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Its all about people

girls "ARISE and join the Teams that go out - YOU will never be the same, and like us it’s not long before you are off again and obeying God’s great Commandment to GO, GO, GO.”

“If you’re wondering about short term missions then consider that when you're part of a team you're not just talking about serving God but you're actually out there DOING IT!!”

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Seven Months in Hungary

Seven months is up and I can hardly believe it. It is very good to be home, but at the same time I also miss the friends I made and my life in Hungary.

I did a few different things while I was in Hungary. Four days a week I taught at Bolyai János Military Technical College. I had quite a number of classes – most I saw every week, but occasionally it would be less often. The cadets spend most of their English lessons learning grammar, and so my classes were about practising what they were learning. There was a small Bible study group on Monday nights which I joined. It consisted of a few students from the college and a few guys that had graduated and are now officers in the Hungarian army.

On Thursdays I would head up to Vác which is 40 minutes north of Budapest by train. There were two different groups I helped with in Vác (but they were on at the same time, so I could only go to one each week!). There are two English clubs that are run for people in the community from 4-8pm. I would help with these, and actually taught them when the couple who run it were having their baby. On Thursdays there is also an English conversation group which meets to just chat in English. In addition to these groups, there would be an English party once a month. Students from all these groups were invited and we would have a theme, learn English, eat and have devotions. These were great fun!

I would often help Melanie Carlson in the office doing miscellaneous tasks, and as we prepared for camp I helped with preparing the camp curriculum and spent the couple of weeks before camp gathering and packing all the things we took to camp.

When I first found out I would be teaching at a military college, I was very worried about what it would be like. I was quite convinced that God had the wrong person for the job! I was a similar age to my students, a female, and knew virtually nothing about the military! But of course, God knows what he is doing, and it was a big opportunity for me to experience His faithfulness to me. Every time I walked onto the base I would think “wow!” and ask God to give me the strength and courage to do what I needed to, and to show Jesus to those I met there. He did more than that – He gave me joy as well. He proved that He wouldn’t give me more than I could handle, and I ended up having a fabulous time there!

Going to Hungary has changed me. God taught me so many things, and it was amazing to meet with other Christians, see what God was doing in another part of the world, encourage those who were searching for answers and to help out the team that is working there.

I could tell a hundred more stories – God is so good. Hungary and Hungarians will always have a very special place in my heart, and I pray that they will in yours too. Thank you for your support while I was away. I can’t tell you how much of a blessing and encouragement that was -your prayers were so valuable to me.

At the moment I have a few part-time jobs teaching English at language schools here in Christchurch, and hopefully this will lead to more permanent work. I am excited because Reuben O’Callaghan and I got engaged shortly after I arrived home and so now we are also busy planning our wedding.

Blessings to you all,
Jenny Dale (Short term missionary to Hungary with OMS NZ)

You Think It's Hard in NZ?

We have just spent five weeks at a church in a very rural area in Tohoku, North Japan. This has been one of our best, yet most challenging times we have had. We were out of our comfort zone, but we were in God's hands and under His leading. We arrived here on a Saturday and the next day we and another family, husband, wife and three children were the only ones at the service. The pastor's wife plays the organ and one of the congregation looks after the children in a small room next door; that cut our numbers back to three. The next Sunday we were all pleased to see four more attend, but we were back to four the following Sunday. On enquiring I found that the average attendance is about five.

Are Short-Term Missions Worthwhile?

Here are some comments from the Ladies SAL(Salt And Light) team to work in Hong Kong.

Filipino workers congregating at Central Station, Hong Kong

“We met the small fellowship of Christian Filipino women on the first Sunday and I was almost overwhelmed with their enthusiasm and the warm welcome and love we received. These ladies displayed such delight in the Lord and in being together. It was something of a reality check, reminding me of things I take so much for granted. How many of us in New Zealand show that much delight in seeing our fellow Christians on a Sunday?”

Invisible People: life under the C5 bridge

As you drive over the C-5 Bridge, if you look east into the interior of Luzon, the island on which Manila is located, you see in the distance gently sloping mountains of suburbia. Beautiful. If you look west, you see above you on a slope the messy scene of a shantytown, a place where urban squatters live.

Ugly.

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