October Update

Dear ones,

We are finally coming up for air and since we've received many requests, it's time to update you on what is happening here in Hungary.

Rob and I traveled to Debrecen in early August and literally hit the floor running. So many things to do that it was hard to decide what to do first!

Taking stock of what was needed and how to accomplish it, we first needed to paint the inside of both the mission and guest houses. God blessed us hugely when an unexpected new supporter came forward with a 6 month commitment which enabled us to hire the painting done rather than doing it ourselves. In hindsight, we both know it would have been an impossible task and would have taken us much longer to accomplish. Thank you dear unexpected supporter. (You know who you are.)

For nearly 3 weeks, we and our guests found ourselves moving furniture and sleeping accomodations from one room to the next. It was a real interesting experience cooking when nearly everything was covered with sheets of plastic!

After the painting was completed the big job of cleaning up began. Thank God for Dani and Andi who are our "temporary" residents in the guest house. Interesting thing about the construction here in Hungary; the walls are all concrete so that when they are being painted, they first have to sand them. Of course all this dust gets into and on everything, necessitating a thorough cleaning of every surface when it's done. We spent more than a week washing down and polishing windows, floors, and furniture.

Never knowing when to quit, both Rob and I ended up with back problems. Too much bending and lifting which then led to heat packs, ice packs, and lots of Ibuphrofen. Gosh, it's tough getting older!

So, the house was back in order and the next item on our "to do" list were the yards. Our Hungarian church made an announcement and the following Saturday, we had 14 hardy souls show up and between them, the yards were whipped into shape and all the old building materials were sent to the recycle center in a huge dumpster. Interesting thing here in Hungary; you may not even need a dumpster because before we knew it, we had people stopping by to ask if they could take the old bath tub, toilet, and wood scraps. That allowed us to dispose of more than we thought possible.

Once all the cleaning up was done, Tibi from our Hungarian church stopped by and took lots of photos inside and outside the house in preparation for creating a webpage to list the property for sale. That has now been done and you can go to the webpage by clicking the link below to see the listing. Please feel free to pass it along to anyone/church that might have an interest in basing their ministry here in Hungary. http://www.toplak.hu/elado-kiado-ingatlan/Haz/Csaladi-haz/Hajdu-Bihar/Debrecen/hirdetes-76855724.html

Our beautiful city of Debrecen is close to several borders so it makes it a perfect "jumping off point" to minister into Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Plus, we have all these young Hungarians who are becoming fluent in English and serve as translators.

Rob's health is holding up so far. Other than a slight change in his voice and less energy than what was normal, he is keeping busy. We had hoped a ministry would consider purchasing the property and our plan was to include as much furniture as possible. But since that doesn't seem to be in the cards at this time, we aren't sure how much to pack up to bring back with us once we finally move.

The waiting is the hardest part. Funny thing about the spiritual life, it is so easy at times to say all the right words but to live it out is a whole other experience. The "Refiners Fire" is a difficult place to be, whether it is yourself or a loved one going through it.

Rob's hope, and one could say his dream, is that once he is back in America, he would like to take a road trip to visit our many friends and family around the States. We are praying for a quick sale and smooth transition back to life in America as soon as possible. Understanding that might not be God's plan , we pray for patience to wait upon His perfect plan.

Thank you one and all for your faithfulness in lifting us in prayer. May you and yours be blessed in the days ahead.

In praise and gratitude for our Savior Jesus Christ.

Rob and Carol Greathouse