Camp - Day 10 - July 29

Camp Day 10 of 10. The last day of camp. Today was kind of a gloomy day. Many of the students came into camp feeling down, already anticipating some tough goodbyes. The morning continued as all the previous days with games in the morning, lesson times, chapel, small group and lunch. After lunch we got to give each of our students a book and their certificate of completion-it was cool to see how excited some of them were. After that we finished the day off with all their favorite games. When it came time to say goodbye it was definitely harder than I thought it would be. Even though I was tired and hungry it was hard to imagine leaving them and possibly never seeing them again. I felt a kind of aching feeling when I thought about what my ministry has been the last couple weeks and then trying to flip that over to life back home in the U.S. I think this trip was much different than any missions trips I am used to. It was very difficult for me to handle the language barrier. I thank God everyday for the translators. At the beginning of the first week it definitely frustrated me how basic some of the conversations had to be. I was so excited to just share the gospel and have all these deep conversations about Christ that I was kind of taken aback at how little we would talk about Jesus. As the second week rolled by I couldn't believe the change I saw in so many students. Students that I never imagined could hold a conversation with me for more than five minutes were asking me all these questions about my home and my family. The growth change that I saw between day one and today was beyond anything I expected or could have foreseen.

We finished the night off with a delicious dinner with Shaun and Sondi and the translators. It was nice to sit around a meal and share stories of the last two weeks. When it came to say goodbyes I wish I had payed more attention to the traditional Hungarian greeting of a kiss on either cheek. Unfortunately I went to the wrong cheek first and just about got a big wet one smack in the middle. Oops. My bad. That's awkward. But all turned out well and it was a great night relaxing.

I must admit that my initial thought about blogging today, on the last day, was not excitement. At first today seemed like a pretty bummy day to me. I felt like I was just finally getting to the point with the students where I could have those "deep conversations about Christ" and then I was just supposed to walk out of their lives like I was never here. I think I never really understood how long it takes to build that personal relationship and friendship with someone until I realized that I only had two weeks with the students. But I was encouraged this evening after camp ended while we were saying goodbyes. It literally took over an hour! I felt like for the past two weeks I was just planting a bunch of seeds and not seeing any fruit. And that was harder for me to handle than I thought it would be. I prayed and prayed and prayed that the Lord would show me why He wanted me on this trip and who He wanted me to impact. Well... Our God hears our prayers! Today I was blessed with a glimpse of something awesome the Lord is about to do. A couple of girls that had been particularly close to my heart over the weeks started up a conversation with me about Christ this evening!! I was so excited to see the enthusiasm with which they asked questions. Yep, I just got the shivers. I am praying so fervently for the growth of those girls and the awesome follow-up opportunity the Hungarian translators and Kegy will have! Although today was in some ways a sad day it was a very important day the Lord used to speak to and encourage me (and I am pretty sure my fellow teammates as well). The Lord has been teaching me a lot on this trip and I feel a new kind of energy in my step as I continue my walk with Christ. Along with a few lessons the Lord has been teaching me there were a couple people He really used in my life these last few weeks one of them being Tom. I had a kind of bumpy patch partway through the trip with some sickness and shortly after I was feeling weak in my battle against the evil one. In both my physical and spiritual weakness Tom helped me more than He even knows. The Lord has challenged me and blessed me in so many ways these past two weeks. My cup overflows.

From your tired but blessed sister,
-Shealyn :)

Camp - Day 9 - July 28

Day 9, the longest day of our entire trip! We were at the ministry center from 8:00am to around 9:30pm, interacting with students virtually the entire time. Though it is tiring it is also very rewarding. It is awesome to see our students connecting so well with the Hungarian students. Our teens are working with strength and energy that can only come from God!

We spent much of the day preparing for Parent Night. This was a blast! We saw some hilarious skits/musical numbers where the students were able to show off their English speaking skills. Also, Jordan shared her testimony at this event. She did a great job of clearly sharing what Christ has done in her life! (I never get tired of hearing her amazing story!) It seemed to be well received by the Hungarian students and parents alike.

After “the production” we had fellowship time with soft drinks and snacks. It was fun to see that, even after being with us for over 12 hours today, the students did not want to leave! Friendships have been formed. God has used our team to share the gospel with some kids who have never heard or understood the saving grace of our Lord and Savior. Words cannot describe the joy that is felt by seeing our hard work be used by God for his kingdom!

Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the health of our team. Though tomorrow is the last day it would be very unpleasant to have sick people on our long journey home. Also, pray that God would continue to use our team for his glory tomorrow. Pray for boldness for our team as we only have one day left with these Hungarian teenagers.

Thanks and God bless,
Jared

Camp - Day 8 - July 27

Wednesday. The home stretch. I think our team is definitely feeling the urgency of the final days. We've made some great, long-lasting friendships and so our focus the past couple days has really been to trade in the surface, get-to-know you conversations for intentional conversations about the Gospel. I know our team would love nothing more than to leave for home knowing we took every opportunity the Lord gave us to share about Him. So pray that we would be listening to the Spirit's leading over the next two days and that we would obey His nudgings!

That being said, I should probably share a few details about our day today. The camp schedule is basically the same every day, which you've probably figured out by now through all the other blog entries. One thing that was a little different today was that we watched a video testimony from Nick Vujicic, the actor from the film Butterfly Circus (which Brad mentioned in yesterday's post). He is a man who was born with no arms or legs and his testimony centered around the fact that no matter what your circumstances are, God has a good purpose in mind for your life. If you want to check out a video of him, here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Cwx2UbTJA

Tonight we went out to host homes again like we did last week. Tom and I went to the home of sisters, Zsofi and Ildiko. They live with both parents and 8 year old twin brothers. We had some delicious goulash followed by an interesting pasta dish. We then heard an impromptu mini concert from the boys on the piano and recorder. A game was suggested and it was basically a very simple version of Cranium...all in Hungarian. :) But we actually managed very well, and the language barrier was not really an issue. Dessert was a wonderfully sweet watermelon, and then as we were preparing to leave Zsofi told us that the family wanted to sing us a song as a gift. So we were serenaded with Psalm 42 in beautiful harmonies. It was a touching end to a really enjoyable night.

Thanks so much for all your prayers over the last week and a half! Pray for a strong finish and that we will use our remaining time for God's glory!

See you all soon!
Sharon

Camp - Day 7 - July 26

Though there has been an extensive amount of personal and corporate growth on this missions trip, I think one thing we've appreciated a lot during our down time is laughter. I had the great pleasure and honor to witness one of the greater moments of laughter this morning, when Kyle and Arne had a less than desirable turn of events. A number of us congregated at one of the tables for breakfast, and Arne was struggling to move his chair- as it fell from his grip and plummeted towards the ground, he frantically reached for it. Realizing that the chair made a very soft sound upon impact, he muttered a strangely discontented "oh". Only minutes later, Kyle's chair fell much more audibly to the ground, and Arne, enjoying this moment, snorted in laughter for the "first time" as he nearly choked on bread and nutella.

These were two of dozens of hilarious moments throughout the day, and our team has never been short on awkwardness or blatant oddity. One of the blessings of working with these twelve people is that I feel as though we all have our freak side, as well as our intellectual, sincere and passionate side. It's been wonderful to get to know people much more closely through these two weeks, and I can say that I will be lifelong friends with all of the team.

Today's highlight for me was no doubt the main portion of the day, which was a brief time for me to explain and show my band's music video, and a viewing and discussion of the short film Butterfly Circus. Shaun gave me the gracious privilege of showing the kids the video that my band Patmos just finished, Swell, and taking questions to accompany that. The video was received well and I feel very grateful for all the support the kids have given me for my band's endeavors. Butterfly Circus was a very impactful, succinct film that I can say is definitely in my Top 5 now. It tells the story of a disadvantaged man who overcomes obstacles that others have set in place for him. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone- it's only 20 minutes long, and I know you'll be telling your friends about it.

Tonight for dinner we had a terrific evening with Mark and Jodi at Nacsi Neni, which is often the favorite of most of us. I had a splendid meal of pike perch, vegetables, scrambled eggs with peppers and onions, and a delectable dessert of raspberry crepes with vanilla ice cream. I also had the wild opportunity to sit next to and enjoy conversation with the illustrious Jared Hendricks.

I can say in honesty that this trip has been the best trip of my life thus far, if only for the chance to get to know these teens, find out what they see as interesting, share with them what I'm passionate about, and give them an opportunity to know the Lord. There's always something I seem to see like never before when I'm overseas, delved in another culture. One thing that God has been teaching me and reminding me is that it's okay and truly quite necessary to ask others for help, in different situations and seasons of life. I've always been someone to do most things pretty contentedly on my own, but that's not always the way to maximize one's time, and there is untold potential and greatness in bringing others into your circle and being real with them. In a day and age when integrity is crumbling and a spirit of contention is increasingly pervasive, this choice is an underrated action point.

I've been working on a documentary of the trip that features a lot of strange moments, cute shots, interview portions with each team member and sections of a typical camp day. The documentary will be about an hour long total, complete with bonus features and deleted scenes, and will be given to all team families.

Thank you for reading, I hope you're having an enjoyable and eventful day, and we'll talk to you soon.

- Brad

Camp - Day 6 - July 25

It’s hard to believe that a whole week of camp has already gone by! Because of that fact, I’m approaching this new week with a renewed sense of urgency in displaying and sharing the gospel with these Hungarian teens. I also want to build on the momentum of last week by furthering the relationships to a deeper level. This initiative is not limited to the previous students, but also to the students that came in for the first time today. After a few quick introductions, the new students felt like part of the camp family. It will be interesting to see how God will work in their lives throughout this week.

In terms of teaching English, I’m part of a group with Kyle George, Shealyn Clark, and Jordan Hendricks. We teach the elementary (second-lowest) class of English. After the first week, our group realized that the kids responded most to activities that created an element of excitement. With this fact in mind, we directed activities involving a lot of physical energy (running) and creativity (making up stories). Through this, I have been able to teach kids words focused on themes like communication and travel. I believe we really have made a positive difference in their English knowledge, but it has not been without challenges. Lately, there has been a great deal of excessive Hungarian speech in class, which distracts from the teaching. Please pray that the kids would continue to respect us and maintain self-control.

After a regular English class, the teens go to chapel, where a variety of speakers share their thoughts about God’s Word. Today, a couple came in that shared a testimony about marriage. The two spoke about various highs and lows in their marriage and how the love of Christ enabled them to work through every difficulty. This message was very impactful for the students, since the culture strongly advocates a lack of purity and commitment. The challenging sermons create a great spiritual conflict in the teens, so please pray that the kids’ hearts will be receptive to God’s truth.

Today brought about another Hungarian lunch experience. First on the menu was “fruit soup.” This dish was composed of a sweet cream graced with pears, cherries, and pineapple. After that, I had Hungarian spaghetti. I enjoyed both of the dishes despite a prevalent dissatisfaction from the group!

The latter half of the day began with a small group discussion involving me and five Hungarian students. It was not the easiest task, since none of the teens spoke English well. Even through this difficulty, I still managed to make a connection with them. When visiting people across cultures, it is very easy to think that the kids have no way to relate to others of different cultures. But, in reality, these kids have seen the same television shows, listened to the same music, and have endured similar life issues. These teens really need the light of Christ, just like everyone else in the world.

Last week, I spoke to a translator named Mate. I wanted to know more about Hungarian culture, so I asked him about it. What he told me was pretty eye-opening. He explained to me that the Hungarians act as a direct response to history. The periods of invasion and communist takeover have left a scar in the people’s self-esteem. They have an underlying feeling of failure and tend to not try to reach out to new people. In the end, this mentality cannot benefit a society, so the hope that we bring can totally transform the country for the better.

In the evening, the group went to a restaurant called Trofea Grill. This place was not the norm, because customers can get all the food and drink they want. The buffet setting was a glorious diversion from what we’ve eaten so far. The ability to completely stuff the face with food made me feel like I was back in America. My feelings were certainly accentuated by all of the other group members. The freedom that was felt in this restaurant united all of us! Stations full of meat, cheese, gelato, and beverages greeted us as we struggled to choose what would go on our plates. In the end, we all stuffed ourselves to the brim! In celebration and joy, people like Dan and Brad belched in order to release the energy that had built up inside of them! I hope that this great dinner will ease some of the pain that people have been feeling throughout the trip!

After reflecting on this first week, I can clearly see that this trip was nowhere near what I expected it to be. Since this has been my first time, I had a very primitive form of an expectation before stepping onto the plane. In my mind, I thought that Hungary would have the look of a slum in Africa with kids that were mostly incapable of communicating in any way. Given my personality, it made sense why I had an apprehensive view of the trip. Being an American, I had been so accustomed to thinking that a successful ministry could really only happen in America, because of the great freedom we have. But, after seeing the life of Kelenfold Church, my thoughts were corrected. This trip has caused me to actually witness the kingdom of God at work in a completely different place. This fact has really encouraged me, and it has broken a gradual misconception of mine that Christianity was a faith that was somewhat isolated from the rest of the world and only prevalent in America. In fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The reality of Christ’s redemption is made clear through the international influence of Christianity.

May Jesus Christ be continually proclaimed in this camp, so that this country can experience the hope that is extended to it!

-Arne A.

Sunday, July 24th

Hey everyone!

I thought the most interesting thing I post today was a video of about half the team helping to lead worship at the church we are partnering with, Kelenfold EFC.

Check out the video - and we'll be back with full updates tomorrow!

http://youtu.be/mzJiH0sDBQ0

And don't forget that you can find pics of the trip at http://twitter.com/tommyo

God bless,

Tom for the team

Saturday, July 23rd

I can't believe it's already Saturday and the first week of camp is already over! I give all glory to God for such a successful first week! Today was super relaxing and very refreshing. We were able to sleep in and eat a late breakfast. After breakfast we met up as a team and had a challenging and encouraging message from Tom from Hebrews 4 about our Great High Priest. We then went to the mall and ate lunch and were able to spend some time shopping and having fun. After that we spent the afternoon at the hotel resting. For dinner we ate at this amazing crepe restaurant. With a variety of crepes from ham and cheese to nutella and banana crepes-yummy! After dinner we went to Gellart Hill to see the beautiful city!

I remember on Monday how open and eager the Hungarian students were willing to share their lives with us-that in itself is truly the grace of God! They are such lovable and awesome kids! During camp we are so blessed to interact with individual students and help them develop their English speaking skills. The lesson times are going well, and my teammates (Kyle, Arne, and Shea) are doing an outstanding job at really jumping in and taking ownership of their responsibilities. Also, being flexible and adapting our lessons to better fit the needs of our students.

I was blessed to have shared the Gospel and my testimony with this one girl at camp. She told me she is searching for what she wants to believe in. Pray that God would show her truth and save her! She is coming back next week and I can't wait to talk with her again.

As the days go on friendships among students and our team grow stronger. During all the activities, lessons, lunch, chapel, and small groups would you please pray that God first, would open the eyes of the blind and soften the hardened hearts so that they would see their need for our Savior, Jesus Christ and second, that God would use these relationships to show the students His great love for them. Pray that God would protect the kids from evil. That he would keep His word and love in their hearts and leave no room for the devil, the world, or their flesh to come in and snatch that away from them. Pray also for the kids as they leave the camp that they would get plugged in with a Christ centered church.

I would also ask you to please please pray for our health! Many of our students have not been feeling 100% because of stomach aches and such!

To God be the glory!!
Jordan

Camp - Day 5 - July 22

Croissant and Nutella has become the new favourite breakfast for a few, or at least I can say so for myself. Although waking up may be getting harder the more tired we are getting throughout this week, but the LORD gives us strength, energy and patience to begin an awesome new day at camp glorifying to Him. Today's day at camp began with a quick game of Army Navy and Ninja. Heading off to class, we prepared lessons/activities around the theme of Chitown. Jared, Ben, and I facilitate the Intermediate level, and we started off showing the campers some sights of Chicago while they worked on a crossword puzzle filled with famous people, places, and events from Chicago. It is extremely interesting to watch as they open up more and more each day. I feel like our most successful activity is "speed dating". Don't be alarmed by the title, we just prepared 7 questions for them to ask/answer around the circle of chairs, and they feel more confident in their speech when it's one on one. With the leaders among the group we could make sure they were speaking good English, and having stronger conversations with each person as well. They also love any chance they get to speak with the Americans.

After class we moved on to a message from Andrush(sp??) who spoke on why it is important to know Jesus, and what Jesus has done for us all (as sinners). He made a cool movie connection with Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Armageddon just capturing the theme of atonement and redemption. Even though worshiping Him through music and singing is a foreign concept to most of the campers, I notice each day more are participating and enjoying it. The worship music also helps open up topics about God in small group, that truly gets them thinking on the meanings of these songs (i.e. Blind Man, Your Everlasting Love, We Want To See Jesus Lifted Higher) The campers in our small group give back great feedback from the message, and are asking fabulous questions. It brings such joy to my heart to see them so close to being ready to accept Christ as their personal Savior, and seek that relationship with Him. Students will pull me aside after group as well, and ask more questions. I love how intrigued they are. I was also blessed with the opportunity to share my testimony today. Making friends with the campers has been such a exciting experience this week. I can't wait for next week!

Learning Hungarian words during lunch time and the afternoon activities has also been really fun!! =)
Isten áldja a szíved! (God bless your heart!)

The afternoon activity today was a scavenger hunt taking place surrounding a pretty popular street downtown Budapest (that i can't remember the name of at the moment). This scavenger hunt was very particular so it was a bit of a challenge, most teams weren't able to complete all the tasks, but we all still had en exhilarating time. It was sad that today was Friday so we lost a few campers that are not continuing on to the second week, but thankfully through technology we can still keep in touch =)

After camp the team went out to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant . Delicious! (I had salmon for the first time covered in a mushroom shrimp sauce, with a side of rose potatoes). This team is absolutely wonderful, I love each member, and am so glad for this Godly fellowship. We are having so much fun serving.

Please pray for His healing hand over this team, for gradually each day its seems someone is getting sick or not feeling well. Pray that the hearts of these students continue to open up and accept the lessons we are willing to share with them, particularly the good news of the Gospel, but teaching them the language of English as well.

Felicia
P.S. Shout out to my family. I miss you Tim, Ma, Marianna, Andrea and Amelia. I have surprises for you all =) Thinking of you always. XOXOXO

Camp - Day 4 - July 21

After a rather inconvenient late wake up by my room and I, we started the day with a "find-your-shoe" relay game until English class. I've begun to notice that the kids are arriving at camp earlier and earlier, so praise God for the impact that camp is already making on them. Our chapel message was given by Ede, who also gave the message on Tuesday, and his message on the importance of abstinence was followed by soup (again) and bread that was a mix between spongecake and biscuits (as Kyle and I decided). Right after lunch we headed off to Aquaworld, a snazzy indoor water park complete with four-story slides and an outdoor thermal bath, which felt especially nice in today's sixty degree weather. Yes, I said sixty degrees, and I became very thankful for that weather when I heard about how hot it was in Chicago today. It was great to spend the time with the students and just relax and have fun with them in the waterpark for a whole afternoon.

So far, the work of God is plain to see all around the camp. Everyone is having fun with all of us crazy Americans, and in small groups there have been great discussions so far about Christianity. In one group a boy asked about predestination, and Tom, Brad, and I have already had the chance to share the Gospel to our small group, which was quicker and easier than I was expecting. I'm praising the Lord for everything that I am learning about connecting with and loving others, and for the awesome camp experience that we've had this week.

It seems that everyday the friendships and conversations are growing by leaps and bounds, and the kids are becoming more open to us by the hour. I've already made new friendships and have had so much fun strengthening those that I made last year, and it's crazy to think that we're already half way done with camp tomorrow. We stayed at camp for dinner where an actual chef made us some actual food with substance! Hallelujah! A lot of pork cutlets and potatoes later, the whole camp left with full and happy stomachs. Yet apparently those happy stomachs weren't quite full enough for the team, considering we are currently in the hotel hallway inhaling six cartons of ice cream that the boys just bought from the grocery store.

Keep praying that God will do more amazing this next week, which I'm sure He will!

Victoria

Camp - Day 3 - July 20

Hello Everybody!

Now that we've gone through our third day of camp, the team has gotten into a rhythm and is becoming an english teaching, gospel preaching machine. It is already evident that we are beginning to make an impact on some campers as they arrive to the beginning of camp a little bit earlier and eager to spend time with us. One thing I particularly enjoyed is how the team has been able to change certain campers' attitudes about the camp. A particular instance involves a younger boy, probably around 13 or 14, named Gabor. Yesterday, while Arne, Kyle, and I were setting up the tables for lunch, we noticed that Gabor was wandering around, standing in corners, and quietly crying every now and then while everyone else had begun worship in the auditorium. After a few of us and some translators had talked to him, it became evident that he was feeling slightly lonely during camp. After word got around to the rest of the team that we needed to support him, pretty much everyone went out of their way to talk with him and check up on him periodically. This morning, Gabor arrived a few minutes before camp started and gave me a rather strong yet welcoming high five upon entering Kegy. As the morning game picked up, so did Gabor's smile and I could tell that he was starting to loosen up and have some fun.

While this may not seem like much, we can never really tell how some simplistic, little act of kindness will affect someone. In any case, seeing him smile brought a smile to my face as well.

In other news, the campers were treated to a personal concert by two concert pianists (who happen to be the parents of one of the campers) - which I as a musician particularly enjoyed- and then the team divided and went to four different campers' houses tonight for dinner. This was truly an amazing experience. And by amazing, I mean FILLING. Tom, Ben, Jared, Emily, and I found comfort in a type of meat that we've never had before - Hungarian pig. Specifically, mangalica (which sounds like mangorizca). The meat was served in a stew with lots of paprika (one of Hungary's favorite spices) and tomatoes and doughy noodle-type things. Without getting into any more specifics, let me just say that the food was amazing, I probably ate more of it than I really should have, and I still feel incredible full an hour and a half after eating. And the car ride to the house was pretty exciting, to say the least.

Please pray that the team will continue to productively teach classes, that we will be able to make meaningful relationships with the students, that God will open the hearts of non-believing students as they listen to different Christian speakers throughout the week, and that the members of this mission trip team will continue to bond with each other and with God.

God Bless!


Dan Quinn (or as Brad Johnson would have it, Quaniel Dinn)

Camp - Day 2 - July 19

Our second day of the high school English camp began similarly to the first day. We started with leaving at 7:30 in the morning and being blessed with an awesome devo from Arne. We then assembled a new game for me at least known as River-Bank. I have to admit that while I was calling the game I felt like a DJ with all of the back and forth with the words. We proceeded with breaking up into our individual classes. The theme for the day was "household." This consisted of covering material from the garden to the bathroom. It was encouraging in my class because I began to see specific teens start to open up more on ONLY THE SECOND DAY!!!!!

After a delicious snack of peach yogurt, we resumed classes and then proceeded to chapel led by a former Hungarian wrestler. He was awesome. PERIOD. He shared his testimony and how as humans we think there are many ways to God, but there is really only one true way, which is Jesus Christ. After a delectable lunch of liver ball soup and meatballs with rice, we played an insurmountable amount of card games from Apples to Apples to Egyptian Ratslap. After approximately an hour of card and table games, we moseyed on out to the park for some outdoor games. There we played the most competitive game of kickball I have ever seen filled with trash talking, rising emotions, and controversial calls. Sounds a lot like politics if you ask me...

Following the suddenly fierce game of kickball, we moved inside where it was cooler. There we played my personal camp favorite, The Dancing Game which consists of everyone standing in a circle, and dancing while someone tries to guess who started the rhythm. I, being big on dancing, eat this game up like it was a Chipotle Burrito! We played until the campers left.
At about 5:00 we had a brief debrief and began planning our lesson for tomorrows theme, community. After planning we gathered together and went back to Hotel Ventura. Then we headed to a mall where the girls and Brad had vegetarian gourmet food, while the guys had Burger King and KFC (how authentic!). We sauntered around the mall floors for about three hours waiting for the ladies to receive their crepes. We then returned to our lovely hotel where we played a long game of Apples to Apples and had what Victoria calls, "team bonding time." We then departed so people could shower, read, and so that I could write this blog. That is where we are now.

This was a very long overview of the day, but I haven't even begun to talk about what God is doing!!! God has blessed us with so much energy and he has prepared the hearts of the campers. It has only been two days and I have had outstanding conversations with all the campers getting to know each of them. I am so glad the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of this missions team. Everything I was hoping it was going to be has already been fulfilled plus way more. This has been awesome and I can't wait to see what God brings to us for the rest of the trip!


~ Kyle

Camp - Day 1 - July 18

Hey everybody!

Today was the first day of english camp, and it was FANTASTIC! There are currently 54 students at the camp, which is a significant increase from last year. It was such a joy to be able to see all of the students that we connected with from last year, as well as meeting many new kids! Everyone began new relationships this year that will flourish throughout these next 2 weeks.

As I observed the room this morning, 54 students slowly flowed into the church, our team along with the translators jumped on every opportunity to welcome newcomers and hug old friends. Although it was only the first day, I know that much of our team feels that there is a strong sense of family already-which is so encouraging! I am just so overjoyed by how comfortable I feel among the Hungarians that I just met today! I'm encouraged that these friendships are growing quickly, and I pray that they will lead to conversations about Christ and His purpose in our lives! :)

Because English camps are the main reason we can have camps in Hungary, I probably should briefly explain how classes went today. Every camper was placed into a class dependent on their ability to speak English. Teaching the beginner class is very challenging and also quite rewarding. It may be difficult to explain a concept, but once the students grasp that concept and can use it in a conversation, there lies the reward. Today's class went extremely well; our time in class was concise, and the students enjoyed the topic of FAMILY. Later in the day I learned that the lessons for each level class had run very smoothly-not a trivial result for the first day of camp. It was great to debrief after our day and hear so many encouraging comments and prayers about lessons and relationships made.

All in all, today was a great example of how God will bring together everyone to help a day of camp run efficiently.

Please pray for our diligence and hard work in preparing our English lessons, that the students would benefit each day from them. Pray that the ears, hearts, and minds of the Hungarian teens would be open to Christ's Word shared during chapel. And lastly, for many opportunities to boldly share the Gospel during these next 2 weeks!

Love you G fam <3

Emily Georgoulis

Sunday, July 17

Being in Hungary has showed me something that I take for granted. To me, this thing is very important. In fact, I never realized the importance until I arrived in Hungary. On that first night, the group went to a restaurant for dinner. I ordered my homemade sausage and Orange Fanta. However, when the waiter came out with a 200 milliliter can and I chugged it, I found out that there is no such thing as a free refill in Hungary. This is severely disappointing because not only do restaurants not give refills, they also only serve drinks in glasses that are about the size of 8 oz. Because of this I am very excited for my return to the states where I can go to Mcdonalds and order a 32 oz. Coke with as many refills as i want. This trip has also opened my eyes to the fact that not only do I take free refills for granted, but I also take the Gospel and Churches for granted. Walking around Budapest, the only churches that I have seen are the big Cathedrals that are now viewed as museums and places to be married but not to worship the almighty Lord. In America, there are churches on almost every street corner, and when sharing the Gospel, only on a few occasions have i had to explain who Jesus was, and the fundamentals of what Christianity believes. We are very cultured when it comes to Christianity but it is not the same in Hungary. As we are preparing to begin teaching English and proclaim the Gospel to the Hungarian teenagers, I am learning that the majority of teens at the camp will know little or nothing about Jesus and the Gospel. This has taught me that i have really taken for the Gospel for granted, more so than soft drinks. It also causes me to appreciate the fact that I was able to grow up in a Bible believing Family and attend a Bible believing Church with many opportunities for growth. I am very excited to be able to use my love and understanding for the Gospel which God has given me, to reach the teens in Hungary with the Gospel. As our theme verses for the week say, Matthew 28:18-20, Go and and make disciples of all nations....

In the power of the Gospel,
Ben Shudak

p.s. Hi Mom. I am doing well.

Arrival: July 16

Hey friends and family!

Tom here again to give you another quick update.
We've had a great first day here in Budapest, we've gotten to see the church we'll be serving at (KEGY - Kelenfold Evangelical Free Church), meet the missionaries we're working with, and explore and enjoy this beautiful city!

You can check out pics of our day here: twitter.com/tommyo
(I'll try to update this site regularly with pictures - and you don't need to be on twitter to use this site.)

We're heading to bed early tonight (9pm-ish local time) - everyone is completely tired from having hardly slept on the plane rides, but we needed to stay awake as long as we could to get our body clocks on the right time zone heading into these important two weeks.

Tomorrow we have training, orientation, and set-up for camp, and we also get the joy of worshipping with our brothers and sisters at KEGY!!! Should be a great day...more updates to come!

God bless,
Tom

We're here!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update to let you know that we are here safe and sound!
We will write with a full update later...just wanted to let you know we've made it with no problems.

God bless,
Tom