My first week in Budapest is at an end. It flew!  I arrived on Friday in the the early evening.  Mark Revell, Betsy Melchers and Cassidy Baker met me at the airport. A warm welcome!  They kept me up long enough to help with jet lag recovery. Saturday I spent settling in with a grocery run and unpacking.  Mark and I walked through the list of tasks they would like me to focus on while I’m here.  On Monday, Tomi, the Facilities Operations Manager, and I set priorities and a plan of execution for the work.

The biggest task and number one priority is renovating one of the offices. This needs to be done while it is being used, so much of the work has to be done in the early morning or late afternoon.  New dry wall has been hung, but there is still much to do to get it ready for painting.

Another task on the list is some paint repair to the walls in what is called the “purple room”.  The first task at hand was to install chair rail to prevent future damage to the paint.  With a limited budget, there is need for some creativity.  Floor boards that were once used in the space where the Montázs Cafe is now located, became the material for the chair rail. After some sanding, Tomi and I cut them down and installed them. They still need painting. What is amazing to me is that when I was here last year, I was removing demolition rubble from the “purple room”.  This year, it is a busy room that gets lots of use for Youth Group Meetings and other activities.  What a blessing to see the end result of work done by so many, especially the Reach Global City Team.

There are a number of smaller tasks I hope to complete while I’m here. Lord willing.

I have had an opportunity to travel to Vienna, have dinner with friends and eat my favorite Hungarian pastries! So some opportunity for food and fellowship. It is such a joy and honor to be here, making what seems to me, a very small contribution supporting the Budapest team in carrying the Gospel to the city of Budapest.  Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers!

Agnes