Merry Christmas!

Warmest Christmas greetings to you! As I think about Christmas this year, I remember what John the Baptist proclaimed, „Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” God had opened John’s eyes to the reality of who Jesus is and why He came to earth. Now, more than 2000 years later, God is still revealing to men and women who Jesus is and why He came.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz authored a well-known novel titled: Quo Vadis? This Latin phrase means "Where are you going?" Each year we devote a day for university graduating students in YTL ministry to ask this question from them: "Where are you going with your life?" We only invite those students who are interested about joining full-time mission work either with YTL as missionary staff or they are considering other type of ministry as their future. 23 students came to the "Quo Vadis? day" last Friday! These students a few years ago were nonbelievers and now they are willing to give up their future carrier for the sake of the gospel! Seeing non-believers coming to Christ and becoming life-time laborers of the gospel are the heart and essence of our calling! What a privilege to see that happening in such a great number! Each of them has a unique and wonderful journey with Jesus! 

Five of these 23 students are already decided that this next year they'll submit their application for staff with YTL. This is a wonderful news and a wonderful challenge. Because of the legal structure in Hungary we can't bring people on staff (and they can't start raising their support under our name) unless we start paying them from the first day. As you know, each of our staff has to raise their own financial support and they will not have their support raised probably within the first year or so. That means we have to have some seed money to bring these people on staff until they are able to raise their own financial support. Please, pray that the Lord would provide the financial resources necessary to bring these young committed Christians on full-time mission work. The prayer that Jesus commanded us to pray regarding the Great Commission is the prayer for laborers: "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Lk 10:2). We have the potential laborers, but we don't have enough resources - yet!

Fall Student Retreat

At most retreats in the past we had a speaker and we followed the traditional setting of students sitting in rows, and the teacher delivering the message from God. Not this time. It was complete participation on the students' part as the format was very interactive. Andy Atkins from the UK led a Bible study for the whole group. We did not sit in rows, but in small groups the whole time. There was a brief teaching part, followed by a series of related questions, and the students turned to one another and tried to do some expository Bible study on their own. Following that part came a brief teaching and summary. They wrote parts of their own teaching session. And when listening to Andy their minds and hearts were already engaged! I believe students took home a lot from the passage they studied all weekend long: Acts 20-17-38. Paul's comments to his leaders from Ephesus. 

   Andy, our speaker said: "any movement, that places God's Word as a central part of their existence has the potential to last for a long time!".