Missions Blog

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.”

Hello everyone!! We are officially in Hungary! Our departure started at 355pm Saturday, March 5th and after three airplanes and a couple of delicious European desserts, we arrived in Hungary on March 6th at 12pm. Our excitement is equally matched with our exhaustion from being awake going on 36 hours. To fight jet lag, we decided to wait to sleep until eight (Jonathan’s orders) so we spent our time exploring the beautiful city of Budapest and getting to know the missionaries we will be partnering with this week- Gabor, Gabi, and Gabi’s wife Mara. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance and continued protection as we share the great news of the gospel and get to know more of the incredible country of Hungary.

My name is Dakoda Horner and I attend The Bible Chapel in Rostraver. We were on the Mission trip for 5 days, which started on July 19 and ran through July 23.

On the first day, we helped pack food in boxes for people that were in need of food. On the second day, we worked with Light of Life for people that need help. On the third day, my group went to the City Mission warehouse to help organize/clean the warehouse. What impacted me the most was when we went to the City Mission campus, and we helped wash cars, serve food, and painted joy rocks for all around the campus. Lastly, we went to Tanager Outlets and told some people about Jesus Christ. God has taught me on the trip to wait and have faith in him and to be more grateful for what I have.

Mission trips can always show us that what truly matters is knowing Jesus and living for him. I hope those reading this blog would be encouraged and challenged to make an impact for him.

• Dakoda Horner, Rostraver Student