Szerk.: Csuka Zsuzsi

In July 2008, a small team made up mostly of our youth group, went and visited the small village of Érszõlõs, Transylvania; population 1000.

We went to give out aid packages and to serve in the local pentecostal church. Yet we found out that we weren't the only ones giving - we received just as much, if not more, than what we gave. Here are some brief stories from the trip.


zõcs Gergõ (youth group)
What really touched me in Érszõlõs was the people’s hospitality. Everybody was happy to have us: Barnabás, István (who we had dinner with), everywhere where we gave out the aid packages! It was amazing to me how giving the people were, inspite of their neediness. István also shared with us how little he makes and how he provides for his family of five. Yet they still provided a four course lunch for 14 people, and the same for breakfast. They fulfilled every desire of ours (even ironing our shirts) and they never had a grudge against us.

This inspired me to be the same way with others. I really think we received just as much as we gave on this missions trip (even more) so I came home with a good impression: I was able to help, and in the same time grow spiritually.


Balogh Robi (our “handsome” and “young” youth leader, one of the trip organizers)
I wasn’t looking forward to this day. Organizing a missions trip isn’t the easiest thing to do. The day before leaving three people cancelled from the trip. That shook my faith; should we even be going at all? But by the time we had to leave the team was ready, and I realized that Satan was trying to discourage us and to stop us.

So early Saturday morning we headed to Érszõlõs.  When we arrived they received us with great love and lots of cookies. We couldn’t even finish them all, so we saved some for the next day. Not long after this we went to give out the aid packages donated through Eastern European Mission. The locals had a list of people to whom we should give the food aid. We met some very special people that afternoon. I often think that these trips are more for those who are giving out the packages than for those who are receiving. Seeing the circumstances in which they live and their faith in God, made us all think, why do we complain so much? Why can’t we be content and grateful to God for what we have? Just as Paul was content in all situations:

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:11-13

After we gave out the parcels, which we really believed found their way to where they were meant to go – we went to the the church to attend the local youth group. In the evening we saw a few familiar faces from that afternoon. We worshipped together with the local youth, then our (handsome and young) youth leader taught about our relationship with God and about the feeding of the five thousand. We had a really good discussion at the end about these topics, and we thanked God for blessing that day so much. The next day our small team ministered in the church with songs and testimonies. As for me it was awesome to listen to people share who have never shared in a church before. After the service we headed home, because our mission was over, or was it really?

God had something special in store even on the way home. We decided to come home on Highway 4 across Nagyvárad (Oradea). I was a little annoyed, because the M3 motorway is a lot faster. But before Cegléd we understood that this detour was in God’s perfect plan. On the road we noticed a couple whose car had broken down. We thought to ourselves, that as christians maybe we should stop and help them. We found out they had ran out of gas, so we pulled them into Cegléd. As we were about to leave them, we mentioned that we go to a church and if they would like to come and visit us they can. Honestly, I didn't think they would be interested, but after five minutes as we were still standing at the gas station, the guy came up to us and asked about this church, and said he wanted to know more about God. We were happy to share the good news with him, and invited him and his wife to our church. At this moment, as I write this, I can’t tell if they will come or not, but I am praying for them and I know that God started a good work in them.

As he did in us. We experienced God’s grace, love and care at work in us. We have learnt to be thankful in all circumstances, and that we might not always understand why God is leading us on a different route than the one we planned to go on. Yet we can still be sure that it’s part of God’s plan, we just don’t understand it yet. We will understand one day. This trip was a blessing to us all, and we hope we can be a part of such blessing again, and we hope that you can be a part of it, too.


Csuka Zsuzsi (picit idősebb, mint ifis)
As one of the “last minute” people I am really thankful for this trip. I have often thought that only a group that’s used to each other and in which people know each other well, can do God’s work in unity.  But I had to realize again, that God is above our human intelligence. Although we didn't know one another in the beginning, we were able to be a blessing as one team.

I think on this trip, we, the “postmen”, the deliverers of the aid, received the most. It’s not to our credit that the parcels were prepared (but to those who gave the money to buy everything) and yet we are the ones who saw many people moved to tears as their hearts softened and opened up – as a drop of happiness came into their lives. And we were the partakers of the kindness that they expressed as they wanted to repay for everything they had received. They expressed their gratitude in cakes, coffee, hugs and children’s poems. They are grateful to God, which is good, for we are as well. But they are also thankful to us, even though we hadn’t done much. We just went there.

If you are someone who gets scared when you hear the word evangelism, maybe the following will be an encouragement to you.

When the idea of the Debrecen outreach came about, I was scared. If I don’t sign up then I am a bad christian, but if I do sign up then I know I won’t be of any use to anyone. When the groups were being worked out I was quick to volunteer for the worship team. “Oh, thank you God; this way I don’t have to say a word, I can just sing!” At the prayer meetings we talked about distributing the flyers, filling out surveys and how to share the gospel. As I was going to be on the worship team though, I didn't have to deal with these things.

We arrived in Debrecen, and I was amazed by the city. It was beautiful, and somehow I felt relieved. I felt like handing out the flyers. (This has always been in the original plan,  I just didn’t know it!) Soon enough I realized though that handing out the flyers was going to be different to how it worked in the Budapest underground, where you just handed someone a flyer and then say good-bye. The people here were asking questions! “What kind of concert will it be?” “Well... a rockband will be playing, and it will be a good concert, so come. Bye,” was my answer, and then I was gone.  

As I was walking outside on the streets with Bori a desperate fear came upon me. “Lord, I am not useful to you! I feel so miserable. Why am I afraid to say out aloud that I am a Christian? And why am I not telling people that it will be a Christian concert? Heeelp!”

We walked to the fountain of the university. I had a big smile on my face but on the inside I was afraid. And then the team’s plan changed. Instead of giving a little concert at the university we were going to hand out flyers. Inside I was crying out for help again.

God was encouraging me through Marcell: “Of course we should tell the people that there’s 100 of us here from Budapest, from Calvary Chapel, that we came to preach the gospel, and there will be concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, that they should come!”

I then also began to get more courage as I begin to see people take the flyers with a smile, and then pausing as though they were open to talking. “This isn't too hard, we just have to tell the truth!”

We walked through the park and made sure everyone there got a flyer, and anyone who seemed open to talk we talked with them. Of course there were still false thoughts coming into our minds. “Oh, that couple there are cuddling so we shouldn't bother them; and that girl over there seems totally busy reading and listening to music, and anyway the way she is sitting shows that she doesn't want to talk to anyone.”

Her name was Andi, and she even asked us to sit down next to here. We were able to talk with her, and she answered the questions from the survey as well.

She told us that she is a student at the Catholic university and she believes that there is a power, something stronger than us, but she didn't know if it was possible to know more. Filling out the survey helped her realize a couple of things, and during the conversation God gave us the right words, because we didn’t haven’t anything –  that’s for sure.

She was really interested in everything we said and was touched by the possibility of having a personal relationship with God. She told us she hates praying – in her school she hadn’t experienced any results or benefits from praying. As we talked to her we became aware that she is really seeking God.  

Bori asked her if we could pray for something in her life to be changed, and she answered, “You can pray that I would meet more people like you”. To hear this made our eyes wet, then we held her hands and prayed for her. Bori spoke the gospel in her prayer, because of course we forgot to tell her the most important thing! Even this meant soo much to Andi, and we saw the marvel and astonishment on her face after the prayer, it was like, “Wow, is it possible to pray like this?”

As we left her surprised and shiny face behind, our hearts were flying, and we tried to calm ourselves down to a normal level as we left the park. As we recalled what had happened, we kept interrupting each other with excitement because we experienced a miracle of God. He had used us, and for this we gave Him the praise.

Although we didn’t see Andi at the concert the next day, we knew that God had planted the seed in her heart. Please pray for her, that she would ask Jesus to come into her life, and that she would experience the miracles of God in her daily life as we do – day by day through the work of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.

---

...Debrecen in May is wonderful. I am sure you’ve had that feeling before in Budapest, when you were in a nice green area, like Margaret Island. Something natural, so full of life.... Well, imagine this but a few hundred kilometers away from Budapest!

Getting off the bus after a few hours was a good thing, but there in Debrecen it meant something else as well: now we could start doing what we as a church had been praying and waiting for for weeks! ... Well, start doing what exactly...? Are we really going out onto the streets...?! By praying together in our group, this made everything ok. The university area is a good place. Many young people are there waiting to hear the truth... But because its Friday, everyone is leaving.... No, I wasn’t sure and confident about what was going to happen there. What should I do differently? Should I walk up to people confidently, or should I smile and wait for someone to start a conversation with me...?! Why can other people do this so naturally? Finally I gave up and just waited. Two guys were coming closer toward me. They were ordinary guys on a Friday afternoon, not in a hurry to go anywhere. They wanted to answer my questions... they had never heard the gospel before... Then sort of unsure of myself, I brought out the little pamphlet with the 4 points as we had learned J... I read the whole thing for them with the Bible verses. And they grasped the message! Should I be so surprised...?! God brought me here so these two guys would hear about Jesus. Hmm.

Also that night there was a girl from our church .... she needed someone to talk to. It was “random” that I was there for her... Is this also what outreach is about?  

Through all of this, in the background there was worship, much joy, much happiness and power overflowing from the group. I think we all sensed something about God's grace that night. And it had such a pleasing fragrance....

It was a time of highs and lows, blessings and times of rejection but at all times the Spirit was at work. The Lord was inspiring and loving, edging, and nudging people’s lives towards Himself. The responses were loving and caring- those I spoke with were truly touched as the Spirit of God moved in their lives. Some I spoke with had never heard of Jesus before and one girl in particular could see that a life following Jesus could really increase and extend her gifting. Others were touched by the Father heart of God and others saw for the first time the compassion of Christ and His will and longings for His children. I was encouraged how God used me even without translation (although it was a true blessing) and led me to those who had wonderful English comprehension.

One girl I spoke to really wanted to pursue a life with God and several people (from varying nationalities) spoke to her about Him, but was put off by what she saw of Christianity at times (or what she thought it was about) but I really encouraged her to read her Bible and really find out about Jesus because He is the one who cares for the widows, the supporter for the poor, the provider for the orphans and the shelter for the weak. She had a heart for the disadvantaged and I believe something changed in her life. God watered the seed that had been planted and she walked away with a new found perseverance from on high.

Using the picture resources and through translation, I was able to speak the love of God into people’s lives. I asked them to choose 3 pictures that spoke about their life. When they had chosen them, I asked them to explain the pictures. While they explained them, I asked God to highlight a picture for them and I spoke a word for their life, leading on to the gospel. It was an encouragement for them and for me and it made me realize how amazing God is and how if we ask Him He will always answer. If we depend on Him, work in partnership with Him, His Spirit can really work within us to change lives.

---

Teresa's story

I loved being in Debrecen sharing the gospel. The people are so open to hear about God. We talked to homeless, young, old, those you would think would listen and those you never think would listen! I found it really helpful for me to be very upfront at first and say we are here to share about Jesus. This was something the girl from campus crusade had encouraged us to say to people as we shared. I was glad for that wisdom she passed on to us.

We shared the gospel with so many people. I found not many spoke English, so I was SOOOOOO thankful the Hungarians in the team were willing to translate for me...big shot out to David, Aaron, and Esther for their partnership in sharing the best message ever!

There is such a ripe harvest in Debrecen...I was glad to be able to share with all the people we did. I was also encouraged to see people step out for maybe the first time and share their faith. I am not sure what excited me more in one conversation I had...seeing the Christian boldly share the message or seeing the person we were witnessing to hear it. They are both such a blessing to see!

Thank you Jesus!

A band of 10 Christians from Calvary Chapel Budapest flew to Afghanistan to share God's love in a country that has lost hope. Why did they go there? And how did the song A Beautiful Day by U2 become part of the program?
Mike: This song has something to say both to Christians and to non-believers, and all of us like it very much, especially after what we have experienced in Afghanistan. It is incredible how much our trip is contained in that song.
Peti: If you go to Afghanistan, you need to be aware that you might come across plenty of unforeseen difficulties. However, it is up to you to choose to see the beautiful side of each day. This song is all about that. 
Marika: It is a kind of encouragement for those living in third world countries. It tells that it is possible also for them to grab hold of the hints of beauty in their lives, so they can have a 'beautiful day'.

You have mentioned U2. Bono, the front man of the band, in his recently published book described himself as the traveling agent of the message of faith. He has been traveling to various developing countries, singing and fighting for the lives of people. Do you identify with his confession?
Mike: We didn't want to share the good news through words but through deeds. If you are in Afghanistan, by saying 'Jesus loves you' you might get yourself killed. In fact, all of us had a strong call for the trip. It must have been the same kind of inner prompting as Bono had.
Marika: Bono is known as a person that often travels to third world countries. We can identify with that. However, I think, I should make it clear that our primary target was not the Afghan people but the soldiers serving on the NATO bases. We wanted to strengthen, to encourage them so that they could 'feed on' good music. 

In what ways is it different to perform for soldiers, in a room full of loaded weapons?
Mike: They can't help being very serious and disciplined even during the concerts, as if the enemy was playing for them. No doubt, warfare is a tough thing. Fortunately, we could manage to make them a bit more open.
Timi: In one of the bases in Kabul we had an extremely hard time. I remember all of us had difficulties breathing due to the dust and the inclement weather. Moncsi got really sick. She burst out crying before one of the concerts. A soldier, perhaps a sergeant or some big, important guy asked her why she was crying. She told him she was very upset because she wouldn't be able to sing, though it was the very reason why we had made the long journey to the country. As an answer, he seized every opportunity to help her in some way. He brought all kinds of things to Moncsi, hot tea, honey and pills. He was like an angel.   

As most of us have never been to a war zone we do not really relate to what being a soldier really means. What the media report is usually hard hitting pieces of news on abusive soldiers who make use of the vulnerability of the innocent people. What are these soldiers like in 'close-up'?
Mike: We met many Christian soldiers, which in itself is pretty weird. Just imagine, one tries to share God's love with others while, at the same time, he carries a gun and fights in a war.
What is yet more astonishing is how little the media show of the goings-on in a war zone. From the TV you can get informed only on the death toll and how soldiers were involved in violence. No one reports on how many lives these soldiers save by supplying them with food and medication day by day. Every week they get into their humvees to deliver clothes and toys to the children. Sure enough, on these assignments no cameras are rolling. The doctors and nurses working on the bases save the lives of people who are a taboo for the Afghan even to touch.
In fact, during the 23 years of the civil war in Afghanistan, the Russian and the Taliban regime ravaged the country to such an extent that the American troops had actually nothing left to destroy. The American and British charities and missionaries help rebuild the country, they construct buildings, roads. Everyone here wants to lend a helping hand, wants to be made use of, which does not come across in the news. That's why it is just confusion you sense when watching the update on the situation in a war-zone. There must be some kind of political interest behind the scene that prescribes the picture the media may show of a particular case. Why is just the death toll the breaking news? The number of survivors is at least of the same importance.
On the last day we spent there a school exploded as a result of a missile attack. These kinds of things are common in Afghanistan; kids get killed or lose parts of their limbs every day. We visited the hospital to which some of the injured kids were taken and sang them a few songs. We became part of all this for only one day, which also had become a beautiful day.  We made one more step ahead, like those saving a kid or constructing a road. These are all tiny pieces of the puzzle of which this country is putting together again. 

Did you have a pre-defined goal for this trip?
Marika: We didn't go there to scrutinize the truth. It is none of our business what the Americans do in the Middle East. However, we could see that a tough soldier might have a tender heart. We should keep in mind that these soldiers have to meet high standards. They are expected to be tough. If you admit you are weak you cannot be a soldier. As a Christian, the songs you take with you may give the audience a hint of God's love.
Peti: Thanks to the freedom of belief there is a Christian community on every military base. Our trip was arranged by a businessman called Rob, who often travels to war zones and supplies the army with outfits. Also, he used to be a soldier. Rob had met some of the camp chaplains and they suggested finding a worship team that would make a trip to Afghanistan to worship and evangelize on the bases. So it happened like that.

You said you didn't want to evangelize openly. Did you agree on it beforehand, simply wanting to represent God's love in an alternative way?
Mike: We didn't agree on that beforehand. I would rather say we didn't want to be the preacher men from the pulpit. We are a band of musicians that volunteered to provide entertainment for the soldiers and we waited for what God was willing to add and He always outperformed our expectations. We needed to be open to whatever pleased Him. No matter where we went we encountered people we hadn't thought we would, we were received in ways we hadn't expected and we had to communicate in a way we hadn't been prepared for. If we had wanted to stick to pre-defined plans, the trip wouldn't have been so fruitful. We had to be flexible as the ways we performed counted a great deal. The mood of the audience defined how much and on what topic I should be talking about up on the stage. There were bases where the audience was cheerful and laughed a lot, but there were others where my verbal efforts didn't seem to impress them. Black Horse was of this kind.

How did you make your ways though these embarrassing situations?
Mike: On Black Horse we played in a cafeteria where the soldiers were having lunch. Really, they had no other choice but to listen to us. Then, out of the blue, the commander-in-chief of the Afghan army jumped up on the stage and held a short ad-hoc speech. The whole situation must have been pretty absurd as he was Muslim and we were Christians. In addition, there was some big, important guy from the NATO, so the commander tried to get a politically favorable message across, highlighting the common goal of the Canadians, the British and the Afghans. He said it was a great honor for him to fight for the same cause. He wanted to communicate explicitly, in a very diplomatic manner that as the foreign troops felt welcomed in Afghanistan, so did he alongside them. Finally, we got rid of him, he left the stage and we could carry on with worship. The biggest military base was an hour drive from Kabul, where we performed in front of 15.000 people in a basement hall. Maybe that was our biggest disappointment also, as there, we had the fewest people come in spite of its being the largest base.  
Marika: But also, we have learnt the most lessons there. 

What lessons?
Marika: I agree with Mike in that Christians go on mission trips and tend to keep saying that we serve and we are servants but once we are treated like servants we get resentful and upset.
Mike: Servants are treated better than we were there. 

What happened?
Doma: It seemed to have been an unannounced visit. First, it took three hours to receive authorization to get through one single gate and in the meantime every single thing turned out to be disastrous: a huge storm, the terrible heat, dust blinding your eyes. When we did finally get in we thought the torture had ended, but on the contrary, really, they didn't expect us. They didn't have anywhere to lodge us. There were 5 beds and there was the 9 of us. In the end they brought folding camp beds, but without blankets and pillows or anything like that. Stretched canvas on the metal frame, that was it. Not that we had great expectations but it is very cold there at night. You can imagine how much we slept on those beds, no towels, no changing, with our clothes on, after such a 'beautiful day'. We became totally exhausted and fell out with each other. Then, of course, we prayed ourselves through this situation.

These are the chapters that are usually deleted out of the accounts. We like to picture ministry as something nice and heroic.
Doma: Whenever I tell about these experiences I do my best to correct these imaginary pictures. These are indeed difficult situations and everyone should be made aware of what ministry is all about.  It should be made clear beforehand what ministry involves. Otherwise you might be tempted to borrow Rob's machine gun to shoot your sisters and brothers. If you want to get challenged and meet your old man, or if you forgot what you were like before you got saved, go on a mission trip!  It is good to be prepared, to be able to cope with whatever you might encounter. Satan's most ancient tactics against you is that he gets you into trouble with your sisters and brothers in Christ. On Black Horse we experienced our first very serious conflict. I was really glad because it proved that we really were considered dangerous. It is the ultimate evidence that shows we are causing trouble to our enemy. It is to a certain extent encouraging. Of course, there remain the feelings you need to cope with, the emotional side you need to handle, but if you know about these in advance, they won't be as much of a challenge any more.

Sipos Márti, Vizi Csenge