Team from Romania

These past few days, our family was privileged to host had a group of five students and two teachers from the Baptist College International, located in Coșteium Romania. The goal of the visit was to assist with the Sunday School classroom we have been working on since the winter at the church in Szolnok, Hungary. The students were a blessing from helping with two picnic tables, helping to build the roof and walls on the classroom, and even distributing invitations to the summer English Bible Camp. During the Friday service, Florin Stanca did a terrific job teaching from Titus 2:11-14 "For the Grace of God". Then again on Sunday, his message was from 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 "Ye receive not the grace of God in vain". It was a blessing to have them for these few short days and looking forward to their next visit!

A Heidi Happy Birthday

Well, the youngest Mann child just turned 11. Time sure flies, doesn't it? She did not ask for much, but told Mom and Dad of her desire to have a strawberry cake mix. Unfortunately, Hungary does not have strawberry cake mix. Cake mix of any kind is hard to come by here. A very dear friend, Walter Stevens, brought over this cake mix during his travels to Hungary and Romania just for the birthday girl, and wow, was she excited! 

Vienna Weekend

Our ministry in Hungary has been going well and been very busy. Time for a break! This past weekend was a chance to get away as a family and take a bus to Vienna. Bus travel proved to be very comfortable and we were all able to nap comfortably on it for the three hour trip from Budapest. Too bad we couldn't travel that way during deputation! 

Time in Vienna flew by! We arrived Saturday at one in the afternoon. After we brought our bags to our accomodations for the night, we set off to see the sights. Dunkin Donuts was our first destination. This is the closest one to us from home. Perhaps Budapest will get one someday. The coffee and donuts were so good. 

Next stop was St Stephens. The architecture of this Catholic church was extraordinary! The carvings, and paintings were also quite the sight to see.

We rode the metro to different parts of the city to see what we could in our limited time and soon it was dinner time. We found a little place called the Chattanooga and enjoyed a nice meal. The diner actually reminded me of Cheddars which we often enjoyed in the States during deputation. 

Valentines Activities

Valentines Day was a fun time at church. The Bible lesson and craft in the monthly English Club were both centered around loving God who first loved us. In fact, the children made this weaved paper heart with 1 John 4:19 in the center: "We love him, because he first loved us." 

We also had a time for families to come out to church for food, fellowship, and fun it the Valentine's Family Afternoon. Here are some pictures from that event:

Snow in Szolnok

Where we live in Hungary does not get too much snow, but I really enjoy what we do get. One particular Sunday morning in Szolnok, the town where my family lives, we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground that continued to fall all day. The children and I had to go out at the earliest possible time to enjoy the snowy day. Here are some snow pictures I took during our ventures outside.

The Value of Time

This coming year, our family would like to encourage the church to realize the value of time, hence the theme of the year "Az idő értéke" in Hungarian. In Hungarian, only the past tense and present tense are used, so to get others to have a mindset of looking ahead to the future is a challenge. But nonetheless, the goal of the year is to get the people to realize that time is valuable and time is limited. As the poem says, "Only one life will soon be passed. Only what is done for Christ will last."

Christmas in the Nursing Home

The members of Biblia Baptisa Gyülekezet in Szolnok went out to visit the hospital residents and bring them some Christmas cheer. This is the hospital where Éva Ferenczi, the pastor's wife, works. We put together a gift for the hospital residents: a candy cane with this poem attached:

Look at the candy cane. What do you see? 

Stripes that are red like the blood shed for me! 

White for my Saviour who is sinless and pure. 

"J" is for Jesus, my Lord, that's for sure! 

Turn it around and a staff you will see. 

Jesus, my Shepherd, is coming for me! 

While distributing the gifts, the church members sang Christmas songs about the birth of our Saviour. The greatly enjoyed sharing this truth with the hospital residents, especially during the time of year when it is most difficult to be confined to a hospital.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." 

Luke 2:11