Magyar Mullets July 2011 Prayer Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Since arriving on home assignment a month ago, we’ve made our way through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Minne­sota, Illinois, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Da­kota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.

There wasn’t a day that I didn’t find myself humming or singing the poem written by Katharine L. Bates in about 1894 entitled Pikes Peak and was later applied to music written much earlier by Samuel A. Ward. The music was first published as America the Beautiful in 1910.

O beautiful for spacious skies,For amber waves of grain;For purple mountain majestiesAbove the fruited plain!America! America!God shed His grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhood,From sea to shining sea.

O beautiful for heroes provedIn liberating strife,Who more than self their country loved,And mercy more than life!America! America!May God thy gold refine,Till all success be nobleness,And every gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dreamThat sees beyond the yearsThine alabaster cities gleam,Undimmed by human tears!America! America!God mend thine every flaw,Confirm thy soul in self control,Thy liberty in law.

I’m always struck by the massive expanse of my home country and the limitless opportunities around every bend, but this time my mind was preoccupied by several observations—the abundant amount of soil, seed, and water everywhere; the size of fields that were already harvested; and the size and number of grain bins everywhere.

God kept redirecting my thoughts to one conclusion: I must sow and water, while leaving the soil and growth to God, but then I must return to labor in the harvest. Last week while driving east from Montana through North Dakota and on south through South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, we saw the machinery used for sowing. We saw incredible watering and irrigation systems. We saw thousands of acres of growing crops. Over a couple days of praying and driving, God returned our thoughts to His assignment for us. Lord willing, with full support, we must return to Hungary to sow and water, and to live and labor in the harvest field there. God forbid that we store up seed and forgo sowing, or that we ration water or sleep through the harvest.

We understand our calling requires sacrifice and we are counting the cost:

· We haven’t a home of our own, but we are at home with God’s people in their homes.

· We are far removed from kids and eventually grandkids, but we are with them as God provides opportunities.

· Our older daughter Whitney and husband Clint will have a baby girl in December.

· Our second daughter Kelsey and fiancé Eli will marry in October before we return to Hungary.

· Our two sons, Peter and Jacob, will both be atttending College of the Ozarks.

We are deeply grateful for the sacrifices you make in order to send us to Hungary and to provide for our labor there. It is a privilege to represent you.

In Christ,

Brad and Kari