I can't think of a title.
I'm settling in well I think. Praise God. I have my normal ups and downs. Lonliness is sometimes and issue but God is good in these times. I am slowly getting to know my colleagues.
I am really enjoying working with the Refugee ministry. Last week, we took the young people on a little hike up Janos hill near Budapest. We had been talking for some time to do more social activities with them so that we could get to know them better and thus better respond to their needs. Also, we can also talk to them about various issues that may have come up. The twin boys still have not been going to school for example.
It was a special blessing to bond with the young people on this day. They were so loud and talkative, like typical teenagers, on the bus ride up to the point from where we began our hike. Then of course all the way along the hike again, like typical teenagers some were whining about how far it was. You can tell that they haven't performed any phycial activity like this in a long time. But once we made it to the top, they were proud of themselves.
On the way back down the hill, I could speak with the boy from Congo, he has so many dreams about his future. Richard's parents were massacred one year ago. He told me about his dreams to become a doctor but now that he cannot get help to pay for his education (without his parents' support), perhaps he will pursue a career in business. His case has been rejected by the refugee court here twice. He has appealed and has one more chance in a few months. The reason for the recent rejection of his claim was an ignorant judge who stated that since the American CIA has stated that Congo is no longer dangerous, there is nothing for Richard to fear. In way, perhaps the current unrest following the presedential elections in DR Congo will help Richard's case. Once this boy shared his dreams with me, we went around the circle with the others telling me their dreams. Joel from Uganda wants to become an auto mechanic. He has met some Africans in Budapest who are also mechanics and works in their garage part-time. Yamisi from Nigeria (the only girl in the group) wanted to be a nurse at first but she was also saying that perhaps she should learn to be a hairdresser. My heart went out to them and I was thankful to be able to hear their dreams and encourage them. These young people do not have parents. They do not know where to go for advice and encouragement.
We were supposed to have a Bible Study at my apartment that night but judging the silence on the bus on the way back from the hike, we decided that the young people were very tired out so it was best to postpone the Bible Study. But, that night Yamisi came over with a friend of hers and we could just chat a bit. By inviting her into my home I hope she will learn to trust me a bit more and feel comforted by knowing I like close to her. I was sort of joking with her on the hike because I was taking photos and it was rare that she would smile in them. But then I realized and I told her so, that I understood, if I didn't have parents and was living in a foreign country, not knowing what my future would be, I probably would not smile very much either.
But the next day I experienced one of those moments - they happen a lot - where the missionary finds herself witnessed to. The young refugees all attend the same public school. Last friday was the 100th birthday celebration of the school. To celebrate, all of the classes performed something. Our kids all sang solos in front of the whole school. I was glad that I could attend and I could see that the young people were glad I was there too. Richard stood up and sang a song about Joy in his heart that come from the Lord above. His face radiated and the audience joined him singing this song. The Yamisi, with a fantastic voice sang "I cannot live without you, Oh Lord!" I was humbled, here they were giving testimony of God in a public school. It was so cool.
The other part of my job, writing about missions is coming along slowly as well. I need to become more familiar with the church and its activities in order to write about it. I felt I hit a road block last week, I was feeling frustrated or wondering if I was misjudging the situation in Hungary because from what I could tell, there wasn't a whole lot happening in terms of missions. God is still working, don't get me wrong, but there does not seem to be any mass denomination-wide outreach efforts underway. This past weekend I attended a women's conference where the head of the missions department (Zita) gave a presentation essentially stating the same thing. This is chaning of course, there are efforts slowly getting underway but it is not enough and this was confirmed in Zita's analysis of the situation. So, I thought, I will write about whatever I can find. And hopefully, if I build it (the missions newsletter) those involved in outreach will come (rise to the surface). It is my hope that I can get something out there by December.
I am really enjoying working with the Refugee ministry. Last week, we took the young people on a little hike up Janos hill near Budapest. We had been talking for some time to do more social activities with them so that we could get to know them better and thus better respond to their needs. Also, we can also talk to them about various issues that may have come up. The twin boys still have not been going to school for example.
It was a special blessing to bond with the young people on this day. They were so loud and talkative, like typical teenagers, on the bus ride up to the point from where we began our hike. Then of course all the way along the hike again, like typical teenagers some were whining about how far it was. You can tell that they haven't performed any phycial activity like this in a long time. But once we made it to the top, they were proud of themselves.
On the way back down the hill, I could speak with the boy from Congo, he has so many dreams about his future. Richard's parents were massacred one year ago. He told me about his dreams to become a doctor but now that he cannot get help to pay for his education (without his parents' support), perhaps he will pursue a career in business. His case has been rejected by the refugee court here twice. He has appealed and has one more chance in a few months. The reason for the recent rejection of his claim was an ignorant judge who stated that since the American CIA has stated that Congo is no longer dangerous, there is nothing for Richard to fear. In way, perhaps the current unrest following the presedential elections in DR Congo will help Richard's case. Once this boy shared his dreams with me, we went around the circle with the others telling me their dreams. Joel from Uganda wants to become an auto mechanic. He has met some Africans in Budapest who are also mechanics and works in their garage part-time. Yamisi from Nigeria (the only girl in the group) wanted to be a nurse at first but she was also saying that perhaps she should learn to be a hairdresser. My heart went out to them and I was thankful to be able to hear their dreams and encourage them. These young people do not have parents. They do not know where to go for advice and encouragement.
We were supposed to have a Bible Study at my apartment that night but judging the silence on the bus on the way back from the hike, we decided that the young people were very tired out so it was best to postpone the Bible Study. But, that night Yamisi came over with a friend of hers and we could just chat a bit. By inviting her into my home I hope she will learn to trust me a bit more and feel comforted by knowing I like close to her. I was sort of joking with her on the hike because I was taking photos and it was rare that she would smile in them. But then I realized and I told her so, that I understood, if I didn't have parents and was living in a foreign country, not knowing what my future would be, I probably would not smile very much either.
But the next day I experienced one of those moments - they happen a lot - where the missionary finds herself witnessed to. The young refugees all attend the same public school. Last friday was the 100th birthday celebration of the school. To celebrate, all of the classes performed something. Our kids all sang solos in front of the whole school. I was glad that I could attend and I could see that the young people were glad I was there too. Richard stood up and sang a song about Joy in his heart that come from the Lord above. His face radiated and the audience joined him singing this song. The Yamisi, with a fantastic voice sang "I cannot live without you, Oh Lord!" I was humbled, here they were giving testimony of God in a public school. It was so cool.
The other part of my job, writing about missions is coming along slowly as well. I need to become more familiar with the church and its activities in order to write about it. I felt I hit a road block last week, I was feeling frustrated or wondering if I was misjudging the situation in Hungary because from what I could tell, there wasn't a whole lot happening in terms of missions. God is still working, don't get me wrong, but there does not seem to be any mass denomination-wide outreach efforts underway. This past weekend I attended a women's conference where the head of the missions department (Zita) gave a presentation essentially stating the same thing. This is chaning of course, there are efforts slowly getting underway but it is not enough and this was confirmed in Zita's analysis of the situation. So, I thought, I will write about whatever I can find. And hopefully, if I build it (the missions newsletter) those involved in outreach will come (rise to the surface). It is my hope that I can get something out there by December.
posted by MaryG | 12:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home