Last Blog For A While

Pretty bad to say last blog for a while when we haven't been keeping our blog updated in the last few weeks! Our excuses for that are long and boring, for sure. But it has been a crazy, busy few weeks as we move toward leaving Budapest for the states during the month of December and January. We probably won't post to our blog while we're gone. We'll catch back up with you sometime in February. :)

Wow! We'll be home for Christmas. The first Christmas in the states in 4 years. We are really looking forward to this time with family and friends. We leave next week and there is much to be done before then. So many projects to wrap up or at least put on hold until we get back in January. Hopefully, we'll get to see many of you on this trip back and thank you personally for your prayers for us. And speaking of prayer, a few requests from us to cover us during this trip back.

*Meredith sings a Christmas solo this Sunday at church. Please pray that her singing would honor God.

*Pray that our responsibilities here would be covered by the people that we have asked to step in and help us.

*Pray for our house to be safe and that no break-ins will occur while we're gone.

*We tend to get sick on our trips back to the states. Different germs??! Please pray that we will be healthy and safe during this time.

Thank you for caring about us! In case you would like to contact us during the month of December and January, our permanent mailing address in the states is:

PO Box 1943
Madison, AL 35758

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

A Busy Lord's Day

ICSB Choir (Olivia and Meredith are somewhere in that big group!)

Such a full day comes to a close. We're all tired---but it's a "good tired". So much going on at Danube International Church! We arrived early, as we usually do on a Sunday morning. Making sure things were set up, folding the bulletins, checking on childcare, roping off a section for the ICSB High School choir that was singing during the offertory, recruiting ushers, checking on translation equipment, etc. etc. were some of the things we worked on. Olivia and Meredith were singing on the worship team so they were practicing. Plus the girls were a part of the ICSB choir and performed with them.

The service was just wonderful and we had our all-time high attendance for Danube. Worship was so meaningful, Pastor Ronnie did a super job, and we also got some new potential contacts for Danube from all the vistors. The day wrapped up with the girls going to youth group, Curt going to the pastor's house to drop some things off, and Shay going to a Danube Missions Committe meeting.

Danube International is such a strategic church in Budapest and we feel privileged to be a part of its leadership team. Please pray for new leaders to be raised up, for more internationals to attend (especially Hungarians!), and for many people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

http://www.danubechurch.org/

First Snow!

We went to church this morning in the sunshine. But when church was over, it was beginning to snow. And it's kept snowing every since we got home. We certainly weren't expecting this! Only rain was predicted this evening. It's a beautiful sight to see outside our window. Last year, we had almost no snow. This year, the first snow is November 11th! Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Birthday Curt!

Today is Curt's birthday. This is a picture of some of the celebrating of his day. Curt and Shay went out with several friends to a local Greek restaurant and had such fun---especially seeing Curt blow out the firecracker on top of his chocolate cake! Thank you to those that sent birthday greetings!

Blog Sites for Olivia and Meredith

A reminder that Olivia and Meredith still have blogs. They're just not posted with the family blog. You can check out their sites on:

New Blog for Olivia: www.thinkingclearly.wordpress.com

Meredith's Blog: www.meredithbrannon.blogspot.com

October 23 and November 1

A Mounument Commemorating October 23, 1956

Today is a national holiday in Hungary. It's All Saints Day, a religious commemoration that many Hungarians view as important to their faith. As with many religious holidays in any culture, the significance of the day for younger people has decreased over the years. Younger Hungarians tend to think of this day as something that the older generation cares about. Although the younger Hungarians are not opposed to having the day off from work! So most businesses, grocery stores, and government offices are closed today.

Last week (October 23), was the 51st celebration of the Hungarian uprising against the Soviets in 1956. That uprising in 1956 was eventually crushed after only a few days but Hungarians mark October 23rd as a significant triumph in their history. On the 50th anniversaryof the uprising last year, the celebration was marred by riots against the current government. With this political unrest, the days leading up to October 23, 2006, were very tense. We had hoped that this year in 2007 would be different. But unfortunately, there were some riots and some blockades of the bridges over the Danube. We just tried to stay out of the areas where this was going on.

Please continue to pray with us for the country of Hungary. Pray that there will be spiritual revival in the land and a turning toward God as the supreme authority in life.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Puppy Update

Be sure to check Meredith's blog out for a new puppy video and pictures of the first bath!

http://www.meredithbrannon.blogspot.com/

Purity and Abstinence

Andris (one of the speakers) and Me

Mara and Jay-Fellow Team Members

This past Friday, I was involved in an abstinence outreach night put on by Fek, the Hungarian student ministry I get to work with. As you can see from the title, this night was totally devoted to the topic of saving sex for marriage. This is a VERY unusual message in the Hungary. I think some people came just because they thought we were a little crazy :) Several students, including myself, shared our view on this topic and one newly married Hungarian couple on our team shared, too. The students listened and paid attention the whole evening. I was quite suprised and delighted. When it was my turn, I shared a poem I had written about my promise ring....it went something like this:

With this ring, I make a promise.
I’m waiting just for you.
Purity and anticipation linger in the que.
Even if you’re not here now, this can still be true
With this ring, I say, all I want is you.

I’ve felt the inner longing and wishing just to be,
A girl who gets affection for all the world to see.
And even though I want you now,
Delaying brings true joy somehow.
With this ring, I set myself apart for you.

Though some might call me crazy
Or say my head is full of daises.
In my heart I know, that someday they will see
That waiting was the key that brought you here to me
With this ring, I take my stand.

And while I watch the world go by,
I see misery in people’s eyes.
Society does look back and wish
They’d preserved their bodies as a savory dish.
With this ring, I choose to wait

By Olivia

Please pray for open hearts in the youth of Hungary.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

The English Language

The Two English Teachers At The School

Hungarian is a very difficult language that few expatriates gain fluency in. Our Hungarian is pretty low-level but we do seem to get by with the everyday things of life. But what we have found many times is that English is the language that helps us the most. So many people in Hungary and in Europe have at least some English. So, we are able to communicate. Thank you, God, for allowing us to be native English speakers!

Being a native English speaker has opened doors for us and allowed us opportunities to serve Christ. We are amazed that Hungarians, who many times already speak another language (like German), want to know English, too. We feel ashamed sometimes that we speak only English and most Europeans speak two or three languages or even more. But, for whatever reason, they want to speak with and learn from a native English speaker, if possible. Even "Alabama English"! They don't mind that drawl, at all, ya'll.

Yesterday, I (Shay) was invited to an elementary school to help in the English classes for the day. What a terrific experience and privilege to be exposed to a village school like this and to meet the hard-working teachers. The kids were so sweet and were interested in listening to me. This school was a German-language school which means that children in this school begin learning German in the first grade. They begin learning English in the fourth grade. So, when the 8th graders leave for high school, they have been exposed to 2 other languages besides Hungarian.

One little girl, Gaby, especially tugged on my heart. Gaby is an orphan and she is 12 years old. Gaby's English was really good and she even gave me a sweet note when the class was over. I could have taken her home with me! But I will pray for her and pray that she will be exposed to the gospel despite her living in an orphanage.

Be thankful for your English! It truly is a gift from God and can be used by Him.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Great Trip to Serbia

Curt and Shay in Ruma with Igor

At the Bible School in Opovo/Ronnie Stevens teaching

Shay with Jarko and Elena

This past week, Shay got to visit Serbia for the first time. Curt has been so many times! And Olivia has been once. But Shay and Meredith had never been able to work things out to go. So now, we need to get Meredith to Serbia for a visit!

It was a very full 3 days of driving, visiting, meeting people for the first time, and listening to Pastor Ronnie do 2 of his sessions on Matthew at the Bible School. What a great trip! We were so encouraged to see how God is working in Novi Sad, Erdevik, Belgrade, and Opovo. It's a slow process in Eastern Europe to spread the gospel and for people to respond. But there are diligent believers in Serbia that are staying the course and working tirelessly for the sake of the gospel. What a privilege to come along side them in the work of the harvest.

Thank you for praying for our safety as we went to Serbia and for the girls back in Budapest. They did very well and didn't seem too sad that we were gone for a few days!

If you want more information about the work in Serbia, email us and we can give you more details. Most of all, please pray for the people of Serbia to respond to the gospel and pray for Serbian Christians that are being persecuted for their faith in Christ.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Prayer Points

Just a few prayer requests that we have for the next couple of weeks. Thank you for praying!

*Curt and Shay are leaving tomorrow (Oct 3) for Serbia for 3 days. The plans are to see Jarko and Elena, Igor and Anita in Ruma, and maybe swing into Erdevik to see the believers there. Also, we plan to stay one night at the Bible School in Opovo and listen in on Ronnie Stevens' Matthew study. He will be teaching all this week and next on the book of Matthew. Please pray for travel safety, that we will be an encouragement to the believers in Serbia, and that the girls will be safe here in Budapest while we are gone.

*Pray for Olivia as she begins leading a Discipleship group for 9th grade girls next week. She and her friend, Lauren, are co-leaders and will be training and teaching on evangelism. Meredith will be a part of that group, too.

*Pray for Orsi, a Hungarian girl that Shay meets regularly with to help her with her English. Orsi needs a relationship with Jesus Christ.

*Pray for Meredith as she takes care of all our pets! At this point, we have 7 pets! The puppies are growing and doing well. Pray for homes for all 4 puppies when they're old enough. (about 6 or 7 more weeks)

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Discipleship Group

An essay by Olivia that explains a little bit about her new Discipleship Group that will be starting in October. If she comes to mind, please pray for her. Thank you!

I have been given the privilege of working with one of my dearest friends, Lauren, to start a discipleship group this year for 5 freshmen girls. Lauren and I have spent our high school years working with Fek, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. We have been taught, encouraged and trained to make Biblical evangelism a part of our daily lives. We’ve gone from being scared beyond belief to wanting to share our faith with our peers. We have learned the value of our faith and now we’ve reached the point where we want to pass along all that we have learned to another generation of young believers.

First of all, we know that evangelism needs to be a part of our lives. Normally there are people that work on a short term basis with Campus Crusade. These people take students like Lauren and me out in Budapest to share our faith. This year, however, there are no short term workers. So we were posed with the problem of meeting our evangelism requirements and needs. So Lauren and I began thinking about what we could do that would challenge us and involve evangelism.

The possibility of leading a discipleship group is something that I have been thinking and praying about over the last few months. I have gotten to the point that I feel that I have been given and taught so much that I need to be doing my part of returning the favor by passing it on to others. I continued to consider the idea and mentioned it to Lauren while we were working at an English camp this summer. It “just so happened” that God was speaking to her heart about working with a group of girls, too. We talked about the possibility of leading the group together and made the commitment to keep praying and seeking where the Lord would lead.

Lauren and I discussed having a discipleship group with Kelly Butts, the women’s university and high school director of Fek. (my Hungarian ministry) She loved our idea and prayed and met with us to help plan our approach. We then spoke with the girls and plans are in order to start the discipleship group here in the next two weeks.

My desire is that the girls would learn to treasure and explain their faith. I want the importance of evangelism to grow in their hearts and minds. I want them to learn to share their testimonies but mostly I want them to grow in their relationships with God and with the understanding of who they were made to be. I cannot wait to see all that God can and will do in these beautiful freshmen girls.

Puppy Anouncement!

I am proud to announce that Tessa gave birth to three girls and a boy today! They are only an hour or two old in this picture. There are two white girls, a black girl, and a black boy! Awww!

P.S. I will be putting up pictures of Tessa and her babies on my blog, www.meredithbrannon.blogspot.com, for the next few weeks while the puppies grow up!

Meredith

A New Home

A new home for our church, that is. It's time to move on to the next phase of our spiritual growth as a church by looking for a building that looks like it might grow with us---physically, that is.

The building we currently are in has worked pretty well for us for the last 3 years or so. But if our hope and desire is to be a firm presence in Budapest for years to come, we've got to start thinking about a building that works better for our needs. Obviously, our OWN building would be wonderful! But that's something that will probably stay on our "wish list" for a while until it makes sense to go down that path. So, the next step in our church life needs to be a different rental facility with accomodating rental management, better rooms for our children's program, more privacy and less distractions during the actual worship service, and more storage for things we need to leave during the week.

Curt has the huge task of finding this building in Budapest! Not as easy as one might think in a city full of 2,000,000 people and many buildings. He's got a great guy working with him, Andras, a really neat young Hungarian guy. Andras is Danube's new worship intern and he has already been a blessing and a big help to our congregation.

Please pray that a new facility will be found for a new church home. Also, please pray that we will be open to the possibility that God might want us to stay where we are for a while and just continue to search for the new building in the coming weeks, months, years.

Thank you!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Street Ball Fever

Curt was asked to join a 3 member basketball team to participate in the annual Street Ball Competition that happened yesterday in downtown Budapest. There were at least 70 or so 3 member teams made up of all ages including guys and gals. The teams played simultaneously on one goal courts with double elimination rules. It was neat to watch so many games going on at once. The event last all day and there were also free throw competitions along with a fancy hoops competition.

Curt's other team members included an American and a Hungarian. Great relationships have been made through Curt's basketball contacts. Curt agreed to participate just for the fun of it and the experience. But his team ended up winning in the category they entered!

After his part in the competition was done, Curt and Olivia raced off to participate in another invitation that Curt had received through a different group of Hungarian guys he plays with. It was a garden party with his teammates and some of their family members. A very busy day of continuing critical relationships and waiting for opportunities to share Christ.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Remembering 9/11

Curt and Shay got the opportunity yesterday to represent Danube International Church at a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. It was by invitation from the American Embassy with Ambassador April Foley hosting the event. The ceremony was held in a unique Catholic chapel on the Pest Side near Hero's Square--the Jaki Chapel. It was an "interfaith" ceremony with a Catholic speaking, a Muslim, and a Jew.

Some of the remarks from the Cardinal: ..."Almighty God. We are unable to accept hatred and aggression. Please, behold mankind suffering from wars and the victims of the terrorist attacks. Strengthen the hope in the heart of your people so that peaceful and happy days will dawn upon them through your assistance....."

The Jew said: ...."We now have learned that history repeats itself and if we do not put an end to hate speech, then sooner or later we will be hit by war again.....We can never be safe when hate speech emerges anywhere in the world...."

The Muslim said:..."Only those who nurture a feeling of true love towards others are the ones who work together and strive to know each other better. Prophet Muhammad-peace be with him-who was sent by the Creator to all creatures of the world as a sign of his mercy, talks about unselfish love in a way familiar to both Christians and Jews....."

Ambassador Foley said: ..."As human beings and citizens of the world, the similarities between us are greater than the issues that divide us. We share a common humanity. We share a commitment to social justice, compassion, concern for the poor, love of family and community..."

Although it was a solemn and moving ceremony, we were struck by the fact that at no point was the name of Christ lifted up as the only hope that the world has for eternal peace and salvation. The name of Christ was not spoken at the ceremony as the answer to all the questions and fears that the world has. Only Christ can protect us ultimately from the evil in the world.

At the end of the speaking and the music, we were asked to light candles and to bring them to the front of the chapel to commemorate those that had lost their lives on 9/11. We filed quietly out after that where Ambassador Foley greeted each person as they left the chapel.

We were thankful to represent America and we were thankful to represent a church that names the Name of Christ as the only way to salvation and eternal life. How different the ceremony would have been had we been in charge! Glory be to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Pictures from Adult Sunday School and Childcare

Adult Sunday School

This morning at church, Adult Sunday School begins. This is really a big deal because we don't have an Adult Sunday School. It's difficult logistically to make Sunday School work in our rental facility. Plus, our childcare situation can be a little tricky. Plus, Adult Sunday School is not necessarily a concept that a lot of people understand or really think might be advantageous to them. Why get up earlier on Sunday morning if you don't have to?

But we do have a really good teacher that felt led to start Sunday School for the adults. We'll be studying the book of Matthew. Hopefully, we'll have several adults that will begin today and we'll add to our numbers as we go along. Please pray for people to make the commitment to attend Sunday School and to desire to grow spiritually in the study of God's Word. Another wonderful benefit of all of this is community among the believers. Attending Sunday School builds up the body of Christ as we move and work together.

We'll report back on how Sunday School is going. Enjoy the Lord's Day today wherever you may be worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Excursion to the American Embassy

Over the girls' left shoulder is a beautiful yellow building that houses the American Embassy.

Iguana's

Looking like autumn in Budapest already

A few days ago, we headed to the city for the afternoon. It turned out to be a rainy, overcast afternoon but the temp was so much cooler and we were grateful. The main event of the afternoon was to get Olivia and Meredith's passport renewed. Their passport doesn't expire until April 2008 but we will need to start the process very soon of applying for a renewed residence permit. Hungarian law requires the passport to extend the length of the residence permit and the girls' passport didn't allow that. So, off to the American Embassy!

We enjoy being on that small "patch" of American soil. Although most of the employees there are Hungarian! But we do get to be in a place that understands the needs of American citizens. Not to mention that we get to see the American flag displayed!!

Before we went to the Embassy, we went to our favorite (and only!) Mexican restaurant in Budapest for lunch. It's called Iguana's and there we enjoyed chips, salsa, tacos, and burritos. Almost like Rosie's! Well, not exactly. But we pretended. Then just across the square from Iguana's is the American Embassy.

We didn't have any problems getting into the embassy thanks to the wonderful privilege of an American passport. The actual process of getting the passports renewed didn't take long but we did run into a little bit of a glitch of when we can pick the passports up. Long story but we'll need to come back to the Embassy in a few months to pick up the passports. They'll be ready for us and prepared in order for the residence permit application process to start.

As we left the Embassy, we looked back at the American flag displayed on the front of the building. It caused us to break into the Pledge of Allegiance along with the first couple of lines of the Star Spangled Banner!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

And to the republic for which it stands, One nation, Under God.....

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

A Big Announcement From Meredith

I am happy to announce that Tessa is going to be a mother! We bred her a month ago and were not sure of the result. We took her to the vet yesterday and he informed us that she is pregnant! We expect the puppies at the end of September. Tessa is very tired these last few days and always hungry, but she is healthy and up to date on her vacinations, so I don't think there should be any complications. Just thought I would inform any Tessa fans out there about this news!

Love,

Meredith

Summer Ministry Report

Here's an excerpt from Olivia's Summer 2007 Ministry Report. If you would like the full one page report, email us and we'll send it to you......


A New Perspective


This summer, I was given the opportunity to work at an evangelistic English camp called Speak Out. This English camp is run by Americans and Hungarians that come together with the aim of sharing Christ with Hungarian students. Speak Out is designed to impact the English students and the tutors who teach them. The perspective of the whole month was that God was enough and that people mattered.

Speak Out began with a week long orientation in English camp details. We cleaned, prepared, and practiced so that we could bring true joy to our campers. We knew we were at camp for our campers but the task of running Speak Out seemed infinitely small when we thought about God and His greatness. Orientation, however, united the love of our campers and God’s plan for their life. We were equipped and sent out on a journey of love and learning..........

.................Speak Out is over but it is not forgotten. God is still enough and people still matter. The lack of Speak Out cannot remove this truth. The perspective of Speak Out continues on in the staff that saw God work in our students and in the students that made our God their own. I pray that God will continue to be elevated and that people will still be loved because of the example of Speak Out.

Olivia Brannon
Summer 2007 Ministry Report-Budapest, Hungary

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

More Memories of Summer 2007

Memories of Summer 2007

Saturday in Budapest

The weather is hot again! Probably most of you can relate as we continue to see the difficult heat and terrible flooding going on in the states. Europe is weathering another heat wave and many people are suprised that the heat continues to linger in the latter days of August. We're looking forward to a supposed break in the weather next week as rain is predicted for several of the days.

It has been a busy week filled with ministry, schooling, and planning. We have trips in October that we need to get organized and planned. The days are going by too fast! The third week of school was just finished and the girls are doing well in staying on task and motivated. They know that even busier days lie ahead which will make school a challenge to complete. Study, study now!

So, today is a fun day of rest with no commitments except time with friends and maybe a little time with the lawnmower and the dust mop! But we do plan to enjoy some down time before a very busy Sunday at Danube. Activities at church are back in full swing for the fall season and it's a crazy time until the end of the year.

Thank you for your prayers for our family!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Men's Prayer Breakfast

In our growing role with Danube International Church, one of the desires we have for this church is that "body life" among the believers will increase. In an international situation like this, church life is really different from what we're famililar with back in the states. One of the big differences is not having the use of a permanent facility throughout the week. Danube International Church rents a facility for a few hours on Sunday morning in order for believers in Budapest to worship. We don't own our own church so that means that events throughout the week are a challenge and they have to be held in homes or other places that are easy to get to.

So, we're continually looking for opportunities for Danube church members to come together during the week to encourage one another and to grow in fellowship with each another and with Christ. One great way that Curt has accomplished this is through a Men's Prayer Breakfast this summer. He purposely chose the Pest side of Budapest for men to meet, pray, and have breakfast together. By having it on that side of the river, that helped men attend that wouldn't be able to if it was on the Buda side.

This Friday is another meeting of the Prayer Breakfast and there could be as many as 15 men joining together. That's a huge number for this part of the world! Maybe we'll be able to get a picture or two of this group and we'll post it to a later blog.

Pray that this men's group will grow and that there will be other groups that will grow out of this one.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Praise and Prayer

No, we haven't gone on vacation from blogging! But we're sort of in the brainstorming mode of revamping how we do our blogs and whether or not our blogs are of interest to our friends out in the cyber world. But in the meantime, while we're thinking on those things, we do want to continue to ask you for your prayer and for you to join in praise of our great God as He does great things. A few praises and prayer requests:

*Praise!! Our FBC missionaries in Serbia, Yarko and Elena, now own a lot to proceed on building their much needed new home.

*Praise!! The translation project we told you about in an earlier blog is well underway with hopes of completion by December.

*Praise!! Emil from Erdevik (who fell from a ladder a couple of months ago) continues to recover. He has 5 screws in his ankle and 3 screws and a metal plate in his forearm. But his health is improving. Pray for continued recovery. Emil has 3 children.

*Pray!! There is a need for a place to rent in Ruma for the small church now meeting in Igor's flat.

*Pray!! Pastor Ronnie Stevens, (http://www.danubechurch.org/) will kick off the new semester at HUB Bible school (north of Belgrade) during the first 2 weeks of October. He'll be teaching on the book of Matthew. Pray for clarity and understanding by the students.

*Pray!! HUB Bible School will launch a 2nd year of study in October. The 1st year of study will continue to be a study of the entire Bible. The added 2nd year will be a practical application of the 1st year of study to the importance of the local church. (preaching, teaching, leader development, counseling, evangelism, church planting, etc.) Pray for effective teaching and opportunities for practical application.

Thank you!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

A New Car!

Well, not exactly. But "new" to us for the next 10 months. A missionary family left today for about a 10 month furlough. They didn't want to sell their car but hated to have it sit for that long. And we didn't want to buy a second car. Too much hassle to buy a car, pretty expensive insurance, and the upkeep on two cars is more trouble that we thought it was worth. So, the solution to getting another car? Rent! That's what we'll be doing for the next 1o months with this car. And for the first time since we've lived in Budapest, we'll have a second vehicle! Wow, we won't know how to act. No more meticulous planning of schedules to make sure that everyone has a ride to where they need to go. Curt will be able to hop into this car and Shay will take the van. The new car seems to run pretty well and has a pretty good air conditioner. Curt is even thinking about taking it to Serbia on his trip next week. Although it could be sort of tricky with Curt not being the owner of the car. He might get to the border and not be able to cross! We'll have to wait and see.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

First Day of School Pictures

Olivia-12th Grade

Meredith-9th Grade

School Starts Back Tomorrow

If you are hearing any moaning and groaning from this part of the world, that would be Olivia and Meredith! Summer is over and school is about to begin. Tomorrow is the first day of school for Olivia's senior year and Meredith's freshman year of high school. Although both girls know that we need to start in order to get our days in so we can do some traveling this fall, it's sort of hard to work on Economics or Algebra when everyone else is out swimming or going to the movies. But if we stay on track, then we can take a few days off this fall to be able to travel to some places in Europe we haven't been. Plus, both girls have a heavy load of school and outside activities this year and we need extra time to get it all done.

If you count Olivia's kindergarten year, this will start our 13th year of homeschooling. We're thankful that we've been able to continue homeschooling here in Budapest. Although it HAS been a little tricky getting our curriculum each year! Thank you to the Elder family for allowing us to order our curriculm online and have it sent to their house in Alabama. Then, when someone is coming this way to Budapest, the curriculum is loaded up in the luggage to make the trek over. Talk about heavy bags! Curriculum weighs a lot.

We hope and pray that if you've got school-age children starting school soon that you'll have a terrific year filled with God's blessings!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Curt and Shay celebrated their 25th anniversary today. Married on July 24, 1982, at First Baptist Decatur, by the Reverend W.K. Stephenson. Here's to the next 25!

A Missionary to Mexico

This is our newest missionary from Danube International Church, Timi, with Pastor Ronnie. Timi grew up in a non-Christian family from Transylvania, Romania. She had a difficult upbringing and "wondered if there was love in the world at all." By God's grace, she was saved during an American Christian camp in the summer of 2000 in Romania.

For the last 4 years, she has lived and worked in Budapest. She was a Word of Life Bible School student for the first 2 years. Then she stayed 2 more years as an intern with Word of Life, serving as the Assistant Dean of Women. She also has been a valuable member in Danube International Church. Timi was one of Meredith's teachers in the Awana program when we first arrived in Budapest! The Sunday School program at Danube has also benefitted from Timi's service.

After getting the chance to visit the family in the states who payed her tuition for the Bible School, the Lord burdened her heart for the youth of the Americas. She started praying for an open door somewhere in the Americas. God opened a door to Mexico and beginning in September she will serve with Adventures in Missions (AIM http://www.adventuresinmissions.org/ ) in the First Year Missionary Program. Timi will be ministering to people that need the gospel, discipling others, and being trained by full-time missionaries in various areas of ministry.

If you're interested in knowing more about how God is preparing Timi for her 9 month stay in Mexico, please visit her blog. http://timeaszakacs.myadventures.org/

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Another Pizza Run!

We had another opportunity to drive down to see Olivia during some off time she had this past Friday. Most everyone of the staff/counselors had gone to Vienna for the day. But some decided to stay behind and catch up on sleep and clothes washing. Here is Olivia and 3 of her friends that decided not to go to Vienna. So, we took them out for pizza and they even had leftovers to take back to the dorm! Olivia looked well and was greatly anticipating what God might do this last week of camp. This week she has 3 girls in her tutor group and she again asks the same prayer as last time. Please pray that the girls would open up and talk freely and feel comfortable with her.

Thank you to all of you that have sent her mail during her time during Speak Out. Apparently, she has been one of the ones that has received the most mail! After camp is over and she returns to Budapest, she'll be writing you and updating you on her ministry month.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

A Translation Project For Serbia

We are very excited that the Lord is using a generous family from our home church, First Bible Church of Decatur (http://www.fbc.org)/to sponsor a new translation project in Serbia called : The Picture Bible for All Ages. At first, our enthusiasm was based on providing a new tool to reach Serbian-speaking children. But, we have since heard several stories about adults in the former Yugoslavian nations finding picture Bibles attractive. The Orthodox church does not encourage adults to read the Bible for themselves, but depend, instead, on their priests for interpretation. The Orthodox Bibles are not in modern Serbian and can be difficult to understand.

Please pray for excellent translation and quality production on schedule (before the end of the year) and on budget. Also, please pray that these Bibles will find their way into the hands of both children and adults whom will use them to find the Lord. Finally, we pray that more than the original 2,000 copies will be needed.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Thank You For The Prayers

Curt and Olivia arrived safely from Korea. Thanks so much for those that prayed and kept up with what was going on with them. They'll probably post some more pictures later. We feel that the effects and impact from this conference will last a long time!

After arriving on Saturday to the airport, Olivia swapped out a few clothing items with us, and then got on a bus with other team members and headed back to Speak Out. They arrived at Keszthely with the 2nd week of camp in full swing. Campers had arrived and tutor groups were being assigned. Olivia has 4 girls assigned to her this week. Please pray for these girls to feel comfortable with Olivia and to be willing to interact within the group.

During Olivia's time in Korea, her 3 friends from the states, Drew, Amanda, and Anna, had a terrific week. All are doing well and staying healthy. They'll probably have a lot of great stories to share with Olivia.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Happy 4th of July!

Another Independence Day celebrated in Hungary! Such an unusual feeling when no one else is celebrating. Just another day for the Hungarians. But Shay and Meredith did got the opportunity to celebrate the day with some other Americans. It's cold and rainy here (so different from yesterday!) but we still grilled out. It was wonderful to get together to laugh, talk, eat, and listen to patriotic music in the background. We miss Curt and Olivia and feel pretty sure that they didn't get much chance to celebrate in Korea!

Our thoughts and prayers turn to our men and women in the military stationed all over the world. Especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. We stumbled upon a really neat website that gives people the opportunity to send needed items to an individual soldier or to a group of soldiers. The soldier updates the website by sending in emails. Prepare to have your heart broken! Reading about their excitement about receiving basic items that we take for granted really puts things in perspective. Maybe you would like to check the website out:

http://www.anysoldier.com/

We thank our God for America and for the many blessings He has given this great nation. We pray for revival in the land and that many would turn back to God in repentance.

CM 2007

If you're interested in knowing more about the conference that Curt and Olivia are attending in South Korea, check out the information on the web: http://www.cm2007.net/ Click on the map to make the picture bigger. Also, there are new postings on Curt and Olivia's blog that you might be interested in, too!

Headed for South Korea!

Curt and Olivia left this afternoon headed for a Campus Crusade World-Wide Conference in South Korea. They join a team made up of Hungarian students and American students. Although Curt is not part of a Campus Crusade ministry like Olivia is, he's along to be a chaperone. The conference involves college-age leadership around the world that are meeting to be encouraged, taught, and trained for ongoing ministry in their place of calling. Olivia is one of the few high school students invited to come to observe and to be open to possible campus ministry in the future.

They'll be gone until July 7th and will have a very full schedule. Hopefully, they'll get some sight-seeing time and will take lots of pictures! Please pray for their safety and for God to speak to them during this conference. Hopefully, we'll have some communication with them this week and will update you on how they're doing.

UPDATE: June 29th. Curt and Olivia arrived in South Korea safely. Thank you for your prayers! More updates to follow.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Update on Speak Out

We got to go down to Keszthely to see Olivia at Speak Out last night. She had about a 2 hour break in between meetings and so we took advantage of that!

We invited Anna, Olivia's special friend from North Carolina to go with us to dinner, too. Anna and Olivia have been great friends for 4 years since they met each other at Cove Camp in Asheville. They have kept up with each other over the years through email and letters. Last summer when we were in the states, Olivia went to spend a few days with Anna and her family. So, it was a special treat for Anna to be able to come to Speak Out with Olivia this year.

Also, we had the pleasure of taking Amanda and Drew out for dinner, too. They are two recent high school graduates who are members of our home church in Alabama, First Bible Church of Decatur. They also decided to spend a big part of their summer serving as leadership at Speak Out. We are very blessed to have these 3 terrific young people here in our part of the world! All 3 have sacrificed time and money to serve God in missions. We are proud of them!!

After a big meal of pizza, we took them to a local grocery store for them to buy things they needed to snack on. The food at the camp is not the greatest and takes time getting used to. If they ever get used to it! So having pizza leftovers and a few snacks definitely help.

This is a picture of the crew outside their living quarters for the next month. Please continue to pray for Speak Out and these faithful young people. Pray for more Hungarian campers to come and attend. The numbers are a little low this year. We want as many Hungarians as possible to be exposed to the good news of the gospel.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Speak Out 2007

Olivia left today to be one of the leaders for Speak Out 2007. She will be one of the camp tutors and a discipleship leader. Speak Out is sponsored by Campus Crusade Hungary and has been an ongoing outreach for many years. Quoting from their information brochure: "Speak Out 2007 is a series of 3, week-long, English language camps for Hungarian students who want to improve their English skills. Each day, students will attend lectures, small SpeakOut groups, and spend individual time with American tutors."

Although English is emphasized, Campus Crusade doesn't hide the fact that they are a Christian organization. Hungarian students understand from the beginning that there will be times during the week that they will hear about Christ and His gospel. Exciting things have happened in the past. Many have come to know the Lord during Speak Out. We have no doubt that that can happen again this year! Please pray that God's Spirit will move upon the hearts of these Hungarian students.

We will definitely miss Olivia while she's gone! Not only will she be attending Speak Out but during one of the camp weeks, she will attend a world-wide Campus Crusade conference in South Korea. (June 28-July 7) So, we won't see much of her. We hope to travel a couple of times to see her in Keszthely where the camp is located in southern Hungary. But we know that God has called her to do this and we trust God to take care of her. Your prayers for her would be appreciated!

If you have any interest in dropping a card or note to Olivia while she's at Speak Out, here's her address:

Vendeglatoipari Szakkozepiskola Kollegiuma
Olivia Brannon
H-8360
Keszthely
Martirok Utja 1
HUNGARY

Check out more information about Speak Out at: www.feknyom.hu/speakout2007
We'll update you from time-to-time on how Olivia is doing. Hopefully, we'll even have a few pictures.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Fellow Workers

Our friend, Laura, just sent us this group picture of the missionaries that have been sent from First Bible Church. The picture was taken during the recent Missions Conference this past March. It was the first time all of us had been together like this and someone suggested a picture. Our fellow workers are: Paul and Hope Cheshier and family(Mexico), Johnny and Maria Coker (Guatemala), and Wayne and Kitty Gute. Wayne and Kitty are the "patriarch" missionaries. They served for many years in Guatemala and have retired to Oklahoma. We feel privileged to be a part of this wonderful group and we pray regularly for their ministries.

brannons@scsonline.com

A Day in the Life of Danube International Church

Worship Team

Sound Guy Mate

Chairs getting set up for church

European Air Conditioning

Attending church each Sunday at Danuble International Church is a big process. We don't own our own building so we rent a facility for a few hours on Sunday morning. It takes a lot of people to set up things for the worship team, put out all the chairs for 200+ attendees, and move around all our fans to keep us cool. It was around 80 degrees today and we're in a building with no air conditioning and no windows! But despite the work to get things ready to go in time for worship, we always leave with a sense that we have been privileged to be in God's presence and to bring praise to Him. That's the real reason to have church!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com