Word of Life Hungary update

Monday, August 6, 2018

First of all- thank you for your earnest prayers!  The team can tell that you all have been faithfully lifting us up in prayer and we are so grateful!  The Lord has been answering in big and small ways and we are encouraged to know that He is at work in all things.

We are grateful that it rained a bit last night and brought down the temperature by a few degrees.  I know we are supposed to be used to the heat, coming from Texas, but we are really used to having air conditioning, which we do not have here.  So the few degrees lower today was delightful!

We are grateful that our luggage arrived yesterday earlier than expected!  We heard that you all had prayed specifically for that and the Lord answered- we received it in time to sort out the supplies and have everything ready for the campers today.

The camp began this morning in earnest.  All of the English teachers had prepared lessons for the morning sessions, and when we met briefly afterwards, we all seemed a bit discouraged. The students seemed very shy and reluctant to talk and we had difficulty drawing them out. We discussed different strategies to try in the afternoon and encouraged one another.  We had time in the afternoon to pray for our groups and we knew that you were praying for us, as well.  The afternoon sessions all went well and we felt uplifted in spirit. The students began to laugh with us and volunteer conversations and information. Everyone cheerfully prepared for tomorrow’s sessions with great hope that the “ice” has been broken.

The baseball and football camps also got underway today.  Some campers have never played these sports previously while others are repeat campers.  There are two girls in the football camp, which is new. Many campers were really excited that Brooks and Charlie were back to coach!  All the kids had a blast.  The coaches praise the Lord for great weather, good attitudes among the Redeemer volunteers, and clean clothes to change into after the workouts!  

Mealtimes are not for the faint-hearted!  We enter the room greeted by loud music, which continues throughout the time.  There are songs and skits and competitions, and lots of laughter.  It is wonderful to see the campers having such a great time.  It is easy to see how this experience can change their lives. We have attached a video clip which demonstrates how music can unite different cultures! (You can click on the two links at the bottom of the page to view two different videos).

We have been blessed to join in the evening chapel these past two nights.  Tonight, as we left the building, several students indicated that they had trusted Christ and were staying behind to talk with their counselors.  Praise God!  Many of us will have the opportunity to share our personal testimonies with our individual groups of campers over the next several days. Please lift this up in fervent prayer- for us to be bold and sensitive as we speak, and for the Holy Spirit to open the hearts and minds of these young people and draw them to Christ. 

-Kyle Renard