Today ended our third week in Miskolc, Hungary with Let's Start Talking. We started the week by spending our free day traveling to nearby Debrecen in order to meet with Angela and Nandor Cseti who are hosting an LST project in their city during July. The boys were excited to be able to travel by train (something that never happens at home) and it was good for us to see where the upcoming LST team will live, work, and worship..jpg)
Being our third week on-site we were able to get into a very strong rhythm with our Readers. All together we've worked with 33 Readers. Twice this week Leslee met with two young men and a mom at their house. Kate (the mom) lives between our apartment and the Food Court we've been working at. By having Leslee come to her house it saved Kate, her son, and her son's friend the trouble of traveling to the mall. It also provided a unique opportunity to interact with Readers in their own home.
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We haven't mentioned this before because some may have interpreted it as negative. But, this week what we're about to share had a nice twist to it. Early in our second week the security personnel who roam the mall told us on three separate occasions we couldn’t conduct our sessions there. Actually, it was just a misunderstanding; they thought we were conducting business. Once they understood we were offering a free service their interruptions ended completed- until this week. This morning a security officer again approached Leslee. However, this time he came asking if his wife could participate in our course! Leslee gladly took some information and put him in touch with our hosts Ruth and Ati Levai.
Joshua and Matthew had a special treat this week too. They participated in a sports camp which was organized by a group from Fort Worth, TX (imagine that!) who was reaching out to some of the children at a local orphanage. So, each day this week from about 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Joshua and Matthew did soccer and basketball drills and ran until they dropped!
Of the 33 Readers we've been able to work with, about 28 will continue with the LST team arriving Saturday night from the Seattle, Washington area. We'll overlap with this team two full days in order to help make a successful hand-off of these Readers to them. Our LST party on Sunday is one of the places this “transfer†will take place. Craig’s Reader Szofi tells us she is bringing two friends to the party, and at least one of them will sign up to participate in the conversation sessions!
We are in Miskolc until Tuesday morning. Around 3:30 a.m. that morning we'll head to Budapest, and then on to visit friends in Turkey. While the Turkey-leg (pun intended!) of our trip is primarily personal, we’re eager to learn more about the culture of a unique country where LST has done some special work in recent years. Along with visiting some of our very best friends, Craig will preach next Sunday morning at the congregation they attend. After that it's on to London for a couple of nights and then home.
Thank you again for your part in helping make this ministry work. What special friends and wonderful family we have!
With care,
Craig, Leslee, Joshua, Matthew and Andrew