Dreams of the Least of These Team.

I have one very dedicated, committed blog fan. I know this for sure because whenever I go any significant time without blogging, I get a reminder via my formspring account. Sometimes I respond with "soon" and then forget...but my faithful follower holds me to my word and when "soon" passes I get another reminder. So, this blog is for you, my blogger stalker. Enjoy.

I could really share every day about what I have been learning, but I am so busy that it's hard to find time. Even when I am not busy I am usually with people, so I just don't remember to write things down (a.k.a. blog). I actually have a list somewhere that has little reminders written for blog ideas. Thoughts that really would make no sense to anyone reading it....for example: "every language whistles" or "I don't really look like this, but no one knows" or "stomach noises" or the very serious "a molehill is a mountain if you're small, and I feel small"...these are all possible upcoming blogs. Today I couldn't choose between "Dream Team, Part 2" or "The Least of These" which is how I settle on the title for this particular post.

I will actually start with "The Least of These" because it happened first. This all started two weeks ago when I decided to join the "Palfa outreach team". Palfa is a village neighboring village that happens to have a mental hospital. The patients all have mental disabilitys, not diseases (so it's not a hospital for suicidal patients, but down-syndrome patients). Our team goes every other week and, basically, we just hang out. We hug a lot, sometimes more that we really care too. Most of the time spent hugging is also spent avoiding kisses on the lips. The patients are dirty, missing teeth, smell bad and not exactly modest...but they need to be loved. It's easy to imagine what kind of homes they have come from. It's hard to think that they have any family anywhere that loves them at all, because if they did, they wouldn't be there. It's a dark and gloomy place. That  we are able to go and minister to them is such a blessing to us, but a thousand times more to them. When we went last time, a few of the patients followed out (and it was freezing, by the way) and tried to come with us. We really had to just get in the car and leave them standing on the other side of a locked gate...but we honked the horn to cheer them up, so it wasn't too gloomy. I was talking to one of the Hungarian students, saying I wished I spoke more Hungarian so I could understand them, and he said that speaking Hungarian really didn't help. We go again tomorrow, my second time, and I am very excited to go back. I don't have any pictures, and I'm not sure if I will. Honestly, I am afraid that if I bring my camera I'll never see it again.


Then on Saturday I went to the Budapest, by the way, the letter S in Hungarian is pronounced "sh"...so the city is called "Budapesht", well anyways....we went to an orphanage. We went with people from Calvary Chapel Budapest and it was the first time for anyone to go. The orphanage has recently been awarded money from the government to fund things like this, so none of us had to pay transportation fees. But because it is a government orphanage, we have been asked not to talk about religion, at least not officially. If someone asked me "Why are you in bible college?" or "What is a Christian?" I can respond, but we cant do Christian songs or lessons. We are really praying that as the ministry develops and they get to know us more, that God will change the hearts of those in charge and let us share. For now, it's enough just to go and love them. I somehow ended up with the teenagers, which I would have never picked to do, but I loved it! They just wanted to talk and they asked me so many questions (through Oliver, a Hungarian from the church), and it was such a blast. I was supposed to go on a missions trip this weekend to Bija, but I decided not to so I could go back to the orphanage. After this Saturday, we will go every other week.  They want to same students to try to keep going back so that we can build relationships with them.

Everyone gathered in the beginning.

The teenagers.

Trying to be studly.

Trying to be gangster, clearly needing Jesus.

The girls. 

He really wanted us to have a picture with his toy...

Then on Sunday morning I went back to Budapest and went to Calvary Chapel Budapest for the Baptism service. It was really wonderful! After church we got to do a little shopping and sight seeing. 

That's part one. Now for Part 2, Dream Team. I traded my Servanthood class with another student and am now the proud cleaner of...the bathroom!

 

I actually really like it. I would rather clean something that is dirty than something that already looked clean. Besides, it's the bathroom I use, so now I can know in my heart of hearts that it's really clean. I can also put a sign on the door that says the nice version of "I'm cleaning in here, so get lost" and get to be alone for a whole hour and a half! Yep. I like it.

Oh and one more little side note (notice I am wrapping up quickly, it's almost lights out). I am really becoming so much more confident here, and yesterday I realized why. As I was walking through the hallway, headed to clean toilets I was stopped with the complement of "You always look so cute! Every day!" then I headed into the bathroom and was greeted by the mirror...I looked so gross that I had to take a picture because I thought it was so funny.

Yes I know it's basically two of the same picture, but I just want everyone to fully understand what i looked like when I received that complement. I think this was my forth or fifth day without a shower, I know I smelled....and I haven't been wearing eye makeup because my eyes are too swollen and puffy. Please don't comment with a complement, I am seriously not digging for one. Just know, I am in a really nice and safe place.

The End....I think. Yep, The End.