It seems that spring has finally come to Central Europe. We had snow until nearly the end of March. And there were still some patches of snow on the ground in the mountains near the German/Czech border until almost the end of April. Now, it is beautiful here with temperatures near 70 and flowers blooming everywhere. A great time to be in Central Europe. Since my last update, I have been in Poland (twice), the Czech Rep., Austria, and Hungary. It has been very busy since the first of March. A lot of travel and time away from the family. But, it has been a great time of work with teams and the local churches. Since my last update, I was in Warsaw with a team from Ocala, FL working on the Bible school. We were hoping the Bible school addition could be ready for students in the fall. However, it doesn't look possible. There is still a lot of work and money needed . The team from Ocala did a lot of drywall and were a blessing to work with. Also working alongside the team from Florida were some Master's Commission students from Vienna Christian Center, the international church in Vienna. It was great to have these young people there with us as well. The MC girls did a great job painting some of the rooms upstairs. Even with the work done by this team, there is still a lot of drywall left to be done. We have around five more teams scheduled for Warsaw this year. Please pray that God will make a way for the addition to be finished. Poland really needs more trained pastors and church leaders. There are many churches with no "pastor", and many more churches with pastors who could be much more effective if they had the proper training. This project, once completed, will have a huge impact on the entire country of Poland by providing this much needed education for current, and new, pastors.
A few days ago I returned from Varpalota, Hungary. I was there working on the Varpalota church with a team from Lansing, Michigan. It was really great to get to return to Varpalota and see Pastor Gyula Balint and visit this wonderful church once again. God has really been blessing this church and they have been seeing miraculous provision in the construction of their new building. It is really exciting to be a part of it. The building was started in spring of 2005 and it looks like they will be finished by around October of this year! Most of the work has been done by the church people themselves and it is a testimony to God's faithfulness and provision. This church has already planted two or three other churches in their region, even before they had a building of their own. It is exciting to see what God is doing in and through this church. Thanks to the team from Lansing. They did a great job. We had to install a lot of insulation, metal studs, and metal strips on the walls and ceiling prior to hanging drywall. It was very tedious and time consuming work. However, we got it all done in our section of the building and were also able to hang some drywall on the ceiling. The nationals were amazed at how much work was accomplished. They kept saying that we did far more than they ever expected. Praise the Lord!
The next month and a half are busy as well, with four more teams before a break in the summer. I will be working in Grimma and Weisswasser, Germany, as well as the Bible school in Warsaw.
Thanks once again to all the teams and all of our supporters for your sacrificial giving of time, finances, and prayers. We are tremendously blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and supporters. You guys are the best. Please be reminded that these updates are about work and ministry that you make possible. We are a team and without you we could do none of this. Everything we are able to do is a result of your prayers and financial giving. We are so thankful to God for you all! Thank you for building His kingdom in Central Europe! God bless! Until next time....