July Ministry Update

Camping with Teens in Jászfénszaru


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Above: Pastor Dezso helping one of his daughters set up a tent in Jászfényszaru this past weekend.

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Just a handful of days after concluding our VBS, we invited pre-teens and teens to a few days of camping in the town of Jászfényszaru. Our goal is to keep the momentum and the conversations going that have begun at VBS for these older kids who are in a different stage of life. Our subject for teaching and testimonies throughout the weekend was focused on a godly perspective of singleness and also testimonies of how various members in our church met and decided to marry.

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Above: Robin (center) has had a year full of challenges as he was sent away to foster care for a time because of behavioral issues. After some time, he moved back into Petofibanya with relatives and he has a long history with various members in our church seeking to reach out to him. Since returning and attending VBS and this teen camp, we’ve seen a change in his heart. Please pray for Robin to grow in his faith in Jesus.

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Above: Eszti and Bogi all set up for our first day of camp. This is sacred ground for Bogi as last year this was the same place where she finally made a decision to put her faith in Jesus Christ. Now this year Bogi is serving with us with her own personal relationship with Jesus.

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Above: Janka (center) is one of the girls who made a decision to put her faith in Jesus at our VBS just a few weeks ago!

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Above: Béla (red shirt) is Janka’s (pink shorts) father. Because of a misunderstanding, Béla ended up attending this camp with his daughter Janka even though he was not required to be there. Just like the VBS, God used this camp not only to reach out to the kids but to parents. Teammate Miki spent significant time having ‘gospel conversations’ with Béla. Béla has attended our church off and on in the past and seems to be understanding more and more as he continues to spend time with us. What a joy it would be to see Béla come to know Jesus soon after his daughter Janka! Please pray for Béla.

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Above: Hungarian camping staple food…bread covered with fat drippings and topped off with onions and tomatoes…excellent!

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Above: Mira (left) also attended our VBS. She opened up in one of our conversation times and shared how she now sees the difference between what we are teaching from God’s word about relationships and the example (negative) she has seen her older sisters live out in their families.

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It was a great weekend with God using various testimonies and teaching from His word to help these teens see God’s will and God’s way that is always better than the world’s way. Please pray that the lessons learned at this camp would help these teens make good decisions that bring blessing to them and glorify God.

Bogács Update


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Above: Angela with her granddaughter Dori. Dori is wearing a bracelet she received last week from Zsofi who was able to explain the gospel in basic terms with her. As you may recall from my previous posts, Angela had been wrestling with the decision of who to trust in regards to teaching about God. As we brought pure Bible passages to study together over the the past weeks, it became clear to Angela that the sect that had been visiting her for over 10 years had left out the importance of knowing Jesus Christ personally as Lord and Savior. A few weeks ago, before we left, we prayed together and she asked for prayer for Jesus to truly show her the way. Jesus gave her strength to tell the others to no longer visit her and that she no longer wanted anything to do with them. They continued to call her that week and even (uninvited) sent two senior members of their group to try to convince her to remain with them. But Angela made up her mind and the next time we met her face was brilliant with joy as she shared her decision with us.

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Above: A photo from last year of Erika (right)

As we made our way to Angela’s house tonight we ran into Erika who was baptized last year but soon after fell out of fellowship for various reasons. This was disheartening to all of us because Erika seemed to be one who was truly grasping God’s word and seemed to understand spiritual truths more than any other. Erika was heading the opposite way pulling a bike along with her. We rolled down the windows in the car and greeted her. This must have been a surprise because she did not leave on good terms, although we always made it clear to her that we were praying for her and would always welcome her back. Her right leg was bandaged and she was clearly having trouble walking. We invited her to attend the Bible study at Angela’s house and she joined us.

It turns out that Erika had a serious blood clot in her leg and problems with blood circulation that required further visits to the hospital and various medication. Before she left, we offered to pray for her healing which is nothing new for Erika. Last year, Jesus healed Erika of a shortened leg that the doctors said could only be fixed with surgery. As we talked about her life over the past few months, she realized that Satan was seeking to derail her faith and pull her away from fellowship. We encouraged her to find a way to remain in fellowship with the believers in Bogács no matter the cost.

Before we prayed for Erika, Angela lit up as she began sharing her testimony of how Jesus healed her leg. Angela shared that Jesus not only healed her leg that she had suffered with for a year (and the doctors told her there was no cure), but a recent blood pressure checkup revealed that her blood pressure is totally normal after years of problems. She shared that she just feels free on the inside now and has been set free from depression. She recognizes that all of this has happened because of Jesus.

We then took some time and prayed for Erika’s healing. She said the pain she was in was gone. She took off the bandages and began walking. She sat back down and said, “Let me check something. The doctor said if I can lift my leg up while sitting down then I’ll know it is better.” She raised her leg up off the chair with no problem. Praise Jesus for His mercy and this gift of healing and restoration to a daughter that had drifted away. We pray that this will be the beginning of Erika returning to follow Jesus with us by faith. Would you pray for Erika as this journey will require her to make touch choices and she will face much opposition from family and the community.

Preparing for Baptism


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Above: Noémi is preparing for her baptism this Sunday! Noémi’s daughters attended VBS a few weeks ago and on the last day where parents are invited to attend, God helped Noémi see her need for Jesus as Savior and Lord. She has continued to meet with various members of our body and is planning on being baptized into Christ on Sunday! Please pray for Noémi and also her husband Attila. Attila is open to the Gospel, but not in the same place as Noémi spiritually. Pray also for others who have been visiting our church since VBS to be convicted through the work of the Holy Spirit, the testimonies given and the word preached this Sunday.
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