October Update and Prayer Requests

 

Jesus said, "Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me."  John 14.1-3.

Hello Family and Friends,
Fall is here! Is it Fall where you are? I love this time of year. It's cooler and all the leaves are so pretty. We had a beautiful September here, no rain at all. We just wanted to send out a short update since our last one was mid to late September.

The Lord has been dealing with us on the subject of faith and trusting Him. This is always an area that we need to improve in. But lately there have been even more opportunities in which to trust Him. Thank the Lord it's not our strength but His. We cannot do this on our own. But we do play a BIG part in this. We have to take the step and decide to trust Him. He doesn't twist our arms and make us; we do have a choice. We have a choice on what we will think about and about whether we will live in fear, anxiety, worry or confusion. We have a choice to LET the Lord rule in our minds and to see our trials and tribulations thru His eyes, with an eternal perspective.

This is very difficult but it IS possible. In the verse above the disciples are worried and fearful that Jesus is leaving them and ask Jesus why they can't go with him? I love the way he answers them, He doesn't answer their question directly, but instead directs them to the eternal perspective. I fail so many times, but I am learning from this is that when we "see" our worries and fears thru His eyes, thru an eternal perspective, it makes ALL the difference in the world. Our focus becomes Him and not our trials. My eyes and heart HAVE to stay on Him and His goodness. These trials and hardships are meant to bring us closer to Him and for Him to be glorified in all. I am still struggling in this, haven't "arrived" yet! But I want to do this and I pray for the strength to do this more and more.

Thank you, all of you for your continued prayers and support for us. We need them so much.

Much love in Christ, Tony, Kim, Kai, Kale and Klaudia

Prayer requests

-Pray for the boys, they are feeling homesick lately. They miss their families and friends a lot. We’re thankful that they have such a heart for the lost as it's a wonderful thing to witness in your young children.
-Pray for Klaudia. She has lots of issues and hurts/wounds tied up inside her tiny little body and heart. She has done amazingly well so far, but there's a long road ahead. Pray for wisdom and patience for Tony and I. We have never done this before and sometimes some of the things that happen are just mind boggling and we truly need His wisdom and to hear the Holy Spirit's voice in order to know how to handle it.
-Pray for us as we meet with others, to have boldness to share God's love. Our hearts are so full of passion and heavy with the thought that people don't know Him. Pray for direction and God's leading in all we do.
-Pray for a young Hungarian couple to come work along side us. We’re pretty stretched now and there is so much untapped potential in this town. We are eagerly awaiting someone to work with us.
-We have an opportunity to have a small group to come from the Bible college for a weekend outreach. Tony and I are sitting here right now discussing some of the possibilities of what we can do with them. We have a contact inside the local university here in town (mentioned earlier) and we are thinking to do a one time Bible study there while this team is here and also to have a ladies night, to encourage them in their child rearing.
-Pray for provisions for the boys' homeschooling supplies/books; this needs to be ordered in the next week or so.
-Kim has a medical checkup this Monday. Please pray for a good outcome of this and also for financial provision. This will cost approximately $500.00.
-Klaudia will be going back to the eye doctor soon. Please pray the doctor is able to figure out her exact problem and prescribes the correct prescription for glasses. Both of her eyes are crossed and her vision in at least one eye is not good.
-Finances. Rent and all taxes here have gone up while support and exchange rate have slipped.

Pictures: We had the pleasure of being involved in a grape harvest in Austria a couple of weeks ago.

Hey, check out Golgota Sopron on Facebook by clicking here!

September Update & Prayer Requests

Hi Family and Friends,

Wow, September already! And it's half over. This is a couple weeks late and we apologize. Saying goodbye to summer was bittersweet and welcoming the Fall season has been a busy time for us around here, as I'm sure it is for everyone else too.

The lazy days of summer are gone (that was hard for this Mommy!!) but it's such a joy to be homeschooling my 2 boys and we are in full swing now. I think we are just about used to the new schedule now and Kale is doing great in his first year of official school, Kindergarten. He really does like school and learning and earlier this week he actually read 2 words all on his own. There was a lot of excitement here over that one. Kai is in 5th grade now and is a natural student, and as usual, literally eats up any books I'm able to find for him. Klaudia is going to preschool half days and LOVES it, she is adjusting quite well and of course they love her. We have had her for 7 months now and she's doing great, making improvements all the time.

1 Timothy 1:12 says, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service."

This verse means so much to us, because it is by His strength alone that we are able to do His service. And what a privilege it is that He appoints us to do His good works/service. It's humbling to me that He would even ask me. So, it is on this note that we write and share with you about what He has called us to do here in Sopron.

Ministry 
Firstly the Friday night Bible study is going good. For the last couple of weeks Tony has been teaching from Luke on prayer. We have a couple of new families visiting off and on. Please pray that they would want this to be their church home.

The Yo-Yo Ministry continues……. We are meeting more kids here in town because of the “yo-yo” connection. We went to a contest in Budapest a few weeks ago and we were able to deepen the relationships we have with the boys there. They always seemed thrilled to see us come to the events. There is a contest coming up in Prague, Czech Republic in November. Prague is a 4 hour drive and if we’re able to go (Kai would compete) we’ll be giving some of the Hungarian players a lift. I have been able to share some with the so pray for the Holy Spirit to stir their hearts. Also concerning this contest, there will be reps there from a couple of US manufacturers and I would like to talk with them about selling in Hungary. Most kids here buy from a US internet store because the ONE store in Hungary that sells yoyos gouges them. If I could sell these kids the yoyos they want at a fair price then at least 3 things happen; they’re happy, I’ve strengthened our friendship and also any profit made would help fund Golgota Sopron. So, when the team comes this summer from NVCC they can bring a couple of suitcases of yoyos for us and right there we’ll have saved shipping on the first order. If a few of you would like to jump on board and help out from that side of the puddle please write me. Hey, go to our Facebook page and check out the video of Kai. click here

The Sopron Scouts group is going great! The kids and parents too are so very excited that we are doing this. We have anywhere from 8 to 12 boys twice a month. We are still working on Campfire Safety, Knot Tying and Good Deed badges. Good Deeds are always a hit with the parents; especially if it has to do with taking out the trash or cleaning their rooms without being asked. This has been a great way to strengthen relationships and just be an example of love and patience with these boys. We will continue this throughout the coming year and next Spring extend the invitation for joining to the community.

On October 9th we will have the opportunity again to speak to the students at the Calvary Chapel Bible College here in Hungary. It’s always fun to share. These are a mixture of students from Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Cuba, China, America, Russia, Croatia, Australia, Austria, UAE, UK & Serbia. Please be praying for us that we speak His words and His message, not our own. I, Kim, will also be speaking the day before to the missionary moms that are on staff there. There have been some changes made and now most of the moms are partially homeschooling their kids. This is new for these moms. I am thrilled and excited to have been asked to share with them, to encourage them in this most important job. Please join me in praying that my words would be Spirit inspired as I prepare.

In and around Sopron

Still we have many people that we are in contact with on a daily or weekly basis giving us many opportunities to encourage and share God's love. We continue to believe that the original vision the Lord gave us is the same one He has for us today; to build and maintain relationships with the people He brings into our path. There are many people and many opportunities. Please pray with us for open doors, softened hearts and boldness as we spend time with these people loving on them. As so many of them are lost and confused our desire is to point them to Jesus and His gift for them.

I, Tony, continue to go to the English Club every Wednesday evening and help with teaching an English class on Monday evenings at a local high school. Pray that my life will be a witness for the Lord. We are going to be putting up fliers at the local university this week for the Bible study. It’s an answer to prayer. Pray a blessing for the professor there that helped with this.

Summer 2010

Well, we are already planning for next summer. We’re really looking forward to hosting those of you who are coming to Sopron for outreach. Still details to work out, but if you’re able to come in July you will get to help with the Yo-Yo contest and VBS. That would be such a blessing! Please pray about coming with hearts willing to sacrifice some time to not only further the Kingdom of God, but see, first hand, the work you are supporting.

…..one last thing

We are praying about coming home for a visit in January; for a couple reasons. The first being to attend the missions conference in Murrieta, SoCal. At this conference there is a "meet the missionary week", where we would be able to talk/meet with others and share our vision for the ministry here. People are there to meet missionaries with the purpose of supporting them and their ministries. Also by this time we will have had Klaudia for 11months, almost a year, and would love to have her meet her family and friends there in CA. Coming home, of course, is very costly so we are praying earnestly about it knowing that if it's the Lord's will He will provide.

Once again we can’t express thru written words how much we appreciate your prayers and financial support. Therefore you’ve all been entered into the “Jelly of the Month” club! ONLY KIDDING!

But, we really do appreciate you guys!

Prayer requests

-Pray for the boys, they are feeling homesick lately. They miss their families and friends a lot. We’re thankful that they have such a heart for the lost as it's a wonderful thing to witness in your young children.

-Pray for Klaudia. She has lots of issues and hurts/wounds tied up inside her tiny little body and heart. She has done amazingly well so far, but there's a long road ahead. Pray for wisdom and patience for Tony and I. We have never done this before and sometimes some of the things that happen are just mind boggling and we truly need His wisdom and to hear the Holy Spirit's voice in order to know how to handle it.

-Pray for us as we meet with others, to have boldness to share God's love. Our hearts are so full of passion and heavy with the thought that people don't know Him. Pray for direction and God's leading in all we do.

-Pray for a young Hungarian couple to come work along side us. We’re pretty stretched now and there is so much untapped potential in this town. We are eagerly awaiting someone to work with us.

-We have an opportunity to have a small group to come from the Bible college for a weekend outreach. Tony and I are sitting here right now discussing some of the possibilities of what we can do with them. We have a contact inside the local university here in town (mentioned earlier) and we are thinking to do a one time Bible study there while this team is here and also to have a ladies night, to encourage them in their child rearing.

-Pray for provisions for the boys' homeschooling supplies/books; this needs to be ordered in the next week or so.

-Kim has a medical checkup in October. Please pray for a good outcome of this and also for financial provision. This will cost approximately $500.00.

-Klaudia will be going back to the eye doctor in October. Please pray the doctor is able to figure out her exact problem and prescribes the correct prescription for glasses. Both of her eyes are crossed and her vision in at least one eye is not good.
-Finances. Rent and all taxes here have gone up while support and exchange rate have slipped.

Summer 2009 Update and Prayer Requests

Hi Family and Friends,
Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Family
Hope everyone out there is enjoying their long summer days as much as we are here in Sopron. June and the first part of July was pretty wet for us, but the last few weeks have warmed up nicely. I love the longer days with all the sunlight we get (it actually stays light until 10.00pm here on the longest days) and the days we get to spend at the pool with the kids and the BBQ's. Summer is a fun time. Kai, Kale and Klaudia are enjoying it as well. Their favorite thing to do (besides going to the pool) is to go to the park and throw the frisbee around with Dad. Well, that's not Klaudia's, she can be found riding her little tricycle around in circles or me pushing her on the swings. They are all doing so well. Kale just turned 6 in July, it's hard to believe! And now he is a "big boy" and all of a sudden there are a number of things he can do, he says "I can do that now mom, I’m 6 you know!". Kai will be 10 in August. Ouch!!! Double digits! My baby! Where DOES the time go? He is growing up in so many and as always is a joy to his mama and dad. Klaudia is doing wonderfully and has grown 2 inches and gained 3 pounds. Hooray! I was so thrilled. She's been with us a little over 5 months now and continues to do well in adjusting to her new life; we fall more in love with her all the time, but I don’t think the boys could love her any more then they already do.

Ministry
This has also been a time for us of the Lord reminding us why we are here in Sopron. Sometimes we get a bit discouraged, but the Lord is faithful to remind us of the people we are having an impact on. We weren’t called here to do big dramas or programs or to bring a lot of attention to ourselves. He called us here to get into the community, to get to know the people through daily living. As we live our lives here we are to be salt to those around us, we are to bring light to the darkness and hope to the hopeless. That is truly our passion, our desire; to share God’s simple message to the many people we have relationships with, that God has a plan and a purpose for their individual lives and for the lives of their children.
As we look back on this year so far, we can see how many opportunities the Lord has brought our way. Getting into the community and meeting new people and strengthen the friendships with the ones already made. Kale has been going to a wonderful preschool for 2 years and Klaudia will be going there in September, the boys were in a week long sports camp the first week of July (they took Aikido lessons and LOVED it) , Kai goes to a English club for kids his age twice a week, Tony and I have just started a Boy Scout's club and we meet twice monthly with 10-12 boys coming, Tony goes to the English club every Wednesday night and helps in another English class on Monday evenings, we have numerous invitations to other people's houses as well having people to ours and then there are the endless play dates for the children. I could go on and on but these are just some of the ways we are involved with the people here. We have been told a couple times lately that it seems people all over Sopron know who we are. This is a small town where "everyone knows everyone else" (especially when there's someone different, like an American family) but we are struck by how many people we have contact with and of course the first question is "why are you here?", so we tell them. There is a new family with 4 children that has started coming to the study. Please pray that we can be an encouragement to them and that they will find a church home in Sopron Golgota.
So, we are committed to doing what God has called us to do here and that is "get to know the people and love them right where they are". Without your prayers and commitment to support us we could not do this. It has been shown to us already how much Satan doesn't want us here, both spiritually and physically, but we are committed to this. And we thank you so much for helping to make it possible for us. We need each one of you, praying for us and supporting us, we are a team, one is not more important then the other but each one depends on the other.

Hey all, we’d love for you to come and see us next summer. If it can be arranged we’d love for an outreach team to come made up of our supporters. I guarantee that this would be life-changing for you and there is no better way to really comprehend what the Lord is doing here than to see it first hand. Plus we’d love to see you. So, whether you are in California, another part of the States, or the world, let’s talk about it.

Prayer

• Klaudia. She has a lot of issues and problems, emotionally, physically and mentally. We are hoping to get her into some physical and occupational therapies. Here in Hungary the referral for those things is done through the school/preschools. So we are waiting for Sept. and hopefully it will
  happen after that. She also needs some dental work (which I am having to push to have done, children here are expected to live with cavity filled and painful teeth because "after all they are just their baby teeth".) You can pray about this, that the Dentist will DO something about it. Next week she goes to get her eyes checked, she has a very lazy eye and I suspect has trouble seeing. She will also need speech therapy at some point in the future. Pray specifically that she will bond completely to the boys and Tony. She is doing well with me, Kim, but still has a ways to go.
  
• Pray for the people here, too many to name. Pray for the ones we have contact with on a regular basis, that their hearts would be softened and they would have a strong desire to know more about the things of the Lord and want to move in that direction.
  
• Provision. The boys will need their homeschooling curriculums soon, by Sept. It's quite costly as well as shipping costs; required yearly medical check-up for Kim.


• Pray for a Hungarian couple to come help us. This is HUGE in our eyes. There are so many areas in which this would be beneficial. Can you believe we have been here 2 years now? Wow!


• Give us diligence for the vision the Lord has given us, to keep going and doing what He has called us to do.
  
• Pray against spiritual warfare, for our marriage to be protected, for the kids to be protected in EVERY way!! For the kids to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Pictures: Picking strawberries; swimming; Aikido camp; 4th of July; Tying knots with the Sopron Scouts; Birthday ice cream

2009 Sopron Nemzetközi Yo-Yo Verseny

Hey all,
We wanted to let you all know about the Sopron International Yo-Yo Contest.
It has almost been a week and we have been so busy that this is the first chance either one of us have had a chance to sit down to write.

First, Kim and Kai were able to go to the Lutheran High School, here in Sopron, the Friday before the contest and share with 5 classes about what we were doing here in Hungary.
They were able to share our testimony and Kai was able to do a yoyo demo and share about the contest, which was the following day. Many of the kids attended.
Kim also shared about the VBS coming in August and a couple of the kids volunteered to help.

About the contest...
About 8:45AM Kai and I walked to the train station and met 7 of the first arrivals from Budapest.
And they kept coming......
8 more from Budapest, a couple from Veszprém, Dunaújváros, Fertőszentmiklós, Székesfehérvár and even Sopron. About 25 in all.
We spent the morning setting up and many of the guys practiced their routines.
Finally at 1PM the contest started. They all had a blast and were thrilled at the opportunity to come to Sopron for the day.
I can't tell you how many of the kids came to me and thanked me over and over for organizing the event. Balint, the guy that helped me, told me that they were embarrassed
that they just showed up to compete (normally they do all the leg work and spend all the money). This gave me the opportunity to share with them about how the Lord had brought this all together over a series of events and had provided the money through many of you all. The contest was held in a city park and many people stopped by to watch over the course of the contest. We were able to share with many of them as well. Many relationships were deepened and many new ones began.
Kai made a new friend in that a 13 year old showed up to compete that was from here in Sopron and we did not know about him before. Kim was able to share with his mom about why we were here and they exchanged numbers to get the boys together sometime.
I definitely consider this a total success and am stoked about how well the first event came off.
We are already planning for next year and have many ideas on how to make it better. I really want it to be a contest that the kids will want to come to and tell everyone about.
Most all to give us a chance to share God's love with the people and to tell them about Jesus, the one who matters the most!

Well, this has been a mini update and we have the larger one in the works for next week.
We have new several new families coming to the study as well as the possibility of a new building in the near future.

Thank you all again for your prayer and financial support for the contest. I just wish you could have been here to participate.
Maybe next year there can be a team organized to come.
Blessings from Tony and Kim

Weimar, Germany ILYY Camp Video '09

Look for Kai in many places..............

May Update and Prayer Requests

Hi Family and Friends,
2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. This has never been truer in our lives then in these last few months.
It's been a bit crazy and busy around here, but God as always is so good and gives us all we need for each challenge or trial that we face.

Mother’s Day- I had the best Mother's Day ever!! My first one with 3 children; our family feels complete. We had a great day. It started out with Tony and the kids fixing me breakfast while I waited for them with my coffee. And then we went on a long bike ride. Later the kids all painted me pictures and then Tony fixed me my favorite dinner, BBQ’d chicken. It was a great day!

Life in Sopron- We are loving the beautiful Spring weather we are getting here. There are colorful tulips, daffodils and trees blooming all around us. The kids are spending a lot of time outside now and we go to the park after dinner almost every night. Kai is practicing the yo-yo and is getting quite good at all kinds of different tricks. School is going good for him. He reads like crazy and Astronomy and History are his favorite subjects. He could spend all day, everyday doing them. He has just recently become interested in Archeology and now says he wants to be an Archeologist when he grows up. Kale is busier then ever!!! He has just started playing soccer 3 times a week in Austria and it's been wonderful for him. He is also home now full time; he's not going to the preschool any longer. I am homeschooling him now along with Kai. As his Mom I am thrilled to have him home with us.

Klaudia continues to do well. Overall she is adjusting to her new family and surroundings, but she has a lot of hurdles to overcome. Everyday is a new discovery; some good and some not so good. But, we love her SO much and she is a blessing and a joy to us. We are enjoying getting to know her little personality. We are convinced the Lord created her just for us. She is learning how to be a normal child and most days enjoys playing with her brothers. For sure her brothers LOVE having her and enjoy her as their little playmate.

Last week we had a particularly hard day. It was a day full of some of the ‘not so good’ I mentioned above with Klaudia. It just felt like one thing after another and on the very same day Kale was having some issues that needed to be dealt with. It was truly one of those days when you just want to bury your head and forget about everything that happened. Also, we are constantly asking ourselves how do we deal with these issues that Klaudia has and are in constant prayer over it. On this day I heard a true story that was on a Christian radio station and it went like this. A little girl got a glass bead stuck in her ear and had to have emergency surgery to have it removed. Well, the Dr's gave it all they had but failed in getting the bead out, even after surgery. That night as the Mom was lying in bed praying for her daughter and asking the Lord how was this bead going to come out. He then gave her specific instructions to get a Q-tip and to put a small dab of super glue on the tip and after putting a few drops of vegetable oil in the girls ear to insert the Q-tip into the ear, leave it there for a few minutes and then slowly bring the Q-tip out. And VOILA!!! The glass bead was out! Well, this spoke to me so strongly. Like the verse above says "He gives us EVERYTHING we need”. I knew right then and there that the answer to all of our problems lies with Him. No matter how much reading or research or seeking advice of professionals, He is the All Knowing One and will be faithful to give us EXACTLY what we need. Well, then after we had put the kids to bed that same night we sat down and there is an email from one of our dear support team members. She her and another member had been thinking and praying about us more then usual and wanted to know if we were OK. God is so good to put us on these dear ladies' hearts. Then we sat down to listen to a sermon by Bob Coy. Tony had tried to get a specific message up but it would not play for some reason. So, he gave up and just picked a random one. It ‘just happened’ to be about foster and adoption families and children in need of homes. It was so incredibly encouraging and just what we needed! Tony and I sat in amazement at God's goodness and both agreed that even though it had been a very trying day we could actually feel God's presence and His hand holding us up and encouraging us.

The very next day as I was putting Klaudia down for a nap the Lord gave me specific instructions to do something with Klaudia that would help her to heal emotionally. I was so amazed at how well she responded to it and this was nothing I would have ever thought about doing. It was totally the Lord. Daily she is responding to this and we can see that it is really helping her to get over some of the deep wounds she has. So, I have shared this rather long story with you to show just one example of how God works and is working in our lives and hearts. Yes, we have some very difficult days, but God is faithful and never leaves or forsakes us and gives us ALL we need for every situation. Thank you Lord!

Ministry- The Lord has brought 2 new families our way and we are so excited. They are both Hungarian families with kids our kids' age. They have been coming to the Bible study off and on and we just pray we can be a light and encouragement to them. We are enjoying getting to know them and our kids are thrilled to have new playmates.

This Saturday we are having our 2nd annual church picnic. Can you believe this June we will have been here 2 years? It is held at a local park that has a stream, open fire pits and a play area. This will be a fun time of fun and relaxation together with our church family. We are also inviting other friends who don't come to the church as an outreach opportunity. Please pray with us for good fellowship and good weather.

We are gearing up for the Yo-Yo contest and it's turning into quite an event. It really has been amazing to see this all come together. Not only the contest, but that the Lord has used a little piece of plastic on string to connect us with kids from all over Hungary. I am really excited to see where this will lead in the future. The contest is happening June 13th in one of the city squares during our “Week of Festivals”. There will be kids coming from all over Hungary and possibly, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for this contest. For those of you who think yoyos just go up and down, check out this link: www.vimeo.com/1661789

We are planning our second VBS in August. Once again the Lutheran Church is allowing us to use classrooms and playground at their elementary school. We’re praying for help and for kids to come.

I have begun to pray about getting our own building for the study. Right now you could join me in prayer about this. The Pentecostal church has been great to allow us to use their building on Friday nights, but there is a small stigma that goes along with this. You must realize that if you are not Catholic or perhaps Lutheran, here in Europe, then in many people’s eyes you are not even a legitimate church. At this point in time we’re talking more about tradition than anything as this opinion stretches even within those who haven’t stepped foot into a church in years. The point is there are some that won’t come to our study because it is being held in the Pentecostal church. Perhaps this isn’t really an issue right now and the people that God wants to be there for now are there. But we’re seeking Him that we may know for sure. The city has MANY buildings that are sitting empty that they want to rent. We are also just beginning to see the need to move to Sunday service as there are some that cannot come on Friday evenings due to small children.

In Closing- Last of all we want to thank all of you who are supporting us in whatever way the Lord has put on your heart. We have honestly felt your prayers and NEED your prayers!! We have never been more blessed then we are now having Klaudia with us but honestly it hasn't been easy at times. Please, if you think about us or her, say a prayer for the Lord to untie the knots that are in the depths of her heart. She has endured a lot of physical and emotional pain and distress in her short little 4 years and she needs the Lord's powerful touch of healing.

And pray for the ministry. Along with ministering to our family, God has put many people in our lives that have needs. Many people with different challenges that only He has the answers to. Pray that we would have the knowledge and discernment to minister to them. Most of all that we would be prepared to point them to Jesus in each situation.

Please pray for God’s provision for the things we believe He is leading towards with the ministry. Just as in America it takes money to do things here. Rental and utilities of a building or outreaches, such as the yoyo contest, VBS and even a church picnic take financial resources. We pray that you all understand that your involvement here exceeds the 5 minutes that it takes to sit down and write a check. Praying for and giving to this ministry makes you involved more than you can comprehend. And we’re praying that even more people will catch the vision for what God is doing here in Sopron. Perhaps even another church that has been praying to support a mission. God knows. We truly believe that where God guides, He provides. And we need workers. We truly desire to have young couple come that would come along side us to help with the daily work. Visitation, discipleship, English clubs, worship and lots of practical needs.

Again, thank you for all that you are doing and have done. Blessings!

Tony, Kim and family

Prayer Requests-

For Klaudia. That the Lord would completely heal her in every way. That ALL of her wounds, anger and fears would come out and that we, as her parents, would have the wisdom, strength and love to deal with them in the right way.

For Kai and Kale, that they would continue to grow in their relationship with Him and that He would be a personal God to them. That they would depend on Him for everything. That the Lord would help us in raising them and to know how to deal with their individual challenges and personalities and would steer them in the right direction/path.

For the protection of our marriage and our family to stay united and free from spiritual warfare.

For Kim as she home schools both Kai and Kale now along with needing to pay lots of attention to Klaudia.( As much as I LOVE having all 3 of my kids home and homeschooling them it is a time of stretching for me!!!)

For the Yo-Yo contest that God would use it for His glory and to give us opportunities to minister to people.

Pray for these new families that are coming to the study

Pictures top to bottom: Kids with their friend Sean from Vajta; Kim and Jeni; Kale playing soccer; the kids; Kim sharing at local high school; Kai at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Weimar, Germany; Klaudia at Easter; the kids at Sumeg fortress

March Update and Prayer Requests

Hello Family and Friends,

It's the end of March and time is flying! So sorry it's been so long since we've sent out an update, things have been pretty crazy in our household since the new addition.
And speaking of her……

Klaudia……..
Wednesday we signed the papers making the adoption final.
She is doing great! She is adjusting to her new life, new surroundings and new family really well. She makes progress everyday and we are loving having her. It's been 6 weeks now since we brought her home and it feels like we were made for each other. God is so good to do such a miracle in our lives!
As we look back on the first few days and weeks she was with us we can see how much better she is doing. She is beginning to act like a normal child, and is learning how to play on her own and with her brothers. She still gets scared easily at times, feels insecure and can be clingy to her momma, but more and more she is coming out of that and becoming carefree. We realize it's going to take months and maybe even years for her to be healed of her wounds and scars, but with God's help and grace and love covering her she's going to do it!
She has made the realization that she is not going back to her old home, which at first was hard for her, as she misses some family members that were there. But it seemed to be a turning point for her and she started to really bond and attach with us after that. She asks me now every night to "rocky rock" her. That means to sit and rock while I sing a bedtime song, it's a very sweet time and precious to me that she's asking for this. In the beginning I had to gently but firmly insist on this ritual. She did not like it at all. So, this is big progress.
We are SO blessed to have her and it's still amazing to us to think that she is really here with us in our house. Sometimes Tony and I just sit and look at each other in disbelief and can't believe God has blessed us with such a beautiful and precious little girl. The boys have adjusted very well to having her. It was a little hard on them at first, especially Kale, but they quickly fell in love with her and now could not imagine life without their little sister. She and Kale are perfect play mates and Kai is her big brother/helper. He loves helping her get dressed in the mornings and of course she just eats up the attention. It's so cute to see them in the room together and she lets him pick out her clothes and everything. She is also picking up English very quickly, talking a lot now and understands everything we say to her. If only we could learn Hungarian as quickly.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and for her. We feel your prayers.

The rest of us………..
We’re all doing well. We’re all looking forward to warm weather and getting outside everyday.
Kale is winding up another year at the ovoda (Hungarian pre-school). It’s still a challenge for him, but he enjoys going there. He’s really growing right now. We bought him new pants while visiting the States in the Fall and many of them are already too short on him. Kai, as you know, is home-schooled and in the middle of many projects right now. While studying the Incas he has become interested in archaeology and is excavating a large section of the back yard. No ruins or fossils yet…..
Kim and I, along with all that is happening in our home life, are still trying to focus on spending time with our unsaved friends.
Last week we were able to attend a conference at the Bible College with 2 pastors who really spoke into our lives; Fidel Gomez of CC Fort Lauderdale and Thomas Powell of CC Virginia Beach. They both spoke truth from God’s Word that inspired us to keep marching in the vision that the Lord has given us.

Ministry……..
The Friday night Bible study is going really good. Tony is teaching thru 1 Corinthians right now. The university and one of the high schools here have just allowed us to post flyers about the study and we are anxious to see results from this.
Tony is going to a local high school on Monday nights to help in teaching a English class there. This is opening some new opportunities to share the Lord with these people. He has been going to the Wednesday night English club for nearly 2 years, where you never know who will show up. He has had some awesome conversations with people there encouraging and answering questions that some have about the God and the Bible.
We have been praying for quite a while now for some help here. And now there is a young Hungarian couple (Tibor & Mary) praying about moving here to help with the ministry. This would be really good in many ways. We need help teaching the kids on Friday nights and they will be able to help in ministering to kids from the university as they both have a vision to reach out to kids, including the kids homes here. Since they are native speakers they would be able to help in many practical aspects; as in planning events that include permission from the city, dealing with public entities, etc. Please pray regarding this.

Outreaches……
As you know we have a yoyo contest coming up this summer as an outreach to the community. The origin of this is really something and we are excited to see what will come of this. It is planned for June 13th; we are waiting for approval from the city on the date. They may give us the use of the square for free. It will be held outside, in the town center, during Sopron’s “Festival Week”. We have kids already committed to coming from all over. Because of Sopron’s location we are inviting kids from Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, making it an international event. What we are really looking forward to though are local kids that this contest could bring out of the woodwork. We have people coming to help talk to the kids.
We are planning our second VBS for the second week of August. Again the Lutheran elementary school is allowing us to use their facility. While many kids are involved in day camps and families away in June and July, August seems like a good time for this.


Prayer Requests
-The Lord’s continued wisdom and vision for the ministry. Perseverance and determination thru discouragement.
-Protection for our family and marriage. No way to really explain the extra pressures that go with this type of ministry.
-Please continue to pray for Klaudia, and for us, that God will give us wisdom with her. She still has a lot to overcome. And that she would be completely healed emotionally. We discovered that she was hit in the face and head by her foster mother, this is so sad! She cringes and cowers whenever our hands come close to her face or when we say the words "no-no" to her. We were able to assure her that this will never be done to her again. Also for Kai and Kale as they also are adjusting.
-Pray for this summer’s outreaches (yoyo contest and VBS) and for opportunities to share the gospel. For provisions for some of the expenses; right now we cover all ministry expenses from personal support which has been working fine, just that some of these bigger things may take a little more.
-Pray for Tony in preparing for and presenting God’s Word at the study. We want our sheep to be the best fed in town.
-For the opportunities that we have with friends and acquaintances. For boldness and wisdom.
-For Tibor and Mary; that the Lord would confirm to us and them. That they would have the courage to do what the Lord is leading.

Thank you all again for your continued prayer and support.
We love you, The Wilbanks’