Old Updates: The One When Things Started Re-opening

Summer 2020

It’s strange—as I sit down to write this letter, I truly realize how fluid time is. Some months, I sit down to write a letter to you all and it feels like I just sent one the day before, and other times it feels like it has been years! But regardless of how the time feels, it is nice to have this concrete touch point in time, knowing that each month I will write something, even if it’s just a brief highlight reel, and for that I am thankful. I think the knowledge that there is at least one concrete thing each month in spite of all the craziness happening in the world and all of the unknowns—and that it represents a connection to the larger Kingdom of God and people who are praying for us and the ministry here in Hungary—makes me feel incredibly thankful. So thank you. 
 
With that said, this is a month that feels like it has flown! Budapest has continued to slowly open things up and our schedules have filled with more in-person meetings and travel.
 
Daniel’s days have been filled with meetings and a few trips outside the city to visit pastors in smaller cities as he works on discipleship and sharing Banding Together. It’s been exciting to see our partners here become so excited about what is happening. In fact, just this month we heard from one of the pastors we work with that someone decided to commit their life to Christ through the work of bands, so that is amazing news! Daniel is now working on putting together evangelism materials and programs at the request of a partner.
 
We also had the opportunity to help one of our partners this month through painting his new parish house. Our team made the trip to the southwest portion of Hungary on a Friday afternoon, primed the whole flat that evening, and had dinner with the pastor. The next morning, we were up bright and early to get paint on all the walls and ceilings, which turned out to be a much better workout than expected. But after months of being largely cooped up inside and working on screens, it was nice to get to do a little “dirty work” and help out. 

 








On the more personal side, just about a week ago we finally had the opportunity to travel to the southern part of Austria to meet with an Endometriosis specialist for Amanda. It’s been almost a year exactly since her surgery in Indiana and it was nice to meet with a doctor with specialized knowledge about the disease and create a specific plan of attack for getting Amanda healthier and keeping her that way. Please continue to pray as we implement the new plan, specifically that her pain levels would lessen.
 
As we look ahead to the next few months, it looks as though they are just going to get busier and busier as the city hopefully continues to return to a more normal schedule. We are continuing work on our business plan for the brunch spot and are looking forward to the next steps of checking out potential properties. We are also both helping out in setting up a regional communications plan, using Daniel’s love and impressive skill set in organizations and Amanda’s background in PR and social media to create a solid foundation for new regional communication channels. 
 
Please pray that as our schedules fill, we continue the posture of seeking God first despite the busyness. Know that we are praying the same for all of you, especially with the unknowns around school and work in the States.