6 hónap/months!

Benjamin is 6 months old today! It's amazing that we've had him in our family for half a year already! We've enjoyed him a lot!!! :) We thank God that He has entrusted these two great kids into our care for these few years - a huge responsibility and challenge, yet we are loving it! :)

Here is some statistics about BG Boy:
20 lb, 28 in
2 teeth
Sits well with support, not much interest in rolling over yet (not easy to move that chubby body, according to our pediatrician :)
Still nurses but has tried some solid foods too (with varying success rates :)
Favorite activities: smiling at people, bathtime and giggling with big brother, making funny sounds, and chewing on whatever he can get a hold of

Benjámin ma 6 hónapos! Szinte hihetetlen, hogy már fél éve a családunk tagja. Nagyon élvezzük a társaságát! Hálásak vagyunk Istennek, hogy ránk bízta ezt a két klassz gyerkőcöt erre a pár évre - hatalmas felelősség de nagyon szeretjük ezt a feladatot! :)

Imhol néhány adat BG Babáról:
9,1 kg, 72 cm
2 fog
Jól ül segítséggel, az átfordulás még nem nagyon izgatja (nehéz mozgatni ezeket a sonkákat a gyerekorvosunk szerint :)
Kedvenc kaja: még mindig az anyatej, de már megpróbálkoztunk pár gyümölccsel is (vegyes a fogadtatás :)
Kedvenc időtöltései: mosolygás az emberekre, fürdés és rötyögés bátyussal, furcsa hangok kiadása, és minden kezébe kerülő dolog megrágása

Olivér

Olivér mai aranyköpéseiből publikálnék most kettőt.

Az egyik bögrén van egy kép a Parlamentről. Olivér pakol ki a mosogatógépből és kérdezi, mi az, mondom, a Parlament Budapesten.
Mire ő: Ott alszanak a vonatok?
Gondolkozom, hogy lehet egy három és fél évesnek megmagyarázni a politikai életet...
Én: Nem, Olivér, az a ház, ahol az okos bácsik vannak (?!), akik a főnökök az országban.
Mire ő (tök komolyan): Ott van Daddo? (az apját hívja így :)
Úgy látszik, sikeresen megtanítottuk neki, ki a főnök! :))

Lefekvés, puszi, mire Olivér elgondolkodik:
Mama, az elefánt hogyan ad puszit a feleségének?

Here are two cute dialogues with Oliver from today.

There is a picture of the Hungarian Parliament building on one of our cups. As Oliver is unloading the dishwasher he asks me what that is. I tell him that it's the Parliament in Budapest.
He asks: Is that where the trains sleep?
I am thinking of how to explain politics to a three and a half year old...
I say: No, Oliver, that's where the smart men (?!) meet, who are bosses of our country.
He says (with the most serious face): Is that where Daddo is? (He calls his dad Daddo)
Seems like we were successful at teaching him who the boss is! :)

Before going to bed we exchange hugs and kisses and he asks:
Mama, how does the elephant give kisses to his wife?

Tuned in and turned in!

The Sunday Evening youth service last week went really well. It was great to hear from a few of you that you actually tuned in. Someone even wrote that they watched it in Panera Bread on their WiFi. Another friend said he pulled out his guitar and sang along - at least on the English songs. If you missed it, don't worry, I'll probably be doing this about once a month.

But I have to tell you what happened after and how the Lord provided for me: It was already about 10 pm. I packed up my guitars and headed out to the car, which was parked right in from of the church on one of the busiest streets in Budapest.

First I noticed a small post-it note on my wind screen, which had three words on it, "Gong Söröző Gyere," which translated means, "Gong Bar Come." I didn't know who was inviting me out, it was late, I was tired and so I wadded up the note and stuck it in my pocket.

While my hand was in my pocket, I started looking for my keys - my keys! I took my guitars and bags back into the church and opened each one then double checked my pockets. I even went back and checked the stage. After double checking my bags and triple checking my pockets, I remembered the note.

Back on the street, I spy the "Gong," a dive that I've had coffee in many times but never knew the name. The waitress handed me my keys when I showed her the note. Image that, in Budapest. I either left the keys in the trunk lock or dropped them on the ground. Upon finding them, the person didn't just drive off with our car. The Lord provided. Wow!

If it was you who turned my keys in, thanks!

Nagyon jól sikerült a vasárnap esti alkalom múlt héten! Képzeljétek, pár amcsi ismerősünk is nézte/hallgatta Mattet az interneten keresztül! Nem semmi! Ha lemaradtatok róla, semmi gond, úgy néz ki, Matt havonta egyszer fogja vezetni ezt az alkalmat.

De ami utána történt, az egy még fantasztikusabb történet arról, hogy Isten hogyan gondoskodott rólunk! Az alkalom után Matt be akarta rakni a cuccait a kocsiba, hogy indul hazafele Tatabányára. Már este 10 óra volt, mindez Pest egyik legforgalmasabb utcáján, a Blahán, a Golgota gyüli előtt. Keresi a zsebében, a táskában, a gitártokban, sehol nincsenek a kulcsai! Ötször megnézi, semmi. Akkor jutott eszébe, hogy amikor kiment a kocsihoz, akkor oda volt tűzve egy kis cetli, hogy menjen a Gong Sörözőbe. Akkor azt hitte, hogy egy ismerőse invitálja, de mivel nagyon késő volt és fáradt volt, a cetlit csak a zsebébe gyűrte. De lehet, hogy van valami kapcsolat a cetli és az elveszett kulcs között? Hősünk a söröző felé veszi az irányt, aholis a pincérnő a cédula bemutatása után átnyújtja neki a kocsink kulcsait!!! Nem semmi!!!! Budapest belvárosában, késő este! Nem tudjuk, mi történt pontosan, a kulcs valószínűleg a zárban maradt vagy leesett a földre, és a megtaláló nem élt a tálcán kínált alkalommal, hogy elhajtson a járgányunkkal, hanem leadta a kulcsot. Isten gondoskodott rólunk - wow!!!

Ha Te voltál az, aki leadta a kocsikulcsot, nagyon köszönjük!!! :)

Tune in this Sunday!

Hello one and all,

I just wanted to let you know of a rare opportunity to hear/see me in action here in Hungary. I've been asked to lead worship at a Sunday Evening youth service tomorrow, Feb 18th. Here's the cool thing, it will be broadcast through an online radio station. We will start at 7 pm our time, which will be 1 pm Eastern Standard Time or 10 am on the West Coast.

I'll be singing mainly in Hungarian, but there are a couple songs I will do in English. The Bible Study is being taught by a missionary here and translated into Hungarian, so you'll be able to understand. We'll do about 45 min of worship right up front and another 15 minutes at the end. I'm excited that I get to play with some real killer musicians. So if you can, tune in . . this is how . . .

go to www.golgotaradio.hu

click Élő Közvetítés button in the banner

then you will see vasarnap este and a choice for 24kbs or 128kbs - choose one of those for audio

If you'd like to see the video feed, which may or may not be very good, click vagy kattints ide further down the page.

I hope you'll join me if you can.

Blessings! ~matthew

Songs/Dalok

Some of you mentioned that you missed Matthew's program and would like to listen to it. Well, thanks to technology you can hear and even see three songs online! Just go to www.vasarnapeste.hu. On the main page click on "belépés" (enter), then "archív" on the banner. You can download the songs under Matt's picture ("Daddo, are you waiting for the bus?" asked Oliver). There is one by Charlie Hall (Beautiful of Heaven), one by the fantastic Gloworms from Indiana (My God is a great big God) and one written by Matthew (To see your face). You English-speakers are lucky that they picked three English language songs :)). If you have time, feel free to browse through the other programs. There are some neat bands up there as well as the gospel choir of the Budapest church (Golgota Gospel Kórus). They are great! :) Hope this works - enjoy the songs!

Néhányan kérdeztétek, hol lehet hallani azokat a dalokat, amiket Matt énekelt két hete. A csúcstechnológiának köszönhetően meghallgathattok, sőt megnézhettek három dalt a www.vasarnapeste.hu oldalon! A belépés után kattintsatok fölül az "archív" gombra és máris láthatjátok a három dalt Matt képe alatt ("Daddo, várod a buszt?" kérdezte Olivér :). Bocs, de épp három angol dalt választottak, pedig magyarok is voltak! :) Az egyik Charlie Hall dala (Beautiful of Heaven), másik a fantasztikus Gloworms együttesé Indianából (My God is a great big God), a harmadikat pedig Matt írta (To see your face). Ha van időtök, nézzétek meg a többi dalt is - vannak klassz együttesek meg a budapesti Golgota Gospel Kórus. Nagyon jók! :) Reméljük, ez működik - jó szórakozást!

Espresso

Most of you know that I've been known to drink a little coffee. But what I really like is espresso. I've been saving some money out of any honorarium I've received so that someday I can buy a quality espresso machine. But in the meantime, I think I have a cheap solution.

I was a bit skeptical as this coffee press is made by a company that makes frisbees and boomerangs. But after two weeks of use, I have gotten the hang of it. I can make acceptable espresso at home without much effort. Check it out here.

The most important factor that I have found in getting good results from this press that the coffee needs to be ground to almost a powder. But the best thing is that it is easy to clean.

While I'm obsessing about coffee, allow me to tell you about the gourmet coffee that they serve here in Tatabanya's only coffee shop. It has a shot of espresso, dark chocolate syrup and spicy ground black pepper! It's awesome. Try it at home, or if you're in Ft. Wayne, go to Old Crown and ask for it from Patrick.

~matthew

Eszter!!!

Our pastor, Jani, and his wife, Kata, had their baby yesterday!!! It's a girl!!! Her name is Eszter. Mommy and baby are doing great. We can't wait to see the new addition! :)

Tegnap megérkezett lelkipásztorunk, Jani, és felesége, Kata, kislánya! Eszternek hívják, 2950 g, 50 cm. Mama és baba jól vannak. Alig várjuk, hogy megismerjük a kis csöppséget!!!

superbowl

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts! I watched the game here in our living room while preparing chord charts for this week. It was a pretty exciting beginning and I'm pleased with the end - though I think I could've lived without it. I will certainly regret this tomorrow. In Hungary, Superbowl Sunday is actually Superbowl in the middle of Sunday night/Monday morning. It's now 4 am and I'm ready for bed. Also, for those who are curious, the game was commentated by Hungarians in Hungarian with no commercials - Superbowl without commercials? yeah! I did get to see Prince at half time and thought Purple Rain was an appropriate song to sing. One more item of interest - Don Schula? - Hungarian. Goodnight! ~matthew

Panda

Somebody shared this video with us. It's too cute not to pass it on! :)

Hope you are all doing well. We are great, adjusted, and back to the full swing of life and ministry here. Benjamin, however, has not been very well. He is teething and got his shots, so he has been quite miserable...poor thing. He is normally such a healthy, happy little fellow that seeing him like this is quite a contrast...

Egy ismerősünktől kaptuk ezt a videót és nem tudtam megállni, hogy fel ne tegyem ide is. Cuki, nem? :) Egyébként remélem, mindenki jól van. Itt minden rendben, visszazökkentünk a régi kerékvágásba és teljes gőzzel beindult az élet meg a szolgálat. Sajnos Benjámin kicsit maga alatt van, jön a foga és oltást is kapott, úgyhogy elég elesett szegénykém. Általában kicsattan az egészségtől és nagyon vidám kis fickó, úgyhogy elég furcsa most így látni...

Drummer boy/Kisdobos

Check out this video of a 4-year-old Polish drummer boy. He is good! :) In fact this has become Oliver's favorite video. He watches it as many times as we let him and has decided that he would like to be a drummer! Moreover, he decided Benjamin will be a drummer too and they will have a drumset where both of them play at the same time (yes, send on those earplugs! :) Then they will ask for the car keys and go to a place where they can learn how to play the drums - Oliver will drive and Benjamin will be in his car seat. As you can tell, he has quite an imagination! :)

Kattintsatok ide és nézzétek meg ezt a 4 éves lengyel dobos kissrácot! Nagyon ügyes! :) Ez a videó Olivér kedvence és annyiszor megnézi, ahányszor csak megengedjük neki. Sőt elhatározta, hogy dobos lesz! De nemcsak ő, hanem Benjámin is, és egy olyan dobszerkójuk lesz, amin mindketten egyszerre tudnak játszani (igen, szükségem lesz pár füldugóra! :) Aztán elkérik az autónkat és elmennek egy dobos iskolába - Olivér vezet és Benjámin ül a babaülésben. Amint látjátok, fantáziában nincs hiány! :)