Hungary - A Lesson in Progression

     As I reflect upon the short nine days we spent in Budapest, Hungary, I feel convinced that love at first sight is a real thing. This city captured my heart. And it is not often that cities do that. As someone who normally feels at peace in the mountains or at the beach, I was very surprised to feel such a sense of absolute serenity and awe as we wandered along street after street filled with stunning architecture. Normally cities make me feel stifled, claustrophobic, but Budapest absolutely charmed me, letting my imagination and dreamy mind flow freely. One of the very interesting things about Budapest is the history that surrounds you; from the mighty monument perched atop the Citadel, which represents freedom, to the little princess statue casually placed along the waterfront, which is a symbol of individuality breaking away from Communism, it is everywhere! But the historic was not what stood out the most to me. It was the way the city was progressing, and more specifically, how God was progressing His ministries within Budapest, that really got me so incredibly excited and entirely fascinated with this place.
      We were able to stay at the YWAM Budapest base right as they were setting up for a new class of DTS students. Even when we were just doing housework as a way to serve this place, my stoke level was high. Coming from the Denver base, which is so established with such an abundance of leaders and resources, made it particularly cool to be a part of a base that is still in the bud stage of growth. The overwhelming potential was so evident! Each person ministering in Budapest who we encountered was filled with such a great faith, freshness, and fervor! There was nothing dull about the people, the city, or the ministry. Our time in Budapest showed me how effective we can be when we do not put God in a box, when we realize He has an infinite number of ways He can and does work, and we seek His progression, rather than shying away from it.
     If you want to find out more about this base and all the awesome ministries they have going on, be sure to visit their webpage: ywambudapest.org. I will be sharing a short description and one testimony from each of the ministries we participated in while we were there!

Street Outreach

Standing in a public place preaching the Good News sounds about as old school as you can get for ministry. But our time of street evangelism was filled with creativity! We performed our dramas. We had those of us musically inclined perform worship songs, pop songs, and even a few originals they had written themselves! We danced the 'Cupid Shuffle' and invited anyone around to join in with us. We set up an art station and people just popped on over to contribute a drawing, painting, or inspirational message to our canvases. All of this was mixed in with us sharing testimonies, teachings, and the love Jesus wants to offer everyone! One of my teammates shared a truly inspiring message on the freedom Christ provides and how walking with the Lord does not have to be boring; which fit in perfectly with the fun, unique activities we had going!
     While we were in Budapest we visited three different locations for street outreach and each time varied based on the particular place. One story that I would like to share occurred in the underground metro station on our first day there. I was a wee bit nervous about communication because we didn't have an interpreter with us. There was one man who I noticed had been hanging around watching us for some time. As I stood by him, he pulled out a cross he had in his pocket and brought it to his heart as a way to show me that he loved Jesus. I smiled, nodded, and then moved on because I had no way to speak to him. But the Holy Spirit was convicting me to still pray over him, even if I couldn't ask him if he needed prayer for something specific. So I grabbed one of my teammates and went back over to him. I mimed out the actions to ask if I could pray for him and I just prayed that God would bless him, that he would be filled with joy, and that he would experience a deep intimate relationship with Jesus. When we were done praying the man had tears in his eyes and you could see such a deep appreciation behind those tears. He had no idea what I said, but still we had a wonderful bonding moment, and I left feeling so encouraged by how God cannot be bound by language barriers!

Sandwich Run

    Another awesome way the Budapest base serves the city and its people is through making and passing out sandwiches to the homeless. After preparing the sandwiches we split into smaller groups, each led by someone who could speak Hungarian, and headed off to a few different spots. The locations we chose were all areas that had been visited previously by the YWAM Budapest team and were known hangouts for numerous homeless.

     My group ended up having some really inspiring encounters and conversations during this time. The second group of people we approached were right near the trolley tracks and almost immediately one of the men asked if we could stop by another time with a Bible because someone had stolen his. It just so happens that we had brought one Bible with us to give away if we felt called to. We gave the man the Bible and he was very appreciative. I highlighted Isaiah 43:1-2 for him. Then he started to share his life story. Two of his baby daughters had died, he had lost his job, and turned to alcohol in his grief. When we asked if we could pray for him he said that he only wanted his next daughter to live and be healthy because he just wanted to be a father and for his wife's heart to no longer be broken. I got a word for him that his faith throughout these trials was a great testimony, that he would lead many others to the Lord, and help many through their times of grief. He told us that there was no way he could not believe in Jesus because there were three angels with him always, that he could see out in the natural. He told us that they had healed his leg when he had seriously injured himself and kept him alive when the freezing cold should have killed him. He said they were next leading him to rehab so he could get his life back in order. We blessed that next step, said our goodbyes, and I left with tears in my eyes. Not just because this man's story has so much sorrow in it, but because the strength of his unwavering faith throughout that sorrow is so incredibly beautiful.

Coffee House 

YWAM Budapest has its own coffee house, and it is straight up legit!  I had the best mocha I have ever tasted at this place! They use the coffee house as a starting point and as an area of preparation for a number of other ministries, but it also has its own individual purpose for Friday night free concerts and beverages. Basically it is a cool, comfy place to invite people you meet during the street outreach who want to engage with you on a deeper level. It is a practical way to progress from evangelism to discipleship. Also, it is just a fun, safe, positive place for young Christians to hang out, play games, and enjoy music, a non-alcoholic drink, and good company!
     Once again we were blessed with the opportunity to see God use one of our team member's awesome talents to glorify Him. One of the girls who wants to eventually do the school of worship and is a super musician was the live act for the Friday night we were in Budapest! The rest of us spent the night greeting, helping behind the coffee bar, engaging in intentional conversations with those attending the event, and praying. The prayer time was probably my favorite part of the night. While we listened to our sister out on the stage rocking some sweet tunes, we decided to have our own avant-garde musical prayer time with Jesus as a way to lift her up, bless the night, and just really build an environment of encouragement and positivity! The coffee house has a beautiful, sound proof prayer room featuring a piano, drums, a bunch of books, and a map. We took turns playing the instruments, making up songs of prayer, and dancing. It was another time of progression as we moved away from typical prayer and just jammed with Jesus, all the while knowing that God so delights in our creativity and individuality. He doesn't mind if our style of worship is unconventional, or if we aren't the most talented musicians; He just loves it when we love Him and love others! After the show, our teammate who was performing said that she really had felt our prayers and appreciated them. It was just such a great night and it really made me appreciate my team and my God so much!

Szimpla Love 

    Szimpla is ranked as one of the top three most spectacular bars in the world. It also happens to be where one of the coolest ministries I have ever been involved in takes place! One of the girls from YWAM Budapest used to hit up Szimpla before she was walking with the Lord, and she experienced many dark, painful things during her time there. So when God first called her to start a bar outreach, she avoided this one particular location. But it ended up being the exact spot God wanted this ministry to be at. Twice a week now groups visit Szimpla, they pull out their Bibles, do a bit of reading, share testimonies, have conversations about Jesus, and just love on anyone who comes to speak to them. I learned two very important lessons from our time with this ministry: 1. There is always a way to glorify God and serve others, even in the places people might avoid because they think a certain activity is only for non-believers. 2. Not only does God heal the hurts of our past so they no longer control us, He progresses us so that those places, people, and experiences related to the hurt are redeemed and reclaimed for His Kingdom!
     One part of our time spent at Szimpla that I really enjoyed was exploring and writing messages everywhere. The building itself is huge with multiple levels and rooms. One of the fun features of this bar is that you are allowed to write on anything you want; furniture, walls, whatever. I got so many encouraging words for this place as I prayed and reflected upon my own night-life experiences. In one area I quoted some of Isaiah 61:3, "bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes," and my friend drew a little crown right where you could stand under it so it looked like it was on your head! I also thought about the multiple times I had ended up crying, or I had seen someone else crying, in a bar bathroom, so I wrote Psalm 34:18 on one of the stall doors. While I did not converse with anyone myself who read the things I wrote, there is something so mysteriously exciting about being just a small piece in God's puzzle, imagining all the possible ways He could use that writing to work in someone else's life who I probably will never meet...

Exploration Time

    On top of all the amazing ministry time, we had plenty of opportunities to take in the city as we rode the metro and walked from place to place. Our one free day was jam packed with so many delightful things! Throughout all the touristy activities, God made sure we did not forget the real purpose behind our traveling. We ran into two gentlemen who we met during our time in Szimpla and they ended up actually asking us if they could be in our dance video! One of my friends also invited two of the people she met at the coffee house to a picnic we had on top of the Citadel. They were so great to chat with and it was really cool leaving the city with a few local friends!
     Once again I was reminded that God doesn't have free days, and that the things I am learning and being a part of now will progress into something that works with my everyday life back at home. It isn't about just taking mission trips in order to serve, or striving to meet some sort of ministry quota. It is choosing every day to be involved in what God is doing in the lives of each person you encounter, because each person you encounter is a child of His, who needs Him, and deserves to be loved.

God is continuously revealing more and more to myself and the team. I am so enjoying the diversity of each location we visit, and the different lessons God teaches through that uniqueness! Glory to God for this amazing opportunity! May He bless each one of you, on each of your own journeys, too! Thank you for reading!

"Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making my way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

Isaiah 1:18-19

P.S. All the amazing photos that you are probably totally blown away by were taken by my beautiful, wonderful friend Nicola Easterby. If you want to see even more awesome photography you should totally visit her page: http://www.polkadot-passport.com