Three Weeks Too Many....or Not Enough?

Just four short days after English Camp concluded, Jonathan was whisked away in an airplane for the United States. The past three weeks he has had the opportunity to participate in training for church planting and multiplication in Greenwood, Indiana. In addition to a busy seminar schedule, he has also filled much of his time visiting some of our supporting churches in the area.

In the mean time, I have been holding down the fort back here in Budapest with the help of a wonderful guest....Grandma! That's right, my mom came to visit us during the time Jonathan would be gone. We've mostly been keeping ourselves busy with all the fun things Grandmas like to do with their Grandkids. We went to the Budapest Zoo, the pool, and the aquarium. The boys have also enjoyed lots of special little treats Grandma brought for them from America. Here are a few pictures from our adventures!

Carter and his "Fish-Kabob"

Grant is all smiles when Grandma is around!

Fun memories at the Zoo

Grandma and the boys enjoy a treat.

So, needless to say, we've been having lots of fun, missing Daddy lots and enjoying Grandma's visit. We've decided that three weeks away is three weeks too many....and three weeks here is definitely not enough!

A Happy Mommy and a Lonely Wife,
Corinne

The Truth of the Matter

A quick snapshot from English Camp.

Money
It's a dirty word. It's private, it's personal, and it's said to be the root of all evil. Usually nobody likes to talk about money, that is unless we're discussing ways to get more, to keep more, and to spend more. Money used to have an amazing amount of control in our lives. There never seemed to be enough and when there was, it still wasn't enough. I like to be in control and I was no different when it came to our finances. I wanted to know where every penny was spent. Don't misunderstand me, God blessed us financially, but even in that blessing I found great stress.

Let's rewind a couple years ago to May 2008. Jonathan and I had felt the call to serve in Hungary and had made the commitment to work toward that goal. We felt it would require a great sacrifice on our part to make that happen. What did that sacrifice look like for us? We both quit our good paying jobs in the secular world to travel and raise funds full-time. With a toddler and another one on the way, we had no regular pay check, no employer insurance policy, and no guarantee we would still be able to pay the bills on time. It was a monumental step of faith for us...for me really. And we were never short on blessing. God's provision during the following year was so abundant. I learned so much that year about reliance on God and learned to let go of the tight grasp I had on both money and material things.

God did provide personally and for our ministry that year, and in twelve short months we were on our way to Hungary. We were, and still are, so grateful and blessed by the faithfulness and generosity of our family and friends, the people who have and continue to support our ministry. We felt like God placed us in Hungary at just the moment He had ordained. Our planning in His provision anticipated that we would be return to the United States after 2 years to spend 3-4 months fundraising before returning to Hungary to complete our four year commitment.

But now, we're here. Only 15 short months later, facing the reality that we may not be able to follow the plan we had hoped for.  Once again, we are looking at the dollars and cents and asking God for great provision. The numbers don't add up....but in the world of faith and blessing, they rarely do. We need a financial miracle if God is to keep us in Hungary for the remainder of our second year. This is not were I thought we would be so soon, so quickly seeing exchange rates and increased expenses ravage our support account, but I have a sense of peace and a heap of faith that even 3 years ago, was foreign to me when it came to finances. Instead of running to the calculator to examine the figures, we're falling on our knees to petition the Great Almighty.

Finding financial peace,
Corinne (& Jonathan)