Christmas Puppet Update
December 20, 2025
We’re back from bringing our December Puppet Outreach to twenty nine locations throughout northeastern Hungary. We served in pre-schools, middle schools and special needs care centers distributing over 2000 gift-packets with evangelistic materials. Thank all of you for your prayers and support that equip us to continue bringing the gospel to a new generation of Hungarians!
Above: Throughout the two weeks we had some foggy mornings with low visibility. God was gracious to protect us through all our travels and maintain good working order for our vehicle and trailer.
Above: Heidi (middle) was able to fill in for Erika who's back went out just the day before we began our puppet outreach. Heidi herself was also recovering from a sickness when filling in, but by God’s grace, our first day’s show was a success.
Above: Our first visit was to a preschool in our hometown of Petofibanya. We have been bringing this ministry outreach to this preschool for so many years that kids who once saw the show as preschoolers are now grown up and working as teachers. Praise God that He has kept this door open to proclaim the Gospel each Christmas and Easter.
In some unfortunate news, there are three schools that we visited last year that did not invite us back because of a change of the school principal that oversees these schools. This has happened in the past, and after prayer God graciously re-opened the doors that the enemy was seeking to shut in that situation. Please pray that God would make a way for the the door to be open again to these three schools.
Above: We praise God for giving our team strength and success even though different members came down with sicknesses throughout the two weeks. Allen was dealing with an injured toe, Sharon a hairline fracture in her pinky, and flu like symptoms seem to be hitting different members of the team each day.
Above: We begin our show with Miki telling the kids a story about a bear and wolf that choose to restore their broken friendship by asking forgiveness. Then we teach the kids this song which retells the story and speaks of the joy God's Son coming at Christmas.
Heavy snow lies deep in the forest
Frost sparkles on the trees.
The animals of the forest await you
On Christmas night.
A doe hides among the bushes,
An owl watches from the branch,
A small squirrel collects pinecones as a gift
Every forest animal sings with joy
That on Christmas night the Son of God came to us.
Every animal of the forest knows this very well:
That on Christmas night the Son of God came to us.
The bear growls in his cave, having trouble falling asleep,
He’s ready to make peace with the wolf this Christmas.
With a big tub of honey, the wolf knocks at the cave door,
And the two shaking paws are friends again and sing this song.
The kids were quick to pick up the song as you can see here in this short video clip:
Above: What is a Native American doing in a Christmas puppet show? While on a hike in snow covered mountains, the grandfather in the show tells his grandkids a tale of a young Native American child who loves playing by an ant hill in the forest. The Native American boy learns that a fire is rapidly approaching and shrinks down to ant size to communicate the danger to the ants. Then the grandfather tells the kids the true story of the fall of man and of Christ coming to earth and lowering himself to save us from our sins.
Above: After the puppet show, Erika explains the gospel to the kids. In one school when Erika was asking what God did to remove our sin which is a barrier to our relationship with God, one of the kids yelled out, “Jesus died for our sins!” It’s so encouraging to see when children so young come to know this amazing truth that can transform their lives.
Above: After Erika shows a jumbled mess of letters on poster board, she then applies a 'key' that reveals the message: Isten emberré lett értünk — Which means: "God became human for us".
Above: Erika applying a different 'key' to the same poster board which reveals the message: "God with us"
On our second day of puppets, our house water heater broke down which posed some challenges finding those who could repair it. The two men that eventually came worked late into the night trying the less expensive route of repair only to inform me that the heater was still not working. We would have to purchase a new one. I reached out to our supporting churches for financial help and they were gracious to provide.
As one of the repair men was leaving after finishing the replacement, he asked me what I did for a living. I told him, I’m a pastor of a Christian church in this town. He said something that caught me off guard and was a bit shocking. He said “Do you actually believe what you teach or do you just teach?” After doing a mental double take I responded, “Of course I believe what I teach or I wouldn’t teach it!” He said, “We thought you were a Christian the way you were always smiling and so kind.” He then told me that he was religious and his partner attended a popular Christian denomination here in Hungary. Unfortunately, there are too many Hungarians who have attended churches in their past and completely turned away because of seeing hypocrisy of leaders, pastors or priests. Pray that God would raise up faithful Hungarian leaders in His church who not only begin well, but run the race faithfully and finish well for His glory.
Above: Welcoming back our oldest daughter Ellie from the airport after our first week of puppet ministry. Ellie will be finishing Moody Bible this year and is looking into the possibility of serving in a discipleship ministry in Europe. We were thankful for Ellie's help the second week of puppets.
Above: A Hungarian snack provided by the school and a sip of coffee to keep the energy levels up.
Above: Doing a show in Rozsaszentmarton's middle school. All of our kids attended this school (and Ziva will be finishing this year). This is one of the schools that I mentioned earlier that had closed the door to our coming, but God replaced the principal and opened the door back up for us to bring the puppet ministry each year.
Above: Praise God for providing a wonderful team for the Christmas Puppet Outreach. We definitely had our challenges over the two weeks, but God was faithful to provide all we needed to successfully present the gospel in each location.
Above: Pray for the seeds that have been planted to take root and grow. The materials that we have distributed contain QR codes for the kids to watch the show again and also find other quality evangelistic material for them to explore with their parents.
Check out this highlight film of our Christmas Puppet Outreach and praise God with us!
Above: After our last day of puppets, we were back to the airport again to pick up Kira who will be visiting for a short time before her mission trip to South Asia. We're so thankful to have our daughters home for Christmas.
As we approach the end of 2025 and look forward to more opportunities in the new year, we could use your help with financial support. Both one time gifts and monthly support are needed and appreciated. Thank you for partnering with us and helping us to thrive in Hungary for so many years.
May the Lord grant you the overflow of love, joy and peace as you celebrate the wonder of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord this Christmas.
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December Prayer Requests
December 02, 2025
Above: Catching a beautiful sunset at the edge of our town in Petofibanya before darkness sets in at 4:00 in the winter months.
Above: Breaking up into small groups at Sunday worship service, sharing burdens and praying for one another.
Light and darkness.
The winter months in Hungary carry an extra weight of darkness as the sun sets at 4:00 pm. For some members of our church, the darker season has led to boughts with depression which is common in Hungary. We even had a member overdose on anti-depressants, but thankfully she got the needed help and has recovered. Among the families and friends we minister to among the Romani, there are sad stories of young men falling back into drug use. The enemy wants to blanket this world with darkness and death, but Jesus has brought His light to bring redemption and new life.
As I’ve been reading through Matthew, I came across the beautiful prophecy that Jesus fulfilled: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.” (Matthew 4:16)
Although we continue to see the effects of darkness around us, we praise God for the light of Christ that is truly transforming lives. Our church continues to grow up in learning how to love and support one another. Each member has a beautiful story of God's grace at work in their lives.
Above: The church gathering to prepare advent wreaths together.
Above: Jánkó giving testimony on Sunday (his family is pictured in the photo above his)
Jánkó recently gave this testimony: “When I think about my past it was a time of suffering that I can’t forget. Philippians 3:13 says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
I struggled for many years with addiction as an alcoholic. I was so far gone. But now, I would like to give thanks to the church for standing with me. I’m thankful for Miki who prayed for me for years asking that I would find my place in the church. And back then, I did attend church and pretended to be good, but my life was still a mess. But now, I feel that the Lord’s hand is upon me because I have now been sober for three years. I just can’t think about my life without you, the church being in it. I don’t have anyone else like you. I’m so thankful that when I was so close to death [in the hospital] because of alcohol, Miki prayed that I would live and not die. I’m thankful for Roger also. When I began to recover, Roger took my hand and helped me to readjust to life when I just couldn’t do it on my own. I thank the Lord that I am here today. I’m thankful for my wife who stands with me now and stood with me when I was a mess. And the Lord didn’t allow our marriage to end in divorce even though we were so close to ending everything. I’m thankful for my children who no longer fear me and run from me but now love me as their dad.
For years Miki shared with me Psalm 1 and I think I now understand. Verse 3 says, [The man who delights in the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Praise God for causing His light to shine in Jánkó’s life and for the restoration of his family that was once being destroyed in darkness.
Above: More memories from preparing advent wreath's together. It was great to see young and old together and joyous fellowship.
Romani in Bogács
Above: Maci and Imi that we visit weekly in Bogács have also been impacted by the light of Christ. Years ago, Imi was addicted to drugs and was serving time in prison away from his wife Maci and their daughter Szimonetta. Imi met Jesus in prison, was set free from drugs and has since moved back home. He has gotten his drivers license, found work and has been prepaing their home as they waited for their second child to be born. Maci, who was due later in December, was informed that she needed to be induced because of some issues with her kidneys and liver. We praise God that her baby Ferenc was born a few weeks early without complication!
Above: Maci holding her newborn baby Ferenc.
We were able to visit Ferenc only 4 days old and praise God together with Maci and Imi for the gift of God’s faithful provision.
There remain many in this season that sit in darkness and we pray that the power of Christ’s light will bring transformation to them as the Lord has done in Jánkó’s life and Maci and Imi’s life. Please pray for those Hungarians in our church that are suffering with depression to be set free. Pray for the families that have been restored by the Lord to continue to grow in faithfulness and walk in wisdom. May the Lord bring life to those who feel as if their life is like a withering leaf and cause fruit to be produced that brings more and more praise to His name.
Above: In adition to the good news of Ferenc being born, church members Patrik and Anna gave birth to their second child Mábel in November! Praise God for the health of their beautiful daughter and for his grace in sustaining Anna throughout her pregnancy.
Prayers needed for Puppet Outreach!
Starting this Monday, our team will be beginning our Christmas Puppet Ministry, visiting 26 public schools and proclaiming the Gospel. This year, we’ll be distributing the book “Tramp for the Lord” by Corrie ten Boom in a gift packet for teachers in each of the schools.
Corrie, who survived the Holocaust shares her story of choosing to trust God as she travels the world to proclaim His message everywhere. We also will be distributing 1,800 evangelistic mini-magazines to the children that recounts the story in the puppet show, provides puzzles and games and makes available ways for kids to learn more online.
As we go out to these public schools to share Jesus we are entering a spiritual battlefield and we need your prayers! I’ve prepared a calendar which provides some prayer requests for our team. Would you consider printing it out and sharing it with your small group, or in your family, or use it in your own quiet times over the next two weeks? Just after our first practice this week, teammate Miki came down with a sickness and we could use health for the entire team as we begin next week. Your prayers would be a great encouragement and a strong support as we set out. Download the calendar by clicking on the picture above, or clicking this LINK.
Thank you for partnering with us in bringing the light of Christ to Hungary! We are so grateful for your continued faithfulness and generosity in our lives. If you would like to make a year end gift donation to help with our family and ministry expenses you can do that HERE.
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us. We'll be posting an update in the near future about how the Puppet Ministry went.
"I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." (John 12:46)