Holiday cheer

Here in Hungary, there are some neat Christmas happenings! Outdoor Christmas markets are fun to visit, but in the freezing temps like we are having now, my heart goes out to the vendors, who have no option but to stand in the freezing weather. At these markets, one can purchase hot spiced wine and something called kurtoskalacs...it is like a long tube of sweet donut! Yummy!

Santa already came on December 6th, so now the focus is on the gift-giving. On December 24th, Jezuska (the baby Jesus) comes and brings the Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, many literally only see the sweet baby Jesus and don't realize the significance of His birth.

One of the greatest joys I have during this season is the opportunity to bring my guitar into all of my classes and sing Christmas carols in English! Of course we sing everything from Jingle Bells to Joy to the World! Just last week, after one of my lessons, I could hear the students walking down the hall singing out "Glo-o-o-o-o -oria, in excelsis Deo!" May God penetrate the hearts of MANY students in the school, that they will hear and understand and respond to the TRUE message of Christmas: God has come in the flesh to reconcile people to Himself for all of eternity!

Kidney stone blasting!!!

Wow, what an experience! We began lining up at 8 a.m. in the waiting room...all patients waiting to have kidney stones "blasted"! I was 3rd in line, and when the guy before me came out, we asked him if it hurt. "No!" So, I got in there fully expecting very little pain...maybe some discomfort....well, 1/2 way through the electrical blasting of the right kidney, the doctor asked if I wanted pain killer...I must have had SOME look on my face! I said, "Yes, that would be good!" I made it, but it was UNCOMFORTABLE!!!

Be sure to drink PLENTY of water...trust me on this one!!!

Cross-cultural Medicine - II

Today, I "fit-in" with the Hungarians...for the most part...in my visit to the hospital for blood test and EKG before my procedure tomorrow. I arrived and was number 6 in line for getting my blood drawn; the woman about freaked out when she saw I was a foreigner, asking me how I intended to pay...and I had to explain to her that I am a resident, I work here, and pay taxes and am covered by the Hungarian medical program. This greatly relieved her. Drawing blood took about 5 minutes total.

EKG was an interesting adventure. That took about 2 minutes, and I was out of the hospital. I looked at my watch as I walked out of the hospital and the entire "ordeal" took one and a half hours; doing the math lets you know just how much time I spent waiting. That's what life here is like...waiting...waiting...

Cross-cultural Medicine

I've had an interesting couple of days, especially today. I awakened Monday with cramping in my lower abdomen and decided to stay home and rest. When I woke up at noon, I was still not on the up and up, and decided to pay a visit to my family doctor...who examined me and promptly sent me to another clinic where I could see a surgeon there, have an ultra-sound and figure out if I had a kidney stone or appendicitis! Well, when I met the cute doctor, I started speaking in Hungarian, and about 1 minute later, he said in near perfect English, "where are you from?" I laughed and asked him why he didn't tell me he speaks English??

Anyway, I have 3 kidney stones...one is big enough to need "blasting" apart. So today I meet cute doctor at another hospital, and he ushers me past 985 people waiting to see the urologist, and I go in after waiting maybe 10 min....it's a catch-22 being a foreigner....you get nasty looks from those you "cut in line" in front of, but you get in to see the doctor a whole lot faster. And I've found you cannot really argue and say, "No, I want to wait here with the other 985 people who were here before me," because that will insult the doctor who is trying to take good care of you...who, has an ulterior motive...he wants English lessons! Amazing how one can get "roped" into things in a different culture.

So, it turns out the urologist speaks English as well! Hallelujah! The only time he "broke out" of his completely serious mode was when I happened to mention that my dad is a urologist...it was at that point that he raised his eyebrows and probably realized he needs to take very good care of me. So, my question is, what do I need to do for him, because here in Hungary, there is a "special payment system" in this socialized medical system. I'm thinking a nice bottle of wine and some chocolate will be in order when I go in on Thursday to have my stone BLASTED...and tell him the wine is from my father, who says "Thank you!"

Ah, but the adventure continues...I have to go down to x-ray....which doesn't take too long....but waiting for the x-ray in a hallway with 20 other people and only 3 seats, for 1 1/2 hours, is yet another adventure...."do I really live here?" Once I garnered my x-ray, I returned to see only 743 people waiting to see the urologist, and again, after two people before me, I was called in...this time I heard some mumurs from people....I think they had been there 2 hours earlier and were STILL waiting to get in for the first visit. Hmmm.

So, Thursday is blasting the kidney stone day!!! I'm so excited, really! As the doctors pointed out, it sure beats trying to pass a 6mm stone, which would be worse than giving birth to a child! They are indeed looking out for my best interest....I left the doctor's room, eyes to the floor and mumbled a sheepish "goodbye" in Hungarian to those in the waiting area, wanting ever so much to have been lowered down from the window in the doctor's room so I wouldn't have to face the stares of those patient people, who wait in these kinds of lines for medical care every day. Ah, the adventures continue!

Water

Water. It's an amazing resource...every living thing needs it to survive; it can be a powerful tool for good, or it can, when left unchecked or allowed to come in torrents, cause great destruction. Water can be soothing or suffocating; it can buoy you up, or bowl you under.

When I get around water these days, doesn't seem to matter where, I learn. It's no surprise that in the Bible, there are innumerable references to water, in many different contexts, but the ones that fascinate me the most are those in connection with the Holy Spirit.

When I was in Kansas City this summer at the International House of Prayer (www.IHOP.org), the Lord gave me a song as I sat in His presence in the main prayer room. The song is entitled "River of Your Love". The refrain goes like this: "The river of your love washes over me, and I am consumed with You."

In our harried world, it is challenging to find time to sit or lie in God's presence and allow His love to wash over us like a river and be consumed with Him; however, when we do, the blessings are amazing: conviction of sin, revelation of Who He is, comfort, peace, joy, love, contentment, and sometimes for me, tears (more water) come flowing...tears of thankfulness for His amazing goodness!

May you experience the healing waters of His love the next time you are around water...

Thanksgiving part 2

As promised, here are some fun pix straight from my Thanksgiving party!!! Two good friends, Bori and Zsuzsi, who grew up in the children's home and have now moved out and have babies of their own, came with their two little girls, Bori and Vivien! My friend and colleague, Krisztina came with her daughter, Adel. Tom Turkey turned out beautifully, as you can see, and we ate, laughed, played, and spent much needed time together!!! I thank God for these precious ones!!!

Article in the paper

On Wednesday, I was minding my own business at school when the regional newspaper, Delmagyarorszag called the schoool to ask if any American teachers there would be preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. I was the "chosen one" to open my home to the journalists, who came that afternoon to take pictures of the Thanksgiving preparations and write an article as well!

So, here is the link to that article where you can see me busily preparing the turkey, which, by the way, one of my students' grandmothers killed and prepared especially for me!!!
http://www.delmagyar.hu/cikk.php?id=70&cid=137205

Follow-up pictures to come in the next posting!!!

Thanksgiving Day!

This year is an especially blessed year for me this Thanksgiving! For the first time in 7 years of teaching here in Hungary, I have only 2 lessons on Thursdays, and finish at 9:10 a.m.....so, I finally have time to cook a proper Thanksgiving dinner! And this morning, I received an added blessing...my second class wasn't even in the school, so I could get home even earlier to put the turkey in the oven!!!

However, there's a test today...this is the FIRST TIME EVER cooking a turkey...and I have no temperature gauge on my oven; could be a really interesting day!!! One of my students' grandmother's killed and cleaned the turkey for me!!! Talk about fresh! Hope I don't ruin it by not cooking it correctly!

In the next blog, you'll get to see pictures from the big event! Until then, remember how incredibly blessed we ALL are!!!

Locked doors

This past Thursday was parent/teacher conferences at school from, get this: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.! Can't complain. All teachers are assigned a room in which to be for conferences (we don't have our own classrooms in Hungary), and parents look at the listing of names and rooms to determine where they need to go to find their child's teacher.

I arrived to find I was to be in room 126 with one other teacher. Parents were mingling around, and I looked for the key. There was no key to be found in the school...so, the door remained locked and darkened. The other teacher who was supposed to be there had found another room, displaced the teachers who were supposed to be in there, and proceeded with her conferences. I decided to plant myself on the bench outside the darkened classroom and as parents came to inquire, I was there.

I watched as parents arrived, walked up to the door, tried the handle, saw it was locked and darkened, and yet some of them stood there, continuing to wait...it seemed that maybe somehow, miraculously, the door would open...or something. Others tried two or three times, looked around, and walked off. Others tried, then asked those standing nearby if they knew anything about the teachers who were supposed to be in that room.

Lots of reactions to closed, locked doors and darkened rooms. "But they are supposed to be here!" "You can't change things on me, I cannot handle that change!" "But the sheet SAYS room 126, so I'm going to wait here!"

The teachers were still available, just in different places...they had not changed, they remained the same...but it took some openness on the parents' parts to realize that maybe they had to do something "out of the ordinary" or something "they weren't used to doing" in order to meet the teachers. They may have had to shift their paradigm to see things from a different perspective...to experience parent/teacher conferences. Of course they could still meet with the "unchanged" teachers...but for some, it was VERY uncomfortable to have to "change" locations.

Interestingly, I think that for some followers of Jesus, it becomes uncomfortable when God shows up in a different place. He's not changed, but He's drawing us to Himself, the unchanging God, in a new location, and we may have to change our thinking about how "things are supposed to be" with Him, because He is in the business of taking us to new places with Himself, and He sometimes, or often, does that by making us a bit uncomfortable. He doesn't want us standing at the locked door, stuck in the ways we are comfortable functioning in...rather He wants us to seek Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and that may mean going to uncomfortable, unfamiliar places.

Sometimes He doesn't ask us to understand; He asks us to trust Him; because if we understood, then we wouldn't have to have faith in Him, we could have faith in our understanding, and to have faith in anything but Him alone could lead us into idolatry.

Wrestling with God

I picked up a book the other night off my shelf...it actually belongs to some friends of mine...sorry, I'll get it back to you soon. It's called "Lover of My Soul - Delighting in God's Passionate Love" by Alan Wright. The following is an excerpt which captures exactly where I am.

"One night by the Jabbok, Jacob was preparing to reenter the Promised Land. I suppose God wrestled with Jacob just so the patriarch would never forget the source of his blessings. The Lord wrestled the man who had always come out on top just so he'd never forget that the Lord always gives the victory. But mostly, I think God wrestled Jacob for the same reason He wrestled with the Hebrew people and He continues to wrestle with you and me. God would rather stoop to wrestle us than let us wander away from Him in pride. He wrestles us because He wants to keep us. He wrestles us because He wants to be close to us. If you feel as if you're wrestling with God, has it occurred to you that maybe He's just looking for a little more contact with you?"

It's interesting to be in a place that not many can understand, and even I have a hard time sometimes understanding where God has me; but like Jacob, I know that my Beloved wants even more contact with me, and He was willing to go to the cross for me, and now He is willing to wrestle with me, to draw me closer to Himself, that I might experience His passionate love for me and be able to hear His voice even more intimately and clearly.

Peaceful

There's just something about being in a peaceful setting with no one around, and no sounds except the breeze blowing through the trees and reeds. These pictures show the small lake in Dios Jeno where I spent a couple of days during our fall break hanging out with a friend and relaxing. The Lord does lead us beside quiet waters and restore our souls.

Alone on a Train

After a full day of Christmas shopping in Budapest at the end of October, I boarded the afternoon inter-city train to Szeged. When I found my seat, I noticed a young man, maybe 22 years old, helping a young girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old, get settled in her seat. Once she was set, he said goodbye, and this 8-9 year old girl was left alone on the train.

I made a mental note, as did the people sitting across the aisle from her I'm sure, that I was going to keep an eye on her the whole way and make sure she arrived safely to wherever and to whomever would meet her in Szeged.

I believe most Americans would find it unconscionable to put a 9 year old girl on a train, alone, for a journey of nearly 3 hours. But this is Hungary, and she reached her destination safely, even enjoying a sandwich and drink along the way.

The Lord reminded me that He, like me with the girl, never lets us out of His sight, keeps us safe, and will make sure we reach or final destination, sometimes, we may have to travel alone, and there will be scary, uncertain hours, but He's promised never to leave nor forsake us.

Bird

While in Dios Jeno, in northern Hungary, sitting by the lake and watching a bird soar on the lift of the strong wind, I heard the Lord say to me...."You see, he's facing the source of the wind---facing into the wind, and the wind is giving him lift, is maintaining him---he doesn't have to work at all to stay afloat; one drop of a wing tip and he's sailing with the wind, racing along"; it was almost like the bird was playing, enjoying just BEING a bird.

God calls us to BE, to look full into His face, to rest in the lift that He alone can provide and to know that wherever His Spirit takes us, it is a GOOD place. He is not going to dash us into the tumultuous water below, but rather lift us to the heights, above the tumult---and it's easy when our eyes are facing Him and we are fully submitted to His Spirit and not fighting to go our own way.

Cocoons and butterflies

The word "cocoon" came up during lessons this week as some of my classes and I discussed the exciting topic of plants and animals. We were talking about the names of the "babies" of various animals....eg. dogs - puppies, cats - kittens. We came to butterflies and said caterpillars. Then we talked about how the caterpillars go into a cocoon and are transformed into beautiful butterflies.

I asked my students if they'd ever seen a butterfly trying to get out of its cocoon, and watched the struggle. I asked if they knew what would happen if someone comes along, during the struggle, and "helps" the butterfly break out of its cocoon. No one knew....so I told them. "If we see a struggling butterfly trying to break out of its cocoon, and try to help it along by tearing away the outer cocoon, then the butterfly will die very quickly. You see, in the process of the struggle, the butterflies' wings are being strengthened, so that it can fly and live as it was intended. Trying to "reduce its apparent suffering or struggle" actually is detrimental to the butterfly and quickly brings death instead of life.

Obviously, it was an easy transition to discuss human life and the struggles that individuals face in life...and there are times when we need to let people struggle through the "cocoons" in their lives; yes we can cheer them on, speak words of encouragement, but we should not necessarily try to "remove" the "cocoon" because it is in that person pushing through that he or she will come out strong and will be prepared for his or her future life as a new butterfly!!!

Cutting grass and painting doors

As a teacher, I often have to wait years to "see results" in students' lives. Of course it is worth the wait, but sometimes I just need to see immediate results! That's when I find fun projects to do! Saturday, I went to a friend's house and had a blast cutting grass and painting an ugly green door! The grass was not too long, but afterwards it looked great! The ugly green door was really ugly. I put two coats of white paint on it, and the entire door and wall area where it is located was transformed!!!

Seeing these two "transformations", one not so radical, (the grass), and the other, shockingly (in a good way) transformed, (the door), reminded me of how God works in our lives. Sometimes, His work is subtle; He changes us and it's noticeable, but not earth-shattering! Other times, He does MAJOR work, and the transformation can be seen by all, at first glance, because He's done so much work in us!!!

May we always be open to the way that GOD wants to transform us, and may we never limit Him in what He wants to do both in and through us!

I'm naive

I had a very disturbing class discussion today with one of my classes of seniors. Quite honestly, I cannot even share the content of it; however I can share that I learned that I am very naive. I know about murder, I know about incest, I know about corruption, I know about cheating, I know about pornography, I know about all sorts of sordid things which are the reality of the world we live in. But, to hear my students frankly state what they did today left me speechless! All I can hint at is that the discussion made me think that our world is entrenched in what plagued Sodom and Gomorrah, plus some. I think my students got a kick out of realizing how naive I am...this "revelation" for me about them and about people brings me to my knees again, crying out for mercy.

Testing

I went to the post office today to mail two envelopes with pictures and letters. I stood in a long line for 1/2 an hour, only to get to the window and discover I needed to fill out customs forms. So, I had to step out of the long line, which had gotten longer, and fill out the forms. When I finished, I saw the line was even longer.....so I went upstairs to the usually shorter line....only to find a slew of people there too. I knew my patience was being tested, and I wanted to pass. So, I stood and waited.....a full hour after having entered the post office, I was walking out, having mailed two envelopes. Hmmm. As I walked home, I wondered if I'd passed the patience test, when the Lord decided to bless me. I ran into a student who graduated last year and we had a great talk! Then I ran into one of the girls who used to be in the children's home...we also had a good "reconnection" time. Had I had a "quick" turn-around time at the post office, these meetings would not have happened. We all would have missed out on the blessings, and I would not have been tested.

Attack cat

Last night, I accidentally stepped on Toby's paw---he screeched, and immediately, Simon, my other cat, jumped on Toby, attacking him!!! The two of them raced off toward my flat, Toby fleeing on a hurt paw and Simon in hot pursuit, and me chasing both of them trying to break up the fight! Poor Toby....hurt foot, his mom's fault, fleeing the wrath of his "thought-to-be" buddy, Simon, who has decided that he must attack Toby! My only explanation is that Simon is so possessive of me, that when he heard Toby screech, he thought he was screeching AT me and moved into "protection" mode. I and my neighbor spent the next 20 minutes trying to calm the two boys and get them back together again...Toby very leery about being anywhere NEAR Simon, understandably.

I'm reminded of the verse which says the enemy is like a lion, prowling around looking for someone to devour. We must always be aware of his tactics, but more importantly, our undivided attention should be on worshipping Jesus, and HE will warn us!

Models

Aren't we gorgeous? The outside is simply a reflection of what the Lord has done and is doing on the inside! This "international" group of women, two Americans, one American living in Hungary, and one Korean living in America, has been knit together in the Lord to live out the verse, "They will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another!"

Blessings in abundance

"...I call you friends!" Friends in the Lord are the most amazing friends one can ever hope to have! Pictured here is a group of friends with whom I share much. We all have a heart for the world; we all love to laugh; we all love to eat; but most of all, we love Jesus, and the mutual encouragement and admonishment exchanged is priceless. I will treasure this day in Budapest with these friends!

Blessings and Buddies

Do you have people in your life who are not only tremendous blessings, but also GREAT buddies??? These friends above are some of the dearest ones who fit into the "category" of blessings and buddies! They have come across the miles, across an ocean, to minister to the hearts of Hungarians, and in the process, I'm being totally blessed and encouraged! We were able to enjoy a day and a 1/2 in Budapest together as well seeing the sights! His blessings never cease!!!

Sunsets

I had a friend who used to remind me to take time to enjoy sunsets! So yesterday, as I was driving home from Debrecen to Szeged, there was a beautiful sunset; so I pulled over to the side of the road, and not only enjoyed, but took a few pictures.

I like to think of sunrises and sunsets as God's "good mornings" and "good nights", coupled with His "I love you!"

New Revelation

Go read Colossians 3:16. We were reading this today at church, and it was so powerful because for the first time, I saw that it says we are to TEACH each other through singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs!!! How cool that worship is also about teaching each other for our edification?

Precious ones

When I met Bori in 1996, she was a scared, shy 14 year old girl, who kept her distance and would not come and enjoy the activities the other kids in the children's home were taking part in.

Bori captured my heart then, and now we are dear friends! She has since moved out of the children's home, and has a little girl, kis Bori (little Bori). I got to spend some time with the two Boris and another girl who also moved out of the children's home and now has a little girl. Susan and her daughter Vivien live in a little village near Szeged.

I was humbled by how challenging their lives had been, and continue to be, but how precious they are with their little girls. While they were "rejected" by their parents, they have turned that rejection into love for their little girls. I love this picture of Bori with little Bori!!!

Precious ones

One of the major blessings I've received since living in Hungary is being involved in the lives of young people who have grown up in a state-run children's home. While it took years to develop trust with these kids, the payoffs are wonderful. I now have trusting friendships with a number of these young people, many of whom are now living outside the home. My prayer is that Jesus in me can love them and that He draws them to Himself! This is my "daughter", Bori, and her daughter, Bori! Both are precious ones!!!

Worship

God is transforming His body, the church. He is lifting up His worshippers; we are all called to be worshippers. Yesterday, I had the privilege of taking part in a one-day conference in Budapest, and during the worship, it was refreshing and encouraging to see 40, 50, 60 year old people dancing before the Lord, waving flags and so free in their worship of the Lord! Some would say they look like fools...indeed, we are called to be fools for Christ; so I say, dance, run and wave on as the Lord leads you!!!

Here in Szeged, the interdenominational worship team, New Song, is taking on a new look as well. Some have chosen to leave the worship team for various reasons, and God is lifting up others to be a part of this exciting worship here in Szeged! My heart's desire is to see Jesus lifted up, people set free to worship the way God calls them to worship Him, and only HE can instruct each individual as to what that "looks" like! Glory to Him alone!!!

You already HAVE it!!!

About a week ago, I went to the ATM machine (bankomat) here in Hungary and put my Hungarian card in the machine with the hopes of withdrawing money. The message I received said that my card had expired and I needed to check with my banking institution. I looked at the date, and duh, yes, it had expired.

So, I decided to try to find a time to go in....bank hours here are rather non-conducive to working people...closing at 3 or 4 in the afternoon; so today, I finally went in. When the woman pulled up my information, she said that my new card had already been mailed to my home address here in Szeged! I was caught off-guard a bit, but then I remembered that in the past 3 weeks, I've not taken the time to go through my mail which arrived during the summer (my neighbor had paid all the bills).

So, I go home, look through all the mail, and lo and behold, there is my shiny new bank card, good til 2008!! I already had the card, right here, in my house, available to me, free of charge and all that is in my bank account was already available to me...but I didn't know it nor did I access it.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, for the past couple of years, I've been growing a lot in my understanding of God and spiritual gifts. In Colossians 1:19 it says that ALL the fullness of the Father dwells in the Son, Jesus Christ. ALL the fullness...everything!!! So, logically, if Christ dwells in us by faith, then we have Christ IN us through the Holy Spirit, which means that all the fullness of the Father dwells in us!!! He's given us EVERYTHING!!! All gifts are available to us because HE is IN us in the Holy Spirit!!! But how often do we "leave the gifts in the envelope on the shelf"...or do we even realize that because Christ dwells in us, every gift also dwells in us?

For me to naively say that I don't have my card, or my card is better left on the shelf and I will try to get money other ways is simply silly. For us to say that God has not poured out His fullness into Jesus, and thus into us who know Him as Lord and Savior, or to put a limit on what God wants to do in and through us is also just simply silly!

Lord, draw out of me all the gifts that You wish to make use of in my corner of the world, and beyond, for Your glory...I put no limits on You, and I thank you that I already have all that I need: Your Spirit living in me!

Swimming lesson #5629

Name Days

Here in Hungary, every person has a "name day". It's sort of like a birthday, but it's your name day...on a Hungarian calendar are written every name that a Hungarian can name his/her child. For example, on March 25 is Iren's name day (this happens to be the name that I have in Hungary...LONG story) and so on that day, in the English department at my school, the person whose name day it is brings in something to eat for everyone to share. My long-standing tradition is to make chocolate chip cookies for everyone. Another colleague buys a gift for the celebrant and gives a short speech for the person whose name day it is. Then, everyone lines up to give the celebrant a kiss on each cheek....so there is a lot of kissing going on during a name day celebration!
I actually enjoy this tradition, and tomorrow, we will celebrate Maria's name day (Maria nevnapot). I just happened to have "chosen" one of the two Maria's in our department and am excited to give her her gift tomorrow and see what wonderful cakes or cookies or yummy treats the TWO Marias will bring!!!
"My" Maria is in the striped blouse in the center of the picture!

Worship in Szeged

Yesterday, I attended the last 2 hours of a day-long nationwide gathering of charismatic Catholic believers here in Hungary. This year's event took place here in Szeged. The last two hours included worship, led by a team of musicians from across the country, including 3 of the main worshippers on the Szeged interdenominational worship team, New Song. It was a sweet time of seeing many people whom I don't normally see regularly, and it was amazing to see over 1000 people gathered in one arena praising the Lord here in Hungary!!!

First week of school!!!

Well, I survived, and so did my students!!! Not only do I have 17 different groups this year, but over 230 students! Yes, I teach 1/4 of the school!!! Try remembering that many names, most of whom I meet only once a week! It'll be a fun year, and a chance to influence many lives!!!

Battles on the field

One of the most challenging things we face here in Hungary is when a new church starts, the "traditional" churches often assume that it must be a cult or a sect. What is at the root of this? Bottom line is FEAR. And this fear goes all the way back to the Garden, when Adam and Eve were afraid because they had done the one thing God told them not to do. Enter FEAR. From then on, fear has plagued the generations, has kept individuals and groups from walking in the freedom that Jesus went to the cross to win for each one of us!

Then you have the enemy coming in, and even amongst fellow believers, nurturing that fear, planting skepticism, watering mistrust, and wreaking havoc, so that believers are more focused on the problems and issues than on Jesus Himself.

Oh, may we return to the Gospels and there read Jesus' heart for us: He cried out to His Father for us to be in RELATIONSHIP with Him and thus with God His Father, our Father, that we would all be one in Jesus!!! Once we figure out it's all about relationship, this world will be turned upside down for His glory...and isn't that what life is all about anyway?

What should happen...

Thursday of this week, I met with my 30-somethings Bible study girls. We had a precious time together, during which I learned that they've been meeting together all summer, each one sharing the teaching responsibilities. This is exactly what should happen as a result of pouring into people's lives with the Gospel. What joy to see them in love with Jesus and spurring each other on to know and love Him more and more.

Family blessings

While I didn't get to spend a long time with family this summer, the time with them was priceless!!! Thank you for loving me!!!

Back in Hungary

Coming back to Hungary after a 3 month sabbatical has had its ups and downs.

Things I forgot about: smells....seems they are more marked here than in the U.S. Drivers: they are extremely aggressive, wow! Roads: full of "obstacles"...you cannot doze off for long because you'll surely be awakened by a pothole. People walking on the streets, or rather sidewalks....just seeing people outside is fantastic!!!!! GREAT food!!! How difficult it is for people to make ends meet here...and that only grows increasingly difficult.

Things I remembered and am thankful for: people who, when we get together, want to talk for longer than a quick 10 minutes. Dear friends! Hungarian honesty!!! My wonderful neighbor and friends who took care of my cats for 3 months!!! Amazingly, LANGUAGE!!! It's coming back very quickly! Last but not least: my cats, Toby and Simon, who were only angry for a few hours that I'd left them for 3 months.

Things I miss in the States: friends and family. Understanding everyone when they speak, almost perfectly, except in the deep South, where concentration is a must!

I'm so blessed.

Teaching in Szeged

I teach conversational English to 9-12 graders at a bilingual high school. Each year, I typically have between 190-220 students because I meet with most of them only once a week. Yet, I do get to teach most of my groups for 4 years, and thus can develop fairly strong relationships with many of my students. After 4 years, there is a definite sadness as they graduate, but the reward is seeing their English develop, for most of them, to a level of fluency which will serve them their entire lives! This is a picture of one of my classes of seniors!

God on the Island of Singleness

As I was sitting at home, on my island of singleness (see two posts below) last night, reading a good book, God said to me, "When you worship me, I can minister to your spirit!" So, I put my book down, picked up my borrowed guitar, and began to worship. As I worshipped, all the "island" feelings of loneliness began to melt away into His amazing presence! It was balm to my spirit as I lifted Him up and He gave me His perspective.

Lesson learned: take the lies to the cross of Christ immediately, repent, and turn and worship the King!!!

More about Szeged

A great deal of my time in Szeged is spent teaching English at Deak Ferenc bilingual high school. I teach conversational English, and work on a faculty which includes, among many others, about 17 English teachers. For the past 16 years, we've had our annual English Department Christmas Party, held typically at the native teacher's flat...that would be mine! We all bring a dish to share and play some games, maybe sing some carols and play a gift exchange game! Everyone looks forward to it every December, and this past year, we had about 30 people in my flat, because we also include teachers who used to teach at Deak! Some come in from Budapest, where they now live, 2 hours away! This is a precious time of relationship building with my colleagues!

The Island of Singleness

Only some of you will be able to relate to what I'm writing about, but I sense the need to "get it out there" so that those of you who may not be able to relate, will at least have a taste of this place where some of us find ourselves from time to time.

I call this place "the island of singleness". When you think of an island, a number of things probably come to mind. Beautiful sandy beaches, trails leading up to fruit-laden trees, the gentle pounding of the surf on the sand, sunshine, peacefulness, endless blue sky, coves and inlets perfect for swimming or snorkeling...indeed, these are typical island images.

Now, for a minute, imagine yourself on that island. Are you alone? For many, you would answer, "No, of course not! I'm there with friends or family or a significant other."

Well, just imagine being on that island totally alone. Again, some of you are saying, "That would be FANTASTIC! I would LOVE that! I would WELCOME that!"

But what if you spent a good deal of your time alone on that island, and that island was within ear shot and eye shot of other similar islands, where there were others, not alone, on their islands. They are laughing, enjoying each others' company, sometimes arguing, but then making up, doing things together and basically in community.

And there you are, on your island, alone. It was fun the first time; lots of reading, lots of playing in the surf, sleeping on the beach, eating all you want with no one to have to share the last coconut with. But then, you find that almost weekly, you are "relegated" to this island, always within earshot and eyeshot of the other islands. And then it's not once a week, but numerous days during the week. You hear the others talk about going to their islands and all the fun they are going to have...and you know you are heading to yours. Oh, you invite others to your island, but they already have their islands and their plans for their island time.

It's a powerful picture, which, as I've said, not many can begin to relate to, but I share it with you to encourage you to pray for those you know who are single, who may sometimes find themselves on the Island of Singleness when they would much rather be on the island of family, or the island of friends, or even sharing their island with family or friends.

"And the Lord God saw that it was not good for (a person) to be alone."

Ministry in Hungary

Some have asked to see more pictures of happenings in Hungary, so for the next few blogs, I'll include pictures of some of the ministry that God is doing in Hungary. This first picture includes 3 of my closest friends with whom we've been meeting for Bible study for 6 years. The baby, Tamas, is Anita's miracle baby, whom God healed in the womb!

End of Sabbatical

The old addage, time flies when you're having fun is so true. One week and counting before I head back to my home in Hungary. What a wonderful, challenging, growth-filled sabbatical time this has been for me in the States. I wouldn't trade one second of it because I know that God has been at work and I am thankful for that fact and reality!
A part of me is really looking forward to returning to my adopted country; a part of me is really NOT looking forward to saying "see you laters" here. The tension of living in the here and now, with eyes focused on Jesus, knowing that all we are, do, say, think, and feel is for His glory.
If I've learned nothing else this summer (which of course I've learned tons), I've learned that my heavenly Daddy ADORES me; I never really KNEW that in the depths of my heart. Only HE can show us that...and it is not a journey from the head to the heart, it's a journey from the heart to the head, the direction that only God can go. If my heart is changed by Him, my mind can come into alignment with my heart. This is a radical new lesson I've learned this summer for which I'm eternally thankful to my Daddy in Heaven for teaching me.
So, while I will be saying very tearful "see you laters" to precious people in the U.S., I'll be saying joyful "hello agains" to precious people in Hungary! And someday we won't have to say goodbye ever.

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, just as I also am known." (I Cor. 13:12)

I got the above picture blown up to hang on my wall in Hungary upon my return there at the end of this month. I asked the woman at Wal-Mart if she could tell which was the real "mountain" and which was the reflection....she looked at it for about 30 seconds, when a colleague approached and said after about 3 seconds, "that's the reflection!"

30 seconds verses 3 seconds. I so want to reflect the likeness of Jesus Christ that it takes no more than 3 seconds for people to see Jesus in and through me. Why? Because I have tasted deeply of the love and passion of God for me, and I long with everything within me for others to know that same passion and love that He longs to pour into their hearts. There is nothing more precious, and as He continues to refine me in His fire, He will pull me out when I am a perfect reflection of Himself...and then I will see Him face to face!

Roots and exposure

While hiking in Colorado back in June, I glanced to the right and spied this tree, clinging to the side of the "cliff". The picture made me stop dead in my tracks and stare, for a good minute or so, at what was a physical picture in nature of what the past 8 months have been for me spiritually!
If you can see in the picture, nearly 3/4 of the root system is literally "exposed" to the air and elements, not receiving nourishment, while the other 1/4 of the roots are digging in hard, clinging to the soil and sucking out the nutrients the tree needs to survive.
God, in His awesome, loving, gentle, mercy has been exposing my roots...the bad roots, and we all know that bad roots produce bad fruit.
The exposed roots on this tree looked dry and unable to receive or give anything toward the life of the tree...they were dying or were already dead.
I am thrilled that God has exposed my bad roots, although I've often felt a bit like this tree looks....exposed, and clinging with the remaining good roots to the "cliff", just trying to hang on and live! But if the bad roots had not been exposed and subsequently "uprooted" and killed, the tree itself would continue to produce bad fruit, even though there are some good roots.
God, in His mercy, has strengthened the remaining good roots and is planting me in new soil for more good roots to grow and receive the much needed nourishment necessary for healthy growth. I'm clinging to the only One who can provide everything I need for that growth, and that's Jesus Christ!

Faithfulness

I don't think I will ever stop being amazed by God's faithfulness. He is SO involved in the initmate details of our lives, if we will let Him be, and if when we do, we are attuned to His tender voice, wooing us into His presence, to behold His face, and be embraced by His loving, gentle arms. The Bible describes God as always faithful because He cannot deny Himself...wow, faithful is who He is, not just a characteristic!!! We humans see faithfulness on the practical level as some sort of fruit or action from someone. But people can also be unfaithful...God can never be unfaithful because that would deny who He is. I'm floored when I ponder that the lover of my soul, His very essence, is faithful...no wonder the Bible says repeatedly, "don't be afraid!" This Truth frees me up to be utterly faithful to others because I know that the One who lives in me cannot be anything other than faithful TO me, and it is His faithfulness that will flow through me!

Disappointments

Life is full of disappointments. Usually these are a result of people's choices. One of the things I struggle with is when someone says he will do something and then backs out, repeatedly. I find people like this to be untrustworthy. However, we must be careful never to attach people's actions as a reflection of who God is or how He will act. He is fully trustworthy and will never, ever let us down. He will never leave us nor forsake us. That is a Truth to live by, especially when people continually disappoint.

Good friends

Do you ever need to be reminded of the goodness of God in providing? He ALWAYS does....in every way that He sees fit, which is always perfect for us. Sometimes, for me, He provides in ways I never expect...meaning, I expect less of God than what He wants to give me. But our God is a great God, our God is a GOOD God. These are three precious women whom God has literally dropped into my life...His provision as all three of them deeply love Jesus and are running HARD after Him. God, you are sooooooooo good, ALL the time!

Colorado

There's nothing like a week based at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in a forested setting, at a wonderful retreat center where we get waited on for every meal to recharge the batteries! What a tremendous blessing it has been to be here, meet with fellow missionaries from all over the world, laugh, cry, talk, sing, play, go for hikes, and just plain unwind. God is good ALL the time.

Rest and Relaxation

From the balcony of this retreat center, I can see Pikes Peak, which towers over my city of birth! I'm loving my time here in Colorado, where I'm getting a week of debriefing and renewal. This wooded setting is perfect for just what I need: rest and relaxation.

Family

There's just something about being with family! I don't get to see my family often, so these moments are precious, and we make the most of them so as to cherish them forever! This is my "little" brother and his dear family. We were together in the mountains enjoying father's day by taking a narrow-gauge railroad trip! Zack and Brooke have gotten sooooo big! I always enjoy my time with them and am truly blessed!

Colorado Mountains

My brother's Father's Day wish was to drive up into the mountains here in Colorado and ride the narrow gauge railroad in Georgetown. What a FUN experience that was for all of us! Not only was the sky a raging blue with just a few scattered puffs of clouds, but the mountains and trees and the raging river below us reminded me of the amazing creativity of God in His creation! We experience a bit of what it would be like to wind through the mountains long ago, up to the silver mines where fortunes were probably made and lost through the centuries. This truly is "God's country" out here in the West.

Microwave popcorn

Some friends and I were getting together to watch a movie and I was at the store buying, among other things, some microwave popcorn. When I got to the popcorn aisle, I stood there for about 10 minutes, looking at about 10 different brands of microwave popcorn. The differences varied from "movie theatre butter" to "carmel flavor" and just about everything you can imagine in between. I froze. I couldn't make a decision. I called my friend to ask which one I should buy. Even when she told me, it took me a minute to find THAT particular one on the shelf. Amazing. I forgot what it's like here in America. Can one have too many choices?

Back in the U.S.A.

As I stood in front of the dairy section, checking out the 10 different brands of half and half creamer for coffee, I was boldly reminded of the fact that I am indeed back in the U.S.A. In addition to my gaping mouth at the number of choices of half and half, I stood there shivering in the air-conditioning of the store. In fact, every store or "enclosed" place I enter is cooled with this stuff called air-conditioning. Because this is not a typical state of being in Hungary, I'm finding myself "chilled" a good part of the time I'm inside anywhere. I have resigned myself to the fact that I must carry around socks, a jacket or sweater, and long pants anywhere I go. It'll be an "Olympic Clothing Summer"....taking off, putting on, taking off, putting on, etc.

My initial observations on this particular visit (I visit a couple times a year) are the following: cars are BIG. (This always strikes me!) gas for cars is cheap! (sorry America, but we're paying $5+ in Hungary for a gallon of gas) housing is expensive! (can't seem to find a place to rent for $60/month here) EVERYTHING is readily available (don't have to search a lot of different stores) friends are GOOD! (I knew this already, but it's a fun reminder!) I love worshipping in English! (I knew this already too!)

I'm sure I'll discover other things as I proceed on this 3 month sabbatical, but it's good to be on this side of the Atlantic for a visit where I don't have to stop and think, "Ok, how do I say this or ask this question?" when I walk into a shop or restaurant! I DO miss my boys, though!!!! :-(

Cats

One week and counting till I have to give my cats, Toby and Simon, last hugs and start missing them for 3 months. I've had them since they were 6 weeks old; Toby turns 8 this month, and Simon next month. Everyone who meets them falls in love with them, unless of course he/she has allergies to cats, or is afraid of cats in general. Even non-cat lovers have said how much they like MY cats...this is why I'm so sad. I'm gonna miss them....and they me, I'm sure.
Cats can teach us lots about life...and because my boys are not typical cats, but more like dogs, they have taught me much about love. Much about asking for what you want. Much about what it means to chill out and relax. Much about how much we all need a good rub sometimes. Much about cuddling. Much about independent moments. Whenever anyone calls me, Toby is right here ready to speak with whomever has called! I'm gonna miss them!

The joys of Spring

This Spring is very strange for me. I'm home, recovering from a herniated disc in my back. It's strange not to be teaching and feeling the overwhelming exhaustion that comes at the end of the school year. Yet in this, there is also joy...I don't have to wake up early and get to work each morning. My 3 month sabbatical has turned into 4 months, thanks to this herniated disc.

Spring also brings to us here in Szeged the annual wine festival. I've heard this year that there are 80 different wine "stalls" in the park, just a 5 min. walk from my house. I think I need to take my daily walk that direction one of these days to check out the wine scene.

Spring also means hormonal cats...there's a "rapturous" symphony outside my bedroom window every evening. My poor "sterilized" boys would love to take part in the rites of Spring for cats, but cannot. Toby, however, has discovered how to do some lovely "spraying"...thankfully he is only doing it outside for now, but I'm not happy about this and just spent a fortune at the vet on some aromatic thing that is supposed to "calm" the cats so they don't get agitated and spray their pee on the stairwell wall or anyplace else they decide to leave their scent. All this joy, just as I'm going to be leaving them for 3 full months...

Finally, there is the joy of getting ready to travel...packing, laundry, cleaning, last minute shopping, saying "see you laters", etc.

Oh, I nearly forgot the joy of picking up my residency permit today! I left rejoicing thinking that I'd gotten it for 2 years....but it dawned on me later that once again, they only gave me a one year residency permit, despite the herculean efforts we all made to have everything in order for a 5 year residency permit to be granted. I think they like creating work for themselves. Such joy....

Yet as I lie here on the floor of my living room, enjoying the wood smell of my new loft, hearing the wind blow through the trees outside, and relish in the fact that yet another day has been granted to me to live and thrive, I am truly filled with joy...the joy of being alive!

Pruning

I awakened the other morning to the sound of a chain saw and a hand saw, and branches falling! I looked out the window to see two men trimming the tree that has drooped over the wall into our side of the "yard" from the neighbor's yard for years. Finally, they were trimming the tree, pruning. As the sagging branches dropped to the ground, it was as if new life was breathed into the rest of the tree, which could stretch skyward with greater strength than before! It was freer to stretch, reach, and now grow! Isn't it the same with God's pruning? He trims and cuts off those branches, wanting more growth, more healthy fruit, children who grow heavenward!

Stepping up.....

I just finished reading my former students' book, "When God Says Jump", by J.R. Briggs, and promptly loaned it to one of my 20-somethings Bible study girls! It's a very good book for that age group...for any age group, but J.R. is connecting with those in that age group especially who are battling with the pull of what the world expects and the draw of the love of God and His calling on our lives. J.R. stepped up to the plate and risked big in writing this book, and I know many, many lives will be blessed by it!

God calls us to step up...to recognize that He is God, that His love, power, and mercy transcend anything we could ever imagine, and He is completely and totally trustworthy. We are called to step up and trust Him to where He is going to take us. In this picture, you cannot see where the steps are leading, and that is the picture Scripture gives us as well...the "leaders" in faith didn't know where God was taking them, but they knew WHO was leading them. And this is all we need to know to step up, closer to the Father's heart, which is beating for us, passionately, and for the world!!!

The joys of construction

I'm having a loft built in my flat. The joys of construction. Upheaval and dust everywhere. But, in the end, the final product is going to be beautiful. Isn't that the way it is with God's "construction" as well? Just look around at the people you know in whom He is doing His great work...aren't they beautiful?

Spring in Szeged....Part V???

Well, here you have it folks. This picture pretty much captures the peak of the 2006 flooding of the Tisza River in Szeged, Hungary. As you can see the sandbags were needed to trap the overflow. Apparently, they even removed the artwork from the museum (pictured), just in case. There were soldiers and volunteers patrolling the riverside to make sure people didn't get near the riverside. I believe this is the highest it has risen since the big flood in 1879, which basically destroyed the entire city of Szeged. No profound thoughts...maybe you will have some.

Spring in Szeged - Part V

Well, as you can see, the Tisza River continues to rise. It's exciting to see; but not so exciting for the city workers as today, when I went for my walk to the river, they had boarded up the "entrances" to the river and put sandbags out...anticipating higher waters in the next days or weeks??? The picture on the left shows the river on April 10th. The picture on the right shows it today, April 12th. Wonder what it will be like tomorrow????

Post-Christian Hungary

Boy did I have a depressing day at work today! I decided that this year, in most of my classes, I would try to spark discussion about the Easter holiday by asking a fairly nebulous question: "What is the importance of Easter to you?" So, with my 11th grade bilinguals, (all 7 of them), and one of my four 10th grade special English classes (13 of them), I began the class by having them spend 4 minutes writing their responses to the above question. Then I had each student read out what he/she had written, and wrote some key words on the board. To give you a taste of what they said: "holiday from school"; "eating ham and hard-boiled eggs and horseradish" (traditional Hungarian Easter foods); "spending time with family"; "painting eggs"; "'sprinkling' the girls and getting chocolate or money in return"(another tradition taken from pagan celebrations).

Not ONE student, I repeat, not ONE student even mentioned the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whoops, I take that back; ONE student said, "For religious people, it's a celebration of Jesus' resurrection, but I'm not religious."

So we discussed all the "traditions" they mentioned and why these things are important to them. Then I asked if any of them thought that Easter was about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are some responses: "To religious people, yes"; "Now that we are modern, we don't believe in that anymore"; "Well, we know more now, and we know that it's not really true, so it's not important."

Then, with my 10th graders, I asked them why they think that young people, or people in general have little or no interest in God? I told them that even though I am a believer, they could say anything without offending me. One bold young lady raised her hand and said, "Because church is boring!!!" Another student said, "Religion and faith are irrelevant and no longer needed because we have all that we need now."

Church is boring. Church is boring. Church is boring. I keep hearing this over and over and over again. I took a bold step and told them that when I read the Gospels, and I look at the person of Jesus Christ, I see that many people were RUNNING to Him, FLOCKING to Him, WANTING to be around Him. "How many of you have seen THAT picture of Jesus in church or lived out in someone's life?" No response. Then I told them that I go to a church where people dance, and wave flags, and sing "happy/upbeat" songs....their eyes widened in disbelief.

20 students; not ONE even hinted that God or faith had anything to do with their Easter celebration. Here's an entire generation, whose parents grew up under communism, that considers belief in God irrelevant and unnecessary.

Can you say I'm feeling a bit down today?

"I'm working to eat."

Yesterday, I called my "son" Laci to see how he "survived" his first week living in his flat. He's doing well, still has to get his room "in order" and to date, has not cooked himself a warm meal. Laci is going to school full-time and working part-time at a flour factory. He told me that he had the worst day at work, spending 10 hours without a break standing next to an assembly line pulling the "bad biscuits" off the conveyor belt. In his words, "It's so difficult knowing that I'm working just so I can eat. But a positive thing is that I don't have to buy bread because I get all the left-overs from here that I want, so I can save some money."

Laci didn't tell me, but I heard from another friend that he recently failed all his mid-term exams at college. I don't know if it was the stress of moving out of the children's home or what that kept him from being able to study sufficiently, but, this 22 year old is having a rough go of it on his own.

YET, he's going to school and working...and he knows the value of a job...and of education...sort of...thank the Lord for his perseverance in this time of "survival".

Pride and Humility

The word "humble" does not necessarily have a positive meaning in Hungarian. Maybe in some circles of English speakers it is also negative. However, biblically, it is one of the most positive words around. In both Hungarian and in English, the word "pride" has its positive and negative connotations. For the sake of this short discussion, let's use the negative meaning of pride. So, with these thoughts in mind, here's a thought I am passing along from a course I'm taking:

"You cannot offend a humble person; if you are offended, then you've lost your humility and pride has flown up in you and filled you up."

Your thoughts?

Spring in Szeged - Part IV

If you look two blogs down from this one, you will see a very similar picture; however, like that cartoon in the newspaper which asks you to find 6 differences between the two pictures, I ask you to find the ONE difference between the two pictures. I await your responses.

"Home Sweet Home!"

Last weekend and yesterday, I helped my 22-year old "son", Laci, from the children's home move out of the home and into an apartment (flat), which he will share with a classmate of his from college. With "guarded enthusiasm" I delighted and celebrated with him in this step toward independence..."guarded" because he truly has no idea how difficult it is going to be to live "on the outside". Yet yesterday, when we finished unloading the second and last car load of his things, he exclaimed, "I can finally say, 'Home Sweet Home!'" He is now the proud renter of one room in a flat and he is experiencing "freedom" for the first time since he was 12. Like any "mom", I am concerned for him...my prayer is that he comes to know the true Provider of all his needs.
I am extremely proud of him...he failed 10th grade once, fell into deep depression, and almost didn't graduate from high school. Yesterday, we were talking about how he "could have been my student" because he had been accepted at the high school where I teach...upon reflection, it's better this way....we are friends, which would have been much more difficult to develop had he been my student; and, the young man he's now sharing the flat with was a classmate of his in high school as well.
God's great tapestry. Lord, bring Laci to Your 'Home Sweet Home'...a relationship with Yourself!

Spring in Szeged....Part III

The above picture is a familiar sight in Szeged every spring, Yes, those are road signs, and yes, a road is running under all that water! Every spring, the Tisza River floods and the road running next to the river is closed for some months. How high the river gets depends on the speed of the melt in the northern part of the country, from the mountains. As I sat next to the river this afternoon, eating my first ice cream of the season, I had my discman blasting worship music, about a river...the river of God, flowing....Lord, overflow the banks of our lives and flood our hearts with Yourself and Your love, that we might overflow toward others!!!

Spring has sprung....Part II

I walked out of school on Monday and saw the typical small congregation of students in front of the school, smoking, talking laughing, etc. The true sign of spring, however, was a couple kissing, very intimately, completely oblivious to anyone around them. Welcome to spring in Szeged!!

God's abundant blessings

I was having "one of those days"; as I finished teaching one of my classes and I was walking back to the English staff room, I was praying, "Lord, you know where I am today; you know my heart; you know exactly what is going on...Lord, would you do a miracle for me today and let the package that my friend sent over 2 weeks ago arrive today? I know it is probably sitting in some post office room on some shelf, but you can get it off that shelf and have it delivered today. Would you please?"

I went to teach the next class, and as I finished and was returning the key to the staff room, one of my colleagues approached me, holding a big blue box, which I KNEW was my package!!!! I nearly screamed, then nearly cried...God is soooooooo good, and as I sit here worshiping with the CD that was enclosed in that box, I am experiencing a very BIG taste of just how much my Father delights in me, His daughter.

Spring has sprung...part I

There are definite signs that spring has sprung here in Szeged, Hungary. This is part I of a....well, I don't know how many part series.....discussing spring. Yesterday was GORGEOUS, the picturesque, story-book kind of spring day! You know it is spring in Szeged when:

1. There are tons of people on the walking street, Karasz utca (prounounced: Kah-rah-ss oot-sa);
2. There are tons of SMILING people walking on Karasz utca;
3. There are tons of smiling people, some of whom are EATING ICE CREAM on Karasz utca!

It's been a LOOOONGGGGG winter; grey days FAR outnumbered sunny days here in the "city of sunshine", so yesterday's outpouring of sunshine was a fantastic ushering in of spring, with all the tell-tale signs of "life" in this city.

Stay tuned for Part II........

Waiting........

Two friends of mine had an album entitled "Waiting"; anyone who has lived overseas knows what it means to have to wait. Remember the old saying "you can take the American out of America, but you can't take America out of the American"? (Or such related sayings...) Well, the American in me is screaming about not having received a package which was mailed from the U.s. over two weeks ago!!! I'm sure it left U.S. borders within two days of being mailed, and for some reason, it is slowly finding its way, by ground most likely even though it was designated "air mail", to its destination. I'm waiting. I was patient. I'm losing my patience, even though I know that losing my patience does NO harm to anyone except myself. I know my package is sitting in some room in the local post office, waiting to be delivered; however the "amount paid" in postage written on the package means nothing to the local post office; they will deliver it in their own sweet time. Waiting. Waiting.

I'm so impatient. I'm such a product of a society that says, "If I don't get it in the 'stated time', then I'm going to throw a fit, demand my rights, etc., etc.

Aren't we often like this in our relationships with God as well, sometimes? I want things to proceed in a timely manner in my relationship with Him; I want the 'programs' I've organized to go off without a hitch....note the operative pronoun in the above statements: "I". When life becomes "all about me", disappointment is the logical consequence; when God becomes the center, a deep and abiding peace resides, knowing AND experiencing that His timing is absolutely perfect...because He is perfect, and all He does is perfect.

So, in conclusion, I guess I need to show the Hungarian post a bit of grace...however, I sure hope my package shows up sometime in the next 8 weeks!!!

Model United Nations

I'm enjoying a couple of days in Budapest as the "sponsor"/"chaperone" of 5 high school students who are participating in a Model UN, put on by a bilingual high school. 4 of the 5 students and I came last year as well, and this year it is a roaring success. There are students from many different countries, all taking their "responsibilities" very seriously, and I am amazed at the level of English they are using to communicate United Nations' level resolutions.

I have very little responsibility...in fact, virtually none. So, this is a great time of R&R for me, and I'm getting lots of reading done. Maybe I should pay close attention to the debates; maybe I should go from room to room to support and encourage the kids; but really, no adults are "allowed" to be there....it's completely student-run.

These kids LOVE this!!! They are so into it, taking everything very seriously, and doing excellent work. These are the movers and shakers of this generation...and even they, when it is all over at the end of the day, head to the pub to enjoy socializing together. My "duties" here are a far cry from what I would be expected to do in the U.S., where I would have to watch their every move...here, these kids are considered adults, and I am simply the "safe-guard"....in emergency, call on me. So, I'm off to finish one book, and start another.

Packages

Anyone who has lived overseas, far from friends and family, knows that receiving a package in the mail is like a cold drink of water on a sweltering day.

I was expecting a package from a good friend today. The secretary in the school knew it, and when she came walking in the English staff room with a small package in hand, I nearly jumped out of my seat with joy!! Yet as I looked at the return address, my heart sank; it wasn't the package I was expecting. However, my joy returned immediately as I realized that THIS was a package I'd been waiting even longer for, and had nearly forgotten!!!

Of course I ripped it open and pulled out the book and two CDs I'd ordered a long time ago, thrilled, and feeling very loved that another good friend had taken the time to send these to me!

It's the little things that can be water to the soul, the small gestures, the kind word, the gentle touch, the long hug, and the time taken to send a friend far away a package to make her smile! (And I can still look forward to the other, much anticipated package!)

Every day, if we are willing to take the time, there are "packages" to be opened if we simply open God's Word. Some of those "packages" are much anticipated, and others are surprises, but ALL are nourishing to the whole person, body, mind, soul and spirit. Gotten any good packages lately?

House Cleaning

Today was the day. I grabbed the bucket and the sponge and gloves and tackled the two living room windows that face the busy street in front of my flat. After cleaning the screen and sills of one window, the water was BLACK. Of course it was black after the second as well. Then I decided to tackle the lounge chair pads on my balcony, which sat out all winter...I tossed the first one in the bathtub and started running the hot water...the water promptly turned BLACK. I washed and rinsed that thing 4 times, and finally, at the end of the 4th rinsing, the water was "relatively" clear. The second pad was the same.

Each time I watched the black water swirling down the drain in the tub, I thought, "I didn't think the windows or those pads were THAT dirty! They didn't 'look' that dirty or 'seem' that dirty."

How similar this is to our own lives and our own sin..."I'm not THAT bad! I don't 'look' that sinful or 'seem' that bad."

The Bible says that "there is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10).

Yet, there is hope and a TRUE promise: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Peter 3:18)

As the clear, clean water poured out of the tap in the tub, I was reminded of how we are washed clean and pure by Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit, which He has poured out into the hearts of those who believe!!! It is His righteousness alone that can wash away my sin.

Pride

I can't help but be just a bit proud today. I just visited one of my former students' blogs and learned that his first book is coming out tomorrow! His name is J.R. Briggs, and the book is called "When God says Jump". I can't wait to read it! I'm proud because J.R. was in my 10th grade English class in Virginia, and slaved and slaved and slaved over every paper I made him write. He wanted to do it well, perfectly. Both he and I know he wasn't a strong writer then...however, his hard work and the Lord's blessings have paid off, obviously, in this fruit! Congratulations, J.R.!!!

SUNSHINE!!!!

The sun is shining, a bit, today! I'm going out to walk in the sunshine and drink it in, since we've had sooooooo little. I want to receive whatever I can from its rays.

This is also the message I received from the Lord this morning, through the prayers of two friends..."don't give; just receive."

For a do-er, a giver, a performance-oriented individual, this is a big challenge. Lord, help me to receive.

Ups and downs and wild rides

We awakened this morning to about 3 inches of wind blown snow and huge flakes falling, while being blown by strong winds. This continued all day. It's March. This is not very typical of March in Szeged...nevertheless, it was the perfect start to an up and down day! My ninth grade bilingual students are giving oral presentations on topics of their choice. Today, a young lady, who was found sprawled on the bathroom floor at school completely drunk last Tuesday, stood up to give her presentation on her favorite book: The DaVinci Code. "So, why do you like this book?" "I like it because of all the action." A conversation unfolded in the class about how this book and other "things" are "revealing" that the church has been wrong for centuries, "hiding" the truth from people, and finally, people are able to see the truth, specifically that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. I've never experienced an entire class so anti-Christianity in my 16 years of teaching.

Immediately following that class, I taught 4 senior girls and one of them said, completely unprompted, "Well, there aren't many children in the children's home where I grew up who believe in God, but I am a believer and have faith in Jesus!" This prompted a discussion about what it means to believe, how two of the four of them came to faith in Jesus, and how the other two "believe" but don't go to church. It was a pleasant, loving discussion in which we saw into each others' lives, and while at different places, still "loved" each other.

Stark contrast to the contentious atmosphere in my 9th grade class.

I walked out of school to my snow-covered car, thankful for the blanket of white, remembering that Jesus' blood was shed for every one of those kids, even those currently deceived, and washed them whiter than the snow blanketing the ground around me. It's His work, not mine...may He reveal His Truth to each one of them in His perfect way and perfect time.

More on weather fronts

Yesterday, I did my usual "go to the market and then to the DM", which is just like a Walgreens...anyway, if you have been reading my blogs, and you read about "feeling fronts", this is a follow-up to that. I was looking for vitamins and for health tea in the DM when I saw a box that said, in English, "Front Medicine". I picked it up, and sure enough, it is medicine one can take when one suffers from headaches as a result of cold or warm fronts coming through!!! I didn't buy any as Advil seems to work pretty well for me, but this was yet another piece in the "weather puzzle" I found fascinating.

Socialized Medicine

Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the socialized medicine in Hungary. I have had to have 4 MRIs since I've lived here, and one major surgery, plus a plethora of doctors' visits for various illnesses, and it has all been FREE!!!

However, today was a case in point why some people don't really care for socialized medicine. I was sent to the neurological department at the "New Clinic" by my family physician...you have certain hours that you can go there, so I went after teaching this morning, arriving about 11:45 a.m. I knew I was in trouble the second I turned the corner into the waiting area of this department. There were probably 15 people sitting there waiting to be seen. I handed my paperwork to the nurse on duty, and she said, "You are not going to get in today. There are four serious cases inside already and all these people waiting...you'll have to come back next week; the best day would be Wednesday or Thursday."

Now, I don't have a serious problem...but what if I did? This is a definite drawback in socialized medicine...you get seen in the order you arrive...the early bird gets the worm, so to say; or you snooze you lose.

Sometimes I wonder how all these people get all this time off from work in order to sit in line to see the doctor....

Foggy vs. Clear goggles

It's still COLD here in Szeged, so trips to the swimming pool are not very fun just yet. However, I dragged myself there again yesterday, and once again, the Lord graciously chose to teach me something. Even though it took me 200 meters to get rid of the goose bumps, I'm thankful for the lesson about foggy vs. clear goggles.

I've blogged about this before...being able to see clearly...but yesterday, the Lord gave me a new chapter in the goggle lesson book. At about 400 meters, my goggles are getting quite foggy, and I notice that I begin to swim with more caution; I'm not so sure about "where I am or where I'm going"; gotta look for the wire above so I don't slam into the wall as I do back stroke, etc.

As soon as I stopped and cleaned my goggles, a renewed sense of confidence, power, and swimming ability fell over me!!! I can see clearly now and I want to swim hard, fast, and well! When the goggles are foggy, I swim with hesitancy, caution and definitely at a slower pace.

What dawned on me yesterday is what a picture this is of a life in Christ. How many believers in Jesus are living lives with foggy goggles..."swimming" along, able to "see pretty well", able to "be in the pool" and "do the strokes", but cautious, still a bit fearful, wondering if they're going to "slam their hand into the wall" because it's "just not clear" what the Lord is up to?

On the flip side, how many believers in Jesus have stopped, taken off the foggy goggles, allowed God to clean them, and now "swim" with renewed confidence, strength, hope, joy, peace, boldness, and faith because it is very clear WHO the Lord is and that He is always up to His good work in our lives and in this world? www.ceokids.org

On friends and friendship

I was driving home from Kiskoros, a small town about 1 1/2 hours from Szeged, on Sunday, and was blessed with the company of one of my Bible study girls riding with me. Dora and I have not gotten a lot of one on one time together this year, so this car ride back to Szeged was a true blessing. While Dora is 18 years my junior, the Lord has knit our hearts deeply and we are able to love and encourage each other, despite the "generation gap," so to say.

When we were about 30 km. from Szeged, we got to talking about friends and friendship, and she shared with me that God has totally blessed her with such a deep, deep, Jonathan and David friendship with another girl in our study, M. Their initial "meeting" 3 years ago was a miracle in itself, as M., extremely shy, approached Dora boldly and began talking with her, and they found themselves 30 min. later walking down the main street of the city, talking as though they'd known each other for years and years!!! It's such a deep friendship in the Spirit, just as Jonathan loved David deeply in the Lord.

These friendships are rare, and sometimes never come in our lifetime. Of course we have close friends, and we truly love those God blesses us with, but to have that Holy Spirit connection with someone, where after just a few minutes, there is a knitting of hearts so deep that nothing can tear it apart. It's a friendship that is so healthy because it is 100% from God...there was no "work" put into it...no working through the "initial awkward moments"; instead, there is instant spiritual connection, that ONLY God can do.

These friends are not afraid to rebuke or correct, and are quick to love, even quicker to pray; conversations are never forced; there is a mutual understanding in the Lord that is almost unexplainable outside of simply saying "God did it." I too have one such friend that God dropped in my life. I cannot understand the depth of connection in the Holy Spirit, but as God continues to grow each of us in Himself, He's given us this "Jonathan and David" friendship for His glory and purposes.

I could totally relate to Dora, and this was such an encouragement to her, because she's never known anyone else to have such a "J-D" spiritual friendship. Again, God blessing the body with mutual encouragement!!!

Cultural difference #652

During my Hungarian lesson today, we were talking about the weather and weather forecasts/reports, etc. In my text book, there is a "weather report" in which it says the following, (rough translation): "A strong warm front will be coming and those who get headaches or 'feel' these fronts, you will feel this one strongly. Drivers, take care when driving because of these people who "feel" these fronts."

I had to smile and I asked my teacher if it is because someone might be driving and suddenly get a horrific headache and cause a crash? She said, "Yes, or if someone is walking on the street and "falls ill" because of the weather front, then drivers should be aware of these pedestrians."

I was trying to think if anything like this would ever be included in a weather report in the U.S. The closest comparison would be that an ice storm is coming so: "Drivers, be careful on the roads because they will be slippery!"

I can attest to the fact that indeed, when weather fronts come through here, I feel them in my body!!! So there is some logic to all of this!

A Birthday Blog

Today is my birthday! Most people don't go around "announcing" things like this, and I'm usually in the category of "most people". But for some reason, this year, I'm excited about my birthday. I'm a very new person this year. In the past one and a half years, and especially in the last 10 months (to the DAY), God has done radical things in my life, and probably for the very first time, I am realizing what a blessing a birthday is. God, in His amazing love and sovereignty, KNEW me before the foundation of the world, He saw me, He placed me in my mother's womb, He formed me, He breathed life into me, He delighted in me before ANYONE else could ever delight in me...in other words, the Author of Life gave me life on this day, in His perfect timing, for His perfect purposes, one of which is simply to be His precious daughter. Birthdays are taking on a whole new meaning for me because if the God of the Universe planned that I would be born and have life, then celebrating His amazing gift of life is the least I can do, and is an exciting event! Jesus sets us free, and as He continues to bring freedom, the freedom to celebrate every day as His gift, and birthdays as HUGE gifts, is so much more fun! Be blessed today!!!!

Swimming.........surprised???

I arrived at the pool today and nearly every lane was FREE!!! I stood in shock and hurridly took off my robe, hopped under the shower, put on my goggles and got in an empty lane!!! You may not understand, but on a typical day, there are a minimum of 3-4 people in each lane, so to have a lane to oneself is truly a gift not to be missed! Each time I made the turn, I looked to see if someone had jumped in my lane to start swimming, but I was able to go a full 800 meters before, finally, a very slow woman began swimming in my lane. I must admit, a feeling of frustration set in because there were other empty lanes...why couldn't she go to those lanes? And on my last 50 meters, I had to "pass" her, thus interrupting the swimming "flow" I'd gotten in during my 1000 meter journey.

Do we GRAB the gifts the Lord gives us? Do we relish them with everything within us? And when something comes in to "disturb" that gift or the "working out of that gift", how do we respond? ...And the greatest of these is love....

Drastic Change..........

Yesterday, it was cloudy, very cold, and began snowing late in the afternoon and into the night. We awakened this morning to a fresh 2 inches of snow on the ground, and partly cloudy skies! By 8 a.m., it was blindingly sunny, and the snow was melting quickly. Sunglasses are needed today, and there's not a cloud in the sky.

This radical change in the weather, in such a short time can be analagous to what God sometimes does in us, if we allow Him. He is constantly wanting us to draw closer to Himself, to "see Him with the eyes of our spirits", and to grow. One day it is cloudy and snowy in our souls, and the next, because of a mighty work of His Holy Spirit, the Son is shining amazingly, like never before. It's fun to see and even more fun to experience these drastic changes, especially when intimacy with the King of Kings is the result!

Some will say, "but just 'yesterday' you were like this...and today, you are 'different'." Yep, isn't that how God works sometimes?

Life

Learned an "obvious" thing in a course I'm taking, but upon serious reflection it has huge implications. Here's the question: What does each of us have control over in our lives? There are only two things: Our attitudes and our actions. That's it. Some would argue we control our feelings, but realistically, we do not. Someone dies....automatically, if we knew them, a deep feeling of sadness hits us....we cannot control that feeling....we can, however, control our attitude in that situation and our action. Food for thought, huh?

Rain, rain go away!

Ok, I've had just about enough of the rain this winter. Szeged is known as the city of sunshine, yet we've seen more days of clouds and rain than sun in the past 3 months than ever before!!! The yard in back of my house is a mud pit from cars going in and out of their garages, mine included....and I don't even want to put my car in the garage because it means caking the tires with mud, which means splattering it everywhere when I drive, etc. The big question is: who is going to go out there and clean up the muddy mess? As I look out my kitchen window on the muddy puddles and the tire-ripped area, I wonder, isn't this like our lives...a muddy mess sometimes...and there is only ONE who can clean it up sufficiently. That One makes all things new; that One transforms the muddy mess into His beautiful garden, what it was intended to be. We have to give Him the mess...the process might be long, or it might be short, but we have to let Him do His work in our lives, His way.