Last weekend I was in Romania with Kristen and the people she works with from the Roma College.  We went on a 4 day bus tour of Transylvania to learn about Hungary’s history and experience the beauty that everyone raves about when they talk about Transylvania.  Since I slept most of our time on the […]

The other day one of the girls at the Children’s House asked me how high I could count in English.  As I sat there trying to find a way to explain, in Hungarian, that I know how to count pretty high in English, the girl’s eyes got really big and she asked, “Can you count […]

As I approach the end of my time here in Nyirtelek and Görögszállás, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the things I love—the things that make this experience so incredible.  I know that my words can only give you an idea of the things I hold so dear to my heart, […]

This past weekend a group from our sister congregation in Norway came to Nyirtelek to see all the things the Filadefia Evangélikus Egyházközség and Pastor Misi are involved in.  The group arrived last Friday and started their visit by going to Kisvarda to see the church and visit the lovely people who make it run […]

I was asked to write an article about the Children’s House for a Hungarian magazine.  Here it is: As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Young Adult in Global Mission program I have been working with the Filadefia Evangélikus Egyházközség in Nyirtelek, Hungary and its long-term mission outreach to the nearby Roma […]

Last Saturday, I spent all day at the church for Gergő and Márti’s wedding.  I was thrilled to be a part of the couple’s special day and see the wedding traditions of my congregation in Nyirtelek.  We started the day’s festivities with coffee, lemonade, and pogacsa in the foyer, and then the ceremony commenced at […]

On Friday, a group from Wartburg College and the Northeast Iowa Synod visited the Children’s House and the agriculture program in Görögszállás.  The students are in Europe studying the reformation during Wartburg’s May-term and the people from the NIS are here to see what kind of work the Lutheran Church in Hungary and the Roma […]

My dearest friend, You have no idea how much you mean to me.  I would be nothing without you…well, I would be the REALLY confused foreigner without you, but with you, I am just the confused foreigner, and that is a good thing.  Your constant presence reassures me that I am not alone in this […]

Earlier this week, Betti and I visited some families in Görögszállás to deliver care packages of baby clothes to new and expecting mothers.  Once again I was swept away by the welcome and hospitality we were greeted with at every house—the friendly reception by all the people warmed my heart and reminded me of the […]

This past weekend I was in Tivadar with a family camp from church.  The majority of the people I spent the weekend with spoke exclusively Hungarian (so I could not even get an English break), but it was great talking with them because we all put such an effort into making sure we understood each […]