April Already

Evidently, the last time I wrote anything here was in mid-February. I'll try to catch you all up on some news from the past few months.

The past few weeks have gone by very quickly with visits from my parents and sister and my friends, Katharine and Trazy. With my family, we spent a few days meeting the people whom I spend most of my time with here in Hungary (Zsuzsikaneni, the people in the congregation here and the people in the village). The rest of the time was spent exploring castles, investigating churches and museums, and enjoying some great food! With Trazy and Katharine, our time was split between Nyirtelek and Budapest, and we were able to see some musical performances as well!

Around the time of my last update, Gorogszallas (the village where I work in the children's house) had a beauty pageant for all of the little girls! Honestly, I kind of cringed at the thought when I heard about the idea in the first place, imagining that people would be upset when their little girl didn't win a trophy. As it so happened, I was away visiting friends the weekend when it took place. When I returned, a friend here told me how great it had been and let me download the 200 or so pictures he had taken during the event. Then things really took off. I had people stopping in the children's house every day for the next couple of weeks to see the pictures of their daughters and nieces and cousins. Along with that, came requests for me to get the pictures developed for them. I hadn't really thought about it before, but most of the people in the village don't have a ton of photos of their kids growing up like we might have in the states. What few pictures they do have they really treasure and are happy to show to friends and visitors. So, I started taking orders and having a local shop print them up and the people have been very appreciative! We've now moved from just pictures of the beauty pageant to any random pictures I might have of the kids. This was just on my mind, because today I went to the shop for probably the fifth time!

While the picture requests seem to be never-ending, requests for help with English have pretty much ground to a halt. The English classes both in Nyirtelek and in Gorogszallas are pretty empty now. What began as an English hour in the village has become a bible study for the adults with Misibacsi (the pastor) and guitar lessons/worship time with Peter (assistant pastor/seminary student/good friend of mine). I join in the singing and try to make sure all the teenagers get an equal amount of time playing solitaire or Super Mario Bros. on my computer. And in Nyirtelek - well, one of my faithful students has a new baby, another moved to the UK, others developed work conflicts or what-have-you. To be honest, it's alright with me; while I can do my best to clarify English grammar and vocabulary, I don't think I'm cut out to do it for a living.

Another exciting thing from the past few months is that I've felt a God-given desire to attend seminary. After discussing this desire with Pastor Tim Wilson and some of my friends in ministry in Hungary, I knew that this was something I should feel free to pursue. And after doing a little research on my own and asking friends, I came to the conclusion that I should apply to Western Theological Seminary, practically in my own backyard back in the States. This process of applying isn't 100% complete yet, and I don't know for sure if I will be accepted, but I trust that God will continue to lead me on the way!

Half way!

Well, I'm just over half-way through my time here in Nyirtelek and have almost exactly 5 months to go. That feels about right. I know I have learned a lot so far (about the Hungarian language and culture, about voluntary service, and about myself). I also know that I have a lot yet to learn. One of the major lessons that God continues to impress on me time and time again is the importance of giving without expecting anything back. Giving respect to people who won't respect me, serving those who do not understand my needs and desires, and loving those who do not love me. This is really hard! How do I respond when I feel hurt, belittled, and ignored? Do I put a wall around myself to stay protected from a potentially painful relationship? Do I strike back with the same words and actions that have stung me? Or, do I push forward, shrugging off perceived insults and reaching out in Christ's love? More and more, I pray that God will create a heart in me that consistently does the last option.

Now, for some fun stuff! I spent last weekend in southwest Hungary, seeing some sights and visiting with other volunteers. On Thursday, I took the train to Budapest, where I met up with Trazy (another RCA volunteer here in Hungary, if you're new to this blog; her blog is trazylyn.blogspot.com, if you would like to hear about her experience so far). On Friday, we arrived in Pecs, a large city about 3 hours southwest of Budapest. We visited an ancient Christian burial complex, which was very interesting, and which also housed a very cool collection of Christian images from a couple hundred years ago.

Later that afternoon, we caught a bus to Magyarmecske to meet with Livia, Emilie and Simon. Livia is a native Hungarian speaker from the Ukraine, Emilie is an American from New England, and Simon is from Germany. On Saturday, we explored Magyarmecske with the help of two young boys who Livia and Emilie work with at the elementary school. We spent a good amount of time talking about the various difficulties that come with working with young children. Of course, there are very rewarding moments too, but they're just hard to remember when, as Emilie and Livia recalled from Friday, kids are throwing chairs and hitting their classmates.

On Sunday, Trazy, Emilie and I went to Mohacs, a town on the Danube River, which was holding its annual Busojaras festival. I think I can say that this was the most amazing, distinctly Hungarian thing I have seen so far! I'm not absolutely sure I have the story straight, but I believe it celebrates the successful defense of the town from Turkish invaders a few hundred years ago. When the people saw the foreign army approaching, they covered themselves in sheepskins and wore terrifying masks. When the Turks saw them, they ran away thinking the people of Mohacs were demons. Now, during the Busojaras festival, some men dress up sheep skins and masks and parade down the street. Others wear different costumes, from old military uniforms, to (presumed) Turkish style clothing to dressing like witches. It felt a lot like Halloween, except that it was on Valentine's Day! It also served to celebrate the coming end of winter. There was a white casket that was labeled "Winter 2010" which was thrown into the river, and a large bonfire where a large strawman was burned up. All in all, it was a great time, and I have a ton of pictures to show when I arrive back in America this summer!

Overdue update, plus a look at my typical week.

Well, my last update came on Christmas Eve, and a lot has actually happened here in Hungary since then. I had a really good holiday season. I celebrated Christmas in Nyirtelek, and headed to Budapest to be with friends on New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Day, I caught a train to Croatia to visit my friend Paul, an RCA missionary who has been living and sharing the Gospel among young people there for about 12 years! He helps lead a church and befriends plenty of kids who share his interest in adventure, exercise and dog tricks.

The following week found me back at work in Nyirtelek and Gorogszallas in the Childrens' House. There still seemed to be a problem attracting parents and children, so one day the leaders of the program and the pastor sat down and had a long meeting to brainstorm ways to interest the community. So far, two concepts have really started bearing fruit. At least twice a week for the past couple of weeks, a leader in the congregation here who has a job running errands for the people in Gorogszallas has driven a van-load of parents and children to spend a few hours at the Childrens' House. This eliminates the need for parents and kids to walk longish distances (sometimes .5 - 1 mile) in the cold. Another idea that I've really grown to appreciate is the cooking that takes place on those days! When the families come, they know that their kids will be able to enjoy some fresh palacsinta (crepes) or hungarian hashbrowns. They're delicious! As a result of these ideas, we've gotten considerably busier; yesterday, I counted 12 kids at one time!

Now, for a look at my usual week. Mondays are typically my longest days. I usually meet Istvan (the leader who helps run errands) at the church at 7:10 for the 15-20 minute ride to Gorogszallas. I start the fire in the fireplace (the wood-burner heats water, which runs throughout the building) and usually help with some light cleaning. Shortly after 9 o' clock, families may start arriving. If you've ever done nursery duty at church, then you know what my days are typically like until 1pm or 1:30. In the down time, I'm free to practice my Hungarian and talk with the other workers at the Children's House (there are usually 2 or 3 other adults there), or I can read, or whatever.

Around 4 o'clock on Mondays, people start arriving for Monday night events. I offer to tutor anybody from the community in English (usually I get at least one taker a week, but if it's a local kid he or she has already had a long school day, so we usually only study for a little while before switching to drawing or chatting). Sometimes, there are guitar lessons from my friend Peter for the locals. There is also a Bible study that at least 3 or 4 people regularly attend. Before splitting up into these different activities, we have a group hymn sing (on this past Monday, there were probably 15 people there, playing whatever instruments they brought with them!). After these activities, I usually arrive home at around 7pm. Dinner. Cooldown time. Bed.

Tuesday, I do the same thing over again, but I return to Nyirtelek around 4. Wednesday is the same, except that from 5-6 on Wednesday nights I offer English lessons in Nyirtelek at the church. A wide variety of people come, from adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, to kids in the first and second grade (though sometimes, these kids know more English than the adults :D). Attendance varies based on the weather. Sometimes, a lot of people show up (I think the most we had was around 15). And then, other nights when it's snowing and slippery and cold, no one shows up at all (oh well, gives me time to update you all!).

Thursday mornings I spend with Peter at the church, preparing our lesson for afternoon in Rakamaz. I get to have a warm lunch at noon back home with Aunt Suzie, and Peter and I take off around 1pm for the middle school in Rakamaz. The program we have there is called KEBI (accronym for Christian Ethics and Bible Study). After quite a few weeks of low but consistent attendance from some regulars, Peter had a great idea. He would see if the school would allow us to play some soccer in the gym beforehand! This has proved to be really attractive to many of the young guys at the school. After we play for 45 minutes or so and are good and tired, we take a break to talk about Christianity with the kids who choose to stay. We don't force the kids to stay; if they like, they can simply play soccer for a while and leave. But there are an increasing number who choose to stay and listen to Peter's often fun and interesting Gospel lesson. They even get to hear from me too, though Peter is still my mouthpiece (let me tell you, this language does not come easily!).

Fridays and Saturdays are usually free for me to use as I please. The leaders of the Children's House go for more training on Fridays, so the building is closed. I often find some way to keep myself occupied, whether by trips to the nearest big city (Nyiregyhaza, between the size of a Holland and a Grand Rapids, for those of you in West Michigan), or whatever event presents itself (and in Hungary, it is not unusual for the pastor to come up to me and say, "Oh, didn't you know? We're going to Kisvarda today!"). On Sundays, we have church in the morning, and I am usually free to use Skype with my family on Sunday night.

There is one more opportunity I have had recently that I would like to share with you. Last week, I was told that there was a young couple from Nyirtelek who would like to meet with me to practice their English on Saturday mornings. I'm usually free then, so I agreed. So, this past Saturday, the young woman showed up (her husband was occupied with something), and we had a nice, slow chat in English for a while. As her time wrapped up, she said that next week she would like to talk about something that I'm interested in. "Ok," I said, "I like talking about Christian things, and friends, and family, and relationships, is that alright?" She said that was fine, but that she would be honest, she had never read the Bible before. So, then she proposed that next week, she would read one chapter from the Bible and we would talk about it! Talk about an awesome opportunity (and responsibility)! We agreed to start in the Gospel of Mark. If you could, I would really appreciate prayer in the coming weeks for this young woman (her name is Erika) and her husband (Ferenc) and the time we will spend together.