Santa Claus is coming . . . but NOT to Budapest!

Dear Santa,

We just want to warn you that if your reindeer are too tired or you are over-worked, you might be tempted to send your packages via the postal system. We know that the U.S. postal system works well, but unfortunately there seems to be some gremlins lurking in the Hungarian post offices! Since we came back to Hungary in 2005 there have been 10 packages which just plain never arrived! Sorry, but it is true!

So, if it is too far for your sleigh to get around the globe and you need to delegate your work a bit, you might try using UPS, DHL or FedEx, and sending it to:

Steve Herrmann family

c/o Budapest Christian Library

1111 Budapest

Gellért tér 3. 1. 1.

HUNGARY

Give our greetings to Mrs. Claus.

- Steve, Lidia, Markus, Blanka & Hanna

P.S.: We all have been pretty good this year.

Arise! Cry Out! .....in Hungary

My church will host an event. Arise! Cry Out! is a worldwide prayer day (Nov.14) for moms who pray for their children and their schools. All women are invited to join. (www.momsintouch.org)

A couple of other moms want to host a prayer event in their churches. I am very excited that ICSB (International Christian School of Budapest) will host a prayer day for English-speaking moms.

Please pray that I will be able to translate all the material, or find people to help me do so. Also, that the DVDs from Moms-In-Touch will arrive on time here in Hungary. (The postal system is not always reliable here.)

Steve has been helping me a lot. Posting things on the Hungarian MIT website. There is now a "November 14" button with the prayer sheet for download. You can look at it,... but it is all in the Hungarian language. :-)

Guest Speaker, Nov.7

I will be the guest speaker at a moms conference. I was worried as I started to work at the hospital how it would effect the MIT ministry.

One day while I was at work, a woman called who lives a short distance from Budapest. She invited me as the guest speaker for their moms conference. Topic: Praying Moms. She has invited moms from several surrounding villages.

Please pray that God will guide me; what I should say. I have given several conferences about Moms-In-Touch, but each conference is different. After the one hour seminar we will pray in small groups (mini MIT meeting). Pray that the moms will be willing to continue with other moms on a regular basis.

Reaching Catholic Moms

Three Catholic moms have been praying in a Moms-In-Touch (MIT) prayer group for a year now. They have been experiencing how God listens to their prayers. They felt the need to reach out to the moms in their own parishes. One of them came to my seminar on September 19. She learned again how to share MIT in a seminar. After that we had another meeting (on a playground) at which we talked about details.

We prayed together about their desire to share this with their local priests. Their plan was to invite moms not only from their churches but from four other churches. They want to share what a joy it is to pray to God in their own words, not as Catholics often do, in rote prayers.

On November 14, they will gather and pray "together" with moms around the globe for the Arise! Cry Out! event. (www.momsintouch.org)

Thank you for keeping these enthusiastic moms in your prayers!

Finances in Hungary

My gross monthly salary from teaching is 145,000. HUF. The average Hungarian gross monthly wage is 197,000. HUF. Income tax for me is 25%. After the government takes its portion, I come home with $535. each month. Then there is sales tax, also 25%.

The cost of living here in Budapest is comparable to Seattle. In many cases it is more expensive than the Pacific Northwest. For example:

MILK, 1 gallon (3.8 liters) is $3.80.

GROUND BEEF (20% fat), $4.10 per pound. (We eat pork and chicken!)

PANTS (children & adults), $45. per pair. (Not jeans, they are more expensive.)

SHOES (women's athletic), $60.-$100.

SHOES (children's), $25.-$50.

Since 2005 when we first arrived back here in Hungary, the number of our supporters have NOT increased. Our recruiting efforts had no effect on this. Expenses have increased dramatically.

Look at these changes in the cost of our monthly transportation pass (bus, tram, trolley, subway):

2005 October

Adult, 35.00

Child, 13.25

2009 October

Adult, 52.80

Child, 20.75

Groceries have gone up more than other expenses. The problem is that as a family, we are eating more! (The kids are growing.)

Our average monthly grocery bill in 2005 and today:

2005: $300.

2009: $500.

We are very THANKFUL for your support and hope that you can continue.

If it is possible, we would ask for you to prayerfully CONSIDER RAISING your giving to our work.

If your church or friends would be interested in joining the support of this ministry, we would be most grateful.

God bless you,

~ Lidia

Teaching in the Hospital

I started to work full time. How I got this job was amazing. While I was at the interview the phone rang. The principal told me "that was the 100th applicant" for the job. I also had the opportunity to share; they asked me what is the difference between the Catholic church and my church. Then I got it! God gave it to me.

I teach children in a hospital 18 hours a week. Considering prep time, this is a full time job.I go to the patients room and help them with homework, or pick up where they left off before coming to the hospital. We play English games, I teach them German, we practice math skills, or drill them on geography. Sometimes we just talk. Being in the hospital is hard on the kids. I also spend time encouraging moms. The kids love my "treasure box" - tiny stickers and little things which help to motivate them.

There is a lot that is very satisfying about my new job, but there are also many sad things. The illnesses, accidents and defects which have put the children in the hospital is difficult for me.