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.