The trip to Budapest went smoothly. My airport transport got me to the worship flat about 45 minutes before the class was scheduled to start. Emese was already there waiting on Zsuzsa. She had called to say she was coming early and bringing a friend for the study. Peter arrived a few minutes early so we started ahead of schedule. Everyone participated in a good discussion of the first 24 verses of Luke 14.
As the class progressed I was struck with a series of conflicting emotions I am still trying to sort out. After class Zsuzsa asked if I could send her some lessons and promised to come again when I came back. Her friend asked me to please let her know when I would return. Everything seemed great. It was like old times and even a little better. As we began leaving the sad reality came back into focus. There is no Bible study scheduled there again. No worship is scheduled for Sunday. Janos and Emese are still sorting through their very limited options. The unpleasantness of the last year has left them worn out. The situation is grim. I’ll meet with Peter tomorrow to discuss his views and then with Emese and him together. Please continue to pray for the brethren here. I have included a couple of pictures of the group.
I have a couple of creature comfort issues I might be inclined to complain about, but a walk through an underground area connected with a mall, train station, and metro near my lodgings makes me ashamed to. I’ll share a couple of dark grainy pictures with you. It is cold enough here that the homeless have headed for shelter. The first picture is of a guy with his pallet on the floor settling in for the evening. The second is of and old man taking shelter in a booth for taking passport pictures. The third is of police trying to figure out what to do with a new, younger group.
