A Feast of Love

After 10 years of living in Hungary - off and on - I am still amazed and humbled by the hospitality and generosity of spirit of Hungarians. Last night was no exception. We had spent the morning packing and cleaning the house where we had been house-sitting for the previous 2 weeks and my heart was in a little bit of a "frump". An elderly couple who had befriended us 7 years ago when we lived in an apartment above their home, had offered to move us and our things to the home we would be staying at for the next week until we leave for the States. During the course of the move they invited us to their home for a visit.

From the moment we arrived in their home they could not do enough for us. It was, "Here, sit in this chair as it's more comfortable for your legs." "Would you like something to drink?" "You must be hungry, what would you like to eat...." - at which point an array of food items were being hauled out of the refrigerator in the kitchen and from a room in the back of the house. The simple little countertop where they eat their meals soon became the scene of a great feast. Festive napkins were folded into fun shapes, good china and glasses were set out for us and every food item in the house seemed to be set in front of us. I drank in the cozy scene...the magical little Christmas tree...the warmth of the tiny apartment...the peace and joy etched on their faces...I was totally 'in the moment', not wishing to be any other place or thinking of all the details needing to be taken care of....time was suspended.

As we ate they hovered over us asking what else they could bring. We tried many times to say we had plenty and that everything was wonderful, but out came more food and desserts! As we went to leave, our hostess went to their little Christmas tree where they had laid out their opened Christmas gifts on display and began picking out several of their own gifts to give to us. No amount of saying "it's not really necessary" would have done one bit of good. They had known we weren't able to have a Christmas tree this year and one of the opened gifts under their tree was a white towel with a beautiful embroidered Christmas tree on it....this was one of the gifts our hostess chose for me. With tears in my eyes I humbly accepted this precious act of love.

When we walked out the door, our hands were carrying 3 full gift bags of things from their home. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, lit up by street lights that turned the ground into little twinkling diamonds. Overwhelmed by the love lavished on us, my heart was definitely no longer in a frump. It was full. I was reminded through this sweet little couple that God was once again lavishing His love for us through their hands. Through their hearts. God sat us down and spread a feast of love before us. I could think of no better way to start this brand new year than with the knowledge that our Father is continually watching over us....looking for ways to show His love again and again to two of the least of His children.

Information

As we close out this incredible year of 2008, we are amazed at how the Lord continues to move our feet in ministry to His people. The Jews have suffered and have been persecuted for way too many years on the continent of Europe and around the world. God is calling those who are willing to stand up for them and with them. We are so humbled that God has placed this calling on our hearts. We thank you for being such an important part of this whole journey! We know many of you are facing increasing pressures with the economy in the state it is in and for what is coming in 2009. Yet, despite these pressures, we all need to keep moving forward and allow God to use each of us in His world. We would like to ask you to consider being a part of the work here by a tax-deductible gift through Shepherd's Staff....to walk with us in faith through this. We are needing to return to the States for a brief time in order to share about the ministry here and raise some much needed funds so we can get back here to continue on in what God has called us to accomplish. Right now, our biggest need is for airline tickets and living expenses.

Here's the info for sending checks (please make sure to put our acct# 1112 on your check):
Payable to:
Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators
PO Box 53640
Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640

If you'd like to visit Shepherd's Staff's website, the address is: shepsstaff.org

Thank you!!

Hanukkah Celebration

On Sunday night we were invited to attend a Hanukkah lighting ceremony, which was held outdoors in Heroe's Square in Budapest. It was a very moving sight to behold. It was absolutely freezing outside, but there was not a cloud in the sky and the air was crystal clear. When we arrived, there was already a fairly large crowd gathered and they were lighting torches. The entire area was surrounded by police and security. We made our way through the security and Larry went to grab us a few torches while we waited for our friend, Andi. We immediately saw several groups of the opposition which sent chills down my spine. There was a group not far from where Larry and I were standing - the police was between us and them. We lit our torches and then a rabbi climbed up the steps of the museum where we were all gathered and began giving the blessing in Hebrew. Then he spoke in Hungarian. That was followed by the "Hava Nagila" - which means "let us rejoice"! It was very moving to see the torches all lit up against the dark sky, while throngs of police and security placed a shield all around the group.

The was no violence! We know it could have turned out differently - it was expected to be so - so we are thankful for the shield of the Holy Spirit last night. It was sad to see the hatred of the opposition groups represented. It's heartbreaking to realize that after centuries and centuries of bloodshed and hatred of the Jews - God's chosen people - that it still continues today and is only going to increase as the days go by. We know it is a spiritual battle of course, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.

The Miller Nomads

So.....we were greatly enjoying our temporary apartment for the month of December (the one we wrote about in our last post), when we began to notice with each new day that we weren't feeling the best. We both began to get quite sick and it was then we noticed some mold growing on the wall of the bedroom down near the baseboards. We had noticed when we first moved in to the apartment that there were some old water stains on the walls near the floor, but really didn't think anything of it. The building is a newer building and we thought perhaps there had been some pipes that hadn't been installed properly and had burst or something! We found out from our friend that actually the builder hadn't properly sealed the building with insulation and therefore, whenever it rains heavily the bottom apartments sort of "soak up" the water. It had snowed the week we moved in and then rained heavily and warmed up....perfect mold-growing conditions.

We continued to feel worse and worse until one morning I had difficulty breathing and we just knew we needed to find another place to stay. We were able to find a room in a guesthouse/hotel in downtown Budapest for a reasonable rate. But, we only had enough money for a few days. Didn't know what we were going to do after that!

Larry continued to get worse and finally ended up going to a hospital. Our friend with the moldy apartment had a friend who is a nurse, and this nurse arranged for Larry to see one of the head physicians in the hospital where she works. Even though it was her day off, this nurse friend told Larry to meet her at the hospital. Through the course of the appointment, this nurse friend found out we were needing a place to stay and told Larry right then and there that we were coming home with her and her husband to stay in their home. This nurse friend is all of 4 feet tall and is a Jewish believer with a huge heart for Jesus....and when she speaks....you listen! :)

So, off we went to their home. I noticed right away that they have convector gas heating and knew in my heart it was going to be a problem for me because of the fumes these heaters release. But, Larry and I were both not feeling well and had nowhere to go and it was such a blessing for us to be invited by this sweet couple. I thought I would give it a try. Four days later we had to leave. I was becoming very ill. Nausea, migraine headaches, pain in my liver. So, we packed our bags again and have been back here at the guesthouse/hotel for the past 2 days.

We have had enough money to purchase 3 nights here and in the meantime have been praying and seeking the Lord and trying to maintain a good sense of humor! :) God has been so faithful to us during all this time...in all our moves....there have been some incredible times of Him revealing His plan to us and doors that are opening because of these moves. So, we praise Him!

So...that brings us to today. When we woke up this morning we had no idea where we were going to go on Sunday when we need to leave here. But, God is a God who answers prayers and is so faithful! As of this afternoon, we now have a place to stay for the next few weeks during the holidays! We will be house-sitting for a teacher I worked with at the International Christian School outside of Budapest. ....the same town we lived in this summer while house-sitting for the Director. And...NO convector heating!

I've been reading and studying about the life of Abraham and have been immensely blessed as I have read once again about His faith. And, I really have more appreciation for that nomadic life they had to lead! So, off we go again.............

Where's the Heat?

So, yesterday was our first full day in our "new" dwelling for the month. We were enjoying being truly alone for the first time in a month and a half. We were humming along, enjoying the day when Larry - the - tool - man - Miller, being the ever helpful kind of guy that he is, notices that the heated towel rack in Andi's bathroom is not functioning properly. He sets to work releasing the air in the system and feeling proud that this is something he can help with....because, well, we had a system similar to this when we lived in Hungary in the 90's. A little while later, I notice it's beginning to get a little nippy in the apartment. Larry quietly leaves the living room and pretty soon I hear, "uh, something may have happened when I released the air out of the radiator system. It appears to have shut the entire system down."

OH?? my heart says. But, it'll be easily fixed, I assure myself. Tinkering continues in the bathroom. Time goes by and a dejected Larry comes out and announces he doesn't see how to fix it. He feels just terrible, of course. Meanwhile, the afternoon has disappeared and darkness is setting in (it gets dark here around 4:00 now). And, along with that...cold is more than settling in over the apartment. We cannot reach Andi until much later and she goes to work trying to find someone to come to the apartment. We later receive a message from her that there may not be anything we can do about it until the next day. What??? my heart says, a little louder. Uh, Lord....you do know there is snow on the ground outside and it's COLD, don't you?? The humming in our hearts has stopped by now and we are beginning to pile on clothing and blankets.

The night wears on and it becomes obvious that we are facing a night without heat. Poor Larry, he felt SO badly. But, he was just trying to help...could have happened to anyone.

Because Jesus cares about even the smallest details of our lives..................about 9:00, Andi arrives to the apartment and through a series of phone calls someone walks Larry and her through the process of getting the system going again. And voila! 10 minutes later, heat again!! Thank you, Jesus!

Not a chance encounter

One of the things we like to do when we are out and about in the city is to keep our eyes open for people who look like they are in need and then see if there's anything we can do to help them. One day a few weeks ago, Larry made the long trek across the city to buy a special bread that I can eat and afterward he decided to go to the nearest Burger King for a cup of coffee...because coffee is very cheap there. He walked in the door and couldn't decide where to sit down and then finally chose a spot near and facing the door. He sat down and not long afterward a young man came in the door. Long, dark black hair. He was dressed nicely, but Larry noticed he had a backpack that was very worn and held together on top with a bobby pin. He said the young man took out a discount Burger King menu and then looked into his wallet. Larry said he didn't see any money in there. He said at that moment he knew he was supposed to go over and give the guy 1000 forint, which is equivalent to about 5 dollars. The guy took it, but said to Larry, "what is this??" Larry joked with him in Hungarian and said something like, "you know, it's Hungarian money.." At that point, Larry went back and sat down. Larry saw the guy coming over to him and the guy said, " Wait, wait just a minute....I have to know.....where did this money come from??? When things like this happen I have to know why." He sat down and waited for Larry to answer. Larry said he hesitated for a moment and then said, "well, it came from God".

At that point, they began talking. The guy told Larry he is a believer. He shook his head and looked intently at the money. He then said to Larry: "You just saved my life. I'm going to keep this as a reminder." Larry told him to remember that our God is a living God and went on to share with him some more. Larry said at that moment he felt that he needed to ask the guy something. He said, "I had to ask him what he thought about the Jewish people". When Larry asked this of him the young man became quiet and serious and then said, "My grandfather fled from Hungary in 1956 during the revolution. He was a Jew. I am a Jew." Yet another Jewish connection!

They spoke for a few minutes more and Larry gave the young man our cell phone number, along with instructions to call us if he ever needs anything at all. Larry has been in touch with him several times over the past few weeks. We know that the comment he made about Larry "saving his life" had nothing to do with money. This was not a 'chance encounter'...but a God-ordained encounter....on an ordinary day....in a Burger King half way around the world. If you think of this young man, say a prayer for him......and, keep your eyes open as you go through your days for people God would have you bless and encourage!

Just us

Me, hanging out at Lajos'

Sunset on the house of refuge land

A happy Larry