Kara: The Teams of April

In a previous post we mentioned all the different teams that are scheduled to come.  Thus far, we’ve had three successful team visits, and there are many more to come! 

For Easter we had our team from Kaiserslautern.  With their help we dyed Easter eggs, played soccer, had a traditional American Easter meal, and had an “Easter Egg Hunt” – although with nearly 600 eggs in the tiny orphanage yard, we use the term loosely.  We were also able to share the true Easter story – Christ and His resurrection.

Off to the Easter Egg Hunt!

Not two weeks later we had a team from the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Vajta (south of Budapest).  Our own, Mate Zoli, lead the team of 5 students – 4 Hungarians, and 1 Chinese.  For 10 days they worked endlessly in many different areas, with many different audiences.  With them we were able to:

-Feed the homeless of Debrecen, in conjunction with the Hungarian Reformed Church’s Reménysugar (“Ray of Hope”) ministry.

-Teach English in a local primary, and secondary school, in conjunction with LOGOS Language School.

-Visit two different orphanages, Miskolc and Berettyóújfalu, in conjunction with on-going GoodSports ministries.

-Attend two different university outreach events, in conjunction with the International Mission Board and Calvary Chapel Debrecen.

-Conduct a worship service for the Roma community of Hajduböszörmény, in conjunction with Calvary Chapel Debrecen.

-Conduct an outreach event for disabled/handicapped children, in conjunction with the Hungarian Reformed Church’s Immanuel Otthon (“Immanuel’s House”) ministry.

-Conduct an outreach event for the children of the E.U. Refugee Camp, in conjunction with Menedék (Hungarian Association for Migrants).

-Paint and do building maintenance for Calvary Chapel Debrecen.

-Attend and assist with the Youth Group for Calvary Chapel Debrecen.

-Teach Kid’s Church for Calvary Chapel Debrecen.

…and so much more!

We also had a large team from Word of Life (NY) join Vajta & GoodSports for a sports day at the orphanage.  Because of the specific needs of house three we had several indoor activities – complete with a presentation of the gospel (video).  The weather was beautiful (thank God for no rain!) and with 20 orphans, and a combined team of 60 we had sports, games, crafts, a scavenger hunt, and a BMX exposition (video). 

Word of Life, Vajta, GoodSports & Miskolc Orphans

All in all, it’s been an amazing month for teams visiting GoodSports!

Russ: Baseball is a roller coaster

Baseball can be like a roller coaster ride.  How so?  Some days are like the long hard climb up to the top of the roller coaster ride.  Learning how to catch a ball without it hitting your face (or other body places).  Hitting an oh so tiny ball traveling at 50 miles an hour.  Running to the bases, but being tagged out when we forget to keep our foot on the base...all the things that make baseball so challenging.

Then there is the high point.  When it all seems to come together and you can see forever (we've won all our games so far)...but then comes the equally awful plunge...when your seniors team simply does not show up for a game on Saturday.  Then the very next day, Sunday, your majors (the littlest guys) decide taht fishing is a better idea and skip a game, leaving you to wonder, "is it all worth it?"

GoodSports continues to build it's baseball field backstop at the Christian Camping Center (called Dorcas).  it is a month after the planned completion date, but MOST of it is up.  Two boys even showed up to try to help (they spent half of the time swimming though).  But serious momentum in getting our little league field in shape for use.  Last year, our contractor skipped out on us, taking 500,000 HUF (about $2,500).  So our recovery has been a slow and costly one.

Our dream is to have the only place where the Hungarian Baseball League can host games, and have the kids sleep over for the weekend (there is a pool at the campground).  GoodSports hopes to handle the evening programs, and to introduce the idea of good, clean, fun and even demonstrate Christ's love.  It is still a dream, we have yet to play a game there, but we persevere.

The Teams Are Coming!

One of the many ways people support the work of GoodSports is by coming as part of a short-term missions team. Here in Hungary we are very excited about the teams we have lined up for this summer. These teams bring fresh eyes, creative ideas, craft supplies, sports equipment, refreshing energy and a passion for Christ.

These teams also do important follow-up work in the States. They are able to return home and give first-hand accounts of the work happening here. By caring all of this back to their communities and churches they are expanding our prayer base – something that we cannot function without. People around the world are praying for the children on the baseball teams, the children in the orphanages of Berettyóújfalu and Miskolc, the people in the Refugee Camp, the participants of summer camps, the team living and working in the field, the Hungarian churches we partner with, etc.

Each of these teams has a different plan, but all with the same focus: building relationships with people in an effort to introduce them to Christ. With these teams we will visit the orphanages, teach English, put on Summer Camps, and more.

This year we have teams from:

Phil’s church in South Carolina (arriving later today) 14-18 March

Kaiserslautern Team 4 – 7 April

Calvary Chapel Bible College in Vajta 20 April – 1 May

Hearts for Hungary from New York 24 May – 4 June

Cedarville University in Ohio 2 – 14 July

Cadence Ministries from Germany 16-20 July

Together with these teams we will dive into these events:

Easter celebration

Orphanage Outreach

Teaching English

LOGOS Camp 1 (2 – 6 July)

Interpreter’s Camp (2 – 6 July)

Calvary Chapel English Camp (8 – 14 July)

LOGOS Camp 2 (16 – 20 July)

Mikepércs Sports/English Camp (16 – 20 July)

Two-day Refugee Kids Camp (date TBA)

Please be in PRAYER:

For the Teams as they prepare to come

For the Individuals they are going to meet and interact with – that their hearts would be open

For the Hungarian Christians who act as our interpreters, translators, and cultural advisors

For the GoodSports team on the ground in Hungary: the Chun Family, Phil, Zoli, and Kara.

Hello 2012!

From Phil:

January saw the start of preseason football. Due to weather conditions the Miskolc team rents an Elementary school gym on Mondays and a High School gym on Thursdays in order to hold conditioning practices during the months of January and February. The Nyiregyhaza Tigers rent a city gym on Wednesdays and Saturdays also due to weather conditions. So football is back in full swing with a minimum of four practices a week in two different cities.

FOOTBALL’S PROBLEM - EQUIPMENT In the past week we have seen 10 new potential players (high school students) come to practice. They are interested in playing football and they know about the game as the NFL is broadcasted live on the national Hungarian sport channel every Sunday. HOWEVER, minimum wage in Miskolc is $2.50 and for a player to buy all the necessary equipment to be able to play cost a months pay.

GoodSports as a registered U.S. Nonprofit has the ability to give tax deductible receipts not only for monetary donations but for EQUIPMENT donations as well.

Also in January we started our nanny appreciation project in which every month we will do something special for the nannies, as a way of thanking them for taking care of the kids and all their hard work. For January we cooked lunch on a Saturday in order to give the nannies the day off. We severed them first and presented them with thank you cards signed by the kids.

As the new year starts GoodSports is looking forward to another busy summer camp season. Currently GoodSports is budgeting to be able to take 10 kids from the Miskolc orphanage to the English/sports camp in Debrecen. This is the same camp I participated in last year and the same camp where 4 kids from the orphanage were baptized last year. We would like to take more than 10 kids, however, we simply don’t have the funds. The cost is $130.00 per camper and I would strongly encourage you to consider helping send a child from the Miskolc orphanage to this camp. A place where he/she will hear, see, feel and experience God’s love.

January was an exceptionally good month at the Avasi Gimnazium, and I was asked to/ given the opportunity to stay on for another year as the native conversational English teacher.

November 2011 in Hungary

Russell- “Suffering, Perseverance, Character, and Hope!”

The HEAT is on… Although the weather is cooling off, the ability stay afloat on the stormy seas has been a real challenge.

Orphanage – Miskolc – one of our 19 year olds committed suicide. A while ago I remember talking about the story of Jesus telling the fishermen to put down their nets. The amount of fish they caught was staggering; they had to call in partners to pull up the net! Despite this great example of listening to Christ’s direction and the need for partners in our mission work, I cannot help but see those fish that slip out of the net- swimming away into the darkness….. The orphanage staff asked us to come to talk to the kids about hope. So we did talk - about HIS hope.

Orphanage – Berretyoujfalu – Our visits to this orphanage were SHUT DOWN. One of the orphanage staff said there was no benefit for us visiting them anymore! In the heat of anger, he forgot about the kids we brought to our English summer camp. the teams from Ohio and Germany who visited an played with the kids, the ongoing piano classes every Friday, the food, clothes and other supplies brought by our visiting teams. Hopefully we have calmed things down, but relationships remain fragile.

Baseball – Mikepércs Mosquitoes – “Go Away,” was the message we got from the village soccer coaches. Apparently, they received a grant from the government that allows them to rebuild! This means they no longer desire to share their field. Homeless in Mikepércs? We are speaking to the village Mayor next week to ask for a chance to remain.

Language School – Our Logos Language School is in a major downsizing mode. A bad economy means less students, fewer students means less teachers and our goal to hire Hungarian Christian Teachers is in question.

Concerned but not worried!

Despite the rollercoaster ride of October events I am bolstered by the passion an eagerness of our GoodSports Team. Kara Mckenzie is forging ahead with taking over the University Coffee House Outreach. She is back at the Berretyoujfalu orphanage and has invited MORE children to participate in her music program. Phillip Hildebrand in Miskolc has decided that sitting down for dinner is a waste of time…..He is constantly on the go with either the school basketball team, the American football teams in Miskolc, Nyireghaza and Budapest. He tops the charts with English class charts with over 250 plus students!

What a team!

Romans 5: 2--6 „And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Phillip

Football

Every other Tuesday I travel to Budapest where I am consulting with the Budapest Rebels as the install their new offense. Things are going great as we have about half of the new playbook in and they won their scrimmage against the Szolnok soldiers in dominant fashion.

Every Wednesday and Saturday I have been traveling to Nyiregyhaza where I am the acting head coach of the Nyiregyhaza team who is participating in fall tournament. We have had a great month beating the 3^rd best team in Hungary 20-16 and then two weeks later beating the 2^nd best team in Hungary and the current central European inter-league champions 35-33.

Basketball

I am also the assistant coach to the Avasi Gimnazium (the high school that I teach at) boys basketball team. We had our first games in October and although we were routed the first game 56-12 we bounced back the next to win 36-22. The kids are really improving and practices are beginning to be more fun as the players skills improve.

Miskolc Orphanage

With the help of Alyssa and Abby we started our Thursday night English class at the orphanage which has been a blast. So far it is going better than I ever imagined. We have had very good numbers and the kids are very enthusiastic smiling, laughing and joking, plus I think there is a little learning going on as well. This is a great fellowship tool.

Monday night Bible studies are still going on. It has been a challenge to work out the schedule with the interpreters as well as who is doing what (will Russ or I teach) and what kind of lesson will it be. But I feel we have a good system in place or at least a good idea in place now and will see how it works this Monday (with Russ coming earlier and doing his game and parable or bible story like he used to and me coming later and doing more of a discipleship class for the older kids that are new believers).

The once a month kids service was a little interesting as one of the older boys committed suicide and we were asked to do his memorial service. However, I think it went very well and Russ’s lesson on hope is exactly what the kids need to hear. So while it was a dark and depressing thing I believe there was tons of light. We still brought small gifts and food and played with the kids after the service. As a result the older kids have been coming and hanging around the orphanage more so that is good that they can be around a positive environment.

Avasi Gimnazium

Work…..well work is work. I have some very good classes and then I have other classes where I make teenagers stand in the corner. Because as the coach says if you act like a 3 year old…well I will treat you like one. However, I reached fall break with only positive comments from students, colleagues and my boss, PRAISE JESUS. I am in the process of finishing my fall grades which when you have 267 students can be a bit difficult.

All in all I think it was a great month for me personally and for God. There are tons of things happening in Miskolc. The only problem is I am only one man and cannot do all of them L. For example along with everything mentioned above there is also the possibility to have a baseball team in Miskolc; and by the end of November there will be a new American football team in Miskolc J, which will consume a lot of time.

Kara: Remény – Hope

Honestly until we sat down to work on this blog I had not realized just how tough October had been. It really was a beast of a month, but there were some very special moments.

At LOGOS there was a student who requested to work with me again. Her name is Virág, and we’ve worked together off and on since I first came to Hungary in September of 2010. She is not saved, but she knows that I am and she requested to work with me.

In Berettyóújfalu we’ve had some interesting times yes, but some small victories as well. My first piano student out there is a guy name Tomi. He gave his life to Christ at one of the summer camps in July of 2010. He is very close to a couple of people who came with some short-term teams from the USA. Just this past week he finally gave me permission to record him playing so we could send it to these people.

In Miskolc we spend our first hour or so there simply playing with the kids. Phillip went to get the smaller “sick” kids from house 3 so they could come outside with us. As soon as the door opened Gergő came bolting out and ran straight for me. His smile was bigger than his face as he jumped into my arms. This precious little boy will most likely never live to see adulthood. For more about him see this video put together by Russ’ wife Trudy.

Also in Miskolc, I had a short conversation with Dora (with the help of one of my amazing translators – Russ’ 10 year old daughter Niki). Dora seemed to be down in the dumps, but did not want to talk about her problem. Then, seemingly out of the blue she asked Niki if she believed in God. Niki replied in the affirmative, and told her that I also believe in God. We then asked if Dora believed, and her response was, “csak kicsit” (just a little).

There are some “dragons” in my life, but I have taken up offensive measures in the form of American Chocolate Chip cookies. The goal is to kill them with kindness. Thus far 5 batches of cookies have been made and dispersed – thankfully with very few of them hitting my mouth!

These are all small steps, but they are the reason God has us here. This is where we begin. Meet people where they are, build relationships with them, and show them Christ through word and deed.

October 2011 in Hungary

From Russell

Back in Hungary…Great Family Time– Finally the Chun’s made it home from their two month trip to the states. Family, special friends all contributed to a great “family” time. It was a good transition for Levi (short for Levente) who is now beginning to see himself as a “CHUN.” Although a month late for school the kids are catching up quickly. Niki is in a special class – one girl, ten boys? We are thinking about making a change there.

Balancing Act – Baseball, Logos the Language School, Orphanage (Miskolc and Berretyoujfalu), Refugee Camp work, Handicapped work , Women’s Ministry (Marvelous Light), Using Coffee to touch lives (Coffee outreach), Adult American Football, School Basketball and English Classes everywhere!

Hmmm….I am glad that Kara Mckenzie has signed up for another year (or more) for work in Debrecen. Phillip Hildebrand arrived in Miskolc in September and hasn’t stopped running! (Ah, the passion of youth). They are our newest “tentmakers.” What is that exactly? The Apostle Paul did it…he made tents…and in doing so he worked amongst the people building relationships and supporting himself.

Kara and Phillip are hard at work learning to feed, house, travel and minister in Hungary. I think I’ll let them tell you their stories…….


From Kara

English Teaching
Just a little over a year ago I came to Hungary to touch lives through language. At times I am simply astounded at the doors that open to me, based on the mere fact that I am a native English speaker! I’ve participated on judging panels for English competitions with heads of education for Hungary and the EU – my only qualification was that I am a native speaker. Wow! Now I have reached a point where I have become a tent-maker. My ability to teach English has opened doors for me to support myself by teaching at 2 language schools. I still teach with LOGOS, but now I am also working for Katedra language school.

Coffee House
Missionaries with the International Mission Board (IMB) run this University outreach. Once a week we rent a room at a local panzio near city center and welcome people to a friendly, non-threatening environment. This is a place for people who are “window-shopping” Christianity. We serve coffee, tea and snacks and plan an activity for our guests so that they can meet people from around the world and interact with native English speakers. While building relationships with different people (students, orphans, refugees, etc) I have found this ministry outreach to be invaluable. It is a light-hearted wholesome event that I can invite people too. More often than not these individuals do not know me well enough (yet) to feel comfortable coming to my home. This ministry provides the perfect place for strengthening budding relationships, and from there we can provide people with options to dig deeper into Scripture (i.e. church, Men/Women’s Bible Studies).

Marvelous Light
This is a brand new ministry with a focus on Women in the “College/Career” phase of life (roughly ages 18-35). God gave me a vision and a passion for this ministry early this spring. There are so many young women in Debrecen and the surrounding area that have no interest in sports. Partnering with female, Hungarian Christians we are working to reach out to this demographic. Through Connections Coffee House, Language teaching, and Women’s Bible Study we are striving to reach the lost, and disciple the saved. As we work to build relationships with these women it currently means running all over the city and drinking a lot of coffee. The Connections Coffee House and the Women’s Bible Study (which meets once a week in my home) are the stable activities that we can invite people to.

Berettyóújfalu Orphanage & Music
After spending several weeks in Summer Camps I had plenty of opportunities to interact with orphans from a town called Berettyoújfalu (about 30 km south of Debrecen). Currently I am going there on Friday afternoons. I have one piano student and we spend about a half hour working together, and then we play with the other kids in the duplex. We are hoping and praying to get a translator so that we can begin doing Bible Stories with them.

In Summary
PLEASE PRAY! Each of these ministries can only be effective with YOUR help! Pray for the people we are reaching out to, and come into contact with. Pray for each person we partner with (Calvary Chapel Debrecen, IMB, etc). Please keep me in your prayers as I work to balance my schedule and learn the Hungarian language. There are so many ministry opportunities and it is important to stay closely in tune with exactly where the Holy Spirit wants us to be.

Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians that “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24).

This is why it is so important for all of us at GSI to balance our schedules. There are many amazing opportunities, and we’ve all reached a point where it is necessary to discern exactly what God wants us to do in this season. Sometimes a distraction can come along dressed as an amazing opportunity. Pray for wisdom and discernment for each of us that we may glorify God in ALL of our work.

From Phillip

English and Sports

As the newest GoodSports Intern, I am living and working in Miskolc. A teacher of English at the Avasi Gimnazium, I have a bunch of kids who think I am the best at English! (little do they know). I help coach the school basketball team and get this…TWO adult American Football teams have hired me to be on their coaching staff in Nyiregyhaza and Budapest. Our new all star team from both Miskolc and Nyiregyhaza just beat the Budapest Cowboys (ranked second in the country!).

Kids who shape my life

But the real sharing of my life is with the kids at the Diosgyori Children’s home. We have started a bible study on Monday’s and every month we are starting a children’s church service. We discovered that sometimes the church has to go to the kids and not the other way around.

Just pray

A lot is going on…but I love it. My prayer is that you will lift the work I do in prayer. We need lots of things, but prayer tops the list…

GoodSports 2010

GoodSports Hungary is rushing into new areas of ministry. From teaching English to refugees to orphanage outreaches to our village baseball team, there is never a dull moment in Hungary.

Now, our first American intern, Haley Murphy, has joined us for a six month stay. She will be teaching English at the refugee camp and local schools as well as doing children's programs. Haley will help launch our new non-profit language school: Logos, International.

As soon as our summer schedule is set we will post it. We invite you to pray with us as we serve here in Hungary.