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!

He Knows the Plans

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." - Jeremiah 29:11-12

The Long family waits...

Waits for the time when we will get on a plane and fly to the land of the Magyars. We wait for the day we arrive in the country to which we have been drawn by God. We wait for the "Go into all the world". We wait to be transplanted onto a new soil on the other side of the sea...

And yet, in the waiting God works. In the waiting we work. Each day we share again our vision for the Gospel to reach another soul. We walk where He leads and we tell the story of how He has changed everything. We work to grow our faith and our committment to His will in our lives. We pray...and we call upon God. He listens...and we listen. We search out His guidance and His direction.

Why all the working and waiting? Why not just go? Others have gone before with less...why?....Because He knows the plans He has for us. Plans to prosper and not to harm. Plans for hope and a future. We encounter setbacks...He anticipates them. We fight against struggles...He fights for us. We come up short...He makes up the difference.

God has a future for the Long family...and so we wait.

To Boldy Go...

A few weeks ago, while visiting a church in North Carolina we had the privilege of visiting Kitty Hawk, the site where Orville and Wilbur Wright first experience flight. Many of you are probably familiar with the Wright brothers and their historic plane. As we walked through the museum at Kitty Hawk, I soon realized there was so much more to the Wright story. The Wright brothers were dedicated to there goal. They lived on site at the airfield for months. They built models and gliders and had numerous test flights. They failed and tried again, and had teams of people to help with their tests. And finally, they had success.

The past week and a half our family has been residing at the headquarters of OMS as we participate in CROSS Training (OMS's preparation for cross cultural ministry and living). We have learned alot about everyday life as a missionary, as well as various aspects of our ministry. What continues to amaze me is the incredible team that stands behind us here in the United States and supports our efforts to go! God has reminded us that He not only provides through finances and prayer, but also through the faithfulness and guidance of men and women in leadership and support at OMS. We could not be successful missionaries to Hungary without an incredible team! We are thankful and blessed to be part of such an organization.

While we were at Kitty Hawk, we enjoyed photographing Carter posing as an astronaut in the history of flight pavilion. It has been a long path from first flight to walking on the moon...and our journey in missions sometimes seems to reflect this idea. As ambassadors of Christ we strive "to boldly go..."