Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Spring is in the air!

And all I have to say is that it is about time! I love the sun and all that comes with it. Since the sun has come out I have been to baseball game, an american football game, an easter egg hunt and gone for several bike rides. The baseball team was the Mikepercs Mosquitoes. This was their first game ever! Sadly they didn't win, but they did the following week. The football team is the Debrecen Gladiators, our local team. For more pictures click here.

The easter egg hunt was with our english class. I unfortunately, only go now when needed as my students have gotten jobs and other things that prevent them from being able to attend. I do however, still help with a converstion class at a high school here in Debrecen called Doci.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

march mayhem

March has been an interesting month. First, and sadly, my partner AP had to go to Budapest for the month because she was experiencing back pain. She is currently in physical therapy and doing better. However, she was currently coaching a volleyball team here in Debrecen in a high school, therefore the task fell to me. Did I mention that this was a guy's team? Really there is one girl on the team, so I guess it is coed. I walked into the gym that week with a volleyball and a sheet of paper from AP describing the different drills that we would be working on for the day. The guys were quite patience with me as i tried not to laugh and instruct them on the proper technique for an overhand serve (something in which i myself do not do). This week the drills will be on spiking, another thing that a 5 foot 1girl does not attempt
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Two weeks ago they had a scrimmage game with a team from another city. They lost. They won 1 out of 4 games. I'm not sure how long this (my) team has been playing but I noticed somethings that they could work on, even with my limited volleyball knowledge. For instance, we they serve the ball the entire front line all squeeze in the middle of the court and take their precious time to get back into position. They don't hustle and could work on their aim, but their serves are good! :) Thankfully, AP is returning to Debrecen this week and I am relieved of duty! Welcome back AP the team missed you!

Friday, February 27, 2009

trilingual? .....nah

I know one of the reasons that God's mercies new every morning, it is because so are all the new experiences and challenges that a day holds. Thankfully this was just a funny one. My co-worker AP has a vision to see an open gym night here in Debrecen. In order to take steps in this direction, she has been going around to different gyms, and high schools to see if their facilities were available. One day she asked me to go along with her. We entered a school that neither of us had ever been, and was received by the porter.

We greeted him in hungarian, and he did likewise as he politely asked us how he could assist us. Ap asked him if he spoke english, which he did not, and asked if we spoke french. Though AP studied French in highschool, she was wise enough to say no. So I tried to ask him (in hungarian) if the gym was open in the evening. What I did not realize is that i used the term for highschool instead of gym. Finally he asked if we spoke anyother languages. I not being as wise as AP, said alittle spanish. Suddenly i hear him on the phone asking for the spanish teacher because he has a spanish girl that has a question. I told the man that i didn't need the spanish teacher because i was not spanish, but american. He said okay and gave us directions to the teacher's lounge.

Next thing I hear is a lady greeting me in yes you guess it... spanish. I said hello back and tired to remember any words that would come to my mind, but only hungarian came out. So i asked if i could answer in hungarian. Our conversation consisted of her asking me questions in spanish while i answered in hungarian. I'm sure this was quite funny to anyone who may have been listening. After i tried to explain that AP was not looking for a job, but wanted to use their gym, she said that she would check, and sent the english teacher back. The end of this tale is that their gym is not avalible. On our way out of the school i thanked the english teacher in english, the spanish teacher in spanish and the porter in hungarian. Really, Great is His faithfullness!

Monday, February 2, 2009

a casual walk

Last week, I was walking around campus and was praying for what the Lord would do there when suddenly the enormity of my task hit me all over again. I looked at all the students coming in and going to class and I wondered what life held in store for each of them. Would they ever find truth or would they spend a lifetime searching without ever discovering true life. I know the truth, I know the one who creates and sustains life, but how do i tell them in a way that they would hear? I wish I could say at that moment I had a revelation, but I didn't. All I know is that the task is bigger than me, and much more important. I do not know how much longer I will be here, but I pray that the truth will spread and reside in the hearts of those students forever.

Monday, January 26, 2009

girls conference

January 16-17 I participated in a girls retreat in Mikeperc, which is a village outside of Debrecen, with goodsports international. This retreat was for the orphan girls of Miskolc. We were in small groups and were able to cover some of the issues that face girls everyday. Also helping were students from Biola University in California and the Debreceni youth group from Calvary Chapel. Here is the skit that Biola preformed for the girls saturday night after our panel discussion of what do guys really think... for pictures click here and then on outreach projects!
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Monday, January 5, 2009

cookies and carols


In November, I began helping with an english class in a neighboring city. I teach the advanced class and we were studying the christmas story. This is my first experience ever teaching english and for those who currently read this blog i'm sure you have your founded concerns. Thankfully it isn't all about how competent I am in english grammer and syntax, but in building relationship and sharing the most important lesson that i could ever teach, the gospel. My students are very kind and patient people and it is a pleasure to get to know them. We had a chistmas party before i left for the states and we had gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and sang christmas carols in both english and hungarian. here is a little taste.

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Monday, December 15, 2008

This is for my granny

Forget New Year's resolutions, if you want to make a change do it now! I have always wanted to learn to ice skate. I would watch some of the competitions on tv and only imagine what it was like. I still have no idea what it is like, but it is a blast trying to figure it out.
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