Wow! How God can work through pain...

  This is a picture from the 1930's of Chico's (Hungarian "Cowboys") on the plains of Hungary.  The crossed pieces of wood to the right is the counterweight to help get the full water bucket out of the ground. (They have nothing to do with the story that follows, but I thought it was a cool picture!)

   As many of you know, I thought I had just pulled something under my knee when I went to the Dr., only to find out that it is bone on bone! Phooey! I guess my pain tolerance is higher than I thought! Evidently I need a knee replacement...Anyway, part of what the Dr. recommended was to have some physical therapy, so I was following the Dr's instructions and did some physical therapy. I just finished up this past week.

   I walked in a day or two ago & by now the ladies at the front desk actually smile at me, and have been patient enough with my Hungarian (or lack of it), and the patience of me practicing counting money to them. (They were VERY suspicious of me the first few times & I felt like a terrible bother).  So, when I told them this was my last day, they were quite surprised.

  We went through the motions of the physical therapy, and then the nurse who had been helping me continuously through this time double checked, "You - last here?"  "Igen" (yes) I replied.  Before we departed, once again, "You - last here, ma (today)?" "Igen" I replied again.  Then she started to cry, apologizing in Hungarian fervently. My mothering instinct took over and I hugged her, then she started to sob!  "Oh, what?" I asked.  (We have been trying to communicate all these different sessions. Her English is better and my Hungarian is, thanks to these conversations).

  "I will miss you... very much! You give joy."  I prayed quickly, "Oh Lord, what can I say to her that will lead her to You?" The next thing out of my mouth was, "It is ONLY Jesus in me that you will miss! He is the only one who can give you joy." ( Admittedly, this was in "Hung-lish") She looked at me & I asked her if she knew about Jesus. Nodding, I proceeded, again in Hung-lish. So I brought up some different things we had spoken about and turned it all towards Him. I also shared more to her why & how Jesus is important. There was even a cross in the door to use the example of why Jesus died for us instead of us being on the cross!  Through many tears and tissues, the message hit home.

  Maybe we will see each other for coffee. I hope so! When I told Kurt about this, he said, "Use the English/Hungarian Bible we have - some Hungarian Bibles are in such old ways of speaking, they are very difficult to understand!  So, I went back in and gave her the Bible, as a "loan". (I guess Hungarians are kind of funny about loans, so they want to return stuff quickly). I just told her that we could meet for coffee and she could return the book.

  All in all, we went through probably 20 tissues, but hopefully she will have new hope, soon! We entreat you to pray for her as well as many others we continue to encounter. God is opening up some amazing doors and opportunities!

Conference time:)

We are attending a conference with many of our colleagues throughout Europe. How fun to meet up with some we have met on our survey trip, others we went through classes with, and many more that are now new friends!

What really strikes me right now is the atmosphere between the kids and their parents. The kids are just as thrilled to be here as the parents! It is like a big happy camp for a family for everyone! Not only are adults reconnecting with each other, but there is this aspect of being a child on the field in a different culture. They are called "third culture kids".  (It is similar to the children in the military families who move around every few years... not many towns feel like "their" hometown. In this case, not many countries feel like "their" country where they are from.)  My heart became very heavy in thinking about how long it has been since these kids could see "their friends" who completely understand what they may be going through, how often they are in planes, busses, autos, trains  and when they are "home" in the states (which never seems like it is their home), it is being on the road most of the time speaking to churches and groups that aren't familiar to them.

When I was a kid, it took what seemed like FOREVER to get to camp again every year. Many of us are still in contact from 4th grade camp!  This is another reason my heart felt heavy - it may be 1, 2, 3, or 4 years until they get to see their camp friends again - a lifetime, almost as a kid!  I diatribe about this simply for the fact that it is really important to lift up these families in prayer & to do so quite often. A number of the children grow up knowing at least one other language yet may not understand why until they are older. Are you getting a glimpse of what being a Third Culture Kid is all about? What is humorous in one country may not be in another; the concept of some of our US holidays are different to them; why do people talk about an "old house" that is only 100 years old when the one they currently live in was built in the 1500's... you get the picture!

Anyway, yes, it was a true joy to see not only the adults hugging each other and having fun, but also the children.  There were teams from the US and other places who came to let the kids have a blast in a safe enviornment while their parents were attending meetings. Thank you to all of them!! (And if anyone wants to participate in something like that to help, please feel free to email us!! We have many ways you can!)

So, the conference was really great and encouraging.... and I had met some other Hungarians there who weren't attending a conference - so I got to practice my Hungarian during that time! What made us all laugh was one evening we  saw each other & a German couple was sitting with them. Neither spoke the other's language, so when they asked if I knew German, I said "Yes".  So, questions were being asked & I had been trying to squelch my German through language learning so much, all my answers were coming out in Hungarian or Hung-glish (Hungarian - English)..... yep, something must be sticking! Thanks for your prayers!

Spring Has Finally Arrived!

  Yea! It is spring finally! No frost for a couple of weeks now, so I started cleaning flower beds in our front flower garden (virag kert) and planting seeds amongst the roses. I also planted some flower seeds in some containers that "came with the house".  Violets are blooming like crazy in the grass, between bits of sidewalk, around trees and other shrubbery. English daisies and hyacinths gone wild are also blooming in people's grass and yards, trying to beat the cherry trees as they prepare to blossom.  Sour cherries blossom and ripen first (a Magyar favorite), then the sweet cherries. They even have separate names for the types, denoting if one is sour or sweet.

  As people come out to work in the garden, take a walk, ride a bike or just sit and enjoy the sun and its warmth they are also now being greeted by us as we pass by. Most are finally willing to speak back, so either the sun has made them less hesitant, they are used to seeing us, or our Hungarian is getting better! Either way, we are glad to make more acquaintances.  Sometimes (usually the older people) will just start rambling on - like the man splitting wood today, or a lady talking about her mop for 8 stops on the tram, or one of our neighbors I met a week or so ago chatting about her flowers.

  We try to use each of these situations as more "on the street Hungarian lessons".  For instance, Maria, our neighbor, was out looking at what was coming up.  I walked up and told her the forsythia looked beautiful (in Hungarian), this led to an on-the-street class for both of us - she was ASTOUNDED there was a "foreigner" living on her street! I was astounded that Hungarian doesn't use the latin names I learned (thank you mom!) for the flora - so Maria proceeded to help me learn the Hungarian names for the plants I have known most of my life.  Then, a day or so later, my Hungarian tutor and I were walking past Maria's garden & they started quizzing me, and I nearly remembered them all and the pronunciation!  We still need all the prayers we can get  - learning another language in immersion takes it out of you in many ways.

Tribes and Tongues

  Easter Monday we had the fun experience of "getting outta Dodge" and going on our first road trip since being in country.  Bundling up and climbing in the van with a bunch of other fun people early in the morning & off we went! (This spring has been unseasonably cold and rainy - and that day in particular unbearably cold). Easter Monday is a national holiday here and many events were happening all over the country.  Ladies were promptly sprayed with perfume by the men - an Easter Monday tradition.

  We arrived at Opusztaszer about 45 minutes later (this is considered a really long drive!).  From the step out of the van it was clearly a different place.  This is the spot over a thousand years ago that the main tribes of a large area came together to sign a treaty of strength and form a nation. The nation is now know to most of the world as Hungary. Here it is Magyarorzsag.  Each of these different yurts represent a different tribe by the insignia at the top. Pictured are only a few of them. It was lovely to see these representations of different people standing in sillouette against the blue sky on this crisp day. You could feel the power and the strength of these people, uniting together to protect themselves against other marauders.

  There is also a 120 meter long canvas that is painted of different scenes when Arpad and his men first came to settle in Hungary. It is painted so well, you cannot tell where the actual rocks and trees in the front, used as props ends and the painting begins!

  This day, there were special dancers, people dressed in traditional dress as they would have been 200+  years ago, and there is a village that has been put together from historical buildings from all over the nation which shows life and culture as it used to be. The only thing missing out of it all was God - which is surprising considering that this is a nation priding itself on King Stephen (Istvan) dedicating Hungary to the Roman Catholic church. Maybe villages weren't willing to send off an older church to this heritage site, I don't know. I just know there wasn't one there that I observed. There were a lot of Hungarian people who were enjoying exploring some of their "roots" after making this long trek from where they lived. Another tradition (that is now only spraying of perfume) displayed in the historical village was that of literally dousing young women with buckets or containers of water on Easter Monday - harkening back to the pagan days in wanting the women to be fertile and this was a "blessing", so to speak... I will take the perfume, I think.  Especially after seeing the young lady who had been doused with buckets of cold water on a chilly morning in a chilly house run off to get changed!  Dryers weren't available back then. If you were soaked, would you have had enough clothes that were dry to change into? Lots and lots of petticoats were under those wet skirts.

  I am looking forward to coming back - to see the demonstrations later in the year - horsemen display their feats as well as the archery exhibitions and many more.

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...