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

Proud To Be Americans

It's holidays like Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and July 4th, that make us even more proud to be an American. Obviously, those are not days celebrated in Budapest, Hungary! As we go into the Memorial Day weekend, we reflect on the privileges and benefits of being a citizen of such a great country---the United States of America. We remember the great sacrifices of our men and women in the military that allow for us to wave the red, white, and blue.

Curt and Shay were at the home of some friends this afternoon. Their flat has a "U.S.A. corner". The husband and wife are American missionaries that go to our Budapest church. The U.S.A corner is all red, white, and blue American-decorated. Flags, quilts, pictures, and signs that all proclaim that they are proud to be Americans! It made us feel right at home and reminded us that just because we live in another country, we don't have to give up our patriotism and love for our home country.

This weekend, let's don't forget to thank God for our wonderful country!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Good-bye to Friends

One sad thing that we've learned about being here in Budapest is that there are so many good-byes. Budapest is like a central "hub" for many missions organizations. There are missionaries that are stationed in Budapest but serve more regionally in their ministries. Others come specifically to serve in Hungary. Still others have ministries that include both Hungarians and other European people. With that much activity going on, it's a blessing that there are quite a few Americans that we can interact with and get to know.

But the downside or maybe the sad side with that many Americans being here is that there comes a time that some have to leave. Some leave because they believe God is calling them to a different part of the world and different ministry. Others leave because their work is finished in this region and it's time to return to the states. We know of some missionaries that are leaving for furloughs or to go and raise more support. Hopefully, they will return to Budapest. Another couple that we are friends with might have to leave Budapest because both sets of their parents are in failing health. They may have to become the primary caregivers for their parents thus honoring them in a proper, Christ-like way.

For many reasons, May is a natural break for people to leave and say their permanent good-byes. And that's happening again this year. So, although we're completing some of our ministry reponsibilities here, we also have to face the reality of saying good-bye to special friends. What helps us get through this sad time is to remind ourselves that believers have the hope of eternity to spend together and that wherever we go, God goes with us.

So, good-bye to you, our special friends! How grateful we are that we had the privilege of getting to know you, serve with you, see God use you, and rejoice with you in the truth of the gospel.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. " Joshua 1:9

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Wrapping Things Up

May is such a full month. It's probably that way for most everyone! Maybe you can relate?? It seems that everything comes to an end in May. And that makes for hectic schedules. It's that way over here in Budapest, too.

During this month, we will see the wrapping up of many things. Curt's two men's Bible groups have come to a close. One of those met at our house and the other one met at the Campus Crusade Headquarters. The men would probably view those groups as successful and meaningful. Also, the mission team from the states has come and gone. What a great time we had with our friends from First Bible Church. All that planning for them to come and then it went by so fast! Continuing with ending things for Curt, he rotates off the Elder Board at Danube International at the end of this month. It has been a blessing for him to serve with such godly men.

Shay finishes up the BSF class on May 29th. Olivia has already completed her work for the FEK ministry. Their last meeting was this past Friday. (see Olivia's blog) Now, her next project ahead with this ministry will be the SpeakOut camp and Korea this summer. Also, the girls will finish homeschool on May 25th. There will be a couple of school things that will spill over into June but for the most part, they are done.

So, the "finish line" is ahead and God has sustained us by His grace and your prayers. Please continue to pray for us as we make ministry decisions for this summer and beyond. Although many things are coming to an end, we don't plan to take a "vacation" from God this summer! There are many opportunities and much work still to be done in this part of the world.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

The Work in Serbia

Some pictures from the work done on the church in Erdevik. Thank you for praying for all of us here. The guys were put safely on the plane flying back to the states. They'll arrive late tonight. They'll still have a little time to say Happy Mother's Day!

Team Doing Well

Our interaction with the guys in Serbia is pretty limited. But what we have heard is what we definitely want to hear----they are safe and healthy. Certainly, an answer to many prayers. Apparently, the weather has been terrific for them which has allowed for busy, full days of work on the church in Erdevik. Curt said they have had very meaningful interaction with the nationals there and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ seem pleased to have had the team come. Looks like lots of things are being accomplished and our prayer that the team would be a blessing to the people there is being clearly answered. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Internet Issues

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to alert you to some Internet problems we've been having. We've lost our Internet off and on in the last 24 hours or so. It makes us think that we might have missed or lost some of our emails. So, if you've sent us an email in the last 24 hours and haven't gotten a reply from us, please resend your email. We would hate to miss your contact! And we're pretty good about replying when someone contacts us. The way we feel about it is that if you take the time to email, the least we can do is answer you! So, if you don't get a reply, it means we didn't receive your email.

We hope to have an update soon from the crew in Serbia. We'll post that info as we receive it. Thanks so much for your prayers for us!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

First Bible Team Arrives

We're glad for the safe arrival of Kevin, Steve, and Bob! Here they are with Curt right after Sunday lunch in Budapest. All of us enjoyed worshipping together at Danube International this morning and hearing Ronnie Stevens preach. Thank you for your prayers for their safety in travel. Please continue to pray for them as the 4 guys leave tomorrow for Serbia.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Prayers for Serbia Trip

We're looking forward to our team from First Bible Church arriving tomorrow. They bring the rain with them since it's supposed to start raining tomorrow through all next week! But that's ok since they bring love and prayers from people back home.

They will have from Saturday until Monday morning to get acclimated to this time zone. Then they and Curt leave early on Monday headed to Serbia. Hopefully, before they go, we'll be able to squeeze some sightseeing and visiting in with the guys.

We would appreciate your prayers for all of us over the next few days. Please pray for:

*Safety in travel.

*No one to get sick or injured while in Serbia.

*That the team will be a blessing and encouragement to the church at Erdevik.

*That the team members will be blessed and will desire to glorify God even more through missions.

*Safety for Shay, Olivia, and Meredith while Curt is away.

Thank you so much!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Happy 17th birthday to Olivia. Today we celebrate Olivia's birthday with a "ladies' tea" at our house for a few of her friends. These pictures are from yesterday's family celebration of her birthday. Thank you to those that sent gifts and cards. She had a pile of gifts to open! She'll probably tell a little more on her blog about the party.

Did Someone Hit Our House?

It certainly looks that way! Our landlord was over today checking on some things. Curt was here at the house when the landlord arrived and Curt went outside to talk to Elemer. Elemer pointed to the concrete section above the garage door. Looked like a dent or a small crack. Earlier in the week, we noticed a lot of white stuff on the ground right outside the garage but just thought some kids had thrown some rocks around. It never occurred to us to look up and see that the wall had been hit! We're thinking the neighbors next door might have had something to do with it. They run an upholstery business out of their house and there is constant activity over there. Trucks pull up all the time with furniture to be dropped off and to pick up things. A lot of times their trucks block us in. So, the dent was high enough to make us think it had to be a truck. Well, no great damage, and it can be easily repaired.

But it IS interesting that the BSF study last week covered the part in Romans 13 about loving your neighbor as yourself! Seems like the Lord gave the Brannon family the opportunity to put that principle into action. We can thank God that He has given a way for this Hungarian family to live a decent living in a very difficult economy. And maybe we can be a little more understanding when they're loading furniture early in the morning or one of their trucks is parked in our driveway. It's great to have Hungarian neighbors!

"Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:9b-10

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Missionaries to Serbia

This is a recent picture of Olivia and Curt with our friends from Serbia, Yarko and Elena. Yarko and Elena are missionaries to Serbia and are supported by First Bible in Decatur. (www.fbc.org) Curt has had the privilege many times of visiting these two special people in Serbia and has led several groups from FBC to visit them, as well. This picture was taken when Yarko and Elena were passing through Budapest on their way to see family in Vienna. What they're holding are hinges and doorknobs that our family brought back from the states. The hinges and doorknobs are needed for the church in Erdevik, Serbia. This is the church that the team from FBC will be working on when they arrive for their mission trip in a couple of weeks. We'll update you with new pictures of the work in Serbia soon. Please pray for Yarko and Elena. They serve in a spiritually dark and difficult country.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Prayer Needs

We wanted to pass along a few prayer requests to those of you that would have time to pray for us. Thank you for continuing to pray on our behalf to our Father!

*Curt leaves Sunday for a conference in Turkey. Please pray for safety for him and for the rest of us here in Budapest.

*Time is fast approaching for the work team from FBC that will arrive for the mission trip to Serbia. Please pray for the details that need to be worked out for the trip to go smoothly. Pray for safety for the team and good health. Also, the men desire to be a blessing and encouragement to their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in Erdevik, Serbia, where the team will be serving.

*Pray for class members in the BSF class to remain committed to the end of the study. The last day of class is May 29th.

*Pray for all of us as we come to the end of another "ministry year" (May) and need to make wise decisions for our future.

We are aware of the terrible tragedy that happened at Virginia Tech. Our minds can't comprehend such evil and horror. Our prayers are with the families and friends of the victims. Please let us know if you are somehow connected to this tragic event. We want to pray for you.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Update on School

It''s hard to believe that it's already mid-April and we're fast approaching another year of homeschool completed. We've homeschooled for 11 years (12 years if you count kindergarten!) and we continue to find it a blessing to our family.

Olivia is finishing up her Junior year and Meredith will soon complete her 8th grade year. Both girls have worked really hard to stay on track this school year---despite our crazy, erratic family schedules. Our last trip to the states threw us off a little on our usual school schedule. So, we'll probably school further into June that we normally do. But it's worth it since we got the chance to see family and friends in March!

It's quite a challenge to homeschool here in Budapest. Access to resources is limited and we have to bring most things we need back with us from the states. For example, Olivia is taking chemistry this year. She and Curt do as many of the experiments, as possible. We had to order a chemistry lab package from our curriculum company and bring it back in our luggage. Now that was tricky! Also, we don't have the great libraries that we're used to having. We are thankful, though, for a small Christian library run by some missionaries here. And we also have some access to the library of the Christian school in Diosd.

We do plan to continue homeschooling and Olivia will graduate next year as a life-long homeschooler, God willing. All of us are in the process of determining God's direction for her next step in her education. She's looking at several colleges and has had opportunity to visit a few. We would greatly appreciate your joining us in prayer for this important decision.

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Contact Information

Just to answer some questions we've had about our contact information:

*Yes, we do have an American address that is treated like a permanent address for us. The address is PO Box 1943 Madison, AL 35758. This PO Box is checked regularly by Shay's sister and brother-in-law and any mail that needs immediate attention, they graciously take care of that. You're welcome to send mail to us to this address. But please remember that it will be a while before the mail reaches us and we can reply to you. Shay's sister takes the mail received, bundles it up, and sends the mail periodically in a global package to us.

*Yes, we can receive mail in Budapest. It seems like it's getting shorter and shorter for a piece of mail to reach us. It used to take about 10 days for mail to arrive. Now, many times mail from the states reaches us in a week. Our address here is:

Tavasz Utca 4
Budaors 2040
Hungary

*Update on email addresses: Our main family address is brannons4christ@yahoo.com All our scsonline.com accounts are pretty much obsolete. The girls have individual accounts as well and if you would like those addresses, please email our family address and we'll let you know those. Please know that we DO answer our email and we love receiving email! So, if for some reason you don't get a reply from us, we probably didn't get the original email. Happens all the time. We sometimes even get emails a week or two later after the sender has sent it! Please be patient with us and just resend your email. Thank you!!!

He is Risen!!!

This cross overlooks the village we live in. We hiked up to it yesterday to look out over Budaors and Budapest and to pray for the salvation of the people of these places.

Near the cross are some cave-like cuts in the mountain. We think they look just like empty tombs. Very appropriate we thought to have the cross and tomb together!

Easter Morning in Budapest

Olivia and Meredith sang on the praise team for Easter

Shay and Curt taught Sunday School for grades K-2. There were 19 of them! In this picture, the children are putting together a large-size puzzle. Then, we shared the Easter story with the kids. The children are from different cultures and have varying degrees of English language proficiency.

"He is not here. He has risen, just as He said." Matthew 28:6

Easter Is Coming

Hope this finds everyone enjoying this blessed Holy Week. The significance of this week is incredible, isn't it?! As we look around us here in Budapest, we don't see much activity or evidence that others see the importance of Easter. Just since we arrived here 3 years ago, there have been more and more "Eastery" type things to buy. Eggs, candy, bunnies. We didn't see that much in the stores then. Now, there's been an explosion of things to buy. Well, an explosion in Budapest terms! Budapest will never have as many things to buy as Walmart or Target has! But that's it. It just looks like Budapest has "adopted" what people in the West do for celebration of the beginning of Spring. And now, Easter is just about the eggs, candy, and bunnies. At least in America, you DO see a few things in Walmart or Target that are religious-themed. It's encouraging that there is SOME attempt by these retailers to acknowledge the true meaning of Easter.

So, we have had fun putting out our pretty, painted eggs that we've found in Budapest. And we have several Easter baskets sitting around with bunnies in them. (By the way, they don't do Easter Baskets here. We do our own. Must be an American thing!) But we have been reminded that we need to include the Christian emphasis in our decorating, as well, and to emphasize the crosses that we have hanging in our house. All of those have been put in strategic places to help us remember what an unbelievable sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us.

P.S. We only have brown eggs here. Does anybody have any ideas on how we can dye those to make them look nice??! Guess we're used to the white eggs....

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 3 year anniversary for living in Budapest, Hungary. What an eventful 3 years it has been! We decided to celebrate God's faithfulness to our family over these 3 years. So, the day was spent together as a family. We started out with a big breakfast of waffles and bacon that Curt cooked for everyone. Then we headed off to Curt's basketball game which they won by about 30 points! He had a great game and the 3 ladies had fun being in the cheering section. After the game, we drove to our favorite "American" restaurant in Hungary. (of course, there are not many of those here!) TGIFridays holds a lot of good early memories of our time in Budapest. We went to TGIFs when we needed a big boost in enouragement and fun.

Thank you to all of you that have stood with us during these 3 years. We couldn't have made it without you and the goodness of our great God!!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com

Pull Over!

Curt probably wouldn't relate this on his personal blog. And if he did, it would probably be a couple of months before he got around to it! :) But, he got pulled over yesterday by the police. Or in Hungarian, pulled over by the Rendosheg. Curt was doing one of his usual, fatherly good deeds of going to pick up Olivia from play practice to take her to her FEK leadership meeting. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic getting there so he definitely wasn't speeding. But, as Curt drew closer to an area where the Rendosheg had their version of a "smokey watch" on speeders, one of the officers very emphatically pointed to him to pull over to the side of the road. Curt quickly pulled over and got ready to show off his brand new, or should we say, his brand "renewed" Alabama driver's license that he had gotten a couple of weeks ago while we were in the states. The officer walked up to Curt's window and Curt quickly showed the license and the car papers to him. Of course, the officer rattled off a long paragraph in Hungarian and Curt had no idea what the officer wanted. What's a good 'ol boy from Alabama supposed to do in this situation??! Play dumb. And in the most southern accent he could conjure up, Curt said to the officer very slowly and with a obvious twang that he didn't speak Hungarian yet. The officer paused, looked at Curt with a strange expression and asked him if he was an American. Duh, yes! And when Curt said yes, the police officer quickly gave the documents back to Curt, wished him a good day, and waved him on to leave. Whew! Sometimes it pays to be from the South!

Fun Time with the Brannon Family

Finally got our camera working and was able to download some pictures from our U.S. trip. Above are some pictures from our get-together with Curt's side of the family. We were able to find a date to hook up with many of them and it was so much fun to catch up with what was going on in their lives. We shared a meal together and then spent time laughing at old stories from the past! It was great seeing all of you!

brannons4christ@yahoo.com