Everything had been covered in prayer all the way around , that hedging behind and before and we felt the covering. Our Lord had gone before us and set His people in position and the wheels started rolling long before we arrived.      

And there were these Watchmen. The chosen ones who stand guard over the appointed subjects and the Lord had chosen well.

And it was under their watchful eye and their very careful attention to every detail that we were greatly cared for. Not one rock unturned, every detail had been previously prepared and each had a role, and isn’t that just like the body of Christ?      

Some were in the forefront and we saw the efforts and the pains they took on our behalf. But still, others were in the background, quietly and painstakingly serving, never to have the public applause of man.      

And under the guidance and hand of Jesus, and out of their obedience to their Master, these men and women of Christ served wholeheartedly, and they served us well.      

And how could it be that my heart is torn and stretched half way across the world? Over the ocean and the distance of twenty hours of air time my heart lingers still. And my mind is continuously drawn to them.                

And my Lord, well . . . He knew all along, it had always been His plan. He bids me to lift them up to Himself, to set at His feet in their behalf. His extravagant love for them drew me out and connected our hearts together, in Him.

I am overwhelmed by His faithfulness!             

You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.  Psalm 139:5-6

On our last day in Ujfeherto Hungary, they took us to some kind of horse and carriage festival (I’ll write about that later).  As we approached the festival I caught a glimpse of an old cemetery.  

I asked what it was and they told me it was an old Jewish cemetery.   

So after we spent a couple of hours at the festival we took a trail the short distance back to the cemetery.      

We walked slowly and talked as we went along. We asked questions about the sights we saw, trying to soak in every aspect of the moment and making the connections between the visual and history of this land.

We passed a field of sweet corn that soon would be harvested . . .

Another old cemetery that stood on the top of a small hill . . . 

We passed Hungarian people, both on foot and riding bikes . . .     

Then, we arrived at our desired destination.

The cemetery stood on the top of a hill, enclosed with a tall concrete fence. The fence was layered with wide, flat cement post that were rounded at the top and stood about six foot tall, a fortress for the graves.

It seemed so grand and majestic standing on that hill and I felt so lowly and insignificant. I had the sense that I was intruding upon this scared ground.

The entrance  was gated and the great doors were locked.    

Our guide told us that there was a caretaker of the cemetery but he was not around on this day.  

So I climbed the stairs to the gate and held my camera over the top of the fence to get some pictures.    

Here I was, in the midst of my Lord’s beloved people and my heart beat unworthy within my chest.  I felt a sense of awe and reverence here in this sacred place and I did not want to leave.

My desire in that moment was to be able to read the head markers of these chosen people and to have more of a understanding of the history of the cemetery.

Most of the headstones looked ancient and had a pristine presence about it that hung in the air against the backdrop of the overcast day.

It was breathtakingly beautiful and I considered this moment to be one of the most treasured of my trip.

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 14:2

While I was in Hungary I took over 2,400 pictures!     

Even though we were only there for eight days, so much happened.  

We saw so many things. .  . we visited so many places .  .  .     

We ate so much food!           

But it was really the people that captured my heart!              

My heart is so full and the memories are fresh and vivid as I recount each story through my pictures.  I am pondering.   It will take some time to sort it all out and write it all down.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”~Jesus~John 15:11

On a Friday afternoon I sat in McDonald’s having coffee with a friend. I explained to her that mission trips were really not my thing, that I felt like my ministry is at home. I am very comfortable being home and it is really hard for me to leave my family.

My sweet friend laughed when she saw that I had signed up to go to Hungary just two days later.

You would think that I would get it by now, NEVER SAY NEVER! Especially when it comes to God!

For you see, when I saw the sign up list for Hungary, I KNEW He was telling me to go. . . . so I signed up.  

Later on, when I found out what we would be doing in Hungary I really got excited.

We were going to be teaching English in the public school. But the exciting thing was that we were going to be teaching English through bible stories and through our own testimonies.

And so after weeks of preparations, this team of four women were on their way to Hungary!     

We flew into Budapest and was picked up the next morning by two of our Lord’s trusted servants.   They drove us to what would be our home for the next seven days.

After an amazing lunch (feast) we were taken to the Teglas public school.    

We were given a tour of the school before we met with the children.    

The next morning started with worship, as did every morning after that. It was led by an amazing music pastor, Barnabas. The youth from the Baptist Church also played and led us in worship.  They sang in both Hungarian and English! I loved the worship time and hearing the same songs we sing here in America being sung in Hungarian. 

It was an amazing start to an incredible week!          

The mornings were spent in the classrooms teaching.      

This is my AWESOME class!                           

Then we would meet in the cafeteria and a couple of us (not me) would teach them dances and games from America.  The “Cupid Shuffle”, the “Chicken Dance” and the 
“Cha Cha Slide” were done every day.  They had a great time with this and even the principal and some of the teachers would join in the fun.

And then is was lunch time  .  .   .   .   .    It was a great feast  and I think I offended the cook because after the first day I asked for 1/2 portions. It was SO much food!

And the Principal and the teachers were so amazing . . . and open . . . and warm . . . and loving!! They took us in and welcomed us and we felt so accepted, we were one of them and we bonded with them very quickly. I am so grateful for these beautiful women. They are  now a huge part of our everyday face book life!   

Our time with them was too short and we vowed to come back next year.

At the end of the week there was a talent show and we watched and cried and laughed and clapped and clapped!                         

And we sang Amazing Grace for them and they showered us with gifts!            

They made us these awesome shirts with a picture of a heart made out of the hands of all the children on the front and a group picture of all of us on the back. We wore them on Sunday at our home church as we told about our trip and recounted to our church family all the wonderful things we had experienced and all the amazing people we had met.

At the end of the last day, as the four of us climbed into the van to head back to our temporary dwelling, with our hearts heavy and tears in our eyes we all swore to come back to our new found friends.

And how AMAZING is our God?  It is so like Him to cover us so completely, to minister to our hearts and bring into our midst people that will forever hold our hearts and that have forever changed our lives. 

Yes, you can bet that if there is any way at all, you will find me in Teglas~Hungary next summer, and every summer after.

Our group picture.

Matt: 5:6