Revival Fires in Hungary (1937-1938) & A Giveaway!

By Cindy K. Stewart

In February and March, we learned about the spiritual awakening which spread across Eastern Europe prior to WWII. If you missed those posts and would like to read them, here are the links:  

A Pre-WWII Great Awakening in Europe  

A Message of Hope in a Time of Need - Eastern Europe, 1937-1939.

Courtesy of Professor John L. Heineman, Boston College

Today the story moves to . . .

Hungary

After witnessing the changes taking place in the churches of Czechoslovakia, the chief physician for the Hungarian Railway, Dr. Alexander de Csia, invited Evangelist James Stewart to hold evangelistic meetings on behalf of the Evangelical Alliance of Hungary. Dr. Csia was burdened to see God work in his country, refusing to accept the attitude of many that revival in Hungary was impossible.

Hungary, 1939. Myhunet

Stewart enlisted Christians to pray “around the clock,” and the participants each dedicated one hour a day for prayer. The first meetings were held in a small Methodist Hall in Budapest, but after two days the services moved to the larger building of the German Baptist Church. After two or three more days, the crowds overflowed this location. During the second week, the meetings moved to the big Reformed Church, seating 2000 people. Soon the overflow crowd had to stand in the center aisle during the entire service. 

Budapest, 1930's. Courtesy of Velo - Touring

Just like he had done in other Eastern European countries, Stewart had scripture choruses and gospel songs translated and printed in booklets so everyone attending the meetings would have a copy. He introduced "Into My Heart," "Jesus Never Fails," "Yes, I know," "Wounded for Me" and other songs. It wasn’t unusual to hear these tunes hummed in shops and whistled by delivery boys riding their bicycles down the street.

James Stewart shared the message of John 3:16 and invited those who wanted to give their hearts to Christ to leave their seats immediately and go to the front. Hundreds of people surged forward, making their way through the overflow crowd in the aisles.

Budapest, 1930's. Courtesy of Velo - Touring 

More prayer meetings formed in other parts of Budapest, and many Christians attended morning meetings on God’s plan for living a holy life. They left these meetings “determined to make things right in their own lives.” The campaign ended before Christmas but began again in 1938. The organizers rented the biggest concert and dance hall in Budapest, the “Redoubt.” In a few days, the crowds filled and outgrew the location.

And the results . . .

• Many people turned to Christ.
• Many Christians confessed sin in their lives, renewing their relationship with God and with each other.
• New converts attended discipleship meetings.
• School officials invited Stewart to speak to their students, including officials from Roman Catholic schools.
• Students from the Baptist Seminary and Training School in Budapest went home to their villages and spread word about the revival.
• Interested folks from all over Hungary extended invitations to hold meetings in their towns and cities.
• Campaigns were set up in many locations throughout Hungary.

Andi Ungar, a Christian Jew, interpreted for Stewart at many of the meetings, and he and Ungar spoke as if they were one person. Anti-Semites criticized Mr. Ungar’s role in the meetings, but Stewart and the other leaders ignored the criticism.


A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place in the city of Debrecen in eastern Hungary. Debrecen had long been called “The Geneva of Hungary” and “The Calvinist Rome.” Services were held at the Reformed Seminary, established 300 years earlier. In addition to the evening gospel services, meetings for women and girls, for children, for prayer, for youth, and for Bible study carried on day after day. Many shared of the work God was doing in their hearts.

Budapest, 1930's. Courtesy of Velo - Touring

In the spring of 1938, Stewart held his last campaign in Budapest in “The Tattersall,” a horse riding academy. At the end of each day, “hired laborers quickly cleaned the huge arena, put down fresh shavings, and arranged 4000 chairs which had been rented for the purpose.” The chairs were gathered and stored after the meeting each night. Members of the Salvation Army and different Baptist groups formed a brass orchestra which accompanied the revival songs. Several thousand people attended the meetings each night during the two-week campaign. On the final Sunday, over 5000 young people from Budapest and the surrounding towns and villages gathered for a youth rally.





James Stewart left Hungary in 1938, but the revival continued to spread across the country, led by the Hungarian people. More souls turned to Christ. More hearts and lives were changed. Stewart returned to Hungary for short visits in 1939, 1940, and in 1946 after WWII. He was overjoyed to witness the revival fires still burning, despite the ravages of war. 

Buda Castle and Danube River - Budapest. By Costel Slincu

*****

Resource: James Stewart Missionary, A Biography by Ruth Stewart (Revival Literature, 1974) 

******

Cindy Stewart, a high school teacher, church pianist, and inspirational historical fiction author, was the historical category winner for ACFW’s 2014 First Impressions writing contest, a 2014 Bronze medalist in My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest, and tied for second place in the 2015 South Carolina ACFW First Five Pages contest. Cindy is passionate about revealing God’s handiwork in history. She resides in North Georgia with her college sweetheart and husband of thirty-four years and near her married daughter, son-in-law, and three adorable grandchildren. She’s currently polishing her first novel, Abounding Hope, set in Eastern Europe at the start of WWII.

Giveaway  Leave a comment below to be entered in a drawing for Sarah Sundin's WWII novel, Through Waters Deep. Share on social media and let me know for an extra entry. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address and tell me if you shared. The giveaway ends Sunday, 4/3/16, at 
9 PM EST.

Crush, Texas - a Town for One Day

One of my favorite tasks as a writer is going on research trips and discovering interesting tidbits of history. While researching End of the Trail, the final book in the Texas Trails series, I learned about a unique historical event called “The Crash at Crush." It's the brainchild of George William Crush, a passenger agent of  the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad, also known as “the Katy.”

In an effort to better promote their railroad, Katy officials agreed to Crush’s unusual suggestion of crashing two retired train engines. The locomotives, Old No. 999, painted bright green, and Old No. 1001, painted a vibrant red, were displayed prominently during tours throughout the state and the “Monster Crash” was advertised all the summer of 1896. The event was free, with the exception of the train fare to deliver attendees to Crush, which cost $2 for a ticket from anywhere within the state.

George Crush chose a shallow valley fifteen miles north of Waco for the location, and in early September, five hundred workmen laid four miles of track afor the collision run, built a grandstand for attendees, three speaker's stands, two telegraph offices, a stand for reporters, and a bandstand. A restaurant was set up in a borrowed Ringling Brothers circus tent, and a huge carnival midway with dozens of medicine shows, game booths, and lemonade and soft-drink stands were built. Lastly, a special depot with a platform 2,100 feet long was constructed along with a painted sign, informing passengers that they had arrived at Crush, Texas.

Twenty thousand people were expected, but by early afternoon on September 15, somewhere between 40-50,000 had arrived. At 5:00 P.M., engines No. 999 and 1001 backed off to opposite ends of the four-mile track. George Crush trotted a white horse to the center of the track and raised his white hat. After a long pause, he whipped it sharply down. 

A huge cheer rose from the crowd, and the locomotives lunged forward, whistles shrieking as they barreled toward each other at a speed of 45 mph. In a thunderous, grinding crash, the trains collided. The two locomotives reared up like wild stallions as they rammed together. Contrary to predictions, both boilers shattered, filling the air with hot steam, smoke, and pieces of flying metal. Spectators turned and ran in blind panic. In the end, several people were killed and at least six others were injured seriously by the flying debris.

The wreckage was toted away, with souvenir hunters claiming pieces of the debris, booths and tent were removed, and by nightfall, Crush, Texas ceased to exist. The Katy railroad settled all claims against it, and George Crush was fired that same day, although he was rehired the next day and worked for the Katy railroad until he retired. Here’s a link to a You Tube video of the crash: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL5i_ZBzYk0  

I hope you enjoyed the story of the Crash at Crush. What’s the most interesting historical event you’ve read about?

Now available: Heart of a Cowboy, a collection of four novellas by best-selling Christian fiction authors.

The Hand-Me-Down Husband
By Vickie McDonough

Ellen Stewart despises Lance Garrett. If not for him dashing into Isabelle’s life and stealing her heart and filling her head with his dreams, her little sister would still be alive and safe at home. When she receives Lance’s letter requesting help, Ellen rushes to Silver Springs, intent on taking charge of her young niece. A rugged ranch is no place for a motherless baby. But when she realizes the depth of Lance’s grief, she can’t leave him alone. Though everything within her wants to flee back to the big city, something makes her stay. Tessa needs her father, for one—and he needs her. Ellen knows what it’s like to lose all she’d dreamed of. When local church members make a stink about Ellen living at Lance’s ranch, they are forced to marry. Ellen didn’t want a hand-me-down husband, but could their marriage be God’s will for them both?

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 45 books and novellas. Her novels include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and the 3rd & 6th books in the Texas Trails series, the Pioneer Promises series, and her most recent: The Land Rush Dreams series. To learn more about Vickie or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

Fall In Love with a Good Book -- Written by our HHH Bloggers

Five HHH Bloggers have stories in The Cowboy's Bride Collection!

Sojourner Truth - Champion of Rights for All

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

 

Sojourner Truth was born a slave who lived a life of purpose as an abolitionist and women’s rights activist. She was the first black woman to successfully petition the courts to free her son from slavery. She is most famous for her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman” at an Ohio woman’s rights convention in 1851 and devoted her life to serve God, end slavery, and gain rights for African Americans and women.

She was born Isabella Baumfree, the slave of a Dutch man, Colonel Hardenbergh, in Swartkill, New York in 1797. Her father, James Baumfree, was a slave captured in Guinea. Her mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Guinea slaves. She was one of 12 children. That area of New York was control by the Dutch at the time of her birth, and everyone in the household spoke Dutch, including Isabella.

After Colonel Hardenbergh’s death, ownership of the Baumfrees went to his son Charles. Charles died in 1806, and the family was separated at a slave auction. Nine-year-old Isabella was sold with a flock of sheep for $100. Her new owner, John Neely, was a violent man. She was sold two more times within two years and finally ended up as the property of John Dumont in West Park, New York. Isabella learned to speak English during this time.

In 1815, Isabella entered a relationship with a slave named Robert from a neighboring farm. They had a daughter, Diana, but Robert’s owner forbade the him from seeing Isabella, and they never saw each other again. In 1817, Dumont forced Isabella to marry an older slave on the farm named Thomas. Together they had a son, Peter, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Sophia.

In late 1826, Isabella escaped to freedom with her infant daughter, Sophia. Her other children stayed behind. She made her way to the home of Issac and Maria Van Wagener, a Quaker couple who bought her from Dumont and freed her. It was during this time, Isabella gave her life to Christ stating God showed her in a vision.

In 1827, all slaves in New York were emancipated. At this point, Isabella found out that her son Peter had been illegally sold to a man in Alabama. She petitioned the court and won, the first time a black woman successfully challenged a white man in court. Peter was returned to her from the South.

Isabella moved to New York City with her son Peter in 1829. She worked as a housekeeper for Christian evangelist Elijah Pierson. During this time, her doctrine became confused, and she became a housekeeper of a cult leader known as Prophet Matthias. Shortly later, Elijah Pierson died, Matthias was accused of poisoning him. She also joined the Millerites who predicted Christ would return in 1843.

In 1939, Isabella’s son Peter took a job on a whaling ship called the Zone of Nantucket. She received three letters for Peter in 1840 and 1841. When the ship returned in 1842, Peter wasn’t on board. She never heard from him again.

Isabella was devastated by her son’s loss and the Millerite prediction that didn’t come true. In 1843, she sought God. Wanting to make a fresh start, she asked God for a new name. In a vision, God gave her the name Sojourner . She later said it was "because I was to travel up an' down the land, showin' the people their sins, an' bein' a sign unto them." She asked God for a second name "'cause everybody else had two names; and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people." She became a Methodist and declared her new name on June 1, 1843 saying, "The Spirit calls me, and I must go." At this point she began to travel and preached about the abolition of slavery.

She joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, an organization the supported women’s rights, abolition, and pacifism. During this time she met famous abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass and David Ruggles. In 1850, Sojourner dictated her memoirs to Olive Gilbert and they were published by William Lloyd Garrison as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. The notoriety left her open to attacks. She was once told the building she was to speak in would be burned if she preached, and she replied, "Then I will speak to the ashes." Another time, she was physically assaulted by a mob and had to walk with a cane for the rest of her life.

Sojourner began touring regularly with abolitionist George Thompson speaking to large crowds on the subjects of slavery and human rights. She was one of several escaped slaves, along with Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, to rise to prominence as an abolitionist leader and a testament to the humanity of enslaved people.

In May of 1851, Sojourner delivered her most famous speech to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron. She continued to tour Ohio with Robinson to publicize the antislavery movement in the state. She also brought controversy by preaching about women’s rights.

During the Civil War, Sojourner Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army. She encouraged her grandson, James Caldwell, to enlist in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. In 1864, Sojourner was also called to Washington, D.C., to contribute to the National Freedman's Relief Association. Sojourner met more than once with President Abraham Lincoln about her experiences. In 1865, she tried to force desegregation on Washington streetcars by riding in the cars designated for whites. After the war, she tried unsuccessfully to secure land grants from the government for former slaves arguing the property ownership would free them from servitude of wealthy landowners.

Sojourner continued to speak about women’s rights, universal suffrage, and prison reform until the day she died. She died at her home in Battle Creek, Michigan, on November 26, 1883. She is buried alongside her family at Battle Creek's Oak Hill Cemetery. She is known as one of the greatest abolitionists and champion of right for all in the 19th century. Her unwavering faith in God is what fueled her passion despite the obstacles.

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. 

Her novellas Soldier’s Heart and A Christmas Promise are available on Amazon. Her novella Resurrection of Hope will be released in July.

Tidbits About Chocolate

Years ago I did some research on the history of Chocolate, primarily because I question myself as to whether or not my 19th Century characters would have the confection we know as chocolate. Today I'm sharing some of these tidbits with all of you and I hope you enjoy them.

When Columbus came to the Americas he discovered the local chocolate drink. However it was not sweetened and the cocoa beans he brought back to King Ferdinand was overlook by the other items he returned to the Old World with.

1519 When Cortés came to Mexico he tasted the hot chocolate drink. The Cocao beans were grounded into a paste, mixed with spices including vanilla and then honey was added.

1615 This drink then went back to Spain and was enjoyed by the royal court. The ingredients of this secret beverage was hidden from all and became the drink of the court. History has it that when the Spanish Princess Maria Theresa was betrothed to Louis XIV of France, she gave her fiancé an engagement gift of chocolate, packaged in an elegantly ornate chest. Their marriage was symbolic of the marriage of chocolate in the Spanish-Franco culture. Some record the movement from Spain to France was in 1606 but personally I like the romantic story.

From there it quickly moved out of the royal courts.

1657 "Chocolate Houses" began to open in London. In much the same way that we have Coffee shops today.

1674 It was introduced in rolls and cakes.

1730 the Duke of Alba brought it into the low country as he traveled about and that dropped the price to $3 per pound. Prior to that cocoa beans were traded almost as high as gold through out different times in history.

1828 the cocoa press was invented squeezing out some of the cocoa butter giving it a smoother consistency. Cocoa Powder was also introduced through this process.

1849 Cadbury Brothers displayed eating chocolate in 1849 at an exhibition in Bingley Hall at Birmingham, England.

1851 Cocoa was introduced to the United States on Prince Albert's Expedition. Yet, chocolate wasn't really accepted by the American colonists until fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts, accepted cocoa beans as payment for cargo in tropical America.

For the most part Cocoa was a drink for the men. In the 17th Century it was introduced to Children.

1876 Daniel Peter of Vevey, Switzerland, experimented for eight years before finally inventing a means of making milk chocolate for eating. He brought his creation to a Swiss firm that today is the world's largest producer of chocolate: Nestle.

1879 Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, produced chocolate that melted on the tongue. He invented "conching," a means of heating and rolling chocolate to refine it.

1913 Swiss confiseur Jules Sechaud of Montreux introduced a process for manufacturing filled chocolates.


Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning & best-selling author who makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, with her husband of 42 years. Lynn's latest novel "The Shepherd's Betrothal" is the third book in her Historical St. Augustine, FL. series.

Check out her 19th Century Historical Tidbits Blog if you like exploring different tidbits of history.

Winged Flight

by Linda Farmer Harris

Yesterday I watched an eagle swoop down in our horse pasture, pick up a prairie dog, and carry it off. I was thrilled to see one less herbivorous burrowing rodent making holes in the pastures and preventing me from growing domestic grapevines.

Then Jerry asked if it was a Bald Eagle or a Golden Eagle. Both hunt on our meadow and along the valley. Hmmm.

Bald Eagle — Courtesy of Alice Leurck, 2013

Golden Eagle — Courtesy of Hope Rutledge

Our exterminator was a Golden Eagle. That made me wonder about the differences between the two eagles. I was surprised to discover that they are not closely related. 


Our national bird, the American Bald Eagle is in the family of sea or fishing eagles. The "bald" really does refer to the bald eagle's head. Their scientific name is Haliaeetus leucocephalus, that signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. The word "bald" at one time meant "white" not hairless. As of 2007, the American bald eagle is off the Department of Interior's Federal List of Endangered and Threatened. They are still protected under the 2007 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

The Golden Eagle is claimed by the hawk family that includes the Red-tailed Hawk, kites, and old-world vultures. Their well-feathered legs and feet are adapted for catching prey on the ground.

The Golden Eagle's scientific name is Aquila chrysaetos. If I described one of my story characters as having an "aquiline" nose (also called a Roman nose), I would mean the person's nose reminded me of an eagle's beak. Can you imagine a villain with hard, penetrating aquiline eyes?

Golden Eagle photo courtesy of Murdo Macleod

Golden Eagles can live in very arid habitats with no water for miles, while Bald Eagles are usually found near water. We have the Yellow Jacket Creek running through our property and the Piedra River less than three miles east, plus Lake Capote a few miles farther. Both have plenty of territory in which to thrive.

Seeing the eagle reminded me of the 1851 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "The Eagle." (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174589)

     He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
     Close to the sun in lonely lands,
     Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

     The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; 
     He watches from his mountain walls,
     And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Golden Eagles usually nest on cliffs, or sometimes in large trees. We are ringed by the San Juan Mountains and the new Chimney Rock Monument overlooks our valley. Lots of Ponderosa Pines, Douglas Fir, Colorado Spruce, subalpine fir, and cliffs to choose from.

Today we saw a Peregrine Falcon circling overhead across the two pastures. He (gender assumption) flew over the creek and up to the high meadow.

They also nest in rock outcrops and on high ledges of Chimney Rock. Most eyries (nest sites) are within a mile of water.

Peregrine Falcon - Courtesy of Audubon Field Guide

Are you ever too old to take up falconry? That is one of the things on my bucket list - explore falconry. The peregrine is a favorite hunting bird among falconers because of its power, speed, and inherent docility make it the easiest of all hunting bird to train.

You can explore the Colorado Chimney Rock National Monument http://www.chimneyrockco.org/ from May 15th to September 30th.

Harris P—R Ranch looking east to Chimney Rock, Colorado

 Do you have eagles, hawks, or falcons in your area? Have you ever thought about becoming a falconer?

Blessings,

Linda Farmer Harris

 
Turning Tidbits of History into Unforgettable Stories


Lin and her husband, Jerry, live on a hay and cattle ranch in Chimney Rock, Colorado. She writes historical fiction for adults and children. Her novella The Lye Water Bride is included in the California Gold Rush Romance Collection (Barbour Publishing, August 1, 2016).