Kosice and Tirana

Kosice, Slovakia

Our ministry there had a music/cafe outreach.  This is a quick video I made from the event.

AMERIKA:  the map on the wall in an English classroom where we guest taught for one day.

The high school English classroom where we guest-taught

An actual sign in northern Hungary:  "Just don't miss the turn to Miskolc!"

What I saw at the market in Albania

Some of the most vibrant, colorful, tasty and fresh produce I have ever seen, I saw at an open air market recently in downtown Tirana, Albania.  But there were also some things as a westerner I found odd...

"Sorry, you are 3 telephone lines over the legal limit."

Top Row:  Sheep heads

An eel hanging from a hook outside a shop selling fresh fish

your choice of tropical song birds

Your choice of turkey, duck or chicken.  Buy live and eat fresh!

"The Other Side of the World is Not So Far Away..."

In September, EB was part of a Campus Crusade team that traveled to the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk (where Matt was in June).  She helped put on a women's conference through a partnership between our ministry there and a local Baptist church.   EB spoke several times to several hundred women on topics ranging from home decorating and organizing, as well as child-rearing.  As has become her custom in recent seminars, EB arrived a day early to shop in the stores and markets.  She then uses items available locally to demonstrate how to beautify and organize a home easily as well as how to cook efficiently and cheaply. 

Communism silenced or killed off Christian church leadership.   That makes it hard today for this generation in Eastern Europe and Russia to find good teaching in their language and culture, including such topics as Biblical perspective of money and raising children.   That is also why in this city of 1 million people, the largest Protestant church has only 800 members.

At the same time EB was in Siberia, I was in Orlando, Florida; quite literally on the opposite of the planet, 12 times zones away either direction.   In Orlando I was helping to train the newest missionary class with Campus Crusade how to develop their financial support.  The missionary class was divided into 5 different workshops were the training took place in a classroom setting.  I am pictured above (lower left) with the workshop where I assisted.   

 

These missionaries will fan out across the globe with the gospel, with their support teams behind them praying and providing for them.   Some will go into very sensitive locations which is why several faces were blotted out in the above picture.   My heart is have this quality training available to our staff in Eastern Europe and Russia which is why several European staff have joined me at these trainings so they too can learn to teach others in our part of the world.   

July in Argentine Winter

“Her hair was four inches from my face and about to make me throw up. It was crawling with bugs and smelled like it hadn't been washed in months.

I was likely the first white person she ever saw.  She was a Toba, the native Argentineans who were extremely discriminated against by others. They lived in a neighborhood, full of trash and dogs. Their cramped houses with many people stuffed inside were made from scraps of metal, tarp and plastic. They could not leave the neighborhood without being in danger;  they were hated because their skin was a little darker. 

 

There was one small church, barely holding on because it didn't have money and very few people attended. The pastor worked at a construction site for 8 hours a day, had a seventh grade education and didn't have any resources to preach other than the Bible itself.  Please pray for these believers.”

  from Rebekah

Walking into the Toba village, the only thing I could focus on was my step so I wouldn't walk in dog feces, trash or animal carcasses along the dirt roads. Our team was led into a one room building with two bare light bulbs and a concrete floor: the church. The pastor introduced us to the staff of four women: the majority of the church. Then we went out and invited all the children we could find to a VBS program. 

As the children walked in, I thought that it was going to be too much. They were rowdy and disrespectful. But once everyone was seated and quiet, something in the room changed;God’s Spirit began to move.  The kids were enjoyed themselves. We sang songs, played Argentinean games and told the story of the Prodigal Son. I could tell the children loved it because of the giant hugs they gave us and their ear-to-ear grins. 

We returned the next week.  The pastor told us there were 30 new adults and teens at the church because of the VBS we put on. It was inspiring to see how many lives were changed because of three hours we spent encouraging children.  God continues to use “the least of these.” 

from Savannah

Savannah and Rebekah participated on a missions project to Argentina this July with MK2MK, a ministry within Cru for missionary kids living outside of their home country.   There were 20 kids on this project, mostly Americans, who came from 14 different  countries.  Their activities for the summer included street evangelism, conducting VBSes for local churches and doing acts of service (such as cleaning and painting) at Christian rehab facilities near Buenos Aries. 

"Don't say you are an American. That might be an obstacle to the gospel."

The last week of July I traveled to Ukraine along the Black Sea and spent the week with a Campus Crusade summer project for student leaders from Russian speaking countries.   Countries represented here are Ukraine, Russia, Moldova and Belarus. 

The students and staff at this project were great and the spiritual conditions were fantastic.  The physical conditions, for me as a spoiled American, were tough: no plumbing and electricity only a couple of hours each day.  Here is the "big house" at the camp.  From far left:  three outdoor showers fed by a blue water tank, the only outhouse in the camp, the kitchen, a bunkhouse (top floor) and billard room (ground floor).  We had our meetings and meals under the tent. 

 Below here are some of the bright shining faces of the students attending this project.  I was the only American and the only native English speaker at the camp.  Only 2 or 3 of the students spoke conversational English.   In spite of that, I enjoyed greatly getting to know these students and learning of their hearts for the Lord and their desire to glorify Him on their campuses. 

I spoke six times from Matthew's gospel that week.   This is my translator Helen; she translated each talk into Russian.   She also helped me navigate through a few culturally tough situations.  

And seeing the multitudes, Jesus felt compassion for them for they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.  Turning to His disciples, He said, "The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few..."  (Matthew 9:36-27)  Several times we went to a nearby beach and shared our faith.   Since English speakers were so difficult to find, my partner in evangelism was my translator.  She was the one who said to me that being an American might be an obstacle to the gospel in this part of the world. 

We had a great gospel conversation with these guys.

I finally found an English speaker on this beach.  Andre and I had a great talk about not just being religious but about having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  We talked about the great commandment from Matthew 22 (and Deuteronomy 6:5), loving the Lord God with all our heart, soul and mind. 

This picture doesn't seem like much but a half of a step back and I would have fallen 1000 feet straight down "the cliffs of insanity" to a rocky beach.   After this pic was taken I turned around, looked down and said, "He didn't fall?  Inconceivable!"  I kept waiting for someone to say, "That word does not mean what you think it means."  But my audience was not familiar with the movie, "Princess Bride." 

Summer of Que

As I type this, two of my children are sharing Christ with high schoolers in Argentina, two are at a church internship in California and EB is preparing to return from the States where she had some extended time with her family.   That has left Quentin and me here in Budapest.  It has been splendid.

Quentin loves baseball.  I left baseball after the MLB strike and the steroids scandal in the 90s.   But my son's untainted and innate passion for the game has brought me back to the love of my youth, both as a little league father and as an MLB fan.  Sometimes our lives are like something out of the movie, "Field of Dreams" where we talk and talk and talk baseball.   Below is one of the classic moments in James Earl Jones' long cinematic career.    If you share our passion for baseball, then you will understand why this clip is classic. 

People Will Come
Field of Dreams at MOVIECLIPS.com

Quentin also loves playing baseball. Granted, little league is not nearly as developed here in Europe as it is in the States. But there are leagues and camps and chances to play.   Recently, Quentin represented Hungary at a tournament in the Czech Republic.  Quentin was one of the youngest players in the tournament yet held his own.  I loved every pitch, every swing, every hit, every run, every out.   

Quentin only pitched one inning in the tournament but struck out two.  I love his cheeks in this pic.

Quentin had a good swing at this pitch that resulted in a solid base hit.  Note the baseball in the upper left corner. 

It hasn't been all baseball.  Just last week we escaped the heat of Budapest and hiked in the Slovakian mountains for several days.   We hiked with some friends and spent the night in a chalet high up in the mountains.   Even though non-existent in the Rockies of the American West, these chalets are common place in the mountains of Europe.   Here is a quick video that highlights our hike. 

Next week I will travel to the Black Sea and teach from Matthew's gospel to a group of summer Ukrainian missionaries.  This week my main focus is preparing for those sessions.   As much as I love my family, baseball and the mountains, teaching Bible is my great passion because it allows me to exalt my Lord.  Thank you for your involvement in our lives in the mission field.  And thank you for letting me get personal in one of our blog postings. 

"Historic" Training and Journey into Russia

Group shot from our "coaches training."  Countries represented in this photo: Albania, Moldova, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and several "closed countries" from outside of Eastern Europe. 

Earlier in June in Tirane, Albania, we held the first Eastern European training for "MPD coaches." (Ministry Partner Development).  One of the greatest challenges our missionaries face is raising their own financial support.   We want each of our missionaries to have a "coach" when they are developing their team of ministry partners so that they have someone who can train them, encourage them, pray for them and hold them accountable during what can be a wilderness journey for many missionaries. 

Here I am teaching at the coach's training.  The director of all of Campus Crusade's support raising training, Ellis Goldstein, did most of the teaching at this training.  He traveled from the USA to help us.  (During my years in Atlanta, I worked under Ellis' tutelage.)    Ellis called this training "historic" because so few missions agencies provide coaching, training and care for their staff during their support raising time. 

 

After the training was over, Ellis addressed a gathering of our Albanian missionaries and taught several sessions about Christ from the Old Testament.  Ellis is pictured above talking with our Albanian director.  Here is a man born Muslim (our Albanian director) and a man born Jewish (Ellis) yet embracing each other as brothers because of the common faith they share in Jesus Christ.  Isn't that cool?   What politicians and war cannot accomplish, Christ can.

After Albania, Ellis and I traveled 6 time zones to the east, the same distance that Atlanta was to the west, to the Russian Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.   During the drive into town from the airport, this famous Russian greeted us. 

In Krasnoyarsk Ellis and I trained a gathering of Russian evangelical missionaries and pastors on how to raise funding for their ministries.  When the training was over they presented us with two hand painted pictures of Siberian landscapes. 

From our hotel room in Krasnoyarsk at 11:30pm at night.  I don't think anyone sleeps in the summer in Siberia.  It was dark only about 3 hrs in June.  I'm so glad we were there in June and not January!   Krasnoyarsk is a city with a population of 1 million and is a regional capital in Siberia.    The largest evangelical church in that city is 700 people. 

 

Here is a brief video about Campus Crusade's work in Krasnoyarsk.   Also, there are some great shots in this video of the Siberian winter! 

On the way back to Budapest from Siberia, we had a 24 hr layover in Moscow.   That was my first visit ever to that city.

Family Updates and Photos from April and May

Liz sat in on some lectures while I took a Biblical Theology class from Dr. D.A. Carson here in Budapest.  It was the most fascinating and difficult post-graduate class I have ever taken.  And I loved it!  Liz also loved it and asked questions of Dr. Carson at every opportunity.  How often do you get a chance to learn from one of the world's foremost New Testament scholars!  Here I am copying class notes off of Liz...er, ah, I mean, making sure she got all the lecture notes down correctly ;-)

Here is Quentin playing first base and  scooping the ball out of the dirt during a Hungarian Little League game.  Once again this season Quentin led his team, the "Diosd Dodgers," in batting average.

Here EB demonstrates how to make cinnamon rolls during a cooking class she gave at a Ukranian wives retreat.   Please scroll below these photos and you will find many of EB's favorite recipes.

Rebekah has found a home in the fine arts.  Here she is in-between songs during a bell choir performance.  She has also recently done piano recitals and been part of vocal choirs.

Savannah has been determined to try new things and this spring she tried out for a local girls softball team.  She is not the "franchise player" like she is on the basketball court, but here puts some good wood on the ball.  Some of the pitchers in her league are throwing the ball upwards of 60 mph. 

EB’s Recipes

EB has done several cooking demonstrations lately.  One here in Hungary and another in Ukraine.  Here are some of her favorite recipes that she shares with others.     Enjoy!  

You Can’t Live Without ‘em Rolls                                        Yield: 24 rolls

Ingredients:

1 cube yeast (élesztő in refrigerated section)

½ cup warm water

½ cup milk

½ cup Rama (margarine)

½ cup sugar

¾ tsp salt

1 egg

4 cups flour

1. Combine yeast and warm water, set aside.
2. Heat milk and Rama until butter melts.
3. Mix in sugar, salt and egg.
4. Add yeast mixture and stir well.
5. Add 2 cups of flour and mix to pancake consistency.
6. Stir in 2 more cups of flour.
7. Divide in half.
8. Roll each half out to ½ inch thickness. 
9. Cut each into 12 evenly sized triangles.
10. Roll like crescent rolls and bake for 15 minutes in 200 Celsius oven.

For Cinnamon, Chocolate or Nut Rolls:

1. Roll out each half of dough to ½ inch thickness.
2. Spread with 1 cup softened butter.
3. Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon (or cocoa and sugar, or ground nuts and sugar, etc).
4. Roll up and cut log into 12 pieces.
5. Put cinnamon rolls in 13x9 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

For Sandwich Rolls:

Same as above, only layer salami, ham or cheese or whatever you would like on dough before rolling up.

Can also use for hot dogs in a blanket, hamburger rolls… be creative!

Praline French Toast Casserole                                               Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 loaf sliced white bread, with crust removed

8 eggs

3 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla,

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 T sugar

Layer (2 slices thick) bread in 9 x 13 pan.  In bowl combine eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and salt.  Pour over bread in pan. Sprinkle with topping and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 180 Celsius for 40-50 minutes.  Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Topping:

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup walnuts

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

Crumble together and sprinkle over bread mixture.

Fruit Kabobs

Attractive alternative to fruit salad

Thread assorted colorful fruit chunks on wooden skewers.  Serve with cream cheese dip.  Fruit ideas: bananas, strawberries, orange sections, kiwi slices, pineapple chunks, grapes, melon cubes, apple cubes, etc.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

1 box hulala

1 package cream cheese

1 T strawberry jam

1 small container strawberry yogurt

Beat cream cheese until light and airy.  In separate bowl, whip hulala for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Carefully blend cream cheese, strawberry jam and yogurt into whipped hulala.  Serve as a dip for fruit.

Chicken Cordon Bleu                                          Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 deboned chicken breasts

4 slices ham

4 slices Swiss cheese

Place chicken breast between plastic wrap and pound with meat mallet until about 1/8 inch thick.  Put 1 slice of ham and slice of Swiss cheese on flattened chicken.  Roll up and secure with toothpick.  Chicken rolls may be breaded if desired.  Bake at 180 Celsius for about 20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).  Serve with rice or potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Poppy Seed Dressing                                         Yield: 3 cups dressing

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp mustard

2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vinegar

1 onion

1 ½ cups oil

½ cup water

3 T poppy seed

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Serve with salad.  Keep refrigerated when not in use.

Crostini                                                           Yield: about 24 crostini

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread (baguette/ long, thin loaf)

1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella or Trappista cheese

7 Plum tomatoes, sliced

Pesto sauce

Cut bread into thin, diagonal slices.  Top with 1 Tbsp cheese.  Place slice of tomato and ½ tsp pesto sauce on top.  Broil 8 minutes at 200 Celsius until cheese melts.  Serve hot!

Chocolate Syrup                            Yield: about 3 cups syrup

(like Hershey’s)

Ingredients:

1 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup cold water

1 T vanilla

Boil first four ingredients for about 1 minute.  Add vanilla. 

Good for chocolate milk, hot cocoa,  and as an ice cream topping.

Store in sealed container in refrigerator.

Mozzarella Basil Tomatoes                                         Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes, sliced

5 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

20 slices of mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper

Place tomatoes on platter ½ inch apart. Top each tomato slice with thin slice of mozzarella cheese and sprig of fresh basil (or ½ tsp chopped, fresh basil).  Drizzle with olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Colorful, easy and delicious!

Shish Kabobs                                                              Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:                      

1 lb of your favorite meat, raw and cut into 1 ½ inch strips

20 Feta-bacon cubes

Vegetables, cubed (onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, red/yellow/green peppers, zucchini, etc)

1. Marinate meat strips overnight in your favorite marinade or salad dressing.
2. Prepare feta bacon cubes by cutting/molding 20 cubes of feta cheese and wrapping them in bacon.
3. Thread meat strips, vegetables and feta bacon cubes on skewers in a colorful arrangement.
4. Broil or grill for 15-20 minutes, until meat is cooked through.
5. Serve with rice or grilled potatoes and salad.

Tomato Bisque                                           Yield: about 24 cups

Ingredients:

4 large onions

10 cloves garlic

1 cup butter

7 cups diced tomatoes

3 liters tomato juice

6 bay leaves

2 tsp basil

2 tsp Dill

2 tsp Thyme

2 tsp Parsley

2 tsp Baking soda

16 oz cream cheese

1 liter light cream

Sauté onion and garlic in butter.  Add diced tomatoes and tomato juice.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add bay leaves, basil, dill, thyme, parsley.  Remove from heat and add baking soda slowly to prevent soup from boiling over.  Return to heat and stir in cream cheese and light cream.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 

Easy and delicious.  Freezes well!

Bacon Bread Sticks                              Yield: about 20 bread sticks

Ingredients:

1 package bread sticks

1 lb sliced bacon

Wrap each bread stick with one slice of bacon and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bacon is nicely browned.  Remove from pan and serve.  Good hot or cold!

EB’s Peach Tea                                                         Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients:

6 cups water

6 tea bags

1 cup sugar

1 package Peach Bolero

1 package Orange Bolero

1 package Lime Tea Bolero

1 liter multivitamin juice (100%)

Bring water to boil.  Steep tea for 10 minutes.  Remove teabags.  Add sugar and Bolero mixes.  Stir until dissolved.  Add multivitamin juice.  Mix well.  Add enough water to make one gallon of the tea. 

Serve with lots of ice, lemon slice and garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

More food ideas!

1.       Plan! Plan! Plan!...even if it’s a stretch for you.  The alternative to not planning is very stressful and expensive.

2.       Recipe websites:

http://allrecipes.com                                     http://www.bestcookingsites.com links to other sites

http://www.food.com

http://www.recipegoldmine.com has lots of restaurant copycat recipes

http://www.epicurious.com includes out of the ordinary dishes

3.       Use ideas from fine restaurants.  Notice how attractively a meal is served – colors, shapes, etc! (Google: “plating food” for some great pictures, ideas and advice.)

1.       For a special flair, serve dessert on a large dinner plate.  Garnish with color: a strawberry, kiwi and orange slice; a chocolate stick, mint leaf on whipped cream.  Drizzle Hershey’s syrup over all or heat 2 T raspberry jam and make a design on plate with spoon!  Anything goes!!!