December 6 in Hungary is the favorite celebration of our children, Karis and Joel. It is Szent Miklos Napja, or St. Nicholas Day. On the evening of the 5th, all the children lay out a pair of clean shoes (the biggest they have, of course) for, during the night, Szent Miklos comes around-according to the legend-and puts treats in the shoes of all the good little girls and boys. The tradition corresponds closely with our familiar hanging of empty stockings at Christmas time, in hopes of receiving goodies. Socks or shoes make little difference to seven-and eight-year-olds. Of course, Hungarian entrepreneurs don't let this marketing opportunity escape them. All sorts of St. Miklos gift bags are sold in the shops and market stalls... Read More.

Even after our 30 years of missionary ministry, God still had plans for us. While we served in Peru, Bill suffered two heart attacks. In order for him to survive and regain strength, he had to leave Peru for good, and we moved to Florida. While still recovering from his heart attack, Bill was asked to disciple a Spanish-speaking Cuban convert. That started our Spanish Bible studies. Our numbers grew, so we asked permission to use our church facilities. From 1981-1988, one weekday evening Bill taught Theological Education by Extension (TEE) classes, and another evening held prayer meeting. Sunday school classes took place after the rooms were vacated on Sunday mornings, and we held our morning worship service... Read More.

"What in the world am I doing here, working alongside these 'giants'?" I asked, as a brand-new first-termer trying to find my niche, surrounded by busy, can-do-everything coworkers. My fears were soon put to rest as my colleagues helped me learn how to help in accomplishing what God had brought all of us to do. By showing me how to do things they could have done more quickly themselves, giving cultural insights and advice, providing opportunities to gain experience (and pushing me to take the plunge when fear of failure caused me to hesitate), listening, and sharing from their own experiences, my mentors helped shape... Read More.