Merry Christmas!!!

Dear Family, Friends, and supporters!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! I hope and pray this letter finds you well and surrounded with His love this season.

I love this time of year. Not only is the weather getting colder, but the city is all lit up with white lights and Christmas decorations. Heather and I decorated our flat last weekend and...It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!!!

There's only one week of school before our too short break. This week, I don't expect to get too much "teaching" in. It's going to be hard to get the students to focus on comparatives and superlatives when their break is so close. So, I'm planning some language games with a Christmas theme. I've prepared some reading lessons on the true meaning of Christmas, and we'll be working on pronunciation while singing Christmas carols! I'm excited about this week. Pray that the students will catch on to the true reason for the season.

Here is some bits of news from the past couple of months...

Thanksgiving 2007
I got to have two Thanksgivings this year! The first was November 8-10, with my extended Teachoverseas.org team in the Czech Republic. The second was the Sunday after the real TG, with Mary Jill, the Persons, and other friends here in Budapest. I got all the trimmings I would have had at home. It was truly a blessing!

Mom's visit
My mom came to Central Europe for two weeks, after a quick conference trip in the Netherlands. She came to school with me for one week, and watched me teach, talked with some of my students, and even taught a class about using portfolios in language learning. After a week of school, I had a break from school. The first couple of days, we went to Debrecen to visit "The Real da Vinci" exhibit. It was a really good exhibit showing just about all of his work. Then we spent three nights in Prague. Mom had never been before, so it was a treat for her. My friend Kelly, who lives in Prague, met us and was a wonderful tour guide!

Rézkígyó Kávéház (Brass Serpent Coffee House)
This is a YWAM base ministry here in Budapest. I often come here on Friday evenings to visit with some of the staff and other ex-pats living in Budapest. I've sang there on several occasions. I've also started inviting my students so they can practice English outside our 90 minutes a week. A couple of weeks ago, I had 10 students show up when I was singing. It was fun to meet with them outside the school...I think for them too. I usually go a couple Fridays a month.

Hungarian lessons
I had my last Hungarian Lesson (magyaróra) this. We took a test and I got a 5 (equivalent to an A in the states!) I'm planning to take a break from traditional classes for a couple of months. I'm going to be meeting privately with a Hungarian teacher at my school. This way, I can keep up the language learning, and not have to go out two nights a week in the cold winter months!

Support
An important part of my work over here is having the support of people back home. I get so many e-mails and comments on my blog that people of praying for me and my students. Another important part is your financial support. I love being involved in ministry here and invite you to partner with me.

You see, I am still $1500 short of my support-raising goal. Will you pray about giving a special year-end gift toward my account? As finances are extremely tight this year, please reply to this email with your pledge. This will help me track my account status. This is the best Christmas gift you could give!

To contribute, you can follow this link:http://www.TeachOverseas.org/contribute. It's that easy, but is such a huge blessing to my ministry.

Thank you for reading about my life and ministry over here in Budapest! I would love to hear from you and your family, so please send me a message!

God Bless,
Erin

P.S. I will be in the States for Christmas from Dec. 22nd to Jan. 1st. If you'd like to call me, send me a message, and I'll send you my phone number. I'm almost always available on Skype (Skype name: bound4thenations).

Christmas Survey

1. Christmas tree up yet?
no...but I could have it up in 5 minutes...mini one...small flat in Budapest!

2. Any Christmas decorations up yet?
Nope

3. what are you asking for Christmas?
Haven't thought of it yet. I'm going home for Christmas..that's enough. But I know my mom will get me something for my computer, or some type of technology gadget.


4.What do you usually do on Christmas Eve?
Well, Christmas will be different this year (as well as last year since my folks' divorce). I'll go with my brother and his family for dinner with my dad's family. Then just go back to mom's house and stuff stockings and get to bed late.

5. What do you usually do on Christmas Day?
We play with our new "toys" and watch football. Then eat, of course.

6. Do you own any christmas clothes or jewelery?
Some...not much. I sometimes borrow mom's stuff.

7. Do you use white or colored christmas lights?
Well, I'm not much of a decorator, but I prefer white lights.

8. Do you cook Christmas cookies?
Not since I was a kid with my grandma.

9. Do you buy Christmas presents for your whole family?
Yes, I hope to get most of them here in Budapest before I leave.

10. How many friends do you buy presents for?
I'll get one for my teammate, and probably give trinket/ornaments for some other friends.

11. Is there a Santa Claus?
Of course ;-)

12. Favorite Christmas Carol?
Have Yourself and Merry Little Christmas

13. Would you rather it be a white Christmas, or a warm Christmas?
White!!!

14. Was last years Christmas a good one ?
It was hard because it was the first since my parents separated.

15. Which Christmas color do you like better?
GREEN!!!

16. Do you get a real Christmas tree, or is it artificial?
I like real, but too much trouble and a fire hazard. Fake with pine-sol works.

17. When you get older, will you get a real or artificial tree?
not sure

18. Do you hang stockings?
yes, then stuff them and lay them around living room until morning.


19. When opening presents, does your family all open them at the same time?
well, the tradition at my Aunt Kathi's when I was a kid was opening them one at a time, from youngest to oldest. At our house it was a free for all.

20. What is usually in your stocking?
Chap-stick, tooth brushes, candy, batteries (which was often a clue to a wrapped gift), school supplies, and always a mandarin orange in the toe.

21. Do you get up early on Christmas day?
when there are kids (i.e. my nieces) then yes. Otherwise, I do like to sleep in, no matter what the day.

22. Does your family eat breakfast before or after opening presents?
This is a tradition I HATED as a kid, but appreciate it now. When we woke up, we got into our stockings. Then we had to get dressed, and have waffles. Every Christmas since birth! Then the kids passed out gifts around living room (according to where everyone wanted to sit) while the adults cleaned up from breakfast. Then we went for it.


23. Do you have a favorite ornament you hang on the tree?
hhmmm...So many...hard to say. I like my mom's angel.

24. What Christmas movie do you like to watch the most?
White Christmas, Elf!

25. What do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Christmas Day. Nothing really to do, but spend time with family!