Missions Blog

Happy birthday to Tony today!!

Well, this incredible, crazy, whirl-wind trip is coming to an end! Although they said it was illegal to hide the missionaries in our checked bags…the memories we made with them will last us a long time. As we said goodbye to the friends we made, we know that the high school and college students are still in good hands. As we end this blog, I wanted everyone to share a little about the trip. Sooo enjoy! :)

Tony Carrola - “Meeting with and getting to know the missionaries in Budapest was one of the highlights of the trip for me. They were truly kinda and hospitable, and I enjoyed encouraging and working alongside them. It was also a wonderful experience travelling with so many great friends from our church and getting to know them better.”

John Palmer - “The best part of the trip was the growth. I grew in my faith, maturity, and relations with people. I really enjoyed the people that I served with: Matthew, Emmy, Tony, Ricky, Jennifer, and Jonathan, to name a few. I also really enjoyed talking to the other students that were my age and experiencing the world in a really different culture.”

Jonathan Lingenhoel - “This week I was reminded of God's call to serve Him in whatever capacity He asks of us. I watched our team do just that, whether it was chatting with teens and college students, witnessing to strangers, washing dishes, or patiently sitting and waiting as our accompanying missionaries figured out what our next class our task was, they did so with joy as unto the Lord. I saw true Christian fellowship and humble service in action, and it was a joy to behold. :) I pray that we are able to continue with that attitude, being willing to do whatever task God places in front of us, no matter how menial or (seemingly) meaningless.”

Meagan Lingenhoel - “What an amazing week! I'm so thankful to have been able to share Budapest with the team this year! Talking with Hungarian high schoolers and college students was so very sweet.  Deepening relationships with the Hungarian Cru missionaries is always such a blessing! Praise God for using us and keeping us safe!”

Matthew Nuzzo - “I got to know a few of the missionaries from FÉK much better this trip. Góki and I were able to talk a lot after FÉK PÉNTEK, the event they held for the highschool and college students we spoke to during the week. We spent time talking a lot about our hobbies, but also about the great work happening in Budapest. He explained that he thinks the BHHP has been an amazing success - they’ve been seeing an increase in numbers coming to their events these past two years. He also explained that he loved getting to meet a few of us again and that he was encouraged through us stepping out of our comfort zones throughout the entire week.”

Ricky Andrews - “It’s hard to summarize an entire week of fun and exhaustion and blessings from God in a few sentences. This week, God brought us to Budapest and did some very amazing things to us and through us. We met so many amazing people, formed bonds and connections that will last a lifetime, and saw Jesus working in incredible ways, as well as facing our fair share of challenges along the way. We ate delicious (and sometimes strange) food, saw the beautiful city of Budapest from the inside and from a bird's eye view, plus many other experiences that would take me days to list. So to sum it up, Isten áldja Budapestet és Isten áldja a Magyarokat (God bless Budapest and the Hungarian people)!”

Corbin Rutan - “This trip was a great opportunity. It allowed us to grow closer to those of the faith from both America and Hungary, and we planted seeds of the gospel in the minds of nonbelievers.”

Jennifer Cook - “I’m finishing our last day with traveling back to the US.  To those of you who have considered doing a missions trip with the church, but think 'I just don’t think I could put myself out there and share my faith.', I encourage you to to go. It was the easiest and most joyful experience. The missionaries you work with have such an enthusiasm to teach us, and an earnest desire to share Jesus. I have been changed by meeting them and have grown in my faith. I am sad to be leaving and looking forward to returning to see them and Budapest again. I feel as though the others on the team are close friends now and will miss not spending the day with them. It also is a great reminder that we are so blessed to be from the US and have such a wonderful church led by God fearing men and women that want to help us spread the gospel around the world.”

Emmy Nuzzo - “I wrote the blog so I have said a lot for the week already ;)”

Thank you to everyone following along and praying for us on our journey!