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Although we are still in 2019 with two and a half months before the end of the year, my calander for 2020 has gotten rather full already. I have a number of trips to America, Bulgaria, Ireland, Moldova, Portugal, Romania, Russia, UK and Ukraine either set up or in the planning. Along with these trips, I will be setting up courses in Hungary for people wishing to study towards ordination and welcoming/hosting a couple of teams to Hungary to work with us in Győr.

All this to say that I am very open to visiting your church if you would like to hear more about what God is doing in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. I am (as always) very willing to Skype into your church service, Bible study etc. or indeed just video a short greeting from us and send it to you.

Also, if you would like to visit this ministry in 2020, please be in contact very soon so we can set up a date for you to come and see a little of what we are doing!

We appreciate and value your continued partnership and support of our ministry in Hungary. We couldn’t do this without your love and support!simple-2020-year-calendar-vector-11636106.jpg

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These past days have been very busy but so much achieved!

In Győr, Hungary we organised an Introduction to Theology course for two ladies from our church, taught by our colleague and friend Rev. Dr. Marcie Potts. One of these ladies is considering ordination. What a privilege to see God raising leaders!

In Budapest, Hungary, our daughter Zsuzsi presented on preventative measures to combat human trafficking at a conference. Zsuzsi is the coordinator of Set Free Hungary, a Christian organization dedicated to fighting modern day slavery.

I spent this weekend in Ukraine. I met with our ministry partners here who serve men who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. We are currently exploring having a construction team come to serve by working on the rehab centre. Are you interested? Contact me!

I also met with several ladies who are developing their own micro enterprise. I had seen the exquisite handicrafts that one lady makes a year or two ago and suggested she could make this a business. With God’s help, some good advice and elbow grease, this dream is becoming a reality! You can see some examples below in the photos. Please pray as the ladies and I work towards this becoming a Christian business that will bless them, their families, churches and community.

Want to know more? Want to help or support? Send me a message and we can talk!

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As regular readers of my blog will know, I typically travel to Ireland once a year to visit family and meet with supporters. This year I visited in January but will also be returning in November for a number of meetings and speaking engagements.

I will fly into Dublin November 1st and travel to Limerick to visit my parents. On Sunday, November 3rd I will speak in Mallow Street Hall at 11am. Please join for worship if you are in the area! On Monday, November 4th I will drive to Co. Meath for a meeting with a possible future ministry partner at 1pm and in the evening at 8pm I will speak at a missions conference in Co. Monaghan at the Ballyalbany Presbyterian Church. Again feel free to come along to the missions conference and hear a presentation about the ministry we are involved in across central and eastern Europe.

This does mean that I am free to speak Sunday evening, November 3rd. Would your church or small group be interested in hearing about what is happening in Hungary, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and about our newest potential work in Moldova? If so, please contact me! I would be delighted to have the opportunity to share with you!

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Dear friends, as you know I have a lot of connections into Ukraine and I am constantly amazed at the wonderful work the Holy Spirit is carrying out in that wonderful country. One person he is using in a tremendously powerful way is my friend and brother in Christ, Valera Pedchenko.

Valera is the director of the alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre in Rivne, Ukraine. The centre is for men who are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs. It is run as a Christian centre and the men who come in are taught the word of God through Bible study and they participate in regular worship also. The men are taught skills such as gardening and construction to help them find employment when they leave the centre after six months of treatment. The men then go to a halfway home for three months where Valera continues to care for them and help them to grow spiritually.

Valera is a former drug addict. He was addicted to drugs for twelve years and then he came to know Christ and has since been clean (also twelve years). He is married to a wonderful woman of God and they have a son. Unfortunately, Valera has health consequences due to his former lifestyle. Suffering from both Hepatitis B and D, he needs medication which he is unable to afford. Would you be willing to help? 600 US dollars a year would pay for his treatment. Please feel free to contact me for further details if you wish to help.

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It has been a wonderful few days in both Kiev and Rivne, Ukraine. A team of six from Garstang FMC and myself went to Ukraine to minister with our team there.

We were able to speak twice to a number of people bereaved by the conflict with Russia. This is a great honour but also very emotional. We also spoke to the men at our drug rehabilitation centre. I personally was blessed to be able to dedicate the youngest son (David) of Misha and Lena Petrochenko to the Lord. Pastor John Sainsbury from Garstang gave a wonderful message on Sunday at church and his testimony on Friday resonated with many of the men at the centre.

Currently eight men at in the alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre and another two are in the next step program. The entire program lasts nine months and overall has had great success in helping to men come to Christ and beat their addictions.

Please continue to pray for our leaders, Misha, Lena, Valera and Natasha. They are incredible leaders, committed and gifted and the Lord us using them in a mighty way!

If you want to know more about how you can support the work in Ukraine just drop me a note!

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I have a busy travel schedule over the coming months. From May 9th – 15th I will be in the United Kingdom. I will be attending the UK and Ireland Free Methodist Annual conference and on Sunday May 12th I will be speaking at the Garstang Free Methodist Church at 7pm. Why not join us if you are in the area?

May 30th to June 3rd I will be in Kiev and Rivne, Ukraine. I will be continuing to help develop a relationship between the Garstang Free Methodist Church and the ongoing work in Rivne. Several members from Garstang will go on this trip to Rivne and connect with our team serving there. Personally, I will speak at a group for women who have lost their husbands/sons to the ongoing conflict with Russia. Please pray for wisdom and gentleness as I present the Good News to so many grieving women.

From June 7th to 18th I will be in Alexandria, Louisiana. I will speak on two Sundays (June 9th and 16th at church services – I am waiting on the names of the churches). I will also speak five to six times as the missions speaker at the Gulf Coast Family Camp. If you are in the Louisiana area, please feel free to contact me and perhaps we can arrange a meeting!

I will then return to Hungary as we hold our annual vacation Bible school at the orphanage in Győr from July 1st to 5th. We have a team of five people coming from Decatour, Illinois to serve alongside us.

July 14th to 29th I will again be in America. I will be at the Free Methodist General conference in Orlando, Florida from the 14th to the 19th where I am available to meet with people. If you are attending this conference then please write me a message and lets meet for a coffee or a meal together. On July 21st I will speak twice. At 0930 I will speak at Compass Church in Bend, Oregon and in the afternoon at 5pm, I will speak in Lebanon, Oregon at Ignite Hope Church. On the 24th of July I will travel to Missoula, Montana where I will spend a couple of days serving with a local church helping in an impoverished area. After that I will travel to East Wenatchee, Washington State, where I will speak on Sunday July 28th at the Eastmont Community Church.

If you are near any of these churches, I would love to have you visit and hear a little about what God is doing in Hungary, across Europe and in our lives.

You may be asking why travel so much? Well, we recently lost a lot of support. Without adequate support it is very difficult to reach the lost. Travelling and speaking at c hurches is one way of raising support. However, more importantly, we need prayer partners. People who pray for this ministry and for us.

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As 2018 winds down, we are already deep into planning 2019. Here is a little of how it looks:

Continuing to develop the local work here in Győr – Bible studies, worship services, anti-trafficking work, counselling etc.

Focusing more on developing partnerships in Hungary with other churches and possible church planting efforts in other cities.

Trips to speak and minister in Ireland (January), Spain (February), America (June and July) and Ireland again in November. As of yet no dates for potential trips to Romania and Ukraine, but to be organised soon.

Conferences in UK (May) and Bulgaria (September)

Wedding of Zsuzsi and Zsolti in April.

Preparing for and welcoming new full-time partners to Győr (the Anderson family) in April.

VBS at a local orphanage in July.

We still have a limited number of free time slots where we can come and visit your church. Feel free to contact us and we can arrange dates and details.

We look forward to seeing many of you in 2019! May you all have a blessed and joyful Christmas and New Year!

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January 24th through to the 29th (2019) I will be in Ireland and am available to speak at your church or Bible study group. This is an opportunity to hear about the ministry we are involved in here in Hungary and across Europe. Many of you will know that we actively work against human trafficking, in Christian discipleship and developing church leadership. Also it is an opportunity to hear about the persecuted church in the Middle-East.

I have a limited amount of time and availability whilst in Ireland, but hope to see many of you while I am there.

Ireland will likely be my first trip outside Hungary in 2019. I will also be in America, Canada, Romania, Ukraine and likely Belgium and Spain. Please feel free to contact me and we can try to arrange a time when we can meet and talk and pray together!

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I had a wonderful weekend in Garstang, Lancanshire in England. I went to visit the Garstang Free Methodist church and talk a little about the wonderful ministry currently going on in Rivne, Ukraine. Garstang sent a team in June of 2017 and together we worked with soldiers and their families. You may remember that these soldiers were/are suffering from PTSD and the Garstang team specifically worked with their children in a type of vacation Bible school format.

Former missionary to Ukraine, Pete Blundell, has done an incredible job of informing the Garstang church of this important ministry and is the driving force behind this wonderful connection between Garstang, UK and Rivne, Ukraine. I did speak about the camp this past summer and I also spent a lot if time speaking about our drug rehabilitation centre in Rivne. I look forward to this partnership growing and many coming to know Christ as their Saviour through this exciting work.

Personally I enjoyed fish and chips, scones, long conversations with friends old and new and some rather beautiful landscape! I hope I get to return again in the not too distant future.

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This past week I have been serving in Ukraine, working with Ukrainian soldiers who fought against Russian aggression. Many of these men have/are suffering from Post traumatic stress disorder. I spent the week talking to them about ways to deal with anxiety, depression and panic attacks. I heard so many stories… truly heart breaking. These men gave all for their country and receive little recognition for what they have done. I am delighted to report that the time with the men was incredibly successful. Today they were invited to begin a personal relationship with Christ. Please pray that they and their families will give their lives fully to Christ.

Their wives and children also came to the camp (totally free to these families) and the ladies also were able to speak with a professional female counsellor. The kids had so much fun!!!! A team of people led by my friend Peter Blundell, came from the Garstang Free Methodist church and worked with the kids all week. They were amazing! I now have a new best friend! His name is Yarik (5), and he just might be the funniest kid I have ever met. His father volunteered to go to the front and fight and is an incredibly brave man. Please pray for him.

We also had fun exercise each morning and as you can see from the photos, the Carpathian mountains are just beautiful.

I also got to visit a museum in the city of Ivano Frankovsk. This museum is dedicated to the men and women who died at Maidan in February of 2014. It was a truly unique experience. I was particularly blessed as my friend Valera Pedchenko, an Ukrainian army chaplain, who was part of the uprising at Maidan was able to visit the museum with me.

Please continue to pray for these men, their families and indeed the amazing country of Ukraine.