Magyar Mullets July 2006 Prayer Update

Dear Family and Friends,

Heartfelt greetings from Budapest, Hungary!

Our energy was expended in many memorable endeavors this past month to the praise of God. Our city team facilitated a two-week teen English camp with partners from Springfield and Jefferson City, Missouri, as well as a two-week children’s English camp with partners from Manhattan, Kansas. Both camps were laden with the good news of salvation found in Jesus Christ alone. Several campers that connected with Hungarian church members serving in the camps have already visited the church with their parents.

As part of the routine of being foreigners, we got new passports for Kelsey, Peter, and Jacob and then we all applied to extend our residence permits again. Pray that we’ll get a long-term extension and will be able to pick them up September 7^th. Kari and I celebrated our 22^nd anniversary a month late by spending a night at a castle in the hills 100km from Budapest. It was a pleasant getaway to a beautiful part of Hungary.

We’re thankful to have had Ted and Lorie Nickel stay with us from Springfield, Missouri, the first two weeks of July. Ted and I had several occasions to serve as two- men-and-a-Ford Transit in moving people and things. I enjoyed several days preparing a sermon and preaching the last Sunday of the month at the Kelenfold Evangelical Church. Summer attendance on Sunday mornings has not seemed to fall off like summers past.

There were several trials this past month as well. Our neighbor across the street lost his temper with us one night at 6:30pm over the noise from a bouncing basketball. We had voluntarily restricted ourselves several months ago to not play after 6pm (quiet hours from 10pm) for the sake of their “resting time” after work. On this evening we had a dozen teens over and they were all playing at 6:30. Apparently his anger had built up over the last year and he finally cracked—he came across the street screaming obscenities and throwing pieces of concrete at the fence. It was bizarre. The love of Christ prompted me to go over and talk to him after our guests went home. I heard him out. It was an ugly encounter that left us all very disheartened. We prayed about it, and I took the hoop down the next morning. Please pray for our hearts toward our neighbor and that this would open an occasion to both share the gospel and remind us to pray for all our neighbors. It’s a hard unilateral compromise for teens to understand. Until we find a solution, it’s sort of like fasting from basketball to remember to pray.

On a more encouraging note, we’ve had several leads for increased ministry from the Olimpia Ministry Center. Pray that God would lead another team, with which I recently met, to undertake our coffee house expansion and operation. We want it to coincide with the grand opening of the subway line outside the door. Pray for another undertaking upstairs in the lobby that would result in a large conference room, a couple of offices, and an additional training room. Pray God would send more laborers. Pray for us as we teach persistently and earnestly new believers as we incorporate them into KEGY and equip them for works of service so the body of Christ will be built up.

Kari and I will both travel to the U.S. to attend a wedding in Kansas in August. Kari will go early to help settle Whitney at College of the Ozarks and I will go later, and after the wedding visit churches in the Kansas City, Springfield, and Branson areas. Our three kids in Hungary will be on their own for five days until Kari returns. Thank you for praying for us and investing with us in the church in Hungary. We’re with you heart and soul.

With love,

Brad, for all of us.