Hello Friends,

Sometimes change is good for us. But sometimes it’s a bit challenging.

That is the way it is for us sometimes too. Having served in Eastern Europe for over 28 years has been an amazing adventure at times and has involved constant change.

We had change when we moved to Central America in 1982, change when we move

d to Moscow with our two children in 1992 and more change when we moved with our four children to Budapest in 1997.

Now we are yet again experiencing a very different kind of change since relocating to the US earlier this year.

We LOVE now living in America. Sometimes we wonder if people realize how blessed this country is in so many ways.

We are sure you have experienced many changes in your life too. It’s an adjustment that we all face and it’s part of “life.”

Brenda has a bit more of a challenge as she doesn’t get to go back to Eastern Europe as much as I, Jim do. She misses her friends and just the life we have known there for so many years.

But like we said earlier, we LOVE living in America after so many years away!

There are so many great changes too. We do love the change of seeing our kids and grand-kids so much more. Especially a couple of weeks ago going to Orlando to celebrate our youngest grandson’s “one year birthday” (see photo) with our oldest son, Nathan and his family. And Brenda got to go to Nashville to be with our other son, Ryan and his family and play with our two grandsons there.

Our oldest daughter Alexandra, has loved being around family too. She was so happy to have many of her family singing to her on her Birthday on April 13. Our youngest daughter, Audrianna and her husband live about 50 minutes from us so we get to spend more time with them too!

So those changes are so nice and we cherish everyone of those moments.

In the coming weeks I, Jim will once again be in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Albania. We keep going forward with the ministry with so many world changers that we work alongside there.

Thank you for helping us continue to reach that part of the world with the Gospel.

Impacting Poland

We never tire of working with key pastors in all the countries of Eastern Europe. It continues to amaze us how God puts us together with so many key Pastors that are working to start more churches in cities and towns that still have few if any churches in them.

This month once again a Pastor contacted me from Poland. He was referred to us by my good Polish Pastor friend Arek, with whom we have helped start several churches in southern Poland. All of these new churches are started through relationships that God has given us here in Eastern Europe.

He, like so many we work with, is already pastoring a church in southern Poland, but wants to start another church in a city near him. This city has a group of people from his church that travel 25 miles to his church, but want a church in their own city.

So we are partnering with him, with $4,000 in seed money to help the new pastor get this church off the ground.

This is typical of how we connect with Pastors and leaders in Eastern Europe. They have applications and several forms to fill out to apply for the funds.

Not only in Poland will we see another church started but also in Macedonia and other countries. Thank you for helping us do this.

In May I will be in Poland again, one of my favorite countries we work in. I fell in love with it back in 1995 on my first visit there to Warsaw and Krakow.

In Awe of His Faithfulness

Brenda and Jim

Dear Special Friends,

We are doing wonderful and so excited about what God is going to do in 2023. There has been some changes in our lives and we are thrilled about this too.

We are doing great personally and the ministry is doing wonderful too.

We wanted to update you on something that has changed. After over 25 years in Budapest and 41 years as foreign missionaries, we have decided to relocate from Budapest to Florida. We will continue doing our ministry in Hungary and Eastern Europe, just that we will be basing out of Florida for at least this year.

You may know that three of our four kids are now married and we have four grandkids and it’s so nice to be able to see them much more often.

So we will continue our ministry in Eastern Europe, working with pastors and key leaders in the countries there and helping to see new churches started. This year we want to see at least another seven churches started where we invest at least $4000 in each one as start up seed.

I will be traveling over there five or six times a year, The last week of January I was in Hungary, Macedonia, and Slovenia. At the end of this month I will be in Hungary, Bulgaria and other countries too.

We still have that part of the world so much in our hearts and have so many many friends there.

So, we just wanted to let you know that we will continue the ministry over there, just changed the place we will base out of. We are excited about 2023.

Just two weeks ago I was in the nation of Macedonia meeting with a Pastor we have been working with for many, many years there. Working with Angel and Daniela we have been able to see three churches started over the years through them in their country.

It’s people like them that we have relationships with for so many years. Seeing them day after day and year after year working in to reach their nations with the gospel gets us so excited that we get to work along side them to help start more churches in this part of the world.

So many friends in so many countries like Albania and Bulgaria and Slovenia and Poland. So many very committed people reaching their nations for Christ.

We never take for granted how God has blessed us with our special family. Our four children have grown up all over the world, yet wherever we lived, whether in the jungles of Costa Rica or in Russia or for over 25 years in Budapest, Hungary. They have always just seen where we lived as “home”.

Now so many years later when they have families of their own it’s wonderful to see them with their own children and how they cherish their growing up years. To them it’s always been just “home”.

Even though they have experienced so many different languages and cultures. It’s so interesting to us to hear them speak of their own memories of growing up overseas now through their own words.

Anyway we are so blessed, as now we have four grandkids and we get to see them more.

Expecting Great things in 2023.

Jim and Brenda

Dear Special Friends and Partners,

2023!  WOW!.  We are expecting great things this year not only in the nations of Eastern Europe where we serve but in America and around the world.  We are thrilled we get to be a part of what God is doing these days.

It was 41 years ago this month that we started our lives as foreign missionaries, moving to Central America, where we lived for almost six years.  So many places and countries and moves since then and now for the last 26 years here in Budapest, Hungary.

One of our favorite scriptures is found in Proverbs which says “Man makes his plans, but God guides our steps.”  I am sure you could look back at your life the same way we do and see how God was guiding you to the place you are today.

This this year 2023, we are looking to see at least another SEVEN churches started in this part of the world.  We work with so many of the key pastor friends in these countries over here from Poland to the north to Albania and Bulgaria to the south and all the countries in between.  We still invest abotu $4000 in each of these new churches to help them get started.

In the last 22 years we have seen now over 300 of these new churches started.  It is amazingly exciting to see so many peoples lives changed.

So thank you for standing with us as we expect great things in 2023.

Jim and Brenda

Merry Christmas,

We absolutely love the Christmas Season and the decorations in the city, stores and houses. It’s so nice going into stores and coffee shops and hearing Christmas Music in both English and Hungarian. Songs like Silent Night are recognizable in any language.

Click on the video below of us and watch our three minute video update from Budapest. 

We put up our tree on Friday and for the first time in many many years we have a REAL one. We love how it makes the house smell of evergreen.

This will be our 26th Christmas here in Budapest. We have also spent Christmases in of course America and Costa Rica and Russia and have loved them all. (But some more than others.)

As you can imagine being away from our kids and grandkids is hard, but maybe we have gotten used to it a little over the years. We will video chat with them throughout this month so that will be so nice.

Our daughter, Alexandra is with us and this year once again our youngest daughter, Audrianna and her husband, Barry from Florida will be here for the week of Christmas. We have so many things planned. Lots of just enjoying the city together and going to our favorite restaurants and playing games at home.

So from all of us to you, Merry Christmas! We have had another wonderful exciting year of ministry and are expecting God to do great things in 2023 in this part of the world. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Remembering HIM who was born in a Manger,

Jim and Brenda and Alexandra

Hello Special Friends,

So many of our friends and people that partner with us know us from the e-letters, or newsletters or maybe heard us speak in a church at one time or another..

We both are very much relationship people. We love sitting down in peoples homes or at a coffee shop and just getting to know people. So many times this is where the greatest ministry is done. Getting to know people beyond the surface and hearing about their families, their histories, their challenges and all that life brings all of us.

I, Jim, love to travel over here and visit pastors and Christian leaders and just spend time with them. In the coming days I will be in northern Poland and Slovenia visiting and planning with long time fiends that are reaching their nations with the gospel. I love to do this.

Brenda sometimes travels with me and loves it when she does. But sometimes her greatest relationships are with the people she meets at random times here in Budapest.

This past week one of her long-time friends passed away. She was a 96 year old Jewish lady she met in a park here in Budapest. She met her so many years ago and became friends. The lady called Brenda her “Amerikai Barátom”, Hungarian for “My American Friend.”

When Brenda got to know her, she found out she was a survivor of the Auschwitz Death Camp from WWll. She had an amazing story. Everyone does when we get to know them.

Sometimes I wish we could get to know so many of our friends and partners that have helped us for all these year. We would love to hear your stories too.

You may enjoy getting to know more about us below.

Brenda

She grew up in Lakeland, Florida and went to the Southern Baptist Church. Her grand-father was a southern Baptist minister for over 60 years and she is very close to her family.

• She was born in Lakeland, Florida.

• She reads or listens to the Bible Everyday, Everyday, Everyday.

• She ALWAYS has a positive attitude (Well, Almost Always).

• She meets new people all the time here in Budapest.. All the time…

• She told the Lord as a small child that she would serve Him anywhere in the WORLD, as long as the place did not have COLD weather. (It gets cold in Budapest sometimes)

• She doesn’t like to shop.

• She was a bit rebellious in Jr High School.

• We have four children and four grandchildren.

• She loves and needs relationships with people.

Jim

• Jim grew up Catholic on a dairy farm near Wausau, Wisconsin till he was 11. Then moved to Colorado. (Still loves the smell of a farm and cows)

• Was arrested and spent three hours in Jail in Thornton, (Denver) Colorado in High School for theft and drugs (Two years probation). Record cleared.

• Then received Christ through an organization called YOUNG LIFE as a Senior in High School in Lafayette, Colorado.

• Left Colorado to go to Bible School in Oklahoma because a girl from church was going there, then met Brenda a few months later at the same Bible School.

• Likes Romance Movies and Spy Movies. Loves most HALLMARK Movies.

• Reads books…Lots of books on Amazon Kindle, downloaded from Libraries. Historical Fiction, Spy Novels, Biography’s.

• He’s got four brothers and three sisters. They live in Colorado, Oregon, California, South Dakota and Alaska. But we still all get together every two years in Colorado.

• Loves to watch NFL Football and Major League Baseball and sometimes Tennis.

• He never even thought of being a missionary until the end of the one year Bible School he attended in 1980. One and a half years later he and Brenda moved overseas.

• Hasn’t watch NEWS on TV in many years. Still follows some news on the Internet. But never TV News. (It used to make me angry watching it, I had to stop.)

Serving and Amazing God,

Brenda and Jim

Hello Friends,

We are so excited to be able to come to America again this summer. On June 22 we will fly to Florida and it will be wonderful  to see our kids and grandkids and so much of our family and friends.

These times are so special to us and we are sure it’s one of the reasons we are now missionaries for over 40 years, with 25 years here in Budapest.

We always make sure we take time to rest and relax and just enjoy America. We will see the beaches of Florida and mountains of Colorado and the hills of Nashville.

There will also be a time for Brenda’s family to Celebrate the Life of her Mom, who went to be with Jesus in April.

Then in early July we will be in Colorado with my family (Jim) and be part of our family reunion there. I (Jim), am one of 8 children and all of us will be together plus my Mom, who is 92.

Along the way we will also take a relaxing vacation just the two of us, and enjoy America. We are thinking of driving up the East Coast of Georgia and the Carolina’s with visits to Savanah and Charleston.

Then in Mid-August we will fly back to our home here in Hungary to start our 26th year serving in Eastern Europe.

In Awe of His Faithfulness,

Jim and Brenda

Dear Friends,

This year 2022, is not at all like we thought it would be for us.

We thought that with the pandemic issues mainly over in this part of the world we could get back to being focused on helping pastors and leaders to help start more churches in the so many cities and towns that still don’t a church that shares the gospel.

But then the war in Ukraine started on February 24. Since that time we have worked with pastors in Poland and Bulgaria and here in Hungary to coordinate AID to some of the the millions of refugees that have fled Ukraine. We are doing just a small part.

We feel like it’s so important for us to be here at this time.

In the midst of this, we hope to still see at least 10 churches started this year.

Special Family Updates;   Brenda’s Mom is Now in Heaven

From Brenda.   “On Thursday April 14 My Sweet, Beautiful Mama went to be with Jesus! We are missing her so much! But we are praising God that she is with Him”!

I flew to Florida (Brenda) on Wednesday April 13 and my Mom passed the next morning.

I was so thankful I was there with my family and we shared so many special memories of her. It was a really precious time.

God is so good! Just a few days before my Mom went to be with Jesus, He sent us our new grand-son, Miles Atlas, who was born to Nathan and Lori in Orlando on April 7.

My time with our newest grand-baby was such a gift from God. It was so wonderful to see his little toes and tiny fingers.

Seeing our son Nathan and Lori and our grand-daughter Lenora, was so so sweet. We now have four grand-kids. It is so nice being a grandmother.

So in the midst of losing my mother it was such a gift to see this new little life coming into our family.

We are more excited than ever about what God has called us to do in this part of the world. Thank you for helping us do it.

In Awe of His Faithfulness,

Jim and Brenda 

Hello Special Friends,

It was just two weeks ago we sent our last update about what is happening here in Eastern Europe and the war in Ukraine and all the refugees.

Our hearts continue to break as we see not only the news on TV and online but also seeing the refugees in person as they arrive here in Hungary, fleeing the war in the neighboring country, Ukraine.

However you see it on the TV in the US, it’s much more intense over here as it’s right next to all these countries. Some people are nervous that the war will spread.

There is a lot of Aid that has arrived here in all the countries around Ukraine to help the refugees. So many from America, and Hungary and around the world have given so much to help.

With us living here we are able to do “targeting aid”. That is giving to people we have contact with to directly help them with their immediate needs, like food, and places to stay and so many of the basic needs they have.

Most are grandmothers and the elderly and mothers with children.

You may want to watch this short Video by clicking here or the image for an update on what we are doing.

There are over 2 million refugees already. Most have gone to Poland but hundreds of thousands of others have gone to Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. But the second most have come here to Hungary with over 200,000.

As soon as they cross the border from Ukraine, Hungary provides free Humanitarian trains so they can come to Budapest.. The border towns are not equipped to handle the refugees.

Budapest is well equipped to help them and many of the refugees go on from Budapest to different places throughout Europe to stay with friends or family until they can return home to Ukraine. But many stay in Hungary.

This week I was at one of the train stations where the refugees arrive. I was there with one of my Hungarian Pastor friends to provide Aid.. Just seeing the faces of the mothers with their children with just a small suitcase with all their belongings, it breaks your heart.

We have been able to help coordinate the funding and distribution of Aid in Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria through some of the Pastor Friends we have in those countries. So many have given Aid from America to help these people. Thank you!

We don’t know what the future holds with the war or how long it will last. But one thing we know for sure is so many peoples lives are changed forever and are devastated.

We are glad we are here, to help some of them. What we are doing is small compared to so many other Aid Organizations. But to the people receiving it. it means so much.

Trusting God in Challenging Times,

Jim and Brenda