The Stevens are here!

Yippee!



Glenn and I, along with Mary and Alvin, picked up Brian and Michelle Stevens this morning at the Ferihegy airport without any problems. They are from Virginia and are here for atleast 2-3 years, maybe more, if we can talk them into it!! It has been a year since we put in a request for someone to come manage the Eden House and so we have been praying for this couple for all that time. I'm sure you'll see a lot more of them on my blog in weeks to come.

We will spend most of this week orienting them to life in Budapest and helping them to get settled into the apartment in the basement at the Eden House, which won't take much time since it is pretty small. Tomorrow I get to take them grocery shopping and show them around our
neighborhood called Budafok. I enjoy taking my time at the grocery store and finding new products that have come in since my last visit. That is how I found the local peanut butter, but I'm sad to say they haven't gotten any more in since that one time about 6 weeks ago!

But now, let me jump back a week to fill in the gap. Remember, last week I wrote about the retreat and told you I'd fill you in this week on our trip to visit with two families on our way back from Prague?


The Hatchels

We spent one night with Jennie and Boyd and their 4 beautiful children. While Jennie was finishing up homeschooling the children, Boyd showed us around Brno, Czech Republic and told us about their work. They work with the Romany people who originated out of India, and are more commonly known today as Gypsies. (No, I'm not missing a vowel in Brno.)


Just missed the open-air market! Rats!

Later, Jennie and the kids caught public transportation and met up with us in town to sightsee with us and to enjoy some ice cream.


Overlooking Brno, Czech Republic


Now THAT'S a calzone!

Then they took us to their favorite restaurant and we couldn't believe the size of their meals! I ordered an individual size pizza and Glenn ordered this calzone. The one person pizza was 14". The calzone was a 14" pizza folded over and stuffed. Unfortunately, I managed to eat the whole pizza!

The Brown's

The next morning we headed to another town in Czech Republic called Olomouc where Steve and April live with their 3 children. (The older two were in school; Sophie went into town with us as we toured the city.) We wished we had more time with both these families, but it was really helpful to Glenn and me to see how they live and to learn about the work they do.

Street scene in Olomouc

Center of town

Bible discussion group

That night we were able to attend their Bible discussion group that meets in their home each week. This group is made up of Czech's who are interested in improving their English by discussing topics in the Bible. Steve and April have had a couple of people make professions of faith in Christ as a result and feel that another is very close. We only stayed one night in Olomouc also, and then caught the train back to Budapest.

While we were in Czech Republic, we drank Coke Zero at every opportunity because we couldn't buy it in Hungary, and before leaving Olomouc we bought two 2 liter bottles of Coke Zero and carried them back with us to Budapest on the train! Would you believe that while we were out of town Coke Zero arrived in Hungary!!! As soon as we got off the train we saw Coke Zero everywhere! On the way out to the airport this morning we saw 3 billboards advertizing Coke Zero! Will I be struck with lightening if I say God is good? He takes care of all our needs and an awful lot of our wants!!

Right after we returned to Budapest, Glenn left for Greece just as Dr. Dunbar arrived from America! Dr. Dunbar is going to be our "virtual" doctor for Central and Eastern Europe. He will be an additional resource for our missionaries. He is making several trips out here in the next couple of months to do some survey work on the availability of good medical care in CEE in addition to taking care of medical needs of our missionaries during our annual general meetings this summer. (AGM's)

Jesse and Josiah

And these are two of our MK's that I've gotten to know well in the past year as they've come to Budapest for doctors' appointments. Their mom and I are good friends. They will go on their stateside assignment in May for a year and I will miss them. It is amazing to me how much they have grown in the year that I have known them!!

Glenn turned 53 on April 10th. For his birthday, Glenn wanted us to do something we'd talked about doing ever since we'd arrived in Budapest, and that was to take one of those self-guided walking tours.

Love the parking job!

A memorial built in 1938 in remembrance of the flood in 1838

If you look carefully, you can see the river snaking through the center of the picture. The lighter gray shows how much the river overflowed the banks of the Danube, covering a large portion of the downtown area.

In honor of my sister and her husband, Karin and Eric

Hungarian National Museum

Statue of Karl Marx in what was the Customs House on the Danube River but is now the University of Economics

Shopping for MY birthday present at the famous Herend Porcelain shop??? NO

City Hall-Not quite as beautiful as the one in Paris!

Public bathrooms-go down the stairs at brown gate

Lots of homeless people-high unemployment

Just one of the many gorgeous ornate buildings

Roman ruins in downtown Budapest! Not protected or anything!

Hungarian Little Prince statue

Promenade along the Danube River

Spring has sprung!

Busy week ahead of us as we help Brian and Michelle get settled in and learn their way around town. Pray for an easy adjustment, good team relationships and ability to quickly learn survival Hungarian!