at 9am we had 22 inches (56cm) of snow
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the snow of the decade in the ‘ville
the image out the back window
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hope in the freezing winter
We are in a pretty heavy snowstorm here in the ‘ville which made me think of this story.
Nearly a decade ago, on a cold January night in a major city of the former Soviet Union, where streets were covered in ice and snow, I joined a young man to take food to children who lived on their own on the streets.
My friend parked his car near the main train station, we walked through the station and down the length of one of the platforms to the end and jumped down to the tracks. We walked about fifty feet to a path that came up to the tracks, then down the icy path and across a small bridge, under which a fast-moving creek poured. We climbed down the side of the culvert near the edge of the creek and there I saw our destination.
The culvert and bridge also housed a large steam pipe which was supported by concrete supports. Scrap plywood had been collected and used to construct a shelter around the steam pipe, a warm place to sleep for several street kids resulted. I was struck by the ingenuity of the kids to make a warm shelter during the freezing winter. My guide and I delivered bread, sausages and milk, visited awhile and left. These kids were not afraid of us because my friend was part of a regular team of volunteers who sought out kids where they were known to hang out and bring them food. At that time, the government of this country, reeling from the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union (just eight years earlier), estimated that there were 12,000 street kids in this city.
Today, the problem of street kids is different. There are less kids on the street because in the ensuing decade, the faithful work of Father’s House has made such an impact in their city that even government attitudes have changed toward the treatment of these kids. The problem is not gone, but there has been great progress in bringing justice to abandoned children. Hundreds and hundreds of kids have found hope because of followers of Jesus who cared and acted and made a difference. You can be part of this ongoing work by praying for Fathers House and prayerfully considering making a donation to support them in their ongoing work. To learn more click here.
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open gym
[this is our fourth story of hope]
At about four in the afternoon on Mondays, the gym in a northwest Budapest high school is unlocked and comes alive as a dozen or so students shoot baskets and play basketball. This open gym is sponsored by their English teacher, Matt. In his first year of teaching conversational English, Matt came up with this novel (in Hungary) idea to connect with his students in this fun way. His goal in Budapest is to do a good job teaching English to his students and to befriend them and as opportunity allows, to show them what it means to live as a follower of Jesus. He is not a preacher, he is there to live and teach and be a model of what a follower of Jesus is like. Huh, that’s what all Christians are supposed to do… … anyway, if you’re in Budapest on a Monday afternoon and have your gym shoes on, go see if you can get picked to be on one of the teams in a pick up game. And if you’d like to make a difference in the lives of some teenagers who would really profit from your talents and interests, learn more about teaching English with us in Budapest at www.ceokids.org
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a stone in a pond
[stories of hope: part three]
In southern Hungary, most Friday nights, in a university town, there is a gathering of English speaking students, researchers, teachers and other kind of folks who share a meal, pray, and discuss how Jesus and Scripture are relevant to life, how Jesus changes life for the better, how to connect to Jesus and how to help one another do these things. This group is the result of the vision and effort of a woman who poured nine years of her life into Szeged. As I look around at what is happening to bring the Gospel to the students of this city, I know that the faithfulness of God working through this one teacher, Arden, was a huge catalyst in making things happen.
It is because of her vision, persistent serving and teaching, and her faithful mentoring that several of the leaders of the city are engaged in working with students. She would never want credit for anything accomplished, her humility wouldn’t allow it. But as one who watched the development of ministry in this city for a dozen years, I know that Arden is the stone that God dropped into this pond. I know that the ripples in this pond are the impact of her faithfulness in reaching out to the hearts of Szeged’s students and that those ripples continue today.
It is not necessarily her training, her intelligence, even her deep and ever growing spirituality or faithfulness that made such ripples when God dropped her in the Szeged pond. No, I contend that it was her willingness. Are you willing?
If you have such a willing heart, if you are willing to be dropped into a pond and cause some ripples which God will use to change lives and even cultures to bring them hope, why not prayerfully consider joining us in serving God on the field. Learn more at http://www.ceokids.org, click here.
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reconciliation
[this is part two in my series on hope]
In the former Yugoslavia, in Croatia, is the city of Vukovar. The horror of the war that broke Yugoslavia up was shown in the film “Harrison’s Flowers.” It is a pretty tough movie to watch in places because of its realism. Real is often tough.
Vukovar was once a thriving multi-ethnic city on the Danube river that had drawn thousands of people from all over Yugoslavia to work in a huge shoe factory and the related supporting industries. There were Croats, Serbs, Hungarians, Bosnians, Macedonians and others. But the war changed all that. In some senses, the war began with the siege of Vukovar from August 25 to November 18, 1991. Atrocities ensued and thousands fled the city.
I first went there six years ago during Thanksgiving 2003. What I saw then was a city that had, in many ways, been turned into a broken shell. Today, six years later, the city is on the mend, much of it is now repaired. But there is understandable mis-trust among groups since the war was fought along ethnic lines. A counselor there told me that many, perhaps most of the residents of Vukovar suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to their experiences and the physical state of the city. You don’t forget a war when the house across the street is empty because it was shelled and burned out in the war.
A friend of mine there fought in the war suffered greatly when he was captured and held in a prison camp. He suffered greatly for years after. Then he became a follower of Jesus and, over time, he began to see relief from his symptoms. Today he is well and is a leader of his church. God has and is doing works of reconciliation. People of different ethnicities are friends, co-workers, fellow worshipers. This amazingly vibrant church is one of the means God has used to bring blessing to people. A couple of years ago a house in town burned down. It was the home to a family of one ethnic group and it was incredible to see the people of other ethnic groups untie around these folks and help rebuild their home. There is great hope in reconciliation when people look to Jesus, as he is the great reconciler.
If you would like to donate to support the ongoing work of reconciliation in Vukovar by supporting the church there, you can do so at http://www.ceokids.org
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a brick and a bakery
[Today, I embark on telling a series of stories on what is going on in the world that I see. It’s not just to get you riled up, nor is it just a means for me to vent. These are stories of hope. I want to give you a chance to join me in making a difference. Here’s our first story…]
Early one morning, in a city in the former Soviet Union, a worker arrived to find two small girls asleep in the bakery she managed. During the night, the girls had broken in to the bakery to fill their empty stomachs and then fell asleep in a corner behind the counter: Sasha and Oxana* were six and three. The angry manager called the police, who took the girls to the police station. Social services were called in. Somehow, these officials were able to determine the girl’s names and find their mother, who was drunk. When she sobered up, she told the Social Services workers that she could not care for the children any longer. She did not know where the girl’s father was, perhaps he was in prison for drugs. They were homeless. She told them to keep the girls.
For over a decade, I’ve been visiting Eastern Europe, over and over again I see the plight of abandoned children due to substance abuse.** Last month, I heard the true story you just read. I met the girls in their new home.
Sasha and Oxana are real persons, they are now seven and four years old. Imagine a cute bubbly four year old, that’s Oxana. You see, the Social Services in this Eastern European city have discovered that the best care in the county is found in the Second Chance Homes. These homes are in the country, staffed by caring, well trained workers (I visited three of them. They provide a warm, clean environment where the children live in good conditions and are well fed. Not only are these children returned to classes in the local school, but they also learn responsibility through chores, and when old enough, they learn a trade. In one of the homes, on a farm, the older children learn how to care for animals and use farm equipment. As a Christian organization, the leaders in the homes not only help with homework, they live and teach Biblical principles to the kids. I have known the leader of the shelters for eight years. I am glad to be associated with them.
When I was there in November, I was able to provide some funding for the shelters. This Christmas season, would you consider helping Oxana and her sister and roommates? Please prayerfully consider making a donation to support the Second Chance Homes for Children, $25 can go a surprisingly long way. You can donate online or by sending a check to Christian Educators Outreach, be sure to make note that your donation is for “Second Chance”. For more information on just how to help us help the Second Chance Homes, click here.
*Details (including names) have been changed to provide some protection of privacy.
**A recent statistic showed that “in 2007 alcohol-related deaths constituted 40% and 22% of all deaths among adult men and women, respectively.” This does not consider the number of parents in prison resulting from offenses caused by their alcoholism.Institute for Demography and Social Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
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kingdom travelin' 