Spring is here??

   Spring is here - kind of. Fortunately we didn't have this much snow where we live, but this picture was taken last weekend between Vienna and Budapest, leaving over 35,000 people stranded - fortunately it is not a normal occurrence.

   Spring flowers are coming up here, the sun is shining today and the wind is quite chilly.  Trees are budding & nearly ready to pop leaves out. Again, locals say this isn't a normal spring, often it is much warmer. We're ready for that as well, right now!

  I (Carrie) have been asked to join with one of our pastor's wives, Marcsi, to be on a national Hungarian TV show next week! The show is live for 2 hours, and we will be quilting during that time. Other people will be cooking & I have no idea what else. I will know more after next Wednesday! Luckily I should be able to get "off air" in time for language class. Meanwhile, we covet your prayers that God would be magnified somehow through this event and it would draw Hungarians to Christ through the event.

 

Take notes...

  Hungarians are known for their innovation. They have designed the first metro subway, originally drawn by horses in 1847; the articulated bus (1960 put into use); the telephone exchange (1877); of course, the Rubik's Cube and many others, but I love the top picture giving more freedom to the handicapped people.  This just makes my heart sing with joy in knowing maybe some of our friends will be able to use something like this!

Sometimes "Mother Nature" loves to have some of the last giggles... I am willing to laugh along as long as they don't bring tragedy like this weekend's..
 It is spring here now - and there was a HUGE snowstorm the night before last hitting western Hungary. In our class Thursday afternoon, we had all ready heard of a 30 car pile-up on the freeway to the west of Budapest!  Thankfully, we didn't get much here (10 cm ~ 4"), but we walked to class in the rain and walked home with much colder temperatures and snow blowing down on our umbrellas.  Yesterday was a holiday (a failed revolution in 1848), and while there were scheduled speeches all over the city of Budapest, they were cancelled due to the storm's vehemence elsewhere.  (Personally, I just baked up a storm at our snug house.)

    We are learning that as practical and brilliant Hungarians are, they do have some quirks like everyone.... for instance, there is an ice cream truck that goes around our city this winter (maybe all year - we don't know yet).  At first we thought, "Really? It's winter!" Silly us! Of COURSE it is winter, but you evidently still need these great ice cream treats - if you can catch the driver.  We are used to hearing the ice cream truck blocks/ miles away (depending on where you live) and they slowly parade through the neighborhood/parking lot. Silly us! Not this one! If you hear it, you better run, but be careful.... they go through about 30km/hr or more! Good luck catching it! MAYBE they will even come back through, but forget about them slowing down! We still don't know if the ice cream truck ever stops except for gas - we haven't been that fast.

But lo the winter's past....?

    This is the outside of our house - looks like a lot of others all over Hungary.  Although this was a couple of weeks ago, we aren't counting on not getting more snow yet!  Spring is trying to break through all around us - pussy-willows coming forth, crocus blossoming, daffodils and tulips starting to come up as well as some iris preparing for summer.

   I forgot how odd it is to live in a place where you don't know how the seasons behave, exactly.  It tends to be quite an adjustment in the anticipation and yes, stress in it's own right, along with many others in cultural adjustments.  Though the air wants to be balmy - I can actually feel it trying - sadly, it is having a hard time getting the motivation up.

   Not so with the birds! Each day as we walk to language school or back from school we hear new arrivals everyday.  We have called one "the squeaky swing" bird, another one, "the squeaky tricycle" bird (quite different sounds), a bird that doesn't really cackle, but has continual stops and stutters in it's song... we haven't named it yet.  There are robins starting to arrive, and the ever present mourning doves, pigeons, some rather large birds, but they are too far off to tell what they are.  Yesterday on the way home, we saw our first butterfly of the season - and what a large one it was!

   We are definitely getting our exercise daily, stairs, walking, more walking, more stairs, riding the bus (who needs the shaker machines when you can just stand on the bus through the rough parts of the road?!) balancing standing (metro), balance walking (the cement walkways can be terrible, so we are always watching where we are walking - no thank you for walking at night on some of those walkways!). Something is out in my back, so my knees have been killing me all day, all night - ok, whining is over!  All in all, we are walking at least 3 miles a day, not including going shopping, which is a whole other experience which will be described some day.

  Through it all, we pray for people, places, situations. The anguish of a young lady on the metro, the aching joints of an older lady trying to stand up on the metro, the angry young man on the bus, the man who has given up on life - just existing for ... ; and the many hundreds who have been so well trained to not show ANYTHING on their faces lest there be a hint of a crack in a wall exposing them to the outside world.  Language isn't needed to perceive these emotions, just a heart that is willing to reach out and share HOPE to them.

  Last week on the metro, a tiny wisp of an old lady sat next to me. She was trying to prepare for her stop, nearly losing her balance, so I put a hand out on her back to steady her to the stop. As many of you know, I love to rub backs, so I was gently moving my hand back and forth & the look of glee and surprise on her face was worth it all! She said, "Kösönöm!" as she got off.

   Then a young man, who had been standing behind Kurt sat in her place. The smell of alcohol at 8am was a bit much.... and that is when God said, "tell him he's loved", so I did in my halting Hungarian.
"Jézus szeret téged". He turned quickly and looked at me amazed, so I said again, "Jézus szeret téged". And the look of wonder and of astonishment was truly something to behold! I had literally felt him get blown back a bit!  The next stop was ours, & I wished him a good day, but haven't ceased to pray for him...