The comment was spoken softly, but Tibor, my companion and subject of the insult, still overheard. The jab was not only crass, but also unbecoming to the middle-aged woman who giggled it to the two friends seated with her. Tibor and I were talking just outside the sweet shop while enjoying rapidly melting ice cream cones. Apparently, the innuendo was prompted by some minor grammatical error Tibor made while complimenting the ice cream. Since the Hungarian language has an extremely complex structure, grammatical errors are committed routinely by native Hungarian speakers, not to mention someone like Tibor who has been speaking it less than ten years... Read More.

The situation in Ukraine, both economic and spiritual, is good soil for Christian medical activity. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the resulting independence of Ukraine, we are experiencing religious freedom. However, we are also facing an economic crisis with high unemployment, insufficient salaries (i.e. $40 per month to doctors), and rising inflation. Believers and non-believers alike encounter serious health problems. American Christian health care professionals can encourage believers by coming to Ukraine to provide medical assistance. Free clinics organized by Christian doctors and nurses, both American and Ukrainian, attract unbelievers. When the church expresses unconditional love, such as through helping meet medical needs, people are more deeply touched by the gospel... Read More.

Bratislava, Slovakia's capital city, has an international Baptist church which we occasionally visit and where I sometimes preach. One Sunday morning, I gave an invitation. Though no one came forward, one man did raise his hand indicating he was unsure of his relationship with God. After the service, we sat together, and I opened the Word of God. What a joy to see his spiritual eyes opened as he commented, "Yes, I understand that now." In a few moments he invited Christ into his life. But he wasn't a Slovak. He was an American of Italian descent, raised in New York City. A number of years earlier he had come to Slovakia and married a local woman... Read More.