T H E R E V E L L F A M I LY ’ S
DAILY GOULASH
S ERV IN G WITH R EACH G LOBAL IN B UDAPEST , H UNGARY
2011!
What a privilege it is for us to write you for the ﬁrst 7me in this new year! In just about three weeks, we will mark our one year anniversary here in Hungary. A ministry and family update is long overdue ... so now ... without further ado ... the Revell Family:
Mark, Jodi, Jonah and Parker
February 2011
PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS
• Praise for Jonah and Parker’s new school and how smoothly the transi7on went.
• Pray for Mark and Jodi as they con7nue to study Hungarian. Pray for the both to have many occasions to use what they are learning.
• Pray for those who a?ended the Christmas events that God would con7nue to work in their lives and draw them to Himself.
• Pray for our new rela7onships with Nándor and Edina and another Hungarian family. That those rela7onships would deepen and that God would use us in their lives.
• P r a y f o r u p c o m i n g a r t s outreach events that the Gospel would be central to these gatherings.
• Pray for the upcoming Hungary Summit, April 8-‐10.
visit our website:
www.dailygoulash.com
Hungary Mailing Address:
2092 Budakeszi
József Attila utca 85.
December Highlight
We saw God work in mighty ways during the month of December and were greatly encouraged by the many opportuni7es the Christmas season aﬀorded for ministry and Gospel-‐sharing! One of the greatest highlights, by far, was the Christmas outreach held by our Hungarian church, KEGy, on December 19. This event provided one of the performance opportuni7es for the community chorus project we were working on throughout the fall. Far from a typical “church choir”, the purpose of this group was to draw in people from our neighborhood and community who simply enjoy singing, and develop a sense of togetherness around the joy of music. Along the way, all of those involved had the chance to experience a loving Chris7an community, and the believers in the group had many opportuni7es to engage others in Gospel conversa7ons. Projects like this are at the heart of our desire for using the arts in a missional way in Budapest. Some of the leaders of KEGy asked Mark to preach, which was a special opportunity as well. Also a part of the KEGy Christmas event was a unique opportunity for church members to share how God has worked in their lives, through “cardboard tes7monies”. If you haven’t seen the video made that night, please take some 7me to watch it on our website! It was a powerful display of the way God is at work in Hungary, drawing people to Himself. We’re par7cularly excited about a new friendship that is forming with Nándor and Edina, a couple who sang in the chorus and who are really seeking answers to their spiritual ques7ons. Please pray for our rela7onship with them to deepen and for God to give us boldness and wisdom as we share with them regularly.
On to January
The Christmas holidays gave us two wonderful weeks of res7ng and recupera7on, allowing us to enter the new year refreshed and ready! Jodi par7cipates in the English Outreach program at the Kelenföld Ministry Center, and the new year brought about a change in role for her. She is now responsible for preparing the evening meal each Monday night, for approximately 50 people. Once a month, she plans to prepare a hot dinner, while the other weeks a sandwich supper is served. This role gives Jodi the opportunity to use her gi` of hospitality, one of her joys! Also in January, Mark preached two Sundays at KEGy, sharing a short series on allowing God’s word to be central to our lives. The Budapest City Team spent four days in January on a strategic planning retreat, focusing on reﬁning our vision for ministry in Budapest and US Mailing Address:
5811 Bridle Lane
Lincoln, NE 68516
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
VoIP phone (rings in Hungary):
417.724.2040
skype: revellmark or jodi.revell
seeking God’s direc7on as we look towards the future. We were richly blessed by a team from the Evangelical Free Church Crystal Lake, Illinois who came to help facilitate the planning process, and to Pastor Bob Page, who provided daily Bible teaching. Finally, January marked the start of another outreach program from our arts ministry team. Our teammate Lajos-‐Berla Orsi organized a program of ballroom dance classes for couples, with childcare provided. In addi7on to learning how to dance, the approximately 30 par7cipants spend 7me each week in “Couple Minutes”, where a member of our team shares some thoughts on marriage and rela7onships from a Chris7an perspec7ve, a par7cularly important topic in Hungary where marriages and families are failing at an excep7onally high rate. We’re excited about these classes, par7cularly because many of the par7cipants were also a part of the Christmas chorus! The session of dance classes will conclude in February, when we will host a tradi7onal Hungarian “ball”. That evening, a speaker will share how to know Jesus, the “Lord of the Dance.”
Back to School
We all enjoyed a nice Christmas break, but in January it was back to school again for all of us. Jonah and Parker started the New Year at a new school, ICSB (Interna7onal Chris7an School of Budapest). They are both enjoying their new classmates and teachers at ICSB, where many missionary kids a?end school. Mark and Jodi are also con7nuing in their studies, working with a language tutor for six hours each week. We con7nue to progress in our Hungarian and have now moved into the world of impera7ve verbs. So now when our teacher says, “Tanuljatok!” we know that she means, “STUDY!!!”
Hungary Summit
We’d like to extend a special invita7on to you to join us April 8-‐10, 2011 in Manha?an, Kansas for the Hungary Summit! The Hungary Summit is the annual gathering of the ReachGlobal Budapest City Team, and those individuals and churches in the US who partner with our team through prayer, ministry, and ﬁnancial support. The Summit is always a 7me of encouragement as we celebrate what God has done in Hungary, and seek God’s direc7on for the year ahead. In odd-‐numbered years, the Summit is in the US, and in even-‐numbered years, the Summit is in Hungary. If you’d like to a?end, or would like more informa7on, please contact us! Vision4Europe:
Awakening His Church on the new dark con4nent
We would like to make you aware of an opportunity that is being made by EFCA ReachGlobal to come to Europe for 10 to 12 days during 2011! Ten diﬀerent “vision trips” are being planned to various ci7es in Europe where the EFCA ReachGlobal has ministries. This is designed especially for poten7al missionaries or for EFCA partners who are serious about recrui7ng the next genera7on of missionaries. Please pray about sending someone from your church or coming yourself. What be?er way to catch a vision of what God is doing in Europe – the new “dark con7nent” – and learn of opportuni7es to serve Him there! Please contact us if you are interested in learning more. We would be delighted to provide you with complete informa7on, including the dates and i7neraries for each of the trips. We’ve also posted the informa7on on our website. Financial Support Update
We are so thankful for your con7nued support to us, both ﬁnancially and in. God has faithfully provided for us, through you, in so many ways and we are grateful for your partnership with us as we serve in Hungary. As you may have read in previous newsle?ers, we had experienced a shorkall in our support star7ng in the summer of 2010. We are so thankful to have made up much of that shorkall, but we are s7ll praying for added monthly/annual support through individuals and churches. Would you please join us in praying? Informa7on on how to make a contribu7on to our ministry account can be found below.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT INFORMATION:
As you consider partnering with us financially, please remember that all contributions are tax deductible. The EFCA is a member
of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Contributions can be sent by mail to: Evangelical Free Church of
America // 901 East 78th Street // Minneapolis, MN 55420 or give online at www.efca.org/give-now. Make checks payable to
“Evangelical Free Church of America” and include on the memo line of your check our personal ministry account code: 1653
(please do not include our name). We are deeply grateful for your partnership with us in the Gospel!