Kids' Camp from Rosalind Hills to Kekcse & Berencs

"Yes, Lord; Yes, Lord; Yes..." The words of the English chorus could be heard ringing through the villages along with the shouts of "Alleluia" and "Ald az Urat" (Hallelujah & Praise ye the Lord) as the boys and girls tried to outdo each other in the familiar chorus. Hands shot up eagerly as the village children volunteered to help with the interactive Bible story each day. Many of us were all thumbs when it came to craft time but the necklaces, visors, and picture frames were all treasured gifts to take home to show parents. Bubbles were a big hit and the thunder sticks (blow-up elongated tubes) were fun as swords to challenge a sibling or a friend. These were all activities in the two Backyard Bible Camps conducted by the youth team of Rosalind Hills Baptist Church, Roanoke, VA in the villages of Kekcse and Berencs. Each morning we were greeted with smiling faces and great big hugs. Parents came to see what all the noise was about and each day our group of kids grew bigger and bigger. The young people from Rosalind Hills served as the presence of Christ among the Roma through their unselfish giving of their time, energy, and finances to be in northeast Hungary for a week in July.

Thank you for all your prayers in support of this ministry. It was a fun week for all!

NEWS FLASH - VISA GRANTED!!!

Wonderful news today!! Glen Adkins called to tell us their visas to come to Hungary have been granted. The embassy in DC had just called and said they are ready to be picked up. This is within one week of Glen and Clista submitting the paperwork. As far as we know this is a record!! Thank you for praying. We can only describe this as a "God thing"! Praise to Him!

Backyard Bible Camp

Tomorrow (Saturday 7/7/07 - a lucky day! But who needs luck??) the youth team from Rosalind Hills Baptist Church, Roanoke, VA arrives. (By the way - the pastor is Ralph's brother, Tom) After a day of adjustment in Bp we will head to Zahony, near the Ukraine border in northeast Hungary. The team will spend the week providing Backyard Bible camp for the Roma children in the villages of Berencs and Kekcse. Please pray for them this coming week asking God for traveling safety, patience, energy, and all the grace needed to minister among many kids in the warm summer temps. Pray for our translators, Edit and Ellod. Pray we can all be the presence of Christ and show these kids God's love through our actions, stories, hugs, and the attention they so crave.

Gandhi English Camp - Success!!

Mix young people from 2 cultures, lots of energy, good food, great weather, games, crafts, and music - what do you get?? "A good time had by all!" For the second time a group of young people led by Scott Ford traveled from Haven Fellowship Church in Conyers, GA to a remote camp around Pecs, Hungary to spend the week with a group of Roma students. The advertised purpose of the camp was to help the Roma improve their English, the real goal of the camp was to show them they are loved and valued by God. Happily both goals were hugely met!

The young people spent the week playing various games such as blob tag, spoon racing with eggs, tug-of-war, and other creative games. They feasted on hot dogs, s'mores, sloppy joes, ice cream sundaes, and pancakes, just to name a few of the yummy food items. They did crafts, making string bracelets and door hangers. Many of the letters for the hangers wound up glued to arms and foreheads as well (Kids are the same in any culture!). The evenings were spent in devotional time and special activities such as a luau and a talent show. One of their English lessons involved playing "resturant". The students took turns being guests and being waiters. Do you know all the slang associated with how an English speaker can order eggs cooked??

Thank you for praying for this week. The Roma and American young people were able to forget their differences and find commom ground. They all laughed and temporarily forgot the troubles of the world. Friendships were made and bonds formed. Most importantly God's love for the Roma shone through with the actions of the dedicated young people from Georgia. The Roma students are already talking about next year!

Adkins Visa update

We have been asking you all to urgently pray for Glen and Clista Adkins' (our new GSC couple taking Penny's place at Gandhi) visa process. Friday they handed in all their paperwork and the process went smoothly. The Hungarians were asking for less paperwork than we anticipated. The papers now go to Hungary for approval and back to the US. The Hungarian representative said 4 weeks - we are praying for 2 or less. Glen and Clista would like to arrive in Hungary the end of August. They cannot travel here until they have the visas in hand. So please continue to pray! Thanks.