… ‘cuz though the team went home, rev tom continues travelin, click here to follow the adventure.

ALWAYS, even if you have NO CONNECTION, pack a change of clothes and a toothbrush on Birtish Air! They could not even get my two bags from Budapest directly to London. Thankfully, at the last second yesterday, I put a couple of clean items in my laptop bag with a toothbrush (now, if I’d only thought of a razor…).  

This morning the team begins the long journey home!

Begining at 0800 (that’s 2am in the ‘ville) in Budapest with four different types of public transit, flying to London (on BA 867) and then connecting to Washington (on BA293), the team will land tonight at Dulles at 19:59 (7:59pm) for the ride to Charlottesville or wherever. That’s at least a 18 or 20 hour trip!

This small band of travellers have done an amazing job. They have served with diligence doing all sorts of tasks and have connected with new friends.

This has been thought of as a trip of reinvention. A new way to serve the partners. It was really a bit of an experiment. Smaller than past teams, we were, I think, more focused.

Our partners were wonderful hosts to the ladies. And we thank the Coppages, Joanna, the Newells and the Nemeths for opening thier homes to the chaos that a team brings to a place. We hope we cleaned up after ourselves pretty well.

This team was cooperative. They sought to learn. They embraced that which was different. They struggled with the difference in culture, especially sometimes the food. We struggled with the cost of things. Here in Budapest, EVERYTHING is more expensive and the dollar fell further while we were here.

Thanks to this team the doors to new hearts have been opened a crack in some cases and in the case of others, these hearts for the Gospel have been opened wider. And in EVERY case, we know that connection exists that will further the Gospel into those hearts.

The experiment of re-creating the trip model was a success. This is because the Father paved the way. He gave us the patience to work in unfamiliar ways with new people who we didn’t always understand. The Holy Spirit guided circumstances in more that one occasion to keep the journey on track. Jesus name was lifted up to some people for the first time and again for others. The Lord was ever present with us (as He always is) and took good car of us and, I think, used our willingness, if not our abilities. On this trip we saw gifting emerge and the Lord use this for His glory.

So, Jasmine, Elizabeth, Steve and Lauren: well done, good and faithful servants.

Will there be an EE09 to further hone the new model? Rule one.

When there is more opportunity to post, I will describe the ministry here. Now, with 9% battery, and a new task about to begin, I’ll say that we have been touched by the tragedy yet hope of this place. The hope that comes from the gospel.

The students, Laci and I saw the above memorial to those killed when the hospital in Vukovar was emptied and the people shot. Over 200. The team is serving at computers in  a clinic which treats survivors of the Seige of Vukovar and are serving with Laci and Keri in the ministry of the Agape Church bringing the gospel to this needy city.

God is faithful, His mercies are new every morning.

A major turning point of the trip has occured with the (pre-planned) return to USA of Elizabeth and our finishing of our work in Budapest. The week in Budapest was, like the trip has been from the beginning, a great success. 

Up in Budapest, Joanna put together a great itinerary of activities that gave the students awesome opportunities to get to know one another. There were even extra opportunities to go to concerts and the CoffeeHouse in downtown Bp that gave the Budapesti students some idea about what is going on the the Church among people in thier own generation in Hungary. God certainly had a good plan going! Here is a pic from the Hillsong concert:

Over burgers one night, I was really stoked to hear one student talk about having downloaded a Hillsong United tune to his iPod! 

Now, with Elizabeth getting ready for SB2W back home, we have caught the train for the long ride to Osiek and begun to hang out with the Nemeths. Laci picked us up and drove us to Vukovar where the team will be serving in different ways here in Vukovar.

Tomorrow I will be speaking at Agape Church, prayers for that will be appreciated.

Tonight the team will watch the film “Harrison’s Flowers” which depicts the war in this region. It is a powerful film which will give the students context of the place and people here in Vukovar.

the kids are sleeping late today after a LOOONG day with great connecting time… go to my blog to see where I invested my morning.

We went bowling today, great fun. Ask me about group dynamics and influence sometime. Then tonight we saw Matt Redman and Hillsong London. They came to Budapest as part of a Christian Worship festival. It was an awesome time.

It is great fun to watch the kids interacting and having such fun together. I shot some video of the concert. If I can figure out how to put a video in a post, I will. But its too late for that tonight.

trip re-creation is what I have been calling EE08

less emphasis on doing (a mantra of my life) and more emphasis on being…

goal 1 to grow deeper in God -

this happens often through experience and suffering and crisis… we’ve had none of the last (thankfully) it usually isnt noticed until later, so we must leave that for a while

goal 2 to be exposed to what God is doing – we are getting a fair dose of different things happening here in Budapest as we did in Vac… currently the kids are getting ready for a day with just enough Hungarians of scavenger hunting all over Budapest! At the end of their amazing race, they will find Joanna and me drinking coffee in the shade of an outdoor cafe

Have I mentioned the fact that we are experiencing the BEST weather I have EVER seen in 12 summers in Hungary???????? WOW, thank YOU GOD!!!!

goal 3 – to serve – these kids are doing a great job of that. They always just pitch in, I am encouraged by them, they are really awesome…

I forget what goal 4 is, sorry!

ok, gotta pack up and try my new route to the Hev

Peace from Grace is what I seek!

Our team finished our time in Vac today, serving with the Coppages. The students did a great job for three days connecting with the kids from the Deaf School. They found that they were really able to communicate far better than they would have guessed.

The time in Vac was both informative and encouraging for us and for our partners. Please pray that there would be continued encouragement flowing from connection with new friends. This morning we had a devotional time based around a couple of the Scriptures on the Prayer Guide (see links on right). During this time I was very encouraged by our small band of travellers. I reminded the team that the number one goal of this trip is to grow in our knowledge of the Lord and then as our knowledge of Him continues, our service flows as an outpouring.

Another important part of this journey is exposure to different kinds of ministry on the field. May God’s blessing continue to flow on us now that we are beginning our time in Budapest.

it looks like we may hang out in Vac a bit longer to serve another day at the Deaf School with Doug!!! Please not the link on the right to the “praying through the trip post”