Wet'n'windy

Hello from Blackpool, where the rain is lashing down this evening. Who knows, it might even wash the salt spray and seagull wotsit off our hotel window!

Opposition

Well we started for the airport and The Arise conference, but them this happened...

The White Stuff...

Yes, it's been snowing again ... and again ... and again ...

A Great Group

This morning we were at International Church of Budapest where we are part of the Leadership Team and also Care Group Leaders (which means that we are sort of pastors to a group of 11 adults and five children). It's a great group, and really international - of the five married couples, we are the only pair who are the same nationality! The others are Hungary-Ghana, Hungary-Ireland, Ukraine-Bulgaria and Ukraine-England. International Churches are fun...

Cancelled!

For only the second time in 13 years we have had to cancel a planned event - a two-day training course in Novi Sad, Serbia. The photo above shows our Serbia contact's car outside her house in Jagodina, with no hope of getting out! The radio and TV were telling everyone NOT TO TRAVEL, which means that it must be very bad indeed. Serbs are generally tough and determined.

So, instead of having a gentle 4-hour drive to Novi Sad, we are at home and catching up on all the other stuff!

Snow in Slovakia

This was the view from our "penzion" window in Kralova Lehota, Slovakia, last weekend. This is about four kilometres from the "Ranch" where we teach the Modular School each month, but we stay there so as to free up space at the Ranch.
On the way home yesterday we had to drive over the mountain pass at the Donovaly ski resort, which was quite interesting... At least there were plenty of snow-ploughs out.

This makes me angry

This beautiful little girl starved herself to death. She was so "afraid of dentists" that she refused to open her mouth at all, even to eat or drink, and finally died from renal failure and dehydration.


This is terribly sad, but why am I so angry? Because I KNOW how she could have been saved, even where the "psychologists" failed. In fact I KNOW how countless millions on this earth could be saved from the things that imprison and destroy them. I KNOW how to teach all the people who can tackle this enormous task. But very few people want even to listen...

Is this a coincidence?

Last month as we were driving to teach and minister in Serbia, the car stopped on Hungary's M5 motorway. Just stopped. Something electronic just shut down. Praise God, it soon started again, and we continued with no problem except that the "engine warning light" was on for half an hour. When we got back, an electronic checkup at the garage showed that not only was there nothing wrong, but that nothing had ever happened! Strange...

Then last week, as we were again driving to Serbia, I nearly fell asleep at the wheel on the M5. The car was heading for the hard shoulder at 70+ mph when Chris called to me. It was mid-afternoon, not late. This has never happened before in the 48 years I've been driving.

Is this a coincidence, or is there something that doesn't want us to get to Serbia and teach there? When we go again on 19th February, I'll be very careful! In this job, you take nothing for granted.

"ACC" course in Novi Sad, Serbia

This is the six-day "Answering Christ's Call" ministry school in Novi Sad, Serbia. Thirty pastors and leaders from this troubled country are learning how to bring healing and restoration to their people.

Later this year we want to start the monthly Modular School in Novi Sad.

The "official" office.

This is the "official" office, up in the roof of the Hungarian base, which explains why it looks like a tent! From these two small rooms we organise work in the whole of the post-communist world.

A glowing heart.

Isn't this a great sight in cold weather? The glowing heart of the huge tiled stove which warms at least three rooms of our house!

ICB Leadership

Today after church we had a leadership meeting of International Church of Budapest. Towards the end we seemed to spend a lot of time laughing...