NATURAL WONDER IN TAPOLCA!

Saturday lunch at a new pizzeria was a special time with our dear translator, Magdolna, and her two nieces, Dorka and Gina, from another town.

Magdolna, Dorka, Gina 

Then Dave and I decided to explore the nearby natural phenomenon called the Lake Cave, discovered in 1942 when someone was drilling for a well and found this massive cave under the streets and houses of Tapolca! It is in the centre of the city, about a 15 minute walk from our place. 

Cave under Tapolca city streets

 
First we went down 72 stairs until we came to a water basin in this large cave. Then we got into a rowboat and wound our way through a maze of tunnels and caves, which the brochure called "torturous"! Dave was the "captain" and had the oars while I was the photographer. The water was about 18 ', and so pristine and clear. It was absolutely amazing!!

Lake Cave at Tapolca

rowing in Lake Cave

Sometimes our heads would have banged against the top of the cave if we had not ducked, but other times the passage was so narrow we had to push ourselves along with our hands. It was so peaceful and serene, and not a sound was to be heard except for our talking. On a summer day, about 1,000 people come through, but Dave and I were the only ones there at that time!  It took about 15 minutes to circle around the waterway. God has created such awesome beauty everywhere, even underneath the city of Tapolca! 



Sunday was another great day as we went to the church in Veszprem, about an hour away, with the Carlaws. The church is held in a cultural centre there. About 25 teens and adults plus about 10 young children were present. As you can see by the picture, there are mostly young couples. We were definitely the oldest people there, but were warmly welcomed and had lots of chances to talk to people after the service. Someone sat behind us and translated the sermon. In the afternoon we had our regular "staff" prayer time for the ministry in Tapolca.

church at Veszprem

A highlight of the weekend was our first Skyping with two sets of kids and grandkids, plus Toby the dog who was greatly excited to see us and rushed upstairs to the front door! : ) We couldn't contact Dave and Jen in the Philippines due to Skyping problems, but wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!   

Monday, today, I had a 3 hour project baking the cookies for the Bible Study tonight and teens tomorrow. It takes so long because you can only bake 6 cookies at a time due to the tiny size of the oven. We had the same two ladies for the study tonight, plus a retired teacher who was here last Thursday, so that was very encouraging as it was his first time at a Bible Study. 

Thank you for your many encouraging emails and especially for your prayers. Tomorrow we leave home at 8:10 a.m. to walk 30 minutes to the high school for another Canada presentation. Please pray for safety as the sidewalks and roads have many icy spots in these winter conditions.