This has been a month to remember for both good and bad reasons.  It has been good because of all the studying of the Scriptures.  However, one of the main reasons for the increased amount of studying has not been so good.

 This month has been a challenge to the church and each member personally.  Many questions have come into the lives of the Christians over the past several years.  This month has been a month of expressing these questions as well as personal problems that they hold against the other members.  As with every church, problems always arise.  Yet with small churches, like us, they have had a really big impact on everything we do.

 These questions that have arisen are of a wide variety.  They also have come from many different places, because of past and present associations of the Christians.  Some of the questions are on baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Holy Spirit.  So this month, we have been searching Scriptures and reading other books looking into these and other problem areas.

 We have not yet solved the problems but we are continuing to pray about the situation and search the Scriptures.  We hope that this will help the church to grow to a better understanding of God and his work in our lives.  We also want to ask you to pray for us during this difficult time.  We know that we cannot find the answers without God and we ask Him continuously to help us to see the light in the darkness. We do not know the end.  Nevertheless, we hope and pray that it will come quickly and without too much loss.

The Church in Hungary

 Debrecen is not alone in the problems this month.  Both the Szolnok and Miskolc churches are going through problems, too.  They are not the same problems but just as important for each church.  It is very interesting that this month of October has seen so many problems in the churches in Hungary.  We ask you to remember each church here in Hungary in your prayers to our Father.

Culture Corner

 This month, I want to talk about some difference that in the prices of things here in Hungary compared with those of the United States.  It is really interesting how in different places some things are so cheap and others are so expensive with comparison to other places.  In Hungary, many things are this way when you look at it side by side with the US.  We will look at three different areas regarding this: building/repairs, electronics, and food.

   About building and repairs, it is really interesting because of the differences in where people live.  Most people in Hungary live in apartments, compared with houses in the US.  This makes the needs for repairs and building different by far.  Here a piece of wood is really expensive, because most people just do not use wood frequently, as in the US.  I remember building many things as I grew up with wood, in shop class and at home, because wood was really cheap to go out and buy.  In Hungary, though it is not cheap but really expensive.

 Most people, in Hungary, use lots of plaster to cover their walls before painting instead of putting up sheet rock.  So plaster is much cheaper here than in the US.  On the other hand, I have never seen sheet rock here, so I assume that it would be quite expensive if you found it.

 Electronics here are another item that is more expensive than in the US.  For quality electronics you have to pay at least 10% more than a comparable item in the US.  This is quite standard throughout most of the electronic items, such as radios, televisions, and VCRs.  Also, some of the related items to these are more expensive too, like CDs and video cassettes.
 Looking at food Hungary has much lower prices.  The price of bread (2 lbs. loaf) is around 30-50 cents.  One quart of milk or juice is around the same price.  Meat, both processed (cold cuts) and fresh,  is around $1-3 a pound.  At McDonald’s the extra value menus are all, around $2.50 each.  So by these we can see the cheapness of the food here in Hungary.
 It is very interesting to look at the price of things here.  It is really interesting when you look at how much money that people make here in comparison to the US.  The people here make an extremely small amount.  The average is around $50-100 a week, which would be more than half that of someone working at minimum wage for forty hours a week in the US.  However, some things here are more expensive than that of the US.  The food is cheaper but most other things are not.  It makes for an interesting place.

Prayer Requests
 

 Pray for the churches in Hungary (Debrecen, Szolnok, Miskolc, and Budapest) that we can rely on God and work on the problems that are in the churches.  Also, pray that God continues to help us to grow in knowledge, spirit, truth, love, and numbers.

 Remember those that directly relate to the questions and problems in the churches in Hungary.

 Pray for the work in Nyíregyháza.

 Pray also for the Bible studies with which we are working.  That those, who we are studying with, will be open and ready to accept the Gospel.