Winckles Family Update

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Easter at the Budapest Ministry Center included a wonderful collection of songs about the resurrection and the living Christ, a look at the Biblical Stations of the Cross, and a sermon by Larry about how Easter is the most important holiday, for it changes everything. All of our other holidays commemorate a person, place, or event locked in time somewhere in the past, but Easter is about more than that. Because of Easter we can all be changed. Easter teaches us how to understand the past, how to live in the present, and what our hope is in the future. Easter gives us hope and a future! He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

The service concluded with an Easter blessing penned by our friend Dan Sheffield and translated into Hungarian. Here is the original text:

Easter Sending Blessing (Dan Sheffield)

O Lord Jesus Christ, who upon this day did conquer death and rise from the dead, and who are alive for ever more, help us never to forget your Risen Presence forever with us.

Help us to remember,

That you are with us in every time of perplexity to guide and to direct;

That you are with us in every time of sorrow to comfort and console;

That you are with us in every time of temptation to strengthen and to inspire;

That you are with us in every time of loneliness to cheer and befriend;

That you are with us even in death to bring us to the glory of your side.

We are certain that there is nothing in time or in eternity which can separate us from you;

In your presence we may meet life with courage and death without fear.

You turn our darkness into light.

We are certain that you are present with us as we leave this place and return to our homes, our families and our labours;

May we live this new life with our spouses, our children, our neighbours and our co-workers.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ the Lord is risen today!

Following the service everyone enjoyed an Easter lunch together. We had two surprise visitors -- Olga and Sanyi had recently returned from working in England and rejoined the fellowship! It was so good to see them. In addition, Gabi was visiting from England. Everyone was delighted to be able to reconnect with these dear friends.

Life Skills Mini-Training

As a part of the developing Life Skills Program, each month we offer a mini-training as a part of a series called "Escape from the Unescapable." This month's topic was on Establishing Healthy Boundaries. Previous topics have included Dealing with Grief (led by Eric and Kari Perry) and Conflict Resolution. These sessions are usually led by Emőke, a Christian psychologist whose day job is working with students at the Budapest Technical University. Emőke's teaching style is highly interactive and practical and those who have attended her sessions have benefited greatly. We are thankful that Emőke has also been willing to take part in the Life Skills Program, not only as a lecturer but also one time a month she offers psychological consultation services.

 

Ladies Creative Afternoon

A Spring event that the ladies always look forward to is the Ladies Creative Afternoon. This year Manna was to have been the featured speaker, but unfortunately she became ill earlier in the week and was unable to participate. Katie filled in with a devotional message and Judit, Júlia, and Ildikó helped out with the preparations, organization, making sandwiches, and supervision of the day's events. About 25 women and girls turned out for the event, which had Easter cookie decoration as its featured creative project. Katie baked 150 cutout cookies prior to the event and everyone had fun being creative with decorating them. Some people did so quickly, while others took their time and worked on fine details. All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon for everyone involved.

Here is a small gallery of photos from the event.

 

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