Missions Blog

Day 6 in Hungary 

Today was the day we all were scared of…(and by all of us, I mean myself) Random evangelizing… For introverted people, like myself, the thought of walking up to complete strangers and starting conversations with them (take out the fact that we are in a foreign country) has never sounded like a fun time to me. Funny enough, God has a specialty of taking the things we are most uncomfortable with and using those things to accomplish His goals. (I mean if Moses couldn’t barter his way out of Egypt, why would I think I could this week) This entire week I have been thinking that maybe everyone forgot about the “randoms” as the missionaries affectionately nick-named them, but of course… they did not. We split into groups of two and walked around the universities nearby walking up to people, introducing ourselves/ our organization, and asking if they would be interested in taking a ten-minute survey. *This was actually the first time the “Crew” team was using their new survey tool called “soularium.” Basically, we have a stack of fifty cards with different pictures on them. We then ask five questions where they have to answer the question by choosing three of the pictures and explaining why they picked those pictures. The questions are designed to provoke deeper, theological conversations in a non-threatening manner.* At first, it was a little difficult finding people because it was a Friday afternoon and most students had left for the weekend, but after a couple of minutes, each of the teams started to find people who were willing. One team actually talked to two guys for about 45 minutes about the gospel and gave them information to get connected to “Crew.” I went with one of the missionaries and I, as I said, was super nervous. We met a girl who agreed to take the survey and as soon as I started talking to her, everything changed and I realized why this ministry is so important. This girl had never heard the gospel being presented to her and didn’t actually know who Jesus is or anything about Christianity. She is struggling with a lot in her life right now, and said she has been searching for something missing in her life, she just can’t figure out how to find it. We were able to use the survey to open the door to give her the gospel presentation and she said she would like to follow up with us to know more about Christianity and what makes it different than everything else she has heard about. If I would have let my own insecurities get in the way, this girl may have left school without hearing about the only thing that can save and heal her life. As much as I was afraid for today, I am so glad I went, and although I’m sure I will still have some nerves the next time, I am actually excited to do it again. 

After the “randoms” everyone finished setting everything up for the event at Gönczy. We all had a group prayer before the event, then waited for the children to show up. The event went well and all the people who showed up had a lot of fun, and we had some great conversations in our small groups after with the students. We are hoping this will be the first event of many at their new building and that God will keep showing up and changing lives. 

Please pray for everyone we met today at the university campus that God will reveal Himself to them and they can have their own relationship with Him. Please also pray for the ministry at Gönczy that the students will show up and that God will transform lives there. 

The Hungarian word of the day is “menjünk haza” which means “let’s go home” because we will be heading back to the states Sunday morning! 

Day Five in Hungary. 

We finished the last of the school visits today. Each team had about 6 classes each and although it was very fun and fulfilling, we were all struggling towards the end. Because it was our last day, the teachers combined some classes because all of the teachers wanted their class to have a slot with us and we didn’t have enough people or time for everyone. This was incredible and it also meant that we were in classes of around 30 students per session. So many kids were reached today and we can’t wait to see them show up Friday and continue to develop the connections we started this week. We learned a lot this week through being there and Amber said she was even corrected on her spelling of some English words by the teachers! 

After school, Gabi’s wife Mara (missionaries Bible Chapel supports) and Amber went random evangelizing together around Budapest. Amber said they had a meaningful connection with a woman they met and were able to talk to her. Amber said, “We went street evangelizing where we would engage with people by asking them to take a short survey. This one woman, in particular, took the survey then was talking to us after. Mara then asked if the woman would be willing to hear more about what we believe so she explained the gospel for the women, in Hungarian! Mara and I then prayed with the woman and after she told me that she really needed that conversation today and was excited to possibly attend a Bible study Mara offered. She also said that she had never thought about sin separating us from God, and that was something she took away from our conversation! The woman had a Roman Catholic background and was very open to the conversation! We exchanged contact information and am excited to keep talking to her.

We finished out our night with a “Hungarian culture night” where Gabi took us to a Hungarian restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious food. (although I say that about all the food in Hungary) It was a great night of food and fellowship with each other. We went around the room getting to know each other more and ended up sharing some of our testimonies. As some of the missionary team members from “Crew” shared about themselves, you could see how much God has changed and impacted their lives. We also learned that Gabi has saved two people from drowning when he was a lifeguard!! Ironic that now he is trying to help save people from “spiritual drowning.” (I tried to tie it all together…it’s been a long day) We are all off to early bedtimes again as tomorrow starts our big event day!!

Please continue to pray that students show up tomorrow at Gönczy tomorrow and that God is already preparing their hearts to be open to His love. Please also pray for the women Mara and Amber talked to today that she would go to Mara’s Bible study and realize her need for a Savior. 

Today’s Hungarian word of the day is…*drum roll* “alvásra van szüksége” which means “need sleep” because that is what our team needs right now. 

Day Four in Hungary!!

Another day in the schools! Because of yesterday, we weren’t as nervous for the day as we had a feel for what was happening and what we would be doing. The missionaries we went with were explaining to us how excited they were that we were back in Hungary because it is the first year since Covid started that the missionaries were allowed back into the schools. During the lesson, the missionaries took a couple of minutes to explain their organization to the students and they said it was the first year that none of the students knew anything about it. This was due to the fact that most of these students were entering high school as covid started so they never had a chance to hear about the program. Us going into these schools with the missionaries makes such an impact because they can use the promise of “real Americans” to get into the English classes, they are then able to get the kids interested in their programs and what they are really about. So far, we have had a lot of interest in Friday’s big event and are hoping the connections made there can continue once we are gone. 

To be completely honest, the hardest part of the day happened after school when we went back to Gönczy, the missionary's new building. They had to buy more chairs for the students because they all keep getting filled during their events, which is great and exciting news, except they were from IKEA….which meant that they needed to be put together. One may not think that would be a hard task, but for anyone who has actually spent time figuring out IKEA furniture, it can be quite the challenge. We had a joke where we kept wondering how many Hungarians and how many Americans it would take to build one IKEA chair. (turns out it was 13) Eventually, and with no tears ‘externally’ shed somehow, we were able to build all the new chairs and get them ready for Friday. 

One of everyone’s favorite times of the week, though, is the night where we all go to Mara and Gabi’s house (the missionaries the Bible Chapel supports) and have dinner with them. Mara made a delicious homemade Hungarian dish for us tonight called paprikash. After the meal, we all went into the living room where Jonathan and Meagan led us in worship. Gabi then shared some verses on his heart and we had a time of prayer. This was a very powerful time and God’s presence could be felt by everyone in the room. I think this was such a special time for everyone because it allowed us to truly just sit in front of God and praise Him for being who He is. During the worship, Amber decided that “Americans are crybabies” because everyone shed a couple of tears as we truly thought about how great our God truly is. (can you blame us) We ended our worship by singing a worship song with the Americans singing in English and our Hungarian friends in Hungarian. I overheard someone say that it made them think of what it will be like in Heaven, with everyone praising God in their native languages from all the corners of the earth. 

Please continue to pray for us as we have one more day in the schools then we will start the preparation for Friday. 

These students desperately need Jesus and our prayer is that they will actually show up and continue showing up after that.  

Day Three in Hungary 

Today was a busy day for all of us. Using the training we learned from today, we separated into our teams and entered the schools. 

There, we taught an English class to the students who are learning English. We started with a quick introduction of ourselves, then followed with a game where the prizes were Reese’s cups. (a very envied reward in Hungary as they do not have peanut butter) Once the game was over, we did a short lesson with the students. After, we had the children separate into small groups, where we were able to connect and interact with the children. The children were really excited we were there and we were able to invite them to the church event Friday, which interested many of them. 

It was a long day for us, but we could already see how God is using this part of the ministry. 

We all had a lot of fun memories (and some challenging) today, but for this not to be a couple of books long, we each narrowed down one of our favorites. For Jonathan, he would have to choose when he was able to talk to the chaplain at one of the schools, a Christian himself. The chaplain was asking questions on how he could better reach his students with the gospel and how he could disciple the ones that are Christians already. That allowed Jonathan to be able to have a conversation encouraging and giving him advice on how to help him. For Meagan, something she enjoyed today, was how excited the teachers and students both were to have them come to their school. The students even brought them Hungarian candy and made pins as a thank you. Amber, although she said she did not succeed, enjoyed trying to pronounce some of the Hungarian words with the children. She said this helped the children not feel as insecure about speaking English, even though they struggled. For Matthew, he was able to help motivate and encourage the students to pursue the careers they want to follow after high school and helped them set goals on how to reach them. He especially liked the fact that he was able to talk to a student who was interested in going to college for animation, which is also what he is majoring in college right now. If I (Emmy) had to pick something that I particularly had fun with today, I would pick the small group discussions. There, I was able to learn more about these students’ lives and the differences between our cultures. 

Although we are all exhausted, and will probably have an early bedtime tonight, we couldn’t be more excited and encouraged for what we can see God doing in Hungary and can’t wait to see what else He does. 

Please continue to pray for the students we met today and that they will show up on Friday. Please also pray for us as we go back into the schools around Hungary tomorrow. 

The Hungarian word of the day is “köszönöm” which means “thank you.” 

*Because of child photography laws, we were not able to take any pictures in the schools today…so enjoy some of the beautiful sights we saw on our walk back to our hotel tonight.* :) 

DAY TWO MISSION TRIP! Today was focused on meeting the rest of the missionaries that are a part of CREW and getting the training needed for the rest of the week. 

Before we started, Laci, the leader of Campus Crusade in Hungary, shared a devotional with us to kick off the morning meeting. In it, he unpacked the gospel, depicting it as a multi-layered cake called Orség Zöld Aranya, which is meant to have all three layers eaten together in one bite. He explained how the gospel is so much more than we often act like it is, and that we can't just leave it at the 'gate' we need to live it. Laci explained how the first layer of the cake is the great commission which is a very active commandment, but that we often get hung up on the do's and get worn out trying to carry them out. The second layer is the great commandment, which he paired with 1 Corinthians 13 to help us understand that we must share the gospel from a heart overflowing with love for others, but that if we are seeking to act in love constantly, we will easily burn out or become self-righteous. The final layer was a full understanding of the unconditional and fulfilling love of God for us. With this understanding we are no longer self-righteous, we no longer tire of doing good because we are filled constantly with gratitude that motivates us to love others and share the truth of the gospel with them. 

For the next couple of days, we will have groups of three (two Americans and one Hungarian) go into the local schools. There, we will teach the children an English lesson, break up into small groups to get to know them, and help them improve their English. (maybe they can, in turn, teach us some Hungarian…) After that, we will invite them to the “big event” of the week, happening Friday night called “Speak Out.” Please pray for us as we are going into the schools, that the children will be responsive, and that they will show up on Friday where the gospel will be shared. 

The Hungarian word of the day (that I just decided is a thing) is “Ciao” which means “hello” and also “goodbye.”