The past couple of weeks have actually been pretty fun. I feel like I am finally caught up from the things that I put off during the busy season that I had in February and I am enjoying having more time in my life to meet with people, have fun and build relationships. Last weekend one of the guys from the Szentendre Church that helps at the high school invited us to go hiking at his favorite hiking spot. It was so good for me to get out in the woods, enjoy the sunshine and God’s creation. I also accepted an invitation to go to a Hungarian Dance performance with a girl from one of the English Clubs I lead. It was beautiful and I was so happy that I got to spend time with her. Then this past week I was also able to go out for coffee with a girl from the university. We had a really good chance to talk and it was good to hear about her hopes, dreams and life story. I feel like God is at work answering my need for friendship here. I am also growing in the understanding that friends might look different than I expect. They might not be exactly my age, have the same goals in life, or have the same hobbies, but we can still love each other, and bring each other joy.
In other happenings, this week is a special seminar week at the university. The professors offer seminars of their choice (approved by the university of course) and the students get to sign up for which ones they would like to attend. The American History professor that I am friends with gave a seminar on relationships and dating for girls only. I got to come participate and it was really great. The culture here encourages sleeping together and living together before marriage (if you choose to ever get married which is becoming less and less popular) and places a very low value on commitment and purity. Some of the highlights of the talk were on not giving yourself to guys who were not committed to you and on not trying to let that relationship give you your value as a human being. I think that everyone who came really listened to what the professor had to say and a few stayed to talk to us after.
Being a part of that talk was good for me too, and I have been thinking more this week about taking better care of myself and thinking more about my goals and direction in life. I want to be open to God’s leading and direction in my life, but I so often feel that He only gives me one step at a time. In order to be going somewhere I often feel like I need some big goals and dreams of my own to be working toward. Especially, because every person who has really made an impact on history has had like one thing that they were super passionate about, that they were willing to give their life for. I know the easy answer is Christ for me, but what does that look like? Is it a bad thing that I want a 5 year or a 10 year plan? Along with that I have resolved in having more free time to exercise more again. I really love to be outside and exercise and I am determined that I will even if my knee is not happy with me and no one wants to come along!
So overall, things have been good. Please pray for the relationships that I am investing in and especially for the Parent Club at the high school. The parents are so sweet and I want to be faithful to love them well and connect them to the church.
Thank you all for your love and support!