Reason 59

Day 2 in Hungary... or is it day 3... I am confused on the time and 
date. It is the end of our second full day. Today was a blessing, as 
well as a challenge.

We spent our morning at the university inviting students to an English 
class as well as trying to share the gospel with them and getting them 
to take a bible. To be completely honest, I was so nervous about 
talking with these students. Not everyone speaks English and I sure 
don't speak Hungarian, so I was a little concerned about the language 
barrier. I also had a fear that I might not know what to say, how to 
say it, or when to say it. Well, it's a good thing that God promises to 
give us words when we need them. I know you are probably surprised to 
learn that I occasionally struggle to come up with something to say, 
but it is true. There have been times in my life where I preferred to 
let someone else do the talking, and today was one of those times. But, 
I didn't come on this trip to be silent, so off I went (with a support 
buddy) and began talking to the students. Being approached by a 
stranger is as scary as approaching one, so my buddy and I decided that 
we would use candy as our tactic. We, of course, would never turn down 
candy from a smiling stranger so we figured that would be an easy in. 
Well, we had some success and I can say that everyone was very polite 
to give us their time. Now, I don't know if everyone understood what we 
we're doing exactly, but they shook their heads and accepted their 
candy and paper. Each time I finished talking to a person or group, I 
had to push myself to move on to the next one. We had about 30 minutes 
left, so off we went to talk to a group of 3.

One of the group members left, but he was quickly replaced by another 
guy. This guy, I'll just call him "D," spoke English well. We began 
talking and slowly I started to ask him some questions about God. At 
first, he said he didn't believe in God. He felt that man could only 
trust in man and that your family and friends could support and 
encourage you if you needed it. So, I began to share with him why I 
KNOW there is a God and why I trust him. I gave him a copy of my 
testimony (translated into Hungarian) to read. I shared with him that I 
have been facing difficulties in life but because I have a personal 
relationship with Jesus Christ, I have hope. I know he is in control 
and has a plan for my life. D told me that he didn't have faith in God 
because he had been through a difficult situation. I didn't expect him 
to share with me, but to my surprise, he asked if I would like to know 
his story. He shared a very sad story of loss with me, and I was 
grateful that this complete stranger was trusting enough to open up to 
me. In fact, this was the perfect opportunity to discuss eternal life. 
I just knew D was going to ask me a really difficult question or 
challenge me, but he didn't. He listened and he reluctantly agreed. And 
my heart began to rejoice as I could see that he was starting to wonder 
and think about what was being said.

As D shared his story with me, he got very emotional and I realized 
that the reason it was so difficult for him to tell me was because he 
had no hope. In fact, I doubt his friend had hope. I still struggle 
with sharing my story, but I realize that the only reason I can share 
this story is because I have hope. I have hope in the unshakeable when 
things are shaken. I have hope in the unbreakable when things are 
breaking. I have hope in the unchangeable when this are changing. I 
have hope in the immoveable when things are moving. How do people deal 
with all the disaster the world throws at them without having hope? I 
can tell you that the only reason I haven't fallen to pieces is because 
my hope is in the one who holds all things together. And so I praise 
him because he came to give hope to the hopeless... to me, to D, to 
you, and to all who call on his name.

#59-because he gives Hope!

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone 
is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my 
refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to 
him, for God is our refuge." - Psalm 62:5-8