State Troopers, Storms, and the Bogey Man
Rev. Ed Haun
Worship on Demand – October 29, 2023
October 29, 2023
Category: Hungary 2019
Updates, news, and posts from our mission trip team members and leaders.
Budapest
September 9, 2019
To summarize the culture and history of Budapest in a single blog post would be impossible. This phenomenal city dates back to the Roman Empire. Its violent past is still evident in the form of battle scars (some areas still show damage from WWII bombings). But the beauty of this special place shines forth.
Our mission team was challenged to “see God in action everyday.” This was particular easy to do while working in the mission field. But during these past two days of our trip, as we’ve explored Europe’s 9th largest city, we’ve still seen God at work.
more “Budapest”
Talentum Baptista Általános Iskola
September 8, 2019
Our team’s final school day on this trip was to the Talentum Iskola – a small school in Debrecen operated by the Baptist Church. There’s no doubt this school holds a special place in our hearts. This is the school where Amanda Good works as an English teacher. It’s the school supported by the Debrecen Baptist Church we worshiped with earlier in the week. And perhaps because it was our final school in Hungary, it stands out in our memories as a capstone experience for our work here.
more “Talentum Baptista Általános Iskola”
So Many Cheeseburgers
September 6, 2019
Part of Jon & Amanda’s ministry it to support the Debrecen Baptist Church youth group by providing food for social events and ministry nights. The youth group, composed of middle school, high school, and college aged students, is rapidly growing by word-of-mouth. Students are eager to invite friends, partly because of the hospitality of the Goods.
The church has a youth minister who runs the programming and organizes ministry for this group. But the growth of the group is due, in large part, to the support they receive from Jon & Amanda in the form of themed dinners. As is the case in the United States: Where there is free food, students are likely to come.
more “So Many Cheeseburgers”
Old Friends in New Places
September 5, 2019
Our team may be in Hungary to work alongside Jon & Amanda Good, but we’ve also had the good fortune to meet up with some of our other favorite IM Global Servants in Hungary!
After several long days of work with school children in nearby towns and villages, we were excited to have dinner with Larry & Becky Stanton and their delightful children.
more “Old Friends in New Places”
Iskola (School)
September 5, 2019
After a few days of immersing ourselves in Hungarian culture, making new connections at the Debrecen Baptist Church, and familiarizing our ears to the sounds of the Hungarian language, our team has now spent several days in the classrooms of Eastern Hungary. This is the primary function of our mission team: to help the Hungarian students with their English language studies.
Hungarian is a rather isolated language. The entire nation of Hungary is comparable in size to the state of Illinois. Hungarian is not generally spoken beyond this country’s borders. So in order for the Hungarian children to interact with their European neighbors, English has become the common language of academics, medicine, and business in this region of the world. In this age of global commerce it is, therefore, vital for the Hungarian children to learn English in order to interact with their nearby peers across Europe and elsewhere around the globe.
more “Iskola (School)”
Exploding Waffle Batter
September 3, 2019
Monday evening our team was excited to attend the English language Bible study group at the Debrecen Baptist Church. Pastor Jon Good leads this monthly group, composed mainly of students from the nearby university as well as other friends and guests from the neighborhood.
Our Bible study Monday evening would be a new experience for many of the regular attendees. Since our team was in town, Pastor Jon asked Pastor Patty and me to lead the teaching time. It was a humbling and challenging experience to lead a Bible study for a group we’d never met, not knowing their level of Biblical literacy or their proficiency with the English language.
Some volunteers from our team helped make waffles for those who attended – a real treat! Waffles were served throughout the Bible study. Which normally wouldn’t have been a problem. But then, waffle batter also doesn’t normally explode.
more “Exploding Waffle Batter”
Hello, Debrecen
September 3, 2019
It’s essential for missionaries to learn the culture in which they minister. In the American Baptist Churches, pastors and missionaries are trained to learn and honor the history and customs of their ministry contexts. We are very deliberate to avoid ethnocentrism – the practice of inflicting our cultural tastes and preferences onto other peoples. So, as the saying goes, “When in Hungary, do as the Hungarians do.”
more “Hello, Debrecen”
It Really Is A Small World (After All)
September 3, 2019
When the team arrived to Budapest on Saturday morning, an airport transfer service was standing by to bring us to Debrecen (about a 2.5 hour drive). Our group of 10 was divided into two minivans. But the second minivan would have two additional passengers: Ahmed and his mother.
more “It Really Is A Small World (After All)”
Anticipated Stress, Unexpected Blessings
August 31, 2019
The first day of any mission trip is often the most stressful. Any travel has the potential to be stressful. Traveling as a group can be stressful. Making it through TSA checkpoints can be very stressful. Traveling to an unknown place where English is not the common language can be exceptionally stressful. Exchanging money to an unfamiliar currency can be downright confusing. Add together all this stress with the near crippling effect of jet-lag-induced exhaustion, and you’ve got a glimpse of our first day in the mission field.
more “Anticipated Stress, Unexpected Blessings”