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The newest addition to the McNamara family has arrived! This little guy is Barney, a ten week old Shar Pei. The girls had wanted a dog for a long time and eventually (after much prayer and discussion) we agreed.

The Shar Pei (also known as Chinese fighting dogs), is easily recognizable by its very wrinkled skin. They are dogs that typically need a small amount of exercise, rarely bark and are incredibly protective of their family. Originally the were breed in China to guard palaces and are considered to be excellent home protectors.

We are super excited to have him home with us! We hope you get a chance to stop by and say hello to him 🙂
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Update: February 12th 2016

Today Katica placed third in the county championship! All six girls threw really well and we are proud that she did so well! Even though she struggles with chronic asthma she is excelling at teke! image

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We were excited on Saturday to see Katica play in her first competitive sporting event. She recently took up the sport of ‘teke’, which is the original form of bowling with nine pins, a narrower lane and a 2.8 kilo (6.3lbs) ball. Teke is popular in Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Holland and many other countries. Each competitor throws 130 times per match, which is about an hour of play time.

It takes a lot of skill and dedication to training. She trains twice weekly and has matches every second week. Katica is now an official member of Dynamic TSK, a Gyor team. She did really well and we were are very proud of her!!!

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I would like to announce that I have published a book. ‘Light in the Darkness: Christianity in Saudi Arabia’ is my first attempt at writing. It is a record of my year of ministry whilst there. Obviously I don’t give any real names of people, but I hope it will give Christians a much better understanding of what the persecuted church is undergoing in the Middle East. I’m very grateful to those of you who partnered with us in prayer during my time there. Twenty percent of any profits will be given to the persecuted church.

As of yet there is no print copy available but I hope that in the near future physical copies will be available for sale. I’ll update you when this happens.

If you would like to purchase a copy, you can do do on any of the Amazon websites. The book is available for Kindle, Android and PC. I’d be happy to hear your comments!

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Today we had the privilege of working with 12 kids at a local orphanage. Kathy, Zsuzsi and Katica along with four others taught the kids a Bible verse, played games and spoke to them about their need for a personal relationship with Christ.

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This is a regular monthly event. Please be in prayer for these kids and for all those who faithfully serve.

Also would you consider supporting this work? We provide hand craft materials (pictured above), snacks and Bibles. You can partner with us in this ministry by clicking on the donate button on this page.

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In June, several of us McNamara’s will be in Ireland for just over a week and we would be delighted to visit you and your church, home group and/or Bible study group and give a presentation on both our ministry work in Hungary and in the Middle East.

We will be available from June 17th to June 24th and we are willing to travel around Ireland. I will be speaking in Mallow Street Hall on June 21st and I will give a special presentation on the work of the persecuted church in the Middle East then and the work of smuggling Bibles that I have been involved in (we would love to see you, why not come and visit us in Limerick that morning!) If your group has an evening meeting on the 21st that is currently free but I suspect it will be filled soon, so first come first serve!

If you would like us to present then please feel free to use the form below to leave a comment or call me on 0036203846042.

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A short update on us all:

Kathy has begun full-time ministry. These past days have seen her gather clothes for a needy family, spending time with other missionaries in planning and looking after the family 🙂

Csilla did superbly well in her high school exams and will go on to further studies at the University of Pannon in Veszprem. She will be taking her degree in English studies. We are all very proud of her.

Zsuzsi enjoyed lots of vacation time! She spent much of her summer traveling and has had great fun. She will go into 11th grade from September.

Katica was successful in gaining entry to the same high school as Zsuzsi. She will spend four years there before University. As she wants to study medicine she will be on a special course with extra chemistry and biology. She has suffered somewhat recently with a sickly stomach.

Gerry is currently very busy. At a later date we will give you information about his work.

We appreciate your prayers! Blessings to you all!

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Family vacation! Little is better than time together eating good food, playing games and spending time relaxing. We are blessed to be able to take time by the Lake Balaton and have a few days away from the daily stress and strain of life and ministry. It is at these times that we particulary remember you all, our friends and supporters who make all this possible! Without your support we could not do this ministry nor could we take time for a vacation. Thank you!

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It has been several years since I last had to really study (2009 actually for ordination) and I had forgotten how very exhausting study can be.

For the last two weeks I have been in Budapest on a CELTA intensive course. This is a course to train as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Although I already have a similar qualification (TEFL), I feel I need another qualification to help me get a new job (you may remember that my position at the university finished recently).

My days typically start at 06.30, school is 0900 to 1700 and then study, lesson plans and assignments till 0100.

I have very little energy at the moment but I am grateful to friends in Budapest for feeding me at the weekend! I was privileged to preach yesterday in Budapest and I have been enjoying teaching our church leaders English.

Please pray for me as I study, write and teach. Also please pray for my four girls at home as they have extra to do without me to help .
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After some really busy weeks we took the opportunity to have a few days of R&R. And no place could be better than Good Book Oasis in western Slovakia, very near to the Czech border. Our wonderful hostess, Amber, and her intern, Emily, make this beautiful house a home of peace, laughter and really good food!

Filled with great books, movies, games and comfy chairs, this retreat for ministry workers is a blessing! Check out the link for more information! http://www.LifeImpactMinistries.net

Perhaps our favourite family activity is playing board games and none is better than Settlers of Catan. After a long, tight game, Csilla won with 10 points and everyone else was very close behind!

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Magistri Magistrorum

In November of 2005 I was blessed with getting work a few hours a week as an English language lecturer at the University of West Hungary. By September of the following year the University employed me on a full-time contract providing much needed income and the freedom to continue ministry. In June of last year the University kindly bestowed upon me the prestigious title of ‘Magistri Magistrorum’, making me the first foreigner to receive this title.

Due to changes that the University wanted to impose on my working conditions I have decided to leave and Magistri Magistrorumtry to concentrate on ministry and further studies. I am sad to leave but am excited for what my Heavenly Father has in store for my family and I. We appreciate your prayers for us at this time of great change in our lives and ask you to pray that we would follow His will.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.