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.