Fall 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for praying for us and encouraging us through cards, letters and e-mails. We also want to thank each one that supports us financially through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Words cannot express how much we appreciate this faithful support. We receive a regular salary with benefits, our housing and transportation needs are taken care of, additional training and education is provided, and the list goes on. But the most important thing to us is how your kind generosity keeps us on the field serving in the place God has called us to serve. Again we thank you.
A couple of updates on the prayer requests from our last newsletter - first, our annual mission meeting was great. Each morning we met for a worship service. It was a wonderful time for us to praise God and hear His Word in our mother tongue. The rest of the day was spent in training with a lot of time dedicated to hands-on practice. Each section was led by experienced missionaries passing on what they had learned through the years. An article used in three of the training sessions has been added to our website in PDF format.
The summer English course with New Hope Baptist Church was a very successful. The church provided a high quality program and at the same time we were able to reach out to others. It afforded the opportunity for several believers to share their testimonies and to connect with those attending from outside the church.
The English club following the class meets on Friday evenings, and we continue to reach new young people with the gospel. We are using Bible stories in a fun atmosphere to teach English. Along with the English text they receive a Hungarian translation, which helps in understanding of both the English and the spiritual implications. It seems to not only be sowing the seeds of the gospel but at the same time strengthening new believers. The club will run through December 10th, and then we will discuss what we need to do in the future.
Our language skills continue to improve. We meet with our teacher three days a week and spend about a quarter of the time strictly in conversation. The textbook is supplemented with the telling of the Bible stories in Hungarian followed by discussion questions. These are the same stories used in English Club. This is good for both language acquisition plus training for ministry and sharing the gospel.
We also meet weekly with our language teacher for Bible study, going through the book of John. This has been great for us to hone our skills in inductive Bible study in Hungarian, plus has really filled a void in our personal lives for small group Bible study. It is awesome to watch the word of God go out and do its work. The scripture becomes the guiding force, not the teacher. Questions raised are answered with scripture, always looking at how this applies to our lives.
New developments since the summer newsletter - we were authorized to purchase a new vehicle. Our language skills were pushed almost to the limit, but we bought a Volkswagen Touran. Our office staff waited very patiently while over the course of two months we tried every type of vehicle available. They set a price range but let us choose what was best for both ministry and Gary's back problem. The Touran has been a big help already, and we are very thankful for it.
Currently, plans and schedules are being made for next year. The first major objective is to survey a large section of eastern Hungary to find more appropriate ways to share the Gospel. Of course the Gospel never changes but, just as in the States, methods of presenting it must be altered between North and South, East and West, city and country. The better we understand the people in each geographic area, the more effective we can be when we plan outreach programs.
It is estimated that less than 2% of the 4.7 million people in eastern Hungary have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That means of the 167 people that die every day, 164 go into eternity lost. We have come to love these people very deeply and our hearts ache to see them come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Many churches in the States are starting or are about to start their missions offering. Last year Southern Baptists gave a record 136 million dollars to international missions. It enabled the International Mission Board to send a number of missionaries to the field that had been on hold, plus provide some badly needed ministry funds. This year the goal is 150 million. While that sounds like a lot of money, it is only a drop in the bucket of what is needed to fulfill the commission that Jesus gave his church to go and disciple every nation. It also sounds like an almost impossible goal, but if we are faithful in giving, God is faithful in multiplying.
If you have not visited our website (www.hope4ehu.com) lately there have been several new pages added, including photo album updates and articles regarding church planting.
Specific topics for prayer:
The Hungarian people, that God will put in them a desire to seek Him.
The Bible study with our Language teacher Fridays at 3:00 PM (8 AM central time).
The English club that meets Fridays at 6:00 PM (11 AM central time).
Our language studies.
The Lottie Moon Christmas offering for international missions.
Planning for next year's ministries.
We wish each and every one of you a blessed holiday season. May God richly pour His blessing upon you and your family.
Love,
Gary for the Millers
