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.
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