The Week in Words (and Pictures)

Kecskemét

This is a city about two hours east of here. I was there last week with my site supervisor, the local pastor and seven Roma from the villages of Sárszentlőrinc and Uzd. The occasion was a gathering of people from the Lutheran and Reformed churches and the topic was mission. A few of the Roma shared their faith stories, and Péter and Erzsi talked a bit about the local Roma mission. I even had the chance to say a few things. It was the first time I spoke Hungarian, unrehearsed, in front of a large group of people. People seemed very receptive of the group and were inspired by the stories of faith--and of the challenges of being Roma--that were shared.

Cigány Bibliaiskola

The last two Sundays, there has been soup served after church, followed by a guest speaker. The title means "Gypsy Bible school," though everyone's invited.

Snow

Somebody told me sometime in January that spring usually arrives in Hungary around the end of February. I took that as a promise, and was delighted when, mid-February, the first flowers of spring (snow drops) appeared, and by the end of the month, the snow was gone, things were greening up, and there were even a few days where I could read a book outside or go for a run without a jacket. Yesterday I woke up to fresh snow. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humour?

Guitar

Most every week, my site supervisor, Péter, sits down with me and a friend of our's, Gabor, to teach us to play the guitar. At Bible study on Thursday, he even had each of us lead a song.

English Class
For our last English class, I capitalized on the Vancouver Olympics theme. We watched the highlights of the closing ceremonies and listened to a radio broadcast from BBC. It was fun explaining what "Mounties" are, and somehow, by the end of the class I found myself responding to questions about Canada's ties to the monarchy and Quebec separatism! Here's a priceless photo from the class: