Phil's Wrestling Buddies & More Pics

If you saw my last post, you probably read about Phil's creative evangelism techniques (wrestling six campers at one time).  If you remember, I mentioned that I had pictures of some of the campers showing Phil some brotherly love by throwing pies in his face.  Well, I found the pictures.

You know he loved it.

Those pictures were from our second camper week final party--exactly one week ago.  Here are a few more pictures from that night.

New friends Katie and Justin.  They work with Campus Crusade in Philadelphia.  Justin is actually from Virginia, though, so he sounds more like us:)  We love Katie's "Philly" accent.

As our friend Izabella was taking care of another staff member's son.....

....Phil was taking care of HER son.  ***Just so you know, Phil doesn't just aimlessly man-handle people as they walk by.  This child actually asked Phil to lift him over his head.

Aubrey and her friend Hannah

I don't seem to capture Drew in many pictures because he's always up to something.

At the end of our Western-themed parties, the campers and staff love to do line dances.  The man in the black shirt is Dan; he and his wife direct Speak Out each year.  We have learned SO much from them and can't wait to put our new information to use.

Hannah danced the night away.  Behind her is a staff member named Hope.  Hope is a true California girl and an awesome young woman of God.  She will be attending one of those universities in California (it's in Berkley), and she's on their swimming team.  Cool, huh?  She is also a gifted photographer.  If you're on Facebook, you can search for her page called Hope Photography.  If you're friends with me, you can probably find her page listed on my wall somewhere. 

Aubrey wanted to dance but wasn't sure what to do, so we told her to join Grace (in the pink) and follow her lead.  Pretty soon, Aubrey was doing her own thing.  Grace is another wonderful young lady of God.  She attends college in the states right now, but she grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Georgia (the country, not the state).  We loved watching her dance--she did alot of traditional Georgian dances moves along with the regular dances the others were doing. 

Can you guess what dance that is?

Tonight is our final party for our third week of campers.  They will be going home tomorrow.  We are about seven hours ahead of most of you, so if you read this in time, will you pray that many more new believers will join God's family as a result of the conversations that are taking place this afternoon and after the party tonight?  Even if you don't read this in time, would you pray for all of the students who have attended these camps?  We've heard testimonies of former campers who accepted Christ AFTER camp had ended and later returned to Speak Out as staff members.  God has done amazing things here, and again, I'd like to thank those of you who have prayed for us and those who have financially supported this mission.  May God bless you abundantly.

Vienna Pictures & Highlights of Camper Week 2

We finished out our second week with campers on Thursday night.  Tonight (Sunday) is our third and final American Culture Night, so Phil and the kids are outside giving campers the cultural experience of roasting marshmallows and making Smores.  Yum.  They are also serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because Eastern Europeans cannot purchase peanut butter anywhere near here.  Can you imagine a world without peanut butter? So, while they are outside spreading some culture, I'm inside trying to share a few pictures while I have the chance.

I don't have the exact number of how many of our week 2 campers began relationships with Christ last week, but I'm thinking that a little over 20 joined God's family. I'll get exact numbers at the end of this week and will share as soon as possible. 

A few highlights from camper week 2:  I spent some time with one of our tutor groups and was able to share my personal testimony.  I was also able to hang out with them as they practiced reading some English--they practiced using a booklet that explained how they could begin their own relationships with God.  Just to make sure the message was clear, the group leader (Amanda--a TREMENDOUS young woman of God--and a Southern girl like me) asked them to read the booklet in Hungarian as well.  For fun, Amanda and I tried to read the Hungarian version, and our new pal Zina from Moldova tried to read it as well.  The Hungarian campers were very gracious and didn't roll in the floor laughing at our attempts. One of the girls in the group shared that she had become a Christian a few years ago, and one of the girls shared that she was very interested in learning more about having her own relationship with Jesus.  Would y'all pray for her?  God knows her name. 

Another highlight:  the camp director was pleased with Phil's unique method of evangelism during camper week 2.  This is what happened: during Sports Day (when everyone plays American sports and such) Phil noticed a group of muscled-up campers doing some UFC kicks and such, and he and one of the staff missionaries didn't think that was a particularly safe activity....SO, to break up the UFC fights, Phil suggested they wrestle instead.  (Yes, I know....)  The campers LOVED the idea, and they particularly loved wrestling Phil. ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  SIX of them.  AGAINST ONE Phil.  Fortunately, I wasn't there to witness the match.  Witnesses reported that Phil held his own for about two minutes before they wore him down.  You wouldn't believe the bond that was created between Phil and the six ruffians, though.  All week they talked and laughed and joked with him....the camp director said that it was a great form of evangelism.  On our last night with that bunch, the guys all competed in games and won enough tickets to throw pies in Phil's face;  that was their way of showing some brotherly love.  It was great.  I have pictures of it all, but unfortunately, I' left my memory card at our panzio (summer house).  I'll try to share them ASAP.

I DO have some pictures from our trip to Vienna, though.  See, every Friday is a free day, so this past Friday, 28 of the American staff traveled by bus to Vienna, Austria.  It only cost $22 per person, and it only took 3 hours to get there.  Since we will probably never have such an opportunity again, we jumped on that bus and had a great (but rainy) day.  Here are some of the pictures I took:

Ok, so that's not in Vienna.  Those are the campers I hung out with during week 2.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The beautiful brunette on the far left is Zina; she's a CCC staff worker in Moldova.  The beautiful blond (fourth from the left) is Amanda; she's from the Memphis area.  Words can't describe what a blessing and inspiration she is to my family.

Ok.  Vienna pictures.

Some of the staff who traveled with us.  We older folks took the pictures.

Aubrey's favorite thing about Vienna--watching the ducklings

Me and Caesar (before he was stabbed multiple times)

If we are ever blessed with the privilege to return to Vienna, I'd love to ride one of those red bus/train thingies.

I ate schnitzel for the fist time.  It was O.U.T.S.T.A.N.D.I.N.G.

I explained the basic plot of Faust to Drew, and now he wants to read it.  Perhaps we should begin with the children's version...

Ok, the last two pictures were not in Vienna. We were back in Hungary and we were HUNGRY, so we went to McDonald's again.  Nothing like some golden arches to cure a little bit of homesickness.

Hungarian Fair

 I PROMISE we're doing mission work here! The pictures just show that we are having some fun, too:)  At the end of our first camper week, we learned that 23 of the 112 campers prayed to receive Christ.  That's awesome!!!!!  Since we've been here, our group has sent out several smaller mission teams to shorter projects in different places--Slovakia and the Philippines are the only two that are coming to mind now.  Also, while we Americans are spending time with the campers in the afternoons, our Hungarian staff members are walking along the beaches and streets in town and are sharing the gospel with the locals and tourists.  So far, 560 people have heard the gospel as a result of our team's outreach efforts, and 49 that we know of prayed to receive Christ.  AND WE STILL HAVE 2 MORE WEEKS!!!! Please keep praying for our group!!!
Ok, here are some more pictures.  The town of Keszthely is having some sort of festival this weekend.  I'd tell you what kind of festival, but I'm illiterate.... it is SO frustrating not being able to read anything other than "Coke" and "Snickers" and "McDonald's."  Fortunately, the bathrooms have pictures of men and women on them....  This experience is giving me a new compassion for people who come to America and can't understand us or read our language.....  ANYWAY, here are some pictures of our little outing to the festival. 

Phil got permission to spin this old-fashioned merry-go-round.  I have better pics of it on Facebook, so take a look if we're friends.

Pizza baked in an oven outside

Ok, I love the smell of funnel cake, polish sausage, and philly cheese steaks as much as any other Mid-Southerner, but O. MY. WORD.  There are NO words to adequately describe these smells and tastes....

O. MY-LANTA. 

Since I still have a few minutes, I'll try to post a few pics from our Staff Hunt.  All of the camp staff workers and families dressed up and "hid" in town.  The campers had almost 2 hours to find us and get our signatures.  We "hid" in a cafe and enjoyed a late supper.  We also got to talk to our waitress about God.

Were you able to find us in the pictures?  We were in all camouflage, so I hope you could see us:)