesn't have a visa. So things are complicated but we are not worried, as we know that God is in complete control and He is not puzzled by this situation! So we are just waiting for a solution, and meanwhile, Matt is enjoying his extra days there and is taking part in an outreach today. :)

His travelling mate, David, left for Damaskus this morning and will fly home from there (I even heard that he will be allowed to fly in the cockpit for some reason! :). Please pray for his trip and for his family!!!

We are doing well, now back home in Tatabanya. Oliver is doing great, and I explained to him that we have to wait for Dado a little longer, as the airport in Lebanon has an ouchie and the planes can't fly. So he is praying for Dado to come home soon. I saw my doctor today and things are looking good with the baby. There is no sign that he/she will come early, so hopefully Matt can be home for the birth and I don't have to notify him through e-mail. :)

Feel free to e-mail us (we both get messages sent to this address), but we will update you on any change. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!!!

Love,

Melinda

Kedves Mindenki!

Sokan tudjátok, hogy Matt Libanonban van és érdeklődtetek, hogy mi van vele, úgyhogy gondoltam, küldök egy rövid levélkét arról, hogy mi a helyzet. A hírekben biztos láttátok, mi történik, így most nem is arról akarok írni, hanem hogy vele/velük mi van. A helyzet elég durva az országban sajnos, de Matt jól van és olyan helyen vannak (Bejrúttól kicsit északra), hogy nincsenek érintve közvetlenül. Ami nehézség, az az, hogy nem tudjuk, hogyan tud hazajutni. Biztos hallottátok, hogy a leginkább járható út Szíria felé van, de neki mint amerikai állampolgárnak oda vízum kell, amit nem könnyű beszerezni, stb., szóval bonyolult az ügy. De nem aggódunk, mert tudjuk, hogy Isten kezében van a dolog és ő nem tördeli a kezét az események láttán! Úgyhogy várjuk a megoldást (addig pedig Matt élvezi, hogy maradhat egy kicsit, ma például egy evangelizációra ment a többiekkel). :)

Szarvas Dávid ma indult el Damaszkusz felé és onnan repül haza, sőt informátoraim szerint a pilótafülkében repülhet (erről majd őt kérdezzétek)!!! :) Nem tudok pontosabbat arról, hogy milyen úton-módon jut el Damaszkuszba és hogy mikor érkezik haza. Légyszi imádkozzatok az útjáért és a családjáért is!

Mi egyébként jól vagyunk, most már itthon Tatabányán. Olivér jól van és neki is elmagyaráztam a maga szintjén, hogy Dado-ra kicsit többet kell várnunk. :) Ma voltam dokinál, nem mutat semmi jel arra, hogy a baba előbb érkezne, úgyhogy van esélyünk arra, hogy a kedves papát nem emilen kell értesítenem majd a gyerkőc érkezéséről. :)

Ha nem bírjátok tovább, nyugodtan írjatok erre a címre (ezt mind a ketten tudjuk olvasni) vagy hívjatok a Matt Edwards Forró Dróton . A híreket majd megírom emilben, ahogy valami változik. Köszönjük a sok imát és támogatást!!!!

Sziasztok!

Melinda

It's finished! :)

Oliver now officially has a big boy bed! He came home yesterday from Nagyi and Papa and found his bed in his room! To say that he was excited is an understatement!!! :) He slept there last night and is napping there right now. He still needs to practice going up and down the rope ladder, but he is doing great!

Also, you may have read in our e-mail update and/or newsletter that we are heading into a busy month, full of ministry, trips, etc. We will probably have internet access, but not sure how often we'll be able to e-mail or post! So feel free to e-mail us and don't forget our Name the Baby contest! :)

Where is my bed?

See how poor Oliver doesn't have a bed and he has to sleep on the floor? Well, not really, but he likes to make a little resting place under the kitchen table for some reason. :)

There are better days coming for Oliver, though. Right now Matt is finishing up Oliver's Big Boy Bed that he made for him. Tomorrow Oliver will sleep in it for the first time - we'll make sure to post a picture or two! Father and son have spent several hours in the workshop, hammering, sanding, and painting away. Well, except for the times when Matt turned on the power saw, which made Oliver leave the workshop fast! He is just scared of that thing! Recently he got over his fears of the shower and the car wash, so it won't be long when he conquers his negative feelings towards that awfully loud power saw. Go Oliver! :)

Cherry picking again

It seems like the Tatabanya cherries ripen later than the Budapest ones. Here is a new way of picking cherries from our neighbors' tree! :) They don't mind at all and there is still loads on the tree that can't be reached.

Many thanks to our neighbors and Dollar General for sponsoring this action.

World Cup

Are you watching the World Cup? Not to say that we are big soccer fans, but we do enjoy to watch a game or two, and being in Europe, this is quite inescapable. Because we don't have a TV, Matthew sometimes hops on his bike and goes to the World Cup tent in town, where he can watch the games. He saw one game Brazil played at the Correas, our Brazilian teammates' house - that was fun! :)
If they make it to the finals, I want to be in their house for the game and see how the Brazilians cheer for their team!!!

Watching the World Cup in Melinda's family's household is quite funny. I visited my parents this week, because I translated a few Bible studies at our home church in Budapest and they watched Oliver. Anyway, my mom is not a soccer fan either, but because she used to watch a lot of games with her dad in the 60s, when Hungary had a great team, she still likes this sport. My dad, on the other hand, is the "non-typical man" in this respect. So when Brazil played Japan the other day (quite a good game!), my mom and I watched it, whereas my dad was on the computer and didn't even turn around when a goal was scored! :) (De nem baj, Apu! Mi így szeretünk téged!!!)

New use for the garage

This is an update on our Making Our All-Concrete Yard into Something Liveable project. Remember the garage the guys demolished a few weeks ago? Well, this is what the place looks like now. Not a huge improvement, but we are enjoying it. :)

As you can see, Oliver loves his little pool, which we bought today. Indeed, summer has arrived and instead of having the radiators on, we now have fans on full-blast (especially in the rooms where the pregnant lady is trying to survive the heat :)

We also have a few chairs and a table outside, so we have eaten there a few times and looking forward to inviting people over and having a cookout. The best thing is that this part of our yard is completely private! Not that we have anything to hide, but you don't want all the neighbors (and their many dogs) staring at your dinner! :)

Name the baby contest

We just wanted to update you on the baby's development. As my father-in-law likes to say, there is progress! :) (see photo). I am 7 months along, so we have around 10 weeks left before the baby comes. Thankfully except for being more uncomfortable, I have no major problems.

As for names, we are still working on them! We do have some we both like, but we are open to more ideas! Because we are not finding out the sex and the names have to work in both languages, our job is a little difficult. So if you are feeling creative, help us!!! Send us your baby name suggestions!!! If you are not familiar with names in both languages, that's no problem.

You can leave a comment here or send us an e-mail. If you suggest a name we end up picking, you will receive an amount of fine Hungarian chocolate (or baby carrots, if you're on a diet! :) equal to the baby's birth weight!!! (We stole this idea from our dear friends Tony and Debbie Lemmon - thanks guys!) Just to encourage you, Oliver weighed 3.98 kg (8lb 12oz) at birth! :)

Looking forward to your great ideas!

Matthew, Melinda, Oliver, and the Little Anonymous Baby :)

Pre-school Bible club

Today we had the priviledge to help out at the pre-school Bible club one of the ladies of our church leads. Gabi (she is the one wearing a red shirt) is an amazing person, full of energy and on fire for the Lord and shines brightly in the pre-school she teaches at. All the children come from atheistic backgrounds, so this Bible club is probably the only place they get the chance to hear about God.

We walked to a nice area by a lake, had a picnic lunch, sang a few Bible songs and did some games for the kids. At the end, all the kids received a colorful Childrens' Bible and of course some candy. :)

Oliver also had a great time and enjoyed the big kids' company. We hope to be able to participate in more events in the future and support