Bittersweet Changes

I was joking around with our Director here telling him, "it seems everytime I hang that last picture frame on the wall, we get the news we are moving again, is that my way of getting comfortable?" As believers we know we are not to make this world our home, not to get comfortable and to wait excitingly until that glorious day we are with our Saviour! I am always hesitant to hang that last frame on the wall we joke often about it but it's SO TRUE! I hung that picture frame up last Sept and a week later we had a meeting with Al Konya the Director of WOL Hungary. We've known for about a year (since the new government got voted in spring 2011) that the chance of an International Resident tax would most likely be issued and enforced. We found out Oct 2011 that the tax had reached it's final level and would be passed. It was and would go into affect January 2012. We decided that first week of Oct we needed to move on, what a heartbreaking day for us to make that decision we absolutely love our ministry here. Andy and I doing exactly what we LOVE to do!! So after 3+ years we have spent the last month packing our lives up, saying our good-bye's crying, hugging and praying with dear friends who over the years became the family we've been so far away from. We've spent every holiday with them Christmas day, Thanksgiving, birthdays, yes, even 4th of July! We are proud to be Americans and always got together with our little flag, patriotic music and silly yard games and contests. We even had sparklers the closest we could get to fireworks :)

Our beautiful castle...after these few years I still have not grown tired of gazing at it and saying, "I cannot believe I live here"

There were so little when we landed in Hungary Jan 2009.

3 1/2 years later packing up to start our new ministry As I reflect on our past 3+ years I am overwhelmed with emotions... we do not want to leave and this is by far the only way you could have made us. We love Hungary, the ministry we had, the people with worked with and those we ministered too. Our girls have become "Hungarian" they prefer soup over any food even on 100 degree days, would rather walk than drive, they argue, play and love on each other in Hungarian. Novie became the best translator we could have ever hoped for! We have lived in a wonderful small village where the 19th century and 21st have seem to collide with each other. you can see the teens with their Iphones, IPOD's and European runway clothing right next to the Neni in her traditional clothing plucking feathers from a chicken and tending her flower garden. We will miss fresh eggs, having a garden, walking to school, church and friend's homes, we will miss the Interns dropping by to hang-out, watch movies and play with the girls. We'll miss singing Hungarian songs at church, walking around Budapest and listening to the girls talk about Ovoda and their teachers. We know we will never forget our time here and pray the girls remember Hungary as well. I hope the village remembers to 2 little blonde girls who stopped to hug and kiss everyone, I pray they remain loving, innocent and compassionate. We will always love our little home, village and castle. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us, we always seem to be having awesome adventures! Here's to our next stage in life, our next adventure. For those of you we did not squeeze before we left know you are all loved and will be missed greatly. We can't wait for you to come and visit us in Florida!