So This is Christmas...

The flurries are gently wafting through the crisp winter air in Eastern Hungary and the smell of burning wood and coal fills the village of Mikepercs where we live. While our girls squeal with excitement at their recently unwrapped gifts, many children at the Lakasotthon Orphanage in nearby Miskolc spend another holiday without warm feelings or family.
But thanks to our dear friend Christine Pegnoglou, their Christmas was not without cheer and little bit of laughter, perhaps even delight. Visiting from Dallas, Texas, Christine brought an array of Christmas knicknacks, including festive pencils, erasers, stickers and candy canes packaged beautifully in SnowMan bags for the children. But the Krem-de-la-krem of these Christmas packages were the ever infamous whoopie cushions which took the institution by storm when we delivered them on December 23rd.
At first the children were wary of the odd-looking balloons, but once demonstrated and the first unmistakable sound of intestinal fortitude echoed through the halls, the institution exploded into a veritable bower of giggles, gurgles and gastrointestinal pandemonium.
Gergely, the tiniest boy in the orphanage, was afraid the cushion would pop like a balloon so he just ran around holding his ears as Csaba and the other boys produced endless echoes of artificial methane emissions.
The sounds of children's laughter poured into the streets as Christine, Trudy, and our faithful translator Bogi (from the Debrecen church youth group) left the institution and headed to the boys transition house (for older boys preparing to be out on their own) in the nearby village of Pereces. There we delivered a Hungarian Christmas dinner as several of them had no place to go for Christmas. And Christine brought each of the boys a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap as a special Christmas gift.
Of course, gifts and visits from foreigners cannot make up for what these children lack this Christmas season. Still, perhaps the visit gave them a little sense that someone cares. And perhaps someday, if we can consistently show them love in some tangible, genuine way, they will come to know the One who cares most for them.

10 Years of Thanksgiving in Miskolc Orphanage

Thanksgiving may be over for this year, but our reasons for being thankful live on. This past Thanksgiving, we celebrated our tenth year of Thanksgiving at the Lakasotthon Orphanage in Miskolc, Hungary. I really cannot imagine spending Thanksgiving any other way. But just because this holiday is spent in such a remote area does not suggest it is stress free.

A team of around 40 people traveled from military bases in Germany to help sponsor the event. We are thankful for their love and commitment -- especially considering the toll the trip took on them. They traveled all night on Wednesday arriving at the Hungarian border early in the morning on Thursday -- only to find out Hungarian border officials would not let three of them enter -- two did not have passports but had military IDs and military orders which should have been sufficient, the other lost her passport and had a temporary passport and a letter from the German police validating it.

After much haggling and calls to the US Embassy, nothing could be done and the three were sent home on a train. The rest of the troupe continued the pilgrimage all the way across Hungary. Although fatigued, the group arrived ready to minister to the kids. The participants from the Gospel Chapel provided a gospel-styled concert of Friday night that left the kids rivited! These orphan teens are particularly enamoured with African Americans and felt privileged that these guests would want to befriend them.

On Friday night each of the four "homes" that are part of this orphanage celebrated Christmas and the children were each given gift. Many of the smaller children did not know what to do when the festively wrapped package was place in their laps. They just sat staring at it. One particular family has 12 kids (10 of whom are in this orphanage) and they were discovered by social services in abject poverty last summer. These children 4,5,6,7 years of age had probably never received a Christmas gift wrapped in fine paper before. The Hungarian translator told the children to unwrap the gift. They did, careful not to rip the paper as it was too beautiful to tear. And then their eyes lit up as they discovered something special inside for each of them. It was a treasured moment.

The children spent the three days playing frisbee, doing crafts, playing board games, and doing pinatas all with their American friends. And Saturday night everyone chowed down on a festive Thanksgiving meal. The kids sang and did skits at the event and everyone fell into relationship with each other. It was difficult to say goodbye.

But, unfortunately, for those who came from Germany on the bus, the adventure was not over yet. As they traveled through Budapest, the bus got into a small fender bender with a car. When the German bus driver got out to deal with the situation, four guys from the car assaulted him. It took 400 Euro to get out of the situation. Details are still sketchy. But the group made it back to Germany, despite the problems on Sunday afternoon.

It was a whirlwind of a Thanksgiving-- full of ups and downs. But God was present in it all. And by his grace we continue. Please pray for the children of the Lakasotthon orphanage in Miskolc, Hungary. It is full of children who have endured enormous suffering, and yet God's hand remains on that place.

Casting the Nets on Thanksgiving

"Fishers of Men" It is an interesting analogy. There is perhaps a time to cast the net wide and a time to cast the net deep. God has answered our prayers to go deeper this year as we have truly come to know some of the children in the Miskolc orphanage -- along with all their sufferings and fears. Russell's weekly Bible study there continues to draw a small crowd and college students from a local church have begun to assist him in ministering to the kids. The net is being thrown deep.

But this week things will be shaken up a little in Miskolc. On Thursday a group of 42 people from military chapels in Germany will invest their Thanksgiving in these children -- not just the handful who come to Bible study, but all 40 plus kids at the children's home. And for this week, the net will be thrown wide once again.

Who would have thought a Hungarian orphanage would come to make Thanksgiving their own tradition? But after 10 consecutive years of celebrating the feast alongside American friends, there's no doubt Turkey and pumpkin pie along with prayers of Thanksgiving are not just for Americans anymore.

So this year, and we invite you to participate with us -- in your prayers. When you gather with your friends and family around a steamy Turkey and you bow your heads to pray, remember these faces and ask God to use this American holiday to touch and change the lives of hurting Hungarian kids.

(Special Thanks to MacKenzie Rollins who took these photos)

Going Native and Home Movies

This may qualify as one of those really bad home movies that parents force their friends to watch as their children display questionable talents on film. But in the spirit of "going native" I thought some of you might enjoy seeing a short film of last weekend's "OvodaBal" or "Kindergarten Ball." This was a formal event in the village where the kids (5-6 year olds) performed some Hungarian dances while parents and other village dignitaries wined and dined at the local culture house. The Event began at 8pm and probably went on til past midnight. It was truly a slice of Hungarian village life as the guests of honor included the village mayor and members of the city council. We, of course, were the token foreigners, but the all-Hungarian speaking crowd took pains to make us feel welcome.

Shovels, Saws and Missions

What do shovels, saws and paintbrushes have to do with missions? A heck of a lot if you are with Calvary Chapel Heidelberg who recently brought a group to Hungary to serve a Roma church. A veritable army of 14 hard workers with German determination painted the church building and erected a pavilion adjacent to the church. That pavilion will serve for summer services, special events, fellowship and outreach.
The group began their week of service by visiting local orphanages where they painted faces and played games. Strange as it seems the group of Germans introduced kids to America's favorite pastime -- baseball. And the kids loved it.
But the bulk of their week in Hungary was spent in unglamorous manual labor and connecting face to face with an ethnic group most Europeans find undesirable -- the Gypsies. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but in the end all were blessed by the group's visit. Perhaps most interesting was when asked what was the best part of the missions trip, one of the German team members said that it definitely working with the Roma church members.

....And the Good News

The previous blog gave you the bad news about the Ukraine outreach to
boarding school kids. But that was not the whole story.  Although we
helped facilitate the trip, Russell and I did not travel
over the border with the team.  However, our good friend
Susil Isaac, an American medical student studying in Hungary,
participated in the event and had this to say:

The missions trip to the Ukraine was, well just amazing.
From the beginning, we were just seeing blessings upon blessings.
We didn’t know what would happen, but we just saw the Lord
leading in every single aspect.  From what the topics of the
lessons would be to just our ability to interact with the kids,
is seemed like it flowed like water.

Everything was to show that it’s not so much a religion of rules and
regulations but a relationship.  The first night was fun, ending off
with Chris and Timmy(I think) beating their best kids in foosball.
It set the stage.  For the pastor to chill with them, play against them, and even
beat their best, it got their attention.
There were 3 official teaching times given to us to teach on Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday. Topics that were very pertinent to their lives
and everyone’s lives seemed to be picked so quickly.  We were all praying
throughout the car ride that we would go through what they need to
hear, and it ended with Suffering, Bitterness, and Christian living.  The change
in the kids was clear through the teaching.  Chris’s zeal and heart for
the kids mirrored throughout the weekend and the kids latched on to it.

He told them not to trust him because he’s a pastor, but to check it in
the Word to see if it’s true.  By the second night when more kids brought
their bibles, I was really blessed.  When teaching on bitterness, the lesson
moved like a mystery novel almost forcing them to look up the verses to check
if it’s true.  I was sitting next to a couple kids just showing where
Chris was talking from it was cool to see their faces.  They were more astonished
than anything else as if to say, “Wow it’s actually in there.” I could read
the nonverbal signs from several kids across the room, and it was finally
clicking for them.  When you can see kids looking through the bible and
it stops being just words or stories, but it starts to mean something in
their life, it’s a blessing to even be there.

The kids themselves were awesome.  Many of them really tried to talk to
us. Granted, it was difficult when most of the team knew German and
English while they knew Hungarian, but if we were willing to spend time with
them, they were willing to try to talk to us.  In my case, the Lord really
showered blessings upon me, because those that know me know that I do
not speak Hungarian.  I couldn’t, but I became blessed over and over as I
had conversations with them.  The things I had learned before all were
brought back to remembrance.  While my speaking and vocabulary were definitely
not perfect, it was enough to get points across and really connect with the
kids.  The funny thing is, I had to go to the Ukraine to learn
Hungarian.

The kids felt connected with us too.  I only learned this a week later,
but the connection was so strong that they went out to look out for our
things as well.  When soccer balls were stolen from us, the kids from the
school actually went door to door throughout Peterfalva to ask for the soccer
balls back, actually getting most of them back.  We had given our time, our
weekend to spend and minister in the Ukraine, but I never expected
those we worked with would do the same for us.  They sacrificed part of their
free time for us because they cared for us and what belonged to us.  They
were willing to open up their hearts and care for us.
One of the highlights was the gift giving.  Some prizes were brought
just for those kids that were really open and helpful.  Some helped in
translating, some where just good team players and helped the game move along.
By far, there were not enough prizes, but they were given out,
and the faces of the kids were priceless.  They didn’t expect to get
anything, but were so overjoyed to get anything at all, let alone something so
cool.
The thing is, the gifts weren’t just given, but they were explained
with grace, which was just awesome.  Examples and analogies like this
throughout the weekend hit home, and the kids understood what the bible was
talking about.
As long as this letter is, it still doesn’t cover all the blessings
from this trip.  It doesn’t mean that everything in the trip went perfectly
either.  We had injuries, sicknesses, and cars dying along way, but
whatever the Lord brought us to, He brought us through as well.
--Susil Isaac

Anything But Glamourous

If anybody has the misguided idea that missionary life is glamorous, this week's events would disspell those misconceptions. It was another outreach weekend as a group from Calvary Chapel Heidelberg Germany flew in to Budapest and then traveled to the Ukraine to work with kids at a boarding school there. Through guitar lessons, language practice, sports and games the group of young adults connected with the Ukrainian/Hungarian youth enabling them to share their faith in very genuine ways.
After arriving back at our home late Sunday night, Russell loaded them in the van very early Monday morning and headed to Budapest where he planned to drop them off at the airport before attending a series of meetings with different missionaries. Ahh, but the best laid plans of mice and men ....
About an hour or so down the road, the van died. After calling the auto club, they waited for hours. Even the very mechanically-gifted Germans could not get the van to start. By the time they got towed to the nearby town of Eger, the Germans raced to catch a train, but not all of them managed to catch their flight. They were trapped in Budapest with no way home.
The van was in the shop and Russell, being the able-minded problem solver he is alerted the church community in Debrecen and found a solution. Our pastor would let Russ drive his car, and he could take the group to Germany -- a 12-14 hour drive one way.
They drove all night Monday night. At 4am I received an SMS on my cell phone -- the pastor's car broke down as they crossed into Germany -- with four more hours of driving yet to do. The five large guys slept in the tiny car outside a repair shop and waited for dawn. By 8:30 am the car was fixed and they were back on the road and the sleepy crew made it back the fatherland in one piece.
Russ is making the most of the trip as he is seizing the opportunity to meet with the groups coming for our big Thanksgiving at the Miskolc Orphanage. He still must make the long trip home though, so please keep him in your prayers.

Happy Birthday Niki!

Niki has now been a part of our family for about 10 months and on the 20th we celebrated her 7th birthday with all her friends at the Hungarian kindergarten. It was party fit for a princess as Niki wore a crown and sat beside her princess cake while her whole class sang to her. The event was punctuated by balloon games and balloon animals and every child went home with his own bottle of bubbles. Niki now looks forward to her family birthday party tonight where she will enjoy all her princess themed gifts. She has become our little princess!

Back in the Swing of Things

The Chuns took a vacation the first week in September and it was greatly needed. We enjoyed some solitude on the Hungarian/ Slovenian border and the girls got to have a horse experience. We even got to ride the old logging train between villages although we were deluged with rain much of the trip. We sandwiched the vacation with visits to the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Vajta, Hungary where we got to catch up with Andi's God mother and namesake who recently became a mother herself.
Now we are home and back into the swing of things with the girls active in Ovoda (Hungarian Kindergarten) in the mornings. I homeschool them with some basic first grade material in the afternoons. The plan is that they will learn to read and write English this year and Hungarian next year when they enter Hungarian first grade.
Ministry has not slowed down one iota. Even while we were on vacation, GoodSports was still active as Luca coordinated a team from Calvary Chapels in Germany, taking them into the Ukraine for ministry and outreach at a youth center there. This week Russ resumed his weekly trek to Miskolc to lead a bible study with the orphanage kids. And even as I type this, our garage is full of Mikepercsi baseball boys working with Russ to put together a pingpong table. Next week another team from Germany arrives to minister in a boarding school in Ukraine and things at home will not be slow either as Niki celebrates her 7th Birthday on Thursday 20 September.
Meanwhile things are rolling ahead for the Thanksgiving program in Miskolc -- where we are celebrating our 10th anniversary of doing Thanksgiving at the orphanage. Never a dull moment at the Chun house.

A Sinister Plot

Things have slowed down a bit, but that does not mean life is dull. Even simple everyday activities turn into an outright adventure when you are a foreigner living in a Hungarian village. For example, last week we took our dogs to the vet, realizing that having a male and a female dog could only lead to trouble. We wanted them both fixed, but the doc convinced us that a simple birth control shot would due for Blackie (the female) and he could "fix" Extra (the male) right then -- no appointment necessary! Extra had no idea what hit him, unfortunately Russ knew all too well as he assisted in the operation. Keep in mind, the vet speaks no English and while Russ' Hungarian is improving, his vocabulary is largely limited to baseball words.
I cannot testify as to what exactly transpired in that basement room of the vet's home, but when I stuck my head in to see how things were going, I saw Russell grimacing as he held two canine testicles up and the doggy doc did the clip job.
After completing the operation, the vet took us to his garden in the back and sent us home with bag full of home-grown Hungarian peaches -- which I promptly used to make Texas peach cobbler with little concern or regard for the trauma that both Extra and Russell had sustained.
Now, a week later, I can assure you that Extra seems to have suffered no long-term emotional damage. Russell, on the other hand, may never be the same after participating in such a sinister plot to evade canine multiplication.

Moving Forward

The summer has now largely wound down to a close after we hosted seven orphanage boys and David and Csilla hosted three orphanage girls for our first retreat last week. It was a time of comfort and spiritual support for kids who now struggle to figure out how to live out the Christian life in very trying situations.
For example, one boy, who fled his home several years ago after his father tried to murder him, suffered the loss of both his mother and brother the week previous to the retreat. He who was an orphan of situation, became a true orphan that week. Yet there he was with us for the retreat – trying to sort out how to live out his new found faith in the face of such a horrible loss.
A girl – the oldest of ten – struggled with the heavy responsibility she feels for her siblings, as her parents’ failing health make family reconciliation seem like a pipe dream. That’s more than any 16-17 year old should have to handle.
And so they came with all their heavy burdens – each with a different tragic story. And they picnicked by the lake and did the paddle boats and go karts, but the fun was punctuated by disciple-building bible studies designed to put them on the right track. The Calvary Chapel Debrecen Youth Group played an integral part in the event and many desire to serve a role in the discipleship of these kids. The church’s youth leader took out time to spend one night with the boys at our house.
Russ continues his weekly pilgrimage to Miskolc in an effort to disciple and support these kids and youth group college students have volunteered to help translate. We pray that local churches will rise up and begin the mentorship process with these kids, but until then Russ is determined to answer the call, despite distance, language, and cultural barriers.

A Kutya Fajat!

“A Kutya Fajat!” That’s Hungarian slang which roughly translates “bummer!” Literally, however, it translates “the dog’s tree,” which clearly offers more colorful imagery for that sentiment – a sentiment we recently experienced when a local stray dog decided to call us his own.
We call him “Extra,” and he is ugly. Of course, so is our other dog, which we got at five weeks old by choice – at that time she was cute. Puppies are truly false advertising, but that is a different story.
With Blackie, we may have been deceived, but with Extra, we knew he was ugly from the outset. He was the thorn in the side of the entire neighborhood. Everyone (including us) threw rocks at him to get him out of their yard and garden. He killed a neighbor’s pigeon and generally made the kid of trouble a stray dog makes when he is trying to survive in the cruel world. One day, he simple decided we were his family – even though we continually chased him out of the yard. He would greet us when we arrived home. If I walked to the village center he would be right at my side.
“You are NOT my dog!” Russ would yell at him and spray him with some water as he watered the lawn. Extra just happily played in the water’s spray and wagged his oldly formed tail.
One day during English camp I came home to find that someone had tried to steal a giant flower pot from our front porch. As they tried to climb through the fence, something had made them drop it and it broke in half. I could not help but wonder if Extra had something to do with foiling the theft.
The next night the car alarm went off, but just before it did, Extra who had perched himself on our front doorstep broke out in a barking frenzy. And that was when Extra became our “extra” dog. We did not need or want another dog, so he is the extra dog, rightfully named “Extra.”
But an extra dog is not the only thing we can say, “A kutya fajat!” about. The Degus I wrote of in a previous blog – the gift that keeps on giving – has done just that. Three baby Degus were spotted in the cage last week. Lately, we have only seen one up and running around, but whatever has happenedto them, we now have more Degu than we started with. And we started with more Degu than we ever wanted.

Not Left as Orphans

So often in American-style Christianity so much emphasis is put on the moment a person accepts Christ that we forget that this is just one step (although a critical step) in a long process that started long before this point and continues for the rest of one’s life. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of kids give their lives to Christ. From a missionary perspective, it would be easy to call it a success. But real life is much more complicated than that.
Christ, as our example, shepherded his disciples through doubt and misunderstanding to eventually accept Him as Christ and Saviour. But before His death on the cross, He told them, “I do not leave you as orphans…”
Many of these kids who have come to Christ have already been orphaned once in this life. So our responsibility is doubled as we determine not to leave them as spiritual orphans too. As a result our efforts have doubled. On Saturday a week ago, we took a group to Miskolc. The girls did a study on beauty after doing facials and Kally from Californian gave her testimony which emphasized God’s love for us and His desire for purity in our lives. Russ did a study on strength for the boys which included a contest in eating really hot (strong) peppers. But once or twice a month is not going to cut it. These kids need regular support. So Russ now travels to Miskolc once a week to do a Bible study (Assisted/translated by a Hungarian Christian who lives in Miskolc). The first study kicked off last week as the boys openly shared their struggles with anger and sin in their lives.
In our village of Mikepercs, the baseball team known as the Mikepercsi Mosquitoes began asking for a youth Bible study, so last week we also kicked off our first meeting for this group. A puppet show ministry worked with us in the Debrecen orphanages all week and agreed to perform in our livingroom for the Mikepercs kids. We had 7or8 kids. The puppeteers performed the story of Saul’s conversion with a Hungarian sound track and Russ gave a small presentation of the gospel. The event was punctuated by French fries and American milkshakes and a good game of catch in the backyard afterward.
We are currently gearing up for a small retreat for the orphanage kids -- bringing then to Debrecen for a couple of nights to have some fun and focus on Christ at the same time. Please pray for this event as we are really tired as the summer draws to a close. And yesterday the Debrecen youth baseball team headed to Ohio for their American baseball camp. This is the first time we have undertaken such a project. Please pray for these kids who have little to no spiritual influences in their lives, that God would use all the people they come into contact with in Ohio to show His love to them.

An Amazing English Camp

“How Great is our God,” strummed Kent Dickerson on his guitar as English campers congregated around the camp pool. What we did not realize is that we were about to get a glimpse of just how great our God is. After five days of learning English, laughing and playing together, four youth prepared for baptism and shared the stories of how they came to Christ. Three of these four had poured their lives into the kids of the Miskolc orphanage over the previous year. And after they descended into the water, the spirit of God descended like a flood and a total of 16 people were baptized that day, including five orphanage kids and one from our village of Miskolc. From the orphanage, first Arpi and Roli and Bandi (whom we have known 10 years) came into the water and then Evi and Jozsi.

One would be hard pressed to find a dry eye by the pool that day as kids we have prayed for years submitted their lives to Christ. But the move of God did not end there. Balu struggled with God all Friday night. On Saturday afternoon our friend and colleague, Csilla, received an sms message from him saying that he too had accepted Christ. Evi and others sms-ed Csilla to tell her they had begun reading Matthew.

But now our work has only just begun as these kids face an especially hard task of trying to live out their new found faith under the harsh realities of orphanage life. We are working hard to build a support structure for these kids and the Debrecen youth group is eager to be a part of that.

We are thankful to Ovilla Road Baptist Church for the effective part they played in English Camp and the PHV Chapel in Germany, many of whom have been praying for specific orphanage kids for years.

A Miskolc Miracle

Riding a series of mishaps (see previous posting) the Miskolc Baseball Camp swirled into an array of activity as volunteers from California, Florida, Hungary and Texas came together share their lives with the kids of the Miskolc orphanage.

The Hungarian church youth group stepped up to the plate to serve as translators for this event as well as our good friends and fellow GoodSports staff David and Csilla Muscan.

The program was simple: Baseball and games by day and an “American Idol”-style talent competition each evening. But significant moments are not scripted into a camp schedule. It was in that late hours of the night when the team members talked deeply with the kids that one teen boy shared his story: Antal (not his real name), a teenager, fled his home after his father tried to kill him. But life on the streets proved equally harsh as bands of street kids beat him up leaving him friendless and desperate. He drifted in and out of institutions and eventually ended up in the Children’s Home in Miskolc.

That’s where our team met Antal. His life was so full of pain and rejection that some team members could not help but weep as they heard his story. Antal sensed their compassion and the movement of God’s Spirit that night as he invited Christ into his life. In that moment a life was changed a miracle of restoration was born.

Antal is just one of countless faces which hide enormous hurts. Pray for him and all the kids at the Miskolc Children’s Home. (A Special thanks to the Military Chapels in Germany whose donations made this camp possible).

Also pray for the GoodSports Bojnice, Slovakia baseball camp (June 30-July 8) as GoodSports Hungary sent a number of kids (thanks to a donation from Acton Baptist Church VBS) -- some of whom may be exposed to the gospel for the very first time.

Pray for the upcoming English Camp July 8-14 where 13 kids from the Miskolc orphanage will join a hundred others kids for English classes, sports, and fun. Pray that they will experience love and acceptance in this environment and perhaps even come to Christ.

Casualties in Miskolc, Chickens in Mikepercs

The camp at the Miskolc orphanage is not even half over, but it has already sustained its share of mishaps. On Sunday the team realized it had forgotten many critical items leading me (Trudy) to make an unscheduled excursion to bring camp crafts, a large cooler, a computer and other items. It was a two hour trek each way in sweltering heat and no airconditioning and two very tired, very whinny girls in the back. And then after I got there, I realized I had forgotten the most critical item, the big cooler.

On Tuesday, Russell sustained a baseball blow to the face requiring three stitches, and some of the team have apparently picked up poison ivy while others are suffering stomach ailments. But the camp must go on, and on it goes as the team enters their third day of camp. Please keep them in your prayers. I will return with the girls on Friday for the final day of the camp.

Meanwhile on the homefront, on Monday morning our yard was inundated by our neighbor's chickens -- which I did not think was a big problem until they started eating Russell's flowers. I ran outside to shew them, but I could not get them over the fence. When our neighbor came out -- the one who gave us the degus (see previous posting)-- I said, "Hey, your chickens are here." He said, "Just throw them over the fence," but I did not want to touch those things. So Andi and Niki and I chased the chickens around the back yard with a broom until we had "swept" them back into their native habitat.

Never a dull moment in Hungary!

Rodents: The Gift the Keeps on Giving

Gifts can be a language of love and appreciation, but beware of this love language when you live in a Hungarian village. Two years ago our neighbors tried to give us a molting pigeon as a gift. We managed to finess our way out of that one. Last year they tried to give us rabbits for the girls. Again we managed to graciously pass them up. But a few weeks ago, this delightful "horse whisperer" of Mikepercs did not give us a chance to say no as he handed Russ an old birdcage over the fence. Then cage contained three rodents of undetermined origin. Our neighbor watched as Russ called me (Trudy) outside keeping a fake smile pasted over his worried countenance. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Tell me they are not rats."
The good news is they are not rats. Our neighbor insisted they are American squirrels, but they were like no other squirrels I had ever seen. They resemble a squirrel in color and size, but are built more like chincillas.

At first we were not sure if the neighbors were trying to give us a pet or if they thought, "We should give the American Squirrels to the Americans. It has probably been a long time since they had squirrel stew."

After much research, we managed to identify them as Degu -- a rodent from the Chilean Andees. How they made their way to our village in Hungary I will never know. Of the three given to us, one is female, one is male and one we are not sure about. It may well prove to be the gift that keeps on giving. Anyone want a Degu?

Mikepercs English Days

GoodSports kicked off its summer program with English Days in our village of Mikepercs. Kids from the village from 9-13 years of age came to meet our American team, play games and learn English. We received a warm welcome from the local school and although the event attracted only a small group of kids, they were an exceptionally good group. And it enabled us to develop deeper relationships with those who did attend. Games like “hook up” tag and “pictionary” filled the morning and Frisbee and t-ball enlivened the afternoons. Each day ended with a visit the local ice cream shop. One the last day Russ and Trudy were able to explain to the kids exactly why they are here in Mikepercs and they told the kids that God sees them as His precious treasure – so precious that God has given his Son to die for their sins so that He could know them and be known by them.

Debrecen's First Baseball Field Opens

In Debrecen, Hungary you are more likely to see soccer fields or handball courts than the filed that has for so long represented America's favorite passtime. But the times they are a changing. On June 2, 2007 Debrecen's first baseball field opened with fanfare and festivities. Even the mayor of Debrecen was on hand to cut the ribbon and a special representative from the US embassy, Eric Gaudiosi, politcal advisor to the ambassador, threw out the first ball. Also on hand to celebrate the event was former pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, Tom Johnson, who now heads up GoddSports programs in Slovakia. It was a weekend of baseball, hotdogs, Hungarian gulyas and lots of play as the baseball tournament brought teams from Szentendre and Jászberény (near Budapest) to play Debrecen's own Tiger Kids.

Gearing Up for Summer Camps

GoodSports summer line up of camps is falling into place with outreaches that includes orphanages in Debrecen, Hungary, maybe some work in Ukraine and for the first time in GoodSports history we may be bringing a youth baseball team to America for a baseball camp. Following is our 2007 summer schedule as it currently stands:

June
16 Orphange Outreach (Miskolc, Hungary)
19-23 English Days in Mikepercs (Mikepercs, Hungary)
25-29 Baseball Camp at Orphanage (Miskolc, Hungary)

July
28 June-8 July GoodSports Slovakia Baseball Camp (Bojnice, Slovakia)
8-14 English Camp at Dorcas (Debrecen, Hungary)
20-28 Camp TBA

August
29 July-16 August Hungarian youth team camp in America (Lancaster, Ohio)
13-24 Soccer Camp (Debrecen, Hungary)

September
1-8 Street Ministry (Beregszaz, Ukraine)

October
6-13 Sports Camp (Beregszaz, Ukraine)