Two weeks ago I was left in a train station by a group of about 20 people while the boarded the train to Vajta, Hungary.  I had passed out tickets to all of them and gave instructions on how to get to the retreat centre where were we going to have the first CRWM Europe retreat in 3 years.  I was left behind to wait for two people I had never met before and take the next train. It turned out that I had a connection to the husband of the couple that I was meeting – he taught at the elementary school where I use to attend many years before. This was the beginning of a great weekend of spiritual refreshment and connecting with other CRWM missionaries.  Between the times of spiritual discussion we also had a bit of fun together.  See the YouTube video below with the results of a photo scavenger hunt that we had.

http://youtu.be/KID6lg1BCPw

Serving in Kiskunmajsa

This past Friday and Saturday I had a wonderful time serving with our school's grade 8 students at a home for displaced families in Kiskunmajsa Hungary.  Some of highlights for our students were tearing down some old playground equipment, petting the horses, and helping the children paint picture frames.    During our debriefing many of our students talked about how they saw many of their fellow classmates step up and work hard without complaining.  I too am very proud of how all of them worked.

 For myself it was a time of learning that the Lord can use my abilities of planning and organizing.  I was in charge of organizing the picture frame craft.  It was great to see the children paint and glue different things to them amidst the ciaos having babies and children everywhere.  Some of the pompoms for the craft became make sift soccer balls for a few little boys.  My favorite thing of the whole weekend was a cute one year old who nodded her head yes to her name even though our pronunciation was wrong.  She sat colouring for in a high chair never complaining.  She was happy that she could share her crayons and I was able to practice my colours.

I would like to thank the Lord for giving all of us such a wonderful time serving the families in Kiskunmajsa.

Picture Saturday: The Classic East German Car

A  month or two ago I was walking to the bus stop in the Village (where my school is located) and saw this curious looking car:

What is it?  A convertible Trabant! 

The regular version of these cars were everywhere in Hungary during communism and just after the fall of the Iron Curtain.  My dad's uncle had one that we would ride around in when I visited Hungary in 1993.  He would take it up to the top of a hill and then just coast down in neutral. Today he just has the tires left.  Here is a picture of a regular Trabant:  (It was originally posted when I wrote about my trip to Germany.)

Cost of Common Items in Hungary

**The exchange rate was calculated at the rate of 1 CAD to 190.306407 HUF** Rent and Utilities	66,000-100,000 HUF and up ($346.80-$525.47 and up)
Laundry Detergent (5 KG powder)	3699 HUF ($19.43)
Refrigerator/Freezer (140x54x60 cm)	71990 HUF (378.28)
Water melon	145 HUF/KG ($0.79)
Monthly Transportation Pass	9800 HUF/KG ($51.49)
Taft Hair Mousse	849 HUF ($4.46)
Woman’s blouse	3990-6990 and up ($20.96-$36.72)
Mobile Phone	2125 HUF/Month ($11.16/Month)