March 8-10

Well, what an incredible last couple of days! We have traveled across several countries over a span of 36 hours and have lived to tell about it. Upon arriving at Heathrow Airport in London, we were informed that our flight to Budapest was taking off in one hour! So, we were all running through the airport trying to get through customs and security before our flight boarded. Everything was going according to plan, and then the airport security separated Don, Shawn, and Brandon from our group to another line. The rest of us went through security, trying to get through it as quickly as possible. As we were getting checked, Holly's ticket got shredded on the conveyor belt. At this point, our flight was scheduled to take off in 10 minutes and we still saw no sign of Don, Shawn, and Brandon. Panic began to set in, and the pressure was on! I sent everyone else to the gate and then followed Holly to get another ticket printed. Once we finally got to the gate, we had 2 minutes to spare! Then, in just a few more minutes, Don, Shawn, Brandon showed up just seconds before they closed the hatch. These are just some of the many ways that God has shown us that He is in complete control of everything! We finally made it to Budapest and then took a great tour of the city. We would eventually pass through the border of Romania and into Oradea around 11pm (Romanian time). The teens and the leaders had great attitudes in the midst of 2 long travel days and proved that semper gumby is not just a slogan....it's a way of life on mission trips!

Tuesday came very early after getting only few hours of sleep. However, everyone showed up ready to serve. We had the opportunity to visit Emmanuel Baptist Church and their Christian school. We went to several classes with the high schoolers. They were so kind and friendly! They were so interested in our lives and hearing our personal testimonies of salvation. After this, we were able to lead a highschool chapel in their sanctuary with singing and preaching.

In the afternoon we had the privilege of getting to play basketball against Emmanuel's team. They really came to play. We were able to beat them, but only by 5 points. We were awarded a trophy, a box of Belgian chocolates, and certificates of honor. We had such a wonderful time with them!

Just to let everyone know - we have been treated like kings and queens while we have been here. The people of Emmanuel Baptist Church are first class servants who will go to great lengths to show you that they care about you and your needs. We are so excited to be here and are looking forward to how the Lord will use us tomorrow! We will be heading to a children's orphanage in the morning and then will be ministering in the village of Les. We will be visiting in people's homes in order to share the Gospel with them, doing VBS with the children, and then leading a city-wide evangelistic church service that evening. Please pray that God's Word will change us and transform lives as we seek to serve Him and minister to others!

Your fellow servant,

Pastor Stephen


P.S. We will have the pictures on here tomorrow, so stay tuned!