I am finally getting settled in here.  Well, that is only half true.  I am settled in an apartment now, but in the beginning of September, I will be moving again.  I will be moving into the apartment of one of the Christians who is leaving the country.  This will help both of us out because she will not have to sell all of her things and it will help me because this apartment will be cheaper than the one I am in now. 
 I hope that this will be one of the last moves that I will make.   So far, I have lived in four places since I arrived in July.  This will be the fifth and probably the last.  I soon hope to have a permanent address and phone number.  At the end of the newsletter, I have put both my present address and the one that I will have after September 7.

The Newsletter

 This month is the second newsletter.  Last month’s newsletter was very short with only a little information.  This month I wanted to write a little more and a have title.  The title for the newsletter will be “Mustard Seed.”  (Read the next article to find the reason for the title.)
 One thing that I want to do every month is to have an article titled, “Culture Corner” which discusses an aspect of Hungarian culture.  Sometimes it will be serious and other times it will be like this month, not so serious.  But it will give you an idea of how the culture in Hungary is different from that of the U.S.A.
 I will also have articles that will let you know how the church, in Debrecen and in Hungary over all, is doing.  From time to time, I will include a prayer list.  It will have important things that I am remembering in prayer and I hope that you will remember, too.  I hope that you find these newsletters to be enjoyable and interesting.

Mustard Seed

 The New Testament uses the symbol of the mustard seed in two ways.  First, Jesus makes a parallel between the mustard seed and the kingdom of Heaven.  Second, he relates faith to the size of the mustard seed.  The second  is the meaning I will be using for my newsletter.  

 In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Then in Luke 17:6, he said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
 The idea that Jesus expresses here is one that is very important in my life, and  I think that it was important in Jesus’ life.  In the English Bible School (EBS) that we finished at the beginning of August, we taught from the book of Luke.  In studying this book I was able to see the importance of faith in the life of Jesus.  Now I am studying the book of John with a few others and I see the idea of faith in John as well.

 Every day I put my faith in God that everything that I do will go well.  Just coming over to Hungary was a big step of faith.  It reminds me of the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusades.  Indiana is trying to save his father by getting the Holy Grail.  He gets to one point, and he sees this big gorge that has no way across.  He had to take a step of faith to find out that there really was an invisible bridge to walk across.

 Sometimes in life that is what we have to do.  When I decided to come to Hungary, it took a step of faith.  Then when I got on the plane with a one-way ticket, it took a bigger step.  I knew that I did not have all the money that I needed and that I was not fully ready to be a missionary.  However, I trusted in God and took the step of faith off the gorge.  And I have found that God is with me and I know that He will be with me each and every day.

 With faith like a mustard seed, I can do anything.  Because of my faith in God, He will see me safely over anything that comes my way.  The reason that I chose, ‘Mustard Seed,’ as the title of my newsletter is because every day is a step of faith.  I know that with faith in God I can do everything that I set out to do and more.  I pray that we all can have faith the size of a mustard seed.

The Church in Hungary

 Right now everything is winding down for the summer.  In a few days, schools will start and the summer will officially be over.  Both Chuck and I are still conducting studies with students from the EBS.  The school was a big success.  We had 360 that registered for classes and many of them are interest in studying more.  I am in the process of getting in touch with many of them.  Several students are still coming to worship with us and are getting close to becoming Christians.

 Some of the most exciting news about the church in Hungary regards the Bible Center in Szolnok.  It is a big project that will hopefully be a Bible college one day.  The final work will be done in the beginning of September, and then it will be open for many uses to the churches in Hungary, leadership training courses, fellowships, etc.

 August was the first month that there has been a permanent missionary at each of the churches in Hungary.  This month, the Wells family moved to Miskolc to work with the church there.  With God’s help, hopefully we can lead more people to Christ and help the churches in Hungary grow.

Culture Corner

 This month, I want to relate some differences that I have noticed between everyday life in Hungary and that of the U.S.A.  I have noticed two things that are really different between here the U.S.A.:  the closing times of stores and drinks at restaurants.
 First, most shops close by five o’clock.  This includes most grocery stores also.  However, the main grocery store chain, Heliker, stays open until 7:30.  When it closes, the only place to by food is at a restaurant or a non-stop. (The non-stops are similar to a 7-11 or a little gas station store.  Like 7-11, they have a tendency to raise the prices to 15% more than the regular grocery stores.)  Seven thirty is not that bad though.  On weekends, the Heliker closes at 2:00 on Saturdays and 11:00 on Sundays.  After being in Searcy, AR for four years with a Wal-mart Super Center that is open twenty-four hours, it is a little different when most things are closed early.  But that means I just have to do the shopping early.

 The second difference is the amount you are given to drink at restaurants.  Most places other than McDonald’s bring you a glass the size of McDonald’s small cups.  The bad thing is that they do not give refills free.  Even McDonald’s does not give you free refills.  I am accustomed to going to any restaurant and getting to drink however much I want and having to pay only for one cup.  Here that is different.  I am getting used to drinking slower and less.  However, after years of Taco Bells, Burger Kings, and Ponderosa with free refills it is a little hard.  Beside my family and friends, this is the thing that I miss most from the U.S.

 This is just a little bit on the culture or at least what some of Hungary is like.  Hungary is a good place with much culture and I hope to share it with you in the upcoming months.

Prayer Request
 

The churches in Hungary

 Debrecen
 Miskolc
 Szolnok
 Budapest

The Bible Center in Szolnok

The Bible studies that are being conducted and the hearts of those with whom we are studying.