Summer of the guitar

The long awaited boxes arrived for Justin. Guitar components. The dream come true. It was now time to figure out how to assemble the beast. In my opinion it required a healthy dose of confidence and courage for a 13 year-old to build his own electric guitar. The process was complicated by the fact that none of us knew anyone who had ever attempted the task before.

The process was interesting, at times comical and ultimately satisfying. If there were classic mistakes that a novice could make, we made them. Thus, we learned not only how to solder, but also how to un-solder our errors. In the end a sweet stratocaster was created that is Justin's greatest joy. It was one part of the summer that we will not forget.

And then came the puppy

It all happened so fast. While in Odessa, in the middle of a wonderful conference, Shari got an email from the breeder. The message informed Shari that on Sunday (the day after our return to Budapest) the pups would be 8 weeks old...old enough to find new homes. So after church we drove out to a place that breeds labs (mostly for seeing eye dog training). There Cristy had the pick of seven darling dogs. This little one caught her attention and within 30 minutes we had Maia. (Cristy named her)
The transition to being puppy owners has gone VERY WELL. Maia sleeps with our other lab -- Sierra. They have become fast friends. Lots of smiles at the Ginn's house.

Daredevil

Cristy surprised us all. The tree was cut off about 30 feet above the pine stray forest floor. Climbing the pole was plenty of excitement. Standing on top of it was more than what we expected. She held her composure and then jumped off. Got to love the girl.

Summer fun

We love being back in the states for a lot of reasons. Mostly to see the people. But a trip down the Animas River in Colorado is pretty nice as well. Dave is in the inter-tube. He flipped off of it about 50 meters down stream....what a ride!

God met with us

It is quite a privilege to be working with a thousand colleagues spread across 20 countries. Day by day God works through them to bring the Gospel to many.

One challenge that we constantly face is the responsibility of bringing inspiration, biblical teaching and motivation and training to this cast of more than thousand. Part of our tactic for acheiving this goal results in many trips and on-site visits. But these in and of themselves are not sufficient. Everyone once in a while we need to pull everyone together and ask the Lord to speak to us in a special way.

This is what happened at the end of January in Hungary. We call came together and God spoke, renewing our vision and our passion. To speak generally, most of the staff clearly said it was the best conference (most blessed) that they had been to yet. It ministered deeply to their souls and helped restore all of those issues that revolve around our First Love.

We are thrilled that God answered our prayers and did exceedingly above and beyond all we asked and imagined.

School Spirit

So, what is it like to have a family overseas? How much of "America" do we experience?

The answer can be surprising. We stay closely attached to the culture that we love. For instance, February is School Spirit month at our International School. The high point of the time is a big basketball tournament. Schools from Austria, Ukraine and Hungary converge on our little town of Diosdi for 3 days of serious ball playing.

In preparation for the event everyone invests something in developing school spirit. Cristy loves art. This love opens us a channel for her to rally with the school in generating that spirit. Starting over the Christmas holiday we planned together how she could create the largest banner our school (mascot -- Bulldogs) has ever seen.

Despite the fact that our house smelled like paint for 2 weeks, we pressed on to a wonderful conclusion and surprised the school with the banner you see in the picture. It is 4 x 3 meters and looks terrific in the school gym.

Visit to Eastern Georgia

For two years I've been planning to get to Georgia...but it just wasn't happening. That changed last month as I fly to Tiblisi for a great experience. What I found in Eastern Georgia was something that I would call "pure". I meet a group of people who are fully dedicated to reaching the community for Christ. These people live in a place that reminded me of Romania in the early '90's. Eastern Georgia lacks the sophistication of the western world's rat race. Life is simple, unemployment is high, and God is working.

During a meeting we listened to the stories of various people who are thrilled to be used by the Lord to share the Gospel in a region that has just one missionary. Here's one of those stories:

When it rains all week long during your city campaign in Georgia you just flex…and extend the campaign a second week. That’s what happened in Telavi, eastern Georgia. On one of those wet, soaking evenings the women who had permitted the film showing to take place in her courtyard invited everyone inside to escape the downpour. Huddled around a small table, sipping tea…God worked. One woman who thought she would be watching the JESUS Film that evening was deeply touched. For this teacher it was a life changing experience.
Perhaps because she is a teacher, perhaps because of they way God made her, she has a habit of teaching others everything she is learning. Having come to Christ it was the natural step for her to tell her friends. Then in joining NLTC training it was most natural for her to speak to several people each week about what she is learning. She has become a very important part of what God is doing in Telavi.
So great is her passion for the Lord that this fall she threw a birthday party for her son…but her real intention was to create an environment in which she could tell more of her colleagues about the Lord. She is an example of a self-starter who lives out what Paul said in 1 Corinthians “I believe, therefore I speak”.