It began with a word..."yes". Part 1

It had been a dark month. It wasn't completely unexpected, more than once we had been warned by the more seasoned missionaries that the fifth month was difficult. October was meeting expectations. The weight of home-sickness, intense fatigue and financial concerns were taking its wearisome toll both physically and emotionally.

Then one blustery afternoon, I sank into my computer chair and opened my email. With the usual expediency I began deleting the latest round of spam. News updates from 1070WIBC. A deal on a Papa Johns Pizza. Someone sent me a YoVille request on Facebook. But then my eyes hit upon an email address that I didn't recognize.

I read the email carefully, "Hello, I'm Ashley Weaver and I'm with 13 other AIM missionaries in Szekesfehervar." It appears there is a group of people traveling through Hungary looking for ministry possibilities. I quickly jumped to the AIM (Adventures in Missions) website to make sure I knew who they were. I fired the email off to a national worker and made a mental note to follow up with him in a week.

I few days later, I returned again to my worn out chair perched in front of my desk. Pulling up my Skype to see if my parents were on, I read the first name at the top of my contacts, "Ashley Weaver" and God quietly whispered "say hi". Without thinking I wrote a quick greeting and pressed "enter". It was at this moment I thought, "wow, I really don't have much to say."

Ashley popped back immediately in a very cheerful way. She told me that half of their traveling band had been left behind and that they had trekked to Budapest looking for possibilities. Amazingly, I realized that they were within 2 miles of my home in Budapest, so I offered to set up a meeting for Wednesday evening. Then God decided the time to move had come.

Wednesday, as I sat among a crowd of people on the bus, I contemplated the past month. We were tired, we were lonely, my Grandfather had just passed away, and while I didn't admit this publicly, dear reader, I was feeling a lot of pain inside over it. This time Corinne met me at the door.

"Jonathan, come read this," she said with intensity in her voice. I dropped into my familiar chair and scanned the email. Something bad had happened, they were stranded, at Keleti Train Station. I asked her if they wanted to come here, just to figure things out. They said they might need to, their leader Mike had dared getting twisted about in the large concrete jungle that was Pest, in search of new lodging. We waited. Then I heard a whisper. "Go get them." Why Lord? "Go get them," he said again. Ok, Lord, "Yes". - Jonathan

Nothing Left to Give

It's not surprising to say that a big part of missions is serving others. Sharing our home, our food, our family....showing God's love in all forms. Many times we have seen how God has blessed us so that we may be a blessing to others. As American's in a foreign country, it would often seem as though we give from our abundance...an abundance of resources, finances, and faith. But God does not always ask as to give in our own abundance. Sometimes He asks us to give out of our poverty, in our own time of need.

If you had asked me a week ago what I had to offer to 7 strangers...7 people I had never met, I would have told you I had nothing to offer. Our family has struggled the last few weeks with a feeling of emotional and spiritual poverty. We were tired, lonely, homesick and financially drained. We were struggling with distance from home during the passing of Jon's grandfather. Our frustrations with learning a difficult language, bridging the cultural gap, and relying only on God's provision had left us feeling as though we truly had nothing to offer to anyone.

That's when we received the message...when God spoke to my heart and said "Give." When we felt our resources were gone, our passion waning, and our selfishness overwhelming, God told us to open our homes and give not out of our abundance, but out of our poverty.

Today, a week later, we can say God has truly blessed us beyond measure once again. Last Wednesday, a group of American young adults with Adventures in Missions contacted us for assistance finding accommodations in Budapest. Without hesitation, I found myself inviting them to stay in our humble home... nothing special to offer, just a warm, safe room in which to lay their sleeping bags...a warm shower and a washing machine. In the past few days, we've been able to share stories, encouragement, ministries and prayer. These 7 strangers have become 7 friends. They have given to our Hungarian family and shown them God's love. And once again, God has turned what would seem as our sacrifice into our great blessing.

Has God asked you to give in your abundance? What about in your poverty? When you seem to have nothing left to give, what can you sacrifice for God? After all....He wants it all.

Abundantly Blessed,

Corinne and Family

(Photo: Some of the Hungarians from our Bible study with our '7 Strangers')

To Be Honest.....

Let me ask you a question. When you sing in church, do you ever think about the words your singing? I mean, do you ever stop and consider what it is exactly that you're saying. It may sound strange, but I find myself doing this a lot. So often I think we sing the same songs over and over that we really don't think about what we're saying.

"We stand and lift up our hands, cause the joy of the Lord is my strength." I look around. In fact, nobody has lifted their hands in the air, and most of us don't look terribly joyful. What an odd thing to say then.

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene." Really? I happen to be sitting at the moment, and am I really amazed, right now? What if we were forced to sing how we really feel. It might more accurately be "I sit, thinking about Colts football, in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder, how badly they'll beat the Seahawks, I hope the defense plays clean, singing how wonderful.....".

Now I know that songs and hymns are important, and I'm not saying we should stop singing them, we should praise God even when we may not feel like it. I just find myself asking "Do you mean it? I'm standing here singing praises to Almighty God, and have I thought about what I'm saying?"

Sometimes I think that growing up as a Christian has desensitized me a little bit to really how amazing it truly is. The things that are truly cosmic ideas have seemed ordinary at times. We hear them over and over again, and somehow we find that while singing about some of the most amazing events and truths in history, we're thinking about whether to go to Denny's or Cracker Barrel (by the way, it's Cracker Barrel, Momma french toast breakfast can't be beat). Somethings missing.

Sometimes Carter gets amazed by the most ordinary looked over things, and for a moment I'm reminded the snails are amazing, or that riding a bus is kinda fun. I love the fact that I can wink at Grant and pretty much blow his mind. I find myself enjoying things again through them. Things that somehow I forgot were so cool.

This is why I like hanging out with new Christians. Somehow many of the things that have grown to be mundane or "normal" , are still so vibrant and amazing for them. They in-turn remind me of that.

A few weeks ago we watched a video about God's love. Afterwords I was talking with a young lady from our group who told me, "I can't believe it's all true, I mean, when I think about it, I feel so lucky."

At the risk of warranting a good "stoning" let me admit to you that I don't always feel this way. God's "Love" and "Grace" are probably among the most preached on subjects in churches, we talk about it constantly. And sometimes it feels like my attitude is, "Yeah, God loves me. He kinda has too right, I mean, He IS Love. That's sort of his m.o. right? His grace is sufficient cause it has to be, and it's pretty cool that I don't need too much of it, I'm not a A-grade sinner."

But then I stop and think about the words of Amazing Grace. I hear the pure honesty and gratitude, and it reminds me that God's Grace IS truly amazing, mind-blowing in fact (and completely undeserved). I read David's words in Psalm 8:

"When I consider your Heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

and realize, just as the young lady reminded me, I am lucky, I am fortunate, I am amazed, I am blessed. Nothing about me is warranting of God's love. There's nothing I've done, or am that has earned it, or deserves it. Yet He would leave the 99 to find me.

I endeavor that I not let the awesome and amazing truths of God's word become diminished or common-place in my mind. I know who I am, and when I consider how He looks at me, and what he offers a "wretch like me", I realize that I'm luckiest person I know. My hope is that you are too.

It kinda makes me feel like singing.

-Jonathan