Update April 1, 2010

Prayer Request/ Missions Opportunity
Mission House/Guest House Ministry
Debrecen, Hungary

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am writing to request your prayers and as our Lord leads, invite your involvement in a ministry that has blessed us immeasurably for more than a decade.

My name is Robert Greathouse and my wife and I have served our Lord in Debrecen, Hungary through the gifts of hospitality and compassion in a guesthouse ministry that has provided a place of respite for countless of pastors, orphans, and missionaries. Last year I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, requiring us to sell our ministry assets and return to the states, a lengthy process we have yet to conclude.

Our story began in 1996 when my wife Carol was invited to take part in a mission trip to Hungary and Romania. The people of this region captured her heart in a way that only God, Himself, can orchestrate. She felt compelled to return in 1997 and 1998. At that time, she assisted with an evangelistic music ministry, again visiting orphanages, cultural houses, and small village churches with the music team.

During those trips Carol became involved in a ministry whose focus was to reach out to the Roma (Gypsy) population in both countries. Living in mud huts heated only by archaic wood burning stoves, Carol came face to face with true poverty. Yet even among the stench of unwashed bodies and disease and filth, these people beamed with life – God’s life. And as the big-eyed, ragtag children took hold of her hand, God knitted her soul to theirs and she knew she never again would be the same.

In late 1998, we learned of the level of fatigue and burnout ministers in this region suffer. The ministers of the gospel desperately needed a place of respite. The call burned in my heart in a way I could not ignore. So when the Gypsy Mission Foundation as well as our local church in Debrecen (Calvary Chapel) asked us to pray about becoming full-time missionaries based in Hungary, taking part in outreaches in both Hungary and Romania, we did just that. And God brought us confirmation after confirmation.

In May of 1999, we moved into full-time ministry based in Debrecen, Hungary. At first we rented a small house but it soon became apparent the needs of the ministry far outweighed our ability to provide in the limited space of our little home. This was in 2001, and after long and heart-felt prayer, we believed the Lord was asking us to invest our savings in His Kingdom.

This was a difficult decision for Carol who felt more “secure” with our savings safely invested in the States. Finally, there came a time when she realized that if she said “no” one more time, she would be saying no to her Lord. That decision made, we began looking for property. In June of 2002, the mission house and attached guesthouse was completed.

In the years that followed, a myriad of guests from a host of countries filtered through our little ministry. They say we were a blessing to them. But we too have experienced the blessing of the Lord in immeasurable ways.

In February of 2009 God began to bring our time of ministry to close when I was diagnosed with terminal metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer. I have undergone surgery to remove the tumor and radiation treatment. The doctors told me after these treatments there are no other treatments available for this type of cancer and at most I may live up to two years.

Since the treatment, we have been working to “close up shop” in Hungary. The biggest part of that is selling the ministry house. It has now been one year since the diagnosis and our prayer is that the Lord will help us sell the mission house/guest house complex before I am unable to travel back to America to live out my life.

It is our most earnest prayer that the house could continue to be used for ministry purposes. We would ask that you would pray for us about this and spread the word to ministries and individuals who might be interested in full-time mission work in this part of the world.

We are asking $300,000 for the property and will consider leaving a large part of the furniture for a mission organization or church willing to continue the ministry here. With the increased cost of land and construction, our builder has said it would cost over $500,000 to build today.

The mission house consists of a large kitchen/dining area, a large living room/meeting room, two bedrooms, a large laundry room/pantry, and two bathrooms. In addition, the guesthouse is a fully self-contained house with two bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen/dining/living room area.

Debrecen is a University City with a population of approximately 300,000. It is just 30 minutes from the border with Romania and about 1 hour from the border with Ukraine. One of the major refugee camps for people seeking refuge in Europe is only about a ten-minute drive from the house. It is 2.5 hours from Budapest and 1-1.5 hours from Slovakia. Since there is a large population of English speakers within the Debrecen church, our need for translators has always been met. The possibilities for all kinds of ministry are endless.

We have put together photos and have posted them on Facebook. If you or someone you know has an interest in this ministry, you can access the photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033107&id=1471608264&l=a8f5871915 Please feel free to pass this information along to others.

Above all, we ask for your prayers for my wife and I. Pray that God would allow us to continue believing that He is in control of everything, the timing of the sale, who will take over the ministry, and those who come to serve Him and be blessed through their time here. It is truly a stressful time for us now, but even so, we would not trade the blessing of being involved in God’s work here in Hungary over the past decade for anything.

Interested parties may contact us at this e-mail address: hungarianmissionhouse4sale@yahoo.com

In His grip,
Rob and Carol Greathouse
Debrecen, Hungary