Fall Update

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the air is crisp, the leaves have turned golden and are gently falling, filling the yards with their beautiful blanket of color.

This year has been so completely filled with activity that is has become more difficult to update you on what is happening here, at least in a timely manner. Please don't give up on us, we covet your prayers and are grateful for your partnering with us in God's work here in Eastern Europe.

To update you on the past several months...

The Gypsy ministry in Hajduboszormeny (Boszormeny) continues to draw seekers each Tuesday night. Dani, our youth pastor in Debrecen, took over the teaching at the church when Doctor Krisztian and his wife, Betti left for Dusseldorf Germany so Krisz could complete further research and training in Dermatology. With Dani on-board as teaching leader, he has encouraged his Debrecen youth group to become a part of the ministry in Boszormeny. Each week, the young people alternate teaching responsibility for our youngest children. They have responded so well to the alternating teachers that it is an encouragement to us all.

We held a day of celebration for "Children's Day" in June. This is an annual Hungarian observance which honors Hungary's children. We started the day off by having a powerful time of worship music led by David and Csilla Muscan, Jude and Luca who inspired us all with their beautiful voices. As we were worshipping God, many people just walking past the church were drawn to come inside and see what was happening. By the end of the day, we estimated there were at least 80 villagers who attended all or part of the days events.

PRAYER REQUEST: Now that school has begun, we pray the Youth Group members will continue to have time to be a part of the ministry to the youngest children at the Gypsy Church. We also pray they will continue to be encouraged at how God is using them in this ministry.

Ministry teams galore blessed the work in and around Debrecen this summer. We had teams from the U.S. and Germany, some of whom helped with the ministry to the orphanage in Miskolc, some helped with the English Camp, another team ministered at an orphanage in the Ukraine, and still another spent a week working on restoring parts of the Gypsy church building and also building a covered patio with lights so we can hold meetings outside when the weather is good. We also had a small team from California come (for the 5th time) to minister to women in Romania and also to the church body at Boszormeny.

PRAYER REQUEST: We pray God will continue to bring teams to be a part of the work here in and around Debrecen.

English Camp was an incredible answer to 10 years of prayer for our kids at the Miskolc orphanage. We had 12 young people from Miskolc come to the camp this year and at the end of the week, most of them had accepted Christ and were baptized in the camp pool. There wasn't a dry eye among the ministry team that has been involved in ministering to these kids for the past 10 years. Some of the kids that were baptized were very young when we first started going to the orphanage weekly for Bible study, sports activities, and general friendship building. At times throughout the years, we've been discouraged because more of the kids didn't immediately accept Jesus but as God tells us "everything in it's time" and the fullness of time had come.

Russ Chun our GoodSports ministry leader now goes to Miskolc weekly on Wednesdays to hold a Bible study for the new believers. We encourage your prayers for Russ and for the little Bible study, that God would continue to encourage them to draw close to Him, their source of comfort and strength.

PRAYER REQUEST: We pray that God will continue to bring translators to help Russ with the weekly Bible study and the twice monthly outreaches at the orphanage in Miskolc.

A one-week vacation for us was squeezed in between a two week time of ministry in Romania and a team from Germany who came to minister to the Gypsy church. We had the pleasure of seeing a new part of Italy (Rimini) and spent our days just basking in the sea breezes, eating lots of pasta, reading, and taking long naps each day!

PRAYER REQUEST: We are asking God for discernment in what He wants us to do. It's not easy to say no and it comes at the price of risking burn out if we don't have wisdom from the Lord.

The guest house ministry saw it's share of visitors these past 6 months. We've had visitors from America, Hungary, and Romania. Most of our visitors are here before or after a time of ministry elsewhere. It is always a pleasure to hear of their plans, see their excitement, and finally, hear stories of how God worked during their time of ministry.

PRAYER REQUEST: We continue to need prayer for provision to keep the guest house expenses covered.

The Lord arranged a wonderful time of refreshment for Carol who attended a Women's Conference this past weekend at the Bible College in Vajta. The topic for the conference was "Daughters of the King" and the messages reinforced the fact that we are a princess as the daughters of the King. There were 17 women from the Debrecen church able to attend and it gave us a wonderful time of deeper fellowship with one another and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

PRAISES to God for all that He has accomplished these past few months. In every case, God has enabled us to see His hand at work in the lives of those who came to minister alongside us. The Lord also encouraged those He sent, drawing us all into a deeper and closer relationship with our Savior.

We praise God for the faithful volunteers, the prayer partners who came forward to cover us in prayer, and we thank God for all those who support His work here in Hungary.

If God is working in your heart to become a part of His work here in Hungary, please drop us a line and let us know of your interest. We will be happy to connect you to the people responsible for the ministry you want to be a part of.

We can be reached at: carolgreathouse292@hotmail.com or carol@greathouse.ehc.hu

Because of Jesus...our hope is ALIVE!