Walsh Newsletter – January 2007

Introduction
When you never quite make the Christmas newsletter , what do you do , write a review of the year looking back and looking forward, so here goes….
Hopefully a mix of news , encouragement and a few clichés too.
"As cold water to a weary soul , so is good news from a foreign land" Prov 25:25

Looking back at 2006

The Ministry

Boy, 2006, went quick, I know it is a cliché, but it did ….. Seasons here seem to fly past and to a great extent blend.
The bible school ministry here has been blessed, we have seen the facility and the ministry grown in size and more importantly in depth.

Mark

For me, it is hard to remember what happened last week let alone earlier in 2006. The year started with a memorable 4 months from January to April, teaching the book of Nehemiah in the Wednesday studies at Calvary Chapel Budapest. It was a great blessing and about 5500km driving too!!! It was great to be able to teach in a church and Gwyn and I were blessed as we made the weekly trip to Hungary’s Capital.

In the Bible school, more recently I have been teaching the book of Romans and the minor prophets, I love these books and have found it a privilege to be able to have the opportunity to teach them .

Over the last year and a half , I have been the overseer for grounds and maintenance here at the Kastély. This is something amusing to me as I have no maintenance and ground based skills whatsoever, but I have been supremely blessed with a great team led by Mike Armour and Karcsi. Last year saw over 1700 flowers planted on the facility, this year we are shooting for 5000 by the beginning of the conference season here in June. A personal highlight was taking over the role of translator for our weekly meeting, a little like a cave man attempting great operatic feats, but nevertheless, by God’s limitless grace , we have managed to communicate.

Summer was different…. With the sad loss of Tammy Ippolitto, Jeremy and Christi Foster returned to the states and I stepped in to look after the conference centre during their time in the US. This made summer very busy very quickly, but were again were supremely blessed by the Lord using a great team to serve the conferences here at the Kastély.

One of the greatest highlights , was be in part of the team that organised and put on the first ever New Zealand Pastors conference in Rotorua , New Zealand in October 2006. It was great to seem something brought into being by the Lord. My heart still remains for the Pacific Rim region and the men and women who serve there.

Gwyn

Well I have to agree 2006 came & went !! In February, the children & I went to England to celebrate my mum’s 80th Birthday which was a special time. I have continued to lead a Ladies Bible study here at the college , teaching through Proverbs 31 this last semester. Our summer was very busy & stretching for me especially, however we ended the summer with a family trip to Croatia with my family visiting from England.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1v17 I am thankful for our God who is ever faithful even though we are faithless & I am thankful to be a part of this unique ministry which I love. Discipleship is my heart & I get to do it all day long, God is good. There are many lessons to learn a long the way as we never get beyond learning & growing. Learning to be content has been one of those for me, Phil 4v11.
I had the privilege of teaching ‘ See & Know’ to mum’s & their children here on campus again after some 10 years!!! Such a wonderful tool the Lord can use to draw parents & children to a knowledge of Him. One of my favourite times in the week was meeting with our ‘Intern Girls’ for fellowship & to pray & encourage one another, to be a part of their lives is a privilege. So God is good & I look forward to another year in His service & learning of Him.

Jordan

Jordan made it to be teenager, proof that he is probably an alien is supported by the fact as a teenager his room is even cleaner than it was before the onset of teenage years, Jordan is in 8th grade and he can’t remember 2006, (I just asked him…), but he has developed insatiable love of tennis and seems to spend his life reading , something to do with book reports, thanks heaven the left behind series has at least 600 books or so in the series !!!!!!

He has however learnt to have devotional life, more due to his faithfulness than ours but it is a great blessing to see him learn to love the Lord. He went on outreach to Esztergom in Hungary this past semester, we were blessed.
He still loves to serve and where the rest of us seem to avoid service , he seems to find opportunities to serve.

It would be great to get him in a Tennis program , or even somewhere there was tennis court, but that really isn’t our life here in Vajta.

Becky.

With the onset of her 10th year Becky seems worryingly to have lost her love of pink and moving more into a camouflage phase. The World should beware , she has not yet learned of the mighty M16 assault rifle , but it is probably, only a matter of time. Boys have not yet made it to the agenda, one hopes and expects that she will learn of the M16 first, which will make it interesting for the boys. She still runs like the wind and it would be great to get her in an athletic program , though, that really isn’t our life here in Vajta. She too has learnt to have a devotional life, again a great blessing.

Looking forward to 2007

CCBCE

The spring semester will soon be upon us , I am will be teaching The Pastoral Epistles and the book of Nehemiah, a personal favourite of mine. After a year and a half , I have now passed on my responsibilities over Grounds and Maintenance to a much more capable man Pastor Ethan Larson, I will be assuming responsibility once again for the intern programme here in Vajta. I have been leading a little more worship here after a quieter season in the worship ministry, I will be continuing to lead on Thursday nights and Sunday nights. I have been blessed that after a few years break Gwyn has begun to sing with me again.
Gwyn will again be leading the women’s ministry here in Vajta and here usual Monday night bible study for students and staff. She will, I hope continue to led worship with me on the worship team here.
Calvary Chapel New Zealand National Conference May 2006
Another exciting development is that, as the team, which planned the first NZ pastors conference, we are now planning another first, a National conference for all the Calvary chapels in New Zealand, this will be taking place in May 2006. We are blessed and hopeful that Pastor Brian Brodersen will be the key note speaker at this first conference. Please pray. One of the biggest needs for Calvary Pastors in NZ is a lack of study resources, I will be heading up a project , to try and get some resources for a pastors packet for this conference. So if you are a pastor, who would be willing to donate and send 20 copies of a book or tape that has blessed you, I would love to hear from you.

Praise

We are still here and still walking, despite ourselves, simply by the grace of God.
For all of the Lords provision.
For the blessing of the ministry here in Vajta and Hungary.
For our children continuing to learn to love the Lord.
For the extension and growth of the ministry in New Zealand.

Prayer

To balance all the demands of the ministry and choose wisely as the Spring semester starts.
Mark & Gwyn – personal revival , I am tired and need refreshing, more spiritually than anything , I am going to send Gwyn to Israel with the school trip, please pray that this would be a real refreshing time for her.
The Lords provision to make the trip to the NZ conference in May , I would love to be there to share in that time with the brethren.
Practical stuff, I would like to arrange life assurance and stuff for the family , but don’t really know where to start, being an Englishman in Hungary.
That we would continue to grow in love & desire of our relationship with our Lord & encourage others in the same.
To have the wisdom to continue to raise our children in the ways of our Lord in day by day life.

Some clever person once said “The regret of the past and the fear of the future are the twin enemies of the soul”, there is indeed some truth in that. SO… 2007 needs to be year of faith and not fear, continuing to walk by faith , as this is the only way for the believer, and without it , faith that is, Hebrews tells us it is impossible to please Him.
We are blessed and deeply indebted to you all as you pray, care, give and serve us. I know we don’t write enough , believe me it isn’t from a lack of desire… things sometimes just consume us here. But we couldn’t do this without you all, and we know it is Him , but we know He uses you …..
God Bless,
Mark, Gwyn, Jordan & Rebekah Walsh