Chili Night at Nancy's

Tonight was an absolutely marvelous Wednesday night! Carlos Pinto from WOL Brazil has been in town teaching the first year students dispensationalism. Boy, do I love his class! He is interactive, fun, uses great illustrations, and is clear to the MAX! I think that I am going to do really well on his text this next Tuesday night.






Traditionally, Aunt Nancy had all the Brazilians on campus over to her house. (I realize that no, I myself am not Brazilian. However, I'm awesome.) What a great evening it was. At six we had super yummy chili with homemade cornbread. All eighteen of us smashed in the couches, in random chairs, and around the table. I helped serve and clean up, of course(:
It was a great night full of food, fellowship, and Portuguese. It's a beautiful language but I can only pick up the most minute bits! Music was played. Songs were sung. (Dishes were cleaned by Nancy, Artemis, and myself.)

The Lord has put me with some absolutely wonderful people here at WOL Hungary. I think it's been only three or four weeks and already I see the impact that they are having on my everyday life. And Aunt Nancy makes some mean chili. So good!

Today started another busy week. But I definitely do not want to ignore the great weekend I had. Friday night started the youth conference here at WOL Hungary. Teams from the Czech Republic and Poland came to our campus to enjoy time together and focus on "No Excuses". It was really a great time together for the students attending WOL Hungary from either of those two countries. 

Friday I was asked to prepare a song for a church service on what I thought was going to be Sunday morning. Kevin Cox and I prepared a piece only to find out on Saturday that the service was to be Sunday evening. So that gave us a bit more time. Sunday morning I attended the church service here on campus. It usually is in all Hungarian but because there were so many guests they decided to do it bilingually. The pastor talked, and almost scolded, the church as a whole about dedication. He kind of said that he appreciated the fact that people were dedicated to so many things but as a church, as a whole, everyone needed to redirect themselves to the Word of God and be excited in falling in love with Jesus again. It was a great, great morning. 

Kevin and I found out after church that we were going to actually do two songs so after most everyone was gone from the meeting hall we practiced together for about an hour or so. We worked through out first piece and scrounged up a second. He came up with "Shout to the Lord" and I followed along. So absolutely fun to sing with him while he played with all his heart...and shoulders(:

Gabor (spelling?!!), Kevin, Eszter, and myself left the WOL campus at three in the afternoon traveling to Eszter's hometown about an hour away. As we traveled, I tried staying awake to do my homework but totally knocked out as Gabor raced down the roads and through the villages. 

Long story short, I had an amazing night at that Baptist church. The whole service was in Hungarian, of course, but I knew ahead of time what Gabor was going to speak on. He spoke on the unfathomable love of our Lord and how His love is everlasting-Psalm 136. After he read the passage, with the congregation reading aloud, "For His lovingkindness is everlasting," Kevin and I rose up to the platform. I sang "I Will Rise", of course. About six people in the whole church understood my english but the love of God was in the room. I could feel that they knew what I was singing about. I put every single ounce of my being into that song and not for my glory. I sang because I meant what I was singing. 

Gabor preached. People from the congregation shared what they were thankful for. And then it was my turn again to sing. Once again nobody knew my version of the song. However, they all knew the song in Hungarian! As I sang, "Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing, Power and Majesty praise to the King", they sang along with me in their native tongue. I am not lying when I write and say that this was probably the greatest moment of my life so far. To hear and see the two worlds collide like this-little Cali girl with Hungarian baptists-made me want to keep going on and on. The glory was all the Lord's and His lovingkindness flows so freely. He is unfathomable and so gracious.

After the service, there was much food. Much, much food(:

Prayer Week

View from the Danube River

This week at chapel here at Word of Life Hungary has been our prayer week. Everyone has been getting together in the meeting hall/classroom everyone morning at about 10 to come together. Through this week I have come to appreciate my Lord Jesus Christ so much more (if that is at all possible).
As I bowed my head Monday morning, people were praying in Hungarian, Czech, Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Some prayed in Polish and French while others simply prayed in English.
So I thought to myself,
"Wow! God understands all these languages! Not only does He understand, but He listens. God is not overwhelemed by the whole student body lifting up requests to Him continually. He does not turn His head when it seems there are too many requests. "
Here at Word of Life there are people from all over the world. We have students and staff from many parts of Europe. There are many Brazilians ruling the sound waves throughout campus. And finally we have North Americans from Quebec, Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, and a few more places that have slipped my mind. (Guess who's the only person from California, though? ME!)
So as we lifted our request up to our Savior, I thought it was just so absolutely awesome that we all come from different walks of life, enjoy different activites, and speak different languages.  Despite all these obvious differences, we have all come here with one purpose-Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior.
He is the theme of our hearts and no barriers like language or culture can tear that down(:

Starting Up!

Hmm...seems like I've neglected writing for a bit. It's really cause the internet here doesn't actually work in my dorm room very well! I haven't yet decided if that's a bad thing or a good thing.

Last Friday evening was the Opening Conference here at the Bible Institute. All students and staff gathered in the Word of Life castle for a formal dinner and fellowship, many of us just getting to know one another. Shortly after dinner was the first meeting of the weekend. A guest from Michigan came for the weekend to speak on Psalm 119 and to get everyone ready for the wonderful year of learning the Word of God. After his message, an overview of what was to come for the rest of the weekend, everyone stayed in the hall. I got on stage and sang with a bunch of people while the piano was played by a few people and guitars were banged on by Felipe  and Chicky. I even sang "If I Ain't Got You" while Yana occasionally did some harmonies. This was the night I realized that I was going to love being here. There are many wonderful musicians that the Lord has brought here and they are so open to playing and jamming all night! I love it!

Saturday was filled with conferences as well.  Guest Pastor Thomas Teall spoke about the different names given to the Word. Each meeting was full of life and sincerity. Meal times, of course, are just as full of life and rejoicing. We ended the weekend with some school orientations concerning the handbook we were to read, schedules, and whatnot. Most orientations were filled with information that was self-explanatory. Much was stuff that everyone knew and can easily follow. However, the point of those orientations, I think, was for the staff and deans to establish themselves and to show the Biblical reasoning behind all 4,479,358 rules.

Monday morning classes started at nine instead of the regular time of eight o'clock. For the first week, it seemed all laid back. First year students went through a course called Personal Evangelism all week while the second year students went through Open-Air Evangelism. Both were to get each of us ready to come out to the streets of Budapest and share the love of Jesus Christ with whoever would listen.

While getting ready for Thursday and Friday, we students also had a study hour every night from [like] 7-8. During that hour every night I started doing my chapter reviews. These are where I have to, in ten words or less, title each chapter of the Bible. I started in the Psalms and then somehow worked my way back to Genesis. I have much, much work to do on these.

So anywaaays! After the week of classes concerning evangelism, today is the second day in Budapest. I write this on the charter bus taking us in to the city. Yesterday's evangelism was a bit difficult for me because of the lack of English speakers. Just when I was about to throw it down and give up, which is what Satan wants exactly, I got the chance to sing some worship songs with Chicky. He played much too fast and a bit too high for my liking, but I stuck with him. I felt that this was the way for me to evangelize even though the crowd and myself didn't speak the same language. After all, music is international!

So now I'm in the bus on the way to the second day of street evangelizing. I was told that where the "Blue Team" is headed has many English speakers. II am very excited about that because I want to share the gospel and His everlasting love with everyone I meet!! Also, I want to sing(:

Walks on Campus

Good morning to you over there in California! By the time you are starting your day I have had breakfast and lunch! After my breakfast I went on a walk throughout the campus. Everything is very green here and quite beautiful! I walked and walked just enjoying the clean air and my surroundings. I went all the way to the back gate and looked out to find a...I guess a highway. I continued on around the campus and found a little bench and sat there for a bit just taking in what great things the Lord has given us here on earth! I eventually ended up in my dorm room and knocked out. Apparently I'm not over the time difference just yet.
Psalms 25:4-5

                Make me know Thy way, O Lord; 

                Teach me They paths. 

                Lead me in They truth and teach me, 

                For Thou art the God of my salvation; 

                For Thee I wait all the day.

As I go through this year at Word of Life, I am praying that the Lord shows me His way. I want to walk His way-whichever way that may be. I want to be lead by him in all that I do. At lunch I sat and talked with Ivan again, an RA from Serbia. We talked about much, but what really stuck with me was that I need to ask Him to give me a yearning for the Word. With knowledge of the Word comes appreciation and closeness to our Lord. So after lunch I took my Bible and took another walk out to the soccer field where there is a weird sort of post with three steps. I sat there for an hour or so reading, praying, and being encouraged. 

                                                                               
Dear Lord, 

Thank you for bringing me safely to Hungary and to Word of Life. May you instill in me a love and yearning for not only you but for your word. May my thoughts be set on you, my heart desiring only you. Grant me mercy with my studies as I hear they can be overwhelming. May you show me your ways and paths. Help to differentiate between what I want and what you want. In everything I know you are by my side.

                                                                                     

so glad for carry ons!

one word: SURREAL.

i left LAX Monday morning at 6:50 a.m. i arrived in Budapest this Tuesday morning at about 11 a.m. 

i have a strong urge to curl up on a bed and just sleep for hours. however, i will never get used to the time change if i do that! so i'm toughing it out(:

when i arrived in Budapest, Hungary, i waited for luggage that never came and then met up with my dearest Auntie Nancy. she drove me to the Word of Life Bible Institute in Toalmas. it's about 45 minutes outside of Budapest-an absolutely lovely drive! everything is so green and the trees so thin and tall all so tightly packed together or in perfectly straight rows. we got to the campus and went straight to Nancy's house. after a bit i got to see Bela and Ildiko Dobos and enjoyed a lunch with them before i took off to go back to the airport with Laci to pick up a student and inquire once more about my one piece of luggage. 

dinner consisted of bread, salami and other meat...things, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs. shortly after, most of the students walked over to a house to have a lil' bonfire. 

flying united

exhausted as i am, i'm going to stay up.

keep me in your prayers as this adventure unfolds!