Updating from the States

Just a quick update to let you know that the Brannons haven't forgotten that we have a blogsite! But we're still in the states and it's been a little hectic to try to get to a computer somewhere. Olivia has done the best job of posting pictures and giving insight to what's going on here! We're sorry for the delays in answering your emails sent to us but we hope to catch up on those in the next few days.

We've had a wonderful visit and it's amazing how fast the time has gone. Our prayers have been answered as we have had opportunities for special moments with family and friends. So many people have been an encouragement and blessing to us while we've been here. Many of you have assured us of your continued prayer support for us as we return to Budapest. Thank you!

We return to Budapest on August 1st and have a couple of weeks before things begin heating up for our fall schedule. We're sure you can relate! If God brings us to your mind, we would appreciate your prayers for a smooth beginning to the BSF class, school, small group ministries, and church responsibilities.

Thank you to those that made our visit to the states a memorable one!

No Need for Air Conditioning!

We are amazed at the weather we've been experiencing over the last week or so. Cold and raining! Some of us have had to dig our jackets and sweatshirts out again in order to walk places and for just around the house. Well, not Curt! He's loving the weather! :-) Shay and the girls think it's pretty cold. On some nights, the temperature has dipped into the mid-40s. According to our "Southern Calendar", that's not June weather! But we are thankful, though, for the cool weather because in due time, it will be very hot and we don't have air conditioning. We're planning to leave for the states in about a week. And we're sure that when we get there, we'll experience Alabama weather. Hot and humid! Yeah! See you soon!

Serbia Pictures

A view of the church that the guys spent the week building in Erdevik, Serbia.


Some of the church people that the guys had the privilege of interacting with during the week.

A Couple of Updates

*Curt and the FBC team are still in Serbia and will return tomorrow. We haven't had a lot of communication from them because of where they're located. But what communication we have gotten is that they are doing well. We are thankful for that! No one has been injured on the work site and apparently no one has gotten sick. They have a full day today and and a full morning on Friday. Then they head back to Budapest in the afternoon. They will be exhausted! Hopefully, the FBC guys will feel up to a little sightseeing and shopping in Budapest on Saturday. They leave very early on Sunday to return to the states. Thank you for your prayers for them! Please keep praying....

*The Ladies Bible Study Fellowship class has ended for the year. We had our last class day this past Tuesday and we are rejoicing in God's faithfulness. The book of Genesis proved to be a life-changing study for the leaders and for the class members. In the last couple of days, we have heard from many of you telling us that you had prayed for the Budapest class all year. How grateful we are for your prayers! You will be amazed to hear how God has answered those prayers. Hopefully, we'll get a chance this summer to tell you of His goodness to the Budapest class.

brannons@scsonline.com

Mission Team

Our 3 guy mission team arrived safely in Budapest. Tomorrow, the three of them and Curt will leave for Serbia to help build a church in Erdevik. We were glad to see the guys arrive! They brought greetings and love from First Bible Church. They are: Barry Keith, Phil Olinger, and Scottie Hubbard. Please continue to pray for the men as they serve!

Birthday Cake

We're always looking for ways to celebrate around our house! So the girls decided to surprise Shay with a "BSF Birthday" cake today. Today was the last class for Genesis and next week is a wrap-up session with praise and sharing with class members and leaders. So, Olivia and Meredith thought that we needed to celebrate the official one year birthday of BSF in Budapest! God has been so faithful to us in BSF this year!

Mission Trip

Three men from our home church (First Bible Church) in Decatur will be arriving in Budapest this coming Saturday. These men have committed time and money to come to this part of the world to help build a church in Serbia. They arrive on Saturday and then will leave with Curt on Sunday to travel to Serbia. They'll be gone a week. We'll post pictures here of their adventures on the trip! Your prayers for these guys and their work would be greatly appreciated. Please pray for:

*Safety in travel
*Safety on the work site
*Good rapport with the church members that they will be working with
*That the First Bible team would be spiritually encouraged and blessed because of their sacrifice
*Protection for Shay, Olivia, and Meredith while Curt is gone

Thank you!

brannons@scsonline.com

A New Decatur Friend

Through some mutual friends in Decatur, we met a new Decatur friend, right here in Budapest! Her name is Carrie Beth (that's her on the far left) and she's from Decatur, like we are. Her parents also live there and live not too far from where we used to live. Carrie Beth is teaching English to college and secondary level students in a city that is close to Budapest. She has been here for a few months and will return to Decatur in July.

After a few emails connecting with her, we hooked up for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Budapest. She was a delight! We had a lot to talk about and it was so much fun to talk to someone with a Southern accent that knew exactly where Pointe Mallard was! We have just a few more weeks to enjoy her before we leave for the states. She'll be gone before we get back from there. But then we can see her in Decatur in the future!

Some Of Our Favorite Links

We thought we would use one of our blog postings to give you an opportunity, if you like, to hit a few of our favorite web links. We'll give the weblink and a brief description.

MINISTRY LINKS

www.fbc.org First Bible Church
www.danubechurch.org Danube International Church
www.bsfinternational.org Bible Study Fellowship International
www.the-cokers.blogspot.com A blog for some fellow missionaries in Guatemala

BUDAPEST

www.budapestsun.com Local English paper/website that we hit often for updates
www.usembassy.hu American Embassy in Budapest
www.bpgospel.hu Budapest Gospel site. We have Rebecca St. James coming soon!
www.hungary.com Hungary Tourism

A Ministry To and For Students

Curt and Shay had the opportunity of attending a year-end bar-b-que for the leadership of Olivia's FEK ministry here in Hungary. As most of you know, this is a terrific ministry that unites American and Hungarian youth for evangelism opportunities and leadership training. We are so impressed with this very effective Campus Crusade for Christ ministry. Dan and Kelly Butts are the main coordinators for FEK.

Last night, Dan and Kelly hosted a family banquet for the student leadership team and their parents. We were encouraged to see American and Hungarian parents coming together to see and hear about the past year of accomplishments. These high school leaders (of which Olivia is a part) are just amazing! They are committed to interacting with the Hungarian youth of this culture and meeting them wherever they are in their spiritual walk with the Lord. And while they are doing this, they are being mentored and trained by college-age leaders in how to deepen their faith in the Lord and how to be a true, Christ-like leader among their peers. Curt and Shay just wish that something like this had been available when they were in high school!

We believe, as Olivia's parents, that this FEK ministry has encouraged Olivia in developing a more Biblical world view of the nations. She has grown in her spiritual relationship with God and she has become bolder in sharing her faith. We are proud of her!

Olivia will be back in the states with us this summer and plans to share with others about the wonderful opportunities for ministry here in Hungary. If you're interested in hearing her or maybe just have some questions about her work here, then email our family address and we'll forward the questions on to her.

brannons@scsonline.com

Prayer Needs

We received another email today asking for updated prayer requests. Please forgive us for not getting these out on a timely basis! In the future, we'll try to do a better job of letting you know some prayer needs that we have. Of course, we don't mind emails from you asking about those needs! :-) It's good to hear from you anytime.

These prayer requests should take us through the end of May and on into the first part of our furlough in the states this summer. We will be in the states for 6 weeks this time. That will be the longest visit yet for any of us. We arrive on June 15 and leave on July 31. Hope to see many of you while we're there!

Please pray for:

*A strong registration for our fall BSF Romans class. Ladies will be registering over the next 3 weeks and making a commitment to return in the fall to begin the study of Romans. Please pray for moms to register their children, too, for the children's program.
*A fully completed homeschool year by the end of May.
*Wise planning and decision making for our trip home this summer.

*A fruitful and safe mission trip to Serbia for the 3 men that are coming from First Bible Church to join Curt. They will help build a church in Erdevik, Serbia, during the week of May 22-26. This is an exciting opportunity for all of us to see God's faithfulness throughout this trip. We'll give you more information about the work the closer we get to the men's arrival on May 20.



Thank you!
brannons@scsonline.com

More Birthday Pictures

Going to see Holiday on Ice at a local sports arena
Birthday dinner at......of course, TGIF!!!
So many birthday presents. Tessa has to help Olivia open them!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Olivia is 16 today! Happy Birthday to our sweet girl! Here she is opening some birthday gifts. We'll post some more pictures later from her other birthday festivities. Thank you to so many of you that sent cards, gifts, and emails to wish her a happy day. We appreciate you remembering her.

brannons@scsonline.com

Alabama Friends

Meredith, Olivia, Irene Nobles, and Carol Grimes. All the way from the great state of Alabama!

We've enjoyed spending time with our Alabama friends, Irene and Carol. They've been in Vienna and now have spent a few days in Budapest. We're trying to talk them into moving here but guess their husbands, Bud and Russ, probably wouldn't go for that! Hopefully, they'll get an idea of what life in Budapest is like. Maybe it's not so different from Alabama! We appreciate them taking time out of their vacation to spend time with us.

A Great Visit!

Easter Celebration at The Elder's house. This is Shirlee, Rachel, Gana, and Mark digging into some great food! Such a good time with family.
Kim and Shay got to go to St. Augustine for a few days of fun and relaxation.
Barrett, Sarah, Kaitlin, and Julia. Cousins everywhere!


Things were a whirlwind here in Budapest before Shay left for the states for a 2 week visit. So we didn't have time to post to this blog to let you know she would be there. Some of you were really surprised to see her at church on Easter at First Bible Church! The visit was an early birthday gift from Curt. It was a perfect visit! Time with family and friends, a fun sister trip to St. Augustine, and plenty of time to shop!

Thank you to those that did know about the trip for your prayers for her safety and protection. She arrived safely back to Budapest yesterday.

We'll update you soon with current prayer requests. There is so much going on with the ending of the BSF year in the next few weeks, a FBC mission team coming at the end of May, and lots more!!

brannons@scsonline.com

Aren't you afraid about bird flu?

That's a question that has been asked of us lately from people in the states. We can understand the question since there has been a lot in the news about bird flu showing up in Europe and specifically showing up in Hungary. What little news we get from the media here and the government, it seems that Hungary is doing what it can to take precautionary measures. Supposedly, there have been isolated incidences of bird flu showing up in some swans that were found in south Hungary. And the government has cautioned everyone to not be worried.

But, we know, as you probably do, that there could be a real danger in the future concerning this situation. And not just in Europe. In the states, too. So it makes sense to be aware and informed and to certainly be careful in what we eat and where we go.

We could stockpile some Tamiflu here or maybe refuse to eat chicken for a couple of years. But we have found in the 2 years we've been here that God has graciously protected us. And we probably will be amazed when we get to heaven and God shows just how well He protected us! We get the feeling that there have been dangerous happenings around us and God has put His protective shield around us. Probably you could say the same thing!

So, the answer to the question is that we're not afraid of the bird flu but we're staying aware. And we're also just trusting God to watch out for us. Thank you for your prayers for our safety and protection!

brannons@scsonline.com

Happy Spring!

It's really funny to look back on our previous posts and see how many of them refer to weather! Why are we so preoccupied by the weather?? Sometimes, it seems, that the success of the day depends on whether the weather is good. How's that for a tongue twister??

But some of you have told us that your computer's homepage is the weather.com page and that you have it set to Budapest. So you wonder about our weather, too! You'll be happy to know that today and the two previous days have been gorgeous. Abundant sunshine and just a little bit chilly. But nothing uncomfortable. Could Spring be here to stay? We certainly hope so.

Also, in this part of the world, Daylight Savings Time comes a week earlier than the states. We push our clocks forward THIS Saturday evening instead of next week like most of you do. So that means that we are EIGHT hours ahead of you instead of the usual seven. It will be encouraging to us to see it stay lighter and lighter a little longer each day.

Happy Spring!

BSF Friends

L-R: Shari Volk (BSF Team Member), Bette Willet, Shay, and Debbie Gibson (Class Administrator) This was a group picture taken at BSF Class today.

Since last Thursday, we've been enjoying a visit with our good friends, Gary and Bette Willett. They are fellow BSFers. Until last June, they used to live here in Budapest and had been in Budapest for 4 years. We got to know them because of their love for BSF and their desire to have BSF begin in Budapest. Both Gary and Bette had benefitted from BSF in the states and both of them had come to know the Lord through BSF back in the 80's. While in Budapest, they served as missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ. In late 2004, they felt the Lord calling them back to the states and we hated to see them leave permanently to return home to Kansas.

Even before we arrived in Budapest in March 2004, Gary and Bette helped us in so many ways. Curt met them on his survey trip to Budapest in Fall 2003 and they were a wealth of information. Gary played a major role in securing for us an "inviting organization" so that we could come in and work in Hungary. Gary even met us at the airport when we first arrived and helped us with our 11 suitcases! Those first few weeks and months, we felt attached at the hip to the Willetts as we tried to feel our way through the culture adjustment. They were so patient with us and all our questions! Then, when the Ladies' BSF class began last Spring (2005), Bette was willing to play any role she could to help get the class off the ground. We owe them both a debt of gratitude!

So, when we heard that they needed to come back to Budapest for a week to do some work with Campus Crusade, we jumped at the chance to have them stay with us. We've had so much fun catching up on each other's lives. Although we've only known them for about 2 1/2 years, it seems like we've known them for years. It's just a connection that people have in the body of Christ. When they leave this Thursday for the states, we don't know when we might see them again. But we'll keep up through email and letters. Who knows? Maybe we'll get an opportunity to see them as we pass through Kansas!

brannons@scsonline.com

Doing Well!

Thank you to those that have sent emails to check on us while Curt and Meredith are in the states! We are doing well and seem to be keeping up with our duties and ALL the stuff that Curt and Meredith do when they're here. Whew! It takes all 4 of us to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Everyone seems to have their areas of "expertise" and that helps us all. So when two of those "experts" are gone, we feel it!

If it were not for Curt, it's doubtful that the bills would be paid, the car taken care of, the yard maintained, the math or science taught, or the computers kept running. Not to mention all the ministry he does on top of that! If it were not for Meredith, there would be half the chores done, the pets would starve, and we would never get biscuits from scratch or her homemade spaghetti sauce! So we are appreciative of those two family members and are anxious to have them back.

Thank you for your prayers for us here in Budapest and prayers for Curt and Meredith while they are in the states.

Love,
Shay and Olivia

brannons@scsonline.com

Time in the States

Curt and Meredith are heading out of Budapest tomorrow morning. Their destination: Decatur, Alabama, and other areas around that great city! Curt has business responsibilities and Meredith has a couple of important doctor visits that she needs to take care of. They'll be there for about 10 days before returning to Budapest. Hopefully, they'll get to see a lot of family and friends during their stay. They'll be at First Bible Church on March 12th.

That leaves Shay, Olivia, and the 3 pets to hold down the fort while they're gone. Olivia and Shay are beginning to wonder if Meredith will actually miss them or her dog, Tessa, the most! Hopefully, Tessa won't have puppy withdrawal from Meredith and will behave herself. The other 2 pets should be pretty easy to take care of.

Olivia has a full week ahead with her Hungarian ministry responsibilities (FEK). Plus, she has her school to keep her busy. Shay has BSF responsibilities plus getting ready for some good friends from the states that are coming to stay a week. So maybe the time that Curt and Meredith are gone will seem to go quickly with so much going on here in Budapest.

If you think of the 4 of us, please pray for our safety as we scatter to different places. Also, please pray for a productive time for all of us during the next couple of weeks.

Through Curt and Meredith, Olivia and Shay send hugs and thanks for all you do for us!