The Partys Over

Today is Thursday ... Well, it's technically Friday now. We had our "little" Christmas shindig tonight. I don't suppose much of what I do though is small. It turned out quite grand and quite large. There were 17 of us total. Thank goodness for the large apartment! It actually worked out quite nicely.

Mel and I ran over to West End where there's a starbucks (the one they finally got in Budapest!) and some shops. Mel did a little shopping and then we went back to the apartment, got mom, and went over to the covered market by corvinus. We bought our oldalas (pork ribs) at one if the meat shops and then, after a lunch of langos (lawn-go-sh) and Hungarian strudel, I sent mom and Mel off shopping on the upper level while I meanered around the veg booths for some other goods for the dinner. Mom and Mel bought some great Hungarian goods and then we headed back "home" to start our prep. It was great to get rid of those ribs as lugging five racks if them around in my shoulder bag was indeed quite heavy.

Mom starting prepping the ribs and I ran around trying to finish up some other things. I had actually gone to the Christian book store the day before. I had been wanting to get Hungarian bibles for hajni, Zsu and Ildi. I also knew that some of the other girls were either new to faith or were participating in a bible study so I got a few little leather bound new testaments for several and the others, I got copies if the newly Hungarian translated max lucado book "you are special". Campus was actually the group that did the translation so it's a great looking book. I gave andi from the Danube a copy along with about 3 others.

Everyone came over about 6:30. We sat around chatting and eating from a relish tray (the girls were on awe over the strange veggie called celery that I had a heck of a time finding:)). Flora read the Christmas story from her new leather bound new testament and we all popped open our Christmas crackers, searched for the pickle on the Christmas tree - and then we ATE! It's always such a pleasure to hear their sighs of delight when we present our american food. They loved the barbequed ribs, the green bean casserole and the baked macaroni and cheese.

Dessert were delicious chocolate cupcakes while watching how the grinch stole Christmas and then they all opened their Christmas stockings! Another thing they dong have here - candy canes and stockings!:)

One of the girls came later and was almost moved to tears by how kind Mel and mom were to her when she came in, getting her food and trying to get her cold hands warmed up. She came in and sat down with all of us and just kept on telling everyone how she never imagined that a group of people could be so kind and have so much fun. Andi from the Danube also kept on talking about how kind everyone was and how much she lived fek and was so thankful that I had introduced her to the group. Mandi, who works with the high school group, had met andi before and she was sitting and talking with her tonight. I heard them very clearly talking about Christ and christmas and faith and all. She's a really smart girl and very curious about things so she always asks great questions. I'm just liking her more and more all the time. I told her that if she goes to the fek Christmas party on Friday to let me know and I'll go and meet her. Continue to pray for her. We were both laughing when she left about how it's a lesson to all men that, sometimes, when you stop and ask for directions, sometimes god things can happen!:)

Thanks for your prayers and good wishes. Mom and Mel had a great time and the girls were just elated! Pray for all the bibles and books that everyone got!

Tomorrow well go up to castle hill and the citadel and maybe eat a early dinner at hemingways (yes, it's actually an Ernest Hemingway old haunt!

Continue to pray for Eni, Hajni, Zsu, Eniko, Niki, Andi, Ildi, Danube Andi:), Kata and the others that have touched my heart.

Much love from Budapest!