Wheelchair ramp at Geza's house continued

Geza drilling holes to mount the column support.

Geza checking out the new deck and carrying around a lightbulb so we can finish screwing it down.

We got all the wheelchair ramp assembled and in place for use today. The wheelchair was delivered this afternoon. Thank you all who made donations for the materials, we have just over $500 left to raise. Géza and his wife Piroska are so thankful for God's provision of the wheelchair and the access ramp and deck to their front door. We were able to find the special non-slip surfaced plywood for half-price. Stewart fastened it to the frames we built last weekend. We have the rail to finish yet, but I have extra railing slats that we can use on it.

The Double Géza Factor

Last Saturday, we started the wheel chair ramp project. I drove to my 80 year old friend's house in 30 minutes. In traffic, it's an hour and a half adventure. His name is Géza (you can pronounce that like "Gay-zuh"). From here on out I'm going to stick with the English alphabet and just type Geza. He's been my dearest work colleague for seven years. His son, also named Geza, showed up a few minutes after I did. Of course any work at his house begins with a farmer breakfast: 5 eggs and sliced sausage in a frying pan and a couple slices of bread. (the equivalent of 15 slices of Wonder Bread). His wife, named Piroska, boasted she's never had a bowl of cereal in her life. They like to poke fun at me for eating cereal.

We got right to work when the son arrived--fighting over where to mount the posts to the concrete, where to dig holes and pour concrete. When things got quiet again I asked the question: should lecso (a special hungarian dish) have tomatoes in it or not? Geza thinks it should not and his son thinks it should. The argument ensues.

Thank God my friend Roger showed up shortly after and he could guide one man and I the other. They worked on building the frames for the ramps while Geza and i worked on post placement and measurements. We had a traditional Hungarian gulyas lunch--thin broth meat stew with potatoes, carrots, dumplings, and more bread. It was a cold day, so the hot soup hit the spot. This week we'll try and get it finished. The store that had the strong non-skid plywood disappeared, so I'm in search of surface materials.

things this week

Orsi preparing for a long celebration of Christmas in our new conference room.























Zoli working on the design of a ramp and deck for Geza bacsi's wife. Stay tuned on the progress of this project.

Progress on the Underground

They're getting ready to pour another level to the subway station outside our building. There's a whole lot of concrete and rebar going into this thing.

To the left is the progress being made on the METRO 4 subway line of the Budapest underground transportation system. The picture above is the reinforcing they put in the hole where the gas line blew up and and they had a cave in. Wild stuff.

Magyar Mullets October 2007 Newsletter

Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for praying for us—we know God hears and answers. October came and went in a flash; for a couple cold days we thought December had arrived. We don’t see too many leaves change colors, but some of the brightest red ones are on the fence in front of the house. It makes me miss sugar maples in Missouri this time of year.

The boys had their last soccer game of the season. Basketball season starts in a week. Both of them are involved in a mid-week Bible study and Peter is still a faithful member of the worship team. I think Jacob grew six inches over the summer and is increasingly difficult to keep fed. The past couple weekends we’ve worked together to paint, fix, and customize things around home. It feels good to get the house in order.

I’ve been over to Géza’s house several times to install handicap fixtures for his wife. She had to have her leg amputated this past summer and came home from the rehab hospital last week. I helped him enlarge the door to the shower (shown here unfinished), for her wheelchair. The State is subsidizing the purchase of an electric wheel chair and the church has collected an offering to pay their part. A bunch of guys from the church will get together and build a ramp and deck on the front of their house for wheel chair access.
Kari is up to her eyeballs in financial book work from the ministry center renovation and programs this past summer and fall. Kevin and Cheryl Hill (volunteers from Vancouver http://www.thehills2007.blogspot.com/ ) have been God-sends to help us out with everything the past few months. They are inquiring of the Lord concerning a long term commitment to missions work in Europe. Another couple, Roger and Sally Eales, came out of retirement for 90 days to direct our English Outreach ministry while our Canadian colleagues are on home assignment. God so faithfully provides laborers for His harvest field. Thank you for praying and sending them.

Wonderful events: A couple of the elders in our church announced with their small group that they intend to meet one Sunday a month in South Pest in hopes that a new church will be planted in their neighborhood.

Kari and I have also started meeting with a small group on Friday nights. We’re praying this will become a core group for a church plant in another part of the city. Our association board met in the city of Veszprém this past month at a new Christian school one of our churches founded. It was a great encouragement to see the ministry this church has undertaken with help from the other Hungarian Evangelical Churches.
§ Please pray for our teammates: Humphrys and Lemmons who are/ will be in intensive language classes this fall.
§ Mark your calendars for the Hungary Summit which will be held in Budapest this year March 6-8, 2008—this event will afford our supporters and supporting churches an on-site look at our ministries—more information to come.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Brad, for all of us