Update on our mission in Backa Topola, Serbia

Dear Friends and Family,

We are going to try a new way of communicating with you through blogging, with which I plan to do smaller updates more often rather than long newsletters once in a while. We so greatly appreciate your prayers and support and hope this blog will be a blessing to you all! This year has already been such an amazing and blessed time for us...God is so gracious...and as one dear brother replied when asked how he was, he replied: "I am better than I should be!!!" Oh yes, that is exactly how I feel! By the grace of my Savior, and in spite of my personal wretchedness I can say "it is well with my soul!"

Earlier this year, as many of you know, the Lord opened the door for me to come and visit my home in Upstate New York, which had been a prayer for many years. It had been about 12 years since I last visited home, and when the door finally opened i was floored! Words cannot really capture the feeling as I flew into American airspace after over a decade of being on the mission field! And then being reunited with my church family after so very long and being able to put faces next to names of people who have carried my family and I in prayer and support
for so many years was a true privilege...

I felt deeply humbled.

 I met lots of new brothers and sisters, fellowshipped with many of those who have been around for a long time. And talked to so many who are such huge examples of faith and courage in the face of great difficulty that I was left speechless many times.

The Lord has called us all to some place where we have the opportunity to be His witnesses...we are all on the "mission field!" He calls us to be faithful where we are!


Seeing my church family was truly like a bit of Heaven! I was so refreshed and encouraged! I was rebuked and challenged! And my heart and calling for missions was strengthened!

I also got to fulfill a long time dream of drinking an ice-cold root beer! And a whole lot more than that! You guys blessed my socks off with your hospitality and love...some of you opening your homes to a complete stranger and oddball!

And seeing and meeting my pastors again was such a breath of fresh air! I praise the Lord for my leaders...men who a real examples to us all!

oh how i miss my family!!!

Thank you Pastor Scott!!!

Pastor Ted and Jane! You both are truly inspiring!

The Moores! I love and miss you precious people!!!

The Quilters! I thank Jesus for this group of prayers warriors!!!

The Lord really worked miracles while was in NY...I was able to get a whole list of things done in a really short time...things that could have taken much longer to do than the time I had available. But the ability to connect with so many saints was an absolute privilege and blessing!!! After being home in NY for a month, it was time to get back to my beautiful family back here in Serbia! It was challenging being away from each other for that long but the all was well, praise Jesus.

 Two days after I arrived back in Backa Topola, we had our yearly English camp start where 40 mostly unsaved kids from 13 to 18 came to learn English and to hear the Gospel. It was a great time 

of fun and games and being crazy with these youth, who by the end of the camp 30 of which claimed they wanted a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! 

We are praying about what steps to take to follow up with these beautiful children. We see God really did a work in their hearts and are praying the seeds planted grow into fruition in God's time! 

Immediately after the camp we had our annual conference on the first weekend in July here in Topola with the theme " From Which Well Do You Drink?" It was a wonderful time of fellowship with people from all around Topola,and sound teaching about how only Jesus can quench our thirst!

 Right after that, in cooperation with many other church, we had famous speaker Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms and legs, come and do a night of evangelism in the near-by city of Subotica. This mans message was simple and powerful...we dont need religion, and we cannot be good enough...we need Jesus Christ and His blood to set us free from the chains of sin and death!!! It was a Spirit-filled time, and when the altar call was given, nearly 500 people stood up to receive Jesus!!!

Nick Vujicic

We will (along with the other churches involved) continue to work with as many of those people as we can...praying that in these last days the Lord poor out His Spirit on Serbia and bring many unto Himself. 

Over the next couple months we will be busy doing all sorts of things and ask for your prayers:

1.) keep all of us here in Topola, to minister with the heart of Christ...and to have strength of God for all the things going on (Taiwo and Zsuzsa/Me and Petra/ Viktor and Eva/ Stojce and Sara)...Pray that the church will successfully finish our registration with the government to be recognized as a church and not just a non-profit, which will have many benefits!

2.) we as a family, about Petra's immigration process to go without problems as we soon will start that long and complicated process...

3.) we plan and hope to go visit family in Romania in August, for favor and provision...it is a very long train ride with three little ones.

4.) we are praying that God would provide for us to buy a car now that I finally have a drivers license...to be mobile would be of great use

5.) for the girls to do well in the upcoming school year and learning Hungarian...it can get discouraging, and our desire as parents is that they would excel. Pray that we see and take the opportunities to help them do so.

Thank you for your continued prayers, we surely need it! Praying God richly blesses you!

In Hope of Heaven,

Matt,Petra,Cynthia, Rachel,Caleb