Hungarian is Not English

We are learning quickly that the Hungarian language is VERY difficult and that it is NOT similar to English. Ever. Seeya is Hello. Alo is Goodbye. And I’ve noticed that I use Spanish as my default foreign language when not speaking American, which REALLY confuses everyone.

Yet, despite the obvious language barrier, our team has fully embraced the Hungarian experience and people. As chaperones, we are amazed at the ease in which our seniors have jumped All In with every opportunity and are trying to use the Hungarian words we learn in our daily tutorial with Ross.

Today was another example.  Back in the fall, a Word of Life student, who has a gypsy heritage,  saw a huge need in his local town that was struggling with racism. You see, Hungarians, in general,  regard Gypsies as outsiders, and sometimes as almost untouchable. This student,  Micky, has a huge heart for this town and for his gypsy friends, so he and several other WOL students drive over an hour on Mondays to his hometown to do after school English language training with the students, who are both gypsy and Hungarian. They use Bible verses to teach from and reward Bible memorization in Hungarian and English with candy. We had the privilege of helping them today and it was a blast! To see both Gypsies and Hungarians memorize God’s Word and break down barriers in relationships was inspiring. Some wonderful seeds are being planted in hearts.

We then traveled to a tiny community center run by a young couple who have a heart for the local youth.  And I mean, T-I-N-Y. Like the entire building is the size of Ross and my classroom. So, we spent some time there, playing soccer with the kids and then hearing Ross share his testimony through a translator. We love seeing seeds of God’s love and the Gospel being planted.

Again, your kids are amazing! Tomorrow, we are doing our tourist day in Budapest and contemplating how many things in Mario Brothers is rooted in Hungarian. We’ve found two examples- goomba is mushroom, and that’s Hungarian. We will keep you posted.

Thanks for your prayers!  Seeya. No, Alo. Ugh. Adios!