A Day in Budapest - Missionary Style!

As we sat on Wednesday evening in the falafel/gyros restaurant at Moricz Zsigmond Square, Dave recounted, that from best recollection, he had been to Budapest 12 times, starting in the summer of 1996. That must account for the "success" we had in the last 24 hours ...

1) Being awed by the evidence of the hand of God at work through those whom He's called here ...

and:

2) Seeing a whole bunch of famous sites in this grand European city.

The "tour" started with our arrival in Ferihegy Airport and Joyce's "official" welcome for her first visit.



From there it was a fast taxi ride to the Griff Hotel, where many, many groups have stayed while they served at the MOZI Ministry Center, just a short walk away. After a quick shower and change of socks and "unmentionables" ... (its not a new day until you change your socks and undies), we walked from the Hotel to the Olimpia Mozi Ministry Center. On the way there, we took a short detour through the playground that Dave helped with by organizing construction teams who came and built it 7 years ago! What a joy it was to see the playground in wonderful condition, with dozens of children with their parents playing and enjoying this beautiful place. It's so rewarding to know that the work of so many is still paying dividends!!









The Olimpia Mozi Ministry Center has undergone significant renovations since it was purchased in 2000, but this summer some of the most dramatic changes are coming about through the complete reconstruction of the coffeehouse and auditorium. Brad Mullet greeted us with two cups of the most wonderful espresso (and Joyce doesn't even drink coffee!!) and shared the most recent "God sightings" that have moved this renovation forward. Suffice it to say that there is no doubt in our minds that God intends to reach many people in the 11th district of Budapest through the myriad of ministries that use this building. We count at least 8 ministries currently at work, and more to come! The stories of how the finances were obtained would alone fill up this blog, but we just want to relay to all of you who read this, that God is at work in this part of the world in ways that we never hear about. We were very encouraged to hear Brad update us on all that's happening.

Always the gracious host, Brad offered to drop us at the foot of the Castle Hill with a handful of bus/tram tickets and some rough directions on how to get back to the hotel. We took his offer and Joyce soon found herself gazing out at the Danube River through the windows of the turrets in the Fisherman's Bastion. This famously photographed landmark didn't escape our camera's lens ... and Joyce was especially awed by the view. We then walked the cobblestone streets of the Castle Hill in search of a restaurant where we could get a good Hungarian dinner and we were not at all disappointed! The chicken paprika with dumplings tickled Joyce's palette, while Dave opted for the grilled pork medallions with sweet red cabbage and roasted potatoes. While the prices aren't the same as they were 13 years ago, the flavors haven't gone away and we thanked God for a great day, great food, and most of all, for great friends who are praying for us today! We felt especially blessed!

Sleep came easy as we we were able to lay horizontal for the first time in nearly 48 hours! 9 hours later we were awoken by a beautiful sunshiny day ... and ready for more touring!

We won't cover all the nitty gritty, but here's a taste of what Thursday was like:

We rode a tram over a beautiful bridge crossing the Danube, walked through the largest covered market in the city, had a lunch of Hungarian gulash (csipos!!), walked down the Vaci Utca (shopping street) without getting pick=pocketed!!, rode the oldest metro line on the continent of Europe (not counting "the Tube"), gazed at the "heroes" on Hero's Square, had a delicious coffee and cake at an outdoor cafe along the Danube, and rode the tram back across the Danube to the gyros restaurant that we mentioned in the first paragraph! Wow!! ... and Joyce's leg (recovering from shin splints) held up through it all!! What a day!

Today, we will leave Budapest and head for Slovakia. Our eventual destination is Hermanovce nad Toplou ... the small village on the end of the road that is such a contrast to this city of 2.5 million, but where the hand of God is also incredibly evident in the lives of people. We're not sure when we'll get the next blog updated, but stay tuned for more adventure!!