I love the BCL!

I love the Budapest Christian Library. Here's why...

- The BCL has a warm and inviting atmosphere which non-Christians are willing to visit in order to learn about God when they wouldn't normally visit a church.

My favorite job to do at the BCL?
Making coffee for the patrons!

- The BCL offers thousands of Christian materials that pastors and other missionaries are able to use in their ministries in a country where Christain resources are scarce.
- The BCL hosts small churches to help get them started. Having a place to meet is a blessing for these church plants!
- The BCL's collection offers thousands of books for Christians that aim to improve each person's walk with Jesus, give them more Bible knowledge, or just entertain them with appropriate, up-lifting fiction.
- The BCL teaches people about the Bible, even if they didn't come to the library for that purpose. For example, we had two people come in recently (a parent and child). The parent could not speak English but the child was learning English at school and could communicate in English quite well. They had come to the library to borrow books for the child to practice reading English. They also decided to borrow two DVDs in English... and guess which two DVDs they picked? Two cartoons that are from a Christian film company and have Bible lessons and verses all on the DVD. This family has been on my heart all week and I have been praying that they will learn about God and have a curiosity to learn more through those DVDs.

Riding public transportation.
Can you see the Parliament
building behind me?

The BCL is truly a unique and effective ministry that I am thankful to be involved in! Please continue to pray for the Budapest Christian Library and the Ridgeway family who runs the BCL. Even with all of the wonderful things going on here in Hungary and specifically at the library, God's work is constantly under attack. Support, both through prayers and financial gifts, will ensure growth of God's Kingdom through the Budapest Christian Library.

Thank you!

Mary Kate

Hello October!

Heroes' Square

I have been in Hungary for almost a month now and the time has gone by quickly. The Budapest Christian Library is looking better each day as the children’s room gets closer and closer to completion and the other rooms in the library are rearranged and worked on as well. I have had the pleasure of going to the library several times a week to aid in rearranging rooms as well as cleaning the library facility and making coffee for library patrons.

I'm happy that it is October as I start my first program at the library in just one week! This past summer, a family introduced me to a wonderful website called I am Second (iamsecond.com). I am Second, through free videos and guides, aims to teach others how to put God first in their lives. For the most part, the I am Second group I am starting at the library will consist of teens that are already Christians. I'm hoping that by the time I leave Hungary, these Christian teens will feel comfortable and able to start their own I am Second groups and invite their Christian as well as non-Christian friends to come participate in them once I leave Hungary. Through the group at the library, I'll be able to build a relationship with each person there as they see firsthand how an I am Second group works. I firmly believe that anyone can lead an I am Second group (the website gives you everything you need!) and I'm hoping the teens in my group will see that too. Please pray for a successful turn-out (we begin in one week: Saturday, October 8), for each of the individual teens that will be in the group, and that before I leave Hungary one or more of them will have a desire to start his or her own I am Second group.

Thanks for the continued support and prayer! Please feel free to email me or comment below with any questions you may have. 

Mary Kate