Hungarian Brass in Vacegres

We have two new players in the Hungarian Brass. The trumpet player is awesome! He is an incredible trumpet player! His name is Janos Hamori. In English, Janos means John. The trombonist is very, very good, too. Mark Alfoldi-Boruss is his name. Mark did not have the benefit of much practice with us before he played in the concert today. We practiced for 90 minutes before the concert. Janos played with us earlier this month when we did the recording for our new CD. But, let me tell you, these two young men are so good that they can sightread the music and play like they have played it dozens of times.

Am I excited? Better believe it! Wow!

We are missing one of our trombonists for six months, Krisztian Csapo. He is working on a cruise ship to earn money so he can get married next August. He is an incredible trombonist, so, we really miss him. But, this group that we have right now is really good. Praise the Lord!

Lynne is excited, too! She really enjoys working with these young men and they become like sons to her.

The church in Vacegres loves, loves, loves music! We played 14 songs and I sang two solos. They would have gladly stayed for more. The pastor, Endre Varady, is a fine young pastor. By the way, he and his wife have a 7 day old daughter and they are thrilled.

I spoke to the congregation on Judges 11:29 where Jephthah was filled with the Spirit and led the nation at a critical time in war. Jephthah suffered much in his childhood and had trouble dealing with his past. After he prayed, giving his problems to God, Jephthah was a changed man. This message speaks to a needy world today. Two people raised their hands in the meeting responding to the message.

What a great day!

Eric

Lynne Finished Her MS Treatment

Lynne finished her MS treatment in Germany. So far, so good! She has had a better response to this treatment than the last one that she had in May of this year. The doctor changed the treatment to focus on other areas of her body where the MS has been affecting her condition. Both of us were glad to hear this. If you want more details please feel to write me at ericmurphy_life@hotmail.com or ericwmurphy@gmail.com and I will gladly give you more information.

The main thing right now is that she has to wait six to eight weeks to see how she will respond to the treatment. Your prayers for this would be appreciated.

At the present time, three days after the treatment, she has slight increase in her energy level which is very important. MS patients suffer greatly from fatigue.

So far, so good!

Eric

An Anniversary of Sorts

Saturday, September 22, marked an anniversary of sorts. Eight years! Yes, 8 years has passed since I last ate sugar! Can you believe it? It's true! No desserts, no sweets, no Coke or Pepsi, etc. In fact, I have not drank diet drinks such as Pepsi Maxx or Diet Coke for the last 14 months.

When we were in Germany for Lynne's treatment we had a dinner with a man that has not eaten processed foods for the last five years. No processed foods!

This sort of trumped my no sugar story . . .

Oh well!

Eric

In Germany

Lynne met the doctor today regarding her treatment for MS. She receives the treatment tomorrow, so, please pray that it will help her. These treatments over the past five years have slowed down the progress or worsening of the disease. I will keep you posted on her response to the treatment.

The drive from Montenegro to Germany (south of Frankfurt) is a long journey! We have now traveled about 3,200 kilometers or something around 1,700 miles. This includes our trip to Montenegro, then to Germany. We still have the 12 hour drive back to Budapest after the treatment or another 1,000 KM. Next time we will fly to Montenegro! $400 per person round trip from Budapest to Montenegro. It takes about 100 minutes to fly there! It takes me 16 hours to drive there . . .

We have a Brass Tour coming up in November . . . details will be published on the blog soon.

Also, we are in the mixing process of our Hungarian Brass CD. Sounds great so far!! What a blessing it is for me to play the trombone with these young men! Lynne really enjoys accompanying us with the piano.

So, here we are in Edenkoben, Germany, for Lynne's treatment. It is beautiful here right now! The grape vines are loaded with grapes. The treatment facility is located near the vineyards. I am working on some projects right now. I will enjoy a long hike tomorrow, then, work on the projects that will help us in preparation for more ministry.

God bless!

Eric

Sept. 16 Church Meetings in Montenegro

This morning I spoke at the church in Niksic. There were 17 in attendance. My text was from Judges 11 where Jephthah suffered from rejection. His response was negative as he formed a gang that raided the countryside. But, he learned skills as a warrior that helped him later. When the Ammonites gathered for war against the Gileadites [Jephthah's father was Gilead] Jephthah was called upon to help. His response reflected the pain that he had suffered when his brothers had cast him out of the family years before because Jephthah was the son of an adulterous relationship that Gilead had with a harlot. "You rejected me before, why do you call upon me now?" But, he prayed to God as he received instruction to accept this task. So, he told them that he would lead them in the battle IF they accepted him as their leader. Jephthah was a changed man after this time of prayer. Our first response to rejection is usually not a spiritual reaction and this was the case with Jephthah. But, he changed when he prayed to God! God gave Jephthah a great victory over the Ammonites. Do you know that he is listed as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32? That says a lot!

Some people told me that this message was just for them and that it was a great help. God is at work!

We had lunch with a church planter, Eric Gruetzmacher, who is attempting to plant a church on the coast of Montenegro at Herceg Novi. A young couple, Brian and Sarah, joined us for lunch. They are on a survey trip considering the possibility of joining Eric. This was encouraging! Montenegro needs 50 church planters now! How about 75? There are only 3 evangelical churches in the country with about 127 believers. There are 4 or 5 church planters here in the country including Eric. Pray for more church planters!

Tonight I preached in Podgorica, the capital city, to about 30 people. They are so responsive! The theme was on Brokenness from Leviticus 6:21. Read the verse and note that the grain offering was broken into pieces as it was offered to God. God breaks us . . . our pride, our self-will, selfishness, anger, etc. . . . through difficult experiences. This is done with love. Yet, it is difficult for us nonetheless. "Broken" believers are then a sweet smelling aroma to God. Our pride and arrogance are totally opposite and not sweet smelling. Once again, several people told me that this message was just for them and expressed their appreciation. It is so interesting to watch the Word of God have an effect upon people and their personal lives.

Do these messages have meaning for you? They do for me!

Tomorrow, God willing, we begin the travel to Germany for Lynne's treatment for MS. It will be a long journey!

Eric

Montenegro: What is happening?

It's beautiful here right now in Montenegro. The weather is very nice and the mountains are majestic. The people have been very kind to us and we have enjoyed some great conversations.

Last night I spent a long time with a teenage basketball player and his father. The boy came to camp this summer toward the end of camp. It was an excellent conversation as I learn more about Montenegro and its people.

I met about 15 new teenage friends at the basketball court. They want to practice their English and those who don't know English desperately wait for translation from their friends as they want to keep up with the conversation. Next to me were 2 teens who came to Camp Monty and they willingly told the others about camp. The others quickly wanted to know if we are coming back next summer to have another camp. Yes! They cheered! It was a special moment!

Another thing happened only minutes earlier when I first came to the basketball court. Two guys around 25 or so saw me come onto the court and they kicked a soccer ball [this court is used for several different sports and usually more than one sport is going on at any given time] high in the air so it would land very close to me. Then, one of them gave a vulgar hand gesture. Two of our campers immediately ran over to them telling them who I am. I do not know what they said. But, the older guys acknowledged this information and said, "Sorry," waving sheepishly to me. What a change! That was interesting!

One difficulty here right now is a water ration. The water is on only twice a day for short periods of time. No showers for four days. Oh me! Well, one more day here and we start heading to Germany for Lynne's MS treatment. We will get a shower on the way . . . oh me!

Speaking in two churches today here in Montenegro. More about this later!

Eric

In Montenegro!

Perhaps you remember the incident at the basketball court this summer where a lady screamed at me calling me a sect. She wadded up the camp flyer and crammed it down my shirt. Then, her friend spit at me. That was right before camp started! Wow! Well, I went back to the same ball court last night and tonight . . . without incident.

We are here to do follow-up on some of the campers who made decisions at Camp Monty 2007. So far, I have met with three of them and the response was very good. I will speak in the church here in Niksic on Sunday morning. Tonight I invited these campers and other young people who were at the ball court to come to listen to me speak. Pray for this!

Today, Lynne and I visited people at the hotel where we had the camp and we were warmly greeted with big smiles. We also visited the man who oversees the gymnasium where we had the basketball training. I told him that we plan to come back next July . . . big smile and a firm handshake. He was glad to hear this.

Also, I bumped into a man whose son was playing at another basketball court that we visited this summer. He was so glad to see me and was very happy that I had come back to his city. One of our basketball coaches, Rob Oppedisano, visited this man and his family in his home the day after camp ended. This Montenegro man was so grateful for this visit because Rob was giving personalized instruction to this man's son who is an excellent young basketball player. This young player has NBA potential if he can grow a few more inches. He came to our camp toward the end of the week.

Tomorrow, more visits with these young people and another trip to the ball court, actually, to both ball courts that I have mentioned.

Sunday . . . I speak two times . . . once in Niksic and once in Podgorica, the capital city. Can't wait!

Heading to Montenegro

This summer 7 young people made decisions for Christ. 5 of them were boy between the ages of 16 and 26. 2 were young girls 7 and 12. Tomorrow Lynne and I are traveling down to Montenegro to do follow-up and to encourage these new believers. Also, there are a few others who seem to be interested in having a relationship with Christ.

During camp in August I talked with one young man who is a leader at the basketball court where we visited each night for nine days. I told him that he seems to have an interest in Christ, but, that he is running from this. He speaks English and he said, "Really, well, watch me run right now!" And, he did! He literally ran away from me. :) I saw him the next day and I told him that we are coming back in September. His response was mixed in that he admits he is "running away", but that he is glad that we are coming back.

In fact, I heard from our granddaughter [who is using "messenger" to keep up contact with many of the campers and workers] that the young people there are talking about us coming back! That is super!

So, I will go back to this basketball court and hang out when the 30 to 55 young people who show up each evening. At least 6 of the converts from camp will be there. The court is illuminated and I usually stay there for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours from about 8 PM to 10:30 PM building relationships. Pray for this!

We will try to organize pizza at the church or somewhere in order to get the campers together for fellowship. We need to build bridges from the church to these young people. I will speak to them to encourage them in their faith for the new believers and to remind the others how to start a relationship with Christ.

Check back for another Montenegro report in a couple of days.

Eric

Youth Camp in Slovakia--Stay Tuned!!

Friday was a long-g-g day!! Whew! I drove from Budapest to Bratislava to meet with Tomas Kriska, President of the Baptist Union in Slovakia. Tomas is a dear friend and I have been helping him with the renovation at Rackova Dolina, at a conference center, in Slovakia. I am glad to help with this because there needs to be a top quality Christian conference center in that country to reach out to families and to churches and their leaders. But, there needs to be a youth camp in Slovakia and this desire has been on my heart for three years.

The drive to Banska Bystrica gave us a couple of hours to talk. It was a profitable time together. Tomas is a man who has a heart for God and we have great fellowship together.

Banska Bystrica is centrally located in Slovakia nestled in the Tatra Mountains. It is a ski center as well as a great place for hiking in warmer weather.

We met with two other men to discuss the development of a youth camp near there. This conversation was timely and orchestrated by God. It was a special moment! In my 18 years in Hungary and Eastern Europe I have had several "special moments" that produce great results. God is at work!

The next step is another meeting to be held there on October 23 or 30 with a group of leaders from several denominations. I think it is important to cast a vision and ask others to join together to form an association to bring about a youth camp.

There is a camp property and the owner attended the meeting on Friday. He has a great desire to reach young people through a youth camp. He has asked for my leadership to develop this youth camp. So, I am counting on our supporters and friends to pray for Lynne and me.

The drive back home, three hours, gave me time to reflect and make plans. Lynne and I looked at the potential camp site two years ago and our hearts were racing! A series of events had us waiting and praying. Now, it seems that the Lord is bringing the situation around to involve others who have a burden for a Christian youth camp in Slovakia. The timing seems "right" now.

Stay tuned! I will keep you posted!

Eric

Romanian Invasion and an Engagement

The "Romanian Invasion" is an affectionate name that I use to call a group of young adults from Bucharest. Five of them "invaded" our home this weekend. These young people, 4 of them, graduated from the Bible School that I founded in our previous ministry here in Hungary. Some of them also helped us in the youth camp that I founded. What a joy it was to have them in our home again!

Engagement: The plan was to go sightseeing around Budapest on Saturday afternoon with the final place being a visit to the Citadella which overlooks the Danube River and Budapest. Yes, there is a gorgeous view from that site. The rest of us went one direction while Adrienn and Nikoleta went up to the massive statue near the fortress at the Citadella. Adrienn [Ady] popped the question and she was surprised! But, she had the right answer--YES!! They are planning a wedding for next March.

I spent time talking with the three young men, Csika, George and Ady while Lynne spent time with the two young ladies, Ana and Nikoleta. Each of them has a great passion for ministry and they have great potential. In fact, Csika and Ana Florin were married this summer one week before Camp Monty in Montenegro and they showed up with seven other Romanian Invaders to help us in the youth camp there! Incredible!

Eric

Blogging Again!

In August 2005 I wrote my first blog. Somehow, I "lost" it. Then, I uploaded another posting. Then, I had trouble finding my blog site. Well, I found it today! It seems that blogging is quite important today as a way to communicate. Bear with me as I experiment with adding photos and video. I want my friends, partners and family to have more information and to learn more about what Lynne and I are doing in Eastern Europe.

So, I will be sharing "Updates", prayer requests, showing you pictures and videos as well as sharing my thoughts.

Here is a new prayer request: I had a great meeting yesterday in Bratislava, Slovakia. From this meeting we organized a larger meeting in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia set for this Friday at 3 PM to discuss the development of a youth camp in Slovakia. I am quite interested and quite burdened about this need. Please pray!

If you would like to read the latest Eric Murphy Update go to www.lifeimpactforeternity.org to see what happened in Montenegro. We had an incredible youth camp there! Incredible! 7 came to Christ . . . when you consider that there are about 120 Christians in the entire country . . . seven is a huge number . . . a 5.8% increase in the number of believers.

Check back for my next posting!

Eric