új imázsfilm Budapestről

New Image Film from Budapest

This weekend, Hungary celebrates--or rather, commemorates--the attempted 1956 revolution against the Soviets. October 23rd has become synonymous with Hungarian spirit: freedom, courage, and determination in the midst of oppression. This holiday also reminds us of the great efforts here that perpetuated the movement to bring down the Iron Curtain. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary this year!

I'll actually be out of the country during this national holiday, but I'll offer a bit of Hungarian celebration before I go.

Below, you will find a video produced by a guy from my church. His purpose is to highlight innovation and business successes here in Hungary. While the images don't represent the common lifestyle here (there aren't that many BMW's), there are real, sweeping views of our finest streets and of course of the River Danube. So, please take four minutes to enjoy the trumpeting of Hungarian contributions to the world and some great pictures of my dear Budapest.

If the image is cut off, double-click to see the full screen.

ICSB High School Retreat this weekend!

Just a quick note: please pray for a significant and safe time for all our students and faculty as we head out on a retreat together. God often uses this long weekend away at a camp to challenge the student body and unite us as we journey together. It should be a great time!

Thursday, October 1-Saturday, October 3
Thanks!

Wing to Wing and Oar to Oar

My brother Andrew got married a couple of weeks ago in Madison, Wisconsin. Because of a lovely and generous benefactress who bought the plane ticket and dedicated teachers who stepped in to sub in my classes, I got to be part of the beautiful weekend of love and fun. I'm so thankful for God's good gift of Anne to Andrew and Andrew to Anne. For pictures, check out my photo site in the sidebar.

One minor example of the near-perfection that is this couple and was their wedding is their super cool idea of giving out a mix CD complete with liner notes and label. They took the title, Wing to Wing and Oar to Oar, from a line in a Robert Frost poem. Frost wrote the poem "The Master Speed" on the occasion of his daughter's wedding. It's just too good to ignore:

No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have a speed far greater. You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will.
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still—
Off any still or moving thing you say.
Two such as you with a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar.

I love this metaphor of marriage. Here's to Andrew and Anne: joined together by a loving God, harnessing the master speed and soaring wing to wing and oar to oar.

The Sirens Wail

Please pray for the stability of Hungary now, and the saving of Hungary for eternity. As I sit at Costa Coffee to use the internet, I've observed a long caravan of masked and heavily armed police (picture SWAT) swerve around this corner three times going back and forth with sirens wailing. You see, we have a contingent of right wing, pseudo-neo-Nazi types who are gaining some popularity as the economy tanks and people are disgruntled. I had heard that they were going to hold "events" or "protests" or "riots" today to commemorate something regarding Hitler. Sorry for the lack of details, but I'm not very interested in the Hitler-esque ideals of such a group. Apparently, they are indeed having such events which are sending the police out in force.

Also, the murders or attacks on members of the Roma (gypsy) community are becoming more common as people blame them for loss of jobs or the increase of petty crime. If you're interested, see the news article below.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57C04B20090813?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

We will face trouble in this world--that is quite clear--but Jesus has overcome the world! The instability or unhappiness or suffering of this life makes eternity all the more refreshing and reminds me of its desperate significance for then and for now. To that end, I'll blog about the Kispest outreach soon.

Mikor? Most!

When? Now!

Amazing. August is here--a marvel unto itself--and with the start of this month comes the much anticipated Lábnyom (Footprint) outreach. The time for the English camp that I've been anticipating, fearing, promoting, and more is now! We've prayed, adjusted the curriculum in a positive direction, had several helpful meetings where the teammates have cooperated beautifully, changed the location when a better one came available, and signed up a few more high school students. Let's go.

The foundational goal of this and all of the outreach events and services is to love the neighborhood of Kispest, offer helpful services, and leave footprints of good that lead people to Jesus. That sounds a little lofty, but we want to be both dramatically different and totally relevant in a needy neighborhood as the new church starts.

On a personal note, I'm both thrilled and anxious. I love speaking with high school students (and talking in general--let's be serious) and teaching English, but I've never taught English to brand new English students. All of my students at ICSB have a basic understanding of English and/or have other resources to supplement their time in my classroom. This will be a totally new experience. Couple that adventure with the diverse ages and personalities of our students, and I've got quite a week ahead of me! Thankfully, I am not alone. First, of course, is the Holy Spirit who will teach me what to say and work in our students' minds and hearts. Then, I get to be part of a great group of people. Please pray for our whole team: Bruce, Orsi, Doini, Balazs, Gergo, Zsuzsi, Will, Jenna, and Linda.

Time for me to get back to work. No good English lesson is complete without some quality take-home papers for practice and evaluation. Monday morning will be here before I know it.

As I prepare to be an ambassador of Christ in Kispest, I'd love to hear about where you are headed these days. What opportunities and challenges are you facing? How can I pray for you and the footprints you leave?

Lábnyom Kispestben

Footprint in Kispest

We (my church family called Golgota) are preparing for a huge outreach called Lábnyom leading up to the start of a church plant in the Budapest neighborhood of Kispest. The events will include a children's ministry like a VBS, a sport ministry, concerts, an English camp for high school students, and more. I am extremely eager to be a part of this outreach by helping to teach at the English camp and getting to know local high school students. Rarely am I able to join in the church's ministry events in the city because I don't speak Hungarian. On this occasion, though, I am relatively qualified and very excited.

Now, I've never taught English as a Second Language before, so there is much to pray for and consider as the week approaches. Please join me in praying for creativity and wisdom as I prepare the lessons. I am thankful that basic lesson plans exist; I'll just be augmenting them and adding to them for my specific class level.

But before any of this can begin, we need students! Currently, only 5 kids have signed up. We need at least 10 to hold the camp. The English camp is August 3-7, and leaders will be deciding this coming Monday if we will continue. There are other possibilities. Maybe God has another plan for the use of English and the love for Kispest. I don't know. Our team leader, Bruce, is content in the knowledge that we follow after God. We won't create our own event because we want to. Instead, we see where God is going and follow.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1

So, we will pray and wait. Students will sign up at the last minute, or we will have some other opportunity. In the meantime, please join us in prayer for the English camp, the other outreach activities, and of course the culminating event: the new church in Kispest!!

We want to leave footprints in Kispest, footprints that lead to Jesus.

A flurry

Wow! In the last week or so, I've finished school for the year, packed up my classroom (temporarily. I get to return in about a month to do prep for next year.), enjoyed the help of friends to move to a new flat, learned how to get hot water (temporarily) to flow from the bathroom faucet at aforementioned new place), unpacked a bit, randomly enjoyed a chamber concert under the dome at the Parliament building, tried to say goodbye to friends who are leaving, and packed for a month in the States. I fly out tomorrow. Whoa.

Just this morning, I realized how little time I've taken during this time to be still, to listen to my loving and sovereign Heavenly Father. The list above is pretty self-focused or at least logistical. It hasn't been very relational. May I slow down even as I want to see many people and share all kinds of stories from this first year at the International Christian School of Budapest. May I--as I was challenged this morning at church--stop and consider what my life is worth. This life or my own plans and interests are not more valuable than one other person's life for eternity. Am I living with eternal significance? Am I "seizing eternity" as I've often encouraged others to do?

A frenetic flurry is no excuse to lose perspective. Busyness--even in the name of ministry--does not honor God. Listening to him, accepting his love, and loving him with all that I am is what he requires. I'm looking forward to a 12-hour flight to ponder this a bit more...and fit in a little sleep, too.

See you Stateside!

Család

Family

There are many different types of "family" here in Hungary. First, I remember my own relatives: family I miss very much and will see in a few short weeks! Next, we have the family of God. At a joint church service on Sunday, our church of three services met together in a park and studied Acts 2:42:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

We talked about true and real fellowship, the purpose of the Church, and the family of God. Then, I'm feeling the connection to my ICSB family--friends and fellow teachers as well as students with whom we labor daily. They are so special to me and grow in significance as the time approaches to say goodbye to some.

Finally, the first form of family arrives again as ICSB hosted Family Field Day last Wednesday. Classes were cancelled for the day, and all students and families joined the staff in a nearby field for games, food, and time together. Fun and sunburns ensued!

I was the black team leader, which meant that I got to go with my kids to each station, keep them organized, encourage sportsmanship, and cheer loudly. Oh yes, cheerleading experience comes in handy at moments like this!

Before the games started, each team created a team cheer complete with skits or stunts. All the teams had great creativity, and displayed a beautiful love for their fellow students of all ages. Elementary students were flying all over the place. :)

Here I am using my vast knowledge of stunting to plan the "basket-toss" of a young student. I had to fight the urge to climb in myself. Oh to feel the wind in my face once again as I go flying through the air. (Sorry, old high school habits die hard.)



And the end result:

B-L--A-C-K, Go Black!

"Family" has taken on new depths and meanings for me as I make a home in Hungary. I'm so thankful that God is my Heavenly Father everywhere and heaven is my true home. Until then, I'll enjoy all the "families" I can get.