Gonzalez Gazette June '08

Hello everyone,

We are glad to be back, here are some highlights from our trip to Hungary. We started our journey by hanging out in Radom for a few days before moving on to Hungary. We spent time with Mary Rogers, and the Kula family enjoying as always some refreshing fellowship. It’s always so much fun to go into the Kula home and get attacked with questions and lots of hugs from the kids. That’s where the real fun is. Each Kula kid with their stories, impressions, and goofy dances and jokes and there wonderful love for Jesus. While the youngest (Rebekah Kula) was sitting us Suzie’s lap she observes the cross on her neck and says “Did you know Jesus died on that.. but it was bigger” Oh we loved it! That’s the kind of stuff you get from each one, Abby (Aber dabers), Olivia (our peanut), John Mark (Mr. Buddy) and Rebekah (boopers) they are a joy to us and they humbly don’t even know it! But that is just a reflection of the awesome Godley representation of parents (though they would never admit it) of Kurt & Kendall. We love it every time we visit our family there in Radom. Mary knows how special she is to us because we always brag about her. So needless to say we had wonderful chats with our friend Mary and much needed koinania!

On to Vac…. we made a stop over in a town called Vac, Hungary to visit our friends, Jarrod & Shannon McGuire and their daughter Joelle. They assist at CC Vac and help out with various ministries. We had plenty of fellowship with this couple that we have been trying to meet and just hang with for a couple years. Finally God gave us an opportunity to stay with them and just talk and enjoy each others company. Their pretty daughter Joelle was teaching us all dance moves and anything she could ( what is it with kids and dances) also we were all entertained to watch Frank copy her and her dance moves. On Sunday we were blessed to attend the church and were also able to catch up with our friend Tamas who is pastoring the fellowship. Frank was even blessed to share a brief word about communion. It was a real joy to see what God is doing in the Lords church there in Vac and we want to continually be apart of it through prayer.

The Conference: Not by might, nor by power but by My spirit says the Lord. Zachariah 4: 6 was the theme verse for this years Foundations conference in Vajta Hungary and wonderfully echoed through the whole week of the conference by all.

We went with no expectations, but grabbed a handful of blessings which is what God wanted us to have while we were there. God truly spoke through each speaker and one in particular was through Janos Nemeth a national pastor in Hungary. Wow what a word from the Lord both times he spoke. They were simply but wonderfully on Prayer and What does it truly mean to walk in the spirit. In both of those messages we came to the same point which is the theme verse, it’s not by might nor by power but by My Spirit that we come to Him in prayer and how we walk in Him. It’s not us, our talents, gifting, or anything but Jesus that moves us to do those things He asks us to do. We loved Phil Metzger’s great analogy on Friday the last day of the conference. He was giving the illustration about his daughter and how she likes to help with the groceries sometimes. But being so young and little she can only carry so much. So Phil gives her the toilet paper to take in and after so long he’s already made two trips to the car and she’s made it half way up the drive way. So he says” Now I don’t yell at her and say get a move on, why don’t you move faster, no I tell her, wow way to go your doing so good, I’m so proud of you” and when she says” Oh it’s heavy daddy” Phil says” I don’t tell her tuff, or too bad, no, I say, I know honey but you can do it and your doing great”. So Phil further explains that’s how our heavenly Father is with us. He doesn’t scold us, He knows we are carrying toilet paper and God is really doing all the work but the Lord encourages us that we can make it, and He’s proud. God is doing everything by His spirit and we are truly His instruments and so often we really forget that. When I (Frank) prepare what I think is a good message and deliver it in a beautiful way and it’s not filled with the Holy Spirit, its just words spoken by man. God will be the one to truly deliver it not the pastor at the pulpit, he’s simply an instrument and that’s something we can’t forget as ministers or missionaries sent to do His work.

Kurt Kula was another missionary that spoke. He exhorted us to simply stand, also exhorting parents to remember that the children are a gift not a burden. They are the ministry and should be involved in every aspect of whatever you are doing. When you love and include your family and put them first you show more of a display of Christ by simply serving your family. We have to say that Kurt and Kendall are a wonderful example of that with there own children in there everyday life.

Each of the messages these men spoke were simple truths that were a great reminder!

The fellowship was amazing. We were able to catch up with so many of our family in Christ and pray with them. Some great friends like Jeremy & Christi Foster and their four awesome kids (serving there in Vajta at the bible college), Jarrod & Shannon McGuire (serving in Vac), Micah & Christi Claycamp (serving in Ukraine) & Mike &Lori Pritchard (serving in Vajta at the bible college). The Lord also blessed us with an opportunity to have an encouraging talk with our mission’s pastor from CCCM, Phil Twente. We really enjoyed his company, encouragement and conversation. We also had the privilege of getting to know many people that we would see but never really got to know, like John & Karen Chubik who have been serving and pastoring in Ukraine for many years and are now headed back to the states to serve at CCCM and there John will be serving at the school of ministry. They have been a blessing to see God use for so many years and we know the Lord has so much more for them in the years ahead. We were blessed and privileged to get to know them more and glean from them with the years of experience while serving here in Europe and in the states. Also we got to know a couple serving in Serbia Taiwo & Zuza Onasoga. It was very funny because we kept bumping into them here and there and saying funny things to one another and having short sentences but never really getting to talk. But finally on the last day we had a very good time getting to know them, praying with them and it was a blessing to us both. They have such a neat story and we are excited to see what God will continue to do there in CC Backa Topola. We were blessed to hang out with many others, both national workers and American missionaries alike.

One thing we can say that makes this the best conference for us so far was the prayer! We prayed with so many people and didn’t really think about the things we were going through but heard other cries and wow what similar circumstances we are all going through. You can’t say much but that it was an amazing time and we thank God for these breaks He has been blessing us with through out his year and we thank the Lord for Vajta, Hungary conference center, in what we call “The God Bubble”.

Saturday we headed for home but we first made a stop to visit our good friend Palma in Erd and spent a few days hanging out with her and her family. We had a very blessed time as usual with Palma and enjoyed some homemade Hungarian cooking by her mom. On that Sunday we went to CC Budapest with Palma. After service we had the chance to have lunch with some of Palma’s good friends and enjoy hearing their testimonies as well just some nice fellowship. One of the girls, Christina is actually in the Budapest choir and we had the opportunity to get to know her before we see her again in August.

All in all it was a blessed trip and we thank the Lord for it.

On a different note, here is a neat short story. Malgosia, one of the ladies who come to the study is leaving for the summer for an internship in her parent’s home town. An interesting thing happened with her yesterday that was a total God thing. Malgosia lives in a student room rental place and everyone that is in the building shares the bathrooms they have. Anyways she was packing to get on a train bound for her parent’s home where she will be staying for the summer. As she leaves her room for a split second someone stole her computer. She comes back finds out her laptops gone and calls the Police. She then misses her train in the mists of all of this. She then calls us crying and asking for prayer. We prayed with her and then proceeded to take her to the police station to officially report the incident. The funny thing is that day Frank had two appointments which both cancelled which would have prevented us from helping her. Later on Malgosia made new connections to another train that was a bit longer but she kept saying to us “God knows” with a big smile. We then saw her off and that was that. This morning she called us to tell us that she made it safely and that while she was on the train two actual practicing Witches were in her compartment and she shared Christ with them both. Wow Gods plans are awesome and divine!! We can’t wait to hear how God moves for this girl during the summer.

Some things to pray for:

Malgosia: that the Lord would protect her and guide her while she is away. She actually listens to CC Costa Mesa’s studies they have available and P. Chuck a lot so prayerfully she can stay in the word as well as the resources we have on the church website here in Poland. She says there are no really good churches there in the city of Czestechowa were she will be living for the summer. We are helping her as much as possible but we know the Lord will take care of her! She is excited to come back to Olsztyn though and wants to help out with the choir when they come. She will be returning at the end of August.

Bartek & Beata: that God would continue to give them a hunger for His word and bear much fruit in their lives.

Choir: We have the hundred man/women CC Budapest Hungarian choir coming in August. They are doing a concert here in our cities amphitheater and we pray for God to lead that time and use it for His glory.

Church meetings: That God would bring hungry hearts to hear His word also those that desire the truth.

Leading for the remaining summer: This is a great time to be out and about our city. We pray the Lord would open doors for ministry and that we would hear and obey His leading. Especially as it is a huge tourist place and they have jazz festivals all summer. Something we recently started doing together with our new team mate Kristina (only for the summer) was going to café’s to sit and pray and read through a ministry book together and pray for opportunities to meet people, especially if someone hears us speaking English and lol and behold it happened today. We were all talking and two ladies came up and noticed us speaking English and asked if we could do a survey about being in Poland and we did. Then we shared a bit about ourselves and gave them tracts. Don’t know if we will ever see them again But GOD is SO GOOD and it was fun.

Co-laborers: People to serve side by side with, to help in worship, translation and to pray together with us as we plant the Lords church.

English Camp: From July 27th- August 2nd, we will be helping the Baptist church with an outreach camp. We will be doing the English section of it and planning it. So please pray for the Lords leading and a fruitful time. We are really blessed to have been asked and are excited to help in this as we are close to Radek and Ula who go to this church as well as they are our family in Christ and we just want to see the word and truth get out.

Baseball: We would still like to try using baseball to reach out to our neighborhood and have fun with the kids, so please keep praying if it’s the Lords will.

God's Provision for Our Needs: That God would continue to provide for all of our needs as He has been so faithful to do.

Our Marriage: God’s blessings on it and that it would continue to abound in His grace.

Please remember to pray for these other workers and missionaries serving in Europe whom we have been blessed in getting to know:

Right to left: The Claycamps, Ukraine; The Chubiks, now at CCCM; The Fosters, CCBCE, Hungary

Right to left: George & Sharon Markey, Ukraine; Kris & Otti Theoderopolis, in Serbia

Right to left: The Onasogas, Serbia; The McGuire s, Hungary; Agi, CCBCE, Hungary, in Nigeria for Summer

Thanks again for all you prayers and support! You can click on any of the pics to see enlarge them.

Frank & Suzie Gonzalez
www.olsztyn.golgotapolska.pl