Wonderful Week!

This has been a wonderful week! We have had a great time with Kari and Jonathan and hate to see them return to France on Saturday. In the meantime, we are taking advantage of every moment to do as much as we can, and for starters, we made homemade ice cream. Do folks do that anymore in America?


Ice for sale at the local gas station!

We can buy ice at Tesco (British version of Walmart) for $1.50 a bag or $2.50 at the nearby Shell gas station. (I would do better to buy the ice at the gas station because I spend way more than a dollar each time I go to the grocery store!) Seeing those freezers full of bags of ice is one of those rare things that remind me of life in America but that seems so out of place here. It just kind of surprises me since the Hungarians, like most Europeans, don't use ice in their drinks. Makes me wonder what they do with bags of ice!



Another thing we can buy here that I don't get is a version of salsa but I have yet to see anything on a restaurant menu that resembles tacos or nachos. Why do they sell salsa? I think it is because of all the Americans in the country so they import it for them. A small jar that holds about 1 1/2 cups costs about $2.75 and is sweet rather than hot. We make our own from scratch. Well, from peppers and tomatoes.



Glenn and Jonathan spent an hour slicing and dicing all the ingredients for the salsa and cooked it outside one evening to keep our kitchen from getting so hot. YUM! It is so good.

Kari has been spoiling us by cooking all of her specialties for us. She made us some orange glazed sweet yeast rolls for breakfast one morning. How can someone so young be such a good cook? She has a great recipe blog that she updates regularly. It is kind of like a recipe book of all her great recipes. In fact, I have encouraged her to publish her own cookbook because I think they are so good! I also tell all my friends here in Europe about her recipe blog because the recipes call for scratch ingredients that we can get here, whereas recipe books in the U.S. call for things like Lipton Onion Soup packets, Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix, Velveeta cheese, etc., all of which are not available in our part of the world.

Isn't she beautiful?

Well, in addition to cooking for us, Glenn and I have put Kari and Jonathan to work helping with various projects around our house and up at the Eden House ever since they arrived (today Jonathan transplanted a rose bush for me) so we decided they deserved a break (and we wanted one too) so we went into downtown on Saturday for the day.

With book in hand, we went on one of the 5 walking tours with Glenn as our trusted guide. We took the tour through Watertown, on the bank of the Danube River.

I loved this row boat tied to a bigger boat next to the sightseeing sign. Some expensive sightseeing tour!

I was amazed at the layers of stucco over the rock walls. Some of these buildings are 200-300 years old, and look it too! I love the "oldness" of the buildings.

Kari loved the flowers and taking "creative" pictures.

Jonathan and I look closely at the layers of rock and stone.

We saw lots and lots and lots of statues of famous people...

...and the head of a statue lying on the front stoop of a building in disrepair. A little later we saw a statue that was missing its' head in someone's yard. How does one go about getting an old statue for their yard? I'd love to have one. Is there a graveyard for old statues from a hundred years ago???

Saw several old churches; some were beautiful!

Saw engraved pictures on the fronts of some of the buildings above or beneath windows.

Walked through a couple of small parks tucked in and among neighborhoods and admired the beautiful flowers, bushes and trees. Saw these 3 two liter bottles filled with water, inverted and stuck in the dirt around the roots of a recently planted tree. Never seen this before. Have you?

And of course, a walk through town would not be complete without a pass in front of Parliament.

Kari pulled up Google Earth and calculated that we walked about 6 miles on our tour.

We enjoyed watching the sun go down toward the end of our long walk. It was only when the sun started setting that the weaather cooled off!

After walking for several hours, we took a small detour to one of our favorite ice cream places. Not only is their ice cream delicious, but it is also beautiful! They make them look like roses with petals.

After all that walking, we desperately needed somewhere to sit to rest our weary feet and backs. Kari and Jonathan found a place!

We got home that evening and collapsed in front of the T.V.. I don't think I moved out of my chair all night!

Sunday morning we went to the Danube International Church because their worship service is in English and we thought Kari and Jonathan would enjoy worshipping in English once again. Yes, Kari and Jonathan would enjoy it...and so would Glenn and me! They are currently meeting in a public high school.

I must admit-this was the first time I've ever gone to church with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling! It added a little pizzaz to the setting.

After church the Doyles invited us out to lunch as their guests. We went to this quaint little Hungarian restaurant about 4 miles from our house.

Tomorrow night we are taking them on a dinner cruise down the river. Later in the week is the biggest national holiday and we'll be in the middle of all the food, fireworks and festivities! I'll have lots of pictures to show you next Sunday. Give you something to look forward to, I hope!

She's occupied right now...

Blogger in chief...and in absentia

I know you came here to read Cile's blog. You wanted to know what Cile's been up to - and maybe even her sidekick Glenn. Well folks, the hard truth is that Cile won't be updating this week. Don't get me wrong. She cares about you blog readers and wants to keep you updated, but she's occupied at the moment.


Glenn and Cile in Germany

Notice I said 'occupied' but not 'busy'. She's actually laying on the futon bed with her eyes closed getting an osteopathic manipulative treatment from her son-in-law, Jonathan. He and his wife (that's me!) arrived yesterday from France. After dinner I started to wash dishes, but Mom offered me a trade: I update the blog, she does the dishes. Deal. But then Jonathan offered to work on her back and neck so Dad took over the dishes.


Us (that's Jonathan and Kari) arriving in Budapest

Count 'em: that's 1 person doing dishes, 1 person updating her blog, 1 person treating her back pain. Three people loving on Mom right now. So you can understand why blogging's not her top priority at the moment.

So what can I tell you about this past week in the life of Cile? I looked through the pictures on her camera and saw that at the AGM in Germany she spent time with friends, saw beautiful scenery, and also got to see these cool people:


Jesse and Julie!


And Renae!


Renae, say cheese!


What's that? You said you want to come visit Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Kari?

So that's a short update from me (Kari) to tide you over until the real Blogger in chief returns. Have a great week!

Guten Tag from Germany!

You know, sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we aren't in control and really don't have anything to do with the outcome other than to trust God. This past Thursday was one of those days! I wanted to wish one of my friends, Elaine, a happy birthday by taking her out to lunch after her doctor's appointment. Because we were going to eat in town near the doctor's office, I went with her to her appointment and hung out in the waiting room for her.



Also in the waiting area, thankfully-over to the side- were 4 college age girls wearing masks. (Of course, I wondered if they had been exposed to Swine Flu but decided the doctors would not keep them in the waiting room if they were contagious.) After I had been waiting for 1 hour and 30 minutes, a nurse comes out and hands all the rest of us masks to wear, with no explanation. Akkk! Can you imagine the thoughts going through my mind?

I sat there hoping that I was far enough away to be safe and I recalled the prayers we used to pray in Ivory Coast when eating out in a village, "Lord, we're eating this because You've called us here and it would be rude not to eat what they have prepared for us, and we're trusting you to protect us from anything unsanitary." And when we would be meditating before taking the Lord's supper from a common cup during the height of aids, we would be praying, "Lord, protect us please!" Well, God did protect us in those days in Africa and I don't think I caught anything
on this trip to the doctor's office, but I was relieved 10 minutes later when another nurse came out and told us we didn't need to wear the masks after all. I'm guessing the girls tests results showed they were clear and healthy.



Glenn and I flew into Munich, Germany to attend the Annual General Meeting for Western Europe that began on Saturday. After checking for the cheapest flights, we found that if we flew a day earlier, we could save our Board $200 per ticket! So, being the good stewards that we are, we flew out on Friday morning and got to enjoy a day and night in Munich!



Even though the roads are packed with cars and their public transportation system is excellent, a lot of people use bicycles to get around! We saw these bike parks through-out the city.



Glenn and I arrived about 10:30 am, and after taking a train from the airport into the heart of the city, we found our way to our hotel, dragging our suitcases behind us on the city sidewalks. We have had such a busy month that the first thing we did was take a 3 hour nap!!!!

About 4 pm, we walked to the city center and Glenn enjoyed a Starbucks coffee and I enjoyed buying a souvenir city mug for Pastor Ken in Marietta.

With NO map in hand, we wandered around the city and just enjoyed a leisurely evening.

We entered through the archway onto the pedestrian mall that was lined with stores of all kinds.

There was almost a party atmosphere and everyone was in good (but sober) spirits.

Saw lots of colorful flowers in window boxes and in planters in front of stores.

I loved the clock store but couldn't touch them, price-wise. I'm glad we bought ours in 1985 when we lived in Europe the first time!

We saw (from a distance, Dad) an Iranian protest rally.

Loved the painted buildings!

Ivy covered buildings and restaurants on the bottom floor spilled their tables out onto the streets.

We saw some local folks wearing the traditional German folk dresses and lederhosen (leather pants/shorts) but they were usually employees of restaurants offering authentic German foods such as wiener schnitzel and french fries.

On Saturday morning we went back to the airport to hook up with others who were flying in for the AGM from across Western Europe. We then boarded a bus and rode for about 2 hours to a town in the mountains where we are staying for this week. (I don't know the name of the town. I just got on the bus and enjoyed the scenery!)

We start and end the day with worship services and the rest of the day is filled with large and small group meetings. Glenn and I are helping to facilitate discussions on child safety for 5 group sessions and trying to meet as many people as we can. We do not have any set member care appointments but are available to talk with anyone who would like some time with us.

Since we know very few of our personnel in Western Europe, it almost feels like a vacation!

We probably know 20-25 people here already, but our favorite is little Renae! She is the niece of our son in law, Jonathan. Her parents live in Spain and are with our Board too. Kari, Jonathan, Penni and Kevin, this one is for you :).

We will be here until Friday, and then we head back to Budapest. We are having a great time here but are looking forward to getting home because on Monday KARI AND JONATHAN ARRIVE IN BUDAPEST! Can't wait!

What is normal?

It has been interesting to look back over our past 2 1/2 years here and see how much things have changed in our work and daily schedule. The first 2 months we were heavy in language study and I spent a good portion of my free time trying to keep up with personal emails from America. I remember spending whole weekends trying to respond to 50+ emails in my in-box and rejoicing that I had written 30. (I won't tell you how many emails I have in my in-box at this time because that will just give my friends and family members an excuse not to write me! Let's just say in the past year my work load has increased and I now have work emails waiting on me also!)

Six months after arriving in Budapest, I took over the Eden House ministry and Glenn took over medical coordination when the Doyles left on their stateside assignment. During this time, we got to know a lot of our personnel when they came to stay at the Eden House for medical care. My days were spent managing the "reservations" for the Eden House, taking families to the grocery store upon their arrival, making sure the rooms were ready (and cleaning a few myself), and visiting with the families during their time with us. It was a lot of fun for me, ever the extrovert, and enough people for a party!

The Stephens' arrived in the spring of 2008 and took over as host/hostess of the Eden House in June, and with the Doyles back in Budapest and doing medical coordination, Glenn and I began traveling to visit our personnel across central and eastern Europe. Summer of 2008 was when we were finally able to do what we envisioned doing in member care. Of course, we did member care before this point, but most of it was via email or by phone, rather than in person.

If you've followed our blog for the past year, you know we've done a good bit of traveling across our 26 countries in 12 time zones, and met some wonderful people who are living in some pretty rough situations. We have truly been blessed by getting to know them, hearing their stories, and growing to love them as fellow believers. We are humbled to be able to serve in such an awesome ministry and don't ever want to think that we have anything to offer in and of ourselves other than what God chooses to do or say through us. If there is anything good that we do, it is only because of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and speaks through us. To God be the glory for all He has done!

Today I want to share with you another aspect of our ministry.

Sometimes in talking with families, we feel it is best if they come to Budapest for some focused time with us or for medical care in addition to the counseling we do. We will generally meet with the families in the morning and evening each day, and they have the afternoons free to do some assigned work or to reflect on what God is saying to them. Occasionally, they have a large enough block of time off to go into town to do some sightseeing, taking advantage of being in our beautiful city.

And if it happens to be a female by herself, I enjoy being her tour guide for the day, which happened this past week!


Moat around the Castle in City Park

We set off for a few hours in town. We started with lunch at Arriba, a Mexican burrito fast food place, and then headed to Heroes Square and City Park. (Yes, two weeks in a row as tour guide. Good thing we love our city.)


Balloon reads: Eredeti GPS

Lots of folks in the park strolling. I guess this man's wife was afraid he'd get lost and sent him with a GPS!


Church on the castle grounds

I've probably shown you this church in the park that is located inside the fake castle. We call it a fake castle because, well, the castle was never really a castle. It was built for an exhibition showcasing the many different architectural styles across Hungary through the ages and no king ever lived in it. There was a wedding ceremony taking place when we walked past so we peeked in the amber windows...




...and this is what we saw. How cool!

Men playing chess

Where are their wives? At home canning vegetables?

The tourists are here! The tourists are here!

The tourists were out in swarms. The more tourists, the more booths. This particular booth is located across the street from the Szechenyi thermal baths and sells womens bikini bathing suits and men's Speedo's in plastic bags hanging from the racks. I wonder how many people actually come to Budapest without a bathing suit and after seeing the bath houses decide, "Oh, I want to try out the thermal pools, but I don't have a bathing suit. Where can I buy one?" Evidently enough to merit selling them!

Loved the roasted corn display!

We got a cold drink (Coke Zero for me) and sat on a blanket on the bank of the moat that went around the castle and talked. It didn't really matter that there was no water in our part of the moat.

It was just nice to sit, listen and share. And that is another aspect of what member care does.

Practice Hospitality. Romans 12:13b

This has been an incredibly busy week but a great one! I might not be successful at doing all the things the Bible tells me to do but there is one thing I have definitely done this week, and that is to practice hospitality!


Happy Birthday, Mark!

We've had someone staying in our home with us for the past week who left on Tuesday. Tuesday evening we hosted a party at our house with cake and homemade ice cream to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of our Eden House guests. There were 13 of us.

On Friday, I made a birthday cake for one of my friends who is fairly new to Budapest who was celebrating her first birthday out of the U.S. It is always hard to be away from family and friends on special days such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays, but especially during your first year away from home.


Brad, Karen, Abby and Chloe with Glenn and me

We had the Pollard family over for dinner on Saturday night to say good-bye to them. They are dear friends who are going back to the U.S. for their six months stateside assignment. We will really miss them. They will be staying in Maryville, Tennessee, which is from where Chris (our son) and Kate just moved. An interesting side note: Karen's father was on staff at the church that is across the street from Chris and Kate's old house! Small world.


Shopping for souvenirs on the Chain Bridge

Co-workers from Prague came to Budapest to see some friends of theirs from America who are passing through for a few days of sightseeing on their way back to the States after a mission trip elsewhere in Europe. They are staying with us, and when they are not with their friends from America, we've shown them around town.

Dalese and I have done a little playing and a lot of talking. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and I think I needed to feel a connection with someone (other than Glenn). Maybe she was an answer to a prayer I didn't realize I needed to pray. Glenn has enjoyed talking with Mick and they seem to still have plenty of things to discuss!


Mispelled sign

While walking through downtown Budapest, I was tickled when I saw this sandwich board sign outside their cafe. It appears that someone caught their mistake in the word Hungarian but didn't catch their other mistake in the word typical. Or is that the British way to spell it????



Big and beautiful buildings

While Mick and Dalese were visiting with their friends, Glenn and I walked around downtown and took a few photos for your viewing pleasure and for our photo album. Even though I have lived here now for 2 1/2 years, I am still awed by the beautiful buildings and the intricate detail in the stonework!




Watch out below!

OSHA would not be pleased with these two guys hanging from the 5th story by ropes and pullies while chipping off the loose stucco layer in preparation for a fresh coat of paint. No nets, no scaffolding. Just ropes and pullies. Oh, there was a third guy on the ground helping them too. I think his main job was to keep pedestrians from walking underneath, to keep the falling concrete from landing on them, and to call 911 in case their ropes broke.



A perfect day for a stroll in the park

We discovered a gorgeous tree-covered park today. Sidewalk cafes lined both sides of the park, one after another, for two blocks. Very picturesque.


Entering an architectural hodgepodge castle

We visited Heroes Square and the City Park, including the Castle of Vajdahunyad. Walked across the Chain Bridge to browse among the many booths selling a wide variety of traditional Hungarian-made crafts. Ate sausage and potatoes and had langos for dessert.


Dancin' in the street

We stopped to watch some young folks showcasing traditional Hungarian folk dancing. The weather was perfect today, mid-70's, but they were wearing their winter dancing outfits and had to be hot!



So, as you can see, we have practiced hospitality a lot this week and ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Of course, we need to sit a spell and catch our breath so we can do more of it this coming week.

Have a good week!

P.S.
Did the editioner catch my "mistake"?