New Blog Address

Come visit the new blog!



http://www.ministrydevelopment.wordpress.com/

New Blog

Thanks, Olivia, for updating on the blog for us! Glad she did that because that's a good place to end THIS blog and tell you about our new blog. Just time for a change and I hope you think it's a good change! We're going to jump over to WordPress and do a blog on their site. I'm working on it now to get it set up. It'll be written by me, Shay, and will be about Ministry Development projects in Europe and around the world. It's our ministry focus now and we would like to share those things with you. Our first "official" project has already begun to take shape in Budapest. It's a Ministry Guest House that will minister to national and American ministry workers.

I'll post the new blogsite address very soon. Check back to get that and please consider following our new blog.

Thanks!

My Parents

My parents are kinda adorable, aren't they? Well, you don't have to agree with me but i sure think so :) They just got back from Hungary so I'm writing to tell you they are alive and well. Hopefully they will have pictures and stories to share with all of us very soon.

Smiles, Olivia

Update From Budapest

Hello to all of you that let us know that you would be praying for us on our trip back to Budapest. I (Shay) am up in the middle of the night here fighting good ol jet lag! I slept so well last night which was our first night here. But tonight is a different story. That's usually how it goes. The first night is pretty good and the second night not as easy to go to sleep and stay asleep. Of course, I can hear Curt snoring in the other room so at least one of us is getting some sleep! But he deserves the shut-eye. He has worked hard today for things we needed to do in Budapest plus he drove everywhere. Driving is a really tiring responsibility on these roads, with these laws, AND someone's borrowed car that has a stick shift. Makes my head hurt thinking about doing all of that!

Tomorrow we go to church at Danube International. We will go to Sunday School and then we get to hear Pastor Ronnie teach on Hannah from the Bible. He said he chose her to preach on since tomorrow is Mother's Day. What a great text! I'm not sure what the lunch plans are after church but it will be fun I feel sure. Then tomorrow night, our good friends, the Stirlings, are hosting a dinner for us and inviting special friends to that.

We appreciate your concern about the ministry that is going on in this part of the world. Your prayer and financial support does not go unnoticed by God or by us. How humbled we are to be in partnership with you.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. A special greeting to my mom, Carolyn, who is a terrific mom and has supported us in many ways as we try to serve God here in Europe.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Back to Budapest

Curt and I (Shay) are headed out to Budapest this week!! Actually, Curt was already planning to return to Budapest and Serbia for two weeks in May. When he got back in January, he knew he would be needing to return around this time. But what was unexpected was that I would be going with him, too. I won't be going for the full two weeks but for just one of the weeks. It will be Curt's second trip back since leaving Hungary almost a year ago. This will be my first trip since leaving and I'm so excited.

Our schedule is jam-packed with things we need to accomplish and all the people and places we need to see. But who cares?? We'll sleep when we return to Alabama! Our hearts are still filled with such emotion when we think of that special place and special people we left behind. God is so gracious to allow us to remain connected to this part of the world.

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. We'll post pictures and update you when we return.

Above are pictures from our very first year in Budapest. (2004)

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Happy 19th Birthday Olivia!

Economic Update on Hungary

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/03/1878205.aspx

This is a really interesting article on the economic situation in Hungary. This country is such a special place to us with very special people living there. So we would appreciate it if you would pray for the stabilization of their economy.

Israel Part Two

Dome of the Rock/Jerusalem

The Mustard Seed Plant

The Dead Sea

Baptism in the Sea of Galilee of 7 of our team members

Shay with team friend, Janet

Over a week has passed since Olivia and Shay arrived back from Israel. The two of us have had a little more time to think about and remember the special moments of the trip. There are too many special moments to count! We've not gotten all our pictures organized and labeled but the pictures we have between the two of us are helping us keep our memories fresh and permanent in our hearts.


We've heard from several of our team members in the last few days and we are amazed at how much we miss them. After all, we just met them and spent only 12 days together. But there was a bond that was formed that was very unique and not like anything we had experienced before. We were connected---through our love for Christ, for the Jewish people, and for Israel. Every day we would get up early and load the bus by 8:00 a.m. The day would be packed with sites to see and things to do. Arriving back to the hotel or kibbutz where we stayed would happen around 5:30 or 6 in the evening. So, as a team of 40, we spent hours together seeing things for the first time together. There's just something special about that. We are thankful that God put us all together for this once in a lifetime trip.

Our advice to you: start saving your pennies NOW and plan to go to Israel! At least plan to go to Jerusalem. Your life will be changed and your understanding of the Bible will be even richer and more in context. I (Shay) for one realizes even more just what I do NOT know about the Bible and the land where Jesus walked. I need to study!!! I want to study!!! There are some incredible books that I need to read about the history of this land and the impact this land/country has made on the world and continues to make.

Don't know if there will be another post on Israel but maybe in a few days/weeks. The trip changed us in a major way and it's hard to put a change like that aside and go on with life as usual. Hope you enjoy a few more pictures of the land of Israel.

Israel Part 1

Ahhh....back from Israel and so glad to be home with Curt and Meredith. But our hearts feel sad, too, because we know that Israel has now made an eternal lasting impact on us and it was hard to leave this precious place. How can one leave that incredible place without something exciting and memorable happening in a person's relationship with God? Walking where the Savior walked and seeing places that have been there for thousands of years is causing us to read the Bible with different eyes. Words leap off the page like Mt. Hermon or Jerusalem or Bethsaida and we are amazed that we have been there! Scripture takes on new in-depth meaning and things seem in context more. There is so much information to process. We have yet to have the time to look through our pictures and our notes and see how God is using and will use this trip in our lives. It will be an ongoing process in the weeks to come. Here is just the first blog we'll do on Israel and will probably do a couple more. But we wanted to post as quickly as we could to thank you all for praying for us. We love you for that!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Hello from Israel!!!

Hello everyone!

I've gotten access to a computer for a few minutes so thought I would post. No pictures though since I can't download/upload here.

What a incredible few days! Olivia and I are well and have been forever changed by this wonderful land that our Savior loved and walked on. We have seen the city of Caesarea, the Golan Heights, taken a ride on the Sea of Galilee, and witnessed several of our fellow team-mates be baptized in the Sea of Galilee. How can one see all that and not be changed?? The scriptures, especially the gospels, will seem more clear to us after seeing these places a little closer. What a privilege and a gift we have had from the Lord to be allowed to be here.

Some of our new friends are Janet, Sam, Hannah, Vicki, Nada, Gordy, Michael, Eva, Seth, David, Nicki, Charlotte, and the list goes on and on. We won't post their last names but we'll post pictures soon! All are doing well and we are safe. We leave from our hotel tomorrow to head towards the Dead Sea on to our last stop of Jerusalem.

Thank you for your prayers for us!!! We are feeling them and your love and concern for us!!

Shalom,

Shay and Olivia

Israel Trip Schedule

Here is our schedule for our trip to Israel. Shay and Olivia leave Friday for Chicago. Then they'll fly out on Saturday afternoon to Tel Aviv. We would appreciate your prayers for our safety, health, good travel conditions, good weather, soft hearts to seek God's revelation of Himself to us while we are in that important land, and that we would be a blessing to the 40 other people on the tour. Please pray for our sweet Curt and Meredith at home in the states. We will miss them!!!

Thank you! We will update you when we get back!

March 7 Saturday Fly to Israel
March 8 Sunday Arrive Israel
March 9 Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Coast
March 10 The Northern Coast--Rabbinic Judaism
March 11 Sea of Galilee
March 12 Upper Galilee
March 13 The Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea
March 14 The Wilderness of Judea
March 15 The Negev and the Shephelah
March 16 Modern Jerusalem and the City of David
March 17 Mount Zion and the Jewish Quarter
March 18 Mount of Olives and the Via Dolorosa
March 19 Fly back to Chicago
March 20 Fly home to Huntsville

Papa John

Early this morning, Papa John, went to be with his precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. John Cook, Sr., was an incredible man who passionately loved the gospel of Christ. His life honored and glorified Jesus and his desire was for all that he came in contact with to know his Savior as he did. Papa John's life had a huge impact on our family's life in that his love for missions was contagious. It was Papa John and his lovely wife, Mama Jo, that first invited Curt and Shay on a mission trip to Moldova in 1999. That trip made an impression on us and we're convinced that God planted a seed for overseas missions in our heart. We loved Papa John but we are so thankful that his pain is over and he is in eternity where there are no tears and no sorrow. Here is the email that Mama Jo sent out to the FBC family. You can see from this email the confidence they have in the truth of the gospel:

"The Bible assures us that death is not untimely, God has appointed a time for each of us to die. (Ps 139:16) My beloved husband, John Robert Cook, was ushered into heaven this morning, February 27 at 1:57 am. John told us he had no fear and was ready and the 2 week prediction for his life was God answering his prayer to go quickly. So this day was his appointed time.
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)"

Arrangements:
Visitation at First Bible Church on Tuesday, 4:00pm – 7:00pm. Funeral at First Bible Church on Wednesday, 1:00pm

Please continue to pray for Jo, John, Jr., Lyn and Brian during this time.

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A Teacher in the Country of Turkey

Here is an update letter from a young Christian teacher teaching elementary-age children in Turkey. Her name is Ruth Stevens and her father is the pastor of our church in Budapest--Danube International Church. We love and support Ruth and her work in Turkey. Please read her update and if you feel led to pray, please do so. Hers is a difficult job in a very dark place:

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Turkey! After my first semester teaching 1st grade at Oasis International School I am eager to update you about the Lord’s goodness to me in this new place and stage of life. The move here in August was a quick one, but I am thankful for a smooth transition to a foreign culture. I teach a class of 19 first graders from 9 different countries who mostly come from either diplomatic or missionary families. Teaching is challenging and I am still adjusting to all of the responsibilities of this more-than-full-time job. However, I love the school and the other teachers who work here.

Due to our location, our school is not overtly Christian, and I have to be careful about what I say about Jesus in front of the class. Nonetheless, as teachers, we try to integrate biblical truth into our lessons whenever possible, and the school offers Bible classes that students may attend with permission from their parents. I have had some exciting opportunities to talk about God’s truth with students who are curious about the Bible. Please pray that these kinds of conversations will continue to arise.

I live in the “suburbs” of Ankara, Turkey’s capital city. Life in Turkey is an interesting mix of East and West. The makeup is composed of conservative Muslims who wear the head coverings, as well as secular Turks in European dress. Though many Turks in our area are not so strict as to pray five times a day, this semester I watched as almost the entire neighborhood observed Muslim holidays such as Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) and the “Sacrifice Holiday.” Please pray against the darkness in this land.

Most of my time is spent with school activities, but I have also been able to attend a Bible study for Iranian women. Please pray that God will bless this community (mostly refugees) who are in our midst. Next semester I hope to add more: a prayer time with the first grade moms, serving at my church, and getting to know the middle and high school students better. I appreciate your prayers as we enter into this second half of the year.

The school year continues until June 17th and then I will return to the U.S. during the summer to attend weddings and my NICS orientation. I have committed to teaching a second year at Oasis International School and will return in the Fall as a 3rd grade teacher.

Please praise the Lord with me for:

· Completion of my first semester
·Great roommates and living situation
·An international church to attend
·God’s provision in allowing me to be here
·Receiving my Residence Permit

Please pray for:

·A strong personal walk with the Lord
·Our school as they become accredited
·Ahmed, Peter, and John- first graders who are struggling with their behavior
·My unbelieving students and their families
·Language study
·Friendships with Turkish neighbors
·Teachers to fill open spots for next year
·A Work Visa

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement,

Ruth Stevens

The Holy Land

Olivia and Shay have the opportunity of traveling to the Holy Land of the Savior next month. We are so excited and are anticipating that God will speak to our hearts and minds during our time there. The trip is with a professor from Moody Bible Institute who has a company called Messianic Journeys. We'll be gone for about 10 days with the trip beginning and ending in Chicago. Our plan is to take lots of pictures and write down our thoughts while there. We will post some of those images and thoughts on our blogs. We never imagined we would have this wonderful gift of being in that part of the world. Israel is so critical to what we believe about our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, God tells His story of redemption through the story of the Israelites. The Old Testament points toward the coming of the Messiah and how His sufficient sacrifice alone is our only way to heaven. Seeing these places mentioned in the Bible will only increase our love and gratitude towards God for His wonderful gift of His Son!

We would appreciate your prayers as we get ready to go. We'll update you more the closer it gets to time to leave.

"For you (ISRAEL) are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. "
Deuteronomy 7:5 (emphasis mine)

Upcoming Mission Conference

Plan on coming to the 2009 First Bible Church Mission Conference. It promises to be an exciting weekend with Pastor Ronnie Stevens from Budapest, Hungary, as the speaker. Pastor Ronnie was our pastor in Budapest at Danube International church (http://www.danubechurch.org/) He's a terrific speaker with a lot of mission field experience. Try to come to at least one of the sessions!

Friday Evening, February 27th, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday Evening, February 28th, 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Morning, March 1, 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. (Two services-choose 1)

Sunday Evening, March 1, 6:00 p.m.

For directions to First Bible, go to their website or you can email us. (www.fbc.org)
brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Some Pictures From Curt's Trip

First Picture: Balla Zsolt Family from Campus Crusade

Second Picture: Curt with Ondrej Franka from Serbia

Third Picture: Jarko and Elena Jurik from Serbia

Fourth Picture: Our friend, Ibi, with some of her staff

Fifth Picture: Our former landlord, Elemer and Maria, with their grandaughter

More pictures to come as we get them! Curt arrived safely home last night. Thank you for your prayers.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

An Article Concerning the Gas Situation in Eastern Europe

FOXNews.com - Misery Mounts as Russia Gas Dispute Stretches Into Third Week - International News News of the World Middle East News Europe News

You may have seen this article on the Fox Website. It gives an idea of what Curt saw and heard about in Serbia while he was there.

He is back in Budapest today and will fly back to the States on Sunday.

A Blog to Follow

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to bring your attention to a GREAT blog that you'll want to follow. We have the link on our sidebar but we wanted to highlight it for you. It's a blog by our good friends, the Slates, who are serving Christ in Ireland. Scott and Tara, along with their 3 children, left the states for Ireland last July. You may remember when we posted a support letter from them on our blog last Spring. God is using them in a great way and we're thankful for their sacrifice, commitment, and faith.

http://www.theslatefive.wordpress.com/

Curt is in Serbia and it is cold there! Just like it is here in the states. The Danube has huge chunks of ice in it. We will get you an update on him when we can. Thank you for your prayers!

Happy Anniversary to Shay's parents today! They have been married for 53 years. Wow!!
brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Sunday In Budapest

Curt arrived safely in Hungary and has had a busy weekend. He attended Danube International Church this morning and had a wonderful time reconnecting with our friends. Communion was observed and Pastor Ronnie delivered a powerful sermon. Just like old times! After church, he was off to lunch with Pastor Ronnie to one of Ronnie's favorite restaurants and then this evening they are invited to Al and Jeannie Stirling's home for dinner. Al and Jeannie are our good friends who are "missionaries to missionaries". They specialize in missionary care which is an important ministry to help keep missionaries and their families on the field.

The "girls" back home in the states wish they could be in Hungary, too! Hearing about the details of life there and the friends we left behind really makes us thank God again for the privilege we had of living in Budapest.

Thank you for your prayers! As an update on the heat situation in Serbia: an emergency agreement between Hungary and Serbia allowed gas to flow to Serbia immediately. Hopefully, there will be a resolution in the dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

More later.......

Trip to Hungary

Curt leaves for Budapest tomorrow morning. We're so excited at the thought of him being back in that part of the world! How much we love the people and places in Eastern Europe. We are so curious to see how it will be for Curt to be there without all 4 of us together. What will have changed since we left in May? Who in the missionary community has left for the states for good? How will the church service at Danube on Sunday stir his heart? Will the weather be a factor in what he's able to get done? There is a major crisis brewing with the availability of heat in the Eastern European countries. With the pipeline dispute between Russia and the Ukraine, it has affected so many people in other countries. Jarko from Serbia wrote and told us that they have no heat! None! Everything has been cut off. We are concerned for them. Plus, Curt is slated to be in Serbia next week. So this will affect him, too.

Thank you to those that are interested in this trip and have continued to be interested in the ministries that God has graciously allowed us to develop and be a part of. Your prayers have been such a gift to us and we recognize that our ministry is fueled by your prayer. We are humbled in working in partnership with you.

If Curt comes to mind this week, please pray for:

*Safety in travel
*That he will be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Hungary and Serbia
*Heat!
*Opportunities to share the gospel
*Wisdom in his priorities while he is there

Shay will try to get updates here on the blog on how his trip is going. Please check back for updated prayer requests. Thank you!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Brannon Update

This was the letter we sent out via email to the FBC congregation. Thought you might like to read about some of the decisons that we've recently made. Thanks for your interest!


January 2009

Dear Church Family,

Happy New Year to you all! The Brannons are looking with anticipation to the New Year to see how God will continue to use First Bible Church in missions world-wide. With the Mission Conference just around the corner, we are praying that God will prompt our conference speaker, Pastor Ronnie Stevens, to encourage all of us to put missions as a main priority in 2009.

To update you on our family, we have now been back in the states for about 7 months. As we left Budapest in May, we were asking God to show us what He would have us do as we finished up our first "missionary term". We had been in Budapest for 4 plus years and felt like we were completing some of the main projects that we had been involved with. It seemed that God was leading us back to the U.S. to regroup and to seek His plan for our future direction.

The last 7 months have been very busy as we have put our oldest daughter, Olivia, in college in Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and enrolled our daughter, Meredith, in 10th grade at Bob Jones High School in Madison. Business interests in our family-owned company needed to be attended to by Curt and Shay also began the process of renewing her teacher's license. Plus the transition back to full-time living in the United States has been more of a challenge than we thought! Thank you to those that have encouraged us in our "settling in".

Now to the future! Our family still passionately loves missions. We remain involved in developing new and existing ministry projects overseas. Curt will leave for Budapest and Serbia on January 9th for 10 days and will return again to Serbia in mid-May for a missions conference. But, for now (maybe up to 3 years) we believe our family needs to be based in the U.S. We hope you will join us in asking the Lord to move us back towards a more permanent overseas missions presence in His timing.

We are so thankful for First Bible Church and for your support of our family these past 4 years. Your prayers and interest in us and the work in Eastern Europe have been encouraging. Our plan for the present is to remain involved in the exciting happenings at First Bible and to get to know all the new people that have joined First Bible in our absence! We are currently living in Madison and you can reach us at:

PO Box 1943
Madison, AL 35758
325-8737
brannons4christ@yahoo.com
www.brannonfamily.blogspot.com

Our love and thanks to you,

Curt, Shay, Olivia, and Meredith Brannon