Ketchin' Rays, February 2008

Do I make a difference or do I make a wave…
or even a ripple across the deep still.

Did I really hear from the Lord or did I imagine a call…or is it a push of my own free will.

Has living a life with the best of purpose and hopes spoken…
or even been noticed at the end of the days?

Mr. Markey once told me until you hear to move – don’t…or simply
just keep going, keep on ketchin’ rays.

Dear B,
I just got back from a four day trip to Vienna teaching and evangelizing in the subways. I quickly checked my mail and found the CDs for the 2008 missions’ conference then ran to the monthly meeting I attend with several pastors and priests here in the Kecs. A friend of mine called me in January from the states just after you had spoken telling me to get the CD, “Brian shared about what you are doing in Kecskemét by encouraging churches to focus on the word, to teach the word to awaken their congregations.” I have been looking forward to listening to this conference for quite a while.

At this meeting here we share what God is doing or what we think God wants to do. Their biggest complaint or topic of discussion always seems to be ‘why is my church so dead.’ After listening to several pastors/priests speak, I quickly went over my weekend and then began to share my heart. I always begin by thanking them for inviting me and allowing me to speak to them as I am not a pastor. This time I told them I am getting a clearer picture of why I am in Kecskemét. I told them that it is clearer and clearer to me that I am to continue to encourage, exhort, teach and rebuke here just as Paul told Timothy whether to the church or unbelievers, that I am to be about the Father’s business. Their faces light up when I talk about the Bible.

After me was a succession of priests and a headmaster; in between was a Lutheran pastor. The priests said they wanted to further their education, one wanted to go from being a priest to a monk. The headmaster (he is a Catholic) had some admirable plans to help priests in crisis as it seems the churches are seeing the burn out/confused factor here quite strongly (four Reformed priests have recently committed suicide). I was sad to see the focus on themselves for so many attending and not on the people of this city. The Lord brought to mind James 4:13~17 which I had read by my translator. I don’t know if it meant anything to anyone but God’s word was again addressed (some great contacts were made afterward).

This morning I listened to your message. It was an encouragement but more so a confirmation in what I am doing. I have just been planted here sowing as opposed to planting a church. I have sometimes felt that this is ‘unbiblical’ that this is somehow not worthy of notice nor able to be a furtherance of the gospel. It has been very lonely and seemingly ignored by the many Christians I know in Hungary – but then I heard your message. Your message has confirmed a calling that has taken me to Arabia and in that desert to look for those ‘wells’ that could and will produce again if only dug again. I have always thought that I should be observed doing however that stumbling along may appear.

When I first set out to move here it was no small coincidence that Nick was in Vajta that almost two years ago when I returned to Hungary. I was still unsure of the city but sure of the calling. The Lord cleared up the ‘target’ city. I sought out and sat and talked with Nick. I knew of his coming over and just praying telling him that was my ‘brilliant idea’ for the Kecs – just go and pray and see what happens. He thought it was a pretty good idea. Much has happened in these almost two that is too much for this letter but I have begun to pray (about two months) about starting a church even though I’m not sure if this is the right direction when I see the need of the church here…it is a direction not my main focus.

Just before leaving for Vienna I went to my weekly meeting with my friend Samuel who pastors the Baptist church. I had just prayed that morning again about starting a church and Samuel opens our meeting with a big grin on his face and says, “Mark, you should start a Calvary Chapel here.” Pretty flooring but even more so when he tells me what he has been talking to his elders about. He wants to make a change in the way they ‘do’ church – he wants to do away with the group meetings that turn Sunday into a three plus hour ordeal and strip things down to just worship and teaching the word. The Lord has really great ways of encouraging and confirming me here.

All this to say please continue to encourage missionaries that it isn’t about the planting but the sowing and watering; if God has called you wait where He has you. We need to ‘dig out the wells’ here in Europe because God has called us back to this wilderness. I never feel like I’m doing anything. I feel ignored and useless, uneducated, faceless and unworthy – but as you so eloquently put it that was where I needed to get. The Lord showed me several months ago that Kecskemét was my Arabia. It may also become an old well re-dug producing fresh water again. Oh yeah…that Lutheran pastor said he had turn down a promotion within the church in this country because the Lord has called him to be a pastor and nothing more. I believe we’re being observed. The Spirit is moving….get your swim trunks on!
the organic arm, kosh