"Christmas time is here"

          The last time I wrote I was in the middle of a very busy week. I was travelling everyday about 35 minutes to a nearby town named Aszód. For the whole week I was asked to put together music for a week of evangelism in a reformed church. What a privilege and what a challenge! I chose the music, put different groups together to join me, and made more sandwiches than I ever have before. God is faithful and brought me through that week just like He has before and will continue to in the future. 

fake smiles but real good times :)

          I also got the opportunity to travel to Magyaralmás with the Sing Team one last time before break. The local TV was there and even the mayor of the town! The students went on their break at the end of that week, the 29th. My roommate went off to Poland. Me? I tried resting but I find it doesn't suit me just yet. I went on ministry to a reformed elementary school in Újszilvás. I sang, shared about what Christmas is like in the States, and reconnected with a wonderful young lady that I met in spring.           

          So now I am here in this big apartment all alone, relishing times when the sun shows its face, loving the beautiful sunsets that fade too fast, and enjoying the times I get to spend with the Lord. I have work to do still, of course. I am working on the music for the upcoming mission's conference in January. The theme is "His Last Command, Our First Concern" which comes from the Great Commission in Matthew 28. The speaker that we have this year is John Barnett, a real treat and honor for us here. 

I have my own bedroom for the first time ever!

           Crafts and sewing, podcasts, running, laying low, choosing music–this is my life right now. It seems simple, but I really should me making decisions about what is next. If you feel so compelled, I really need prayer in this area. I would like to know by February exactly what I will be doing in the summer and fall, preparing for the next step the Lord has for me. 

Újszilvás ministry

          I think it's something like three weeks before the students get back to school. The time couldn't go 

fast enough! I'm ready to be serving in full
capacity again, making the trek to campus everyday. But first there is Christmas and New Year's and all that jazz. It goes fast, right?!
          Many blessings to you all this season. I hope there are opportunities to share the meaning of Christmas and what Jesus came into this world to do for mankind–save us from our sin and
redeem us back to the Father.

Psalm 130:5-6

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

 My soul waits for the Lord            

     more than watchmen for the morning,

     more than watchmen for the morning."

Szent István Basilica

Holly Berries ;)

Let me share quickly...

I'm missing my [baby] brother right now.
Oh how he could be of great use here!!

           Woo-Hoo!! I finished what I needed to do like 30 minutes before I go for another night of ministry. This week has been crazy and it won't stop. But I love it! This has been challenging and a test, but God is carrying me through day by day, moment by moment. And I am thankful. More on that later...

Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

"Where feet may fail"

        This song is one that I've been listening to a lot this past week or two. It's really an encouragement to me as I strive to draw close to the Lord. My feet fail when I walk out onto the waters but our Lord is there. In the deep water is where my faith is tested. When waves crash and roll, I call look to Him and He is mine if I only call upon His name. 

        The long and most repetitive part of the song is a call, a prayer to let the Holy Spirit lead into places with no borders and wherever He calls. My faith is made stronger only in the presence of my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

        So...I ought to keep my eyes above the waves because He is there. I can call on His name. I can rest in His embrace. After all, it is the most secure place to be. 

For now I've been called to this place where I can serve, learn,
and trust the Lord in all that I do. 

My feet may fail, I may be gasping for breathe at times, but I know He is near, waiting for me to come back to Him. It's not Him that's moved, but me. 

Psalm 121

        The Lord is good, faithful, enduring, loving, caring, comforting, patient, full of grace. There is no need for anxiety, discomfort, pain when I know that the Lord is here by my side. Just as He has protected in the past, so He will continue to do in the future.

PSALM 121

working on curtains in the Gold Room of the castle for the studio

1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
   From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
   Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
   He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
   Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
   The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
   Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
   He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
   From this time forth and forever.

well it's really just a blouse made from curtains...

        These past weeks have been filled with the usual–internship/work, chapel music, SingTeam ministry outings. But as I write that word usual I can't help but think that being here, serving as a 20 year old from California in Hungary is not usual. It's a blessing, a privilege that I am so happy to be part of. Some special projects have come around. I made some curtains for the studio/IT department at school thanks to my handy-dandy sewing machine from a dear friend. I have had the opportunity to work in the kitchen doing dishes and making sandwiches (for the glory of God!!!). I even got to make a nice new blouse from some curtains ;) Christmas break is rolling around soon. I could stay here and sew and drink hot chocolate. Doesn't that sound just wonderful? Well for sure that's part of what I'll be doing but serving in various places sounds like a wonderful option, as well!
        Continually I am brought back to the cross and the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ there. It is something that changes lives, not something taken lightly. Such a huge gift salvation is! May you be blessed and brought back to the cross continually as you walk through life. Many blessings!

[most of] Sing Team!! <3

Sarkadkeresztúr to Tóalmás to Tápiószőlős

          I see the Lord really blessing my time here. Sure there are difficulties in every area but it makes the victories that much sweeter all for the glory of God. The past two weekends I have gone out with Sing Team to minister. Here are our journeys thus far in pictures. Enjoy!

Sing Team after the Sunday ministry. Such a blessing! 
(left to right: Adrian, Ádám, Gergő, myself, András, Stella, Tyago, and Rafael)

Practicing for Sunday morning worship. The food is a thanksgiving to the Lord for
all His provision throughout the year. 

A number game before the first meeting in Sarkadkeresztúr.

150 or so people in Tapioszőlős listening to Kádár Laci speaking about 
Christ dwelling in us as believers.

Left to right: Stella from Brazil, two boys from a local youth group, Jakab Ádám, 
myself (short hair!), Tyago Cleber from Brazil, and Adrian from Romania. 
This is part of our group which is a great blessing this year with all the talent and fun we have. 

I couldn't resist the apples that were there!

There's at least a little taste of what Sing Team does. We get to minister, fellowship, eat, and have fun. We drive long distances to meet with churches and it's always rewarding! Please pray with me that the Lord would continue to work through this year's team to impact the lives of others. Blessings to you all!

Glory to God Alone!

11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15 He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 16 In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and 

the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’"   Deuteronomy 8:11-17

          Even though the Israelites lived thousands of years ago, there is some great Biblical truth we can grasp from this passage. As they wandered in the wilderness, God commanded them to serve only Him. Many blessings would follow if they did this. If not, there was to be sorrow and consequences. This passage is a good reminder to me this morning of where strength comes from. God fed the Israelites with manna–so shall He provide for me. God brought them out of Egypt and into a land much greater than they could imagine–so He has brought me to Hungary to serve. I am where I am because of the grace of God and His working in my life. I have what I have because of the provision, love, grace, mercy, etc. of Christ!! The application of this passage? To give God the glory and worship because of where I am rather than taking credit for how far I have come. 

A preview of the ministry in Sarkadkeresztúr! Keep following ;)

Psalm 146

A dear friend sent this passage to me this morning:

"3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord."
Psalm 146:3-10

It's been food for thought all day long. Thank you for sending this my way, precious friend, just when I need a reminder of the Lord's power (vs6), provision(vs7), and wonderful promises that are kept forever (vs10). I needed a reminder of trusting in the LORD GOD rather than man (vs3). Just thinking of the fact that God created the Heaven and earth is an amazing thing!!

Ministry Opportunities

          Another week of growth and learning has past. Or maybe a couple. I've been in Hungary this time around for a month and seven days. Time flies! But really, I feel like it's been longer–I absorb myself in the work and time just goes on by. It's so cool to realize that after two years of being here and about six months of dreaming about being an intern here at Word of Life, I am finally doing what I came here to do! I am putting what I learned into practice. This is my ministry for the Lord right now.
          Along with being the Service Assignment Coordinator, I am involved (yet again) with the Sing Team. It's going to be a great year with this team. The real test of how the group works is when we go out on our first ministry opportunity this coming weekend. Please pray that we can really touch the youth of Sarkadkeresztúr. The team went to this village last year and it was a really wonderful time together. This is a two day event where we get to play games, sing, minister and really interact with the youth of Hungary. Pray that we can be encouraging and a real light to these people.

I had the opportunity to serve with these funny guys this past week.
We keep this property looking mighty fine these days!

Colossians 3:23 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." 

          Thank you for your prayers, your love, and your encouragement of me. I do my work for the glory of God and God alone. I do it with eagerness of heart and happiness of heart. If you would like to support me in any way (through prayers or financially), you are quite welcome to. May there be many blessings to each one of you as you read and go about your lives. 

Not enough pictures!!

           Fourth week being in Hungary. Third staff meeting. Second week of school. First week of service assignments for the students. It's good. Things are good. But I don't have enough pictures. Still, things are good! It was really awesome last week when I finally got to do what I came here to do. I put all the students into their service assignments according to how many hours they work a week (some three, some six), to their language classes (Hungarian or English), and according to their ministries.
And finally, finally, after a month of being here, I am going to move into the apartment in the village this weekend. It'll be primitive living but who said it has to be lavish?!
           Last week the students, staff, and interns went out to the streets of Budapest to share the gospel. I only went one day but had five great conversations there on the street. I shared the full gospel five times and talked briefly with about 5 others, sharing tracts with them. What a blessed time it was!
In my quiet times I finished the book of Proverbs and have moved on to 1 Timothy. Proverbs taught me many valuable lessons. It seemed that each day I was confronted with yet another thing that I could change in my life. It's great how the Word of God can do that but can sometimes be a little bit painful.

Blue Team after open air evangelizing. Can you find me? ;)

Thank you for your prayers and support. The Lord's ways are right, just, and a certain blessing to your life. Follow and you will be astonished, confident in Him, and changed forever! 

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, 

So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil."

Proverbs 19:23

Opening Weekend

          It's the time of year to see old friends, meet new faces, greet with a welcoming hug and warm smile. The interns are [mostly] settled (all but me, of course). The students are arriving more and more every day. Staff is busy preparing meals, immigration papers for internationals, and cleaning in preparation for many guests. The best dining cups are going to be freshly washed and the silverware polished. This is a grand event, my friends! This is a time to see God moving; the time of change; the anticipation is intense within me. The opening of the Bible Institute is fast approaching.
          Seems like just a few days ago I was running on the beach with my dear sister, Irene. Seems like just a week ago that I served in the kitchen in Pine Valley. Sometimes, as I remember this past summer–all the struggles and praises alike–I want to go back. The great thing, though, is to know that this is where the Lord wants me to be at this moment.
          As I was looking for a translation of a certain song, I came across a beautiful verse that I never thought a lot about. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It's the reason that I do what I am doing. Our Lord has been so full of love and faithfulness. Not only has He given His LIFE for sinners such as I, but He continues to reveal Himself and His greatness. How can I not sing His praises?

I'm missing my dear family these days!

"Not to us, Lord, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

 because of your love and faithfulness."

Psalm 115:1

          This weekend is going to be a full one to say the least. Our meetings are from Friday night to Sunday morning. If you would like to tune in, you can follow the link: www.wolhbi.com/openingconference.
If you can't, for time zone reasons, be watching live, you can always check it out later. It's going to be a wonderful weekend of music, a great message from Ronnie Stevens, and expectancy of what God has in store for this new year of Bible school in Hungary. Tune in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!
          May you all be blessed greatly in the reading of this update.
I miss my Californians but time flies fast when working hard and having fun. Remember that God's plans are the best, the most sure, and always the way to life.

Greetings from Hungary!

My running route is gorgeous!

     Once again it is fall here in Hungary and things are starting to wind up. This year I am not a student, though. I am officially an intern. This first week here I went through some meetings with the other interns. The other days I helped to get the campus ready for students and guests that will arrive for our BIG opening weekend! It's an exciting time here at the Bible Institute. New people arrive each day–some new faces and some familiar faces. It's great to see that the Lord is sending people this way to minister and to serve and to learn more of His Word.
     Going through Proverbs this week has shown me a lot of things to work on this year. I'm challenged to be always prayerfully answering my leaders and peers in a manner that reflects Christ. Much of the Proverbs are centered on that point–that the "gentle answer turns away wrath" (15:1). How blessed I am to be here yet again. I get to learn from great Christian leaders, from those around me, and even from those that are younger and following the Lord with their plans.

"Commit your works to the Lord, 

And your plans will be established."

Proverbs 16:3 

Thank you all for your encouragement and support along this journey. 

I have not begun the hard part yet but it certainly has been trying. 

If you would like to support me financially you can do so at this link: 

 https://give.wol.org/specifyamount/Victoria+Womack++(091N4S) 

Also, most importantly, please pray for me along this road of life :)

Much love and blessings to you all!

A Fresh Start

      This September I'll be starting my third year in Hungary! After two years at the Word of Life Bible Institute, I have been accepted as an intern. My job this year will be to serve as the Service Assignment Coordinator. This means that I will be in charge of giving the students jobs according to their language classes, skill levels, mother tongue, and the department leaders' preferences. I know that this is going to be a heavy task to handle at the beginning of the year but am prepared for the challenge! The Lord will take care of me and equip me just as He has for all other tasks He has given me.

Can't wait to ride my long board!

In preparation of my journey, I hosted a benefit concert this past Saturday afternoon. It was a wonderful time where I got to share what I did in the past two years, the Gospel, and what I am going to be doing. There is more support raising that needs to be done but I know that the Lord provides for all my needs.

      Saturday morning I head out–through Chicago, then Frankfurt, and finally Budapest. I'm scared, nervous, excited, but can't wait for another year of adventure! In the meantime I'm hanging out with my beautiful family, catching up on sleep, and enjoying California. (I still haven't hit up the beach, though.)

Please pray that throughout this journey I would remained focused on sharing the Gospel in any way possible, that individuals would be willing to support me financially each month, and that I would be a big help at the Bible Institute. 

Seriously–this year I AM going to update often. 

If you would like to donate to my time in Hungary and the work that is going on there, you can do so using this link: https://give.wol.org/specifyamount/Victoria+Womack++(091N4S) 

May you all be full of God's love and peace as you go about your daily lives!