Budapesten Vagyok!

Hello from Budapest! I finally arrived safely in the city last Thursday, October 11. I can't believe that I've only been here a week! It seems like I have been running from the start! I haven't even taken the first picture yet! For those of you who know me, just breathe. Yes you read that correctly, I haven't taken any photos. No, my body has not been taken over by aliens (or so they'd have you think....). I promise, they will come  - the photos, that is, not the aliens.

Seriously though, my trip could not have started better. There were no issues with my flights, and no problem getting through customs or finding my welcoming party at the airport. THANK YOU, for all of your prayers for safe travel! Your kind words were just the pick-me-up I needed after a few very long flights.

Last weekend, I was able to do a little sightseeing with a coworker who has graciously taken me under her wing and volunteered to be my main means of communication while I get started in Budapest. I honestly wish everyone could visit this city. It is truly breathtaking! My pictures, when they come, will assuredly do Budapest an injustice. However, I will try my best to represent it to you!

I am beginning to understand the city a little better, and have finally grasped the metro routes I need to get home, to work and to my language school! I am here to state for the record, that public transportation is wonderful. Louisiana, you don't know what you're missing. My longest commute takes about 25 minutes, which in the scheme of things is not so bad. Plus, I've sat on 1-12, countless times, for an hour without moving more than 10 mph - I consider a 25 minute tram/bus ride a piece of cake.

Monday was the beginning of my Hungarian language course. I am taking a four week, intensive class that meets every weekday from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. It is a small group, with only four students in my class. We cover a chapter a day and attempt to retain the details of this very complex language.

After class, I head to work. I am quite lucky because I get to cross the Danube River every day during my commute from school to the Reformed Church of Hungary's Synod Office! Thus far, as far as work is concerned, I have only done a little proofreading of English text translated from the original Hungarian. At first, proofreading a few documents did not seem like a big deal, but now I am seeing things differently. My coworker, Dóra, was so excited after I finished my edit of a Synod Office brochure, she kept saying, "Yes, yes, yes! This is so good! It is so good to have you here!" And I realized, I was really helping. Hungarian is a difficult language, and English is terribly complicated as well. This combination can mean disaster for translation. However, now we have each other, and the problem is suddenly manageable!

It's been refreshing to take a back seat in things. I'm no longer out in front leading. Instead, I am sitting patiently in the back listening. Being unable to communicate effectively has forced me to close my mouth and listen to the wisdom, faith and strength of other people. It has given me a chance to listen, so that I may hear God in each person. Last night, I attended a prayer meeting for the Roma (gypsy) ministry of the Reformed Church in Hungary. I spent nearly two hours at a table with six people that spoke in a language I did not understand. Yet at the same time, I heard and understood every word. I could see the joy, humor and dedication that each person brought to that group. I heard the effect God had on their lives as we concluded the meeting with prayer. I knew them and respected them through Christ.

Before I left Louisiana, I was given a daily devotional, written by Sarah Young, by the members of my home church in Baton Rouge. The devotion for today, October 17, struck me.

"Remember to listen, as well as to speak, making your thoughts a dialogue with Me."

Let us all remember that in our busy, hectic lives, it is easy to drown out that dialogue with God. Take some time to hear someone. Maybe, you'll hear God in them too.

Perspective

I find myself, yet again, sitting in the Indianapolis airport. The last time I was here, I had just been accepted as a Global Mission Intern (GMI) to Hungary. The excitement was palpable and bursting forth. I could not wait to tell everyone! That was May...Now, it is the end of September and the excitement has morphed into anxiety. Planning and logistics have overtaken my emotions.

I came to Indianapolis a week ago for a global mission conference and training. In my mind, I thought of this conference as the last step before my departure. It is almost comical how emotionally unprepared I was for this week. And in a way, I think everyone else who participated in this conference was just as unprepared for the faith and community that came from our week together. The group consisted of missionaries from around the world, both new and old, continuing, beginning and concluding. We literally spent four FULL days together. The Global Ministry staff brought in speakers from all over the country to discuss sensitive and important issues that missionaries must face - cultural awareness, race and racism, health, security...

But most importantly, we created a community; a community of faith where experiences as well as fears were shared without rebuke. The people I met and the conversations we shared, helped me begin to shape a new perspective on "mission." My purpose in Budapest is so much more than "doing."It is a time to create a shared path in faith with my partner in Hungary. Above all the cultural differences that exist between us, is the only thing that really matters - our equality around the table as members of the body of Christ.

Until next time, I'll leave you with a prayer from Thomas Merton that was shared with us by our Area Executive to Africa, Sandra Gourdet.

God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that f I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Amen.