Summer 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
God is amazing! This summer has been absolutely awesome. Thank you to each one who has been praying for us and the team of five summer interns working with us. The team traveled by bicycle as a tour group. Bicycle touring is becoming popular here, so people in the towns were more comfortable with seeing them arrive in town on bikes. This method provided access to more people, and most were willing to talk to the group.
They conducted interviews in twenty-three different towns and cities, and prayer-walked in each place. The summer interns working with the Budapest team also came to help us for a week, which helped cover two of the larger cities more thoroughly. We collected about 100 pages of data which we are currently reviewing to locate keys areas where we need to focus for new work. Plus we are currently following up many contacts that we made throughout the summer.
The project also triggered many new questions. It became quite clear that the Roma (the proper term for what we call gypsy) population is much, much higher than what is listed in official statistics. We now need to get a better estimate on the actual population, and learn how many speak Hungarian as their mother tongue and how many speak Romany.
Statistics and ethnographic information is not very exciting, but you have to know where you are in order to get to where you want to go. The picture is becoming clearer, and we have already located several places where new churches are desperately needed. For the fall and spring we are going to focus on two smaller cities near us, Balmazujvaros (BAHL-mahz-ew-ee-vah-rowsh) and Puspokladany (PEWSH-pook-lah-dahn). Our goal is to plant reproducing churches in each city using Bible studies as our main focus.
A volunteer team came in June from Arkansas to Puspokladany and offered free blood pressure checks and reading glasses. They worked on the main square each day that week, and two days at a second booth in the market place. Those not working the blood pressure booths broke up into two teams and prayer-walked almost the entire town during the week; there was also a clown who made balloon animals for kids of all ages. The blood pressure and glasses booths were unbelievably busy. It became impossible to keep track of how many came through. They gave out about 1,300 pairs of reading glasses and about 250 New Testaments. This project helped us establish many new contacts, and opened the door for us to offer Bible studies. We are looking into other ways to effective spread the Gospel with the limited time and resources we have.
Our last newsletter requested prayer for two philosophy lectures in the town of Hajduszoboszlo (HI-doo-so-bo-slo). The lectures themselves went very well. The first was better attended than expected. The night of the second lecture, at just about the time people would be coming, a violent thunderstorm broke out. The storm uprooted trees, closed roads, and turned the town into a shallow lake. Over the next few days we learned that more than 6,000 houses were damaged, 700 electric poles were down, and whole towns out of electricity across eastern Hungary. In spite of this a few brave souls, including a local Catholic priest, came to hear “Why Should We Believe in God’s Existence?” Several new contacts were made, but the most important thing coming out the lectures for us was seeing the reactions by those who attended. It was so positive that we are now discussing with others how to make this an on-going project with monthly lectures. This “City of Baths,” with a population of 20 thousand, averages 10-15 thousand visitors daily and 50 thousand during high tourist season; we believe it could be one of the key places for sowing the gospel seed across the area and into the neighboring countries.
Also in our last newsletter we mentioned that we were experiencing a number of health problems and asked you to pray about those. Part of the wonder of this summer has been the physical ability to complete the project. God was faithful to provide all of the strength needed. Part of it came through additional time I (Gary) was able to spend in prayer while on the road. Not only did we find the physical strength, but a renewed spirit at the same time.
Our next large project will be in December. Every year before Christmas the streets are lined with booths selling things for the holiday season. In 1998 when we first saw these, we thought it would be great if a church or Christian organization would set one up and use it to share the gospel. This year we have received funding to rent a booth space. We are looking for a Christian business person to partner with us since these booths require a business license and must sell products. (Our team inherited many leftover items from a similar booth in Prague a few years ago.) It will be important to train the volunteers manning the booth how to use their presence to share their faith with customers.
Here is a quick list of some specific things we need lifted up in prayer:
Follow-up Bible studies – Pray that many new studies will form and that they will grow into reproducing churches.
Student Ministries – Students return in September and new student ministries are desperately needed.
Our health situation is still a cause for concern. Pray for resolution in those matters that can be resolved now, and for strength to carry on through things that the Lord doesn’t heal at this time.
Possible semester missionary – One of the summer interns would like to return to Hungary as a semester missionary in spring 06. Pray for wisdom for her and her family as she seeks what the Lord would have her do.
Christmas Booth December 5 – 20 – A partnering business and volunteers to help.
In addition to the prayer requests we have in our newsletter, there are more posted on CompassionNet, a website of prayer requests from IMB missionaries. It can be found at www.imb.org/compassionnet/PeopleGroups.asp. Our “folder” is in the People Groups section and is entitled “Hungarians of Eastern Hungary.” New prayer requests are added two or three times a month, so keep checking back.
Again, thank you for your prayers. They are making a huge impact here in eastern Hungary.
In His Love,
Gary and Carolyn Miller
Eastern Hungary Team
4026 Debrecen
Bem Ter 8, fsz. 3
Hungary
