It is hard to believe the team is moving from the city to another town. The city of Budapest has been our home for this past week, and we have been in awe of meeting so many people around the world here. The Holy Spirit has filled our conversations and humbled our team as we realized God can speak through any situation and through any person. 

The book of Philippians seems to have been brought to us in so many avenues this week. One of our team directors shared Philippians 1:6, "He who began a work in you will bring it to completion" earlier this week, but Jason Teboe from Germany also encouraged the team with Philippians 2:1-16 in reminding us we are called to imitate Christ's humility, and our work is not in vain. What an encouraging time in God's Word as the team continues to walk in unity and seek divine encounters wherever we go. 

The Hungarian students: David, Dori and Bugi, have been with us this past week have been so encouraged by the team. As their last day of ministry with the team was Friday night, the team spent some time encouraging them and thanking them for their legacy in joining in the work to share the gospel. The bond these students have shared as family in Christ was inspiring, but the Hungarian students had a surprise for the team before they left ... they had purchased postcards for us with a handwritten message from Philippians 1:3-7.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart, and whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me." 

May you be just as encouraged by this as we have been. We thank you for your prayers! Now on to Kapsovar! 

—Eastern Europe Leadership

You can’t escape the chiseling of God in your life on the mission field. Weakness rises to the top.

Some would see this as a bad thing, and some would keep this from stepping onto the mission field.

But in reality, it’s beautiful.

Our weakness, our sin is exposed under the light of God’s truth. And this is what makes going worth it.

Painful? Yes. Frustrating? Yes. Challenging? Yes.

But so worth it!

We have been in the Refiner's fire this week as we have been on the front lines pushing back darkness. In one of our times together, the question was asked, “What weakness has risen to the top? Pride, selfishness, independence and speech were just a few of the weaknesses the team mentioned.

Through all of this, the Refiner's fire, a testimony is being forged through the test.  The glorious stories of lives being changed on the streets of Panama to the Kuna Islands will forever be etched in our heart and told to the next generation.

In addition, the test presented to us this week will be told to many in the next week, months and years as a testimony to how good God is.  

Last night was a fitting close to our drama ministry here in Panama as we performed the drama to the owners who “just happened to be in town,” but we know it was a divine encounter. We also presented it to the staff, who have been so gracious to us.  The Lord used our team incredibly, and Martha shared a bold net.  

We prayed over a young lady who is pregnant but does not know what direction to take in life,. She seems to be in a difficult place. Her boyfriend left her and wanted her to get an abortion, but she chose life. One of our students had an opportunity to pray for her and encourage her. Her test was a testimony for us as we heard all that she has been through yet clung to her hope in God.  Would you pray for this young lady?

After returning from the islands yesterday, our students went to a local hangout spot, and we had a few respond to the gospel: a Kuna lady and a sno-cone vendor.

Be proud of these students; they have served Jesus well this week.  Today, we will teach our students about how to prepare for home.  How do they go back and make a difference and share about all of the great things God has done?

Pray for us as we finish up our ministry in Panama today and head back home tomorrow!

Grateful as always for your prayer support,

—Team Panama Leadership

What amazing things God is doing here in Budapest. 

The students have experienced God's power as they are obedient in sharing Jesus through the gospel. Our team has gone out into parks and plazas without translators this morning. The students were ready to engage in conversation with the language barrier as they were looking forward to ministry today. We were reminded that God is bigger than any barrier, and we just want to celebrate with you how great God is in His provision! Many students experienced conversations of sincere heart with the people of Budapest to talk about what they believe in and point them to the truth. 

One of our students was sharing how much this trip means to them as they are growing in truth and what it means to share Jesus with people through conversation. This student was hungry for the next step in their faith and was thankful that God called them to Eastern Europe to grow deeper in the Lord. Jesus calls us to "Go and make disciples" in Matthew 28 and that "People will know you are my disciples by how you love one another" (see John 13:35).

We are so proud of this team and love seeing their heart in worship and in sharing the gospel. These young adults have been willing and ready to go each time we engage the people, and you can see their hearts growing in compassion for each person they come in contact with. The team has asked and prayed to see with Jesus' eyes and love with His heart to the people we encounter. Please pray for continued opportunities as we share! 

The team will be going to several plazas in the city tonight as we begin to find any opportunity to share Jesus in the capital of Hungary, the city of Budapest. Our time here is about to transition to two more cities, Kaposvar and Pecs. These cities are further away from the capital, but would you join us in prayer for the people of these cities as we wish to be good stewards of the time we have left in both of these places? It is hard to believe we have been here almost a week and how much the Lord has grown us here. 

Looking forward to sharing what God is doing in all of these places, but we thank you for your kind words, encouragements and prayers always! 

—Eastern Europe Leadership

Today, the team took time out to learn more and engage with the culture and history of the city of Budapest. We visited the site that was once an underground church that began in the time where Christianity was rejected by the government. Today, the church still conducts services and is a place where people can come and learn of the rich history of Hungary. 
 
We also visited the castle wall, built in the 1800s. The view was so impactful because we got to look out onto the city we have been praying for. We also got to climb the steps and experience the wall that surrounds the castle. This is a visual reminder of the walls and strongholds of darkness we are fighting against together. It is also a reminder of how great our God is!
 
Yesterday, the team almost did the drama at a site right outside a mall, but somebody else was already performing there. Because of this, we just spent time praying over the site rather than performing. Our God does amazing things! As we mentioned before, we met another team doing drama ministry in Deak Ter. Today, we saw that team doing drama ministry in the exact spot we had prayed over yesterday. It is so exciting to see how God uses every part of the body of Christ for His glory!!
 
Tomorrow, we will jump back into drama ministry. We are excited to see what miracles the Lord does tomorrow! Please continue to pray for the team, the translators and every person  who will hear the gospel! 

—Team Eastern Europe Leaders 

#TeamGambia has been enjoying switching off and doing different positions in the medical clinic and learning some new skills. 

Yesterday there was over 500 people who came to the medical clinic. The team shared Bible stories, testimonies, had conversations and prayed with the people as they were in the clinic and outside. There were so many people there that we had to turn some away because we could no longer see to take care of the patients. But we know God brought those people to the clinic to hear about Him.

God is moving in people’s lives. Please pray for the truth that has been placed in these lives. Pray it would continue to grow and that people would come to Christ! Pray for the church members to be able to have a connection with the people so they can help grow the truth.

Thank you for your faithful prayers!

--#TeamGambia Leaders

S​pending time on the international mission field opens the spiritual eyes of those who have been following Jesus.  There is just something about getting out of your comfort zone, going to an unfamiliar place, and engaging with a culture different from ours.

Francis Chan once commented, “I don’t go on the foreign mission field because I am so godly, but I go because I am not so godly, and I need God to rescue me from complacency, apathy and spiritual gluttony.”  

This too is our prayer for our students: that they would walk away from their time in Panama with eyes wide open to see that God can do the same things in their community as He has done in Panama. 

The beauty of what they have experienced also is that the church is alive and well in Panama and throughout the world, and God invites them to a grand adventure. 

Today, we experienced this adventure as we continued our ministry in the San Blas Islands.  One of our ministry teams led 11 kids to Christ after performing the drama.

Another one of our young ladies led her first person ever to Christ.  As she shared this story while we were in our hammocks preparing for bed, the excitement in her voice was uncontainable.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our team!  Would you pray for us that we would finish strong on our last day here in the islands and that many would come to know Christ? 

—Team Panama Leadership 

Isten Hozett (God has sent you),

This phrase means so much to this team as we continue to encounter the people of Hungary. The students have seen basic conversations grow into conversations with people seeing a need for God. One of the students today was expressing joy at just being able to pray for a man from Scotland. He was thinking about God in his life but choosing to live the way he had planned. As the team began sharing about how God sends people into our lives to bring us back to Himself, what are the chances that man from a completely different part of Europe would be in Budapest, Hungary, at the same time as a group of students from the United States who could help answer this dilemma? This man admitted to needing to seek truth in his life, and the team prayed fervently for him to come back to the Lord. We are thankful for this team of students and their willingness to share! 

Over and over again today, the students have talked about the power of the Holy Spirit and how He intercedes. As conversations continued throughout the day, the students came back and expressed how amazed and in awe they were at the words God provided in conversation as the people responded. Team Eastern Europe began to share with people in a park near Forvam Ter and engaged with families, bike riders and dog walkers enjoying the day but was also able to share the greatest news today! One student wanted to share with a woman in the park. She did not understand English but watched the drama performed to a Hungarian track. The team went back a second time to talk to her, even with the language barrier, and gave her a tract to read. As the team was leaving the park, this woman was reading this tract but was also inspired by the team's commitment to come back and encourage her. We know that God's Word does not return void, and we are thankful for your continued prayers for divine encounters. 

Thank you for supporting these willing witnesses of your students to come to Eastern Europe to engage with the seeking souls here from all over the world so Jesus' name will be proclaimed. 

Please pray for our team as we will be leaving Budapest, Hungary, to begin traveling to Kaposvar and Pecs in southern Hungary in a few days! The team wants to continue in strength, being servants to the people of Hungary for the sake of the gospel. 

Thank you for checking in with us and for your continued prayers. We love hearing from you all! 

—Eastern Europe Leadership