Monday, Monday, so good to me...

Monday mornings are exam mornings now. That's different.

             Second year students took the Christian Family course last week. We studied relationships of the husband and wife beginning from Adam and Eve. We searched for what the Bible teaches about conflicts, love, and finances. All these things that were in class were somewhat familiar to me, though. And that's why I've had such a wonderful Monday, a glorious start to the week! I totally aced that exam. Even where I had to match the verses to what the verses are talking about. Yay!
             Then came my last class of the day at 12:00. For Biblical Communications I shared my testimony in front of the class. I totally didn't speak according to what I had prepared, but it went very well. Positive feedback :) My main illustration, or point, in my testimony (apart from it being about my life and my salvation, of course!) was the love, forgiveness, and sacrifice of my own earthly father. If my earthly father can be so loving, so forgiving, so sacrificial, then how much more is my Heaenly Father!! God is perfect and holy and there is no way that I can repay that. What God has done in sending His Son to die for my sake, and all of humankind, is amazing and wonderful. Knowing the truth, how can we reject that?
             So it's a good day!! I'm stoked about my test, thrilled about how my testimony went, and get to study the rest of the afternoon before going running. I truly am blessed to be in the presence of the Lord, to be allowed to approach Him, to sing His Name.   

    Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

       and his courts with praise!

       Give him thanks!

       Praise his name!       

For the LORD is good.

       His loyal love endures,

       and he is faithful through all generations.

 Psalm 100:4-5

Love to my friends and family back in California <3 I'm missing you all like something crazy!

In front of the castle :)

Second Year, Round Two

           I have been in Hungary for over a month already! Time flies when having fun, staying busy, and minds are racing. I've already seen how the Lord is blessing this year. It's been wonderful to take Alex Konya's "Law and Grace" course. We studied the 10 Commandments in length and what each one means beyond just the text. I now understand why the Psalmist writes of how much he loves the Law and meditates on it day and night. The Law was never a way of salvation but a way of showing that God is approachable, holy, and a way of life for the people of Israel.
           My quiet times have been fruitful. Going through Philippians is a treasure in itself. Things are changing here at Word of Life Hungary and it's taking time to get used to, but I'm loving it oh so much! Life is full of classes, work, ministry opportunities and studying :)
I'm going to start writing more. I promise.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:3-6

Roommates :)

Cram it All In

My favorite running spot behind WOL campus

Oh! Fifteen days until I'm back in sunny California! Oh this is so exciting. I have so, so, so much to do before I board that plane at 6:40ish. But let me first tell you how I've been. I've been dedicated to ministry and all that good stuff; went through the Charismatic Movement class this past week with David James; let my area in the dorm get a bit too messy; and have been running everyday. Things have been great here! But quite hectic. Sing Team has been learning new songs for our ministry coming up on Saturday (Ladies' Conference). Quarterly evaluations are due on Friday. And things need to start getting in order for next year. Oh! And this summer ;)

ready to play!

This past Saturday was "Happy Day" here at the Word of Life Hungary campus. Some of the boys from the Bible Institute woke the campus up with singing, guitars, and drums at 7:30. That gave time for running, shower, and quiet time. We had breakfast outside on the picnic tables at 9:00. By about 9:45 or 10, everyone went out to the soccer field. Josi split us up into two different groups and we started to play games.
Third–A game sort of like tug-of-war! Team A against Team B. The person at the front of the line is holding onto the slightly inflated rubber inner tube while behind him his whole team is linked (arms linked around the arms of the person in front). So much fun! We won that game as well. Boys then tugged against boys. Our team won! Girls tugged against girls with me in the front of the line...and we won! So awesome (:

;)

After games was more sports time and then lunch. During lunch were funny awards and I was given "Brightest Personality." Yaaay! Cause I'm from California! More sports after lunch. After dinner was a worship time. We really focused on the fact that worship isn't just about the music but about how we come to Christ. It's about the heart, the heart, the heart. (Or as Al Konya always says in Hungarian during whichever class, chapel, or sermon he is giving, "A sziv, a sziv, a sziv!") I sang a couple songs with Chiky, Jose, David, Rafael, Gabriel, and Kevin. It really was a wonderful time just worshiping and focusing on who God is and what He did by sending His Son to save us.
Tonight is a running with Gabriel, essay writing, sleepy kind of Tuesday night. It shouldn't be so! Only Tuesday?!!

FIVE WEEKS

Five more weeks. Wow. I can't believe I go home (back to California, that is) in only five more weeks. I still have relationships to build, papers to write, exams to pass, food to learn how to make, and experiences to soak up. Five weeks. That's not a lot of time.
In five weeks I'll be away from the beautiful Andrássy Castle in tiny little Tóalmás, Hungary. I'll be away from the so-strange-to-me culture of which I somehow totally fit in and have blossomed. I'll be apart from people I love for maybe the rest of my life. I without a doubt will never have all these people in one room together again until we meet in heaven–what a glorious day that will be to be joined once more with people I learned from, people I love, people I admire!

Budapest <3

How blessed I have been to be here. (How horrible I did with my blog!!) The Lord has stretched me in so many ways. I have learned to love. I have learned to pray. I have learned so many important lessons. I am learning still.
Five more weeks. Just five. For these next five weeks I must push hard. I cannot forget the purpose of coming here. I cannot forget what the Lord has done and provided for me. Going away from Word of Life for the summer is going to be the real struggle. It's so easy to be consumed here with the Word of God (and I love it!!!!). But to leave WOL for a bit means that I have to discipline myself. I am accountable for myself. There is nobody that is going to keep me in check other than myself! (Wow! I'm really going in a lot of directions with this entry.)

Another school day

Five weeks is not a long time. Two more essays for Paul; four more classes with three different professors; a whole lot more pieces of bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; plenty of rain and sunshine mixed; a lot more devotionals in my dorm; only five weeks.
My prayer is that the Lord would continue to work in my life until the minute I leave. And then when I'm gone that He would continue to stretch me in every direction, making me into the woman He wants me to be.
And I cannot wait until next year! More adventures, experiences, rain dances, campfires, and drawing closer to the Lord!! God is good in allowing change. Ahh! So wonderful.

Also-I've been doing homework in Hebrews and it's amazing!! <3 <3 <3

 "But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption."

Hebrews 9:11-12 

SERBIA

Ákos packing...haha

        This past weekend I went on a missions' trip to SERBIA!! SingTeam–Timi, Andris, Noémi, Ákos, Samu, Kevin, Melissa, Anita, and myself–made our way down to Senta, Serbia on Wednesday afternoon. However, we didn't arrive until late Wednesday night. What should have taken three or four hours took about nine. What happened?!! Well the border was packed because it was a Hungarian holiday; we stopped quite a bit; and spent probably an hour trying to find the Vika's house. Man, that was quite an adventure. But great fellowship, no doubt!
        So Wednesday we unpacked, ate, and slept. Ate breakfast early, had devotionals, packed the van and went to the daycare in town. Nobody expected it to be a daycare for the mentally disabled but that's what it was! And it was so much fun. Andris and Noémi started games and music and then all the kids were put into three groups. German Melissa, Anita Papp, and I were together with the lowest level. Melissa spoke about how Jesus "took us under His wings" and saved us from the fire. Cool chicken illustration, I must say. After the lesson I started playing basketball with all the boys. I think I played for an hour and only got the ball in the basket two times. Mal! The rest of Thursday was dedicated to lunch, fellowship, games, and a drive to Novi Sad. This city is so beautiful! I really want to go back.

Timi, Victoria, Kevin <3 <3

        Friday was the same schedule with the kids at the daycare except that I taught about Noah and the ark. I linked it to the fact that Jesus saved us as well even though we are undeserving. We are either in the boat or not. Open air ministry followed after lunch and fellowship. The rest of Friday evening was more fellowship, food, and a movie that I totally fell asleep to.
Saturday was our work day! The girls started working on sanding the fence while the men started working on a storage area for all the Vika's summer camp equipment. I think I still have red paint dust in my ears! Not really.
         While the Hungarian speakers and Serbian speakers had a Bible study time in the living room in the evening, which was not translated into English, us "internationals" went for a walk and search for dinner. Melissa, Kevin, and I picked up some Turkish delight, Schweppes, and chocolate. Not really sounding like dinner? No. But we did end up walking next to the river for 15 minutes until we got to the Roda Center where we went to a big Tesco type place where yogurt was purchased! Now that's dinner ;)
Sunday morning was a late morning, thankfully. After lunch, though, we packed up the van with SingTeam equipment and made our way to Kikinda where the oldest Vika son lives and goes to school. We performed and did a pantomime. Samu spoke from Hebrews 4:14-15 which speaks of the fact that Jesus is the high priest we can approach. Jesus is one that sympathizes with us in that He went through everything we go through. He was tempted in the same ways. It was really awesome because Samu spoke in English and Darko Vika translated it into Serbian! So awesome(:

my cutiepies!

        After our presentation as SingTeam we packed and ate and made our way back to the Vika's home, about an hour away. By 10 or so, we were on our way back to Tóalmás. By 1:30 am we were here. The Lord is ever faithful and wonderful! The trip was rocky and there were a lot of problems but I am certainly growing and increasing in my desire to be more like Jesus. Digging deep into His Word is the best thing to do. Ministry is pretty close there after ;)
That was a whole lot to write but I really want to convey how grateful I am for what the Lord is doing. He is working and alive!

"14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help."

Hebrews 4:14-16

"Rejoice in the Lord Always!"

Sziasztok!!
The Lord has blessed me with another amazing week full of His Word and His unfailing grace. What a God I have! This past week we studied the book of Philippians!! What a treasure that book is. Paul writes to the church in Philippi with immense joy. The words "joy/rejoice" appear twelve times in this book of 104 verses. Through everything that Paul went through there was joy in his life because he was furthering the gospel! What a conviction to me while I am here at WOLH. It really taught me that although I may not have everything I want or the resources to do whatever I want, there is still a command to be joyful! The fact that Jesus Christ my Savior came and laid His life down so that I may have eternal life is reason enough to be joyful!

Angela Baby!!

The teacher of Philippians was Pastor Ed Hart from Upstate New York. As Pastor Ed has been on sabbatical since November, he brought along with him a young pastor, Matthew. Ed Hart taught joy the whole week–from the first hour to the last–and it was absolutely evident in his life. This wasn't just something that he taught, but was clearly something he lived. After the first hour of having him on Monday morning, I talked with him during the break and invited him to my dorm on Wednesday night for devotionals because usually the guys only get the guest teachers but I really wanted to have this one over(:

Our frozen over lake and rivers(:

Tuesday night I was invited over to my dear Nancy Hocking's home for dinner and dessert with two fellow students–Daniel Stephan and David Graef. Pastor Ed Hart and Pastor Matthew Something joined as well for marvelous chicken soup, cornbread and coconut cake dessert stuff. Seriously delicious! I'm so blessed!
It was really a great night getting to talk to the teacher and hear about his ministry back in the States. His little church in the Adirondack Mountain area has a huge (three times the size of WOLH's campus!!) property where they house, feed, clothe and disciple many individuals. This place seriously sounds awesome. They really are doing a great work for the Lord. It really got everyone excited to see how the Lord is using that church. People from all over come to this property and stay for however long the Lord wants them there. Ed Hart has many stories about people that have completely turned their lives around according to what the Bible says. The "philosophy" there on the property is one based on the Bible. There is no problem big enough that searching and digging into the Bible, calling on the Lord, and the gospel cannot fix or mend. And that's just how they present it! Their way of fundraising to pay and keep up the property? Well...prayer! Seriously. They have never once asked for money, sent out letters, advertised that money was needed to purchase the property back in like...2004. They prayed, prayed, and then prayed some more. Yep! The power of prayer is great(:

Ákos showed me how to zoom in and out of my
computer screen!! Revolutionary.

So as you can see, I have been oh so encouraged by Ed Hart and the ministry there in the Adirondack Mountains. And I haven't even talked about the devotional we had in my dorm on Wednesday night!! It was great–testimony of Pastor Ed Hart, ice cream cake, and a wonderful prayer time all together.
Also, I think I am going to ace this Philippians test. He went over every single question in class and I knew every single answer. Of course, I don't mind studying for it, either ;)

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 1:9-11

It's Winter Alright!

Friendzies

Wow! January flew by!
Here at the Bible Institute we started the year off with two weeks of Matthew. So applicable and fresh! It was so awesome to learn more about this book that I have taken for granted so much.
The amazing love and compassion of Jesus Christ is so beautifully authored by Matthew, one of Jesus' disciples. The book is heart-wrenching and powerful from beginning to end and is still teaching me, even two weeks after studying it, that it's about the heart and not the show that is often put on by so many.

Master Wood Gatherer ;)

After those two weeks and two very good exams in Matthew, we studied Church History! So. Much, Information. To. Remember. This was a very difficult class that we just finished this past Thursday afternoon. Of course, it was absolutely interesting and totally awesome to hear about so many people that gave their lives for the work of our Savior. All those people are in the line of heroes for history. It made me think, "What am I doing that's so big for Christ?! Am I willing to die for Jesus and what I believe?!"

Our Beautiful Castle and Lake

Just for Funzies

This past weekend was the winter camp. It started Friday night with NO snow. It ended this Sunday afternoon with a beautiful white landscape! I've walked on the frozen lake and rivers so many times these past few days and just marveled at what a beautiful thing snow is. It snowed literally all day long Saturday. I had the awesome idea of making a campfire in the abandoned castle (remember when I talked about going there way back in November?!) so after lunch on Saturday a group of students and myself made our way over to the castle, gathering wood on the way. I must say-it was a wonderful idea! It was freezing and snowing, of course, but absolutely fun! David Johns and Kevin Cox made a fire in one of the basement rooms as all the girls watched and added little twigs to the fire. We warmed up and chatted for a long while and then headed off to take a look at the snowy, abandoned castle. We played tag as well :D
Each First year student here has to do a thing called Chapter Titles. It's where one reads every chapter in the Bible and writes a 3-10 word title. I began reading Nahum-well, the whole book took only 20 minutes-and it is so awesome!! I urge you to read it for yourself some time soon!
Lord bless you all and hope you're having a warmer winter than I am!!

The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble, 

And He knows those who take refuge in Him. 

Nahum 1:7

WINTER OR SPRING?!!

Snow days with Noémie!! <3 <3 <3 

Wow. This break has been oh so wonderful. After coming back from Vienna I moved into the assistant dean of women's house with a coupe of other girls. Yana Osipenko opened her home to Stephanie, from the midwest, Noémie, from Quebec, and myself! Noémie and I were inseparable. When it snowed a few nights in a row, right away we got all dressed up and went to play in it. Our host, Yana, had twisted her ankle stepping off a bus coming from Budapest the first weekend of break so she was put on bed rest. She successfully tore all ligaments in her left ankle! Parabéns!

Esther de Visser and I on a canon in Veere

The 22nd of December I left for the Netherlands! It was so lush and green. No snow in Amsterdam. I hardly needed a jacket that first day I was there. The weather only got better and better. I spent one night in Amsterdam and then went on Friday morning to Middelburg. It is about two and a half hours away from Amsterdam by train. I met Esther de Visser, a good friend of my family, in Leiden, about 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam. What a great young lady she is! She is full of the Lord all the time and such a great example of love, dedication, and Godly living day to day. I was totally and absolutely blessed to stay in the De Visser home. They are all so hospitable and kind. I really loved being in their home! Esther and Isaak took me to Veere where I said that I'm going to retire because it's so beautiful! Mariah joined us three on our trip to Brugge, Belgium a few days later.
I came back to Toálmás on Thursday the 27th. I was so happy to be home and see that Yana was walking again! Since coming home it's been just her and I in her house hanging out, inviting people over, and having a jolly good time! Yesterday, Friday, January (already?!!!!) 6th, was spent with Dezső, Yana, and Attila. We drove into Budapest and shopped, shopped, shopped. What a blessing it is to have older and wiser people around. At about 11:00 p.m. Yana's roommate flew in from Brazil.

Myself, Yana, and Katie spending
New Year's Ever together <3

So I'm back here on campus sitting by the lake that at this time should apparently be frozen wearing a tank top and leggings listening to Attila explain the game of disc golf to some Hungarian visitors. As I look up from my seat I see a yellow castle before me. This is home. There's no other place I'd rather be at this moment. I am so thankful that the Lord has given this opportunity to me. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of love and joy and generosity that encompasses me. I'm ready to dive into this year head first. I'm excited for what God has for me and where He wants me to be!!