Wheels #2

Well, we had to catch up with our Budapest relatives! Matthew has wanted to purchase a bycicle for a while, so that we would have a "second vehicle" in the family. After some extensive research, he bought one, along with a kid's seat and helmet (which Oliver calls "hubcat" - as in "hubcap" - for some reason :).

So now the boys can go for rides! The only thing missing is real spring and summer weather. It has been cool and rainy recently, so a couple of times Matthew and Oliver had to turn around and race back to the house so they wouldn't get soaked in the rain! :)

Baby news! :)

Many of you know Matthew's brother and his wife, Aaron and Jennifer. They are serving as humanitarian workers in Central Asia and they also were able to visit us this spring! :) They are more than family to us, we are very close and have shared wonderful times together in our Fort Wayne home, Bristol, Yosemite Valley, San Fransisco, and even in Chain-O-Lakes State Park (see picture).

Well, Aaron and Jen called the other day to announce that they are expecting their first baby in December!!! We were so excited for them and were just rejoicing by the computer (well, maybe not as much as another family member, who screamed so loud she got Skype disconnected! :)

They will be home for the birth from early November for about 6 months, so of course we are timing our visit to be able to spend time with them and our baby niece/nephew! :) We'll let you know about the details as we make decisions.

Please pray for Aaron and Jen, the Lord's protection over this pregnancy (modern clinics are not exactly on every street corner in their country) and their work in Asia.

Thanks!

The proud aunt, uncle, and cousin(s)

Wheels

Oliver loves to spend time with Melinda's parents, also known as Nagyi and Papa. In fact he is with them now for 2 days. Melinda is trying to finish up her work for a graduate degree in the summer, so her parents take Oliver sometimes so she can work.

Here we wanted to show you the new way of transportation Oliver uses. He just hops on and Papa takes him to the playground or to the tracks to look at trains. What a life! :)

Garage #1 - D-Day

Yesterday we invited Joska, Sandi, Kyle and Lynnette over for lunch. They also serve here in Hungary with OM. (Kyle and Lynnette's blog is worth visiting. Because of their fresh arrival to Hungary, they have a keen eye for cultural differences.)

Anyway, we told the boys to bring their hammers and nail pullers. We started the project of the renovating our yard - which currently is 80% covered with garages and concrete.

Garage #1 is now gone and I think that, at least for this summer, we have a terrace to hang out on.

So check out the photo album Garage #1 to see some photos. Thanks for looking.

~matthew

Easter Post Cards

We have known Arpi and Kata Miklos for quite a while - like 12 years now. But I would have never know, unless someone had told me, that Kata has quite an artistic gift. And you also would never have known - that's why I'm telling you know.

Check out her web site here.

We like her colors so much that we not only have a few on our wall, but we sent out a bunch of them in post card form to thank our support team and wish them a happy Easter. So if you received one, you'll be interested to check out the rest of her portfolio. And if you didn't get one, but would like to, just drop us a note and we'll send you one - while supplies last, of course.

Something about being understood

I just wanted to write this entry and help those of you in mono-lingual places understand something of the principle and somewhat complicated application of I Corinthians 14. The principle is this: everything should be understood by everyone present - as far as it is possible. This is a principle we cling to.

That's why at the Bible study in Ofalu last Tuesday, we were doing a lot of translating. There was a visiting group of Gypsies from Scandinavia passing through on a mission trip. They would normally be ministering in the Roma (Gypsy) language. But in Ofalu, few of the gypsies speak Roma. So it happened that when two of the men gave their testimonies - in Finnish! - it was translated to English, and finally to Hungarian - so that all present could understand.

That's also why I was translated three times last Wednesday at the Tatabanya Bible study. We had English speakers and two deaf ladies, along with all the Hungarians. The two deaf ladies had different needs, however: one used sign language, the other read lips. So, I taught in English, Melinda translated to Hungarian, and a signer signed. Melinda was not able to be close enough to the lip reader, so she also had her own personal "translator" who "lipped" silently the Bible study. Pretty wild, eh?

Incidentally, following the Bible study, Melinda and I were speaking with the deaf ladies. Melinda was curious and asked if I had an "accent." The one lady smiled and said, "yes." So, even though she could not hear what I was saying or how I spoke Hungarian, she could see from my lips that I was not a native Hungarian speaker! I never would've imagined!

So there it is - a principle in action. We wouldn't say this is "normal" for us, but it is not uncommon either.

The Lost Wallet

Here is another chapter of the Edwards family adventures. On Monday, Matthew was invited to lead worship at a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) event in Budapest. Because his parents were still here and were happy to spend a relaxing (?) evening with Oliver in our home, I (Melinda) accompanied my husband, which I always love to do whenever I get the chance.

We arrived downtown Budapest and found a parking spot (those living in this city know that this itself is no small success), got the gear from the car (guitar, amplifier, chord charts, etc. - I have no idea how Matthew does this without a "roadie" :) and rushed to the YWAM place, because we were running late. Matthew set up, we chatted with some people and he was ready to start. Then his cell phone rang. I was even thinking he shouldn't take that call "from the stage", but I sure am glad he did! It was a co-worker at the OM office, saying someone had called because he found Matthew's wallet by our car on the street!!! That itself was a miracle! I mean you lose your wallet on a main street in this 3-million city, it's history!!!

I quickly took the guy's phone number and called him. Indeed he had the wallet! We agreed to meet at the car, so I raced through the streets (pregnant belly and all :), meanwhile questions racing through my mind: Does he have everything from the wallet? Did he take some cash, and if so, how would I even know? Is he expecting a "reward", and if so, how much? How can I express our appreciation for this?

Soon after I arrived, three young people came riding their bikes and stopped at the car. We greeted each other and voila, one of them presented me with the wallet. I said thank you a million times and asked them how I could express my gratitude for this. They said it was not necessary and we said good-bye. I ran back, praising the Lord. We later checked and nothing was missing from the wallet: it had all Matthew's bank cards, driver's license, and about 15000 HUF and $500 in cash!!! These young people may have been angels! :)

Needless to say, we were ready to worship the Lord even more during the evening! :)

Stuck in Slovakia

We had an interesting (and somehat scary) thing happen to us last week. We went to visit a town in Slovakia, Komarno, which is just over the border, close to Tatabanya. We wanted Matthew's parents to see this beautiful town and also to be able to add another country on their list - without even boarding an airplane! :)

Well, all went well on the way there. We crossed the bridge between Hungary and Slovakia, had our passports stamped, took a nice walk in Komarno, had lunch, and headed back home.

At the border we were told to pull aside and wait (which happens all the time because of foreign passports. Citizens of Hungary and Slovakia, like Melinda, can just fly through with an ID because of the EU! :) A few minutes later the Hungarian border guard came back and said, very nicely but firmly, that Oliver won't be able to cross the border because he only has an American passport (without a visa!), and no proof of his Hungarian citizenship! From their perspective he is a foreign citizen in the country without a visa! I guess we should have thought of this, but we hadn't applied for his Hungarian passport thinking he already has a US one and it would only be good for 2 years anyway. The guard said that he understands the situation and believes that he is a Hungarian citizen, but he has to obey the law. I (Melinda) thanked him for his understanding and told him in no uncertain terms that I am not crossing the border without my baby! :)

We continued to wait and wait, meanwhile several border guards came to us with sympathetic looks on their faces and asked more questions. I gave them all the papers I had of Oliver (TAJ kartya and lakcimkartya, if you're a Hungarian reading this :) and they disappeared with these. More wait and prayers. I was thinking up different scenarios of staying in a Komarno hotel room with Oliver and applying to the consulate for an emergency passport, etc. Then the first border guard came back and told us they found him in their data base and indeed he is a dual citizen, if without a passport. We may cross the border!!! The sign on the bridge welcoming us to the Magyar Koztarsasag (Republic of Hungary) never looked so beautiful before! :)

PS: The picture was taken on another visit to Slovakia. You can see Oliver with his favorite kind of transportation, with a Hungarian town (Esztergom) across the Danube (and the border) behind him.

Moving to Tatabanya

In moments we'll be packing up the computer along with the last of our belongings. Last Wednesday, we had a great day moving the bulk of our stuff to the garage in Tatabanya. Jani, Peti and Laci - the three stooges from Esztergom came and helped. Things went very smoothly.

Tomorrow, we will go to church in Tatabanya. Afterward, we will invite the church over for a bit of fellowship, if you know what I mean. We will move the furniture and boxes from the garage into the house.

We will try and post a few more photos when we have a some, but for now, check out this photo. The house is kind of like a duplex with a shared driveway and roof. Our portion is left of the gate. From the outside, it's not much to look at, but the inside is cozy and suits our needs well.

We are so excited, but our excitement comes out in funny ways while packing. Sometimes it's laughing at finding some insignificant item thought to have been lost. Sometimes it's moping around the house wishing to be beyond all the work of sorting and cleaning. And yes, sometimes it's arguing about which box to pack dishes in.

No, moving is not our favorite thing to do. But we are certain that the last move will be the best one. We won't have to sort and pack. We won't have to work the mover for a better price. There will be no worrying over scratched furniture or broken picture frames. We won't need all these books we've been collecting. We will simply leave everything behind, knowing that we won't miss a thing.

Maranatha! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Have you heard?

We think we announced it to everyone around the world, but in case you haven't heard: we are expecting a baby!!! He or she will arrive at the end of the summer, a birthday gift for Oliver's 3rd.

We are thrilled about the new arrival and pray for protection and safe growth for the little one. According to the ultrasound, everything looks fine with the baby. We even saw and heard the heartbeat! Amazing!!!

Melinda is doing relatively well and Oliver talks about the baby quite a lot (he even says there is one in his tummy and sometimes when "his tummy hurts" he lays down with a blanket). :)

Thanks for rejoicing with us!!! 2006 looks like an exciting year for us! :)

Matthew, Melinda, Oliver and Baby