19 degrees in a Blizzard Outreach

More than 50 people showed up at Bela's outdoor worship tent, in a blizzard! The snow was falling so heavy, and accumulated almost 4 inches in the 3 hours we were there. (Of course this Virginia "born and bred" girl KNEW we weren't supposed to be out after the first snowflake fell!!) However, we had a great time!! Bela performed a skit with the help of 9 children, we sang several Christmas songs with the band, ate fresh donuts (Bela made more than 150--delicious!), and made crafts by candlelight. Some of the visitors commented on how comfortable they felt--and that it was such an encouraging time. Praise God!

Bela plans to have more events in the worship tent--only when it's warmer!!


Singing with the band!

The snow was beautiful!


More than 150 donuts--made from scratch, rising in front of the house stove.

Sarah and Hannah welcome some neighborhood girls, while Laci acts silly behind them.

Sarah sang in Hungarian and English.

Christmas Preparations!

Snow has come and Christmas is coming to Szeged!

We have decorated the apartment, put up our tree, and started to have friends over to celebrate. Béla and Bea, András and Erzsi and their families came over for a fun evening. Hannah and Anna had a Christmas cookie baking afternoon, with Donna's supervision.

Pre-snow, we had a nice visit out to Béla's for daughter Regi's 14th birthday party. What a special chocolate cake, with fireworks on top!

Big planning is underway on the strawberry farm. Tomorrow is the Christmas outreach in the new Fellowship Tent (High of 19 degrees!-we're wearing lots of layers!) Béla has even built outdoor bathroom facilities for the event. See the last picture with door open to the women's special spot!

Merry Christmas from Szeged!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Szeged Ice Cream Going Fast!

The ice cream season, which is coming to an end, is such an important one for us here in Szeged - we love the fresh, interesting, quality flavors that come in small scoops (about 75 cents a scoop). Interesting flavors include coconut, caramel, rum-walnut, punch (fruity with a little rum and raisins), rice (vanilla with rice bits) and Raffaello (coconut, vanilla, and chocolate). The girls often like standard fruit flavors like strawberry, lemon, or peach.



BUT Hungarians don't eat ice cream when winter season comes - it's bad for their throats! Yes, it's true that cold ice cream and cold drinks are avoided by most starting in November because it is considered a linkage to sore throats in the cold season. So, ice cream is becoming scarce in the coffee/pastry shops now, and by Christmas you will only be able to find ice cream in the German supermarket frozen section! Thankfully we had a couple terrific warm weeks beginning of November and got in some last ice cream visits!

A Weekend in an old Monastery

Donna, Laura, Lea, Keri, and Petra

Last weekend, several lady missionary friends and I traveled north of Budapest to spend the weekend in a former monastery, now hotel. It was a time of fellowship, encouragement, and sharing about the things God is doing in our cities, churches, and lives. Before going to sleep the first night, I jokingly said, "We have to get up for 5:00am prayers tomorrow." So when the 7:00am bells rang that next morning, I almost jumped out of my bed!

Here we are strolling the city streets. We all took turns pushing the stroller!

We enjoyed looking in the shops and in the local market.

Our German Relatives visit Szeged

It was great to welcome the relatives to Szeged! It was their first visit to Hungary. Although it was only three days, we squeezed alot of fun into it! We visited the cafés, the Turkish thermal baths, our good friends, the Belaék, and even played on the playground. It certainly was nice to be with family!

Donna's Fall Conference in Austria

Amazing worship! Beautiful scenery! Excellent teaching! Great fellowship!

Over the last two years, I have had the privilege of learning so much from this CRM "pilot development program" for women. Now, how can I invest in other women serving around the world? I hope and believe that there will be opportunity for me in the future to share what I've learned, in order to encourage women in their walks with the Lord and in their ministry.