It's amazing to me how fast God answers prayers sometimes. Just last night I was doing my bible study on Colossians and read the verse "Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards outsiders, making the most of the opportunities." (4:5) and that was my prayer. I had been struggling with my fear of witnessing lately and last night I focused the most on that. I wanted to be a witness for my students and not be scared to share.
So today, I had TWO girls (in two different class periods) have emotional breakdowns and they came to me for comfort. I prayed the whole time I was with them and to be honest, I was silent most of the time and just let them do the talking. I gave one of the girls the option of staying out in the hallway for a few more minutes to get herself together and said she could sit by herself or I could say with her. Now, you have to understand that I thought this girl wasn't really a fan of me, so I was utterly shocked when she looked at me and said "I'd like you to stay with me, please". One of the other girls, I was able to give her the verse 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
It was absolutely awesome to be there for those girls today. I didn't exactly get to "witness" but I pray that my actions and my willingness to listen will open doors in the future. It also made me pretty sure about what I'd like to get my masters in now- school counseling. It was between that and school administration and I just feel that my heart is closer to the counseling side and will help me more in situations like this to come.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Busy Weekend
This weekend was super busy, but extremely fulfilling. On Saturday, I went bowling with 7 of my students and we had a blast. Some of them are really competitive, so it was great to get to watch them interact with one another. It was also a lot of fun to watch Marci (an EXTREMELY competitive guy in my class) get beat by Kristi (an extremely reserved girl) who has only been bowling one other time in her life.
I also got to go to dinner with some of my 12th grade girls all the way in Szendentre. One of the girls lives out there (it's about 30 minutes by railway) so we went to meet her and had drinks and shared a really good time. They asked me to go to coffeehouse with them this weekend, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with them then too. They really are a GREAT group of girls and I absolutely love spending time with them.
Sunday night was a birthday party for my roommate, Jo, and another girl from our Bible study, Hope. We went to an extremely popular restaurant and had a great time there too.
I'm so excited to be here for another year and grow these relationships, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it has something to do with the full realization hitting me that I'm finally growing up and I have to support myself and be independent now. Yikes! But, that's just something that I'm going to have to work through for now and keep praying about it.
I also got to go to dinner with some of my 12th grade girls all the way in Szendentre. One of the girls lives out there (it's about 30 minutes by railway) so we went to meet her and had drinks and shared a really good time. They asked me to go to coffeehouse with them this weekend, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with them then too. They really are a GREAT group of girls and I absolutely love spending time with them.
Sunday night was a birthday party for my roommate, Jo, and another girl from our Bible study, Hope. We went to an extremely popular restaurant and had a great time there too.
I'm so excited to be here for another year and grow these relationships, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it has something to do with the full realization hitting me that I'm finally growing up and I have to support myself and be independent now. Yikes! But, that's just something that I'm going to have to work through for now and keep praying about it.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Decision
It's official, people: I have decided to stay in Budapest for another year. :-) YAY BUDAPEST!I know that some people are not exactly enthralled with this decision (i.e. my father who misses me like whoa), but I'm definitely at peace with this choice. I will get to spend 2 months in the States this summer from mid-June to mid-August when I get to hang out with everyone and catch up with them before heading back. I'm really looking forward to making my rounds and visiting people though... not to mention loading up on a ton of American goodies to bring back with me.
I'm already praying for all of my needs for next year; finances, more CEO partners, furnishings for my new flat, etc. So I'd ask that you'd start praying with me because there can never be too many prayers. I miss everyone and can NOT wait until I get to see everyone's lovely faces in good ole' USofA. YAY AMERICA!
Monday, February 7, 2011
It's a Cold One
This winter has been brutal, I must say. The past three days have been a HUGE (and I really mean HUGE) blessing from God because we have had sunshine for 3 days now. I know this may not seem like a big deal, but we literally haven't had a weeks worth of sun since Thanksgiving time. It was also glorious because it was also the first time since December that I've been able to wear anything except a parka. The temperatures have gotten up to a steamy 40s and we're loving it.
Unfortunately, the temperatures are expected to drop again this week and at some point, the sunshine shall disappear again soon. Luckily, we only have a little over a month more to endure before spring finally rolls into Budapest. The reason for this post though is to call attention to the post that has been added to my company's website. Bills have been higher than ever due to heating and everything, making it a pretty expensive winter. A Hungarian pastor that is with our company here had a heating bill for his family of over $300!!! That's really tough on a pastor's budget.
So, this blog isn't really for us. Our budgets are a little tighter because of bills, but I really wanted to draw attention to this moreso for the other families and partners that are suffering. Please prayerfully consider this. I know that budgets are tight all around, so if you're not able to actually donate, please pray that God will provide the funds needed for these families/partners. Thank you!!!
http://www.ceokids.org/funding-needs-in-winter-of-2011/
Unfortunately, the temperatures are expected to drop again this week and at some point, the sunshine shall disappear again soon. Luckily, we only have a little over a month more to endure before spring finally rolls into Budapest. The reason for this post though is to call attention to the post that has been added to my company's website. Bills have been higher than ever due to heating and everything, making it a pretty expensive winter. A Hungarian pastor that is with our company here had a heating bill for his family of over $300!!! That's really tough on a pastor's budget.
So, this blog isn't really for us. Our budgets are a little tighter because of bills, but I really wanted to draw attention to this moreso for the other families and partners that are suffering. Please prayerfully consider this. I know that budgets are tight all around, so if you're not able to actually donate, please pray that God will provide the funds needed for these families/partners. Thank you!!!
http://www.ceokids.org/funding-needs-in-winter-of-2011/
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Chocolate Fast = Death
So I've decided to go on a fast from chocolate for the entire month of February and it's only 5 days. Surprisingly, it's going better than I thought, but I'm still craving it still. I decided that it would be best for me for several reasons:
1. I need to practice some self- discipline
2. I need to lose some weight dang it... I'm not playing year-round sports like I used to
3. I think I may have a literal addiction to that stuff.
So because of all of this, I've decided that it might be the best idea to say goodbye to chocolate for a while. I'm saying at LEAST for February, but I'm going to see if I can hold out longer than that and break the addiction altogether. Wish me luck.
Goodbye my dear, sweet friends:
1. I need to practice some self- discipline
2. I need to lose some weight dang it... I'm not playing year-round sports like I used to
3. I think I may have a literal addiction to that stuff.
So because of all of this, I've decided that it might be the best idea to say goodbye to chocolate for a while. I'm saying at LEAST for February, but I'm going to see if I can hold out longer than that and break the addiction altogether. Wish me luck.
Goodbye my dear, sweet friends:
Monday, January 31, 2011
Eventful Weekend
Well my weekend went something like this:
Friday- Movie night with my students
Saturday- Babysit in replacement of my roommate who breaks ankle while babysitting
Sunday- Visit said roommate in hospital
It was an absolutely crazy and pretty much non-stop weekend. Friday night was fantastic. I had about 6 students over for a movie night. I baked them brownies and apple pie while we watched Date Night. They had never seen it before and they seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. It was a great time to have them over and bond with them even more. I'm even making some progress with some students that I though didn't like me too much at the beginning of the year. Turns out that they just take a while to warm up to someone new. :)
Saturday was crazy. My house was left looking like a fraternity had torn through here because there were plates and glasses as well as food remnants everywhere left over. Well, while I was eating breakfast and even before I had the chance to clean up, I got a call from my roommate who was laying in the snow at a park saying that she had broken her ankle. The ambulance and her fiance were both on the way, but she needed me to take a taxi over there ASAP in order to cover for her while she went to the hospital.
Turns out, she has a severely fractured ankle and they had to do surgery in order to repair it. They had to put a metal plate and some screws in there in order to strengthen it again. She's going to be in the hospital for a few more days in order to recover, but she'll be stuck at home for about 5-6 weeks. BUMMER! She was supposed to start teaching at the University again this week, but has to find some sort of replacement since she can't cancel that many classes. I visited her yesterday and gave her some company for a little less than 2 hours. She's in a lot of pain, but she's a tough gal. She said that God is already healing her ankle and it already felt astronomically better before they even did the surgery. So, we're all obviously still praying for a ridiculously quick recovery. I can't wait for her to get home since she's been gone to various places for almost 2 weeks. SO, please be praying that everything heals correctly and quickly, but also pray that something works out for her classes. It's a huge stress factor for her and we're all looking for some possible options in order to help her out.
Friday- Movie night with my students
Saturday- Babysit in replacement of my roommate who breaks ankle while babysitting
Sunday- Visit said roommate in hospital
It was an absolutely crazy and pretty much non-stop weekend. Friday night was fantastic. I had about 6 students over for a movie night. I baked them brownies and apple pie while we watched Date Night. They had never seen it before and they seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. It was a great time to have them over and bond with them even more. I'm even making some progress with some students that I though didn't like me too much at the beginning of the year. Turns out that they just take a while to warm up to someone new. :)
Saturday was crazy. My house was left looking like a fraternity had torn through here because there were plates and glasses as well as food remnants everywhere left over. Well, while I was eating breakfast and even before I had the chance to clean up, I got a call from my roommate who was laying in the snow at a park saying that she had broken her ankle. The ambulance and her fiance were both on the way, but she needed me to take a taxi over there ASAP in order to cover for her while she went to the hospital.
Turns out, she has a severely fractured ankle and they had to do surgery in order to repair it. They had to put a metal plate and some screws in there in order to strengthen it again. She's going to be in the hospital for a few more days in order to recover, but she'll be stuck at home for about 5-6 weeks. BUMMER! She was supposed to start teaching at the University again this week, but has to find some sort of replacement since she can't cancel that many classes. I visited her yesterday and gave her some company for a little less than 2 hours. She's in a lot of pain, but she's a tough gal. She said that God is already healing her ankle and it already felt astronomically better before they even did the surgery. So, we're all obviously still praying for a ridiculously quick recovery. I can't wait for her to get home since she's been gone to various places for almost 2 weeks. SO, please be praying that everything heals correctly and quickly, but also pray that something works out for her classes. It's a huge stress factor for her and we're all looking for some possible options in order to help her out.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Prom
My students had their version of Prom this past weekend and it was so much fun to attend. They don't have anything like in America, their dances are more like performances. They actually have choreographed waltzes that they do as a class, then a dance that they make up on their own for fun, then a dance with their parents. All of the girls wear wedding dresses and the boys wear tuxedos. The main point of the event is for the 13th graders to recieve a ribbon from the school that is a sign of their up-and-coming graduation. It's to encourage them to keep going and finish strong.
A lot of the Hungarian teachers felt indifferent to the event because they've been through so many of them and the think it's a little pointless, but I really enjoyed it. First, it really made me realize the differences in culture. This is a REALLY big deal to the students here and much more classy than prom. Second, even though it wasn't any of my students getting the ribbons, it still made me proud to be a part of that. If I stay next year, I will be the one up on stage pinning the ribbons on my class that I am the assistant head-teacher for.
Coming back is something that I am continuously praying about since it's such a big decision. I have to make my decision in March and that's only a short time away. There is so much to offer in both places and I know that there isn't any right or wrong answer, but I want to make sure that I'm in the place that God is going to use me the most. Keep praying for me!
A lot of the Hungarian teachers felt indifferent to the event because they've been through so many of them and the think it's a little pointless, but I really enjoyed it. First, it really made me realize the differences in culture. This is a REALLY big deal to the students here and much more classy than prom. Second, even though it wasn't any of my students getting the ribbons, it still made me proud to be a part of that. If I stay next year, I will be the one up on stage pinning the ribbons on my class that I am the assistant head-teacher for.
Coming back is something that I am continuously praying about since it's such a big decision. I have to make my decision in March and that's only a short time away. There is so much to offer in both places and I know that there isn't any right or wrong answer, but I want to make sure that I'm in the place that God is going to use me the most. Keep praying for me!
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