Open Doors

Hello Everyone,

I hope and pray all is well for you.  How amazing it is to have a community of believers to rely on, be encouraged by, and do ministry with.  Without God's love, support, and providence through all of you I have no doubt how impossible doing ministry here would be, and for you I am so very grateful.   

These past couple of weeks God has providing open doors to further His ministry here in Hungary.  In my prior entries I expressed a desire to explore what a sports ministry here would look like, and at the same time I revealed disappointment at not being able to make any headway on the soccer front.  Well, lets just say I should be careful what I wish for, haha.  But before I get ahead of myself, it would only be fair for me to share the back story... 

Eric and I were finally heading to soccer, and we were stoked to get on the pitch again.  Our friend from church, whom invited us, wasn't going to be there, but said we were welcome to come anyways.  After hopping from tram, to bus, to walking around we were unable to locate the field. In our frustration we were ready to call it quits.  After walking some more, we noticed two guys getting into their car, both of which were wearing soccer gear.  We asked one of them if there was a field around where we were, to which he replied, "There are many..."  After a few more minutes of small talk we learned not only that he is the cousin of our friend from church (running into cousins has been a theme throughout the summer :), but that the other guy is the one that leads soccer on Mondays and Wednesday nights!!!  They graciously gave us a ride to the field and allowed us to play with them.  

Time and again I am astonished and filled with joy over God's providence, and at the same time humbled to know that he is the one with a plan.  

In addition, after that first night of soccer I was so exhausted.  All I did was curl up into a ball and sleep.  The next five days were not much better as I struggled to move properly, which is a testament to how out of shape I am, lol.  Although, having the opportunity play soccer again, especially with several of the youths from the church that I go to, is well worth it!

Furthermore, having the opportunity to play soccer again is not only an amazing cultural experience and super valuable for our desire to do a sports ministry here, but for me personally, my soul gets invigorated to be able to glorify God through something I am so passionate about.  

On other fronts, we were able to host and hangout for two days with the guys from Veszprem!  This was an absolute blast.  We watched the new Batman movie (most epic movie ever), made and ate meals together, and played cards & chatted late into the night.  I am so thankful for these friends, and it has been a blessing to be able to deepen our relationships with one another.  I look forward in expectation to the next time we get to hang out!

Over my last couple blogs I have mentioned a continued relationship with a church here in Budapest.  I have had opportunities to hang out with the youth and attend an outreach event that they put on.   I will be attending this church and youth group for the rest of the fall, and for this I am very excited.  Having a church body to invest in/be invested in is so very important.  I am looking forward to the friendships that are to be made, as well as having opportunities to serve in any capacity that I can.  

Prayers:

- Sean and Tara Meyer are hear on a vision trip for a couple weeks.  If you could pray that God will give them direction here, and if it is His will, place a burden on their hurts for the people here.  

- Sky Henderson, our good friend, is coming for a 3 week span.  We look in anticipation for his arrival, and can't wait to see him.  As well, pray for direction in this trip, that doors will be opened, and that relationships will be made.  

- Continued prayer for opportunities to get into schools to tutor/teach conversational English.  This is highly important as we continue to make connections, and at the same time hope to make progress on our research project. 

Praises:

God has been so faithful to provide a church for me to call home this fall! Praise God!!! I am so very grateful for your prayers and may we rejoice together in God's providence.

Eric and I are making headway in our soccer ministry project.  We have made connections with several different people and churches, and God is opening many different doors to further our research.  We are discovering that there is a great opportunity here to reach people with the love of Christ through sports! May we praise God together in this matter!

As I look forward to the next couple of months with utter excitement of what they may bring, I am also reminded of the reality that the future is very uncertain.  God has been opening so many doors for possible career paths, which is super exciting and at the same time super unknown.  I, admittedly, struggle with trusting God and have trouble relinquishing control to Him.  Thus, if you could pray for direction as I try to pursue what God has for me, and pray that I would trust His plan!

Thank you all for your love and support!

Marc Meland

marcmeland@gmail.com