Hitchman News March 2022

March 2022 ... Teaching, training, discipling new friends.

Ministry Update

Unexpected Events

We had a newsletter ready to send out and then the news hit that our neighbour Ukraine had been invaded. All other news seems to pale in light of the needs that we are hearing about. Please take a moment to pray for Ukraine. We drove to Kyiv and ministered there and many cities in the surrounding area which are now making headlines. We met many beautiful Christians who are now having to fight for their nations and for their homes. Please pray for their safety and that they will feel God’s peace in the middle of the conflict. Also, please pray for our church as we all consider how we can respond and help those fleeing the country.

National Marriage Week

We had mentioned in earlier newsletters that we were presenting as part of National Marriage Week in Hungary, well, it happened. Gyor put on a number of events every day over the period of a week and our part was, together with our church, teaching about the 4 types of love that we believe are needed to make a marriage last (our ‘4 loves’ seminar). It was a fabulous evening, our church set up the room and provided snacks, and we were blessed to have a good turnout and lots of positive feedback. Not only did it give us an opportunity to sow into the marriages of those who attended but it also gave the church an opportunity to introduce itself to a new group of people.

Leadership training

One of the things we love to do is teach and train so it was a joy to be involved in the final leadership training event of the year-long Word & Spirit School of Leadership. People from four different churches attended as we brought an interactive event that focused on two key areas: insecurity in leadership, and maintaining healthy boundaries in ministry. As ever, it was a wonderful time and the 6 hours of interactive teaching flew by.

Young Adults

Over the last few months, we have been seeing an increasing number of young adults attending church. They are a mix of Hungarians and Internationals (mainly students). Interestingly we have found that we have many opportunities to connect with them and show them some loving care and friendship that they (especially the internationals) are missing whilst so far from their families. We’ve loved having them come to our home in what’s becoming quite a regular habit. We hosted them again this last Saturday, went out for a walk together, and spent time getting to know one another and all our many varied backgrounds. Other times we eat together, play games, and engage in deep conversations. The last time we met it was lovely to close with a time of praying for each other’s needs. Our aim is to build a real loving community where these young adults are able to deepen their relationship with God and discover something of God’s call upon their lives.

Paraszt Haz Project

We’re excited about the prospect of a team of four men coming out to help at the end of April to help move the Paraszt Haz project forward. They will be focused on repairing the internal walls and ceiling so it’s great that they have a plasterer and carpenter on the team!

We really want to be in a position where we can use the house for local ministry, missionary debriefs, crisis couples and training. The pandemic has delayed this project for far too long and so the arrival of this team brings a lot of hope that the work will progress significantly and that follow-on teams will launch the property into full use.

Other Stuff

We continue to meet with couples whose marriages are facing challenges, please pray for them all. Also, we are taking another couple through preparation for marriage, something we feel privileged to be able to do. Progress continues to be made with the German translation of the Life for Singles discipleship course. The Facilitator's book is being proofread and the print-ready pdfs are being finalised for the Participant's book ready for proofreading. The French translation is now with the translator and is in the early stages of the project. We also continue to meet with the missionaries, something we love to be able to do.

We deeply appreciate all the love and support that you have given us in this last year. We know that we would not be able to do what we have been called to do without your partnership. We pray that you will have an incredibly blessed Christmas and wonderful new year!