Saturday in the City

Three more weeks until I am no longer managing the Eden House. As much as I have enjoyed it, I know it is time to let it go and I am ready. Glenn has been very concerned about whether I would be able to let it go, but I am beginning to think he will have more trouble than me!

Once the Eden House is entirely in the hands of the Stevens as of June 13th, we will begin traveling for Member Care. However, this past weekend we got a taste of "freedom"! No responsibilities for the EH at all, all weekend long! It was nice!

Last year when we first arrived in Budapest, Glenn and I traveled across town on the metro in search of a large flea market. Because we were new and didn't have a really good idea of what we were doing and where we were going, a trip that should have taken 45 minutes took us an hour and a half, but we finally made it to the flea market-just in time for them to close up for the day!


Coke is EVERYWHERE in the world

This past weekend we decided to try out the flea market that is held every weekend in the back of the City Park in downtown Budapest. To our good fortune, it was also Children's Day in Hungary and there was a big festival being held in City Park! Two big events in one location.



There were games and rides and activities for children through-out the park, and lots of vendors selling just about anything you could imagine. Our favorite, as always, was the local food fare!



There were sausages and fries, rotisserie chickens, Hungarian style hamburgers and hot dogs, and lots of different kinds of yummy pastries. Our favorite pastry is actually one we first tried in Prague, but evidently it is sold in many European countries. It is pastry dough that is rolled out like a long, thin "snake" and then coiled around a metal tube that is about 12 inches long. It is then grilled over an open fire until it is golden brown and then sprinkled heavily with toppings such as cinnamon sugar or coconut. It is soooo good!



We wandered around the park for several hours and sampled the goodies they were giving away and accepted some of the freebees also, like these balloons. Of course, then we had to find a couple of children without balloons because we couldn't hold the balloons and eat our pastries!



As we were walking around, we came across someone we knew. Well, not personally, but someone we knew OF. Ronald Reagan. That was a surprise!



Deciding to make it a day in town, we then started on our list of "If we ever have time, I want to see..."and began with the Parliment building up close. All the way around it! They are pressure washing the Parliment building, and you can definitely tell where they have worked! Notice how white the wing is on the right and how dark the building is on the left side of the photo? The building is white when it is clean!


The BACK of Parliament!

We rode trams and buses just to see where they went.



We strolled across the Arpad Bridge to get to Margaret Island (which is in the middle of the Danube River) to walk the length of the island. They were also celebrating Children's Day there too, only on a smaller scale than in City Park. I took this picture of the Parliment building from the bridge. You can tell the front has been cleaned, but the left side has not been done yet. The brown section on the right side of the photo is scaffolding where they are currently cleaning. I am looking forward to the day when I can take a picture of the Parliment building without ugly scaffolding marring the photo!



And then we started winding our way back to our side of town. This is an escalator in the metro system. I'm not sure you can tell how loooooong it really is by this picture so you'll have to take my word for it that it is LONG!

Glenn and I are putting some final touches on the work we will be doing at our five annual general meetings this summer. Two years ago, we had one AGM for the 400+ folks we work with, and last year we were split into two groups of about 200 people (Greece and Poland). This year, we will have five meetings so we will be doing a lot of traveling this summer! (Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Greece and Finland)

We will have three of these meetings, each about a week long, pretty much back to back, beginning in mid-June. In July, Chris, Kate, Kari and Jonathan are coming out for two weeks, and then we will hit the road again with two more week-long meetings. By the end of the summer, I will be out of pages in my passport!!!

So, please pray for us as we head into a hectic summer. We are looking forward to many things, so the time will fly by. When you are praying for us, pray that we will keep our quiet time with the Lord as the most important thing we do. Pray that we lay down our desires, our perceived "rights", our agenda, and keep our eyes on Him. We appreciate your prayers!

Cile spouts off!

This is my 100th blog edition and I thought I should do something a little different to commemorate it.

Alles gut!

This week Glenn and I were on the road a good bit; some for work and some for play!


We didn't want to go "hungary".

Monday we packed our suitcase and fixed a meal for the road. (After living in Africa and needing to be prepared in case of any emergency, I fixed us a BIG dinner box to go. We were going to be traveling for about 12 hours.)


Kelenfold train station in Budapest

We left Monday at noon and rode the train for a long while. We had the idea that we would work on the train until our computer batteries ran out, but we never even unzipped the computer bags! We talked and talked and talked. I think we finally got caught up on news that had happened over the past couple of weeks!



Then after the train ride, we caught a bus that took us "upcountry" where we were going to be visiting with some of our folks. The bus ride was rather nerve-wracking as the roads were mountainous and curvy! The bus driver was evidently in a hurry because he kept trying to pass! (At night, drivers in this country flip on their bright lights before they go around a curve to let oncoming cars know they are there. If our bus driver didn't see headlights, he would pass on a curve!!) We arrived about midnight, a little disheveled and tense, but not hungry!



Out of respect for the folks we were visiting, I can't tell you where we went, but I can tell you that it is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen. Lots of rolling hills and small mountains everywhere!


Nestled in between the green mountains were quaint little towns


Squatty potty in the train station

It's a good thing we learned at orientation in Virginia how to use these!!

Anyway, we had a great visit in this little town and hope to go back again one day as a tourist!



On Saturday, our Member Care team loaded into the van and headed for Vienna, Austria for a day of "team building". We weren't supposed to talk business, but it was an opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere so that we could learn to work together as a "team". (That sounds much better than "we took a day off and headed for Austria for some sightseeing, Starbucks, croissants and sausage links", doesn't it?)


Notice the green growing OVER the bridge?

It is my understanding that when the interstate was being built in Austria, they wanted to put it right through the middle of land owners' farms. As a compromise, they built bridges on which the farmers could still continue to grow things, and could drive across in their tractors to get to the other side! Ingenious, I think!


St. Stephens Church (Basillica?)

We spent the day sightseeing like all the other thousands and thousands of tourists!


Inside St. Stephens


Pedestrian walkway


Men in costumes, hawking concert tickets


And it's not even full-blown tourist season yet!


Vienna, home of Mozart


BACK of Schonbrunn Castle


Awww! Don't we look cute?

The Schonbrunn Castle was the centerpiece of the Austro-Hungarian empire and is quite a place to see! On the castle grounds is the oldest zoo in the world, a labyrinth, maze, swimming pool, playgrounds, many, many flower gardens, water fountains, and several miles of walking paths.


Alvin chooses a perfect spot to take a break!


Famous ferris wheel made of box cars!

There is a huge amusement park in town with rides I've never heard of before! The ferris wheel is the largest I've ever seen; so large that I would not even ride it! Glenn doesn't like to go 'round and 'round, and I don't like heights, so we don't ride much!!


Some strange sights!

We had a great day just walking around, watching the people and enjoying being with one another. God has given us wonderful teammates, and we consider ourselves truly blessed to know and work with them!


Tired but happy

After "eating on the street" at one of the local sausage dog stands, Mary and Alvin got something at Starbucks before we headed for home. It takes about 2 hours to drive from Vienna to Budapest if you are able to drive straight through, but we always have to stop. After a long day of walking and talking, the ride back to Budapest was much quieter than the ride to Vienna! We were tired but had a great day together! Thanks again, God, for giving us a great team to work with!

We're off again!

Early this week I had to go to the dentist because of a toothache I've been babying for over a week. I hate going to the dentists' office because it is always bad news. Last time I went, he said all my fillings needed to be replaced because they were old. Well, he is right that they are old. I got most of them when I was first married, and we've been married 30 years now! However, this particular dentist tells EVERYONE their fillings need to be replaced. I don't know if that is his specialty, or if it is his favorite thing to do, or if it the most lucrative or what, but I'm not letting him replace them until they absolutely have to be replaced. In other words, until they are hurting me!


Moszkva Ter (Moscow Square)

So, I finally gave in, went into downtown Budapest and had the filling replaced. I must admit, thought, that I do prefer the porcelain fillings they use here more than the silver ones in America. They sure look better in the mouth!


Burger King-a treat for me!

Glenn went with me and we stopped for lunch at one of my favorite places-Burger King. I preferred Burger King over all the other hamburger places in Marietta (Sonic was my first choice but we didn't have one out by our house) so I was happy to see them in Budapest. However, we don't have one out near our house, so it is a special treat for me to get a burger. Besides that, I don't have to cook it or wash dishes afterward! (No dishwasher here except by hand.)


Our Sunday morning worship bulletin!

We still attend the local Hungarian Baptist church, which sometimes seems pointless since we cannot understand much of what goes on, but I think it is because it is important to us to have some contact with Hungarians each week in hopes of developing a friendship with someone.

I was tickled this week to see the words GPS-God's Presence System written in English in the Sunday bulletin. You can bet that I paid closer attention to the sermon, listening for him to say those words in English. Ahhhh! Music to my ears! This desire to hear something in my own language is exactly why missionaries doing evangelism learn the heart language of the people. People just love to hear things in their own language, and I am obviously no exception.


Worship in English on Sunday nights at the Eden House

I think we had record crowds at our worship service at the Eden House last night. If I counted everyone, there were 22 people. Several folks were visiting from out of town. We thank God for Robert for leading us in good ol' American hymns and choruses, and for Alvin preaching God's Word. Karen does a great job with the childrens' sermons too! I contribute by bringing the refreshments afterward!


We're off!

Glenn and I are headed out of town in an hour for a work trip and will be back on Friday if all goes as planned. We are taking the train so we will both be able to work on our computers during the trip and maybe get caught up on some reading. I love traveling by train!

Have a good week!

Wake up, America!

Isn't that a catchy title? I bet it grabbed your attention and made you wonder what I was talking about! Actually, it is Tuesday right at 12:00 noon and I realized America was just now waking up and I've been up for hours! Of course, even though I've been up for hours, I'm still 2 days behind on getting my blog updated!!!


Repairing and preparing...

We spent a couple of days this week doing some repairs around the Eden House because they needed doing, but the motivator for finally doing them was the upcoming visit of some of the Trustees from the IMB. Two of the Trustees and their wives arrived on Saturday of last week, left on Monday to view the work in another country nearby, then returned on Thursday. The rest of the Trustees arrived on Thursday, May 1. That began the real work!



I had volunteered to prepare a couple of meals for all the visiting Trustees and those of us on the "welcoming team" at the Eden House, which included 16-20 people. I did a potato bar with green salad for Thursday lunch. Seemed to be a hit.


Gulyasleves! (Goulash soup)

Thursday evening I fixed a HUGE pot of Hungarian Goulash Soup for 21 people.


Glenn serves the Trustees



On Friday morning, we baked breakfast casseroles and served it with fresh fruit and yogurt. Saturday morning we cooked up a mess o' scrambled eggs, bacon, jalepeno cheese grits and Michelle's homemade biscuits! I think the Trustees enjoyed their meals at the Eden House!

Cooking all those meals was tiring but a lot of fun. I had a lot of help too! Sue (moved to Budapest in March) came over on Wednesday before the Trustees arrived and helped me chop, dice, slice, grate and peel everything that could be done in advance, which helped tremendously!!! Then Glenn, Brian and Michelle helped me actually cook and serve all the meals, so it was a "team" effort! Yea, Member Care Team!


Eating dinner in The Cave

On Friday night, we took the Trustees out to dinner at a local Hungarian restaurant (meaning, we drove them but the meal was at their expense) to a place called The Cave, or The Cellar. (We ate there when my Dad and Emogene came out in September.) It is called the cave or cellar because it is somewhat underground and they used to raise mushrooms in the cave, which is located underneath a house. They've cleaned out the mushrooms and put heat in the walls, and turned it into a really unique restaurant that has great food.


Mary and Alvin visiting with some Trustees

And I'd like to say that we relaxed and took the day off on Saturdayafter the Trustees left, but we didn't. We had 16 loads of laundry to do, food to put away, and emails to return! Oh! And a room to clean since we had someone coming in on Sunday morning to stay at the Eden House!



Hawk, a co-worker from Prague, spent a good portion of Sunday and Monday at our house, working on our computers. Mine was taking FOREVER to send and receive emails and seemed to have an "infection", as Hawk put it. I don't think it is the same thing as a virus, so everyone can relax. Anyway, he was able to fix it and my computer is up and running again. Hence, one of the reasons why I am now able to update my blog!!



And after I get my most urgent emails taken care of, I am going to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and smell the roses (irisis's).

Don't forget to honor your mother next Sunday (and every day of the year!). This past Sunday was Mother's Day in Hungary, and the flowers for sale were gorgeous and abundant!!