OK, not really the nations, but the National Directors of the countries here in Eastern Europe & Russia are coming to Budapest for a conference that starts tonight and runs through Saturday. They will also be joined by the National Coordinator’s of Women. Therefore, we will have close to 50 people at the conference. Coordinating this bi-annual event is a significant part of my new role and so I will be scrambling this week to get everything done.

Maybe I’ll have time to post a few pictures as the week progress. Okay . . .probably not, but a guy can dream can’t he?

I leave for the airport in just a few minutes after spending a wonderful week here in Cairo. The meetings with the Global Technology Leadership went very well. I was able to get some good input on the Global Measurement Project that I’m working on and I learned about some training classes that can be used to train our staff in basic computer skills. Both of these things will go a long way in helping increase the use of technology in our ministry in Eastern Europe & Russia. Also, the value of the week isn’t always seen right away as we build relationships that allow us to better partner with each other in the future. I’m currently working with staff in Singapore on the measurements project and without the relationships built at past meetings, I don’t think we would have such a strong partnership.

I also was amazed by Cairo. Europe is has such a long history that I’m amazed by the old buildings that I see. That is nothing compared to Egypt. 5000 years old is just normal. I was able to view the King Tut exhibition at the Egypt National Museum yesterday and it was totally amazing to see the things that they were able to do many thousands of years ago.

I’m looking forward to being home. Valerie’s parents fly in from Houston today so I’m looking forward to seeing them as well.

This group will meet the next time in Budapest so I won’t have such a long trip, but it will be great to be with everyone again.

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Yesterday, we took the morning off from our meetings and went to visit the pyramids. After all, what would a trip to Egypt be without it. It also give us a chance to get to know each other better and build some new relationships.

It was absolutely overwhelming. I still can’t believe that I was there. It is something that I’ve seen pictures of so many times and now I was standing there. My first impression was the surprise that it is so close to the city. I would guess that the Great Pyramid is only a quarter mile from a major street with tons of buildings and other things. The city basically runs right up to the edge of it all.

As I saw the size of them, and our tour guide explained the amazing feat of building them, it is hard to believe that they are 5000 years old. There are 2.3 million blocks in the Great Pyramid and they each weigh about 10 tons. It makes the theory about the aliens helping to build them much more plausible.

We then had lunch at Pizza Hut which was right out the window from the Sphinx. This is a classic picture of the modern meeting the ancient. We had so much fun taking pictures from inside the Pizza Hut. I think you could make this a tourist attraction in and of itself.[image:338:r]
Today (Wednesday), we meet all day and I have a couple of presentations. It is the final day of our meetings. We have already had some cool breakthroughs as a group and I’m excited about some of the things we will be able to implement as a result.

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I’m privledged to be a part of a group in Campus Crusade called the Global IT Council. It is a group of people who lead technology efforts at the different Area of Affairs around the world. This is the 4th meeting of the group (of which I have attended 3) and it is absolutely amazing to learn and share with my colleagues from around the world.

Tomorrow we start our meetings in Cairo, Egypt and so today I travelled from Budapest to Cairo and we start our meetings in the morning. We had dinner together tonight and I sat with a colleague from Egypt and from Zambia. It is so fun to learn about each other’s cultures and perspectives on life! One of the great things about this council is that we all bring different perspectives on the technology challenges that face us around the world. Each time I attend, I build a relationship, get an idea, or form a partnership that acclerates the ministry in Eastern Europe.

At one of the meetings I attended, I heard a brief 10-15 minute update on a software that was being written to help countries process donations and to allow staff to track these donations. I had no idea how I would use this information until I was asked by our finance director in Ukraine if I knew of a way to help with donations. I told her about what I heard at the council and she proceeded to implement the solution and translate the software into Russian so that other Russian speaking countries could take advantage of the tool. This example is just one of the many huge benefits to this conference.

Now about Cairo. I’ve only had a drive from the airport so I haven’t seen too much, but it is very unique. There are 15 million people here in Cairo which is more than in all of Hungary. WOW! The overall impression is BROWN. The sand is brown, the buildings are brown, and it is just brown. Very little color. My hotel is on the Nile River and the picture above is out the window of my hotel room. I’m humbled to have an opportunity to be here. It is my first time to Africa and to be here where there is so much history. I had fun telling Kirby Ann that I was staying next to the river where Baby Moses was found.

More to come later. About Cairo and about our meetings. Click on the picture to see a few more.

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This week Valerie had a chance to go on a retreat with our new team. It is the Area Leadership Team for Eastern Europe & Russia. We spent the week at a beautiful hotel in the Hungarian countryside called Szépalma which means “Beautiful Apple.” It is a horse farm and hotel and is owned by a Swiss Christian banker. He operates it as a hotel and offers large discounts to Christian groups so it was a wonderful place for a retreat.

Valerie & I are both totally exhausted, but totally energized about the chance to work with this team and these wonderfully faithful people. The exciting part is that there are 2 other couples that are new like us and they are both Eastern Europe nationals. One is from Poland and the other from Romania. They will be the first nationals to serve on our Area Leadership Team!!! Praise the Lord!!

If you follow my co-worker Jerry’s blog, you know that he and his family are moving back to Orlando this summer. Valerie & I are totally bummed about this and yet we know that it is what God is leading them to. It has been an incredible experience to minister alongside of Jerry. I’ve never had the chance to work with someone with whom I was so well suited. It has been an incredible experience to work with such a good friend.

Since Jerry made his announcement, many people have asked, “What are you going do now?” Ever since we moved here, the thought of Jerry leaving before me has always caused me stress. We work so well together that I didn’t want to even think about working alone.  

Amazingly, as the Hertzlers were in their decision making process, the Lord began to do something in my heart. He gave me an incredible peace about our future. Even though I knew that the Hertzlers would probably leave, I had a peace that the Lord would take care of us. I still knew that the Lord was calling us to stay here in Budapest and I knew that the Lord had good plans for us.  

A few weeks after Jerry & Cathy announced their decision, I was called into a meeting with our Director of Affairs for Eastern Europe and Russia, Larry Thompson. He challenged me to become his Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff assists the Director by coordinating his activities and following-up on major projects. The Chief of Staff is in some ways an extension of the director that can act for him when he is not around. In addition, Valerie & I both will join the Area Leadership Team. 

 My first thought was, “Oh, Lord, maybe this is what you have planned for me!” Many things about the job are a perfect fit for me. I like to have many things going on at the same time. I like variety in my work, and nothing is ever the same in Larry’s office. I like to coordinate teams, and I will have that opportunity as I facilitate the Area Leadership Team meetings. 

As Valerie & I talked and prayed about it, we knew that the Lord was calling us to this new role. We accepted the role and I have already started. I will continue to transition with Jerry and I hope to continue working on some technology projects in the future. 

Please pray for Valerie & I in the transition. I’m humbled by the opportunity, very excited about the role, but also a little fearful of the huge challenge that is before me.

Also, pray for the Hertzlers as they transition back to the US and we transition to life without them.

[image:311:c]After a long 16 hour trip, I’m back in Budapest. I’m pretty exhausted right now, but I’ll be better in a few days. It is great to be home.

It was a wonderful week for many reasons:

1) The meetings were truly ground-breaking. If we can work together across the world to create good measurement tools for our ministry then it will make a huge difference. I’m looking forward to working closely with our team in Singapore to develop the first version of the software. I couldn’t have imagined that the meetings could have gone better. They were hard, but I think it is going to pay off.

2) I had a great time with my dad. It was fun to hang out with him and catch up on each other’s lives. What a priviledge to get to work with my dad!

3) I enjoyed getting to visit Singapore. Since I live in Eastern Europe, Singapore didn’t feel like a foreign country to me. Since everything was in english and there were western stores everywhere, it felt very comfortable to me. There was a Stabucks on every corner and we even ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen yesterday. I brought home some Oreo cookies for the family since we can’t get those here. They were really excited. The local food was also great. I liked the Malaysian Satay best and the Chinese Food second.

Click the picture above to see the whole gallery.

[thumb:304:l] We finished our 3 day meetings and man am I exhausted. We worked really hard and most of our breaks were filled with side meetings. It feels good to be done and to have accomplished so much.

Now, I’m looking forward to some rest and a couple of days of sightseeing with my dad.

Click the picture to see more of the city of Singapore

[thumb:300:l] We all survived the first day of meetings. Here we are diving into the tough issues of how to track measurements globally. Bet you wish you were here .

[thumb:299:l]We spent Monday just orienting ourselves to the city of Singapore and resting up for the meetings that start on Tuesday.

First, we went to an Indian Restaurant in Little India. It was basically rice, different sauces, and with a few choices of meat (mutton & chicken). It was served on a banana leaf placemat and we were supposed to eat with our fingers. I chose to use the utensils, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Then, we went to a large electronics mall. It was six stories of electronics stores with every type of camera, mp3 player, computer, etc . . .that you can imagine. It was totally overwhelming.

I took a little rest in the afternoon as jet lag was closing in, but I only slept for 30 minutes or so.

We capped off the day at an open air foodcourt where we ate a Malaysian dish called Sate. It was basically meat on a stick flavored with different sauces and it was excellent. It was like barbeque in a lot of ways and we all really enjoyed it.

Our meetings started a few hours ago and they are going well so far. More later. . .

Click on the picture above to see more.