Come hell or high water...

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As I'm sure you all know, the waters are rising here in Budapest. I must say, it is truly awe-inspiring to see the Danube's power steadfastly striving for the top of its embankments here in the heart of the city.

Being from Louisiana, I know a thing or two about flooding. In the southern part of the state, water surrounds us year round in the form of countless rivers and bayous, the expansive Lake Pontchartrain, the eerily beautiful Atchafalaya Basin and of course, the mighty Mississippi River. Coupled with our notoriously flat terrain, it's not difficult to see why a few heavy raindrops can cause some serious flooding and flash flooding situations. We're familiar with the preparations - levees, canals, water pumps, spillways and endless supplies of sandbags - and sadly, we know all too well the pain and destruction that can remain after flood waters have subsided.

But in Louisiana, we're prepared for water. We grow up with water - the threat, the joy - and we learn to respect the volatility of a life lived only a few feet above sea-level. I love everything about water, and I have since I was a little girl. I love being in the water, I love being in a boat on the water and I love simply being around water - getting lost in frozen moments staring at swirling eddies, rolling waves or churning currents. It's as if everything around me gets caught up in that water too, tossing things around, so I can see things clearer. The water makes me feel at absolute peace.

So yesterday, I took some time to be at peace with the water. I found a place in the sun where I sat and just was - just existed. I saw a myriad of people walking along the bloated river on a pedestrian walkway running beside a now utterly drowned road, which normally separates the two - cameras, family photos, bikes, dogs, kids leaning over the edge under the watchful eye of fathers and mothers with fingers pointed toward the shrinking gap of light beneath the bridges; all of these lives centered, if for only a few minutes, around the same thing.

One thing is sure. Water brings people together, in lighthearted times and times of uncertainty. As with all emergency situations, I am humbled by and grateful for those people running in to help. Emergency responders, strangers, neighbors, working side by side to protect the people and places they love. In fact, there are so many people trying to lend a helping hand in Budapest that they are being turned away. While frustrating for the volunteers, it is definitely the better of the two options. These situations also bring together strangers living beyond the danger zone with those within it, by way of kind words, prayers and support. All of which, I feel, are absolutely necessary.

So to me, the magnificence of the moment is more than the power and grace of an uncontrollable natural force, it is also the opposing natural force of kindness, understanding and relationship standing strong against an uncertain and frightening future.

It's the power of humanity supporting one another, side by side in their time of need, come hell or high water.

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UPDATED: Those interested in supporting the flood efforts of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid are asked to submit their contributions to the Reformed Church Aid's bank account (10702019-85008898-51100005).

Kirchentag Day 4: Finishing Strong

It's hard to believe that after all of the preparation and planning for the Kirchentag, it's all come to a close. The week in Hamburg seemed to fly by, but what an experience! After a few long, but wonderful days working at the RCH booth, the team packed everything up and prepared for the long drive back home to Hungary.

 It was awesome seeing blue EVERYWHERE in the streets of Hamburg!

"Reformed Church in Hungary/Reformed Church in Change"

Members of the Roma Ministry performed some Roma songs for Kirchentag participants.

 Some of the team dancing and having fun!

Working on the university chaplains' mosaic.

Breaking down...

...and packing up the stand.

This last week was an incredible experience for all involved and I must say a special word of thanks for all of the RCH volunteers, including those who worked behind the scenes back in Budapest! None of this would have been possible without everyone's cooperation, willingness and energy! Thank you! Cheers, to the team and to Kirchentag!

Kirchentag Day 3: Sharing in Ministry

Kirchentag has proved to be an excellent way to share the life and passion of RCH missions and ministries. Representatives from several different areas of the church are present at the festival this week, such as Refugee Mission, Roma Ministry, Deaf Mission and the Eco-Congregation program. One feature of the church's booth is the "living library." These ministry representatives act as living reference material for interested Kirchentag participants who visit the stand. It is a time to go further into current projects or programs, and just generally communicate the church's focus.

Members of Roma Ministry explain the Roma honey project and enjoy some homemade honey with bread.

Young people test their knowledge about Hungary.

Participants are encouraged to enjoy a delicious Hungarian drink and speak with RCH team members.

A visitor learns to sign his name.

The RCH Eco-Congregation project test your ecological footprint.

The booth has a schedule for each day that rotates the ministries at different times each day, so visitors have an opportunity to see them all. In addition, the RCH holds panel discussion each day where church representatives discuss specific ministries or the relative issues surrounding them.

Dóra Nagy-Kanizsai from the Refugee Mission discusses the current situation for refugees in Hungary.

And finally, there is no rest for the weary communication team. On top of designing the beautiful photography and videos utilized for the church's Kirchentag stand and printed materials, they have made two new videos from Hamburg. Check them out!

There is only one more day to visit the RCH booth before the team takes everything down and packs up for the long trip home. Stay tuned for what the last day has in store!

Kirchentag Day 2: Let the Discussions Begin!

Hello from day two of the German Protestant Kirchentag! Today was the first day we were able to welcome visitors to our booth, and it was both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I've never attended a festival with so many participants before! There are multiple gigantic exhibition halls filled with churches of every make and model displaying the best features from their church's life.

The bird's eye view of our exhibition hall. Our booth is on the bottom right.

Our stand is designed to be interactive, from the touch screen visual from the 1% campaign to the face-to-face contact you get from our "living library," where members of the RCH team welcome visitors with information about the different ministries of our church. In this "library," festival participants have the opportunity to ask us about the unique offerings of the RCH's ministries.

Teaching Kirchentag participants sign language.

Describing the RCH's 1% campaign and the kiosk's interactive features.

Presiding bishop of the RCH, Gusztáv Bölcskei, also participated in several discussion panels throughout the day, including a discussion on the current political situation in Hungary alongside Rev. Thomas Wipf, moderator of the European Council of Religious Leaders and CPCE president. In addition, he was joined for a very interesting, central discussion panel discussing the importance of Roma ministry by the RCH's head of Mission, Eszter Dani.

 Bishop Bölcskei with Rev. Thomas Wipf.

Roma panel discussion.

The day ended with a reception hosted by an association of Hungarians in Germany as well as the RCH's Hungarian brothers and sisters in Hamburg, who helped tremendously in the pre-festival organization. The event was attended by figures from the RCH's partner churches in Germany that have offered their support as our church prepared for Kirchentag. Bishop Bölcskei gave a short speech at the beginning of the evening remarking on what a historic occasion this is for the RCH and how thankful he is for all the help received leading up to this event.

All in all, it was an incredibly long day on our feet, but the excitement of the participants is definitely re-energizing! Tomorrow is sure to be a challenge as well, but we truly can't wait to explore the festival a little more and continue to share the work of the church to all those in attendance.

Check in again tomorrow to see more!

Kirchentag Day 1: Festival Prep

Late yesterday evening, the first wave of the RCH Kirchentag team arrived in Hamburg. Today, the main purpose of the day was to physically set up the church's booth in one of the festival's huge exhibition halls. As we waited for the other mini-buses filled with volunteer university chaplains from the Reformed Student Congregation of Debrecen and all of our supplies to build the stand, we took advantage of the extra time to iron out some last-minute details .

We love logistics.

Making movie magic.

We arrived at the exhibition hall early in the afternoon and got right to work. It was a long day that had its fair share of challenges, like trying to get the internet set up for the virtual presentations, but in the end it was all worth it. The booth looks great and we cannot wait to welcome all of the Kirchentag participants tomorrow!

Our university chaplains are wonderful!

 The booth's awesome interactive experience.

These portraits decorate the walls of the RCH exhibit.

If you're interested, go check out the RCH's website for Kirchentag (www.reformatus.hu/kirchentag2013). You can explore some of the videos and communication material on display during Kirchentag. And of course, make sure to check back in tomorrow for more festival updates and photos!