Divine Romance

Dear Friends,


“What started as a crush, blossomed into a full fledged romance. At first we weren't sure if Budapest returned our feelings. Afterall, who doesn't fall in love with her at first sight?”

Almost exactly two years ago, as Matt and I were getting ready to say goodbye to Budapest after three months of ministry there, we shared these words on our mission blog. We thought for sure we would return to the city and the people we’d fallen in love with sooner rather than later.

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps. –Proverbs 16:9

God is faithful and his timing is perfect. When we returned to the States in August of 2008 a lot happened that made it clear to Matt and I that the best place for our ministry, and our family, was right here in Houston, Texas.

Since then we have seen our relationships with close family members (my father, who is 83 and in poor health) restored and strengthened. We have shared our music and ministry with a half dozen Houston church families and have recorded and released an album of original worship songs as a part of Advent Conspiracy. Most recently we have been thrilled to accept an invitation to work alongside Robbie Seay as worship leaders at Ecclesia Houston. And of course, Sydney, who wasn’t yet two when we were in Budapest is now nearly 4 years old and starting pre-K in the Fall! What an amazing two years it’s been.


We are thrilled to share that God has called us back to Budapest this summer! We will spend 10 days reconnecting with friends and mission partners, offering support for the Kingdom work they are doing in that beloved city.



Our romance with Budapest and the Hungarian people has not waned in these last two years. We’ve talked, read, learned and dreamed about Budapest nearly non stop. Matt is practically an expert on Hungarian culture, history and politics! We are eager to return and refresh the passion for Hungary that God has given us.

The statistics are still heartbreaking. Hungary maintains among the highest suicide rate per capita of any nation in the world. Anxiety and depression affects a disproportionate number of Hungarians, as does alchoholism and drug abuse. After more than a thousand years of occupation by repressive ideologies (from the Ottoman Turks to Nazi’s and Communists), suicide and hopelessness are part of the national identity.

As Christians we know that Christ alone offers the only true hope in this broken world. We long to share that hope with a city and a nation of dreamers, poets, scientists and artists.

Would you consider supporting our mission with prayer?

We covet your prayers. During our three months in Budapest in ’08, your prayers opened doors, sparked conversations, and overcame darkness in so many moments of ministry. Your prayers for provision were answered in astounding and humbling ways.

1. Please pray for safe travels for us (August 2 &3- August 13&15).
2. Please pray for peace and safety for Sydney who will be staying with my mom in
New York.
3. Please pray that God will use us to both boldly and humbly plant seeds of faith for those we encounter by His divine appointment.
4. Pray the Holy Spirit will use our music to reach people’s hearts where language is a barrier.
5. Pray for financial provision for our plane tickets, and for our meals and travel while there.

Would you consider contributing financially to our mission?

1. We are needing to raise about $2700 to cover our plane tickets.

2. Your contribution can be a tax deductible donation through Ecclesia Houston, who will be supporting us on this mission.

3. To give online: From the ecclesiahouston.org website, click ‘Online Giving’ from the menu on the left side.

4. Enter the amount of your donation in the Amount box below.


5. Make sure the ‘Recurring Donation’ checkbox is unselected.


6. Click the ‘Make Donation’ button.


7. You will be taken to a Paypal page.

8. If you have a Paypal account, you can login with your email and password. If you do not have a Paypal account, you can click the link at the bottom of the page to use your Credit Card or Bank Account (in some cases the bank account option is unavailable). Follow Paypal’s instructions to complete the transaction.

9. Our you can send a check or put a check in the offering plate at Ecclesia Houston on Sunday morning. Please make checks out to Ecclesia Houston and put Hammon’s Mission Trip in the note line. Mail checks to Ecclesia Houston, 2115 Taft Street Houston, TX 77006.


We love you guys so much and are so glad that we are on this journey with you. Until we arrive in Budapest we will be blogging at www.hammonsinhouston.blogspot.com.

When we arrive on August 4th you can follow along with us at www.hammonsinhungary.blogspot.com.


Love,


Matt and Cameron

Matt- matthammon@mac.com
Cameron- cameron@ecclesiahouston.org