English Camp - Day 10

Well, I can site here tonight and tell you with great joy in my heart what an awesome 2 weeks it has been. The Lord has worked in so many ways - both in the Hungarian students we served and in our own team.

Since it's coming up on midnight here and we're only just getting back now from a celebratory dinner with the Hungarian ministry team, and since we need to be awake at 4:15am tomorrow to head out to the airport, we'll be glad to tell you about day 10 when we see you face-to-face back in the States.

Please pray for smooth and safe travel tomorrow.

We've had a great time and watched the Lord move in some incredible ways, and so we are very sad to leave, but we are also anxious to get back and see all of you!

See you soon,

Tom (for the team)

English Camp - Day 9

Well, today was the second to last day of English class. Our staff meeting this morning was full of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord for what has happened over the last 10 days. Brad led devotions with a good word from Philippians 2, reminding us that our attitude should be like Christ even when we’re tired in these last couple days.

Our schedule today was mostly the same as every other day. We played rousing games of kickball, knock out, basketball, tug of war and baseball. Mate (Matthew) spoke in chapel about forgiveness. Pray with us that his words would resonate with the Hungarian teens and that they would see their need for the Lord and accept His forgiveness in their lives.

Much of our free time today was spent preparing our classes for Parent’s Night tonight. Each English class had to prepare a little presentation…a skit, a song, etc. It took a little while to think of something for my class of beginners, since we only have 3 boys in our class and they are not the most outgoing. I have to admit, we Googled “short, funny skits” and found a great one that our guys were excited about and thought was a great idea! ☺ So we spent time today practicing lines so their parents could hear them speaking English.

The program started a little after 7pm, following a dinner of hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and watermelon. After the welcome, all the students, teachers and translators stood up front and we sang 2 worship songs that we have been singing all week long. We sang the second song, Mighty to Save, in English and then in Hungarian. Interspersed between our class skits were Jason’s testimony, a testimony from one of our translators, special music from some Hungarian students, special music from Emily, Victoria and Dillon (accompanied by Tom and Brad) and a camp slideshow. All the skits were well done and drew many laughs! At the end, Shaun, our camp director, called us and our translators up front and presented us each with a little token of appreciation.

There were refreshments after the program, and we met several parents of the students. Everyone was in high spirits and many, many, many, many, many….many…photos were taken (a high percentage with Dillon creeping in the background). It was a special bonding time for all of us. Praise the Lord for the wonderful friendships that have been formed on this trip…and for all the new Facebook requests I have waiting for me when I get home!

Thanks for all your prayers!
Sharon

English Camp - Day 8

Well, I (Tom) am on blog patrol tonight, as we are on a 48 hour sprint beginning tomorrow morning. So I've sent the team to bed, leaving me to the blog :)


"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16.

There are days when you see the truth of this verse so clearly. You see why the Lord has put you in this place, in this moment, for this reason. You see why the Lord has written this specific day for you in His book. Today was one of those days.

Most importantly, we got to find out today that one of the students at the camp, a guy named Zsolt, prayed to receive Christ last night! What is cool is to see how this was totally a team effort. This is Zsolt's third year at English Camp, so many American teams and many believers here in Hungary have poured into him for many years. And most of our team has built a good relationship over the course of this week. But yesterday, he had some really good conversations about the Gospel, in particular with Sharon and Victoria, and then when he and I got to talk this morning, he shared with me that he prayed to receive Christ! It was amazing to think through how the Lord brought about this day for Zsolt and how many believers the Lord used in his life along the way. This day was written in God's book for Him, and we are so grateful as a team that the Lord planned for us to be in Hungary with Zsolt on this most important day of his life.

Then, after another good day at camp, we joined up with a missionary couple supported by The Orchard, Brad & Kari Mullet, who treated us to a spectacular dinner. I'm a food guy - and it's a restaurant I'll remember for a long time - the great company, the Hungarian atmosphere, the excellent food, the accordion serenading us in the background...it was a memorable night. But even more significantly, the way Brad & Kari spoke to the team was so incredible to see. One minute they had the team belly laughing, the next minute they were exhorting the team for how God is using and will use each of them in the future, and then the next they were reminding us of the importance of personal righteousness and prayer. Simply an awesome night.

We've got a big day tomorrow - it's parent night. Many unreached parents will be hearing the Gospel, and the team has a lot of involvement in the program of the night - skits, singing, and testimonies. So please be in prayer for us during these final two days of camp and the intense schedule we'll be undertaking. Please also be in prayer for us as we have our final opportunities to talk and share with the students.

We're so thankful for your prayer and support.

God bless,

Tom

English Camp - Day 7

WOW!!!! I can't believe day 7 of English camp is over with! Time has flown by, and our energy levels are still high and running. Today was a long day, but could not have been any better. We had a normal day at camp, but this evening our group split up into smaller groups, and we went to homes of different campers. This was a great opportunity to get to know students on a more personal level.

Jason, Mindy and I are in charge of leading a small group discussion with some advanced students after morning devotions. Normally the students will talk in Hungarian to each other or our translator, and give us the "Sunday-school" answers. Today was a different situation however. The students started to express more in depth how they viewed salvation. A lot of them thought that they could lose their salvation so we spent a lot of time explaining to them that they can't lose their salvation and that any sin is the same in God's eyes; none is worse then another, even though the consequences on Earth could be different. It was really neat to have this in-depth conversation about salvation with the students. I just ask that you pray that God will continue to work in these students hearts to see that God's salvation is always there when you truly repent and ask God into your heart, and that God will keep working on the hard hearts of students who don't want to pay attention during morning devotions.

Tom, Jason and I have also had the opportunity to spend the evening with Adam, a camper who is in Jason, Mindy and my Intermediate English Class during day camp. It was really cool to see his house and how his family lives. We had Beef Goulash, which was phenomenal, and we also had Langosh, which is a pizza like food but the crust is more doughy and it has no tomato sauce but rather a lot of cheese. It was really neat to get to know his parents and sister and to meet his brother. After dinner we played Mexican Train (a game played with dominos). We played for a good 2 hours. While we were playing, Adam went and got his guitar for Tom to play and kept asking him to play songs we learned at camp (Marvelous Light, Everlasting love etc.), it was really neat to see because we don't think his family is Christian. It was just a neat opportunity to see how Adam lives at home.

Time for Bed, We have to get our energy for the rest of the week!

Good Night and in Christ,

Katie

English Camp - Day 6

Wow, I cannot thank God enough on how blessed I am that I have been given this wonderful experience to be here in Hungary serving Him and these students.

Today was AWESOME! We all were very curious to see how much strength God would bless us with after such a long, but wonderful, week last week. I was blown away by the strength that I was given today because of how tired I seemed when I woke up! I was so ready to lead and teach right when I got to camp and was so surprised by the excitement and joy that I had been blessed with.

Today, we started the day with a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” icebreaker! We then moved onto English classes where my group - Lisa, Michael, and I - taught about occupations. It was awesome to hear the students talk so confidently today in English after a semi slow start last week with some students. We were also so excited to get two new translators today who are always jumping in and ready to clear any confusion in the air.

Tom spoke today during chapel, and it was a great example of what marriage should be in our future. To see the perspectives between a good Godly man and a “fun” ungodly man was I think amazing for the students to see. It was so exciting in our end of the day meeting to hear how the discussion groups went with the students. They were all asking questions and very curious. It was very encouraging to hear how God is opening the hearts of many students. After another great game time in the afternoon, camp was over, but many students stayed to continue playing a new game with the staff!

After camp we hopped on the tram and went to a German restaurant at which I ordered cheese soup and wiener sausage, which was very good and very filling.

We are now back at the hostel and all hanging in Sharon, Lisa and Mindy’s room as we talk about our nightly new subject. Today’s subject is how your parents met. Emily just shared how Mr. G was an awesome defensive player in basketball, which caused lots of argument with the voice she said it with!!! Having so much fun with all of the wonderful students and staff here today!!! Miss everyone, however.

Shout out to my parents, I ate duck liver and chicken liver ; p…….Let’s just say when I found out what I ate I was very cautious about what I was eating the rest of the week.

Love, Linz!

Sunday, July 25th

Hey everybody,

There was no camp today, but we had a really important meeting as a team this morning that got us even more excited for sharing the light of Christ to the students this coming week. So please pray for us as we get started again for camp bright and early tomorrow morning. Also I would like to make a very important shout out to a very special little girl, Tovie O, on her second birthday. You will get a full update on camp day 6 tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers,
Michael

Saturdays!!!

The weekend has arrived! It was quite welcome this morning due to extra sleep-in time and the more relaxed pace we were able to go at. This a.m. the boys and Tom did their laundry across the way at the church (KEGY Evangelical Free Church) where the English Camp is held. The girls hung back and had a leisurely morning at the Griff Junior Hotel (see photo above of Mindy posing with a statue outside our hotel as part of the leisure) and popped over to the CBA (small grocery store) about 10 a.m. for some fresh fruit and European candy.

At 1 p.m. the team met up for the first time with our two new translators for Week 2 of English Camp, Niki and Mariam (both 18 yrs. old), along with Lilla (18 yr old translator for Week 1 of English Camp) and Beni (14 yr. old camper & brother of Mariam). It has been incredibly encouraging for us to know that at least three of our translators came to faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of the KEGY English Camp!!! Niki shared her testimony today with me and it was evident that God has really used this camp in years past to draw students to Himself through the proclamation of the Gospel, the joy of the staff and the prayers of many!

On Sharon's recommendation we headed to Palachenta's (a.k.a. Hungarian crepes / see photo to the left) and enjoyed one savory and one sweet crepe each, which fueled us for the walk to Parliament (see photo below).

BUT how could I forget to mention a critical detail that began our day with huge SMILES! Overnight the temperature dropped 12 degrees Celsius. What a gift given the 90+++ Fahrenheit temps all week with no A/C. I have sweat more sitting dead still this week than I have in many rigorous workouts. To be sure, the record high summer temps of Europe have kept us consistently glistening.



After much strolling and snap shots around Parliament and the Danube River (see photo to the right), we did what many Americans (and a Canadian) do best, we hit the shops on Vaci Street (the bustling city center of shopping) to buy postcards and trinkets for our loved ones back home. This was followed by a delectable dinner on the outdoor cobblestone patio, where blankets were available to ward off the first evening chill of our stay in Budapest.

We parted ways with Lilla, Niki, Mariam and Beni after dinner and headed up Castle Hill for a peak of the Chain Bridge (see below) and Parliament at night. There were many breathtaking views, violins being played on street corners, and lots of good conversations going on amongst the team as we reflected on the past week and God's goodness and grace in it all!



Praise the Lord for the beauty of this wonderful old city, great weather, an opportunity to serve Him, and for being amongst His body of believers! I am so thankful for the unique gifts of the Spirit each person has brought to the team. Each has become dear to me and I love the way God is individually encouraging and challenging us as we seek to serve Him not just in deed, but more importantly in right motive (Matt. 5:20).

Miss you all and hope to see you soon! Please keep us and the campers continually in your prayers.

Much love,

Lisa J.