It's everywhere you want to be.

I'm working on my visa application today. Even determining which application to fill out has been quite the mystery. But there is good news: the Hungarian law currently dictates that visa applications may be submitted through the mail. It is no longer necessary for me to travel to New York City in order to apply for this document. Hooray!

I'm actually enjoying some cultural discoveries as I complete the paperwork with capital letters in blue ink. For instance, as best as I can understand it, I am referred to by my mother's maiden name instead of my own middle name while in official Hungarian situations. Actually, the Hungarian tradition of name usage is quite different from that of the U.S. and closer to that of some Asian countries, though I can't articulate it very well right now. Next, the state in which I live is of no consequence (or at least does not merit a blank in the address section). This cultural difference may prove tricky since I live in a lesser known El Paso. And finally, I have again been amazed by the linguistic phenomenon that is European people. Three different Hungarian women who hold positions not unlike switchboard operators were able to flit from Hungarian to English with ease in order to answer my visa questions and direct my calls. As a beginner in the study of the Hungarian language, I can assure you that our languages hold nothing in common. Amazing.

And so the visa application and ministry partner development processes continue and the day for departure grows closer, though I can't see it just yet. I hope to continue to see new situations as adventures and different cultures as valid (No negative attribution here!). Ultimately, I realize that I hold no power over governments and bureaucracies, but God has everything under control.