On the weekend of the 23rd we returned to Budapest for the 20th anniversary of Shaun and Söndi's church, and also to do some shopping for the community advent wreath event we would hold the following Friday. It was mostly a shop-til-you-drop weekend. The malls in Budapest are impressive and very big. We also visited the covered market. Söndi had hoped we could find some Christmas stuff there, but it was mostly souvenirs. Unfortunately I missed the Budapest Christmas market by one week.
Tuesday I geared myself up to say goodbye to my teen students, but alas, for the first time I didn't even have one student. I think I was slightly relieved. Maybe saying formal goodbyes would have been too hard at the time. I think most of them skipped club because there were music recitals at the music school. So after club I headed down to the music school with Söndi to watch David and a couple of my students perform their violin pieces.
Wednesday we were invited by Magdolna to come to a Tea at her school (same school as Peter) to share a bit about Canada and Ireland, and play some games. It was a good turnout. Probably more than 25 students and teachers came. We watched slideshows from Canada and Ireland, then had a bit of an open Q&A about our countries. Afterwards I played and sang a song with the guitar, followed by some refreshments and English games.
Shaun asked me to share my story Thursday evening after classes, so I shared about how I came to know The Lord and how He had made a difference in my life. I didn't think I was too nervous...until Matt and Paul pointed out how crumpled my notes were afterwards from me hanging onto them so tightly :)
Fortunately I didn't have to say formal goodbyes to everybody at club just yet, since I knew I would see people the following day at the advent wreath program.
The first half of Friday was a little overwhelming, knowing it was my last day in Hungary but I had to snap out of it, because we had a lot of work to do. There were muffins to be baked, songs to be practiced, crafts to be set up etc. etc.
What a great way to end my time though! The community advent wreath event was a fantastic turnout. I never got the final count, but there must have been well over a hundred people in that little Hegyesd hall. We started out the evening with a cello duet from Söndi and Simon (a boy from camp), and Söndi and I sang a Christmas song as well. Then Janos (from Budapest) shared a short message. After that - the craft explosion began. Wreaths of all colours and styles began to take form. I sat at the back of the stage with a good view of the chaos, while Annette and I helped some of the kids cover styrofoam cones with glue and glitter and gems and pipe cleaner tinsel to look like Christmas trees. It mostly just involved getting very sparkly hands. The table and floor began to look like a glittering sandbox by the end of it.
Even though it wasn't technically a going away party, it felt a little like it, as I chatted and said goodbyes with friends (was showered with gifts), and also met some people I wish I could have become friends with. This, I'm afraid, is the downside of travel: the discovery that there are wonderful people you care about thousands of miles away from where you are. In the past, this has been one of the reasons I didn't want to travel, because I hate saying goodbye (to the people I leave at home and then to the people I leave when I come home). But it is a small price to pay compared to the things you learn and gain from meeting people from other places, cultures and walks of life. You can often see your own life and culture so much clearer when you step outside of it. And, thanks to modern communication technology, even great distances aren't so great anymore.
Matt and I flew home Saturday afternoon. It was dark for the entire flight, and we had a stunning view of the Northern Lights over Greenland, right out the window!
I thought that being in Hungary for 2 1/2 months might get it out of my system for a bit. On the contrary, I still wasn't quite ready to leave. But it is very nice to be back home with family and friends. Returning to life in Canada will be an adjustment and I appreciate your continued prayers. I also want to say once again thank you so much to those who supported me financially on this trip and made it much easier for me to actually go. I am very blessed by your gifts and I pray that God will bless you back ten times more then you have blessed me.
Thanks for keeping up with my blog. Until next time,
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| The covered market from the outside |
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| ...and on the inside |
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| Advent Wreath Event |
