Szia! (a greeting and farewell in Hungarian)
Our first week here has been quite stretching already, but God is good. In our original plan for our time in Hungary, we would have been staying in or near the orphanage in Miskolcs and a majority of our time was going to be spending time with them and sharing Christ's love with them. Instead, we've found ourselves formally teaching English in a classroom setting, both last week and this coming week. Last week the five of us were together teaching 5th-8th graders in Mikepercs some simple English but this coming week Kat, Malerie, and Elyse will be travelling with Trudy Chun to Debrecen to a Secondary school to teach conversational English to High School-aged girls. Tyler and James, along with Russell Chun, will be teaching English to a group of 5th graders, along with Physical Education. Around 3 in the afternoon, Monday-Friday, we'll be reconvening to prep for and teach at the kick-off week for Russell's After School program here in Mikeperc.
In Mikeperc, the younger generation has no desire to even step in to a church, just because of some remnant feelings from Communism which really discourages them to be involved in religion. Russell's vision for the primary students in Mikeperc is to hold fun programs inside the church that will open up their hearts and minds to hear about Christ and hopefully make them feel welcome in the church.
At the After School program, a few of the Handful will be out in the town center with Russell, inviting the students to join us at the church building to participate in fun activities, games, eating junkfood, etc. During this time, we'll be performing a five-part skit, narrated in Hungarian, to convey a redemptive story and open them up to hearing about Christ. This also gives Russell the opportunity to make connections with kids in the village so that he can recruit them to his sports ministry and see what other ministry needs the village has.
Our hope for this After School program is that it will break down some walls between the Hungarians and Romas, but we're not even sure that the church leaders will allow the Roma children to be inside the church walls. Be praying that God will speak to the hearts of the church leaders and that the Romas will feel welcomed into the church.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
We're Here! (in Mikepercs)
Sorry if this blog seems incoherent. We're sleepy and have zero train of thought.
After a 10 hour flight from LAX to Amsterdam on Monday the 5th, a 2 hour layover in Amsterdam on the 6th, as well as a 2 hour flight into Budapest on the 6th, we were picked up by Dr. Gabor Gyori and his daughter, Estie. Dr Gyori gave us a very thorough car tour of Budapest and we even got to see Kat's old house and hangouts, which was great. We then spent the rest of the night at the Gyori's house with Dr. & Mrs. Gyori and their three daughters, and enjoyed a wonderful goulash dinner and some recooperation from our travels.
On Wednesday morning we were able to sleep in and then Mrs. Gyori treated us to a wonderful homemade brunch, which was followed by a trip to the bank to exchange our U.S. Dollars into Hungarian Forint, which was quite a process. We packed up and bundled up back at the Gyori's house and then headed to the train station where we said our goodbye's to the Gyori's then rode through snow covered fields for two hours into the city of Miskolcs, where we finally met Russell Chun and one of Good Sports' volunteers, Joe. We met up with some orphans and some of the translators at a restaurant for dinner, followed by the regular Wednesday night Bible Study for the guys while the girls conducted a meet and greet. The team then made their way, along with Russell and Joe, back to Russell and Trudy's home in Mikepercs and then to our panzio (lodging) for the night.
This morning (Thursday) we were up at 7:00am to prepare for teaching English at the Mikepercs elementary school with Russell and Trudy. We taught English for a 5th and 8th grade class, which was a great experience getting to finally interact with kids in a small group setting. Their English was fairly basic but a lot of them were excited to meet us and they were enthusiastically trying to communicate with us, looking through textbooks to find questions to ask us.
Tomorrow we get to go back to those same two classrooms, plus a 6th grade classroom, which will be a good chance to build relationships with the kids from today.
We've seen a lot of snow covering the ground and had a small amount of snow fall. It seems that we've arrived in one of the coldest weeks of the coldest winter Hungary has had in years. We haven't been able to check on the temperature but at one point last night, it was -4 C and that seems to be fairly common.
The Handful along with Russell are going to coach baseball with some of the kids from the elementary school, so our update (along with prayer requests) will be continued later.
- The Handful in Hungary
After a 10 hour flight from LAX to Amsterdam on Monday the 5th, a 2 hour layover in Amsterdam on the 6th, as well as a 2 hour flight into Budapest on the 6th, we were picked up by Dr. Gabor Gyori and his daughter, Estie. Dr Gyori gave us a very thorough car tour of Budapest and we even got to see Kat's old house and hangouts, which was great. We then spent the rest of the night at the Gyori's house with Dr. & Mrs. Gyori and their three daughters, and enjoyed a wonderful goulash dinner and some recooperation from our travels.
On Wednesday morning we were able to sleep in and then Mrs. Gyori treated us to a wonderful homemade brunch, which was followed by a trip to the bank to exchange our U.S. Dollars into Hungarian Forint, which was quite a process. We packed up and bundled up back at the Gyori's house and then headed to the train station where we said our goodbye's to the Gyori's then rode through snow covered fields for two hours into the city of Miskolcs, where we finally met Russell Chun and one of Good Sports' volunteers, Joe. We met up with some orphans and some of the translators at a restaurant for dinner, followed by the regular Wednesday night Bible Study for the guys while the girls conducted a meet and greet. The team then made their way, along with Russell and Joe, back to Russell and Trudy's home in Mikepercs and then to our panzio (lodging) for the night.
This morning (Thursday) we were up at 7:00am to prepare for teaching English at the Mikepercs elementary school with Russell and Trudy. We taught English for a 5th and 8th grade class, which was a great experience getting to finally interact with kids in a small group setting. Their English was fairly basic but a lot of them were excited to meet us and they were enthusiastically trying to communicate with us, looking through textbooks to find questions to ask us.
Tomorrow we get to go back to those same two classrooms, plus a 6th grade classroom, which will be a good chance to build relationships with the kids from today.
We've seen a lot of snow covering the ground and had a small amount of snow fall. It seems that we've arrived in one of the coldest weeks of the coldest winter Hungary has had in years. We haven't been able to check on the temperature but at one point last night, it was -4 C and that seems to be fairly common.
The Handful along with Russell are going to coach baseball with some of the kids from the elementary school, so our update (along with prayer requests) will be continued later.
- The Handful in Hungary
Sunday, January 4, 2009
What Are We Doing?
While in Hungary, The Handful will be doing a series of relational youth ministries in eastern Hungary through a partnership with Russell and Trudy Chun of Good Sports International.
Our tentative schedule:
Jan. 5th - We will be departing from LAX on an 18 hour flight to Budapest, Hungary, with one layover in Germany.
Jan. 6th - We arrive in Budapest where we'll spend that day recuperating from jet lag and preparing to minister.
Jan. 7th - We will travel to Miskolcs to meet Russell and Trudy Chun and minister in the orphanage there.
Jan. 9th - We'll head to Debrecen to minister in a variety of ways: partnering with the Calvary Chapel in Debrecen to hold a retreat for the teenage girls from the orphange, repairing and restoring a facility for a Roma ministry, reaching out to college-aged students, and teaching English.
Jan. 19th - We return to Budapest to rest and debrief
Jan. 21st - We'll arrive back home to Southern California to prepare for the spring semester
In order to bring a spirit of encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Hungary as well as sharing the hope of Christ to those lost in Hungary, we submit our plans to God and our prayer is that the Holy Spirit would direct our ministry in Hungary and keep our focus on God's will and not our own, possibly flawed, schedules and plans.
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Our tentative schedule:
Jan. 5th - We will be departing from LAX on an 18 hour flight to Budapest, Hungary, with one layover in Germany.
Jan. 6th - We arrive in Budapest where we'll spend that day recuperating from jet lag and preparing to minister.
Jan. 7th - We will travel to Miskolcs to meet Russell and Trudy Chun and minister in the orphanage there.
Jan. 9th - We'll head to Debrecen to minister in a variety of ways: partnering with the Calvary Chapel in Debrecen to hold a retreat for the teenage girls from the orphange, repairing and restoring a facility for a Roma ministry, reaching out to college-aged students, and teaching English.
Jan. 19th - We return to Budapest to rest and debrief
Jan. 21st - We'll arrive back home to Southern California to prepare for the spring semester
In order to bring a spirit of encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Hungary as well as sharing the hope of Christ to those lost in Hungary, we submit our plans to God and our prayer is that the Holy Spirit would direct our ministry in Hungary and keep our focus on God's will and not our own, possibly flawed, schedules and plans.
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Friday, January 2, 2009
Who We Are?
Our five-person missions team to Hungary, "The Handful", has the vision to minister to the Hungarian people through word and deed, speaking truth in love, offering a hope secured in Christ.
Kat
Co-Leader of the team
Junior
Intercultural Studies Major
James:
Co-Leader
Junior
Accounting Major
Malerie:
Team member
Senior
Psychology Major
Tyler:
Team member
Senior
Accounting Major
Elyse:
Team member
Junior
Art Major
Kat
Co-Leader of the team
Junior
Intercultural Studies Major
James:
Co-Leader
Junior
Accounting Major
Malerie:
Team member
Senior
Psychology Major
Tyler:
Team member
Senior
Accounting Major
Elyse:
Team member
Junior
Art Major
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