We attended church in a school building. Everything was brought in fresh that morning: the chairs, speakers, projector, instruments, and soundboard. The experience was nearly a déjà vu– this is my church! – and yet it was utterly different. The details were the same – music played in the background as people greeted each other, announcement slides rotated on the screen while a countdown clock let everyone know “we’ll be starting in five minutes,” during the service there was sharing and prayer, songs and the reading of Scripture, and a sermon about the Gospel from Ephesians 5.1-2. The only real difference methodologically between this church service and the one happening thousands of miles away in North Atlanta was that we didn’t end with communion – an element that many of us sorely missed. But of course all of the similarities couldn’t compensate for the great difference between us – we can’t speak Hungarian. God really did a number at the tower of Babel. Still it was beautiful and inviting to try to join with our Hungarian family members in singing songs to our common Creator. The ten of us sat in the back with two translators whispering the service to us in English. Andras preached a wonderful sermon where he called us to be children, imitating our Father, as His beloved ones.
After church we ate lunch and rested until our preparation meetings for tomorrow’s English camp. We shared curriculum, practiced children’s songs (“I’ve got a river of life” Boo-ya!), and spent time praying for the children by name. Each of us were given a slip of paper with a few names on it for us to be praying for this week. Most of the kids who come to this do not have parents who will step foot in a church. This is a strategic and significant week in softening the hearts of whole families to the good news of God’s love for them.
We left the planning meeting feeling energized and prepared. Tomorrow will be a great day! We’re ready to begin. This preparation time has been significant in our team and in binding us to the Paulus team, but we are eager to begin the classes tomorrow. I’m amazed at how gracious and excited our hosts are about our time here. The missionaries see a value in our presence that is hard for me to grasp but there’s no doubt in my mind – we are able to support them in a way that they feel is crucial to their mission by coming here to teach English for a week. The Body of Christ.
As a great treat at the end of the day, we were able to drive in Budapest for the first time. The city is magnificent. It lies like two jewels on either side of the broad and blue Danube – Buda and Pest. Both sides are distinct in architecture, topography, and history, but both sides are elaborately beautiful. Ornate domes and Gothic spires cast large shadows over the ancient sprawling capital of Austrian-Hungarian empire. It houses two castles. In one of them sits the second oldest crown in Europe. But high above this historic and majestic city sits a citadel, built in 1851 by the Habsburgs but claimed by the Russians in 1948 and turned into a monument broadcasting communism’s triumph and it’s lavish “liberties” for all people who live under her iron rule. The citadel is large, imposing and spectacular. Unfortunately for the communists you drive by a statue of Stalin’s boots on your way up the mountain. The Hungarians tore down the rest of the statue during a revolution in 1956 leaving only his giant boots planted in the brick platform – a sign of Hungary’s eventual freedom.
It was a wonderful day. I hope that each of you will be given the chance to see this city and meet these people in your life. Tomorrow we will begin the camps and will be quite busy for the rest of the week. Please be praying for us – that we would remain healthy, energetic, and unified. Pray that God would love these kids and adults through us. Pray that we would be a real and helpful support to the missionaries. And pray that because of the seeds planted this week that eventual fruit for the kingdom of God would bloom in Hungary.
Peace, Matthew.
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