Musical Theory

I am constantly impressed by the power of music. To be honest, it was one of my first experiences with Hungary...and it happened before I even finished packing my bags. In the midst of an email hammering out the boring, yet ever so important logistical details of my arrival to Budapest, sat an unassuming Youtube link. I clicked the link, and what I found was Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know," the very song that was, as most everyone can attest, my unofficial theme song for summer 2012. I had made a friend and a  new connection before I even stepped on the plane.

Why is music so important to people? What gives it this spiritual-like ability to bring people together - the power to define a mood or thought or question?

Maybe, it's because music makes us happy and comforts us when we're sad. Maybe, it's because music takes us to another world. Maybe, it's because you're more honest with yourself when you listen to music, or because it never questions you, but always makes you questions yourself. Maybe, it's because music can be your best friend, your significant other and your guilty pleasure. Maybe, it's because music creates an unexplainable plane of understanding and acceptance that you can't find anywhere else...Maybe, it's all of the above.

I have always loved music. I come from a family that loves music. When I was little, my brother hated that I made up songs all the time. I just sang (most likely off key) because I was happy. I sang because it made me happy, and it stills does today. I spend my entire day with music. It is my constant companion. If I'm not listening to an artist on my ipod or computer, I'm humming along to something in my head. Conversations remind me of song lyrics and all of a sudden I'm singing out loud. I play two instruments, I read music and I sing in just about every choir that will have me, so when my coworkers from the Synod asked me to join a choir for the office Christmas celebration, I naturally said, "yes."

Learn Hungarian with me! (Sorry the quality is awful)

Now here I am, singing Christmas songs in Hungarian and desperately trying to pronounce the words correctly, but I couldn't be happier. Because of rehearsals and because of these songs, I have been able to meet more people in the office, I've been able to step out of my English writing bubble in the Ecumenical Office, and I have come to see that somehow through all this work, confusion and language, I've become a part of the Synod dynamic.

That's powerful.

So, it shouldn't surprise me that last Sunday when I joined a group of school-aged Roma children at their community center Christmas party, I was drawn to the music and songs being sung. The music was affecting the kids too. In each song, the music brought them out of their shells and brought them closer to a religious life they had never experienced before. As I prepared tea, I hummed along with the unfamiliar melodies, because I didn't know the Hungarian lyrics, and then I heard a song that jumped out at me and connected these Roma children with my own childhood.

Making Christmas cards

Name that tune!

Making Advent wreaths

They sang "This Little Light of Mine." This was the first time I fully realized the universal power and truth behind a simple children's song. But, that song also created understanding, even if I was the only one to realize it. Every person in that room had experienced this song in some way, and everyone, Roma, Hungarian, American, was bound together because of it, if only for a few minutes.

That's powerful.

Now, perhaps I'm placing an exaggerated emphasis on a few sounds thrown together, or perhaps that's the point. After all, isn't it the individual tones that come together to make a beautiful harmony? Isn't the complexity, the layers, the movement what makes a song whole?

In the end, I guess the question of this mysterious musical connection is pretty simple. Music brings both similar and different kinds of people together, like dissonant sounds that somehow work together to create harmony, by appealing to individuals and then connecting them in meaningful ways to produce a piece that is intrinsically more - where each note is strengthened and supported by another.

And that is powerful.

Christmas Come Early!

Two days ago I walked into my room to find a package lying in wait. It was a slightly crumpled parcel from the US Postal Service that was absolutely covered in stamps! I wasn't expecting anything in the mail, and yet, here it was.

Notice exorbitant amount of tape and stamps plus slightly worse for wear structure 

I searched around for an instrument to cut through the 1/4 inch thick USPS packing tape that was so lovingly applied before departure and ended up settling for the tried and true key method. When I finally got inside, I was so excited to see a box FULL of envelopes addressed to me!

Don't be fooled, there was glitter everywhere!

My congregation in Baton Rouge got together and sent me a care-package simply bursting with their well-wishes for the holidays, supportive words for my time in Hungary, and over and over again, "we miss you," "we're proud of you," "we love you." Simply put, my heart is in flight. I cannot thank you all enough for this wonderful gift. Advent is a difficult time to be away from home, and a difficult time to be apart from what you know. This box, whether intended to or not, is serving as a small white, impressively stamped, glitter-filled tether connecting my home to Budapest. I feel the support and love of my church family, and it is a wonderful way to move into this Advent season.

On Sunday, the pastor of the local Scottish-Reformed church where I attend while in Budapest challenged us to consider what we do while we wait, and more specifically what will we do as we await Christmas and the arrival of the Messiah. What will I do as I wait for a holiday when I know I will be away from so many of the people and traditions I hold dear?

When I tell someone I am planning on staying in Budapest for Christmas I have received one of two reactions:

1. disbelief at the thought of being in a strange city alone on Christmas

2. shock that this is the way I am choosing to spend my holidays

It's both entertaining and understandable at the same time. I must remember that there is no window into my thoughts that brings understanding. People cannot see the emotional preparation that is required for this kind of service, or the way I prepared for my time in Budapest. I wrote in my very first blog post that I wanted "to drink in my life" before I set off for Hungary, and I did. Perhaps it didn't seem this way, but internally I held the relationships, people and traditions that I love close to to my heart, then simultaneously and purposefully took a mental step backward. For me, the waiting game counting down to holidays spent far from home started in May.

This distance is my choice. This service is my choice. After years of turning a deaf ear to God's call, I took a chance, and while it may not be easy, it is fulfilling. It is worthwhile. It is meaningful. It is where I need to be. It is where I choose to be.

I am truly blessed. Is it even possible to count the ways? I have been met in Hungary by an insatiable acceptance. The more people I meet and interact with, the more I am struck by the openness and excitement I receive in return. Along with the surprised responses to my Christmas plans, I have had as many people tell me about how to spend my time and navigate the city during the Christmas season. I have even received invitations to join families and share in their personal traditions. I am truly blessed to be in a country that has accepted and loved me since my arrival. I am blessed to have a wonderful family supporting me from afar, and I am blessed to have an opportunity to walk beside others and experience life through a new lens.

I may be separated from the familiar this Christmas season, but I choose to see it as an opportunity to explore a new path instead of desperately clinging to the idea of the well-worn one that awaits me back home.

I suppose the best way to enjoy the wait is to simply live it and appreciate all of the unexpected blessings it can bring along the way.

An Inside/Outside View

Last Thursday I was honored to be able to sit in on the Synod meeting of the Reformed Church in Hungary. The Synod is the most important policy-making body of the RCH. Yet again I found myself in an interesting position (I'm beginning to notice a trend). On one hand, I have been preparing for this Synod essentially since I arrived. I knew the proposal documents and schedule, inside and out, because I worked with my teammates to translate them into English. I suppose it's as easy as that, I am a member of the Ecumenical Office team. The RCH is my employer, my home away from home, yet foreign to me at the same time. And that's the flip-side, I had an inside view of everything but I was also experiencing it for the first time - as an outsider.

Yes, I see the irony.

It's a nerve-racking position, I won't lie. Everything was new. I saw everything with fresh eyes and was in awe of the tradition and meaning that went into the Synod meeting. However, I had to keep all of this to myself because in the eyes of our international delegates, I belonged there and it was all business as usual. Or perhaps it was just me that felt that way...

Either way, the Synod was a wonderful experience. Myself and the other members of the Ecumenical Office were hosts and tour guides, of sorts, for the international delegates from partner churches of the RCH. I was extremely lucky to meet 11 representatives from all over the world. I took notes at the final delegate meeting, which was focused on their reflection of the Synod, and I felt so blessed to simply listen to the conversation. The caring and compassion they showed, the interest, the honesty, are testaments to the community of Christ's church. I was hanging on to every story or experience. The partners showed a passion for the work being done in Hungary, a connection for the shared struggles and a genuine interest to work together.

Sightseeing with the delegates plus Kriszti and Dóri

Of course I am taking the photo...

It's not an easy thing to be the outsider, especially in a circumstance steeped in such substance and significance. It's an even stranger experience to be an internal outsider. However, I can honestly say that I took pride in the Synod, even though I only participated in a small part of it. This fall meeting of the Synod followed a theme of reflection and revision. There were several proposals concerning the role of the church in an ever-changing Hungary, and ever-changing Europe and an ever-changing world. The questions and challenges of the Reformed Church in Hungary are the same ones churches are facing in the United States and around the world - global issues for a global church. How do you attract today's youth? How do you involve them in the congregation, so that they have ownership and accountability in their community? In a world where people move at the drop of a hat, how do we sustain healthy congregations? The list is seemingly endless. The Church Revision Committee of the RCH is creating a dialogue between Reformed congregations about these issues. It is examining, through sociological research, the structures and traditions of the church and questioning their aim, purpose and relevance. And while I think it will be a long journey for the RCH, I believe it is a strong step forward. The world is a wonderfully diverse place, a moving target of experience, belief and faith, and today's church must be introspective to determine if it is growing too, or remaining still and stagnant.

Kobus Gerber, the General Secretary of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, told me something while he was in Budapest that may very well be the best advice I have every received. He said, "Let the water flow." I think this is a powerful image that applies to many circumstances, and I believe it is apt advice for the church as well. The church is defined by its parishioners,  its people. It is much more difficult to remain still and struggle to hold the water at bay, than it is to release it. The church must let the water flow and allow itself to flow along with it as equal parts. Only then will we know true community and true communion together.

Below My Feet

Where am I?

Cyberspace.

You know what's great about the Internet? Interconnectivity. I am truly thankful that I can log on to my email and receive messages from my friends and family back home. I am beyond excited that I can stay up to date on those Fighting Tigers of LSU, with scores and recaps of each game. I love sharing my culture with coworkers - showing Youtube videos of classic American music, funny pranks or new music I can't get out of my head. I love being able to connect with new friends in Hungary via Facebook. I love that I have this blog, and I can attempt to express the myriad of emotions I am trying to handle.

I love it, but...

I love it, but I wonder if it keeps me from fully embracing my new life in Budapest. Does this blessing of communication continue to trap me in a comfort zone I established for myself thousands of miles away? It is so easy to remain entrenched in American entertainment, American issues and the American lifestyle. Am I unwittingly forcing my culture onto those around me when I should be doing everything in my power to absorb theirs? I've moved away physically, but have I moved away emotionally?

Is the Internet a blessing or a curse?

I honestly don't know. There are pros and cons to every issue. To tell you the truth, I think it has been a blessing and a curse since it's inception. The real question lies within me, the user. How am I using the Internet? Is it a detriment to my time here in Hungary, an electronic buffer zone keeping others at bay, or  a means to share, learn and communicate?

I know one thing, it's going to be a challenge. It's so easy for me, a member of the technologically savvy generation, to open up my laptop and get lost in cyberspace. What will it take to keep me grounded?

What a great question. It's one that does not have an easy answer, and I take great comfort in knowing that my fellow humans struggle with the same issue. The advent of a virtual community and virtual world has only made our self-centered natures more public, and somehow more encouraged.

Recently, I have been listening to the new album by Mumford and Sons. By far, my favorite song is "Below My Feet." The lyrics to the chorus are:

Keep the earth below my feet

For all my sweat, my blood runs weak

Let me learn from where I have been

Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn

Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn

This imagery really spoke to me as I wrote this post. Now, I promise I had full intentions of writing a well formed and entertaining entry without mentioning Mumford and Sons, but I couldn't decide how to properly end it. The conclusion I had written was empty - an open question where definition was necessary. So, I left the post to fester as a draft. I've come back to it several times and each time I came back to an illformed and lackluster ending. But today, something changed and this chorus jumped to mind.

Don't forget where you are or where you come from. Remember you were put on this earth to learn and to serve, and that your definition of the two may be backward. It is a blessing that we are able to learn from one another and teach each other at the same time. Keep the earth below your feet and you'll always be grounded.

Becoming a Student Again

I feel like I have been so busy. Like I've done everything and nothing all at the same time. I really am starting to get into a groove over here. School - work - homework. It's been a strange thing going back to school. My mind has been groomed for the past 16 years on how to be a student. I've slipped back into this role as if I had never left. And I really am enjoying learning this language, even though I'm still embarrassed to try it outside of the classroom!

Strangely enough, I feel like a student at work as well. I have been reading a lot. I am not only learning about what the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) is doing at this time but also trying to discover more about the belief foundation that shaped the Reformed Church of today. And I want to challenge all of you to learn more about it too! Become a student again. The RCH has recently launched its English website (www.reformatus.hu/english/), and we have put up several new articles from leaders of the Reformed Church in Hungary. Please, take some time to learn about the folks I will be sharing my time with for the next year! You might be surprised at what you find.

Ministry is something to be shared, not hidden away. The difficulties churches face in the U.S. are the same struggles in Hungary. The joys of community, love and understanding must be global goals. After all, who are we really without our brothers and sisters in Christ? The journey to relationship starts with connection.

Ephesians 2: 19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.