Out of Hungary

Yesterday, Sept. 27th, started with a two hour train ride into Budapest and then a 30 minute taxi ride to the airport. Greta hadn't been on a train for more than 20 years, so it was a pleasant way to start the day. Hungary is a bread basket country, so the train took us through some beautiful country. There were many quaint towns and cities, but the most impressive part to an old farm boy was the seemingly endless stretches of flat, fertile farmland. Most of the crops were harvested and the fields were fall ploughed to be planted in the spring. But we did see large combines working. Corn and sunflowers seem to be the major crops, but we also saw fields of hay and pumpkins - it seemed they were grown for the pumpkin seeds so our major league baseball players have something besides snuff to chew during ball games.
We were visiting Joska and Sandi Temesvary who live in a small village of about 700 people called Nagycsepely. Joska and Sandi joined Team Expansion earlier this year and we were helping them get their program set up.
There is usually a Catholic and/or Reformed church in every little village, but like much of Europe, few people - far less than 5% - are practicing their faith.The Reformed church just down the street from their house is dying and Sunday attendance is almost always less than 20. Joska has found that it is the same in almost every village and town in the Lake Balaton region. My impression, however, is that there is a spiritual hunger here and a ripeness for revival. Many Reformed pastors see the "handwriting on the wall" and are looking for help. They realize that it is likely impossible to "reform" the once reformed churches, but want to get involved in new church plants out of what might be left as these congregations drop off one by one. Joska took us to a local Baptist church that is very anxious to be involved in church planting in the area. Pastor Albert (picture at right) wants to build a partnership with Joska and others who will plant conservative, Biblical and largely nondenominational churches in the most needy, unchurched towns and villages of the Balaton Region. Joska and Albert could count 25 or more towns and villages needing such work where there would be no competition with existing churches. Lake Balaton is one of the largest natural lakes in Europe and has long been a tourists site. It lies southwest of Budapest and the little village of Nagycsepely and the towns surrounging it are on the south shore of the lake.
Joshka and Sandi are true "pioneer missionaries." They have bought a smell home in Nagycsepely and are working to renovate it. During our visit, they had not yet put in a heating system even though it is already quite cool and winter is rapidly approaching. They need our prayers as the build relationships with neighbors and local church leaders with a view to planting churches in the region.