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!

Prague and back!

I'm sorry I missed a week of blogging! I hope you enjoy this blog enough to have been just a teeny bit disappointed at not getting an update this past week!

On Easter, two weeks ago, Glenn and I left for Prague for a retreat for everyone on the regional support team (RST). The RST is made up of missionaries who work for the good of and provide support to the whole CEE region. Most of the RST live in Prague and work in the office either as a regional leader, on the media team or on the accounting team. The Member Care team is part of the RST because we serve the whole region, even though the Borders and the Doyles live in Budapest, Hungary and the Jarboe's live in Moscow, Russia.


Craft fair in Prague

We had to go up a few days early before the retreat to take care of some "business" (no, really!) and to meet with a couple of families. We were able to take advantage of the Easter festivities a little while we were there.


Lovely, isn't it?

Watercolors of Prague

Our son Chris collects paintings from countries he has visited. (Cote d'Ivoire, Jamaica, France...)Every time I saw one of these booths, I thought of him and wanted to buy him a painting. But I didn't because he and Kate are coming this summer to visit us in Budapest and then we're coming to Prague for a few days! I'll let him pick out his own picture!

Our favorite place-Bohemia Bagel

We managed to find our way once or twice across town for lunch at Bohemia Bagel. If you remember from a previous post, this is the place that offers unlimited refills on fountain drinks with ice!

Even McDonald's has gotten into the "cafe" scene

All aboard whose going aboard-to the retreat!

Wednesday 72 of us (20 volunteers from Glenville, Georgia and 52 missionaries and kids) headed to a place about 2 hours outside of Prague for 4.5 days of worship and fun!

I'm so excited I can hardly sit!

The Park Villa Hotel

This picture was taken on Sunday just before we left when it was quite warm (50's). The weather was cold and snowy when we arrived, as you can see in the picture below, but got better and better with each passing day!

Not enough on the ground to make snow ice cream but still pretty!

Our worship leader-Keith Rushton

We had worship time in the mornings and evenings, and free time in the afternoon.

Break time-free drinks, usually with ice!

Fellowship time with our regional leader, Rodney

In the afternoons during free time, many of the families hiked up the hillside and climbed on some of the rocks! It was an unusual sight to me to be walking along, and then all of a sudden, there were these huge rocks sticking up out of the ground! I heard that a movie (a recent, pretty famous one) was filmed among these rocks, but I can't remember which movie it was. If I can remember before next week, I'll let you know which one it was.

Our boss and friends, Lynn and Glenda

It's action packer time!

In February we got an email asking us to come up with a wish list of things we'd like from America because the volunteer team that was coming out to lead the retreat was going to bring each family an action packer full of goodies from America.

Because we'd just returned from the U.S. (Member Care conference and vacation time) in January, it was hard to come up with things we needed or wanted, but somehow we managed! You know, things like Wheat Thins, chocolate chips, antibacterial wipes, pop-tarts, games, etc.

It's Christmas in March!

One of the things I asked for on our list was a couple of used DVD's (either if a family has seen it 100 times or if they have a used DVD store like we have in Marietta) for the Eden House ministry. We are in the process of changing over from VHS tapes to DVD's at the Eden House, and had only a handful at the time. Well, seven families from Rehobeth Baptist Church, one of whose daughter came as a volunteer to our retreat, filled our action packer. I was expecting 5-6 maybe, but hoping for as many as 8-10, but they sent us 92 new DVD's for the Eden House! They sent us GREAT movies for the whole family and we were so overwhelmed with the gift that Glenn and I couldn't stop crying!

It was very humbling. We got lots of other goodies for Glenn and me, but ALL our missionaries will benefit and enjoy all these wonderful movies when they come to Budapest!!!

Thank you Pastor Freddy, Rachel, Christopher, Kay, Doug, Kathy, Sean, Angel, Matt, Carrie, Robert, Vicki, Herman and Helen! (special thanks to Doug and Kathy who actually packed the things for us!)

Ambiente Brazil

And then, as if the retreat and the action packers weren't enough, the volunteers also took us out to dinner their last night in Prague at a place called Ambiente Brazil. It's an all-you-can-eat place where they serve to your table 15 different kinds of meat, from small pork chops, to mutton, to octopus!

Sausage on a skewer

The retreat was wonderful and very relaxing even though Glenn and I did end up meeting with several families before, after and during. We had a great time worshipping in English and getting to know at a deeper level some more of our fellow missionaries.

On our way back to Budapest we took a side trip for a couple of days to visit with two other families. Pictures from that trip will be posted next week! I was afraid that todays blog would be too long, and I couldn't decide which pictures to leave out, so I'll just put them in next weeks' update!

When we finally returned home, we had another wonderful surprise waiting on us!

Another care package from our friends, Pam and Adam! They have spoiled us rotten, which we love! We appreciate so much their remembering us with care packages, but most of all their faithful prayers for us! Pam tells me Adam prays for us every night, and that means so much to us!

Glenn is now in Greece, attending a meeting with Strategy Coordinators, and will return on Wednesday. The house is quiet, but there's lots to do!

Brian and Michelle Stevens will arrive next Sunday morning so if you aren't already praying for them, please begin! Once they are settled and have a little language study, they will take over the Eden House ministry from me. Pray for their adjustment to living overseas, being away from family and all that is familiar, and for the ministry of the Member Care team as we all work together for the support of our missionaries. We covet your prayers!!!!

Snow on the first day of Spring!

March 21, the first day of spring, brought a surprising snowfall.


Snowflakes falling gently

I was spending the day sitting in front of my computer, getting caught up on emails long overdue, when I looked up and was shocked to see large flakes gently falling. As I sat there, the flakes got bigger and bigger and fell harder and harder. If the snow would continue to fall like that for an hour, we'd have had 2-3 inches in no time.



However, it didn't continue to snow for long, and the next time I looked up, it was sleeting in huge waves!


Sleet the size of my pinkie

And the wind blew the walkway clear for us!

Cool, eh?

The weather forecast calls for mixed rain and snow for the next couple of days off and on, but we aren't there to enjoy any of it. More about our whereabouts later...

Inspite of all the snow flurries and sleet, the flower shops are bursting open their doors with spring flowers all over the pavement. Glenn and I found this beautiful bouquet of orchids for 1,400 forints (or $8!).

Still perfecting kettle korn!

Glenn and I are now in the Czech Republic to attend a regional support team retreat, but before coming I had to try ONE MORE TIME to make kettle korn for us to eat on the 7 hour drive to Prague. Another missionary (a man!) told me his secret to making kettle korn and I just had to try it. He said to pop the corn on the stove and then pour caramel syrup over the hot popped corn, stirring it well. Sprinkle with a little salt. After cooling for about 15 minutes, the caramel hardens and it is perfect! Obviously, because the 7 of us in the van ride just about finished off all the popcorn!

Glenn and I enjoy a hungarian meal in the market, our favorite local food joint

Pecans in the market!!!

While we were at the market, I was delighted to find pecans that were imported from Germany. Delight turned to dismay. I didn't buy any for two reasons. First, I had a bag in my freezer, and secondly, they were 3,950 forints for half a kilo, or $23 for barely over a pound of pecans!!! For some strange reason, we can buy walnuts here fairly reasonably (about the same price as in America), but pecans are outrageously high-when you can find them.

Chocolate covered coffee beans!

Glenn and I went to a new store (for us) called Metro, the Hungarian version of Sam's or Costco. Even though it looked like Sam's with concrete floors and shelves stocked high to the warehouse roof, the prices didn't seem to be any better than what we pay in the local Tesco (think Walmart). We have also come to realize that in Hungary when something comes in bulk or in a large size, it is not any cheaper than the smaller size per ounce or item. We did, however, find a couple of things we have never seen before, such as these chocolate covered coffee beans. We also found a 2 1/2 kilo bag (about 5 1/2 pounds) of chocolate chips. In fact, they had milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips! Again, we did not buy any because we still had some we bought at Sam's in Marietta a year and a half ago in the 10 pound bag, and because the bag was $28.

Yesterday was Easter and even though Hungary is a Catholic country, the only thing we saw that looked like Easter or looked different from any other day were the rows and rows of chocolate bunnies in the grocery store. Oh, and the huge piles of small, celophane-wrapped hams for sale everywhere. It is so sad, but even attendance at church is not much different on Easter Sunday! It seems that for most Hungarians, the Easter holiday is simply a day for family to get together to eat ham. It is only in the small congregations of true Christians that the sacrificial death and powerful resurrection of our Lord and Saviour is understood and celebrated. Hungary is so lost and in desperate need of a Saviour, and she doesn't even realize it! And for me, it is frustrating to know that I am so limited in the language that the likelihood of leading someone to Christ is slim to none. We need folks who are called to the front line to fight for the lost souls that otherwise will die and go to hell for eternity. Please pray for Hungary.

Pretty pathetic posting!

How I wish I were funny, eloquent and creative in my writings on this blog, but alas, that gift skipped a generation and ended up in the minds and pens of our two children, Kari and Chris. Both of them are terrific writers, albeit in two totally different forms, while I ended up with the desire to communicate what God is doing in and through us but without the words to adequately express it!

Even though I came to assist Glenn with Member Care, it might already be evident to each of you that I am happiest at the Eden House where I can use my gifts and talents to their fullest. That gift of organization as I figure out which families should go into which room and that other gift of cleanliness (right next to godliness, of course) as I have vacuumed more rooms in the past three weeks than I ever want to do again! I truly have no greater joy (besides knowing that my children walk in the truth; III John:4) than to be able to "practice hospitality" (Romans 12: 13b) to those who come for medical care, business or vacation. I have loved my ministry at the Eden House, but with the arrival of Brian and Michelle Stevens next month, once they get their feet on the ground (not literally, but figuratively), I will be stepping out of that role. God has something else in mind for me, and I will be watching with expectancy to see where He leads me next! I just want you to know how much fun I have had and how I pray that Brian and Michelle will enjoy it as much as I have!


Full house!

We are now back to "normal", whatever that is, at the Eden House and I am having time to do some other things that have been put on the back burner. Also, with the spring weather coming on, I have been able to get back to walking on a regular basis, which always helps my frame of mind!

Speaking of walking... did you know that many women in Europe suffer from depression due to a lack of vitamin D. In America, we get vitamin D from our milk that is "vitamin A & D enriched" and from sunshine. Well, here in Europe the milk is not enriched with D, nor does the sun shine much in the winter months. Now, what does that have to do with walking? Bear with me...One of the recommended prescriptions for dealing with depression here in Europe is to get outside and walk for an hour a day, preferably with your face uncovered so you can absorb that much more vitamin D! And from what I read, you absorb it through your eyes!


Walking uphill always lifts my spirits as we look out over the city!

Anyway, I think I have always suffered from Seasonal Affect(ive) Disorder to some degree due to lack of enough sunlight (except when we were in Africa!) during the winters, so now that the weather is turning warmer and the days are getting longer, Glenn and I are getting out more and enjoying the long walks that help so much!

Imported from Austria-Coke Zero!

And if the beautiful weather wasn't enough to bring a smile to my face, the arrival of Coke Zero sure did! I found it for the first time this past Friday at a local mall in a fruit and vegetable store!!! So far this is the only place I've seen it, but that could mean it is on its way in the country! This same store also sold Dr. Pepper for an arm and a leg ($2.51 for a half-liter!) The Coke Zero was $1.25 for .33 liter.

Better go get some more before the hoarders get it all!

Have a great week, and thank God for the sunshine in your life!

Week of wonderful things!

This past week is the second of three weeks in which the Eden House is full so let me start off by selfishily asking everyone to pray for stamina for one more week of craziness! I won't go into detail, but let me just say I have cleaned more rooms this week (some of them twice) than in the eight months I've been handling the Eden House! (Szylvia, the housekeeper, is on vacation.) It's been very busy with a lot of guests coming and going, but it's also been a lot of fun.


"Sorry, Mom. I must have lost my boot somewhere."

Now that the weather is nicer, we are able to get outside and get some walking in. While Kari and Jonathan were here, we came across this interesting sight. Now, how do you think this kid explained to his mother how or where he lost his boot?


Duane and Melissa

Mary and Alvin, our co-workers, had a visit from their son and his wife and two children just as Kari and Jonathan were leaving. It's too bad their visits didn't overlap more because, it turns out that, Melissa was Kari's Acteens leader the year the Olympics came to Atlanta! Melissa, called Missy at that time, worked with the other leader, Diane Andrews Rose, and taught the girls clowning, which they then did in Atlanta as part of the Olympic festivities. Isn't it a small world? I think it is amazing that we already knew (although not well) Mary and Alvin's daughter in law!


Darcy and David, the beloved grandchildren of Mary and Alvin

I babysat one night so that Mary, Alvin, David and Melissa could go out for dinner together. It was a true flashback from middle school days because Alvin had to come pick me up and then bring me home later (because Glenn needed the car.) It was eery!

Thanks for "caring"!

Got a care package this week from Darrin and Kesha who lived down the street from us until this past November. They were our first friends here; our friendship went all the way back to the time we volunteered as counselors in Poland before being appointed with the IMB. I think I've gotten Kesha hooked on Randy Singer novels. She read a couple of mine before she left, and then mailed me these two newer ones after she got back to the States. If you haven't ever read any of his books, they're great! In real life, he is a Christian and a lawyer who practices in Atlanta, and his novels deal with ethical issues. Great clean reading!

Getting back to the care package, she also sent us some microwave Kettle Corn because she knew I was trying to make it here at home. Unfortunately, I have scortched so much sugared popcorn that I have given up on trying to make it myself! Glenn and I will really appreciate the microwave kettle corn!

Well, it's about time!

Every time (no joke!) I go to the grocery store (Tesco, a British version of Wal-mart), I check to see if they have started carrying peanut butter, and finally, my perseverance paid off! We "could" buy peanut butter in the "international" section for $6.70 for 16 ounces, but we just "couldn't" bring ourselves to pay that much for it. I figured EVENTUALLY the world would discover peanut butter, and now I know the British have! Tesco must have gotten one case of 9 jars to test the market, and I got the last two jars and they were only 250 forints, er, I mean $1.49!!!


I'll let you know if they ever get any more in. In some countries outside of America, store owners don't like to stock "hot" items because they can't keep it on the shelves, and they just have to keep re-ordering it, and it's just too much trouble!!! We've heard this tale from more than a dozen missionaries about favorite items in their country (so it must be true, right?)

Welcome Skipper and Sue!

Much of my time the past two weeks, in addition to working a full Eden House, has been outfitting a house for a new couple that arrived on Friday. The Board provides them with a "furnished" place to live and the house that was rented for them only had furniture provided, so I have spent the past week shopping for sheets, towels, dishes, cookware, etc. for them. I love this job! Sue is my new walking partner and even though she is short like me, she can give me a work out! You'll hear more about the Perryman's later!

I'll write more later....got to get up to the Eden House to welcome a new guest! Szia!