Magyar Mullets March 2009 Newsletter

Dear Family and Friends,

We send our greetings from Hungary, the country, which according to a recent article on NBC world blog, is on the brink of ruin. We work at the level where we see lives that are in ruins on a daily basis. We also testify that Christ brings lives out of ruin and there are many people living here in the light of His glory and grace.

Thank you for praying for us this past month. We started the month of March with a few days in Chicago at the Orchard EFC mission’s weekend. From there we went to Springfield, MO for the annual Hungary Summit of partner churches. It was a spiritually refreshing and rewarding time of reconnection with some of our ministry partners.

We got back to Hungary the middle of the month. We took time to celebrate Jacob’s belated 16^th birthday at Iguanna’s Mexican restaurant and have been re-immersed in renovations and ministry events ever since.

The day after returning to Budapest, I met with the contractors doing some of the work on the building. Demolition of the ground floor public restroom started the next morning at 0700. The old Italian coffee machine we got from Sarajevo a couple years ago has been worth its weight in gold. I served little cups of powerful coffee to the gypsy demolition crew five times a day. Géza would be proud of me, I forced coffee on everyone from architects, engineers and directors to dumpster truck drivers, wheel barrow operators, and shovel wielders.

I’d kind of forgotten what a curiosity I am as a foreigner in these settings. One demo guy asked a Hungarian friend of mine named János: “Are all Americans so kind and engaging?” He said, “No, he gets that from being a slave of Christ; like Brad, I’m also a slave of Christ.” He went on to share the hope of salvation we have in Christ. János and I reminded ourselves later that day that our primary responsibility on this earth, for us in this renovation undertaking, is to share the gospel with whomever the Lord brings us into contact. Tearing out walls, cutting pipes, and hauling debris with gypsies are just the current occasions God has afforded the gospel a hearing. Next week it will be with a different crew who will start putting things back in. Praise God there’s another three months of this activitiy.

In Tükörhegy, we wrapped up the first Alpha Course last Thursday night with a celebration dinner, but we’re starting right away again for ten weeks on Wednesday nights. Please pray for our new team and new participants as God would bring them to mind. Every evening this last week in the ministry center, the Hungarian Evangelical Churches have hosted the Pro Christ European satellite simulcast from Germany. Pray that the Lord would add to our number daily those who are being saved.

We are grateful for you faithful support. We’ll be on home assignment from the end of June to the end of December, so we’re looking forward to seeing all of you.

Love in Christ,

Brad, for all of us.