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!!!)