Magyar Mullets March 2010 Newsletter

Dear Family and Friends,

It is Easter Monday here in Hungary—a national holiday. Churches across Europe were full on Easter. It has always fascinated me that in Hungary they officially celebrate two days for the birth of Christ and two days for the resurrection of Christ. There is great knowledge of Christ and Christianity throughout Europe, but so many do not know the power of his resurrection. Tragically, that is in large part due to proclaimed Christians who don’t either.

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10- “That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection.” In George Whitefield’s words, “True believers not only profess to believe, but have felt the power of our blessed Lord's rising from the dead, by being quickened and raised by his Spirit, when dead in trespasses and sins, to a thorough newness both of heart and life.”

There are people who appear to be cleaned up by the knowledge of Christ, but whose hearts are still set on the affections of this world. There are also people who have been both cleaned up by the knowledge of Christ, and cleaned out and filled up by the power of Christ’s resurrection. The latter have renounced the corrupt inclinations of their hearts and are living for an eternal reward. Martin Luther said, “The only saving faith is that which casts itself on God for life or death.” Pray for more Hungarians to know Christ and the power of his resurrection this Easter.

Danube International Church moved into the ministry center as planned and things are going smoothly. A pagan friend of mine observed the crowd on Sunday morning and told me it would be easy to steal everything from them. He’s 45 years old. With warmer weather, there is increased activity outside the doors of our coffee house terrace. I’m seeing more graffiti, more trash, and more decay—pray that I will see and attend to more souls. They will take down the construction fence and start putting the street back in at the end of the month.

This week is the Hungary Summit. Our guests start arriving today from Chicago, St. Louis, and Springfield, MO. We’ll take a tour of our new subway station, eat goulash, pray over the city and for church plants, listen to testimonies and ministry presentations, tour areas of the city, and inquire of the Lord concerning our future assignments. We will be few, about 17, but the gathering will be wonderful and the activities memorable. Please pray for the outreach we have planned for April 9^th . For fiscal reasons, we’ve adjusted our plans to have a short program with finger-food reception to thank everyone who was involved in building renovations in 2009.

Thank you for praying. We’re praising God for our new residence permits valid for five years. Jacob is happy it’s the last one he’ll need. I’m happy I’ll only have to fill out papers for Kari and I from now on. We also picked up our new driver’s licenses. It feels so good to be current with all of our documents. God is always good. This past month we celebrated Jacob’s 17^th birthday. Kari enjoyed her birthday with a little road trip to Poland with some ladies shopping for pottery.

Thank you for your partnership with us in the gospel!

He is risen indeed,

Brad, for all of us.