What a song!

Listen to this....it's so worth your time. Makes me stop and think about all the little, tiny things I complain about in my life. Reality check!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=38974b6dd52e94ba5bb2&mui=6974c0a9b90143e37db255f6dee6ff9d

Deak goodbye to the seniors night!

Teachers singing to the seniors.

My dear friend, Krisztina, who I did not even know has such an INCREDIBLE singing voice! WOW!

Our English dept. head, Robi Gaspar.

Olga, a fellow English teacher, missed her calling as a rock star! :-)

A chance for the teachers to say goodbye!

Yet another tradition which I will miss is the "goodbye" night for the seniors at my school here. Teachers prepare songs and dramas for the seniors to say "adieu"! It's a very special night, sometimes with tears...and yes, I almost cried as I said my goodbyes. I got to sing three songs, two fun/funny ones and one serious one about God's passionate love for me/us and my love for Him. I pray the seeds planted will be watered and God will cause them to grow!

12b serenade

I and my 12b class at my flat after devouring ccc!

My class singing in the courtyard!

Singing on the main street!

Passers-by love this!

Well, it's 'official': I have entertained my last group of senior serenaders in my home. No tears...yet...just enjoying the times we've had, sharing memories and laughter, and realizing they are facing a similar situation....they are each heading in their own directions after having spent four years together in close-knit community.

My deepest hope and prayer for every one of my students and friends here is that along their journey, they would meet the One who loves them the most, Jesus, and walk with Him all the days of their lives!

12a Serenade

Saying goodbye at the end....

Enjoying chocolate chip cookies and conversation!

Eating and drinking!

What a GREAT group!

They got lots of interesting looks from passers-by on the street!

This year is my last year when my senior classes will serenade me! It's a GREAT tradition! Students come and stand in front of the house or apartment building and sing songs to the teacher who is either in the window inside the house, or comes outside to listen. Then the students come in and enjoy whatever treats/goodies he/she has made for the students to eat! Talk, laughter, memories are shared! Fun!

Bike trip!

Riding across a wooden pontoon bridge.

This bike path connects Csongrad and Szentes!

The Tisza River and the new dyke.

Tim, our fearless leader and organizer!

Our fun group! John, Nathan, Tim, Arden, Edith, Daren, Hannah, Isaac, and Amy

My colleague from school, Tim, suggested a group of us should go for a bike trip in the Csongrad area of Hungary. So, he arranged everything, including $5 bike rentals, and we had a lovely morning on a gorgeous day biking together!

We all realized we need to make time for fun in our lives...like today was!

International Christian Fellowship!

Chuuks, from Nigeria, loving God!

Attentive to Edith.

Dear, sweet Eszter!

Edith in her teaching mode. :-)

Not sure what the sad face is....

We were back at our "normal" meeting place last night; Edith came from Debrecen and blessed us with the story of her journey with the Lord. I love hearing people's stories and how God leads them. Sweet time of fellowship and worship as well!

Friends....and the most disgusting dessert ever!

Yucko dessert....

Amy, Michelle, Arden and Timi.

After the basketball game, we had a girls' night out for dinner! Amy Stennes, Michelle Maslowski, Timea Molnar and myself enjoyed a great dinner at John Bull Pub here in Szeged! We laughed and joked and had serious conversation as well...these are treasured times.

Our waiter, Gabor...sorry, no pic, recommended that we NOT try this dessert...but the description sounded sooooo yummy: cheescake on a layered crust with honey vanilla ice cream. Gabor tried to disuade us and then said, "Ok, try it and if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it!" So, we tried it and I can easily say, it is the most disgusting dessert I've ever tasted...nothing even close to cheesecake! We encouraged Gabor to tell the boss to take it OFF the "chef's recommendations" list.

The presentation of the dessert was beautiful...but the substance was unedible. Isn't that so true of some things in life?

Hoorah Szeged Women's Basketball team!!!

Gotta love that final score!

How I catch these balls IN the net.....I'll never know!

Don't tell me basketball is not a contact sport!

Again, in the net!

My friend Michelle.

What a great afternoon of women's basketball in Szeged! The Szeged team, after having lost to Sopron on Monday night in Sopron, got revenge at home Wednesday afternoon! It was a great game, and now Szeged travels to Sopron for game #3 of the best of 5 series! Szeged has never been in the championship final, and they are hoping to win it all!

On a more positive note today....

This is a great video!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

In the midst of blessings.....this....

"The thief has come only to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10)

The following are some simple, sad thoughts of some Hungarian teenagers I teach and upon which I reflected today and came up with this.

'Scattered tombstones sit before me
Empty, yet so full of death-like notions,
And hopelessness---oh they claim to have hope,
But in what?
Nothing permanent----because there is nothing permanent...
Nothing good----because what is good for one isn't for another....
Nothing noble----for that is passe and old-fashioned.

"I want to teach my children to survive in the reality of life today---that's all."

Survival---nothing more.

"To live by the principles of honesty, integrity, doing good to others, helping the less fortunate...it's not realistic in today's world."

Simply coping and surviving----

"I want to teach my kids how to survive and blend in, be accepted and not be an outcast."

Fear has gripped their hearts and they don't even know it---
The thief has come...
Has stolen their dreams...
There's no reason to dream because there are no possibilities...there are no opportunities.

Stolen visions and dreams;
Hopes killed;
Reality of a spiritual world destroyed by the thief.

I finally ask: "And what about faith? What about God?"

With smirks and snickers, "Oh yea, for you and those who believe in something that doesn't exist! I believe in what I see."

Tombstones serve one purpose: to mark the spot where a body once living now lies dead---how gut-wrenching that these teens, who should bubble forth with life, hopes and dreams have chosen instead to park themselves in the cemetary of post-modernity, and encased their minds, spirits, souls and bodies in cold, cement with pithy epitaphs etched across their faces.

So many so deluded and lied to by the one who comes only to steal, kill and destroy, and ironically, they don't even believe in that thief.

"I believe in what I see..."

All of this makes me pause and ask: Followers of Jesus, what have we done? What are we doing?'

Yet more springtime pix

The yellow tower through the trees is city hall.

City Hall.

The newly renovated water tower and square at St. Istvan's ter!

I was being my bold self today. Yesterday, I took pictures in all these places and then accidentally deleted them...so today, I returned to these parts of the city to retake pictures.

In the main city square, where city hall is located, one is not supposed to walk on the grass...well, I did. I walked with confidence, pretending I was a professional photographer on a very important assignment...hee hee hee....and I was able to snap some fun pictures. These are just a smattering. Enjoy spring with us here in Szeged, Hungary!

More springtime pictures

Szeged city hall in the background.

In New Szeged.

A beautiful white butterfly!

Spring time in Szeged

How amazing that the bee came just as I was snapping this pic! :-)

The national theatre!

Hungarians' favorite queen: Sissi!

The National Theatre!

The national museum in Szeged!

Flowers galore! I learned something about my camera today. Don't hit "format" after you have taken about 150 pictures. Ooops. Will have to go back to those places where I took loads of really beautiful pictures and retake again. At least I still had 170 on the camera....live and learn!

Gran Torino

I saw a very good film tonight. Gran Torino. Written and directed by Clint Eastwood and he also played the leading role. Much food for thought in this film about how people can change if they are willing, how some of life's challenges are really insurmountable without self-sacrifice.

A life transformed...a deliberate act of willingly doing what has to be done in order for true justice to be accomplished...and others transformed in the process. Not without a lot of pain, but in the midst, love shines through.

I'll be thinking about this movie for quite some time....

Like Jesus, let's look beyond the outward shell...

I'm sure most of you have already seen this video, but I'm posting it anyway. I hope she wins it ALL!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Spring

I love springtime in Szeged. This city does a fantastic job of planting beautiful flowers. Today I snapped these pix on my phone, that's why they are so small...may go back and take some pix with my camera as these are stunningly beautiful flowers! I think they get bigger if you click ON the picture itself!