2020 Christmas Tree

My family has had a variety of Christmas trees throughout the years. There have been a few real ones, but for the most part, they have been fake. Yet with all the moving we've done for ministry, we have not been able to hang on to any one fake tree from one year to the next. This year, my husband surprised me with a nine foot pre-lit Christmas tree. It's beautiful! It's the prettiest I've ever owned! The nice tall ceiling in our bedroom and huge window is the perfect spot to display this beauty of a tree!

Many have claimed 2020 to be the worse year ever. But there is still so much good that has happened and we must not cease to count our blessings in the midst of the difficulties. I want to focus on the blessings, including my new Christmas tree :) 

This is the Day which the Lord Hath Made

     This past Thursday was Thanksgiving. While we should give thanks for all things every day of our lives, this special holiday serves as a reminder to give thanks continually. Here are just a few things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1.) Family! What could a Thanksgiving day be without family?! It has been wonderful being with my family as much as we have: deputation, living on the field, traveling together, ministering together, etc. This is the first period in our lives since starting deputation where we are separated during the days: the kids are now in school and Jason and I are building sheds to pay for school. I can hardly believe I only have a few short years left with my children when they will be leaving the nest and starting their own journeys the Lord has planned for their lives! 

2.) Ministry! The picture above was taken in the last town my family lived in Hungary: Szombathely. I am thankful for the time He allowed us to serve in the country. It was wonderful to minister there and it will always hold a special place in my heart!

3.) Salvation! 2020 has certainly been a difficult year for many, but I can not imagine going through life without knowing Christ as Saviour. I am thankful that I can have a personal relationship with Him! 

We each have much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Qualities of a Good Friend

 

1 Samuel 18:1 — 1 Samuel 18:4

1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 

2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. 

3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 

4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

Friendships like that of Jonathan and David are rare these days. When they are discovered, it's in the best interest of each friend to cherish it and not take it for granted. Two people can be friends even if they are very different. Jonathan was a prince. David was a shepherd boy and a harp player for the king. It’s kind of like peanut butter and jelly. They are very different. One is sweet. One is salty. But even though they are very different, they go wonderful together! 

What makes a good friendship? Well, one thing we can see about the friendship of David and Jonathan from verse one is that Jonathan loved David as his own soul. Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Friends don’t always agree on every single thing, but even when they don’t agree, they can still love each other.

Another thing that makes a good friend can be found in verse three, “Jonathan and David made a covenant”. A covenant is basically a promise and when you make a promise, you do anything that you can to keep that promise. A good friend is one who says what he means and means what he says.

And the third thing we can see from these verses that makes a good friend is a friend is someone who is a giver. Friends shouldn’t constantly be taking from others but giving. We can see from John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave…” God, as our example, gave to show His love for us.

Reaching Europe

Check out our new ministry video! 

    Reaching Europe is the type of ministry that, as our pastor says, "Missionaries love it! Pastors don't understand it. This is the biggest challenge for Reaching Europe." 

Our desire is to clarify the ministry through this video:

https://youtu.be/j6TxGfXjTT8

A World We Never Touch

    Today, my husband and I ran into the store to grab a few items for dinner. I noticed one lady on a few occasions making her way speedily down the one-way isles with her mask and disposable gloves on. She took no notice of the people around her other than to avoid them as though she had an actual 6-foot pole in her hands. We managed to make it to the self check out lane the same time she did. When the man directly behind her ventured too close, she extended her hand to warn him not to proceed any further. When the associate in charge of the self-checkout station passed by her, she quickly moved to the other side of her shopping cart to maintain her distance.  She looked increasingly agitated whenever someone did not observe proper social distancing     It really is sad that Covid 19 has produced people fearful of each other. While watching that one paranoid lady in the store, I could not but help thinking of that song that says, "How can we reach a world we never touch? How can we show them Christ if we never show them love? Just to say we care will never be enough. How can we reach a world we never touch?" This song, of course, is talking about missions. It refers to getting wrapped up in our comfort zones, serving in our local church, but not allowing our reach to extend past that. The incident in the store made me think literally our world has become one we "never touch". If you don't maintain social distancing, you do not care about other people. You are being selfish and unsafe if you don't wear your mask. Keep glass barriers between yourself and the people you serve for safety's sake.Literally, a world we never touch.    Praise the Lord, when Christ walked among men that He did not social distance. He wrapped children in loving arms, touched blind eyes, and healed those who. likewise, reached for Him as the woman who was sick for twelve years had. No 6-foot rule. No masks. No social distancing.    We have heard this verse quoted often since March when the pandemic hit: 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Instead of fearing our fellow men, we need to reach out to them, not physically, but a kind word does go a long way. Everyone is so fearful of catching this virus that kindness has gone out the window. This is no way to live.     After that woman finally secured her lone spot at the self-checkout, my husband caught the eye of another customer making his purchase. He tugged his mask down, and said: "I just wanted you to see I am smiling at you."
    The man's face lit up as he too tugged his mask down and reciprocated the gesture with his own big grin. 
    Such a simple exchange, but my husband is a wise man (Mann). He knows that you can't reach a world you never touch.

Pride Vs. Humility

Proverbs 16:18-19 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

    While preparing to teach some children on the topic of humility, I decided I would share some thoughts here I had on the topic. When considering which Bible passage to share with the group of 1st-3rd graders, I considered Jesus washing His disciples' feet. He wonderfully displayed humility as an example to us in this portion (John 13:15). But the more I thought about it, it seemed more appropriate for this age group to show the opposite quality to clarify the focus on humility: pride. And what better picture of pride versus humility is there than the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector? 

Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

PRIDE

    Jesus always had a purpose in sharing the parables He did. His listeners comprised of a group that was trusting in their own righteousness. They thought they were better than others whom the Bible says they despised (fairly harsh word, don't you think?).

Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

    At first, to the listener, it may seem as though the Pharisee was the better of the two men anyway. After all, no one likes a publican (a tax collector). We can see in Matthew 9:11 that the publicans did not have a very good reputation And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?"

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

    Wow. What an example of a pride-filled person! The person filled with pride puts others down in order to lift himself up. The worse part of his prayer is that the publican probably heard what the Pharisee was saying about him as he showily brought his prayer to the Lord.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

    Now the Pharisee is boasting of all the good things he does. So (1) he put others down and (2) he lifts himself up. Sounds like he's headed for a hard fall if he doesn't change his ways. I think there's a verse somewhere about that. Oh, yes: Proverbs 16:18-19.

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Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

HUMILITY

    This guy, on the other hand, in his spirit of humility won't even lift his eyes. He recognizes his sinful condition and is humble enough to admit it. That's what makes pride so harmful. A person is so reliant on themself and what they do that they can't recognize their sinfulness and need for the Saviour! 

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

    Basically, here is the two-part conclusion:

(1) He who lifts up himself will be abased (or humiliated). 

(2) He who humbles himself will be exalted (or honored).

I know I don't want to be in that first category! So what does it take to humble ourselves? Well, recognize that we are sinners and that He is the Saviour! Without Him, we could never save ourselves. So if He can humble Himself and wash the feet of His disciples, how much more should we humble ourselves?

Father's Day

Last Sunday was Father's Day. I read the following excerpt in a book and thought it was a nice story to go with honoring fathers everywhere :

I have a memory of my father teaching me to climb the stairs. He had taken me by the hand and was helping me up. By the third step, I had froze: I could not go up. I could not go down." No!" I said with all the vehemence of a child.
My father did not force me to go on. He tousled my hair and said, "That's all right, Son. You did well to come this far. He picked me up in his arms and carried me the rest of the way. Carried me safe. It never occurred to me that I had failed. I felt like the king that had conquered three steps by myself. That is what fathers do. They see how far you have come and cheer you so you will learn to go the rest of the way.

Thank you to fathers everywhere for cheering on your children! And thank you to our Heavenly Father who carries us safely in His loving arms.

Budapest During a Pandemic

In May, my family was able to do a bit of sightseeing in Budapest. The coronavirus threat still had many businesses shut down, but as regulations were lifting, those businesses that could open were starting to. But there was still one thing missing from the normal sights of Budapest - tourism.

Walking around Heroes Square was strange. This area normally packed full of tourists taking pictures and listening to the speeches of tour guides was empty. How strange it was to be able to take our own pictures with no crowds of people!

The Buda Castle had a bit more activity, mostly of families looking for a day trip with their out of school children, but it was still not the usual amount of visitors.

Laura's Youtube Channel

     My daughter, Laura, has a Youtube channel featuring her two dogs, Winston and Walle. She is striving to get subscribers, so please click on the following link and hit the subscribe button. Thanks for helping her out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGsCbEtjVI

Cast Your Care

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

At this time, the whole world is fighting against a virus that has left no one unaffected by it. Schools are closed down and any nonessential businesses. Grocery stores, pharmacies and doctors' offices remain open. Everyone is asked to stay at home as much as possible. 

I think we will be able to look back on this time similar to how we look back on 9-11. "Where were you during the coronavirus of 2020?" It will be a story to tell the grandchildren when they learn about it in history class for sure! But hopefully, we will be able to tell our grandchildren that we put our trust in the Lord when fear and panic permeated the news and social media. Coronavirus did not take Him by surprise. What good does fearing and fretting do anyway? 

Let's resolve to cast our cares on Him for He does care for us!

This picture was posted today (3/31/20) showing the number of people with the virus in Hungary.
40 have recovered and 20 have died from the virus so far.

17 Years!

Today Jason and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary! Getting to walk through life with him has been such a blessing and I look forward to what else this God has in store for us. 

Our honeymoon was spent at Niagara Falls where we purchased a wooden sign with the well-known quote by Robert Browning carved on it: "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be". That wooden sign has hung at every place we have ever lived, including in our van during deputation. Somehow, during our last move, the sign has become misplaced. Hopefully, it is safely tucked away in our storage unit, but neither of us has a definite memory of that being the case. 

And so, I recreated the sign into a picture to present to Jason today. Hopefully, the original one turns up, but until then, this one can hang in our home!

Update : found it! Margie Schnell came across it from our time at BBTI and returned it to me! Yay!

Saturdays in Hungary

Saturday's in Hungary has become quite a special day of the week for our family. As soon as the sun has melted the frost that accumulates on fidgid winter mornings, we pack up into the family vehicle and head to a town, often with our two dogs in tow, and spend time spreading gospel seed into the community. When while there, it is a chance to visit places we have not yet seen, and try new coffee shops, a family favorite. Yesterday took us to Zalaegerszeg, a town an hour south of our home. 

Micah and Heidi posing for a picture with these two statues engaged in a game of chess. Laura seemed to avoid pictures today whenever I stopped to take one 😄

Heidi and Micah ordered this white hot chocolate from the sweetest coffee shop I have ever visited! Even my sugar free latte did not taste sugar free 🥴