Summer 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you to each one who prayed with us through the month of prayer for Hungary in May. Please keep praying for the Hungarian people group. The prayer guide is still on the website and can be prayed through at any time and any pace you feel led. Signs are everywhere that the people have become spiritually hungry. Many in their search for God are turning to false sources of hope. Fen Shui gift shops are opening up around the city, Hare Krishnas have opened a center just a block and half from us, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons regularly work the crowds at local festivals, tarot card readers and astrologers are on television where people can call in and get their fortune told. The fact that these groups, as well as the new age movement, are growing reflects the growing spiritual hunger. Please pray the gospel will spread rapidly and be glorified in the Hungarian people (2 Thess. 3:1), and that many will turn from the false hope to the Living Hope, Jesus Christ.
Our language teacher talked to us today about studying the Bible together. This is another sign of the spiritual hunger here. We excitedly accepted the opportunity. She has agreed to help get the stories for chronological Bible storying into good modern Hungarian grammar. We hope to start this in July.
Many people often ask us what our is job here in Hungary. The title is Strategy Coordinator, and since there is no Hungarian equivalent our answer is generally "to coordinate our efforts with those of the local believers and other mission organizations" ---but this really doesn't explain it. A worker in China probably summed it up best when they said strategy coordinators are God's renegades, called to win an entire people group to Jesus Christ, all the while moving [reaching] deeper into spiritual darkness. Our job is to get the gospel to those who haven't heard, to go where other believers can't go or aren't going, to help catalyze a movement that resembles the rapid growth of the first century church. When we write out our plan, the first question asked in the evaluation process is "Is it God-sized?" God is always glorified when the work accomplished is not humanly possible.
The only way to accomplish such a task is through the Holy Spirit's strength and leadership. That is why we are working to get our prayer support base to at least 500 people by the end of the year. So far we have added some and lost some. We are not sure who is actually getting our prayer requests right now because during the month of prayer some companies black-listed us as spam. We have been able to get some corrected, but others we are not sure about. If you know someone who might be willing to pray for us and the work here, please share with them and have them contact us through prayer@hope4ehu.com.
June 24 - July 3 we will be attending our Annual General Meeting in Eretria, Greece. In the past these meeting served primarily as a time of reviewing the past year and getting focused for the next. However this year the format has changed to become a major training event for us. We will be attending classes as well as meeting with our leadership, which is currently in transition.
The small church we attend here in Debrecen is holding English classes July 5-16 in which we will be teaching the conversational part. The course is open to the public but limited to 40 people, of which roughly a third will be church members. They are also establishing on ongoing English Club to give people an opportunity to continue practicing and learning English. This gives the church a chance to maintain a good relation and continued connection with those who attend the course. It will also be a good outreach since Bible study will be part of the club's activity.
A quick note on family news: Danny is working this summer in the computer department at SBU. He will continue on with this job as well as classes when school starts back up next fall. Jennifer came to Hungary to visit us this summer and has agreed to help us with the English class.
Our last language test went well. We are definitely progressing and beginning to reach the advanced level in some areas. There is still a long way to go before we can be released from language school, but we are very thankful for the improvement.
Specific dates and topics for prayer:
1. That prayer support will grow to at least 500 by the end of the year.
2. Mission meeting June 24-July 3 in Eretria, Greece.
3. The English course with our church on July 5-16, to make contact with people in the surrounding community and be able to continue building relationships.
4. The English Club following the class.
5. The Bible studies with our language teacher.
6. Our language studies, so that we can be more effective servants for Jesus Christ.
7. Possible church plant in the town of Puspokladany, a city of 17,000 with no evangelical church. Carolyn and I have are continuing to prayer walk this town and feel that this is a strategic place to plant a church. Pray that God will raise up a national church planter for this city, especially since we do not have the language skills yet to do it ourselves.
Thank you all again for your prayer support and your encouragement.
Love,
Gary for the Millers
