First Concert Report

I'm still in the "aftermath" stage of the city-wide concert a team of us organized and put on this past Saturday here in Szeged...in other words, I'm tired! This will be a short blog, with more to come, but just want to say that in many ways, it was a tremendous "success". God was lifted up and glorified, and that is basically all that matters. Of course we had our pre-concert minor glitches and major enemy attack, but when one walks with Jesus, these things are to be "expected"...it's how we face them that is important. The organizing team here was just GREAT! The picture above shows our pre-concert sandwich-making party which took place at our Friday at 7 - International Christian Fellowship meeting the night before! Many hands make for quick work! Great idea MJ!!! Stay posted here for more pictures and stories. Thanks to everyone who labored faithfully over the months and these past couple of weeks to make sure it all happened!

God's mercy

Haven't blogged in over a week; largely because I've wanted people to see the advertising for the concert next week. However, the advertising will have to change. Yep, there's been a spiritual battle in all of this.

First, most of you don't know that we had invited a group from Ukraine called Amaro Del, a gypsy band. Well, tragedy struck their community with two deaths in one evening, one a member of their youth group. So, they cancelled their coming to Szeged to take part in our outreach concert. God lifted up two other groups to come!

Then, this past Thursday, I received an email from one of the groups and a severe illness has struck the family of one of the group leaders; so that group pulled out. Hmmm, anyone seeing a pattern here? Yes, this is a no-brainer, but it's obvious that the enemy is trying to take out worshippers of God. However, God in His amazing grace and mercy gave me incredible peace as I read the email about the second cancellation. I put the prayer word out, and I know people prayed and God heard.

We confirmed just this morning that another group can come! So, we have slated a Christian rock band from Croatia, a Christian rap and hip hop dance group from Debrecen, and a Christian worship band from Budapest! God is just too good to provide such diversity! So, the concert goes on on September 29th! He is merciful!!!

September 29 concert!!!!!

See below for concert info in English!!!!!

29 September - CONCERT IN SZEGED

September 29! September 29! September 29! Mark it on your calendars! We are having a city-wide Christian concert here in Szeged! Entrance fee is FREE! The goal is to welcome back students and unite Christian believers in the city in praise and worship of Jesus Christ!

Lunch with Jewel Brown

I had lunch with Jewel Brown today. Maybe you don't know who she is...I must admit, I didn't either til I looked her up on the net. She sang with Louis Armstrong for years!

What a SWEET lady! 70 years old and going strong! I had the privilege of meeting her and her manager this afternoon, taking them to get massages and then going out to lunch together after their arrival here in Hungary! Talk about a down-to-earth, totally for REAL woman! I loved talking with her and learning more about her life!

She will be singing 3 concerts, two in Serbia and one in Pecs, Hungary this coming weekend. Unfortunately, I won't get to see her sing, but I might try to sneak in on the rehearsal tomorrow evening if they'll let me!

This picture is of the two of us and I think she looks GREAT after 24 hours of travel, a massage, lunch and NO SLEEP!!! Thanks Jewel and Paul for a great afternoon together!

Someone famous

Tomorrow, I'll be having lunch with Jewel Brown. She is famous...she sang with Louis Armstrong...yep, I've got connections...not really, but I am looking forward to meeting her and hearing stories, I hope. But she is meeting someone famous too....me! I'm a child of the Most High King!

School, Church, Friends, Cats

I'm writing this blog after having read TF's recent blogs in which there are multiple themes in one blog. Thanks for the inspiration!


I had my "long" day at school today....5 lessons, and each was really blessed! After my last lesson, one of my favorite senior boys, who has started coming to Bible study, asked me if I would dance with him during the teacher/student dance at the prom in February! I was honored and said, "of course!" This is the first time in 9 years of teaching at Deak that I've been asked, so I was very happy. Zsolt is a sweet kid...I'm praying for his salvation...he is becoming an active part of Bible study and a huge helper with all the organizational stuff needed for ICF! Pray blessings upon this young man!


I was sitting in church on Sunday when the pastor started talking about Luke 7. The Lord put that chapter on my heart a couple of weeks ago, and I cannot seem to get away from it. During his sermon, suddenly, the Holy Spirit starts giving ME a "sermon" on the same chapter! So there I was trying to listen to him preach in Hungarian and listen to the Holy Spirit downloading HIS sermon to me! Kinda cool!


I got a sweet text message on my phone the other day...a friend wrote "I miss u." In the same message this friend wrote, "I love you my friend." I think I read that message about 5 times that day and about 3 times daily since....why? I've been wondering myself...and a couple of conclusions have popped up. I am realizing how important it is to tell the people in our lives what we are FEELING toward them. Also, living cross-culturally, one experiences as the years go by, the emails and communication wanes, so to hear these words from a good friend far away means MORE than one can ever imagine.


Finally, today I heard a cat fight.....yep, my boy Simon was picking on one of the neighbor cats who had come into "Simon's territory". It would not have been so bad except that Simon literally scared the s____ out of the other cat and it got ALL over Simon!!! Not fun trying to bathe a cat covered in another cats' feces. Ah, getting tastes of what it must be like to change diapers...haha ha ha haha!

ICF Szeged leadership team

In the first picture, you can see Sara Gisel in a field of flowers. Sara, a medical student at the university here in Szeged, is one of the student-leaders on the leadership team for Friday at 7, International Christian Fellowship, Szeged. The second picture includes the other core leadership team members: Edith Bond, the Person family - Jim, Tanya and three of their four children, Arden Campbell, Mary Jill Callery, and Erik Ottosson, another medical student. This core group spent the past 24 hours together worshipping, praying and planning for the kick-off concert on September 29th and the start of International Christian Fellowship on October 5th! In addition to these folks, we have a great team of students from a Bible study Arden leads who are excited, helpful, willing and ready to see God do great things! Thus far, we have Bibles on their way to Hungary, sound equipment which will, Lord willing, be on its way in October or November, a meeting place, and a tremendous core group of people who have a vision to see the Lord bring many people and move in those people's lives for His glory in this city and to the world! We need your prayers!

"New" computer

Some wonderful friends brought my laptop home to me in Szeged from Budapest. The whole main program was "corrupted", which meant nearly an entire revamping of the laptop...which means, I'm having to relearn my computer...I just spent the last 1/2 hour trying to figure out how to get pictures from my camera onto my computer...but I figured it out, which is a minor miracle! Thank you, Tanya, for patiently sitting and putting programs BACK on to my computer! Wow, what a blessing! So, I'm back online from home...and once I get wireless hooked back up, I'll be "golden".

Internet cafes

I have gotten to know the world of internet cafes this week as my laptop has been in Budapest being repaired. I did not realize how much I depended on technology, how much I love checking email, how "out of touch" I feel not being able to connect via email or skype. The blessing in all of this has been that I have gotten things done I may not have without the distraction of the computer, "tugging" at my heart. I have actually decided that I need to become much more disciplined in staying OFF the computer...so, blessings in disguise.......many more to come I am sure!