Our New Year's Resolution

On the eve of 2009, we cannot help but think of one American tradition...The New Year's Resolution. Historically speaking, these resolutions are usually grand in thought, but somewhat short lived. This year our family has but one resolution that we intend to keep long after the celebrations have ceased:

To walk in God's will in 2009, wherever or however He may lead.

We are excited to know that He does have plans for 2009, and those plans seem to be heading us toward Hungary in a short time from now. Much of 2008 has been spent in preparation for this journey. As we consider the past year, we see how God's provision and timing has been perfect. We originally had prayed that God would provide for us to be in Hungary by the end of January, but as we neared the end of the year, it was clear this was not God's plan. God has given us several more opportunities in January, February and March to share our ministry with churches and people across the country. Also, we still need additional people to come onto our support team so we can meet our financial goals. Therefore, we anticipate our transition to Hungary with take place the end of March. We are praying that God would provide all our needs so this can be possible. Things look very promising and we trust that God's timing is perfect in all things.

As you consider your resolutions for the coming year, we pray that 2009 would be a time for you to draw closer to God and to walk faithfully in His will for you life.

Looking Forward,
Jonathan and Corinne

The Long Awaited Arrival

The Long family has many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving - most importantly the arrival of our second child! Grant Oliver Long greeted the world on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 3:57pm. He weighed 9 pounds 11.5 ounces and was 19 inches long. He has a head full of blond hair, deep blue eyes, and an adoring big brother.

In the short first two weeks of his life, Grant has already had the opportunity to visit church for the first time and attend his first missions conference as the family travelled to Indian Falls, NY this past weekend. He already has 1000 miles under his belt and is well on his way to official MK status (missionary kid).

His birth has reminded us once again of the wonderful blessings God has given to us this past year. Not only have we been blessed with a beautiful and healthy child, but have experienced first hand the blessings poured out upon us as we travelled cross-country these past 6 months. We are so thankful for the many wonderful and caring people we have met along the way - the friends and families that have offered us their prayers, their support and their partnership in our ministry. As we trust for the future that God will continue to provide, we are too thankful for what is yet to be done! We have seen His hand at work in so many ways, and it excites us to see what He has yet to do!

Our hope for you this Thanksgiving holiday is that you too would feel God's blessing upon your lives and that you would be able to spend this time sharing in the hope for God's blessing in the days to come.

With Love and Thankfulness,
Jonathan, Corinne, Carter and Grant

A First at First

This past week we had the opportunity to participate in a missions conference in Corry, PA. Many of our meetings were at the First United Methodist Church. Their theme this year was "Missions: Our Investment in Eternity". We felt this was an especially fitting theme and logo following the recent events of our economy. We were reminded that missions is truly about earthly sacrifice for heavenly gain. Isn't that what God calls us all to? We should all strive to "Lay up our treasures in heaven!"

We can definitely say we were blessed by our involvement! Through the kindness of many individuals, we were made so welcome. We enjoyed meals and meetings in many of the congregation members' homes. We also spoke at the church for the Wednesday evening service. The worship, which was led by On Staff for HIM missionary Ken Fitch, was inspiring. Each day we enjoyed devotion and prayer time that was uplifting and encouraging.

Carter received specials blessings this week as well...we were surprised Wednesday evening with a birthday cake, balloon and gifts in celebration of his third birthday! Everyone showed us so much love and care.

We enjoyed a special "first" this week as well. We had the oportunity to share on CorryFirst Radio's Wednesday Nite Live program. You can enjoy our broadcast by clicking on the player below...hope you enjoy!

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Letting Go and Gearing Up

During our last trip we were on the East coast in Massachusetts. We made a detour through Plymouth so we could see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II (a replica of the original pilgrim ship). Standing in the belly of the wooden ship reminded me that we are so fortunate to have the ability to cross seas in the comfort of an airplane! It was hard to imagine months at sea in the relatively cramped quarters with no sight of land. What faith the Pilgrims must have had to leave everything they called familiar for a land of unknown.

This last week, our family has been further preparing for our big trip over the ocean. We had a garage sale to get rid of some household items that we no longer need or won't be taking to Hungary. In the words of our two-year old "but that is mine!" It was a little difficult to explain that the items we were selling were worth letting go of and that something better would be coming along to replace it! It's easy to have that mindset in many areas of our lives as we become attached to the things of this world. But, God has continued to remind us that we lay up our treasures in heaven! Letting go of some of our possessions is just another step in the process of relying on God to provide our needs.

As we look forward to the next few months, we are definitely gearing up for some changes and some challenges. We continue to have a busy schedule of travel and speaking. We also are preparing for the arrival of the newest member to our family - Baby Long is due Nov 13th! It will definitely be an adjustment to have another little one in tow. We are excited to see how God will continue to provide in the months to come. We are still looking to move overseas the first of the year, so we continue to pray for the financial resources to become available. We simply ask that our friends and family continue to lift our ministry in prayer. We rely on that prayer for getting through all the "letting go" and "gearing up".

VBS #9 Comes to a Close

Well...it's hard to believe, but our last VBS is quickly coming to a close. We have one day left with a Hungarian meal and VBS program and then we are officially finished.

As we wrap up this last week, we have been reflecting on some of the ups and downs of the summer. We have many things to be thankful for and many praises to share!

1. Today we reached a new milestone in decisions for Christ. We have now had 100 children make first time commitments. PRAISE GOD! This does not include the additional commitments made this summer by teens and adults. YEAH!

2. We have over 60 new contacts that we have added to our support team. We look forward to sharing with these new partners in ministry about what God is doing around the world!

3. We have now been travelling "by faith" (as we would say, without our full-time employment), and God has been faithful to help us meet all of our financial obligations.

4. This week Corinne reaches her 6 month of pregnancy with no complications (thus far) and positive doctor reports. We are so thankful for this healthy journey for all of us.

5. We have been able to schedule meetings into the fall with churches and camps to fill out the calendar almost completely! We will be speaking and sharing our ministry full-time through the end of October.

6. God has continued to encourage our passion for the people of Hungary and we have received positive reports from the field. We are continuing to see God's hand in Hungary!

So you see, there have been many blessings from this summer's travels. Our prayer is that God would continue to move in our lives as we move toward Hungary. We know that the success of our summer is directly tied to the prayers of our friends...so thank you for your prayers and support. We couldn't have survived it without you! We have felt the attack of the enemy on many days, but we have also felt strengthened by the encouragement of your prayers. Please continue to pray for our safe travels back East and hopefully we'll bump into you soon!

Love,
Jonathan, Corinne and Carter

Camp, Cowboy Boots, and Kids

The last few weeks have certainly been busy ones... here are a few highlights!

CONFERENCE
We had the opportunity to quickly fly home for Missions in the Midwest (OMS Conference) for the last weekend of June. We enjoyed so much seeing our OMS "family" and sharing with everyone there about our ministry. It was a quick trip, but we were able to squeeze in a visit to the doctor where we learned Carter is going to have a little brother! Now the Long family debates the name...

CAMP
The first week of July we had the privilege of speaking at Family Camp in North Dakota. We were the featured missionaries and spoke each morning about Hungary and the ministry there. Jonathan also had an opportunity to tune up his guitar and assist with music in the evenings. It was a wonderful time of sharing and meeting friends, both old and new. We were blessed by the time we spent there and appreciate the kindness and encouragement of all our Mt Carmel families!

MORE VBS
Following camp, we were back to Billings, MT at Eternity Church for VBS and this week in Fallon, MT. Our spirits are continually renewed as we see young people making decisions for Christ and developing a heart for missions. It is truly the best part about each week!

We are gearing up for our last two weeks of VBS before we head back East. It is hard to believe the summer will soon come to a close! Hopefully we will be passing through your neck of the woods soon!

Got Faith?

This week we have the privilege of enjoying in the great city of Billings, MT. We are at Faith Evangelical Church, where we had 175 kids for our first day of VBS. Their motto: "Got Faith?" Lessons, crafts and games for so many kids proved to be somewhat of a logistical challenge, but for the first day things went really well. We have an amazing crew of volunteers from the church -which we couldn't do without! Faith E (as they call it) has made us feel very welcome, and we look forward to spending the rest of the week with their wonderful children.

Last week we wrapped up our visit to Columbus Evangelical Church in Columbus, MT. There we had 8 children pray the sinners prayer for the first time - Praise the Lord! We had so much fun getting to know the kids and the volunteers. We made many new friends. One afternoon, our hosts even graciously allowed us to fish and relax at their cabin. The mountains and view remind us of God's wonderful creation.

Week One Comes to a Close

Well, the end of our first week is quickly approaching. We have been working with VBS in Langdon, ND at Emmanuel Evangelical Church. We have one session left on Saturday morning with a Hungarian lunch afterward for the children and their parents. Sunday morning we will do a presentation during the worship service for VBS and then Jonathan will share briefly about our ministry in Hungary. He will also be speaking Sunday morning at the Presbyterian Church in Langdon.

Other than working out a few details, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. We have enjoyed getting to know the families at the church here through working together at VBS and eating meals in their homes. We have shared with many of them about our ministry plans for Hungary. We are excited to see how God is working in the lives of the young people here at VBS. Thank you for all your prayers, they do make a difference! Enjoy the picture video from this week's VBS...

Back to Budapest

The past two weeks, we had the opportunity to travel back to Budapest for another visit. We went with an MFM work team from a church in Pennsylvania. It was an incredible trip to say the least. Despite jet-lag and head colds, we were truly blessed by the time and experiences we had while we visited the city to which we have been called.

During our visit, we were able to meet with all of the OMS missionaries currently on the field. We talked about the work that is being done there and the opportunities for ministry that we will be able to participate in. We met the Hungarian workers and their families. Through the entire experience, we felt God continue to confirm His call on our lives to go and work in Budapest.

This visit has also created in us a since of urgency. There is much work that needs to be done, and the workers are few. We are anxious to raise our support and return to Budapest to begin the work we will do there. As God has called us, we know also that God will provide. We have put forth a goal of raising our support by January 2009. This requires of us to travel pretty much full-time between now and the fall. We will be stepping away from our secular employment the end of May to hit the road. We are trusting God's provision, not only in raising monthly support for our ministry, but also in meeting our financial needs while we are in the process.

Please continue to pray for our family as we take this huge leap of faith, from the "security" of jobs to the "faith living" of fundraising. We know that God has and will continue to bless us on this journey and look forward to sharing more stories with you has we journey this path.

Hitting the Road

The time has come! The Long family has starting hitting the road. One of our tasks as we look toward going overseas is to raise prayer and financial support for our ministry. That means we are making plans to travel and visit many of our friends and churches across the country. This is a huge endeavor, as you can imagine! It requires many communications via email and phone, lots of planning, scheduling and calendar checking...as well as the financial resources required to travel.

One of the opportunities we recently had was to share with a church in Nineveh, IN. Jonathan spoke at their Wednesday evening service. We were very blessed to be in the presence of so many people interested in missions and our ministry. We look forward to sharing in many similar experiences in the future.

Coming up in April, Jonathan and I will be travelling to Budapest, Hungary with a work and witness team from Pennsylvania. We are so excited about this trip! We will be working with the team to do some remodeling, and also participate in praying for the city of Budapest. We also look forward to meeting with our fellow OMS missionaries in Hungary. We pray that this trip will furthur define our passion for Hungary and fuel us for the busy summer and fall we have ahead of us.

Starting the end of May we will be on the road full time. This means we will be leaving behind our home and our jobs for full time ministry. This is a huge leap of faith! We are praying that God will provide for our many needs during this time. We also pray that He will prepare the hearts of the people we will be ministering to.

We look forward to sharing with you as we head out on our travels. Perhaps we will pass through your neck of the woods!

One Amazing Ride

Several years ago, we had the opportunity to go with some friends to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH. While we were there we rode on several roller coasters and enjoyed the various rides. One roller coaster in particular still sticks out in my mind. It is called the Millenium Force. When it first opened in 2000, this coaster broke 10 world records for it height and speed. It reaches 310 feet above the ground and top speeds of 93 miles per hour! It was an incredible thrill. We rode the coaster about three times that day.

I (Corinne) have somewhat of a love-hate thing with roller coasters. I think I want to go on one, but then as I approach the front of the line my stomach starts to churn with anxiety, my palms get sweaty, and every inch of reasoning tells me not to get on! On most occasions I convince myself that I will not die and at the end of such an exhilorating ride, I will be glad I took the risk. Such was the case with the Millenium Force that day. My first trip was difficult as we slowly clicked up the first momentous hill. As we approached the top, regret was pulsing in my head...why did I think I wanted to do this?!? Inevitably we descended the hill and reached 93 miles per hour, while I gripped the hand bars white knuckled. I admit I was not having a good time - I was too scared! After the 2 minute 20 second thrill ride, we arrived safetly back at the loading zone. Whew! Now that I was safely on two feet and my adrenaline levels started to decline, I was informed that everyone wanted to go on the roller coaster again. Well, I reasoned, I survived once, I guess I can survive again. Three rides later, I realized I was enjoying the thrill of the height and speed of this roller coaster and I had conquered my fears.

It's funny how silly anecdotes can creep into your mind years later. As I was pondering our missions journey this week, the story of this particular roller coaster was in my mind. In life, I tend to be the one who wants to be in control. I want to have a schedule, a plan, and a back-up plan. I don't like to be surprised and I don't like to be unprepared. As we have stepped out and taken on the call to missions, however, I am learning that sometimes God works best when we are not in control. God is continually changing the plan to meet his purpose. He continually surprises us, whether through an unexpected word of encouragement or a financial gift. Sometimes walking by faith requires you to step out in the dark on unsure footing. This was not a comfortable place for me to be, but God is slowly teaching me that the adventure can be enjoyable when he is in charge. Like putting ourselves on a roller coaster, it is against our human nature to let God have control.

I am learning that the best time of my life is the time that I am in God's will, even if that means I am out of control. Just like Cedar Point claims nothing can compare to the thrill of their roller coaster, Bill Hybel reminded me that "Nothing can be compared to the thrill of serving God, of truly being used by Him to make an eternal difference in the lives of people and advancing His purposes in the world."