Thursday, July 5, 2007

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.

2 comments:

Dan said...

Sounds like God is doing some amazing things over there! I can't wait to come back. Glad to see your blog. I will check it regularly.

Anonymous said...

Love the photo. See you in November