raking leaves, a campfire, and thanksgiving

"I know that everything God does will remain forever; 

there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it." 

Ecclesiastes 3:14

another great 9 days have passed since i've written. 

what have i done since then?! hmm...

this past friday morning was a morning full of practice with Sing Team. friday afternoon was filled with leaf raking!! the whole campus, including staff, were required to rake leaves either in the morning or the afternoon. my time was bitter cold. thank God for the Parrishes that gave me gloves about a month ago for the bitter cold. 

Sing Team made the half hour trip to Pánd saturday after lunch to put on a concert for one of the churches there. the mayor introduced us and we sang. Andrís Tóth gave his testimony during the set. i realized while he was talking (because I couldn't understand three words in a row) that someone had to give the good news of Jesus Christ to those that are lost. i was so uncomfortable during this ministry because of the setting and because of the distractions going on in the crowd. i was so preoccupied with how i felt instead of remembering about how these people need the Word and salvation. from now on i don't care how i feel but will remember that it's the difference between life and death for some people. 

sunday morning i filled in at sunday school for felipe at danube international church and then went shopping with a couple of girls at the Arena mall. monday was regular school with a new professor teaching 1 & 2 Thesselonians. i also practiced with two separate groups on two separate songs for a special thanksgiving chapel that took place on tuesday. i sang a song about blessings. it was fun, fun, fun! and then i sang backup to a song about...more blessings and praise to a faithful, wonderful God. 

immediately after this special chapel the whole campus (including students, teachers, teachers' families, and maintenance workers) all had a great meal together in the castle. what a precious time of fellowship to be had there! 

it's thanksgiving this coming thursday. i'm so thankful for my family. increasingly so for my parents. i see how wonderful they are even from way far away. i am so grateful for what they have done for me and for the marvelous example they have shown to me throughout the years. the love that comes out of them for everyone is so overwhelming and pure. i am thankful for the hard work my parents put in so that i may be over here. i am thankful that they have never given up once on any of the eight kids. i am thankful for them in so many ways it's insane. serio.

twin castles, Penn State football, and Szolnok

whoa wow whoa.
this past week has been craziness. i'm reading like there's no tomorrow and all that good school stuff. it's great!! yesterday, Sunday, i went with the Sing Team to Szolnok about an hour and a half away from home. the founder of the baptist church that we sang and attended is american! in fact, he has family and connections back in California <3

part of Sing Team <3

sing team packed up the van and left home at about 7 in the morning. Alex Konya, the director of WOL, drove us as he was going to be the guest speaker for the baptist church's thanksgiving sunday. we got to the church and started unpacking. as i walked inside i was surprised to see how tiny the room was. along the back wall was a long table. the middle of the room had three tables parallel to one another but perpendicular to the long table. all tables were set up with plates, utensils, napkins, cups and drinks. it was so clean and neat and wonderful! the front of the room had a little podium and a little area for the Sing Team. we made do and set up with  joyful hearts. as the time neared for us to start women came in with plates of food. one of the woman, Eva, came in with a huge sheet cake!

And I watched Penn State with Nate Street
before going to Bela and Ildiko Dobos's home

Lelkipasztor Dan Peters presents a first-time visitor
with a brand new Bible!

Anywayyys! this day was all about thanksgiving to the Lord for what He is in our lives and for what He has done. three people gave their testimonies in the first service. i didn't understand, of course. but there were 14 unsaved people there that clearly heard the gospel. the gospel was stated through each testimony and again by the preacher and Alex Konya. directly after the first service was meal time!!!!! yummy it was. and there was plenty of dessert to last even through the second service.
as i sang our Sing Team songs, i looked up into the crowd a few times and noticed a couple of the women wiping their cheeks. i have no idea what i was singing about but it truly touched them. right before we left, after the second meeting and a time of fellowship with everyone, i said goodbye to the women working in the kitchen. one of them gave me a hug and had Pam Konya translate that i should come serve in Szolnok again very very soon or else she was just going to have to come to WOL and be with me there. It was an absolutely amazing day. the people are so hospitable. the food was absolutely scrumptious. and singing for them was an absolute honor.

Oh! and I went to a ruined castle about 10 minutes away
with Nate Street

Early in the Morning...

No Prague, but Budapest indeed! This past Sunday I woke early and went to Budapest with the Sunday School teachers. We walked into Tóalmás to catch the bus that goes clear into Budapest. From the bus I totally saw California poppies in someone's garden!!!!

Finally we arrived at Danube International Church 30 minutes early so Nate Street and I went to Burger King for ice cream. Only 150 forints. Score. Then church where a Jews for Jesus representative preached about being in the midst of a storm. Sometimes the Lord doesn't take us right out. Sometimes the ship totally crashes and breaks apart. He always keeps us though. 

The rest of the day was so weird. Nate Street, three Brazilian girls, and myself wandered around Budapest after eating at Burger King (so not authentic Hungarian food!!!). We walked the back streets; we rode the subway the wrong way; we rode the right way; and accidentally saw the Parliament building. Eventually we made it to the mall for a little bit of shopping only to miss the train back into Tóalmás. Then we hung out a bit only to miss the 7:15 train because it really came and left before 6:50. MAL. So we waited around for the 9:15 train that actually came at 9:50. We got back onto the WOL campus at 11:00. Good times. 

Now this has been an interesting week! No school Monday and Tuesday but we made up for lost time by having school on Friday and Saturday. This week we went through the book of Galatians with a pastor from Jerusalem. It was really awesome being in his class. Plus, he gave chocolate to the whole class like...every day!! :-)

Today, Sunday, is the students' only day to rest before another week of classes. We will be going through the book of Psalms and are required to read the book before we are through with the class. That sounds like a big task, but I'm excited to dive into this wonderfully written, oh so poetical book. 

mal

Lies. I didn't get the chance to go to Prague for this five day weekend. There are three more days left for this break but I literally have nothing to do. I've studied my brains out, played football with nine guys, and sat in my room for more hours than I would ever like to do again. I Skyped with my mother on Thursday like three times for 6 minutes each. And then on Friday morning I Skyped with her again because she was up at 1:30 her time or something crazy like that. So when she got tired she gave the computer to my sister so we Skyped til her time 3:30 in the morning!! Crazy Irene(:

The good thing about this weekend is that I am going to Budapest Sunday to go to Danube International Church in the morning and then shopping with a group of people after!!! Sight seeing is in order as well, I'm sure. 

Really, I'm just bored this weekend and writing to fill in time. Cause the only set things I have to do is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mal. And I learned some more Portuguese this week! I learned how to say "I'm pretty" in kind of a sneaky way. José, Felipe and I were hanging out Monday night after we took our exams and they kept telling me to say "Eu sou bonitinha." They didn't tell me what I was saying so apparently I've been walking around saying "I'm pretty!!"

Also, I say "mal" too much. In Portuguese you say it "mau." It's a fun word to use for anything! haha

I also have learned how to say something to the effect of "I'm a kitty." Você é gatinho. But apparently its more like "I'm cute like a little kitty." Kevin taught me that one.

beautiful Hungarian weather we are having

As I wrote previously, we went through the book of 1 John this past week in our studies. It's all about fellowship and being bonded with the brethren. Also, it talks a lot about being in the light and the fact that God's love is perfected through us. We have to learn five memory verses for our exam on Wednesday so I should get on that. But now that I think about it, I probably know more than I think I know. It's a really encouraging book to study and I'm so ready for the exam(:

And I really want a Teddy Bear to sleep with. 

Amelia Sent me Socks!!!!

So many crazies after lunch(:

A whole eleven beautiful, magnificent, marvelous days have gone by since I have written. I promise I'll get good at this at some point in my life.

Last Thursday, the 20th, was a day without school for us here at the BI. Instead of being at school for five hours I spent my whole day practicing six Hungarian songs for about six and a half hours. Although they were two very long practices (with a lunch in between, of course), I am grateful for the time the group spent together. My throat was giving out on me because of the freezing cold and from the singing. Friday was a three hour practice and Saturday as well. Sunday morning at about 6:45 in the morning I headed over to the meeting hall 15 seconds from my dorm to meet the rest of the "Sing Team" and drive out to a little town about an hour away from Toalmas called something with a V. We made it safely there but when I was helping unpack the car I realized our tire was flat. Mal. But thankfully we were already there and someone from the church helped fix it. For the first service we sang three songs throughout the time. Then we had lunch. YUM. For the second service at 2:30 I sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and then we sang two other Hungarian songs. After the service we packed up and ate some more (YUM) and had fellowship with the people there and then made it home before dinner on campus! Monday started a class on the study of 1 John. Our teacher is from Long Beach but works at the Dallas Seminary and is quite entertaining at times.

This weekend I am planning on going to Prague and Vienna with the Brazilian girls and boys. Gotta love them!!

Delight yourself in the Lord, 

and He will give you 

the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

When asked during devotionals last night what this meant to me, my first thought was just obedience. I thought, "Bam! Done! Bingo! I got it." As we went through the rest of devotionals, everyone had something a little different to say. I was brought to a lovely conclusion. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires become conformed to His desires. When time is spent with God-whether in prayer or worship or just in awe of how amazing, wonderful, and gracious He is-our desires change. We begin to desire what our Lord and Savior desires for us. After all, His way is always the best way. Our desires conform to His desires and being us to the best possible place in life. This place is full of joy and happiness in knowing that God is with us. This is my latest discovery and I'm living it out(:

doing nails with Jess(:

And I'm learning a lot of Hungarian songs for Sing Team! So cool.

Here's two of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StsJTnu7ywc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjPkgVHkoqo

Have a blessed weekend, all my California Loves(:

Freezing.

So it's like...super, duper, mega cold already. How am i ever going to survive this winter?! Aunt Nancy gave me an umbrella and I've used that once. So I have that covered. But I'm pretty sure some nice thick wool socks are needed ASAP!!! Or else I'm just never ever going to leave my bed again until it's warm again. 

Everyone says that California's weather is unpredictable, but really? Nobody ever took into account the fact that it was nice and hot here one day and the next I was freezing? No transitions; no warnings. On that note, I wrote my very own psalm for class today.

Oh man-the sky was gorgeous tonight!