A Certain Woman in Eastern Europe

Tammy's new Chevrolet Aveo Spring, wonderful spring!

Here is a picture of me ministering in Budapest for the Woman of Destiny meeting March 25. Carol and I have also ministered together in Latvia and England and Ukraine. Carol says I am the door opener for her as I helped set up Hungary and Ukraine for WOD. This was a special weekend as I celebrated my 15th anniversary on the mission field.

In front of the large Symphony Hall (formerly the Synagoge) Uzghorod. Rozsa, MJ, Monika & Vilma This was a very special for me as it was the first time I have brought Hungarians to the mission field of Ukraine. Remember in September when I was called to the work in Ukraine there was a vision of me on a white horse, crossing a bridge and carrying 2 flags, in one hand the Ukrainian flag and in the other the Hungarian flag. I felt that meant I was to be the bridge and help bring Hungarians into Ukraine. Carol Maiden has been based in Budapest for 3 years and has raised up a team of mighty Women of Destiny, so Rosza, Vilma and Monika joined us (Carol, me and Christy from England) and what a great time we had!! Volodya had done a wonderful job in getting the word out. He had printed up some posters to send to various churches and he had made smaller leaflets to hand out. We had the meeting at the small symphony hall downtown Uzghorod with great results. More than 250 ladies and two men ...

I take this train so often, I have learned where to stand to get into the only car of this loooong train) that goes over the border into Ukraine. Not only is it important to know which car to get into, it is important to know how to quickly and easily get onto the train. Here in Eastern Europe it is very important to know the train/bus/trolley/tram etiquette. You need to approach the door from the side so that the disembarking passengers than have room to get off. In a group, we would send the spryest person up first, and then toss (if at all possible) all the luggage to then. Then the rest would quickly get on. Quickly being the key here, as the train leaves again after only 2-4 minutes! To prepare to disembark, everyone heads for the exit with their coats on and their bags at the ready when the train/bus/tralley/tram has left the stop before your intended stop. The above is a picture of Christy (American in England) and Carol as we wait for the train to Csop, Ukraine. Notice how ligh...

This is Carol Maiden, a friend for almost 10 years. She and her husband Richard live part time in Budapest, part time in Arizona and part time in the nations. Carol heads up a ministry to women called "Women of Destiny" and she is one!! We leave for Ukraine in the morning with a team from England and Hungary to do a series of meetings but today was a Sunday afternoon meeting for the International Church of Debrecen. The above is a picture of Carol with Pastor Ed and Syble Courtney. Our church here in Debrecen is fairly new, 2 years old, built on prayer (Tues, Fri, Sat) and is full of people from the nations. Carol's message, Isa 60.1 - Arise, Shine for your light has come! And the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you, was very well received. We had a very good turn out with people from Hungary, Ethiopia, Cuba, Africa, New Zealand, America and England in attendance. God was faithful to use Carol to speak many healing and encouraging words. A high point was when the ...

the outreach in Szeged started with a bang.... Praise God everyone was alright - after the police took pictures and wrote their report I just put a piece of my bumper and light cover into the backseat and continued to Szeged. This is a very bad intersection, the young fellow was trying to take a left into on coming traffic and failed to yield - therefore, the cars kissed.

Szeged Town Center The colors of the Hungarian flag.

We spent the holiday in the lovely university town of Szeged. Pictured above is Edith Bond, MJ, David and Jim Person and Charlton Burgett. We had joined our missionary friend Arden in a prayer walk downtown and on the various campuses. Arden has had great sucess in gathering university and high school students in bible studies in her home. This prayer walk, subsequent worship night and brain storming session was to help determine the need and viability of an english speaking fellowship that would meet in a more public setting. It seems good to the Holy Spirit and us to join her monthly in Szeged for prayer and worship times, and to organize a concert at the end of September to welcome back the high school and university students. At that event we would like to announce the start up of "Friday at 7" -an International Christian Fellowship. This outreach to students would be conducted in english. Arden already has university students from Norway, Sweden, Italy and Hungary who wi...

March 15 is a major holiday here in Hungary. It commemerates the victory of the Hungarians over the Austrian Hapsburg's. It was a short lived victory - one year, because the Russians teamed up with the Austrians to overturn the Hungarian victory in 1849. This holiday is unusual in that most of the revolutions that are celebrated here ended in almost immediate defeat. On this holiday you wear the national colors like the pin above. There will be a lot of flag waving and political meetings in the town centers. Everyone also gets to enjoy a nice long weekend.

It is a beautiful, blue sky, sunny day in Hungary. I am about to head out on a road trip with friends to Szeged, Hungary. Szeged is a lovely university town on the Southern border of Hu and Serbia and it is where our friend Arden lives. We will join her for a prayer walk around town center and the university. And undoubtably, a visit (or 2) to the best ice cream shops in all of Hungary. We will be there overnight as tomorrow is a big holiday and an occassion of a 4 day weekend. Of course, everyone had to work and go to school this past Saturday to get this long weekend. The weather is so nice for it, too. From a very mild winter, we have entered a full blown spring. All the early flowers are up, cherry trees in bloom and forsythia bushes budded. The Hungarian name for forsythia is arany eső - golden rain! Oh, after the prayer walk some of Arden's friends will join us for a prayer and praise time and we may have some news for you so.....watch this space.

p Just returned from a wonderful weekend in Miskolc, Hu with my long time friends, Pastor Tamas Raki, his wife Gabriella and their children 13 year old Gabika and 10 year old Tami. Although we thought the visit was quite spontaneous, it turned out it was the first anniversary of Tamas's new church building and I was there for the opening meeting last year, so we celebrated together. We had ice cream and special cakes, visited a beautiful old castle and my new personal first......ministering in 2 different nations on the same day! Sunday morning in Slovakia and Sunday afternoon in Miskolc, Hungary. One other thing that made this even more memorable was that we crossed through the border without having the necessary papers for crossing - we were missing the car papers and a driver's license. We were already in Slovakia when we realised it and we really prayed on the way back out that we could cross again without showing these important papers.....and we were never asked for t...

In between Apostolic team trips, it seems that the Lord has been orchestrating opportunities to make "Certain Women Ministries" events in Ukraine. As I feel committed to identifying, helping and even launching other "Certain Women" into ministry, the Ukraine has become a rich field for that. One of those women is a special friend and fellow missionary serving in Szeged, Hungary. You can learn more about Arden by clicking on "CEO" under certain friends. Arden and I met through a mutual friend, Carol Griffith who has now moved to South Africa to work in prison ministry there. Arden and I have worked on a number of projects together and are about to embark on one that you will hear more about on later posts. In February, we traveled to Ukraine together with our friend Jennifer from Atlanta and there I was blessed to see Arden blossom as a minister of the gospel. You can learn more about Arden by clicking on "CEO" under certain friends. She describes...

Ivan and his band of brothers.... actually they say he is dad, and he calls me "mom" so I guess these are my grandsons?! Drug usage and HIV aids is a HUGE problem in Ukraine with little education, or prevention or assistance available. A friend of ours is a recovered and transformed man who knows the healing, delivering power of God. Ivan has a farm on some acerage in eastern Ukraine about 4 hours southeast of Kiev in Kremanchuk. God has given him a great heart and hope for the almost 600 men and women who have been through his program. He is a very high retention rate of over 100 recovered lives, many reunited with their families, working in full time jobs, or in the ministry. Men and women fully recovered from the ravages of drugs and alcohol. Praise God! Ivan's program is a Spirit, Soul and body workout and he keeps everyone busy with bible school, regular studies, working in the fields, the farm, the smoke house,or caring for the animals. He has a wonderful wife an...

One of the ministries we help is a church called "The Lord's Way" pastored by Ivan and Angelika. This pastor and his wife were called to the gypsy people a number of year's ago. God gave them a great love for these people and a heart to learn their language. Pastor Ivan has accomplished this and has even translated the book of John into the Roma language. He has now started translating the rest of the New Testament. Angelika asked me to come help her with the women and here is a picture of one of our meetings. I felt God showed me these ladies were royalty and I felt inspired to "crown" them princesses. It really had to be the Holy Spirit because afterwards everyone was walking taller, shoulders back, head up with hope in their eyes. Mothers promised to raise daughters as princesses, and the teens promised to keep their gowns clean and their crowns from slipping. On a subsequent visit, one lady brought me a friend who had missed that meeting and said - she n...

The Hope and Life team in association with Grace Fellowship and Nehemiah come alongside and help certain ministries working in Ukraine. One of the ministries is called "Life" and it's outreach is to Jewish holocaust survivors and their families. Left: Vika, Rita, Volya and Roman. Right:Ignats, a survivor, Volodya and MJ This office works tirelessly to help with clothing, food and money as many families as possible, now about 75. They also mail out beautiful flyers or postcards for every Jewish holiday. These pieces are one of a kind, very inspired and beautiful. They are cherished by the recepients. Many are now coming to the office every Friday for Shabbat. Everyone says the special Shabbat prayers as the candles are lit, share the Challah (homemade and delicious) and wine and enjoy readings from both old and new testament. Singing is included and sometimes dance. A special celebration will happen in June with guests from Israel visiting.

Trips into the Ukraine would not be as productive or as well organized without the great "home team". Pictured above with Mary Jill are Volodya Serhachov, and Anya and Richard VanDiver. Please pray for our team especially as Richard and Anya head to Texas this month to visit family and supporting churches, to gather support and to introduce Anya to the family.

The Nehemiah Center The "A" team ...Alan Ross, Paul Berube, Mary Jill and Marlow Dunham. Our team is about relationships as well as giftings. Paul and his wife Sandy and I met in 1979 in Anchorage, Alaska where we were part of the same home group at Abbott Loop Christian Center www.abbottloop.org and attended bible school together there. Paul is senior pastor of Grace Fellowship in Nashua, New Hampshire for over 23 years. www.gracefellowship.org Marlow was my New York pastor when I was sent to Scotland in 1992 as a missionary. His church is the River Church in Poughkeepsie, NY where my son Michael is an elder and where his Raelene teaches Sunday school and my "grands" attend children's church. www.betheriver.com Alan and Margot Ross were members of the same church in Scotland and have know each other since the mid 90's. www.alanross. org.uk

was actually in December but we didn't know, so when our missionary, handy-man friend, Joszi showed up with his girl friend Tunde and their wedding rings that they just picked up, we partied on. There is room for romance and engagements in our house :-)

Now that is a really good question. It could have been because of the visit from Arden and Jennifer which led up to the 6 day mission trip to Ukraine that ministered to "Caregivers". That event included 3 meetings, various one on one times, numerous prayer times, no shopping trip except to the grocery store :-) a trip to a new orphanage and a Shabbat. Please see "ceo for the kids" blogspot under "certain friends" for pictures and a full report. Or it could have been due to the business back in Debrecen of dear friend Sherry moving up to Kiev leaving room for new roomie and friend, Tammy moving in. See "INSTE News from Europe" for Tammy's blog about this move. Then I also had to renew my visa which took a bit of paperwork gathering, mailing, signing, receiving and a number of trips to the immigration office. They really are lovely people here in the Debrecen office. Never mind that each of the 3 Debrecen roomates had to furnish different paper...