The Church in Hungary Last month, I mentioned the upcoming meeting in Budapest. It went really well and I enjoyed meeting with one of the churches that is in Budapest. It was the first time that I have ever met any of them. We all had a good time and learned from Isaiah 6 about seeing and knowing God. The next meeting between the churches in Hungary will be in the end of February in Miskolc. We are praying for its success as the last two were very successful.

Culture Corner One of my favorite things about Hungary is the food. I think that the food here ranks up near the top of the world's greatest foods. Most people only know one of the famous Hungarian dishes, goulash soup (‘gulyas leves' in Hungarian). It is a soup of beef and potatoes with much paprika. However, there are many more dishes that can let your taste buds go wild. Almost every dish is rich and hearty and can satisfy the deepest hunger. It is oxymoron that English speakers know the country as Hungary, because if you ever eat the food here you definitely will not be hungry. Let me first start by telling you the main ingredients used throughout Hungary. Hungarians overall use a lot of red ground pepper also known as paprika (this is the Hungarian word for pepper). They also use much more lard and butter than they do lighter oils, margarine, and shortening. This gives the food a richer taste, but also adds to the cholesterol. Another ingredient that is widely used is sour cream. It is used both on the side and in the dishes themselves. 

Besides these few things, there are a wide variety of ingredients in the foods made here. So what is the best of the Hungarian cuisine? Well this past week a Christian's grandmother asked me what my favorite Hungarian food was and I could not give her an answer. So I decided to write to you and tell of some of the best foods that I have had here and what they have in them. First since I live in Debrecen, I have to mention the ‘debreceni töltött káposta' (Debrecen stuffed cabbage). They make it with leafs of cabbage that are pickled and filled with rice and pork. It is cooked in a soup of paprika and cabbage. Then it is topped with sour cream. Another excellent dish is ‘paprikás csirke' (chicken with paprika sauce). This dish is usually the legs or the wings of the chicken. The chicken is cooked and served in a paprika sauce. Usually it is served on little dumplings or potatoes. One of the best soups, besides goulash, is ‘gyümölcs leves' (fruit soup). This is a soup that is usually served cold. It is made either of different fruits or of just one fruit. The most popular kind is the sour cherry soup. An old soup that goes way back in Hungarian history is ‘tarhonya leves' (potato soup with circular pasta). This is a basis soup that the herdsmen use to eat out on the range. They also ate the goulash. A main dish that herdsmen ate was ‘paprikás krumpli' (potato with paprika sauce). The potatoes have a paprika sauce that has sausage in it. It makes a good meal while out on the range. Another main dish that is popular in Hungary is ‘hortobágyi húsos palacsinta' (Hortobagy meat pancakes). Hungarians make them several ways. They fry some and others are baked. They fill them with either veal or pork and cook the meat with paprika and sour cream. Then they cover them with sour cream or a sauce. The most popular dessert in Hungary is the ‘palacsinta' (pancake or crépe). They are thin, delicate pancakes that are filled and then rolled. They are filled with jam, fruit, nuts, chocolate, and anything else that you want in them. Hungarian food is really good and this is just a few of the great foods that are made here. It you ever want to try one of them freshly cooked you can come and visit my apartment and I will cook one for you. If you do not want to come all the way over here just write me and I will send you the recipe. If you plan to visit, you should call ahead for seating.

Prayer Request The churches in Hungary, for growth and maturity: 

• Budapest 
• Debrecen 
• Miskolc 
• Szolnok

God's blessings on all of us in this new year.