Update & slightly different version of Thankful Thursday

I have started but not finished about 5 posts over the past couple of weeks! I took a break from the computer to spend some more time with Jesus & my family. It's crazy how it can steal your time from important things!

It's pretty hard to sum up all God is doing in our city but I really want those of you who pray for us and support us to know that God is hearing, so please keep it up!!

Update/Prayer Requests/Praise:

• God is seriously moving here in our midst!! He is cleansing hearts (ours included), opening doors, building relationships and the gospel is going forth!!
• The Spirit is revealing some things in my heart and I am so grateful for the cleansing He is doing and the freedom I am finding!
• There was a pastor's meeting this week with pastor's from all over the country from many different churches and they all prayed and worshiped together and agreed that God is beginning a work here in Pecs!
• We may be able to move the church to the area of town where we are ministering! God is opening a door and we are going to walk through it! Please pray for the contract and details to be worked out.
• We began youth group in the park last week and had not our usual 5-8 but 40 kids come!! It was unbelievable! We played with the parachute, soccer, basketball, and then sat them down and taught them about God.
• We asked the kids what they knew about God and maybe 2 knew anything at all. Wow! I knew this place needed the gospel but never saw it on the kids faces like I see it now. Please pray for Jesus to change lives. We will do this again tomorrow. Please pray.
• During the play time I and some others talked with the parents and other folks standing around the park wanting to know who we were and what we were doing. The harvest is ripe! Every single person was open to hearing and said that they would check out the church if we move!!
• We are totally changing the women's ministry again. We are going back to the heart of worship with prayer and worship all summer long. I am very excited to see how God will change our hearts, our families, our church, and our community!
• I will be talking to the women in the prison tomorrow about God's love. Please pray for them to receive GRACE. Balazs will be going back to the prison tomorrow after a few months break. Please pray for him to reconnect with the men and to share Jesus boldly.
• We are able to host a one day festival for the troubled school where Balazs shares each week. We expect 150 teenagers to come. We will do crafts, have two bands, and a graffiti contest. Please pray for the gospel to spread like fire to this broken and lost generation.
• We met with our neighbor last night whom we have tried to get to know for 4 years. (We are friends with every other neighbor in our complex except this one couple). I will begin to teach him english next week. We talked with him for over two hours about his life, our lives, and Jesus. God is amazingly faithful that after 4 years, we were able to have this conversation so naturally and it was awesome! Pray for the salvation of all of our neighbors.
• We found a farm that is perfect for raising orphans and being able to raise animals and have a garden, with even enough land for wheat & corn harvesting. The house needs a lot of work before it is livable but the barns are all in good order. We know that if this is God's plan for us, even though it seems impossible, He will provide for this farm.

Our heart are overflowing!! It is so good to serve Him! Thank you so much for being a part of this with us! We really could not do this without your support!

Outreach

*Sorry this post is a little long but I wanted people to have a better idea of what we did for this outreach*

First, thank you for your prayers. This outreach was born out of prayer and it truly was awesome to see God moving in our midst in response to those prayers.

The body of Christ coming together:

Balazs' mom, younger brother, and his girlfriend came down to be a part of this outreach which really was a huge blessing and a new thing for this family to serve the Lord alongside one another. Praise Jesus! A team also came from the bible college to help us. They brought some Americans, a British, an Australian, a Ukrainian, and two Hungarians. That in itself was awesome. We were quite a diverse group! Also, a couple who were a part of our church but had to move to Budapest a few months ago for work came down as well. Many people from our church came out to help as well. It was so cool.

One of the things that blessed us beyond words was another pastor from a different church in the city (he, Balazs, and a few other pastor's meet regularly to pray and work together) brought his family to help for the day. His wife brought all of the things needed to do another craft, they allowed us to borrow their bouncy house and their professional sound equipment. As if that is not awesome itself, nothing says Jesus more than a pastor of another church sharing the gospel with people and inviting them not to his, but to our church. Seriously?? This is just an example of how Jesus worked that day!

Program:

Friday afternoon when the team arrived we set out to the park and some of the guys started to play music and talk to the kids in the park. Others played soccer and the girls had a girls youth group in the park. We handed out invitations to all of the families in the park as well. After a while some teen guys came up (from the school Balazs shares in) and asked if they could free style and beat box with us. After hanging out with these guys and sharing Jesus with them they asked if they could come back the next day. Balazs told them they could perform on the mic if they would not cuss. They showed up the next day and did a great job. Both have promised to come to church.

After the park, I made spaghetti & we had dinner together and prepared some of the crafts and other stuff for the next day.

Saturday we began with prayer and worship before having lunch prepared by one of the ladies from our church and Balazs mom. After that, we headed to the park and set up. We stayed at the park from 1 until 6 or 7.

We had face painting (very popular!), we made Mother's day cards (it was the following day here in Hungary), we made pasta necklaces, gospel bracelets, magnets for the refrigerator, and used foam to make all sorts of stuff. We had a bouncy house, organized games (baseball, parachute games, soccer, etc). Balazs, his brother, one guys from the team, and two guys from the church played some awesome live music. Balazs also shared the gospel on the mic several times over the afternoon.

Outcome:

While we of course do not know all that God did in the way of planting seeds, moving hearts, etc., we know God was with us!

Many of our team were able to go around and talk with the parents standing around waiting for their kids. We shared the gospel and invited them to church and let them know we would be having church in their neighborhood come September. Nearly every person was receptive and extremely grateful and surprised that we came out to bless them (for free!). Many showed interest in coming to the church once it moves out to that area of town in the Fall.

We really felt the presence of God with us all through the planning, organizing, and actual program. It was super cool for us as a church and we look forward to doing more before we move the church there.

*On a side note, a few days before the event, the pastors mentioned above that pray with Balazs laid hands on him and prayed for this event and all gave their blessing and encouragement that we move the church out to that part of town. We have been burdened for this area for quite a while now and have been praying for it for some time. There are 8 schools, 6 preschools, hundreds of block style apartments, the university, old folks homes, etc. and not a single church amongst thousands of people. Not even a Catholic temple. So, we are now looking for a buildings in order to move the church there in September. Please pray that God would lead us to the right building that we can afford.

Thanks again for being a part of our outreach with your prayers!

Thankful Thursday...Please pray!!

Almost forgot about this today as we are super busy getting ready for our children's festival outreach we are doing as a church Saturday.

Please pray for good weather, for boldness to share the gospel, for hearts to receive Truth, for all the practical stuff to come together, for that area of the city to be blessed. Thank you!

So, there is much to be thankful for this week as well!

• Already posted but I am very thankful for the love I was shown for my birthday! It was awesome! 30 isn't so bad after all.
• For time away with my husband. It is something we have not ever been able to do (no grandparents nearby:) and it was so cool!
• For the Australians here helping us who made our night away possible and who are truly dear friends and co-laborers.
• For the Lord's healing work in our lives. I love that He pursues our hearts and desires us to be faithful to Him, to want Him, to be with Him.
• The ability to have this festival and all the things that the greater body (other churches!!) gave to us to make this come together.
• For sunshine. I know I say it a lot but it was really a long winter and it is such a beautiful change.
• A great time in the prison last week. After many weeks that did not go well, we had some new women and they were eager to hear about Hope, Life, and Truth
• Much support I have been given about writing a cook book. (More to come on that but it will be simple, whole foods, "American recipes" for the Hungarian family).
• That the Lord gives and takes away. That this life is not all there is.
• For four weeks of working out and healthy eating. I feel great and seriously notice the effects of sugar on my body for the first time in my life (that I can remember). It feels great!

Hope you all have a great week and take a minute to think about and thank Jesus for all the blessings He pours out!

30!! Best birthday!!

Wow! That's all I can say about this birthday. It was awesome!

First, my friend took me to get my nails done and then surprised me with a restaurant full of all of the girls from our church. Thank you Viktoria! It was super cool. They blessed me beyond what they will ever know.

While we were away, my husband put up kitchen shelves for me which I have wanted for so long!! They are super sweet!

On Sunday, another friend made my favorite cake (expect your chocolate cream supreme mom!) and brought it to church.

After church on Sunday, my husband surprised me with a get away date. Ok, we have NEVER left the kids before. That's right, 3 1/2 years and one of us has always been with them overnight. So, I was a little nervous but I let it go and we left. Thank you to Palma and Kim & Andy for taking super good care of our kids! He took me to Budapest where we stayed on our wedding night and then we walked all over like we used to when we were first friends. We had dinner at a super cool restaurant and then the next day hiked up Janoshegy and took the cable cars (it was what we did the first time we ever hung out). We had lunch and then headed home. It was awesome!

We cam home and BBQ'd with Kim & Andy and then had cake made by Ellie & Kim.

It was seriously the best birthday!! Thank you all for making me feel so loved!

(More pictures on facebook)

Thankful Thursday

Not many posts this week but definitely things to be thankful for!

• We finally found a stork for Ellie to see!! We have been reading a book about them and finally found one!!

• Awesome days outside lately!! Today rain but most of the week beauty!!

• Amazing teaching from John Piper here. Still chewing on it. It's worth the 50 minutes. Definitely understanding more of God's love for us after listening. Also, super thankful for a regenerated heart that wants less of me and more of HIM!

• Two upcoming outreaches for our church. So thankful for the turning point for our church. Please pray for these (Apr. 29th, May 1st)

• For my husband who took the girls with him the other morning (I spring cleaned). He even brought home lunch so I didn't have to cook. Then the girls napped and after we all headed out to the church for the prayer meeting. I felt so refreshed with just a half of a day alone!

• For the adoption process. It is so hard to wait and pray and wait and pray but it reveals the Father's heart for us so much as we better understand what it means that He has adopted us.

• That I will turn 30 this week! God has given me the gift of life. It is my prayer and heart's cry that I make much of Him with all that I have left.

• For being healthy and able to focus time to workout and figure out how to feed our family healthier. It feels so good!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

While the weather has been a bit gray and wet this week we still have much to be thankful for!

• We saw the most incredible ice storm I have ever seen. It began with sunny skies, then sudden darkness, lightening & thunder. Soon after some serious rain came but it was not just rain, it was ice and a lot of it! My neighbor ran out to cover his car in blankets *he likes his car a lot* There ended up being a nice layer of ice balls everywhere. It lasted about 20 minutes and then, sunny skies again.
• We scored some amazing deals & produce from the farmer's market this week. We are so happy for Spring vegetables!!! I also got a great source of raw milk so now we are going to be making all of our own cheese, cream, buttermilk, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. We are excited for the adventure, saving money, helping others, and healthier dairy products!
• So thankful that my husband is on board for our family to make the switch and eat healthier. I have been making slow changes and since he has loved everything, he gave the go ahead to completely change our eating!! So thankful! I have tried before and failed but with him beside me on this, we can do it!! (Changes we are making will come soon)
• Super stoked for a friend's recent adoption. They brought home their little boy last week. God is Amazing! Also very thankful and overwhelmed with joy that the Lord has provided for my brother and his family to move forward with their adoption! We are so thankful that God has called us to be involved with taking care of orphans through adoption! We can't wait to bring our new child home.
• For the Australian couple (post about them coming soon too) who have helped us more than we could ever have imagined. We thought they were coming to help practically but it has been so much more! We are so thankful for them!
• The Word! It is awesome! I love that I have the privilege to teach women from His Word three times this week. I love that It has power to change lives, that It brings healing, comfort, restoration, freedom. I love that I never am the same after reading It! I love that I have freedom to have many bibles, to read them, to teach from them. I am thankful for the bible!
• Thankful for my family who helps and supports us so much even though we are so far away. My sister taking care of all of my DMV hassle, my other sister sending me Reef's in an emergency, my mom sending us packages even we we ask her not to, my other sister leaving me notes on my Facebook wall and reminding me of my quickly approaching 30th birthday!
• For the wonder of God in the caterpillar and butterfly process. We are studying this with Ellie this week and are seriously amazed!

What are you thankful for this week?

Healthy Snacks

We are on a quest to kick our sweet habit (i.e. too much chocolate) and in that spirit I have come up with 4 new snacks for us to enjoy. They are easy, healthy, and not expensive. Those are the kinds of snacks we look for.

First, we were having company over on Sunday afternoon and I needed something quick but did not want to make a cake or cookies because I end up eating ALL of the leftovers. So I looked around the kitchen and found a box of light cream cheese.

Here what I did:

I added a teaspoon of honey

I blended up about 1/4 a cup of walnuts

Mixed it all together

Sliced apples and served as a dip. It was awesome! I think you could add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg for a more "fallish" snack but it's Spring, so none of that!

Second, I was really craving chocolate. It happens. A lot. Here's the remedy

A glass of cold milk

A teaspoon or two of cocoa

A teaspoon of honey

Mix and drink with a straw for added fun.

You can heat this in the winter, blend with ice cubes for a more shake approach, or drink with a side of strawberries to be ultimately "springy."

Next, I was looking for healthier alternatives for snacks for my girls and made this:

Peel one banana

Drizzle with honey

Allow your three year old to crush some corn flakes and roll away.

Result: one girl licked all of the toppings off before eating, the other ate it as is. Both loved it!

Next up to try (with recipes to come if they turn out):

Homemade graham *and chocolate* crackers (we can't get them and homemade would be way healthier)

Peanut butter smoothies

Strawberry smoothies (when they are in season in a few weeks but the season only lasts a month here so we will have to get our fill)

Enjoy! Any other healthy snack ideas? I'd love to hear

Ministry Update

Wanted to give a quick ministry update and ask for some prayer for the upcoming things. We are super excited but it is a lot of work in the coming weeks and we need your prayers for Jesus to come near to us and to people we meet with.

Youth group:

Balazs and Andy *the Australian* took the boys to Slovakia for a youth conference where Balazs taught two sessions. Two weekends later they took the boys to the Calvary Youth Conference and again Balasz taught two sessions. The boys are really getting serious about following Jesus and we are so blessed to be a part of their lives. All of the youth kids have at least one (most of them both) parents who are not believers. Please pray for God to use these kids in the lives of their parents.

Church: *Prayer*

We have really felt led to bring the church together through prayer. Especially with all of the upcoming events, we must see together that it is only with the empowering from God that we can do anything. Because of this and the dynamics of our church, we will be providing childcare for the next two weeks to enable more people to be able to come and pray. If it goes well and more are able to come, we may do childcare every week. Please pray for our church to be burdened for prayer.

Outreach:

We have 2 major outreach events coming up in the next couple of weeks. First, April 24th we, along with 4 other local churches are hosting a concert at the largest event center in our city as part of the Cultural events for the year (Pecs is one of the 2 cultural capitals in the EU this year, this is a BIG deal). We are responsible for cleaning the entire center along with other stuff. Each church will fast and pray for a day the week before the concert. Please pray that this concert and the gospel being shared at this event opens hearts to saving faith in Jesus.

The second outreach is May 1st. A team from the bible college will come down to help us host a kid's festival where we will have a bounce house, craft tables, games, face painting, and a band playing *Balazs & others*. We will share the gospel with the parents who come as they are waiting for their kids. We have done this type of outreach before and it was great. Please pray for all of the planning and organizing we need to do and for permission to be given by the police station. Please pray for our church to be totally involved, for them to invite people to come, for them to take ownership of this outreach. Please pray for the church to grow in their faith and trust in Jesus through this event. Please pray for people to come to know Christ and for people to come to church.

We have some other plans coming up for church retreats and prayer days, for a recipe exchange outreach with women, for a church women's retreat, and other events. None of this will be possible without prayer. Please pray with us for these things. This really is a big step forward for us and for our church. Please partner with us in prayer. Thank you!!

Thankful Thursday

Wow! Lots to be thankful for this week!

• We had an awesome Easter weekend celebrating Jesus! Lots of friends, fun and food! First BBQ of the year, oh yeah! Tiramisu & cheescake! It was great! We had everyone over who did not have family to celebrate with. We ended up with 14 people!

• Still super thankful for the warm weather & sunshine. Loving loving loving the spring flowers and am still in awe (after 5 years here) that the plants sprout and grow before your eyes. It is something you don't notice in Ca and I love it!!

• We had a great day at the park today with a good friend and her kids! Ellie and I and her 3 year old really enjoyed the big slide (we all went down together). I have not laughed like that in a long time! It was great! We went down like 15 times.

• Super stoked on the sales I got yesterday while doing our monthly shopping. Avocados are a real rarity here and I got 4 baby ones for $1!! Yeah!!

• I am grateful for the work the Lord is doing in my heart. It is not pretty to see the yuckiness that is there but it is awesome to know that I am on the road to freedom once again!

• I am super thankful the God wants us to walk continually in freedom and not be in bounds of sin, legalism, selfishness, etc.

• Thankful for my family even though I don't see them often, they are a huge source of support and blessing in my life.

Embracing bitterness on the road to finding freedom

I am going to share something many of you may not know about me. I am an amazing builder. I build fantastic walls that rival the likes of the Great wall in China, the walls of Barcelona, or the great walls of Cairo.

The only difference is my walls surround my something much more valuable...my heart. I will not go into why I do this, but suffice to say it is a very effect protective mode that I embrace any time I am in danger of being hurt. I find it far easier to shut off any emotional connection than to deal with whatever it is that is threatening me. Clearly this pattern is not glorifying to God. Nor trusting in His ability to escort me through the circumstances I find myself in.

Through a series of events, God has been speaking to me loudly about this issue. Roots have a funny way of finding ways through seemly impenetrable places. Case in point, my heart. For the past couple of years, we have been dealing with something that I thought I had been handling very well and because of my wall, I was able to deceive myself. This past week however, I have seen how some roots have made their way in. Roots of the most destructive type. Roots of bitterness. In my case unforgiveness. Hebrews 12:15 talks about the roots of bitterness and how they spring up and cause trouble, and by it many become defiled. One thing we are learning as we minister, is that bitterness is very destructive in the life of a believer and in a church. Because of the walls I create though, I didn't even realize I had been hurt and that over time that hurt turned sour and bitter. I thank Jesus that He has shown me this before the reaches of this are too great to overcome.

I am teaching this week in the prison on bitterness and forgiveness. It is funny how God always teaches me far more than I teach anyone else. I do love that about our relationship with Him. He wants us to be conformed into the image of His Son and He is relentless in His efforts if we are willing.

I think in general I am a very forgiving person, I don't hold grudges easily and I usually just let go. One of the ways that I knew I had been changed by the saving power of the gospel is that I let go of all the anger and bitterness I had held onto for years in the matter of a day. I was free. I realize now of course, that holding onto it did nothing to change the other person, it only put me into a prison and held me there choking out any chance I had at being free. But then Christ entered my life and I was able to let it all go. I have tried to remember throughout my walk with Jesus that as I have been forgiven much, so must I also forgive (Col 3:13). For the most part, I have been able to do this but then God is showing things like this in my heart right now and it breaks me. It reminds my of the depth of my sinful heart and brings me to my knees in repentance.

I realize than in order to clean out the roots that have taken hold, I must let the walls down, accept that I have been hurt, go immediately to the only One who can comfort, heal, restore, and then... let it go and walk in the freedom that comes in forgiveness.

I share this with you in the hopes that you will search out your own heart and ask God to reveal any roots that have taken up residence. I share this as a way to be healed (James 5:16) and ask you to pray that God would do a work in my heart. I share this with you to ask you to pray that the work that the Lord does in my heart would open up floodgates in our midst here and allow a deep work of forgiveness and healing to be done. I share this with you so that He may be glorified as we all witness the power of a sinner being set free once again through His grace.

Thankful Thursday

Seriously stoked on Spring still!! We changed our clocks this past weekend and are loving the extra daylight!! Super thankful for a friend who always blesses us with apples and other goodies!! Hosea 10 rocked me this week! Very thankful for how the Word shapes me, challenges me, and makes me cry out for the Spirit to transform my heart! Already mentioned, but still very thankful for the free day we had this week! Very blessed and grateful for my husband who God is changing before my eyes. Thankful for his love, for his humblesness, and mostly for his dependence on Jesus. Nothing is more amazing in a man. Thankful for my little girls who keep me on my knees! Super excited (does that count as thankful?) for our Easter breakfast with the church and BBQ with friends after!! Very thankful and humbled as we celebrate our Redeemer this weekend!

Healthy Scones

Ok, so I am slack about posting recipes but here is what I made for breakfast today. They are very easy and very yummy! I make these different every time based on what I have at home, so I will give the basic recipe and you can change it to your heart's desire.

2 1/2 (or so) cups of flour- I use a combination of rye, wheat, and a little (like 1/2 c.) of white

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt (or none at all)

==============mix these together

1/4 c. real butter

==============add in with hands until crumbly

1 beaten egg

2 T. honey

=============add in- don't mix yet

Add in fun stuff-

any nuts, dried berries, raisins, etc.

Mashed banana, grated apples, etc.

Less healthy but more guest friendly-

dark chocolate with orange zest & juice for the moistener

white chocolate with cranberries

lemon poppy seed with lemon juice for the moistener

=============now mix but just enough to make it stick together.

Add milk (or the juices above) if needed (based on what you added you may need up to 4 T. but if you use apples or bananas, you won't need much if any) until just moist.

If you put too much then add more flour.

=============

Dump onto lightly (or heavily if needed) floured surface and knead a few times.

Pat into circle about 1/2in. thick. Cut into 8 triangles. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake until lightly brown on the bottom.

I have no idea the temperature. (my stove only has works on very high and very low so I bake everything on very low and it has no temperatures on it at all). Whatever you bake cookies or muffins on should be good.

Mmmm. These are good! Today I made apple walnut with cinnamon and nutmeg and I added about 1/2 c. oats just for fun. You seriously can't mess these up so just try out all different stuff in them.

Enjoy!

Missionary kid??

Two days ago, we were having a discussion about our grandma's and papa's and 3 year old E says, "but Mommy, Grandma lives in Skype."

Oh man! I guess we need to visit home a little more often.

Rest Day

Yesterday was one of the best day's of rest we have had in months. We try to take every Monday off as a free day/family day. This means, the church knows we are basically not available that day, phones are turned off, and we try to get refreshed and ready for the new week ahead.

Yesterday, we left around 9am, packed a picnic and headed out. The weather was beautiful (low 70's)!! We started out at a local farm showing the kids all of the baby animals born recently, sheep, horses, pigs, rabbits, etc. Then we went to a nearby lake and let the kids ride their bikes on the bike path. We chose a spot along the way and had a picnic lunch next to the water. We put the kids down for naps on the blanket and we talked and prayed while they slept. On the way home, we even stopped off at a park to play! After the kids went to sleep we watched a movie, prayed some more and went to sleep. It was a great day.

We feel refreshed and ready to start the week! Praise the Lord!

Thankful Thursday

• Continued amazing weather
• Much time spent outdoors exploring, meeting people, making memories
• Great pastor's conference for Balazs last weekend
• Amazing Australian friends and co-laborers
• Everyone being healthy
• Being able to go to the prison and share with women who have never heard the gospel
• The amazing ways the Father reminds us consistently that He is all that matters
• Easter preparations
• Learning to make homemade butter (recipe soon)
• Balazs and the youth group boys being able to travel together for this weekends youth conference where Balazs will teach
• My two amazing daughters who teach me so much
• My awesome husband who loves Jesus more than me

I am really learning what Piper means when he says "He is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him."

And what CCSLO's motto is all about, "Finding ultimate pleasure in His greatness."

Seriously life changing. It is affecting every aspect of our lives...

Somebody Wants What You Have

A little addition to yesterday's post on gratefulness. Seriously, this is such a good reminder! Jump over and read it, it's quick.

Somebody Wants What You Have

Thankful Thursday

Not sure if this will last as a weekly post or not but today my heart is so overflowing with thankfulness and gratitude! We been praying specifically for this, that we would be more grateful not just in our words, but truly that the Spirit would transform our hearts and we would be more grateful, more truly reflecting how amazing our Father is. We really believe that this will effect our culture as this is culture that tends to connect with one another through mutual complaining. If our family, our friends, our church begins to demonstrate the glorious wonders of our God and the many blessings He gives to our lives each day, how will that effect our relationships with each other and what impact might that have on those around us? Might they wonder why we are grateful, might they ask? I'm not sure, but regardless I want my heart to be overflowing with gratefulness for the One to whom all the glory is due.

That turned into a tangent. All I really want to say is that today I am thankful for: SPRING, seeing the first butterfly of the season, wearing flip flops and a sweatshirt, taking two walks with my girls, finding broccoli at the store (for cheap too!), watching my girls chase pigeons all over down town, the smell of baking homemade granola (recipe soon), phone conversation with one of my sisters, girls taking great naps so that I could prepare for the prison tomorrow, missing my husband (absence makes the heart grow fonder...), and once more SPRING! Nothing makes you notice things like bugs, budding flowers, and butterflies as much as a long winter. Thank you Lord for Spring!

Pastor's conference

Just wanted to ask for prayer for Balazs as he left today for a pastor's conference with all of the other CC pastor's in Hungary. He will be there until Saturday. Please pray that God would speak to all of these men and that Balazs would return home refreshed, built up, and with fresh vision and direction for the church here in Pecs. Thank you!!

On a side note, we are so thankful that Spring is here! Today is the first day it is warm and beautiful. Our hearts are rejoicing and we (Ok, mostly me) were almost screaming when we saw a butterfly this morning! Nothing make you appreciate Spring and the wonders of God's seasons more than a long, cold winter. In the words of E, age 3, Thank you Looord for the sun and spring! AMEN!

Grains

While looking to booster the amount of fiber my family eats, I have discovered a couple of new grains that add a nice change to the sides like rice, potatoes, and pasta rotations. Brown rice, obviously healthier that the above carb options is not a family favorite (i.e. husband votes no). Couscous is a family favorite but is a bit pricey here in Hungary so we are always on the look out for other alternatives. Enter millet and bulgur.

Some background on millet: Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and is possibly the first cereal grain to be used in domestic ways. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was used during those times to make bread. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for years. Today millet is the sixth most important grain in the world, sustains 1/3 of the world’s population and is a significant part of the diet in northern China, Japan, and areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, India, and Egypt.

Health benefits: It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins, essential amino acids, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is also high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.

How to prepare: Lightly toast 1 cup dry millet, add about 3 cups boiling broth or water. Turn down heat and simmer covered about 25 minutes (add more liquid if needed). Remove from heat and let stand covered 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.

How we ate it: Just as the preparation says using broth. We ate it as a side with roasted chicken and veggies.

Other ways I want to try it: With milk as you would prepare oatmeal with some cinnamon and brown sugar. Yum! Also, cold with some olive oil, lemon juice, basil, and veggies as an awesome salad. Finally, in soup as an alternative to noodles or rice. Any other ideas?

Family vote: Everyone (2 toddlers, husband, and myself) all vote YES! It was great!

Some background on Bulgur: Bulgur comes from wheat, and goes through very little processing so it keeps its nutritional value and is considered a form of whole wheat. This is what remains after the wheat kernels have been steamed, dried and crushed. It’s a staple in any healthy Mediterranean diet. This cereal grain has been a food staple for years because it offers an inexpensive source of low-fat protein. You might have had some if you have ever ordered a Tabbouleh salad at a Mediterranean restaurant.

Health benefits: As mentioned above, it is an excellent source of low-fat protein. It has a very high content of insoluble fiber and it has one of the highest mineral contents of any food. It is rich in iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium and magnesium. Bulgur is also a good source of the B vitamins and folate.

How to prepare: And one cup bulgur to two cups boiling water or broth. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Fluff and eat.

How we ate it: Just like I said above. We ate it alongside fish and veggies.

Other ideas: Again like with the millet, I would love to try it with honey and cinnamon for breakfast prepared with milk. I also want to create some salads with this and think this would be awesome in soups.

Family Vote: Once again. All of us voted a big YES. The girls loved it!! It was even better the next day.

Fellowship.Community.Friends

The heart and soul of church. This past Sunday after church a few families headed to a spiritual retreat center near Pecs ran by an American couple who recently began attending our church. The purpose was to celebrate the birthday of a man whose wife and kids are part of our church. It was a surprise for him (quite the organizational feat). He was so shocked that we all gathered together to celebrate him. It was awesome. We BBQ'ed, ate way too much, played cards and spent the night out there. The next day we ate way too much again, hiked, and headed home. It was a great time and we felt so refreshed just being in the company of such great friends. Here are a few pictures of the trip. Speaking of great friends, this is the Australian couple who have become great friends and are teaching us what genuine friends, community, fellowship are all about.