traveling from Szeged to Vinnitsya

begins with unloading the bags from the car

can there really be more bags???

and more bags

we think there were 49

thanks Mark, here's your car empty again

last night in Szeged

The last night in Szeged was a time for hanging out and goodbyes as our team prepared to train to Ukraine...

sharing their hearts on the steps...

after dinner the team met kids and hung out and sang and shared their hearts with their friends... this took place on the steps on the bank of the flooded Tisza river...

wash day at the guys flat

finishing up in Szeged

here and below are some pix from our last team dinner in Szeged

Laura and Caroline

Tristan

Stacy and Laura

Melanie

Hyun and Alex

Kyle and Tom

A day in Szeged, Hungary for our team

The following posts are a day for our team! scroll down to see how the day starts!

Me and Kyle getting some pastries and coffee to start the day (0700) and talk about travelin through some doors!

Here comes the team on the tram to school!!!

Starting a day at camp!

Good Moning team!!!!!

The team poses before school for the blog!!!!

its SOOOOOO early!!!! (0757)

check out these poses

open the door, Tomislav

I want to go to devotions!!!!

headed for morning devotions

week two of English camp at Deak

then I left on the train for Budapest for a meeting

Vac is where the "travelin trio" is doing ministry... we took the train to Vac



I love Hungarian trains, they run on time!!!
on my way back to Szeged I hung out in the dining car to do some reading...

enjoying Galatians!

"don't grow weary in well doing!"

doors to walk through

ok, so maybe im not back yet... lack or regular scedule does in the bloggin intention...

but heres a thought...

as we travel we have life choices to make... doors open up for us... sometimes lots of doors... so how do we choose which one to walk through?

I vote lots of prayer....

advise from proven advisors who know how to keep their ajendas in check...

and more prayer...

your thoughts?

My friend Mark has his new and improved blog up and running... link on the right!

Our trip is going great... if I could get my palm to sync... id post some pix... aaaarrrrggggghhhhhhh

the traveling trio

Kami, Catherine and Liz did a great job in traveling and supporting LOTS of CEO's partners... they modeled rule 1

a musical trio

Tristan, Kyle and Alex...

liz and the newell boys

one of the ministries of the traveling trio was being caretaker for the newell boys for a day... here's Liz on the balcony

urban life in Budapest

as i walked around in search of cappuccino yesterday morning i noticed this block of flats which has a garden with trees creating a shady space and it made me think of my new friend Atilla who lives and works in Budapest but travels to the country to enjoy nature as often as he can... some folks are unable to take that journey and so this outdoor space is all they have...


...down the street I saw this church which was beautiful on the inside while being kinda typical on the outside...

standing typical on the outside among the urban scheme while inside having the beauty of God... an image of what Jesus did... and called us too...







later on, I went in search of W... over at parlament they had the place cordoned off...



with portable fence and trams! The #2 tram was shut down and the had lined up the trams around parlament to place a barrier along with snipers and Hungarian secret service and police


later all was back to normal and at the end of the no 2 at Margit Hid I watched the usual break dancers...
1

2





3

cool normal, huh?

English Club

After English Club, the traveling trio and friends (L to R: Atilla, Kristof, Catherine, Tomislav, Kami and Mark, Liz is behind the camera) got a tour of Cornivus U.

Maybe I'm back - I don't yet know...

Folks who are looking for a trip update and pix of kids may wish to skip this post, it is a 'normal' blog post intended for the blogosphere

So, I've been absent awhile... the spring is a crushing time of year for me... hense, as one fellow blogger put it "In the last two months you have posted, maybe, three times"... true, so true... sad, oh so sad... so maybe I'll begin again... but please forgive if I don't, there is NO routine in my existance right now... here are a few thoughts I have this morning...

So... I am right now on a trip with a whole bunch of young people right now. Some of them high energy (which begins to approach mine) and others of them just drag... but it is a cool community... the best time for me is worshiping with them... they are a fun group...

On this year's journey (you knew that word HAD to be in this post, didn't you?) I am seeing more than before among the people we have come to serve life what Thoreau described when he said... "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Perhaps my eyes and ears are opened wider.

This is the view from the window of the flat I'm staying in for a couple of days in Budapest...

Once again God has taught me through my interactions with people what it is like to be him. To see suffering because of pride in and un-wise decisions... It is His heart to see His children do well, and it breaks his heart when their pride makes them do the unwise, the unnecessary... he wants them to come home, why won't they?

streets

One of the things the students notice is difference in the street scenes...







Last Fri. a Hungarian university student told our new kids about the process of getting into Hungarian universities...







tonight the "traveling trio" and I will be visiting the English club that this young man organizes each week...

the ever popular Hyun

So one member of our team is Hyun... and he is full of energy and makes EVERYONE laugh, we all love having Hyun around...

Kyle was teaching some lesson about who knows what and had the kids draw pictures of aliens on the board and a couple of them wanted to draw Hyun, so Kyle said okay, and here is one of the results, note the hair and the smile!

HYUN!!!!

Deak Ferenc High School

sorry for the fuzzy pic... this is where the team I am with spends there day with fifty-three Hungarian kids speaking English!

team dinner

the team has a dinner at Numero Uno pizza

Day 3: World Cup in Europe!

Quite a bit of our time is hanging out at the World Cup... it is a huge deal in Europe... This is a huge outdoor area covered with tables and a monster screen where we often gather to watch football games!

no pix yet...

sorry, ive got some shots picked out and ready to post but the computer here in the internet cafe will not take my usb card.. i hope a few pix posted on TUESDAY!

Praises!

We are all here and safe... we are aclamating to the time zone and warmer climate

a great first day at camp!!! I was really proud of how hard the kids worked and for

hearts of flexability!

Please pray for:

strength and wellness of our team

our spiritual strength as well as physical strength

good connections with kids

father's day

It's Father's Day and the team gathers after church in the main square of Szeged to call dads... Catherine and Alex look on as Liz tries to help Tomislav get on line... in the background mark is on the phone with his dad...

first team dinner in Szeged

our arrival in Szeged with the new folks was met by dinner prepared by the already arrived veterans....

day 1-2

Upon arrival in Budapest, Mark, Hyun, Kami and Melanie head to Szeged in a van with the Luggage whilst the rest head into Budapest...

using public transportation... next morning Liz and Catherine head to Szegen on the train while the new kids get "Tom's One Day Tour of Budapest..."

We are posing for a group shot with the Hungarian Parliment behind us... I think need to clean the lens on mz Treo (that is really a y in "my", but the z and the y are reversed on the keyboards here, so if zou don't get something, just mentally switch the letters)

and then St. Steven's...

















day 2 ended with a train ride to Szeged... and some tired students...