Significant & Tender Moments

January had been full of significant and tender moments. Our team continues to expand geographically "The Changing Face of Evangelism & the Well-being of the City" conversational evangelistic training. 1,469 believers in 12 cities, in 7 States had been trained so far. (See the picture above.) It would be impossible to share the depth of all the significant moments of this month. Instead, we've decided to give snapshots of some of these moments through pictures with a brief summary.
In the last two pictures you'll see some of the tender moments of this month.

In Oklahoma City at the middle of January, at Take the Mountain, sponsored by our good friends and prayer warriors Paul & Elizabeth Dungan. Leaders came together to ask God to take the 7 Mountains of our culture: religion, family education, government, media, arts & entertainment, and business.

Gabor and Dave are working on contextualizing a training process that is successfully utilized by church-planters outside of the U.S. worldwide. We call it Sent 6:7 based on Acts 6:7: "the Word of God spread and the disciples multiplied". It is a training process to equip believers to initiate, build and multiply discipleship groups and faith communities. This is the first test-pilot group in the U.S. before we launch it through our 57 staff in 28 cities. More about Sent 6:7 here: www.churchmovements.com/sent67/ 

We've recently joined a church-planting effort downtown KC. This past week we had an Elders Planning Retreat. Pictured here are the elders and their spouses of New Life CityChurch.

This is a group of special friends we have the privilege of leading in the past year weekly studying God's Word. We'll together dive into Sent 6:7 in the next couple of weeks.

Edina and Renato saying good-bye as Renato moves back to Hungary to start college in Budapest. We won't see him until the summer. 

Gergo and Rahel are saying good-bye as Rahel leaves after spending two weeks with us over Christmas. She continues her medical studies in Dundee, Scotland. We won't see her before mid July.

25 years ago today a miracle has happened: YTL was born

On January 10th, 1994 - a few years after the Iron Curtain was dismantled, at the dawn of a new and never anticipated era - we’ve mailed a simple letter to the National AIDS Coordinator, Dr. Denes Banhegyi in Hungary, asking him to provide a computer for us. What has followed this simple letter has marked our missional history in Hungary. We’ve argued in this 3-pages-long proposal that the best way to prevent young people from risky behaviors (promiscuity, drug, gangs, etc.) is to lead them to Jesus Christ. This simple fund-raising letter led to a personal meeting with Dr. Denes Banhegyi. “Youth at the Threshold of Life” (YTL) was born. We’ve never dreamed that 25 years later we’ll look back and see the floods of miracles as a result of that letter. God deserves that we highlight just a few of those miracles:

1. Through YTL in Hungary alone over 8,000 educators had been trained and have heard the gospel at our accredited week-end-long educator’s symposiums

2. Through YTL over half a million student have received either a Gospel of Luke or saw the Jesus film or have heard a gospel presentation in Hungarian classrooms

3. Through YTL God opened doors to start student ministries which have produced thousands of Christ-followers, hundreds of faithful laborers and dozens of full-time missionaries

4. Through YTL hundreds of Christian volunteers had been equipped to share the gospel; some used this opportunity to plant a church

5. Through YTL in 62 countries millions have had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Most recently in a large closed country someone told us: “God has given us YTL and it blossoms in our country.”

6. Bible-based curriculums were developed and utilized to educate future generations

7. Through YTL thousands of believers were mobilized to come for short-term mission trips to Hungary

8. Through YTL we could enter with credibility into the educational arena

9. Through YTL we could partner with the Hungarian Police to launch a nationwide campaign through which over one-hundred-thousand students were reached with the gospel

(“The Outrageous Promise”, the book David Robinson and Gabor coauthored tells a more detailed story of this modern day miracle of God. More information: www.outrageouspromise.com) 

As we look back to the past 25 years of this miraculous journey  we are more convinced than ever that God’s Kingdom is advanced:

1. through prayer,

2. through the ‘nobodies’ who remain available, 

3. through risk-taking, bold, sacrificial faith that honors His Word and

4. through mission-focused committed teams.

The past 25 years reminds us that we have much to celebrate and much to anticipate as we continue to pursue God’s mission.

The 1st YTL symposium in March 1994

YTL symposium in the former communist university

The Robinsons, Dr. & Mrs. Banhegyi, The Greszes

YTL Classroom lecture