U-haul day!

This picture is actually AFTER moving stuff. We just HAD to get Dunkin Donuts coffee and a donut as a 'reward'! Thanks Kathy and Cynnie for the treat! And Pepus, yes, we will find a Dunkin Donuts, cuz this is truly an American thing to do!


The three strong ladies who helped. Not pictured, Bobby, who stored MANY of my belongings in his basement during my 9 years in Hungary! Bless him!

Lynn was the "organize the truck person"....determining HOW to pack things in the truck!

Cynnie and Kathy hauling the dolly full of heavy boxes up from Bobby's basement to the truck!

Kathy noticed the hilarious picture on the side of the U-haul....Wally the Walrus...we named him, so Wally will be travelling to Kansas City, MO in another day or so! :-) Pictured are Kathy, Cynnie, Bobby and Lynn!

Today I drove a U-haul truck many, many miles to pick up many worldly belongings from many different places! Of course, it rained today...but thankfully, during the times when we were loading things, it seemed the rain just stopped for a few moments! Thank you, Lord!

I'm overwhelmed with the love and generosity of friends here. I'm not very good at "receiving"...but God is stretching me in this area as people just keep giving and giving and giving and giving and giving...may ALL of them be blessed in abundance for their loving gifts of time, effort, muscles, money, gifts and LOVE!

First days in the U.S. and missing Hungary!

This is Skidder, a beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retriever, who, yes, is eating corn on the cob OFF the cob! :-)

I spent the 4th of July at Lake Monticello with friends! What a perfect day! We did water aerobics in the lake, had a cookout, and just enjoyed hanging out and talking! No fireworks this year there because of the economic crisis!

Joanna Foley and me outside the Foley home in Charlottesville! We have jet-lagged eyes! :-)

Rebecca Foley being a ham!

Anna Foley and John Collmus.

I've had a very, very busy first few days in the U.S., seeing friends, collecting my worldly belongings from various people's basements, renting a U-haul truck, visiting my home church, laughing, and now, BAWLING my eyes out. The floodgates opened up tonight and I've been crying hard for hours missing people in Hungary!

More goodbyes in Hungary

My dear buddy, Barb, and Franci and Klari, precious friends....they saw me off at the airport. We all did pretty well until I started walking toward security....and then I wept my way through security! :-(

Melitta travelled from Kecskemet to Szeged to have lunch with me and say goodbye. Thanks precious friend! I miss you!

Kati and I have known each other for 18 years.......what a treasure, and as I type this, I have tears running down my cheeks!

My precious friend, Larisa....my camera was really acting up and refused to focus!

I know, I'm already in America, but I have pix from my last couple of days in Hungary that I've wanted to put on my blog. So, here you go. Doing this is challenging because I'm CRYING my eyes out....it's very painful....I miss you all!

12a banquet

Here are some pix from the 12a banquet.....sorry these are late, but just getting some computer time and updating life! I miss you all already!

Travel adventures!

Sorry, no pictures to accompany this blog, but maybe later! :-) Yes, I'm finally in the U.S., more specifically in Waynesboro, VA, staying with good friends and former missionaries in Osijek, Croatia, George and Lynn Ainsworth. Not only have they opened their home, but also their hearts and have loaned me a car to use while here. (Others also offered homes and cars, so I am well-loved and taken care of! :-))))

Travel saga: I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo glad I did not try to bring one of my cats with me on this trip because our flight out of Budapest was delayed by about 3 hours. This means many of us missed our connecting flight from Paris to the U.S. However, Air France rebooked us on flights the next day, and paid for hotel, dinner and breakfast Tuesday night! God bless them! So, I and 3 'new' friends whom I met in the airport in Budapest, had a great evening of chatting over dinner at the airport hotel in Paris...and it really was a 'God-encounter' as the wonderful gentleman and I had a very good discussion about good and evil, faith, belief, etc. He is a precious man, as is his wife, and they live in New York. The other lady is also from New York but has been living and working in Budapest for about 15 years, so the four of us had a great time together, making the inconvenience of travelling much easier. I'm thrilled, though, that I did not have to deal with a cat and hotel and overnight, and new flights, etc. WOW, the Lord knew the original plan of both coming in August is the BEST plan!

So, I finally arrived in Washington DC and Lynn picked me up at the airport and we drove 2+ hours to Waynesboro. I got about a 1/2 hour nap before a party where about 15 people blessed me with their presence and presents! Lynn had organized a "Welcome back to America" party with a 'kitchen' theme and so folks bought or brought things that will help me get settled in my new home in Kansas City! I nearly cried...such giving, open, generous hearts! And it was FABULOUS to see people and have a brief time of catching up!

Stayed up til ab out 11:30 p.m....and then as I was falling asleep while talking, I decided it was time for bed! :-) I'm kinda dragging today, but already drove "over the mountain" to Charlottesville for a meeting with a friend (it's about 30 minutes) and a BEAUTIFUL drive, and had some good prayer time with the Lord along the way!

So, that gives you few blog readers an update on my status! :-) The next days will be filled with meetings with friends, meals, parties (for the 4th of July!), church, collecting things from people all over the state...packing up a truck and driving to KC! Whew. Just taking it one day at a time!

Blessings abound in the midst of my sorrow of leaving my home called Hungary!

GREAT thought!

I can take NO credit for this quote, but it is so right on.... ponder this:

"Never make someone a priority who makes you an option."

Great food for thought......

Oh, by the way, this will be my last post from Hungary for quite some time! Sad cannot capture the full range of emotions...but the peace of Christ rules in my heart this day and forevermore!

Last days..........in Hungary :)

Wow! What a whirlwind these last days in Hungary are! Ah, but how amazing they have been! Were I to post all the pictures of all the friends I've met and the precious times we have shared the past couple of weeks, the blog would be FULL! I'm hanging on to every precious memory, floored by the outpouring of love that has been shown to me. If this is what love and friendships are like here, then what a party we are going to have in heaven!

One of my boys...

This is my precious kitty, Simon. For the past 2 months, he has slept right next to my head...I think he knows something is up and he's not really happy about it.

In the last stretch...........

When I was in high school, I ran the 1600, the 800 and the 400. It didn't matter which race I was running because the last stretch, or some call it the 'home stretch' was always the same: the last 100 meters. Coming around the last curve, we were trained to lean forward, drive with our arms (thus the upper body weight training), and extend our stride for the final 'kick' at the end. Most importantly, we were instructed to run hard THROUGH the finish line, no matter what! Even if you were not in the lead, maybe you would set a new personal record! Inside, there was always a lot of pressure, and of course the competitors provided pressure from the outside as well!

I feel a LOT like I'm in the last 100 meters of my "race" here in Hungary right now. My calendar for these remaining 4 days has been FULL for days now. Yet, I am receiving calls from friends today, "Arden, can we get together?" "Arden, do you have time to meet? You only have one hour for me?" I feel loved, of course. But I also feel the pressure of packing up my LIFE here into two suitcases and a carry-on bag, leaving the flat clean and ready for the next person moving in, trying to meet with everyone I love and cherish, getting my cats ready for traveling with me in August...i.e. vet visits, and....and.....and.....the little things that come up.

Today, an unknown person called me, who does not speak English, and wanted to meet with me to talk about how I can help her get a job in the U.S.!! Oh, and this morning, I awaken to discover my internet has been shut off 5 days early...so I have to spend 2 hours, that I really didn't have, finding a solution to their mistake! (obviously, the solution was found! :-))))

Anyway, I am coming into the last turn...I am leaning forward, I am driving with my arms and extending my stride as long as I can....the pressure on the inside is real, and so are the pressures from without...but GOD! Now if I can just find 30 minutes to get quiet before the Lord and just be still! Help me Lord to run ALL the way through the finish line!

"Father Make us One" - by Floyd McClung

I'm still having my world challenged by wise words:

"The Old Testament prophets who called others to repentance did so in brokenness and humility, often weeping over the sin they were confronting. They openly identified with those God had sent them to warn, rather than setting themselves above them and levelling accusations against them---an attitude that is all too prevalent today. We need broken-hearted prophets, men and women who have heard from God and will call his church to holiness and love for one another.

Let us stand together in true love and unity as Christian brothers and sisters demonstrating to the world the presence and power of Christ. Let us turn away from the manipulation of information and the judgemental attitudes that so often cast a slur across the whole body of Christ. Instead, may each of us determine to strive for unity and not divisiveness, and may those who feel God has called them to correct others in the public arena do so in brokenness and humility." (pp. 87-88)

Goodbye party with some former Bible study folks

Klari's dad.....a great man of God!


Gabi, Jozsi and Timi.

Arden with my dear friends, Franci and Klari!

Zsuzsi and Aron...a little worship time.

Elza, my sweet friend!

My dear friend and sister in the Lord, Klari, and her husband, Franci, organized a small gathering of those who could come, who were a part of a home Bible study I hosted in my flat from 2000-2006. I am so blessed by these men and women who love the Lord, and it is exciting to see how HE is leading each of them!

The party began about 5 p.m. and Franci drove us all home at midnight! I LOVE that Hungarians know how to spend time with one another and I will miss this aspect of this culture!

More importantly, I will miss these dear, precious friends!

More pix from 12b banquet!

Dancing fun with the 12bs!

My smiling beauties!

Great kids!

Nice to see these boys smiling!

Sweet girls!

Oh what fun we had at the 12b banquet Sunday night!

12b class banquet!

One of my favorite groups this year at school was my 12b class! I had the blessing of teaching them for four years, and all of them were wildly successful, specifically in English, on their final exams!

Every year, after exams, each class has a banquet...a dinner with fun and talking, etc., and they invite the teachers to be a part of it! I love these banquets, and in fact, planned my return to the U.S. so that I could attend them!

Sunday night, I enjoyed being with my 12bs so much, and realized that I will surely miss them.

More from Floyd McClung

As I turn each page of "Father, Make us One", there are kernels of wisdom worth posting here!

"Real love desires the best for others. Real love is not only tender, it must also be tough. Tough in our convictions, but tender in how we express them to others. It means getting involved with difficult people, confronting those who hurt us, and standing up to those who try to use us. It involves gently disciplining those who fall into sin, and expecting a greater level of accountability among our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ."

I've made the decision: this little book is coming with me to the U.S.

packing, sorting, tossing and finding!

As I was going through books, I found one I'd read long ago by Floyd McClung entitled "Father, Make us One". I did what I sometimes do and just opened it to a random page. Here's what is on that/those two pages:

"As Christians we may often idealize fellow believers in the same way, putting them on pedestals, only to be hurt and embittered when they fail to match up to our expectations. We must come to the place where, in an attitude of love, we can embrace one another while still acknowledging one another's faults. Refusing to accept each other in this way may well lead us to becoming the policemen of the church----judgemental and critical.

In our relationships with other Christians, we often lose sight of this principle. We are busy trying to bring conviction to those we do not agree with, or to those who have some obvious fault or weakness that we feel needs correcting. But instead of helping, we bring strife and disharmony.

It is essential that love takes prime place in our relationships. Where there are differences, we must reach out in love to our brother and allow the Holy Spirit to do his convicting work in both our lives. He, after all, is the only one who is able to do this justly, since he knows the thoughts and intents of our heart."

Whoa.....do you ever just open a book and something jumps out that is exactly what you are going through or have gone through and there are the words? This was my experience a couple of days ago with these words. I could have opened to ANY page...but here lay these words.

And so, I'm now deciding whether to pack this book in my suitcase and take it with me to the U.S. :-)

Weekend in Gyula

Mari hitting the water coming out of the slide! Me watching.....




Fun in the wave pool.




I used SPF 50 suntan lotion and so the water beaded up on my legs like water on a freshly waxed car! ha ha ha!





Walking in Gyula near the fortress! Kati and Mari!

In the Szazeves cszukrazda.

Mari, Kati and I spent some time in Gyula this weekend, and it was a very blessed time! We stayed in a nice apartmenthaz, enjoyed the best hamburger place (Donna-neni would be proud), also enjoyed cakes and ice cream at the 100 year old confectionary...it's actually older, but who's counting....and the pools!

In the winter time, a group of us gals went to the Gyula baths, and I didn't really pay much attention to the fact that they have a HUGE outdoor territory with lots of different pools and slides, etc! We soaked in the sun and had a super day there today!

It's so good to get away and just disconnect for a couple of days! Thank you Lord for this precious gift with these precious friends!

Last ICF meeting for 08-09 academic year

Here's Tom Foley, the CEO of CEO, playing frisbee....ooops, missed! :-)



Erik, leading us in worship, alongside his fiance, Sara! They will get married in August in Sweden and I get to go to the wedding! whoo hoo!!! They will also continue to co-lead ICF again from September!



Fellowship, worship, writing down prayer requests! There are 7 different nations represented in this picture....Sweden, Nigeria, United States, Great Britain, Romania, Serbia and Hungary!!!

Choosing who we will pray for!

Frisbee fun!

The weather was crisp, clear and perfect for our last meeting with ICF folks, outside at Mattyas square. We played frisbee, sat and talked, worshipped the Lord, wrote down prayer requests on paper and then did a grab-bag and chose one person to pray for during the summer, said 'see you laters', and just enjoyed being together!

I'm sad..........

It's hitting me slowly...........

I won't be here, but ICF will carry on, praise God! It's His anyway!

I will miss everyone terribly............

OUCH............

Feeling very loved!

My dear friend, Krisztina, organized the whole party and hosted it at her lovely home!


My precious English department colleagues!



What a fun gathering!

Krisztina and her family, Zoli, Adel, Dani and Barnabas!

I don't think anyone has ever been able to pull off a surprise party for me! I've always "known" somehow. But my colleagues were successful, and I was floored by a wonderful surprise party for my "going away" yesterday! I cried, others cried, we enjoyed FABULOUS food, laughed, talked, and enjoyed being together! I will miss these friends....not just colleagues, but really friends....and I say THANK YOU to them!!!

More goodbyes..............

Saying goodbyes at ICD!

I love this picture of Edith! :-)

This will be a month of goodbyes. Lots of tears, lots of heart-wrenching moments, and busy-ness beyond imagination! Alas, God's grace is sufficient.

Saturday night, I was back in Debrecen after my brief visit to Ukraine and took part in a worship service at the International Church of Debrecen. After the service, they had a going away party for Edith Bond, a dear friend and fellow missionary from New Zealand, who returns to her home country to care for her aging mother.

I've been blessed to know Edith for the past 4 years, learn from her, laugh with her, pray and worship with her, and see the Lord use her in mighty ways in mine and others' lives!

God-speed, Edith, as you return to kiwi land and serve the Lord by caring for your mother! I will miss you!!!!

Treasures in God's heart

Gitka, Valentina and Zsuzsa.....about 1/2 an hour before my departure....


We played some soccer together! :-)


Valentina did NOT want her picture taken and kept saying, "I'm not a monkey!"

Veronika, Anna and me.

I don't know this little one's name, but she is precious!!!

I made my "last" trip to Ukraine, for a while, to visit the Good Samaritan orphanage for girls there, where the Lord directed us about 3 years ago. It was 3 years ago that I met these precious girls who live in a Dutch Reformed Church sponsored orphanage in the village of Nagydobrony, Ukraine. They still speak Hungarian in this formerly Hungarian village, and even keep Hungarian time...Ukraine is one time zone to the east.

These precious girls, many of whom are handicapped, are precious children of the King. Many are severely wounded in spirit from having experienced traumas many of us will could never even imagine. I haven't even bothered to ask about their stories but some of them have been told to me...stories like one little girl whose mom murdered her twin brother right before her eyes; another couple of girls whose family is so abusive that they have been removed for their own safety; and many who, because of being disabled were turned over to the orphanage to raise because it's too hard for families to provide for them.

So, it was bittersweet to visit...the visit was too short for me and for them. The precious ones I got close to before were very stand-offish with me...angry that I'd not come to see them sooner, frustrated that I was not staying, and confused that I am returning to the U.S. Patience, prayer and perseverance finally broke down some of the walls, and in the last 4 hours of my visit there, these girls finally let me in to love them.

I sort of felt like I got a small taste of what God must feel with the children of the world (us) when we resist Him...when we are stand-offish with Him...when we reject His love...when we bring our own misconceptions and self-protecting posturings to Him and make demands that things go 'our way'. His patience in waiting, continuing to love, and again, like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son (see blog below), the Father waits, looking and longing to embrace....and runs to those who finally come home to His love and embrace!

What a beautiful young man!!!

Today, I've received a "kiss" from the Lord and a clear confirmation of His grace and mercy.

Three students out of eleven in one of my classes chose to plaigairize very blatantly on a recent paper I gave them. So, I went into the class today and gently, but firmly and lovingly let them know the consequences and told them they could come talk with me if they had questions or wanted to talk.

One hour later, one of the young men came to see me.

"Miss Campbell, I want to tell you that I am so very sorry for what I did. It was wrong I know, but I struggle so much in writing correct sentences. I spent about 3-4 hours trying to write and I know I should not have copied from the internet or gotten help from my English teacher."

At this point, tears are rolling down his cheeks and tears are filling my eyes as well.

"Miss Campbell, please forgive me. I'm embarrassed that I did this."

True, heart-felt repentance. No excuses. No justifications. No blaming me or anyone else. Complete ownership, with a humility I've not seen in someone in a VERY long time. This young man was completely broken...broken over his sin, broken over his own short-comings, and tearfully apologizing and asking forgiveness.

We both stood there in the school hallway crying together. I reached out and took his arm and had him look me in the eye: "I forgive you and I am so proud of you; I respect you so very, very much and I see your heart so clearly; I love you so much and am so happy you came to talk to me!"

By this time tears are flowing from both of us! I asked him if I had hurt him in any way or had done something wrong, and he, once again, took full ownership and even said, "No, you haven't hurt me. Yes, I feel hurt, but it's a necessary hurt because I know you love me and want the best for me."

I was floored....this from a 17 year old Hungarian boy!

Am I giving him another chance? Of course!

I also told him that next year, when he is a senior, he needs to email me his papers and I will help him and correct them! A smile finally crossed his tear-streaked face.

"Thank you," he said, and I squeezed his arm again, told him that I don't think anything less of him, and in fact, I have such a love in my heart and a tremendous respect for him for coming and doing what he did.

What a beautiful young man...and what a sweet kiss from the Lord this was for me as it reminded me of the story of the Prodigal Son, whose brokenness, so genuine and so complete brought showers of love and forgiveness from the Father.

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you...."

"Bring the best robe and put it on my son!"

I want nothing but the absolute best for this student of mine, and for the other two boys as well...yet like the father in the biblical story, who did not go out searching for his lost son, but waited, expectantly, I wait expectantly, with arms open wide, ready to run and embrace these young men. I pray that day comes!