Thank you to everyone who prayed and continues to pray for us! We’ve been feeling those prayers since the hour we left the States! We arrived without complications in Philly, but barely on schedule. Who knew that we would be literally running through an airport to catch the last leg of our journey! After being warned of severe storms in Philly, our flight was delayed for almost an hour, which meant we arrived right on the minute when our connecting flight to Budapest was scheduled to depart. Thankfully the captain was late, which helped stall the departure for a little while longer, though barely long enough. A couple of our team members tried desperately to convince the airline staff to hold off on closing the gate till all of us were able to board together. That obstacle was overcome, although by the time we boarded, word got around that we were the group who delayed the departure time…

After a long eight hour flight, most of us—and by “most of us,” I mean all of us humans arrived in Budapest; our luggage got held behind in Philly. So we made due with the clothes on our backs and walked for miles around Budapest, touring the city with Adam and Tomás and his wife. Later we went to a store and bought some clothes and toiletries to tie us over till our luggage arrives, which thankfully we have received word that it is due to arrive by tonight.

This afternoon, we separated into our sports and English teams, and tomorrow we will be beginning our lessons. The campers are arriving as I type this, so please pray for them. They come from all areas of Hungary, each one with a different story and upbringing. Pray for unity among the staff and volunteers, especially those who have been working since the first week of camp. Pray also that we will have energy, optimism, kindness, openness, and willing hearts. Pray for safety, for connections to be made, and for the Spirit to work in the hearts of everyone at camp. We are excited to share with y’all the work God is doing here at Word of Life (WOL) Hungary!

Till tomorrow,

~Helene (Ellie)