"Whoever Has Seen Me..."

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Norman Burns
5 years ago
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1 Christmas 2018 "Whoever Has Seen Me..." This Advent season an unusual verse has my attention. In John 14:8, in Jesus' last days on earth he tells his disciples, "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father." While, the reality of the baby of Christmas being fully God is nothing new, it has struck me that these words of Jesus are true even when he was an infant. As Jesus lived, taught, and ultimately died and rose again, a much fuller picture of the Father is painted. However, could it be that on that first Christmas God was seen the most clearly he had been until that point?i am confident that as we see the Father in the infant of Christmas, we encounter new reasons to worship, hope, trust, and surrender. We would invite you this Christmas to ponder with us what aspects of who God is that we see in the babe of Christmas and why that matters today. We'd love if you would share with us what God says to you!

Give Emmanuel, God with Us! God's decision to live and dwell amongst us has changed history and countless lives. We wanted to share some stories of how we are seeing that reality here in Hungary.

2 Give Emmanuel, God with Us! God's decision to live and dwell amongst us has changed history and countless lives. We wanted to share some stories of how we are seeing that reality here in Hungary. Disclaimer: Telling stories is a tricky thing, as many stories even with the changing of names are simply not ours to tell. Orphan Riding: that every believer would appropriately and boldly share with the ones that they know. What a joy to see this happen! Through Babes Christmas is the ultimate time to recognize the eternal impact a baby can make, and we are thankful that Jesus still uses babies to scream his reality. When we first found out

3 Since having the large orphan outreach in September, a group of orphans has been regularly coming out to the ranch for riding lessons with Eszti. After giving a lesson to one of the girls, the caretaker asked Eszti how it went, and Eszti said that it was really good and that they had a great conversation. The caretaker stood with her mouth agape as this little girl does not speak due to trauma that she has experienced. She continues to open up during these riding lessons, and we pray that not only will her mouth be opened but her heart as well! Discipleship Discipleship is central to what we are doing, and with it our goal is to help raise up believers who would be witnesses for Jesus wherever they are. So, it was a huge encouragement when a young man that Mark disciples shared how he had went through the most recent passage we had studied with a friend of his who is searching. The hope for the world is not that pastors and about our Sammy's heart condition and started sharing his story and seeking prayer from others, one of the families that started praying for us was a former classmate of Eszti's here in Hungary. The act of praying for Sammy as a family and seeing God work strengthened their family and faith. They did not know that God was preparing their hearts for a special baby that would soon join their family with a condition far more severe than Sammy's. In November we attended the funeral of that precious 2 1/2 year old. She never spoke, couldn't see or walk, but her life screamed the goodness of Jesus. The way her family loved and cherished her and the way she continued to be granted the miracle of life when all medical knowledge was exhausted served as a witness to hundreds of people and was heard all over Hungary. We were requested to carry one of the wreaths for the graveside because of the encouragement Sammy and Eszti have been to them. While the the sadness is real, we thank Jesus

4 missionaries would be able to share the gospel with everyone, but for the testimony we witnessed to him both through this girl's life and funeral. Quick Family Update The boys are both doing well and enjoying life here in Hungary. Sammy's strength seems to be the best it has ever been and he is loving his time at Ovoda--Hungarian pre-school/kindergarten. We are encouraged in our faith as we see how Sammy loves to learn about Jesus and even memorize scripture. Nathan is constant activity--he loves to play and work (he seems to be most content when there is some task that he must accomplish). We still have the joy of having him at home all the time. For us one of the most precious things is to hear him pray at night. His hearing is still an issue, but we are thankful for doctors here with the expertise to help. Poor Eszti has had a rough November and December. She had

5 walking pneumonia that lasted nearly three weeks, and just when she was getting back to full strength she badly sprained her knee. She is supposed to be staying off her feet, but that is not easy for her. Towards a Church: We Need You! These first 9 months back in Hungary and in our new village have made it clear that planting a church here is going to be a slow process requiring a lot of trust building. As we have prayed about how best to do this, the idea of opening a coffee shop has been placed on our hearts. The idea is that it would give us an entry into lives and help build relationships, and it would then serve as the location of the church. We have big dreams for it, but we do not have the time or resources to do it alone. We ask that you would join us in praying for God to bring the right person or people to join us in

6 this work--perhaps that person is even you! Please reach out to us with any questions that you may have. Prayer Requests and Praises -We are thankful that we had the privilege of hosting many visitors in our home this fall. -Our hearts are grateful for how we see our boys responding to Jesus. -We praise Jesus for the opportunities he is opening with the orphans. -We are so thankful for the discipling relationships that Jesus has given us. -We are thankful for how God has helped Mark into his transition as the Country Director of WGM Hungary. -Please pray for Eszti's knee and health for our family both physically and spiritually. -Pray for God to bring about the right people to make the coffee house possible.

7 -Please pray for the ongoing work at Morning Star Ranch. -Please pray for wisdom for Mark in his role as Country Director of WGM Hungary. -Please pray for Mark as he really dives into Hungarian this winter and attempts to teach some in it. Finances We continue to be so grateful for how God provides for our needs, and we are so thankful for you who so faithfully give. While our financial support level is standing overall at a good place, there have been a number of unexpected expenses (like car repairs after Eszti was side swiped). These expenses have taken some of our reserve funds, and with our monthly needs not being fully pledged for (meaning we dig into our reserve cash each month) as well as some big projects on the horizon, we would invite you to prayerfully consider either a one time gift or becoming a monthly giver. Thank you so much for all the ways you carry us and Hungary!

8 Give Below are pictures of some of our vistors from the US this fall. We'd love for you to come and see us!

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Grace Baptist Church Leadership Structure

Grace Baptist Church Leadership Structure Page 1 of 46 TABLE OF CONTENTS Church Organization Chart... 3 Pastor... 4 Elders... 5 Deacons... 6 Chairman of the Deacons Staff..... 8 Accompanist Administrative