Travelling light

You would think after having lived overseas and travelled so much to so many different destinations that I would have the packing thing down to a science. Well, on our trip to Ukraine, I travelled like, well, like a tourist...and in the process, decided that I would NOT let that happen again. I'm not quite sure how it happened; I sort of knew what to expect, what kinds of clothes we would need, etc., but it seemed like the bag just kept getting more and more full. Til finally, I had so much stuff, that I needed help carrying it all...

Isn't it funny how life is sometimes like that; we can at times let stuff accumulate, thinking that "this is a necessity" or "that is essential", when in reality, God is saying, "Let it all go! Seek Me and I will show you what is necessary and essential, and that burden is light!"

Gypsy church

They'd cleaned up the public pathway leading to the entrance of the one room church, so that we didn't have to step on broken bottles and animal excrement. The room holds about 50 people, maybe, and on the walls are pictures of church life! We had the privilege of meeting with the women in the church. As we came in and I tried to strike up conversations in Hungarian with some of the younger girls, I learned a lot. One 16-year old has a 2 year old child and one on the way. Another 15 year old is pregnant with her first child. It's a church of many generations as we had what seemed to be about a 3 or 4 year old up to an 80 year old woman! Their openness to the message of "Forgiveness sets the forgiver free" was astounding! As personal ministry took place, God gave me the ability to come up with simple songs, in Hungarian, that we could all worship God with together...He's always so good to provide! We could have stayed all night, and these women probably would have too. It's always so interesting how you think you are going to bless, but you come away BEING blessed by them!

Holocaust survivor

We had the unique privilege of attending a Shabbat on the Friday night we were in Ukraine. There is a Christian ministry there of women who are reaching out to, loving and serving holocaust survivors and their families. They graciously invited us to take part in the Shabbat and we were amazingly blessed!

One of the Jewish men there is named Laci. He's Hungarian, speaks about 7 different languages and when I asked him if I could ask him a difficult question, he said, "Sure!" I asked if he had been in a concentration camp during WW II and he replied, "Yes, I was in Mathhausen, and there I learned some English, so when the Americans liberated us, and we were taken to Vienna to the hospital, I served as a translator for the doctors there!" This 88 year old wonderful, energetic, funny man blessed us so deeply during our short conversations with him. I don't know if he knows Jeshua as his messiah, but I pray God reveals His Messiah to Laci bacsi soon!

Divine encounters

"Zenész vagy?" (Are you a musician?)

"Igen!" (Yes!)

That's how our divine encounter began with Zolan and Marta, two young Christian believers who are volunteering for a year, each serving in different venues in Ukraine. Zolan had his guitar slung over his shoulder and mine was on my back, and after our greeting in Hungarian, he offered to help us get our luggage off the train. We then struck up a conversation with both him and Marta and learned about their work in Ukraine. Zolan, who is Romanian, teaches at a gypsy school in a village outside the city of Uzhgorod; Marta, who is Hungarian, teaches and lives at an orphanage which houses 67 girls, most of whom are handicapped, and all of whom speak Hungarian!

We could have stayed and talked with them all day as they were as curious about us and our work as we were about them and theirs. But after exchanging phone numbers and email addresses, we parted paths, hoping that we might meet again.

As it happened, our fearless leader, Mary Jill, had worked in just enough "gap" time in our week-long schedule to make a trip to the orphanage where Marta serves. She was thrilled to see us arrive and proceeded to show us the building and grounds and explain the history of the orphanage. We had arrived just as Marta was finishing up Bible study with a room full of girls, and when she cut it short, some of the girls became very sad; we asked why...she said, "They are quite heart-broken because we cannot finish Bible study!"

The orphanage was funded and built by a Danish Reformed Church and now employs people from the neighboring village in its fields and daily workings. The girls are well taken care of and we heard of their wonderful love for each other: there are a few girls who are completely bed-stricken, and on nice days when everyone goes outside, the able-bodied girls carry the bed-stricken girls on their backs outside so they too can enjoy the activities!

I left part of my heart at this orphanage........

My 200th post...wow...more about Ukraine

Have you ever connected with someone so quickly and so deeply that you wonder if it is a divine connection, designed since the beginning of time for such a moment as this? That happened to me during our recent trip to Ukraine when we got to visit an orphanage which houses 67 girls, most of whom are handicapped in some way. As we sat in a room listening to one of the volunteers there explain the history of this Danish Reformed Church sponsored orphanage, two of the girls who live there came bounding into the room. I struck up a conversation with one of them, Timea, and learned that she is an excellent soccer player, loves to dance, and can do the splits, both ways! Apparently, she is quite a "spitfire" in that orphanage and can be "challenging". No wonder...she is a "true" orphan, has no family, and when she arrived, had cuts all up and down her arms. Timea and I experienced this "divine connection" and as she asked me all kinds of questions, including, "when are you coming back?" my heart melted for this precious 13 year old. Who knows what God has in store for our relationship? He knows! (Timea is wearing the sky blue athletic jacket).

Teammates!

One of the greatest blessings of the last year has been that God has begun to bring "teammates" for me...certain women with a similar heart and passion for our Lord and for the advancement of His Kingdom! I was blessed to travel with two of these women to Ukraine and minister alongside them. Our giftings really compliment each other and God used each of us for His glory in that nation. MaryJill (on the right in the picture) is the compassionate, "fiery" organizer who knows EVERYBODY and makes all the necessary connections. Plus she is a gifted teacher and encourager! Jennifer (center) is the "electricity" in the threesome, teaching with clarity and compassion and ministering powerfully in the Spirit one on one with people too. I'm the "air" in the trio, worshipping with my guitar and voice and doing some teaching and some one on one ministry as well. We were definitely the perfect Three Musketeers in Ukraine, certain women following Jesus' lead into what He wanted to do in and through us!

Ukraine...what can I say?

It's been a long time since my last blog, but you'll be hearing more from me in the next few days as I process this past week two friends of mine and I spent in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. I'm finding it challenging to put into words all that happened...it was one of those "one week that feels like three awesome weeks" experiences. Suffice to say that my life will never be the same, which is exactly what should happen on a missions trip.

In this first entry, I'll start with the beginning of the trip. Jennifer and I traveled to Debrecen, Hungary from Budapest and were blessed to take part in a worship service at the International Church of Debrecen. There was such a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit there, and a fellow missionary, Edith, spoke a great message about the Lord's Supper. Pictured is Edith. The last time I worshipped with these brothers and sisters, there were maybe 20 people in the room; when Jennifer and I arrived, there were no seats available and at least 10 people standing! God is growing His church in Debrecen! More to come..............

It's Prom time in Hungary!

Today at my school, Deak, is a very special day for the senior class. It's "graduation pinning day"...that's the best translation we can think of...the 11th graders "pin" a ribbon onto the lapels of all the seniors. On the ribbon is written "2002-2006", commemorating their four years they spent in high school. From this day on, through the end of June, people will see seniors from all the different high schools sporting these ribbons around town as each publically "declares" that "I am graduating this year!"

However, tomorrow evening is the BIG event: Prom! They do prom here in February because in May, all seniors are taking exams which cover four years worth of material. Prom involves parents, relatives, friends, even neighbors, as they all come at the very beginning of the evening to watch special dances like the English Waltz, etc., danced by the seniors, who have been practicing these dances since November! Girls wear rented wedding dresses and boys wear tuxedos with tails for these special dances. Following the last special dance, each senior along with his/her advisor, who has walked with them through four years of high school, enjoy a glass of champagne together, toasting each other! All teachers are present at the prom, and following the opening dances, which typically last about an hour, students and families go to different classrooms to have dinner, and the teachers enjoy dinner together in the big staff room.

Then the dance begins...with a band or a DJ. Girls change from the wedding gowns into prom dresses, and guys into suits, and families either stay or leave, but teachers typically stay and dance with the students! After prom will take place at a local bar which the senior class has rented out til the wee hours of the morning.

Overall, I prefer Hungarian prom to the typical American prom. Here, no one has to have a date...everyone is welcome and there is no pressure to have a date. Families are involved and included. Teachers are welcomed by the students and not "avoided" as chaperones. In fact, the students WANT the teachers to go out and party with them all night long! The community feel is one I respect and have grown to love.

Converging lives

I spent the weekend in Pecs with 4 other women and we enjoyed some of the things most women enjoy...eating, talking, laughing, talking, shopping, talking, eating, talking, sharing, thermal baths, encouraging one another, talking, sleeping and just plain hanging out sans family responsibilities. We stayed in a small hotel near downtown, and right across the street from us was a synagogue. It struck me how fitting our location...women, all of whom are walking in the New Covenant, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, resting in the shadow of the Almighty. As the snow fell and blanketed the synagogue and our hotel, I saw in this physical picture God's grace blanketing all of humanity.

Rain Tax and Train "tax"

Because I teach conversation classes at school, I sometimes give the following homework: "I want you to watch the news and in the next lesson tell me what is going on here in Hungary and in the world!"

This week, a student in one of my classes reported that she'd heard that Hungary has now instituted a new tax. This is called the "Rain Tax." I looked at her quizzically and asked her to explain. "Well," she began, "since we've had so much rain in the past couple of years, and the pipes in the streets which carry that rain are worn out, all business owners must now pay what is called "Rain Tax". This will help pay for replacing the worn out pipe system in the streets."

I stood, nodding my head, and thought about the challenges these people continue to face day in and day out with new taxes being required, benefits being cut, and salaries staying the same.

One cut which will affect a large number of people is the 50% off train discount pass that many people get. The new law states that someone is only permitted to travel 12 times in a year at the 50% off rate; after that, they must pay the full price. I have a friend whose husband works in Budapest, and after completing her teaching job at the university on Wednesday, she travels weekly to be with him there. This new law will impact them tremendously.

Rain tax and Train "tax". They warned it would be "challenging" for the first 7 years after entering the european union.

The whole earth is full of His glory!

As I drove into the school parking lot this morning at 7:15, the sky boasted a beautiful pinkish-bluish morning hue. My CD player was blasting the worship song, "The whole earth is full of His glory, great is the Lord, worthy of praise, lift up your voice, lift up His praise, the heavens declare, our God is the King, sing with the song that the angels sing!"

As I was belting out this song, I spotted three large, wide "Vs" of geese flying across this painted morning sky in front of me! "The whole earth is full of His glory!" I parked quickly, got out of the car and watched these 3 interlocking "Vs" of geese make their way across the sky and thought, 'what a gift from God...a symbolic picture of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 3 persons but one God, working in unity! God is so good to remind us that the whole earth is indeed full of His glory, and He blesses us with tangible pictures of this!!!

New Year, New Beginnings

New years are great! Besides getting the opportunity to write 2007 on every official document, letter, email, etc., there's a sense of newness, freshness, chances to begin anew and press into change!

Because God doesn't "work" on our calendar time, He is always ready, every morning, for a "new" start. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and therefore, every day, every moment, is like a "new year's start" for the follower of Jesus!

I bought a dresser today...it was the ONLY one available at the furniture shop across the street from my house, and it was less than 1/2 the original price. I also bought a night table to replace the tottering fold-up "table" I've been using for 6 1/2 years now. I've needed the dresser for a while, but have procrastinated getting anything new, settling for tossing my socks and underthings in the upper cabinet part of a standing wardrobe. Now I have separate drawers for these things...it's all a new experience for me, and they are organized! During the cleaning and organizing process of today, I filled a large garbage bag full of old papers and such, and that from just one room. I tend to hang on to things, but today was clean out and get organized day. The new year is a good time to do such things, and it dawned on me this evening that it's just like God. He's longing to come in and bring in the new, the necessary, and take out the old. He wants His house in order, the clutter removed so that He can pour in all that He wants to in our lives.

Now I have a tangible picture sitting in my bedroom to remind me of this object lesson, and every time I look at my new dresser, I'll think about how God, every morning, gives us a new start in His Spirit, that we can walk anew with Him, in His peace, freedom and covered by the blood of the Lamb, free from the clutter.

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!!!