Aldott Karácsonyt Ünnepeket'." Which is "Merry Christmas" in Hungarian. "Crãciun fericit" is Merry Christmas in Romanian.

          We could tell you how to say it in another 10 languages of the countries we minister in. From Polish to Albanian many people are understanding the true meaning of Christmas for the first time over here because of the new churches that have been started in these countries and the new believers that are now attending them.

        It's neat to look back and see all the Lord has done since we first came to Budapest in 1997. It's hard for us to believe that this will be our THIRTEENTH Christmas here. We remember so well that first Christmas here in Budapest. We had just arrived a few months before with our four children.

      We knew very few people here, we spoke very little Hungarian and as we drove around Budapest it really didn't seem like Christmas. Few if any of the houses had lights on them, and if you went into most stores you would never even know it was Christmas.

      Things have changed slowly, now downtown is all lit up, you hear Christmas music playing in the stores, and you will for sure know it's Christmas at our house!

      SPECIAL FAMILY NEWS . . . We are sometimes so amazed that even though we are separated by continents from our boys, Nathan and Ryan, we are still able to be all together for Christmas. Nathan and Ryan, who live together in Orlando will be flying back to Budapest for the week of Christmas. We are so blessed that they are able to get off work for the week to be with us here in Budapest.

     It's one of the funnest times of the year for us as a family. Playing games, laughing a lot, singing, and telling stories are like scenes right out of a Christmas Carol. You can be sure that we will remember "Jesus is the reason for the season."

                      Wishing You a Special Merry Christmas from Budapest,

P.S. We would also ask you to prayerfully consider giving a special Christmas offering this year. It would be a tremendous blessing to us at the end of this wonderful year. Anything you do will be so appreciated during this special season.

PSS.  If you would like to receive this letter through the mail please send us an email at JimPuhr@cmiworld.org and we will be glad to send it to you.  If you would like to receive our special letter by email each month please go to the "Welcome Page" on this site and type your email address in the "Join List" area.