Hathcocks' prayer update excerpts

Greetings from Texas,

I  (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. I Cor. 3:6 

So thankful that we serve an amazing God who does more than we could ever imagine. I cannot express to you how much we are blessed by your faithfulness to pray for us. We will be traveling over the next couple of weeks visiting family and saying good-bye. So I am not sure when I will be sending the updates over the next couple of weeks.

Praises:

• Baby Ezra has engrafted after his stem cell transplant. He is a little over 2 months old and is doing well. Praying that God will heal him. Pray for wisdom and peace for his parents Ryan and Karlita.
• Our co-worker and friend "A." will begin his treatment of chemo/radiation in the next couple of weeks, Pray for God to give him strength and to enable him and his family to walk through this courageously.

Thank you so much and we hope you have a blessed Christmas!

One of God's servants,
Kimberly

Hathcocks' prayer update excerpts

Greetings from Bonham,

Thank you for praying for us! God gave me wisdom in what to share and Darrel was blessed while sharing with a church last Sunday. We are so thankful for the faithfulness of so many who have prayed for us! I am encouraged by the fact that the same God who did some amazing things in our last term continues to be at work in Debrecen. We are hopeful and excited about what God will do when we return to Hungary.

This week we will continue with homeschool and Arianna will finish her finals on Wednesday. We will have some time in Bonham and then we will begin visiting family for the holidays and saying good-bye. Transition time is a mixture of a lot of things and emotions. We are thankful that God is our rock and He is sovereign. I am thankful that he sees the big picture and He blesses us when we are obedient.

Please continue to pray:

• Many of the Christian students that we work with come from homes where they are the only believers. Pray that they will be a light to their families and that they will have opportunities to share about their faith in Jesus. Their families would see a difference in their lives and want to know more about God.
• There are many international students who come to Hungary, some from Muslim countries, others are Hindu, and some are atheists. Pray that they will have divine appointments with other Christians who will share their faith with them.
• We would be better listeners and follow His Spirit in all that we do instead of going ahead of Him and doing things and then asking God to bless it.
• Our daughters would have peace during this transition time and that they would grow in their relationship with God.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

One of God's servants,
Kimberly Hathcock

Hathcocks' prayer update excerpts

Greetings from Texas!

We are thankful for God's blessings. Thank you for praying for the girls! They have been working hard, a few panic moments, but God gave them courage to stay on task. We had some good conversations with a few international students followed by the Christmas tree lighting at DBU. Darrel is speaking at a church in Monroe City, Missouri. Our church is having a Lottie Moon Christmas banquet tonight and I will get to share some of our stories from Hungary.

Please pray:

• Darrel as he shares that others would be encouraged by the awesomeness of our God and the work that He is doing among Hungarians.  
• God would direct my words so that others will see how God is at work in Hungary.
• God would give us wisdom and clarity as we prepare to return in January.
• Arianna will begin finals this week, pray that she will have God's peace during this stressful time and that she would have the strength to study and ability to do well.
• As the people of Hungary celebrate St. Mikulas and consider their good and bad deeds, that they would realize their need for a Savior.
• "J", a young lady who really wants to follow God, that God would show her and give her courage to take the next step as she desires to walk in obedience. Also that the enemy would not distract her.

Thank you so much for praying!

One of God's servants,
Kimberly Hathcock

Below is an article about a Hungarian tradition that will happen this week.

St. Mikulás Day (The Hungarian Santa)

On December 6th Hungarians celebrate the day of St. Nicholas (St. Mikulás). St. Nicholas is the Hungarian version of Santa Claus. On this Day, St Nicholas visits children at home and at schools.
At home children wait for Mikulás by leaving their polished boots at the window the night of December 5th. If kids have been good over the year St Nicholas fills their boots with treats, chocolates, mandarins, peanuts and small gifts such as toys and books.

If children have been really naughty they get in their boots some goodies and a switch made of dry twigs (virgács) as a sign of warning.

At homes where there are small children, usually a family friend dresses up like Mikulás and brings the presents himself to children. When Mikulás arrives, children sing songs or tell poems to him.
Mikulás praises them for the good deeds and calls them out for their naughtiness. Before leaving, St. Mikulás gives gifts to the children.

http://www.budapest-discovery-guide.com/hungarian-christmas-traditions.html