Winter wonderland!!!

The week started off pretty normal-doing laundry, as usual.



It has been nice having Carolyn and her family around while I was working there. Carolyn has 5 children and is expecting her 6th any day (any minute!) now. We had a couple of things that had to be done on our end, so we asked Carolyn not to have her baby until Sunday afternoon (today). She says she is waiting until she gets her last thank-you note written and the basinette cleaned.



Glenn and I went in the opposite direction of town, out to the country where they have built all these mega stores such as IKEA, Kika, Cora, Auchan, etc. to do some shopping for the Eden House. We need to make some purchases but had to wait until close to the end of the year to make sure there was enough money in the budget. I am always amazed at this site. The commercialism reminds me so much of America, and as many times as I've come out here, it still shocks me! These stores are all built out in the middle of nowhere. However, I remember when Towne Center Mall was built back in the late 80's, it was out in the middle of nowhere and I wondered if people would drive all the way out there to shop!



Dad, I just want you to know that if you don't get your green elephants back from you know who, I can pick you up some nice blue ones. These are from Vietnam too!

Big news this week! We're having an electric gate opener put on our front gate so we don't have to get out of the car in the rain (and snow!) to unlock and open the gate. This man came to do the welding for us. The big news is not that we are getting an electric gate, but that we found someone with whom we could talk! We invited him in for some homemade potato soup, and we were able to practice our Hungarian. It's really sad that we have to bribe people byfeeding them to get opportunities to practice our language, but hey, we'll do what it takes!

Sunday morning, early, very early, we took Darrin and Kesha to the airport to catch their flight to America. They have finished their ISC term and are going home for a while. They are open to returning to CEE in the future but they have some things they need to take care of beforehand. We will miss them. They were our closest neighbors and they were the first couple we got to know when we went to Poland in June 2006. May God bless them!

We got Darrin and Kesha off just in time! Their flight left at 7:30 am, and this photo was taken about 6 hours later! We had to call Carolyn up at the Eden House and ask her to postpone the birth of her child until another day since we didn't want to have to take her to the hospital in all this snow! First snow of the year, November 12th.

We decided to go for a walk (I know, we're crazy) to enjoy the beautiful snow

and to check on the folks at the Eden House. Everyone there was all snug like a bug in a rug; only, we don't have bugs in our rugs at the Eden House, thanks to Szylvia, the housekeeper!

Isn't it gorgeous?

Watch out for yellow snow!

We left our house about 3:15 pm for our "little" walk, and

returned about 5:00 pm. It gets dark at 4:30 pm. It was great to walk down deserted alleyways and see everything sparkling and crystal white clean. Saci (the dog we're babysitting) loved frolicking in the snow too. I know I may get tired of snow by time April comes, but I'm going to enjoy it for now!

Of course, it was a little sad to see what the snow did to my rose garden!

Glenn is now relaxing in front of the TV, watching "24", thanks to Karin and Eric loaning us their 1st season DVD's! I am going to cuddle up with a good book, and Saci, well, she's

conked out in the mud room. Well, she's supposed to be in the mud room because she's not allowed in the house, but as soon as she thinks we aren't looking, she likes to slip just inside the door. I guess it makes her feel like she's a part of the family.

In closing, would you thank God with us for the welder and the opportunity to practice our Hungarian? It was a blessing to have someone who would give us time to painfully stumble through a sentence, correct us, and then keep the conversation going like we were old friends.

Pray for Carolyn and Barry as they have their 6th child. Pray that getting Carolyn to the hospital 45 minutes out of town will go smoothly and that the baby will be born without any difficulties.

Pray for Darrin and Kesha as they adjust to life back in America. Pray for them to find those people in whom God is speaking about following Him overseas so they can share their excitement and experiences with them! Pray that they will "accomplish" all the things in their hearts that they desire to do.

Hungarian road signs

Thought you might enjoy this! I loved it when I ran across it!
I'll write more on Sunday.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's definitely fall season here in Budapest and the weather report is calling for below freezing temperatures this coming week. This past week started off grey and overcast, and just downright depressing, but as we were heading into the weekend, it was just beautiful! Thursday was All Saints Day here in Hungary, and is a big holiday so all the stores and businesses were closed. People go to the cemetery and clean up around their loved ones' gravesite and place candles and flower arrangements on them.



On this particular day the sun was shining brightly and it was supposed to be one of the last beautiful days of the year so we decided to do something we've talked about doing since we'd arrived here. We walked into Budapest!!! For those of you that have been to visit us, you know that is quite a walk. For those who have yet to come, it is about 6-8 miles from our house into the heart of Budapest!



The first place we stopped on our walk into town was a local cemetery. Now, we're not morbid and we don't know anyone that is buried there, but we were told by our language tutor that we needed to go to the local cemetery near our house about 4:00 pm because that is early enough to walk through and see all the beautiful flower arrangements and then when the sun goes down about 4:30 pm you can see all the candles that are lit. Well, we ended up going about 2:00 so we didn't get to see the glimmering candles but it was beautiful with all the flowers!



We skirted the Danube River for the first couple of miles, and then headed into an industrial area. It wasn't too scenic, but we did get to watch them putting up this huge sign at the Tesco that is at the Ujbuda Center. Sure didn't feel like Christmas but the stores all have their Christmas decorations out for sale. They basically have the same kinds of decorations as we do in America-only not as much! The only thing that I haven't seen much of are the big colored light bulbs and the tiny white ones. They don't have huge trees like we see in America, but I think that is probably because their houses are much smaller.



As we got into the commercial area, we saw this sign for bumper cars. When I see things like this, it makes me laugh. I am still amazed at how progressive and modernized Budapest is, and when I see things like these bumper cars, it's hard to believe I'm not in America! Honestly, I hate to see some of the things Hungary is importing from America!

We arrived at the Grand Market Hall (you've seen pictures of this building several times) and then walked down the famous pedestrian street, Vaci utca, which is pronounced "Vat-see oot-sa". (The letter "c" is pronounced like a tz, and utca is the word for street".)

By 4:30 the sun was going down. I took this picture as we were crossing over the Danube River on the Szabadsag Hid (Liberty Bridge). Daylight is sooooo short here, but the neat thing is that the evenings are so long! When it is dark by 4:30, I'm ready to eat dinner by 5 or 5:30, which gives me a good 5 hours in the evening before bed! (Do you believe me, or do you think I am trying to convince myself that there's something good about short days and long nights????)

This week has been incredibly fast. The Eden House is totally full. Got a mom about to have her 6th child. Her whole family, including her parents from the States are here, and we have 5 rooms booked for a collage fair that a local Christian school is hosting tomorrow. Glenn and I have 5 teens and a chaperone from the Czech Republic camping out at our house tonight because "there was no room for them in the inn". They are coming from a Christian school in Prague to attend the college fair. Full House means lots of fun!

We say good-bye to friends Kesha and Darrin Harryman next Sunday am. Glenn and I will be taking them to the airport for them to return to the US. They have finished their 2 year ISC term. They were our closest neighbors and the first couple we met from Budapest the first time we went to Poland to help counsel. We will miss them a lot.

We will be heading to the States in a month for a Member Care conference in Virginia and then taking some vacation time in Georgia to visit with family and friends. Kari and Jonathan are coming from France, thanks to the wonderful sky miles gift from Karen and Dennis at WCBC!!! We will spend some time in Tennessee with Chris and Kate before we all head to Marietta. It will be good to see everyone again but there is so much to do before we head that way. We have 3 couples that are going to be covering for us at the Eden House during our absence so we would appreciate you praying for them and thanking God for them!!

See you soon!

Prague, continued

Well, we continue with our trip to Prague....


Sign with the different ways to spell Prague

In Hungarian, Prague is spelled Praha. To say, "I am going to Prague", I would say, "Prahaba megyek" or "Megyek Prahaba", depending on whether I wanted to put the emphasis on going to Prague or the fact that I'm going. Rather confusing to me since I can't remember whether the emphasis should go at the front or the end of the sentence!


Glenn speaking on marriage at Ebenezer

Our main responsibility at Ebenezer was as counselors but Glenn did lead one session on keeping your marriage strong on the field. He used a very creative idea correlating international driving signs with signs in your marriage, and how important it was to be able to read and understand those signs to avoid mishaps. It was good.



Fortunately, the week in Prague was not all work :) We got to eat out for lunch and dinner (paid by IMB with limits, of course) and Prague has some of the most amazing restaurants! We ate at a Columbian restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, an Italian one, and Greek one, in addition to an American one called Buffalo Bill's!



They were ALL good but Buffalo Bill's was my favorite because it had something I haven't seen since arriving in Europe almost 9 months ago, and that is FREE REFILLS! At $3 for a bottle of Coke Light (Diet Coke)everywhere else, free refills was a real bargain! I think I drank 3 large glasses of Coke Light just because I could! This restaurant was also the first one I've ever gone to that advertises ICE for their drinks. Can you tell that Buffalo Bill's caters to Americans in Prague???

We didn't really do any sightseeing due to lack of time, but we did enjoy walking and catching public transportation to and from our hotel, restaurants, and the regional office where we had the conference. The weather was cold and misty, but it felt good since we were always in a hurry and walking FAST.

I loved being able to read some of the signs-about phones

Looks Greek to me!

Parking on the sidewalks

Christmas season begins in October in Europe too!

One block from our hotel was the Flora Mall. It looks just like any American mall, but some of the fashions were a little strange. The big thing is wearing long shorts with tights and pointed toed high-heeled boots. Not a look just anyone can carry off!

Glenn wants these shoes for Christmas

On our way to the train station to return to Budapest, we went to the Flora Mall food court to pick up a bucket of KFC for lunch on the way home! I'd been dreaming of KFC ever since our trip up to Prague a week earlier when a guy carried a bucket onto the train for his lunch! We got 9 pieces of chicken, 2 coleslaws, and 2 pieces of bread (they don't do biscuits here). It was really finger lickin' good!

We got back to Budapest on Thursday night, and hit the ground running. The time in Prague was a good. It was a mini-vacation, just what I needed, but it is good to be back "home".

This is the view outside our front yard and all up and down our street. One day a year in every neighborhood (on assigned days) everyone puts their broken appliances, furniture and other trash out on the sidewalk for the garbage company to pick up. It is fairly common to see people in their cars parked next to the large piles of discarded items, wanting to be the first one to see what others are throwing away so they can claim it. You know, one man's trash is another man's treasure!

Schatzie is Hungarian!

I also found out that Schatzie is Hungarian, and her name is spelled Saci. In Hungarian, the letter S is pronounced "sh", and the letter c is pronounced "tz". We are enjoying babysitting Saci, and she enjoys taking walks with Glenn and me. She is also a great jogging partner! She jogged non-stop for 55 minutes with me yesterday. (This is my subtle way of telling you I jogged non-stop for 55 minutes (!) and the fact that Saci was with me is secondary!)

One of our guests at the Eden House is an expectant mother who is due to give birth in a couple of weeks. Her husband and 5 children arrive tomorrow from their country to join her for the birth of this 6th child. This is our first baby to be born at the Eden House (well, not AT the Eden House) since our arrival in Budapest, and I am so excited!

If you recall, two couples in the recent past have been in the process to come as host/hostess of the Eden House but it was evidently not God's timing. Well, we should find out this week if another couple who has expressed an interest was approved to come manage the Eden House. If this is THE couple and everything continues as it should, they would arrive in April. Continue to pray for God's provision for this invaluable ministry, and for us to wait patiently for His timing.

This Thursday is All Saints Day. In Hungary, families clean up around the gravesites of their loved ones and place flower arrangements and candles on them. It is evidently a big deal here because of the abundance of flowers and wreaths for sale everywhere (particularly at the entrance to cemeteries) AND we were encouraged by our language teacher to walk through the big cemetery in town just before dusk and admire all the beautiful flowers and candles. I'm sure it is beautiful, but since we don't have a loved one buried here, I would kind of feel like a tourist intruding in their grieving! Maybe I will just walk around the outside of the cemetery and peer in through the gate.

THANKSGIVING is right around the corner and then IT WILL BE CHRISTMAS!!

Where in the world am I?

I'm sorry I'm late this week posting our blog. Glenn and I were busy getting things squared away at the guesthouse for our trip to Prague, which is where we are right now. The IMB provides a wonderful "retreat" experience called Ebenezer for new missionaries at the end of their first year on the field to help them process what they have been through, get a realistic view of all that God has done in and through them, give them opportunities to worship in their own language, and to encourage them as they continue in their work. Glenn and I are actually here as counselors for them, and we will not atttend our own Ebenezer until the end of January. The name Ebenezer comes from 1 Samuel 7:12 ("Thus far has the Lord helped us.")



Glenn is leading a session on driving and surviving in your marriage, or something along those lines. He and I took a bunch of pictures of driving signs that we see all the time, some of which are decipherable, and some of which totally baffle us as to what they mean! He is going to relate them to navigating through our married life, and how much easier and better our marriage will be if we pay attention to and heed the signs! An impossible question to answer, but food for thought: How many signs do you have in your life that you fail to see and interpret correctly, that had you paid attention, might have helped you get where you wanted to go?



But before leaving for Prague, we took a day off and did a little more sightseeing with Dan and Janet. We wanted to climb to the highest point in Budapest and look out over the city so we



took the children's railroad partially up the hill and then hiked the rest of the way. The children's railroad previously was run by the Pioneers, which was the communist version of the Boy Scouts. The children and youth were trained on how to do the various jobs in running a railroad while being indoctrinated with communist ideals. Today, it is still "run" by children and teens, but is now a way for them to learn more about locomotives and transportation while learning good work ethics.


Spectacular view!


Glenn and me at the top of the Elizabeth Tower

On Thursday, we boarded a real train for Prague. It was about a 6 hour train trip so we got to relax, enjoy the scenery and fellowship with Dan and Janet who also had to go to Prague for their jobs.

We packed our own lunch since the trip was so long, and we didn't want to have to pay "train" prices for boxed lunches, and I was so looking forward to eating my homemade chicken salad sandwich until I saw this guy get on the train with a 20 piece Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket!!! Made my mouth water so badly that I slipped on my own drool and wasn't able to get a picture before he slipped away!

Glenn consoled me by rubbing my feet a good part of the way!

They still use human conductors to stamp tickets

We will be in Prague until Thursday morning, and our schedule is fairly free (we meet with the missionaries during meal times) so we have had some time to walk through the city, which is, to me, the most beautiful city I've ever seen. Having traveled as much as we have around the world, we've seen a lot of cities.) I won't bore you with a lot of pictures of castles, museums, ornate buildings, and churches, but I will show you some of the things that struck me as being different.

Mayonaise on French Fries!

Our first night out on the town we chose to eat at something akin to a "hot dog" stand, except they sold sausage dogs in a baguette that were almost a foot long. Evidently, in the Czech Republic they eat mayonaise on their hot dogs instead of ketchup, because they asked if we wanted ketchup (they could tell we were American-go figure!), and when they gave us our sausage doggies, they had ketchup and mayonaise! Other than knowing how fattening the French fries were, they tasted pretty good!

We also discovered in one of their grocery stores a package of cookies called Maryland Chocolote Chip cookies. I promise you, they could pass for Chips Ahoy except for their smaller size. Taste-wise, they were exactly the same. It was a nice taste of home.

Before I go home, I will pick up a 2 liter bottle of Dr. Pepper! We can't get those in Hungary so it will be a real treat.

The weather here is cold and overcast, but we are enjoying being with the other missionaries and getting a break from our usual duties in Budapest. I know I won't be able to convince you that we're NOT on vacation, because it sure feels like one! And it feels good!

As I close, I ask you to pray especially for those missionaries that are here with us as they are finishing out their first year. Some have had a really good year. Most are doing well with all the adjustments that have had to be made in their lives, and ALL will say that God has shown Himself FAITHFUL throughout the year, but it is still tough. Pray for them. Thanks!

Company's gone; back to work!

Pop and Emogene returned to the States on Thursday morning but I have a few remaining pictures of their visit. We enjoyed their visit so much and wanted them to stay another two weeks, but they had other things to do and other places to go, so....we hope they will come back!



As we were driving from the Eden House to our house late one afternoon, we spotted way off in the distance this familiar, yet strangely out of place, large yellow bus and decided to follow it to get a good view of it (so I could take a picture!!)



Glenn, having mastered the scarey Hungarian driving techniques in only 9 months, was able to catch up with it and get close enough for me to take this picture of it. We are so curious as to who is using it! We've actually seen it once before making it's way down the street infront of our house about 5:00 pm.



Pop wanted to take us out to our favorite restaurant one night as a special treat. The treat was having him and Emogene with us, but I think he wanted to eat too, so I picked this place in our neighborhood that I had heard about from several missionaries that used to live in Budapest. They fondly call it "The Cave" because it is located in the basement of a house that is built on the side of a hill, and it looks like a cave when you go in. Stone walls, rounded or arched ceilings, and kind of underground.



The food was delicious and the portions were huge!

This was kind of our good-bye event, as they left early the next morning. We got up at 3:30 am, left the house at 4:30 am to be at the airport by 5:00am for their 6:50am departure. When we got back to the house, we went back to bed for a couple of hours. I also encouraged Glenn to take a nap that day because we had company coming for dinner that night, and I didn't want him yawning at 8:00 pm!

Pop and Emogene got out of town just before the weather turned cold! This morning it was 25 degrees! Brrrr!

Glenn and I are babysitting some friends' dog while they are in the States for a month. Schatzie (not sure how to spell it in English or Hungarian!) is a beautiful Sheltie that reminds us a lot of Jake, our previous Collie-Sheltie mix that we had in Marietta.

Schatzie's "mother" is my walking partner 3 days a week, so while she is in the States, I will be walking Schatzie. Rather, Schatzie will be walking me!

With company and our work load lately, Glenn and I haven't been doing as much pleasure walking as we have in the past, so today we took Shatsy out for a walk and noticed several things in our neighborhood we haven't seen before...

such as this sign. It wasn't too hard to notice it since it is pretty big and right infront of our house. The cool thing is that we could figure out (we can read!) that it is an advertisement for water, gutter and stone work or repairs.

And we even noticed that the fireplug on the corner of our lot now has new endcaps. We hope that means that there is water in it! One morning several months ago I came outside and water was gushing out one end of it and flooding our yard and the street. We think some mischevious kids must have taken off the endcaps.

But this? THIS we have never noticed nor can we figure out! THIS is where someone has laid a fire by stacking the wood tee-pee stlye with a tall stick poking out the top, and a ceramic pot turned upside down on it! If we were in Africa, we could be pretty certain it is a fetish or a sacrifice to apease some god, but we're in Hungary! We'll let you know if we ever find out what this is about!

It is hard to believe we have been here for 9 months. We've had a great time, but it's because we have seen God work in our lives and the lives of our co-workers. He has provided for our needs, giving us strength and comfort when we needed it. He has answered our prayers for friends with whom we can fellowship and study the Bible. He led us to a church that has welcomed us and made us feel a part of them. When we've had our own bumps in the road or worked with others in difficult situations, just His Presence alone has made it so much easier to bear. We continue to covet your prayers! I know time and distance are tools that Satan uses to his advantage to break your prayer commitment that we so desperately count on. Please don't stop! To God be the glory!