A Fair Exchange?

Last week, I had to make a visit to the doctor's office before we head for Hungary. The nurse (who has known us a couple years) was asking about our upcoming move. It seems that we often hear the same questions or comments from people when they find out Jonathan and I are "missionaries".

Once such question came up last week..."what did you do with all your stuff?" Our usual answer: "Well, to be honest, we have departed with most of our household belongings and really only have a few keepsake items we have placed in storage. We are just taking suitcases with clothes and linens, mostly." That typically receives a look of interest. Another comment we hear alot "It must be hard to leave your family. They are going to miss you alot" Our response: "Yes, we will miss them...but it's not too bad now, we have skype and they hope to come and visit." Also common..."Moving to Hungary must be pretty exciting, do you think you'll like it there?" and I'll reply, "Budapest is a modern city. We really have the conveniences we are used to. The biggest adjustment - not having a car"

You know, sometimes it is easy to focus on all the things we are giving up to be missionaries. I was reminded this past weekend of one such item when a friend of ours drove his motorcycle up to our house. Jonathan is a lover of motorcycles and he has always wanted to own another one (he had one when we were dating, but that is another story). We had always planned that once he was out of school and our careers were stable and money wasn't tight, that we would try to get him one. Well as you can imagine, Hungary has kind of put a detour on that plan.

We've given up our furniture and our house, our kids toys and my Christmas dishes. But you know what? God has given us something even greater in return. Sometimes it is easy to overlook at first glance, but in reality it is a prized possession. He has given us the desires of our heart, the joy of being in the center of His will, and a peace that passes all understanding. He has put passion and fire and intensity in our relationship with Him. He has blessed us day after day. We received so much more than the material possessions we have relinquished. And in my book, that is more than a fair exchange.

Corinne

A Surprising Find

Today we came across a rather surprising find. In preparation for our move next month, we decided to "unload" some of our superfluous books at a store called "Half Price Books". There they will purchase your unwanted books and in return they sell them at a reduced price.

While we were waiting for our quote, Jonathan and I browsed through the aisles and somehow landed in the Foreign Language section. In the past we have enjoyed looking over travel and foreign language sections to see what Hungarian resources they might have. Usually few and far between, we often resort to purchasing our Hungarian finds on websites such as Amazon. Jonathan is particularly fond of the Hungarian history books. For example, a recent Amazon order included The Siege of Budapest: 100 Days in World War II.

Well today we were pleasantly surprised to happen upon a cute little picture book called the Beginner's Hungarian Dictionary. Quietly slipped between German-English dictionaries and Italian phrasebooks, it contains illustrations and Hungarian translations for a whole variety of everyday vocabulary words. Quickly, this inconspicuous dictionary found a treasured place in my arms as we meandered through the store and an unplanned $6 purchase brought a smile to my face.

This evening as I poured through the pages, silently mouthing the difficult pronunciations, again I felt the excitement, wonder and awe of the great task God has laid before us. Both Jonathan and I know that language will not be our only challenge as we move to Hungary in just a few weeks. We also know, however, that God is not sending us alone. We have a wonderful team of missionaries and Hungarians waiting to welcome us to our new home - and of course God is going with us!

I'm not sure who our little book belonged to before we found it hiding on the shelf, but someone put it there for us to find. In Hungary, God may seem hard to find, but we are going there to help Hungarians see Him. God isn't so hard to find, when you know where to look!

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ~Jeremiah 29:13

Searching for Something Special,
Corinne

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

This view is from the plane ride on our last trip to Hungary and soon the Long family will be peering from a small window again. On May 15th we will finally be heading to Hungary!

Our move in May has brought great excitement to our house and a flurry of activity as we finalize our packing. We are finishing the last of our planned meetings and starting to say our "goodbyes". In the midst, God is preparing our hearts for a journey to the other side of the world. We are anxious to start our work in Hungary, but also saddened to leave our families and friends. However, we know that the God who worked this miracle to get us to Hungary will not leave us when we arrive!

As we reflect on these months of planning and traveling, we are humbled by the blessings that God has poured out upon us through people like you. From the ocean waves in Massachusetts to the waves of grain in Montana, God has knit our hearts to the people and places we've visited. We feel the prayer of our friends in the mountains of Tennessee and Pennsylvania. We've grown to love the farmers of Indiana and North Dakota. All over the United States, we have spread the news of God's work in Hungary and in return, God has sprouted the support for our ministry.

And our move to Hungary does not mean the end of these new relationships. As we begin our ministry we look forward to sharing what God is doing in the lives of Hungarians. We cannot wait for the days we return to travel again and share the impact you have had around the world through your prayers and support. Thank you so much for the love you have shared with our family, we hope that you have felt our love in return!