The Gift of a Bible

By: Alicia Jones

It was the Monday before Christmas break. The sixth grade Bible Club hour had arrived and there were 16 students there that day. We told the Christmas story and concluded with our prepared questions. After our last question, a hand went up. The young boy skeptically asked, “Is this story really true?” My ministry partner answered him, “I believe it is and that is part of why I am a Christian.” I marveled as a small rumble occurred in the room; about half the students responded under their breath or out-loud: “Yeah, me too!” “I believe it is!” etc.

A conversation broke out like never before with these kids. We explained that these stories we’ve been telling them in Bible Club are true and make up the message God wants to communicate to us. My ministry partner explained that being a Christian was about having a relationship with God. She said, “I talk to God every day; I pray. And get this…he talks back!” There was an eruption of questions from the students, “But how?” We explained that through His word God speaks to us today. Sometimes when we read we find the answer to a specific question we had, or sometimes a particular message or verse “coincidentally” reoccurs continually in our lives for a period of time as though God is almost yelling at us until we understand the message!

The students marveled that it could work this way. To me that afternoon, it was obvious these children are hungry for their own relationship with God so that they might experience this first-hand. And it was just at that moment I announced the Christmas gift we had brought to them, a Bible! The crowd erupted in cheers when I made the announcement. With pride and excitement each one held their new gift.

The following day I was in the hall when I saw a sixth grader who attends the Bible Club. I asked casually if she liked her Christmas gift from the previous day. She responded with a resounding yes and then turned her body just enough so I could see the Bible tucked under her arm. I was thrilled, but quickly became shocked as I saw how worn the edges were. I thought, “My goodness, if only all of us would use our Bibles to hear God speak as much as this young girl has in the last few hours.” These children were so proud of their new Bibles!

Every Passion for His Glory

By: Alicia Jones

I love to dance. I love to worship God through dance.  When I committed my life to full time ministry I honestly did not know what would become of my passion for dance. Throughout the last two years serving in Eastern Europe, I’ve looked for opportunities to dance with the children at summer camps, during afterschool programs and while visiting people in their homes. But I never had opportunity to dance as fully or as often as I truly desired, until this December.

In September, together with my ministry partner we started offering a Bible Club at the school. Each hour is for a certain grade and those who come, come voluntarily. We do lots of fun things together, but everything is based on the week’s Bible story. As I saw how much the students enjoyed when we danced, I decided maybe these kids could perform something for their peers. I figured the first chance would be around Christmas.

I chose a song for each grade and started choreographing the dances. The students who attend the Bible Club became increasingly excited from week to week as we prepared for the Christmas Program. Three dances were performed. The 6^th graders performed a hip-hop dance to a VBS song entitled “God’s Great Love.” The 5^th grade students sang and danced to the Hungarian version of “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. The 3rd and 4th  grade students did a ribbon dance to the Hungarian version of “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” also from The Prince of the Egypt. All three groups did an outstanding job! Watch the video below of the performance. The dances begin at 23:30.

As December 19, the day of the Christmas Program approached, I watched as the children grew more and more excited. Each one was proud of what they could contribute to make the dance work and look beautiful; the children felt they were valuable, perhaps a first for some of these children. When the day finally arrived I marveled at the work that God had done in the lives of the 50 children who participated in the performance. To make the day complete, I even slipped on the old ballet slippers and put on my white angelic costume. When I stepped on stage to dance to “O Holy Night” sung in Hungarian by my ministry partner, the crowd of elementary school students gave a very audible gasp of surprise. My prayer is that my passion for dance would be used for His glory all throughout the coming year in a manner similar to that in December of this past year!

Watching God Save a Soul

Kató Fellegi serves as the HBAid coordinator for the partnership with Baptists on Mission. She is with the pastors each session of the Roma Bible Institutes and translates. Read below her testimony of how God moved that week in an unexpected way.

By: Kató Fellegi

Everyone went back to the accommodations already. I do not even remember why Ken and I stayed at the restaurant. We listened, and well fed we watched with pleasure as a few of the Roma brothers who stayed behind worshiped, gathering around the keyboard. I loved this part of the evening, when the praises ring out in the restaurant. The owner allowed us to sing and we did not bother any of the guests. I was sitting there, listening to the songs when I noticed an older rock singer passing by the restaurant for the third time. He looked in, stopped for a while but then he moved on. After a while he came in and sat down at a nearby table. I saw him from the side only. He wore a black leather jacket, had long black hair and earrings. He ordered a drink. I was wondering when he would start a quarrel with our Romas saying that they should stop singing because their songs were too godly. That night it was only him and us in the restaurant. No other guests. I was waiting for him to say something because I already had my answers to disarm him. But he did not say a word. He was listening and drinking quietly, while the worship songs resounded in the background:  His precious blood flowed for me, I am thankful for the cross, our God is greater, our God is stronger….

Suddenly I noticed that our rock singer wiped away a tear. I looked at him doubtfully but he repeated his movement. Ken looked at me questioning if I had seen what happened. I said: I saw it too, but I did not even think about going over there and sharing the gospel with him because I do not know how to evangelize. I am not good at it at all. Ken said he is really good at evangelizing but he does not speak Hungarian. He reminded me that it is not us who proselytize but the Holy Spirit; we only allow him a way to do so. And Ken was looking at me with that kind of look, which I am pretty sure he learned from Jesus, because it made me feel like going over to talk to the guy. We sat next to Tibor; that was his name. He said that he had a day off and while passing by the restaurant he noticed the worshipping. He came back twice to be sure that the songs were about Jesus. He felt touched by the songs; he wanted to listen to them so he sat down even though he had another plan for the evening. He had a very confusing day but listening to these songs had made him calm. It was such a good feeling for him to sit there. Something deep inside him was moved by these songs. From that point it was Ken’s turn, and he began very direct. “Tibor, if you were to die today what would you tell God to let you go into heaven?” “Maybe, because I am good, I did some good things and sometimes I loved people who were not worthy of it.” Ken responded: “This is all good. But did you know that we cannot go to heaven by our good actions? The only way we can get there is through believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God who saved us on the cross. We receive him as our personal redeemer.” “I think I received him already.” “You think? So you are not sure? If Jesus is in your heart, you know it for sure. Is there anything tonight that would hold you back from receiving him as your redeemer?” “No but before that, I need to go to the bathroom.” And he left. I told Ken that he will escape through the bathroom window, and will not come back. But he did. “I washed my hands,” he said to show us that he was prepared. We prayed. He repeated the prayer quietly and spiritually. We humbly asked Jesus to forgive his sins and move into his heart, and be the Lord of his life. Huge tear drops rolled down on his face when he looked up at the end. He said Amen at least four times. Amen, amen dear Tibor, our brother in Christ.

Balatonföldvár, Bible Institute, some worshipping Roma brothers, an American pastor and a lonely soul, hungry for God’s word; it was a major crossroads. And that is what I like most in my mission work, that God is using me on fields where I would never have wandered without him. I can teach although I am not a teacher, I can preach although I am not a pastor, I can evangelize although I cannot even find the right words to explain.

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Reflections from Summer 2014, Part 2

By Mike Moose, member of a medical team

Itinerant--adjective; working in one place for a comparatively short time and then moving on to work in another place; characterized by alternating periods of working and wandering. Recently I was talking to someone about our recent medical mission trip to the Roma camps in Ukraine. The person, knowing that I have no medical background, asked me, "So what did you do?"  It's a great question, one that I ask myself each year.  What am I doing over there?  Why am I going? Maybe "itinerant" described me.  I hauled crates of medicine and supplies, labeled and packaged meds in the pharmacy, played with some kids, did a little crowd control, hugged and encouraged the other tireless team members, led worship in a Roma church, and preached two sermons.  Working and wandering; wandering and working. For what purpose?  I heard a Roma congregation sing along with me songs I wrote for them in Hungarian.  I got a hug from a precious little girl.  I saw a little boy clutching a bottle of medicine I had filled and labeled earlier.  I saw an artist (one of our translators) bring one of my sermons to life by rendering a beautiful painting as I spoke.  I saw smiles.  I saw laughter.  I saw tears.  I saw love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. Perhaps we can never know fully for what purpose the threads of our lives guide us, but this is where the thread of my life goes--and I must follow it.

Reflections from Summer 2014, Part 1

By Alicia Jones

Five great teams from North Carolina came to Eastern Europe this summer to serve through the partnership between Baptists on Mission and Hungarian Baptist Aid (HBAid). The teams served Hungarians and Roma in Ukraine, Romania and Hungary through holding clinics, VBS, outreach events, and English Bible Camps. Over the next few posts we’d like to share the stories of what we saw God doing this summer.

Romania, August 2014Three team members with village children

The week was packed, but the team just never seemed to run out of energy! That describes the short-term mission team to Romania. They did VBS in two villages and at the main church. They hosted a concert, a Jesus film showing, men and women’s events, and a community bonfire. They shared the gospel through music, testimony, and preaching in seven villages and at the main church.

The highlight for me was the showing of the Jesus film on Saturday night. We started at 9 pm to make sure the sanctuary was dark enough to see the film. I really didn’t know what to expect. This was an idea the team brought; we had never shown the Jesus film.

It was nine o’clock and I was still struggling to get the projector set up. I was full of anxiety. Storm clouds were gathering, only a few people had taken their seats. The night before the power mysteriously went out in the church building, would it tonight? The cord I thought would power the projector was the wrong one. I started to pray silently.

I soon discovered that my laptop power cord fit the projector; I let out a sigh of relief. The sound was not clear, but we jiggled the cord a few times and it became audible. We were set. People kept trickling in. The storm was fast approaching. We opened the film viewing with prayer and started the movie. It took a few starts, but we finally got it going.

About ten or fifteen minutes into the film I took note of the room. It was packed! I don’t even know when and how so many children and adults slipped in. People in all the chairs, two or three children to a chair, people sitting in the window seals, and people on the floor. It was like the crowds surrounding Jesus in the film.

Dusk was gone and the storm clouds had made it pitch black. But the story of Jesus shone all the brighter on the sheet taped to the wall. It was dead quiet in the room. I never imagined the Jesus film would capture the attention of the people so intensely! They watched until nearly 11 pm without a word. The sound went out once, but no one moved a muscle. I jumped up and started trying things. I lifted silent prayers again. God answered, the sound just started up again. The message of Jesus was heard loudly and clearly by the Roma people that night in Romania!