As I write this, we are wrapping up five weeks of unending camps and mission outreaches which stretched from an orphanage in Miskolc, Hungary up to a baseball camp in Bojnice, Slovakia then into the simplicity of Hungarian village life and finally into a youth English camp before wrapping up back in the orphanage at Miskolc.
Over the course of these weeks we've struggled to break through the thick walls erected by wounded souls, we've fought stereotypes and an outbreak of scabies along with a threat of lyme's disease, we've learned more about our brothers and sisters in Christ who come from different denominational backgrounds, and we have seen some precious kids come to Christ in very genuine ways.
I used to think that was what it was all about, but now I understand that this is just the beginning. Becoming a part of a family can happen in just a moment, but that moment is but the cusp of relationships that develop and deepen over the course of a lifetime -- or perhaps eternity.
On last Friday, a baptism occured on the final day of English Camp. When Evi, one girl from the Miskolc orphanage learned of it, she ran to her best friend asked her if she wanted to be baptized. Evi had been baptized the year before.
"I do not even know what it is about," Anita explained.
Evi shared with her friend how it was the outward expression of what Christ has done in one's heart.
Anita's eyes lit up as she asked excitedly, "Can I do it in jeans?"
Anita could not be held back that day and as she stood before the crowd of campers and counselors, she told her story:
"My name is Anita. Two years ago both my parents died, one six months after the other. I lived with various relatives after that, but as soon as I got settled in one place, I was sent somewhere else. I had no home. Eventually I was sent to the orphanage in Miskolc. And when I started going to the Wednesday bible study and the different conferences and programs that you made for us, I suddenly felt like I had a family again. God has given me a family in you."
That day Anita proclaimed Christ and was born into a new family -- the family of God. It is a new beginning for her, but just the first day among many where she will grow and change succeed and sometimes fail.
May we always be faithful to love her and those like her through it all. This is our call -- to love and guide them in love through their good and bad days. For not only do we share the gospel of Jesus Christ, we share our very lives as well, because they have become so dear to us. 1Thess2:8.
Please pray for Anita and Evi and all the kids of the Lakasotthon orphanage. God is doing a work among them even now.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Gearing Up for Summer!
The mercury is rising in Hungary as summer fast approaches. Here is a tentative schedule of events for GoodSports' high season along with a slideshow to help us remember all the joys and workings of God we experienced last year.
June 23-27 Baseball Camp in Miskolc, Hungary (reaching out to orphanage kids)
June 28-July 6 Baseball Camp in Bojnice, Slovakia
July 13-18 English Camp in Debrecen, Hungary
TBA English Days in Mikepercs, Hungary (reaching out to village kids)
June 23-27 Baseball Camp in Miskolc, Hungary (reaching out to orphanage kids)
June 28-July 6 Baseball Camp in Bojnice, Slovakia
July 13-18 English Camp in Debrecen, Hungary
TBA English Days in Mikepercs, Hungary (reaching out to village kids)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
An Orphan's Challenge to Believe
"God has never answered my prayers," said 15-year-old Robi* who lives at the orphanage in Miskolc, Hungary, "And He never will."
The other orphan teens at the Wednesday afternoon Bible study raised their eyebrows as they turned to Russell and Karesz, the leaders, for reply. It is a statement that would raise most of our eyebrows, if not cause us to gasp in shocked offense at such blatant irreverence for God. But what was Robi really saying with this statement?
I do not know his story, but one does not end up in a Hungarian orphanage if life has been good and happy. We can rest assured that his life, thus far, has been at best, really bad; at worst, unspeakably tragic.
Last summer Robi came face to face with the Gospel and love of Christ for the first time in his life. He responded, and was baptized.
Since then, despite his everpresent proclivity for getting into trouble, he often comes to the regular Wednesday Bible study at the orphanage. Sometimes he is little more than a disruptive influence there, but still he comes. And so last week, in the midst of his disruptions, he blurted out, "God has never answered my prayers, and never will."
The words are shocking. They are irreverent. Perhaps a cry for attention. Perhaps a challenge to God. But before we write Robi off as a "tool of Satan" to wreak havoc on the Bible study and place doubts in the hearts of the struggling believers there, consider the fact that Robi's words are not so different from those penned by David, a man after God's own heart, in Psalm 22:1-2:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." (NIV)
Robi has not yet made it verse three in this passage, where David takes his eyes off himself and begins to recognize who God is and all that God has done through the ages, which galvanizes his faith to push forward, despite God's seeming silence.
Robi's faith is still in its infancy. He scarcely knows it what it means to be "sure of what we hope for and confident of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1) The life in which he finds himself has left him ill-equipped to fight the battles that he faces. He is like an untrained soldier forced to the frontlines. And these Wednesday Bible studies represent his only training ground -- and he is being trained in the heat of fiercest combat.
As we see the despair, let us not overlook the hope in his words. First, clearly Robi believes in God. He knows God is out there, he merely questions God's interest in him personally. Second, "God has never answered my prayers," insinuates that Robi prays. There is some faith alive in him. And finally, the fact that he says, "God never will," insinuates that he expects to pray in the future.
Robi is distraught, longing for assurance, but he has not given up on God.
And the better news than that is: God has not given up on Robi.
If we were all a little more honest, we'd have to admit we have had Robi moments too -- those dark days when God seems so distant, "so far from the words of our groanings." (Ps 22:1) I am thankful Robi had the confidence to articulate the doubts most of us would keep hidden in our most secret of places.
Join with me and pray for Robi at the Miskolc orphanage, that God would bring this boy through this dark time, and make Himself known to Robi in a real and dynamic way. And that God would use Karesz, Russell, and other Christians to meet this boy where he is.
*Not his real name.
The other orphan teens at the Wednesday afternoon Bible study raised their eyebrows as they turned to Russell and Karesz, the leaders, for reply. It is a statement that would raise most of our eyebrows, if not cause us to gasp in shocked offense at such blatant irreverence for God. But what was Robi really saying with this statement?
I do not know his story, but one does not end up in a Hungarian orphanage if life has been good and happy. We can rest assured that his life, thus far, has been at best, really bad; at worst, unspeakably tragic.
Last summer Robi came face to face with the Gospel and love of Christ for the first time in his life. He responded, and was baptized.
Since then, despite his everpresent proclivity for getting into trouble, he often comes to the regular Wednesday Bible study at the orphanage. Sometimes he is little more than a disruptive influence there, but still he comes. And so last week, in the midst of his disruptions, he blurted out, "God has never answered my prayers, and never will."
The words are shocking. They are irreverent. Perhaps a cry for attention. Perhaps a challenge to God. But before we write Robi off as a "tool of Satan" to wreak havoc on the Bible study and place doubts in the hearts of the struggling believers there, consider the fact that Robi's words are not so different from those penned by David, a man after God's own heart, in Psalm 22:1-2:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." (NIV)
Robi has not yet made it verse three in this passage, where David takes his eyes off himself and begins to recognize who God is and all that God has done through the ages, which galvanizes his faith to push forward, despite God's seeming silence.
Robi's faith is still in its infancy. He scarcely knows it what it means to be "sure of what we hope for and confident of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1) The life in which he finds himself has left him ill-equipped to fight the battles that he faces. He is like an untrained soldier forced to the frontlines. And these Wednesday Bible studies represent his only training ground -- and he is being trained in the heat of fiercest combat.
As we see the despair, let us not overlook the hope in his words. First, clearly Robi believes in God. He knows God is out there, he merely questions God's interest in him personally. Second, "God has never answered my prayers," insinuates that Robi prays. There is some faith alive in him. And finally, the fact that he says, "God never will," insinuates that he expects to pray in the future.
Robi is distraught, longing for assurance, but he has not given up on God.
And the better news than that is: God has not given up on Robi.
If we were all a little more honest, we'd have to admit we have had Robi moments too -- those dark days when God seems so distant, "so far from the words of our groanings." (Ps 22:1) I am thankful Robi had the confidence to articulate the doubts most of us would keep hidden in our most secret of places.
Join with me and pray for Robi at the Miskolc orphanage, that God would bring this boy through this dark time, and make Himself known to Robi in a real and dynamic way. And that God would use Karesz, Russell, and other Christians to meet this boy where he is.
*Not his real name.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Girls in Crisis and God's Love
Rape, abuse, rejection, neglect ...
These are the issues -- the deep secrets -- some of the girls at last weekend's conference carried with them. How does one value and respect oneself, when no one has ever respected them?
Into these heavy lives came Gina from FIT Decisions and the
The discussions were punctuated by clever crafts, kickboxing, and classes in self defense. And Gina shared heartwrenching stories from her own life, which connected her intimately with these these hurting girls.
On Saturday, at lunch, Tunde, who grew up in the orphanage and holds a rather loud and abrasive exterior, called Russ and I over. We first met Tunde ten years ago at the
One of the team members from
When we put the orphanage girls on the bus to head back. Our whole group stood beside the bus doing "the wave" and blowing kisses and making an all around American spectacle of ourselves. The girls on the bus laughed hysterically and waved back. They knew we valued them, and that God values them too.
Two of the orphanage girls appear to have made steps toward Christ this weekend -- only Christ knows their hearts for sure. Please continue to pray for them as they return to their lives and situations where they do not feel as loved or valued.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Teens, Sex, and Choices
Truth and Consequences...
Cause and Effect ...
We begin to instill these concepts into our children from birth.
Crying brings food.
Crying brings a clean diaper.
Crying brings comfort.
Laughing brings happy faces and cheery sounds.
But what about the child who never got that? What about the neglected child who cried and cried, but no one came? What about the orphanage child who had his needs met only according to institution schedule? For them cause-and-effect do not compute.
I am amazed as I look at my two girls -- one born to us by flesh, the other brought to us through God's gracious gift of adoption. Although eight months younger, our biological daughter fully grasps cause-and-effect. "If I choose to disobey, then I must face the consequences." But our adopted daughter does not get it, yet. Even after more than a year on consistent boundaries and discipline, she does not yet fully comprehend that her choices have consequences.
CHOICES. That is a fundamental topic for the teen girls conference we have scheduled for Feb, 7-10. It is a joint conference for the Miskolc orphanage girls and our youth group girls here in Debrecen.
Choices about health. Choices about friends. Choices about guys and sex. Choices about God.
A teen girl's life today is fully of choices. But for the orphanage girls, this concept may be completely new and perhaps a little incomprehensible. They are victims of neglect, abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment ...etc. They see all these tragedies as simply part of life. And life just happens. And even in the areas where they can take control, they have simply let life happen to them. The result: being used by boys, unwanted pregnancies, multiple abortions ...etc. They do not really grasp cause-and-effect. It has never been taught to them.
This conference has the potential to reshape how they see themselves, their relationships with others, and their relationship with God.
But we would be naive to expect such a dramatic reshaping to occur in single weekend. It will take discipleship. And discipleship is neither easy nor instant. Perhaps, this weekend, will mark a new beginning, a starting point, from which they will begin to discover how their choices have long-term implications.
So I invite you to pray for this event.
Pray for group coming from Ohio to lead the conference.
Pray for the conference leader, Gina from FIT Decisions.
Pray for the orphanage girls who will be attending
Pray for the youth group girls who will be attending.
Simply pray that God will use this according to His will to do a work in the lives of these desperate teens.
And most of all, Pray that God raises up young women in Miskolc who will disciple these orphanage girls as to how to live a Christian life.
Cause and Effect ...
We begin to instill these concepts into our children from birth.
Crying brings food.
Crying brings a clean diaper.
Crying brings comfort.
Laughing brings happy faces and cheery sounds.
But what about the child who never got that? What about the neglected child who cried and cried, but no one came? What about the orphanage child who had his needs met only according to institution schedule? For them cause-and-effect do not compute.
I am amazed as I look at my two girls -- one born to us by flesh, the other brought to us through God's gracious gift of adoption. Although eight months younger, our biological daughter fully grasps cause-and-effect. "If I choose to disobey, then I must face the consequences." But our adopted daughter does not get it, yet. Even after more than a year on consistent boundaries and discipline, she does not yet fully comprehend that her choices have consequences.
CHOICES. That is a fundamental topic for the teen girls conference we have scheduled for Feb, 7-10. It is a joint conference for the Miskolc orphanage girls and our youth group girls here in Debrecen.
Choices about health. Choices about friends. Choices about guys and sex. Choices about God.
A teen girl's life today is fully of choices. But for the orphanage girls, this concept may be completely new and perhaps a little incomprehensible. They are victims of neglect, abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment ...etc. They see all these tragedies as simply part of life. And life just happens. And even in the areas where they can take control, they have simply let life happen to them. The result: being used by boys, unwanted pregnancies, multiple abortions ...etc. They do not really grasp cause-and-effect. It has never been taught to them.
This conference has the potential to reshape how they see themselves, their relationships with others, and their relationship with God.
But we would be naive to expect such a dramatic reshaping to occur in single weekend. It will take discipleship. And discipleship is neither easy nor instant. Perhaps, this weekend, will mark a new beginning, a starting point, from which they will begin to discover how their choices have long-term implications.
So I invite you to pray for this event.
Pray for group coming from Ohio to lead the conference.
Pray for the conference leader, Gina from FIT Decisions.
Pray for the orphanage girls who will be attending
Pray for the youth group girls who will be attending.
Simply pray that God will use this according to His will to do a work in the lives of these desperate teens.
And most of all, Pray that God raises up young women in Miskolc who will disciple these orphanage girls as to how to live a Christian life.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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 ch
ildren'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.
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 ch
ildren'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.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
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.
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.
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