Missionary-Blogs 12

A Very Busy November

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Nancy Juntunen) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:16:00 -0800

The month of November was very busy for us. Below are a few pictures to show you where we went and what all we have been doing.

Thursday, November 12- We were asked to minister to a home prayer group in a village called Bagamér. This is a village about 40 kilometers east of Debrecen. Nancy sang, I shared from the Bible and we all prayed together. In the picture you can see the four ladies from the prayer group, Nancy and myself, and Misha Tovtin who helps me a lot with translation. Robert Szabó, a leader at the Shalom Open Bible Church in Debrecen, was also present. He took the picture.

Sunday, November 15 we ministered again at Örömhir Misszió (Good News Mission) in Budapest. This is one of the churches that has an INSTE group. God really blessed in the service that morning. We minister in this church quite regularly and have some very dear friends there.

Friday, November 20 we went to Oradea, Romania where we attended a prayer group that meets in the home of a friend of ours. Several people came after this picture was taken, and we ended up with about 30 people who gathered to pray for the churches, the city and for specific needs of the individuals. Our friends said that it is not unusual for them to have 60-70 people coming each Friday evening.

Here we are with six of the Romanian INSTE students who are studying in Oradea. They are excited about INSTE and how it has already helped them to grow spiritually and to strengthen their faith.

We left Oradea and traveled to Gherla, Romania to spend the weekend with John and Nelly Pop, who are the pastors of the Open Bible church there. We ministered to their congregation (seen above) that Sunday morning, and again God blessed and touched lives. They have also begun using INSTE in their church and are excited about the growth they are seeing already in the students. They are planning on starting new groups next year in the church in Gherla as well as the surrounding villages where they minister. Below is a picture of the INSTE students in Gherla with Nelly Pop (second from the left) as their leader.

Monday, November 23 on our way back from Gherla, we stopped in Cluj, Romania at the Starbucks in their new mall to meet with a pastor and talk about INSTE (see picture below). We were speaking English with a Hungarian pastor in an American coffee shop in Romania about INSTE- talk about an international experience!

This Sunday, November 29 Mike will also preach at the Shalom Open Bible Church here in Debrecen. Pray for God's anointing upon this service as well.

We have had a busy month with a lot of traveling. We are a bit tired physically, but God has blessed us and has ministered through us. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers!

Pumpkin Bars/TMTT

Brenda — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:03:00 -0800

In case you have not gotten your fill of pumpkin yet, these bars are delicious and make plenty to go around for a large gathering.

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups oil

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsps vanilla

1 29 oz can pumpkin

3 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into 13 x 18 pan (I used a somewhat smaller one for thicker bars). Bake @ 350 for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting:

12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 packages)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

More recipes at Lisa's

Picture by Retrocurious

Little Girls Love Dress-up

noreply@blogger.com (Tim and Richelle) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:25:00 -0800

Annual staff picnic pics

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Hagge) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:08:00 -0800

Back from Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Nancy Juntunen) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:47:00 -0800

We arrived back home from Romania this afternoon. The trip was tiring, but great. What powerful services we had! And the fellowship was wonderful in languages both understood and not understood. GGS (God's Guidance System) worked great--we didn't get lost once. We'll post some pictures soon.

My Teeth/SLAGI

Brenda — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:13:00 -0800

I have an interesting mouth. I know this because I have been getting dental care at a dental school and even the faculty come by to see what is going on in my mouth. After being treated by many dentists in at least five different countries, things are a little unusual in there.

I have to admit that genetics were not kind to me, I was not born with a good mouth. It is especially small, I am missing teeth, I grind my teeth and I have a crooked bite. The best idea for me would have been to go to one good dentist who could coordinate a long term plan for my mouth, but we all know my life did not take into consideration my mouth.

Instead, I have been treated by many, many different dentists, with different and conflicting ideas on how to best treat my problems. I have had crowns placed that fractured the teeth above or below, usually after I left the country where the crown was placed. I've put off dental care to my own detriment. Dentists have tried to alter my bite. I've seen several shake their heads as they looked in my mouth and one man, completely impervious to my anxiety, told me the pain was in my head. . . .

My son was unfortunate enough to have some fillings done without anesthesia. His Ecuadorian orthodontist got a little rough with him one day after Ecuador lost to Paraguay (where we were living) in soccer.

I feel certain my dentists were doing there best. Some were limited by training, others could not do what was needed simply because I could not afford it. So now, I find myself being treated by dental students because I need extensive work and this is what I can afford. Its actually not bad, just slow. Last week my student dentist, noting my anxiety, asked me if there was anything she could do to help me relax. I asked her to tell me how she met her husband. As she told me the romantic story of her arranged marriage and how she came from India to be with her husband, I was transported and almost forgot I was in a dental chair.

So we will see how this goes. Seeing all those dentists over the years Seemed Like A Good Idea, but in reality, it was the only idea. Like my friend Rita who got a root canal in the jungle. Sometimes we just have to take care of things with the resources at hand.

Untitled

noreply@blogger.com (The Fleming Family) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:19:00 -0800

Nope... Not interested in trading places...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim and Richelle) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:21:00 -0800

Changing Our Perspective

Brenda — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:55:00 -0800

The ability to laugh over those unexpected and unwanted experiences that threaten to get the best of us enables us to change our perspective. Putting this philosophy into practice means that when something goes wrong, instead of being victimized by it, we lighten up, take the situation less seriously, and see if there isn't a laugh to be found somewhere. When we are able to do this, we are in control of our situation instead of our situation being in control of us. . .

You may feel there are times in life that simply will not yield even an ounce of humor. May I suggest that during those seemingly interminable times of pain, you fight to see beyond the restrictive confines of the immediate; remind yourself that those moments will not last forever. Whatever it is that threatens to crush your spirit and claim your joy today will not necessarily be there tomorrow, next month or next year. Life moves forward and circumstances change. You will not always be in a pit! That reminder in itself brings a respite to the soul. From there perhaps a glimmer of light can seep through the darkness, enabling you to search out that seemingly elusive but spirit-lifting smile or smile that helps you gain control.

-Choosing the Amusing, Marilyn Meberg

Bob the Goat

Brenda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:26:00 -0800