Moving Back to the U.S.

Yes, we will be moving back to the U.S. this summer in June. It is very sad for us to think about leaving Budapest. We've made such great friends and have truely enjoyed serving the Lord in Eastern Europe and Russia. But we sense it's time to go and the Lord is calling us to a new opportunity - to work again with the Campus Ministry in the Southeast. We will be on the team that gives leadership from Atlanta, Georgia to four states - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. Our specific role will be mobilizing our students and staff to go overseas on various types of projects. So, we will be moving to Atlanta. We don't know much about Atlanta, but it's a good location between our families. Stay tuned for more details.

Drew and Joan recently participated in an outreach to Hungarian university students. They helped with English discussions that connected students to the Gospel and more opportunities. 

Picture Problems and The Latest

All,
I am having problems loading pictures on our blog. Be patient with me and check back in a week. I hope I'll have it fixed.

We just got back from a small family vacation. We drove up to Donovaly, Slovakia to a small ski area. It's about a four drive from Budapest. The snow was incredible! Nate, Grant, and Zach spent the first day in ski school. This was their second year to ski and they did great! On the second day, Nate and Grant were going down the easy runs with Joan and I. We went with our friends the Welshs. We also took a babysitter to help with Claire. She's not old enough yet for skiing.
We had some hotel frustrations. Great hotel, but bad service. You never know what you'll get these days. Sometimes you find great customer service in Eastern Europe and other times you find the old "we don't care about the customer" kind of service. What we had was the later. :<
Drew

This weekend was our school's basketball tournament - one of the most fun events of our year! There were 4 Christian schools participating: Bucharest, Kiev, Vienna, and Budapest. Our boys and girls teams both came in second place. Fun for the whole family! 

The snow from our porch looking over our street. 

Drew, Claire, and Nate watching the sledding event. 

We've had snow on the ground for a few weeks and the boys having enjoyed sledding at the end of our street. This is Grant cruising down the hill! 

See this beautiful picture of Budapest? If you've not visited us yet, we encourage you to get it on your calendar soon! 

Joan had Claire's friend B'day party this week. Left - Kirby Ann Seely, Right - Lidia Olson. I think they had fun. I got out of the way. Drew 

This is the group pic from our staff conference. Over a thousand staff serving in Eastern Europe and Russia. 60-70% are national staff - serving in their own country. We're on the front row if you can see us. 

The Area Staff Conference - A Great Success!

Yes, the Area Staff Conference was a tremendous success! We heard over and over again how our staff, both nationals and ex-pats, were enjoying the conference. They felt the teaching of the Bible and the worship times deeply ministered to them. They enjoyed hearing from one another. They enjoyed the video reports from the different countries, etc. Drew worked very hard on the program with a great team of men and women. Their efforts really paid off! Pictures coming!

We (just Joan and Drew) had a chance to slip away to Spain for a few days. We went to the Southern coast near Malaga. It was beautiful and sunny. Not as warm as we wanted, but much warmer than Budapest. 

Claire turned 3 years old on Jan. 24th! She's such a big girl now. She enjoyed a new doll from Grammy. She likes her "babies." She is such a blessing to us! 

January 2005 Update

January is in full speed ahead for our family. Nate and Grant are back in school at the Intl.Christian School of Budapest. Because Joan worked with the boys over the three-week break, they were well-prepared to re-engage in their education. We are also gearing up to be at the Area Staff Conference between January 17-23. When Claire turns 3 on January 24th, she will start going to Hungarian Kindergarden part time. We are blessed and look forward to this new year! Drew

The Area Staff Conference Coming Soon

January 17 -24 in Hungary all the CCC staff from E. Europe and Russia will gather for a conference that only happens every three years. This is a time to encourage our staff in their walks with the Lord and in their ministries. It is also great to hear what the Lord is doing throughout the region. Drew has a big role as the program director for the conference. There is a great program in process. Our key speaker will be Dr. Joe Stowell of Moody Bible Institute. More news to come.

Joan sings Kareoke with some friends during our New Year's Eve party. We had a great evening with some friends over a 6 course meal. Our friend Steve Rodd did a great job of cooking. We've never eaten so well!