More Pictures!

Preparing For Camp & Update

Hello, everyone!  I hope you all are well!  Tomorrow is the beginning of the first English Camp.  It will be in the city of Debrecen.  I am very excited; it will be a lot of fun!  The English Camp themes are “CSI” and there are a lot of fun activities planned!  I have been helping with the preparation for the camps by gathering YouTube videos for the themes, shopping for supplies, and preparing lessons.  In addition to teaching conversational English, we also will be teaching the kids practical things, such as how to prepare for traveling, dream jobs verses real jobs, family, saving money, school, writing resumes, interviewing, and more!   

It is not an official Christian Camp, but the church is running it and we are free to share the Gospel with the kids.  All the parents and kids know this, it is great that they are open to hearing the Gospel.  It should be a very fun and rewarding camp!  Please be praying that there are many opportunities to witness!

There have been other great opportunities for sharing the Gospel on this trip.  For example, I was eating a meal at a Hungarian’s family’s home who are not Christians.  They asked Marianna to pray before the meal, which was a very big deal because they have never asked her to do that before, and they have been friends for many years!  It was super encouraging to see their hearts begin to soften and be more open to the Gospel.  Please be praying that we can have multiple opportunities to share the Gospel with this family and others, as we will be spending more time with them this summer.

There also have been many visitors to Shane and Marianna’s home, which is wonderful!  These dear friends of mine definitely have the gift of hospitality.  It is fun to meet so many people, most of whom are native Hungarians.  It is interesting to talk with them about their lives and their culture.  We are also sharing about the Gospel as much as possible, we even had some of their friends join us for our nightly Bible Study!

One really exciting thing we have been doing is going to a public elementary school and volunteering.  We help the teachers with whatever they need, such as in a computer lab or a class about American history.  We also play games with them at recess.  Something very exciting is that Shane and I were able to teach music to the students!  This is very exciting to me because I was a Music Education major before switching to Business Administration.  Also, my Senior Capstone Project was a Music Festival all about Music Education.  Even more exciting than sharing the joy of music, we were able to sing secular songs AND worship songs!!!  Shane had his guitar and we sang in harmony and it was a great time!  I believe the Lord was honored, and I even talked to two of the teachers of the school, both my age, about the Gospel.  It was an awesome experience!  We also surprised the class by buying the entire class ice cream to bless them.  The kids were surprised and so excited!  Seeing their joy was a blessing to us as well!

God is opening many doors for sharing the Gospel on this trip; please pray that we continue to be vessels for Him!  Also, please be praying for the English Camps, the first one starts tomorrow.  May God bless you, I miss you all and I am praying for you!  May God continue to feed your hungry hearts and my Hungary Heart this summer! <3

Activities Update

Thank you all for your moral, financial, and spiritual support for this mission trip!  It has been a very exciting 3 and 1/2 weeks so far!  I have mostly been staying in the city of Szolnok.  I also will be serving in Budapest, Eger, Vajta, and other cities this summer!  I have been serving on the Worship Team and in the Children's Ministry at the church.  We have been having a lot of Bible Studies, Fellowship, as well as doing Street Evangelism.  We are preparing for the upcoming English Camp and other activities.

Almost every day I am able to walk around town with Shane, Marianna, baby Emily.  It is so interesting staying in another country for an extended period of time.  After visiting the museum at the beginning of my trip, observing people, and talking with Hungarians it is very interesting to learn about the history and culture of the country.  Common activities such as walking around town and going to the store are such different experiences than in the U.S.  There are some great cute little shops to buy bread and common items, and there are also big stores like Costco that I have been to a few times when we buy food and other essentials.  It is great to be involved in the day-to-day lives with missionaries, seeing how the ministry is constantly on their minds and hearts.

The last few days have been a time of preparation for upcoming English Camps, Conferences, and other ministry activities.  It is an honor to be a part of the preparation for these events.  My Senior Project for my BS Degree that I just graduated with last month was doing an event, so it is neat to be helping with events right away.  In doing research for the camps, I am also implementing tools and knowledge that I learned while obtaining my degree from WJU.  In the Bible, Genesis 22:14 (NKJV) says, "And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."  The Lord equips us to do the work that He has called us to do, whether it is on a mission trip or at home.  I am excited to see what will happen this summer in Hungary, and what will happen in all of your lives this summer as well!  This mission trip to Hungary has been very rewarding so far, as I have been able to serve, learn, and participate in ministry in a variety of ways!   I look forward to sharing this journey with you as God feeds your hungry hearts and my Hungary Heart! <3

Pictures!

Foundations

Hi everyone!  I have been in Hungary for about 3 weeks now, and things are going very well!  I just got "home" to Szolnok from Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe (CCBCE) in the city of Vajta, Hungary!  I also was able to visit Budapest the first couple of days here in Hungary, and I have been all over Szolnok as well.   I was at CCBCE for a week long leadership conference called the Foundations Conference.  For the first 2 weeks in Hungary I stayed in the city of Szolnok with my friends Shane, Marianna, and their baby Emily. Vajta is about 2 hours away from Szolnok.  I am staying in the school dorms, but the dorms are in a real castle!  I guess, as Christians, since we are children of the King, sometimes we are fortunate enough to stay in a castle! :-)  It is very cool!

CCBCE is a four-semester Bible College, and is soon to be accredited.  They have programs on campus and online.  I know people who have attended this college in Hungary, and I know many people who attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in Marietta, California.  I even took a class through their extension campus in San Jose, it was fun!  I was blessed to have just graduated from a Christian university in San Jose, William Jessup University, and I loved it!

I went to the "Foundations Conference" which is aimed to "build up, equip, refresh, and encourage ministry leaders".  There were people from all over the world there, including countries such as: Hungary, USA, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Kyrgystan,  Moldova, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and more!  It is fun to talk to so many people and and hear all of the different languages around me.  There also were amazing speakers and worship!  I attended multiple worship workshops, which were great!

It has been so exciting to meet new friends and see old friends from Hungary in person!  Here in Hungary I have my friends Shane & Marianna, and their baby Emily.  I also know another couple named Nick & Rosemary, with their kids Nate & Felicia.  There are also two other friends, Scott and Balazs.  I also have met many other people from the extended families and espescially from the churches from the cities of Szolnok, Eger, and Debrecen in Hungary.  I have been praying for them, as well as I have been penpals sending packages back and forth with all of the ones that I named, for so long.  God has put them all strongly on my heart, and it is amazing to finally meet them in person and be spending time with them! 

While in Szolnok, I have been able to go to some fairs, and even shoot a real bow and arrow!  As far as ministry events, I have been practicing with the worship team singing and playing jimbe on Sundays, and running the power point for the sermons.  To get ready for the upcoming English Camps, I have been doing research finding videos, helping think of craft ideas, and more.  We also have been having devotions and meeting every night to discuss the Scriptures and pray together, which has been very encouraging!  At the conference I heard speakers, experienced worship, attended workshops, and had great fellowship!  I am having an amazing summer so far, soaking in the culture and serving the Lord!  Please keep me in your prayers!  I have been praying for all of you, I miss you and will see you in a few months!  I pray that the Lord speaks to your hearts this summer, and to my Hungary Heart!  <3

Arrived Safe & Sound in Hungary!

Hi everyone!  Sorry that it took a few days to update my blog, when I first went to this webpage it was all in Hungarian so I could not sign in! :-)  I have been trying to learn Hungarian, but I know very little Hungarian so far.  Shane helped me to get the page up in English.  Thanks, Shane! :-)  A picture of the Hungary flag is above, I am so glad to be here!  I am here with Shane, Marianna, their baby Emily, and Shane's mom.  Shane's mom is also visiting from California, it has been fun to get to know her.  The 5 of us have been having a great time!  I landed in Budapest, which is about 2 hours from where Shane & Marianna live in Szolnok.  Since they have baby Emily, doing a total of 4 hours in the car in one day is a bit much, so the 5 of us spent the night at Calvary Chapel Budapest.  There is an apartment above the church that we stayed in.  It was fun to see the church, and spend some time there.

While still in Budapest, the five of us went to some fun and interesting tourist spots to learn more about Hungarian culture.  There is a great article about learning about the culture on a missions trip.  A quote from the article is "It is imporatant to take the time to get to know people and their culture. Try to find out who are the important and respected figures in the community, and learn about the protocol to follow in approaching community leaders. Try to learn how people celebrate special events such as weddings, funeral, etc. By taking the time, and showing genuine interest in people and their way of life, the missionary will not only gain valuable insights on how to minister to them in the most effective way, but often gain people's respect, which is what opens doors for the Gospel." (http://www.bible-teaching-about.com/missionarytraits.html)  I am trying to learn as much about the Hungarian culture as I can, and living with a married couple Marianna (a Hungarian) and Shane (an American) and learning about Hungary history from both perspectives has been fascinating.  I am having a great time absorbing all that I can so that I can be an effective witness for the Gospel while I am here.
Some of the fun things we did to learn about the culture are that we saw a castle, a beautiful historic church building, a modern government building (like the White House for Hungary), and more!  The most interesting was a museum called the "House of Terror", which was a Historical museum all about Hungary.  I learned that when Hitler was in charge of the Holocaust against the Jews in Germany, it was going on in Hungary too.  Not only were so many Hungarians being killed by Hitler's army, but there also were other wars happening that Hungary was involved in at the same time.  It was very sad, because much of the Hungarian population was wiped out at that time, almost an entire generation.  The tone of the museum was somber, but it was well done.  The House of Terror very interesting and educational.  I am glad to be learning more about Hungary's history and culture.  A link to the home page of the museum is below:

http://www.terrorhaza.hu/en/museum/about_us.html

We spent June 8 & 9 in Budapest, and today we were at Shane & Marianna's house in Szolnok.  I love the neighborhood they live in!  Marianna, baby Emily, Shane's mom, and I took a walk around the neighborhood for a few hours today.  As we were going around the neighborhood, Marianna filled me in on the culture and specifically about the area where they live. I also met some of her neighbors and friends.  She also talked with me about some of the ministry opportunities for this summer.  I took lots of notes, there are many events and opportunities planned!  I am very excited to be on this mission trip, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you on this blog! :-)  I miss you all, and I am praying for you.  Please keep me in prayer this summer as well, that God fills all of our hungry hearts and my Hungary Heart! <3

I Wonder What's Next?

I have some friends that are ending seasons in their life, such as ending school and graduating from college.  My classmates and I are all asking the Lord, “What’s next?”  I remember watching a TV show once, and the main character met a famous actress who had her whole life planned out.  The main character asked, “How do you decide what to do next?”  The famous actress replied, “I already know what I am going to do next, and next to the next, then next to the next to the next.”  This made the main character question her plans for the future, and what would be next in her life.  She said, “The actress already has a next to the next to the next, and I don’t even know what I am doing later today!”   It seems that many of my friends are asking God, “What’s next?”  

In one of my classes last Fall, we did personality assessments.  One of my personality traits is “Futuristic”.  This means that I am always looking towards what is coming next.  This makes me better prepared, but I also want to be sure that I am not solely focusing on the future.  I want to be able to soak in what is happening in the present.  As I am very excited for this summer, I want to remember to enjoy every day while I am there, serving the Lord in Hungary alongside my dear friends.  I also want to enjoy the time I have left here in California before I go on the mission trip.  I want to be an encouragement to my friends here in California and my friends in Hungary who are moving on to the next stage in their lives, wherever God is leading them.

Many friends of mine, like me, are in a transitional period of life.  There are patterns I see in their lives as well as my own.  When there are patterns in life, I think they are God trying to tell us something.  So I started to do a study to find out what the Bible says about listening to God.  One passage that addresses this is found in I Samuel 3:1-21 (NKJV).

¹ Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. ² And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, ³ and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, ⁴ that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” ⁵ So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
⁶ Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!”
So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷ (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)
⁸ And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”
Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰ Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
¹¹ Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
¹⁵ So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. ¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
¹⁷ And he said, “What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.” ¹⁸ Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”
¹⁹ So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. ²¹ Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

Eli had to tell Samuel to be still and listen to what God was telling him.  I think at times the Lord speaks to an individual about something very personal, to be kept between only that person and the Lord.  Other times, when the Lord speaks to an individual it should be shared with others.  In the Scripture above, Eli mentored Samuel on how to listen to the Lord, and Samuel shared what the Lord told him with Eli.

As I think of the transitional time in my life and the lives of my friends, I think of a song that a friend of mine that I went to high school with has become a famous singer has on one of her albums.  The song is called “I Wonder” by Joy Williams.  The YouTube and lyrics are below.  I pray that as we all wonder and seek God together and individually, that He will continue to speak to your heart and to mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLYWvyOUww

I Wonder

By Joy Williams

Pondering mysteries with a girlfriend over tazoberry tea
And an open Bible
Yeah, there we were
Asking all deep questions about life, and love, and God
And how it all came to be

And why this

And why that

And why me

And why not

And why
Why do I think this way?
I wonder why.....

I wonder, wonder, wonder why
I wonder, wonder why
All of these questions echo in my mind
I wonder, wonder why

Throughout the rest of the conversation
I kept coming back to one thing

I don't understand
Why would God leave all of Heaven’s glory
Just to come and live and die as a man?
And why grace

And why mercy

Why give it all for me

And why, why does He love this way?
I wonder.....

I wonder, wonder, wonder why

I wonder, wonder why

His love is so rich

And deep and strong and wide

I wonder, wonder why

Why does He love me

Oh, He loves me

So I wonder, wonder why

All of these questions echo in my mind

I wonder, wonder why

Every little thing that my mind can question
Just leads me back to one thing

God’s love for me
Every little thing that my mind can question
Just leads me back to one thing

God’s love for me

I wonder, wonder, wonder why (I wonder)
I wonder, wonder, wonder why
So many questions.......

Yeah, I wonder why Your love is so amazing
I just can't believe it, oh
It's so rich and wide
I wonder why

I wonder, wonder, wonder why

I wonder, wonder, wonder why

All of these questions echo in my mind

I wonder, wonder why

Every little thing that my mind can question
Just leads me back to one thing

God’s love for me
Every little thing that my mind can question
Just leads me back to one thing

God’s love for me

As I have a "Hungary Heart", a strong desire and hunger in my heart to go to Hungary this summer, may we all have "hungry hearts" for the Lord and listen to what He is trying to say.  He loves us, and wants the best for us!  Lord, nourish our hungry hearts and my Hungary Heart! <3