Good Monday Morning!

After Thanksgiving dinner last night, we all departed Jodi's apartment around 10:30. Poor Tammie had a 7 a.m. flight and I should have gotten her to bed much earlier, but she was quite a trooper! Ildi also had come into Budapest from Debrechen, about 2 hours outside by bus. She's gone back home and is going to school there for last year and this. She was extremely positive that she'll be back in Budapest next year. Please pray for her as she's such a sweetheart and is so kind - she's so wrapped up in the concept of a boyfriend and is absolutely craving fulfillment in that. It makes me sad and we've talked about how boyfriends come and go and hurt you and can't always be relied on. I just want her to have so much more than a boyfriend. I absolutely love her and am so happy that she came to Budapest to see me! Our hug goodbye was repetitive and long and -- I suppose a little sad on both of our parts. God willing I'll see her next year.

Jodi was is such a wonderful host and offered to take us all out to Herend, about an hour and a half outside of Budapest. Its the town where the extremely expensive and beautiful "porcelain", aka "china" is made.

We paid for tickets and were able to take a tour through the factory. They had actual workers creating porcelain. It was amazing! Most of the workers at been at the factory for like 35 or more years. Can you imagine!

The molds are made and used a certain number of times and then have to be broken and recreated.

This was absolutely mind blowing! She has to cut out all these little pieces and if she makes one slip up - crush - it has to be just a headache waiting to happen! I know I would never ever have that much patience!

This one was easier but quite creative.

Basket weaving 1-0-1....

Now on to hand painting.... This is even more amazing.

If they can paint intricate designs on porcelain, did we doubt they can do it on their own nails!

This is one of their famous pieces. Apparently, its a famous Hungarian singer from a long time ago...

I love this piece! The green is so beautiful!

This is the outside of the actual factory across the street. It has a museum in it. The top is meant to be some kind of kiln shape or something.

From the inside looking up.

I cannot even imagine how much this oven would cost!

This is my all time favorite! Its the most beautiful blue and so rich looking!

This is Parliament in Budapest.

We got free coffee in Herand cups as well. Well - Mark had hot choclate, Jayne had tea and I had cappucino.

We got back around 2:30 and then Mark, Jayne and I walked over by the Jewish ghetto area. This is the Jewish Synagogue. Its a beautiful building.

This is the weeping willow tree in the courtyard that commemorates the dead from the ghetto. Each Weeping Willow leaf has a name written on it. Its a really moving piece.

Gyorgy and Judit Balog, some of my friends and staff member with Campus, had asked me to come out to see their house. Two years ago they had bought it and I saw it in the process of being built. Now, I got to go and see it finished. I know they've found it to be such a blessing with the yard and the space. Its a little farther out from the city in Erde and so the boys have room to play outside in their fenced in yard.

They have this little fire pit in their backyard where they can make little fires and theres this bread that they bake in the fire.

This is Judit and Beni and Dani.

This is Gyrogy and Reyka

And - then back to my room for an early night. So sweet! This is the view from my room. Its not a bad view of the Danube and the Ezerbit Bridge and the Freedom Statue but its not as good as the rooms down farther where my view was of the Castle area - that was amazing!