Thank You, Lord!!!
We've finally arrived after a 3 hour bus ride to Sofia, Bulgaria, then an 18 hour train ride through Serbia to Budapest, Hungary, then a 3 hour bus ride to Pecs (pronounced PAY-sh), Hungary!
Our contacts Brett and Sena were here to meet us and we hiked up with our packs to the Maranatha House of Prayer, a hostel in a very close adjacent village.
So far our experience in Hungary has been very positive. There are many cute, pretty places around here, we've seen other backpackers and met people who speak English.
After arrival, we were STUNNED at what the Maranatha House held.
What looked like a large house outside was actually a cutely decorated hostel, with spacious but homey rooms, a living room, a veranda, and a backyard with a small sports field, several pagodas, and a yert (traditional Hungarian tent-house). Prayer retreats would be held right here at the hostel.
What was amazing was the ministry of Maranatha and how it fit the members of the team.
Brett and Sena are partners of the 24-7 Prayer Movement. A lot of their ministry is focused on prayer. They are ecumenical, which means that they welcome all denominations of Christians. They not only welcome them, but they celebrate them. Brett and Sena believe that there is so much each denomination can learn from each other, and these are strengths that should be celebrated, not avoided. They blend Pentacostal, Baptist, and Evangelical, Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican forms of prayer together.
The pagodas and the yert in the backyard are for small groups to pray. They would pray in silence together for hours. The yert, which was just set up last week, is to be a permanent place of prayer. Right now only the tent is set up, but Brett and sena envision a sacred space with floor cushions, incense, walls for different types of prayers, and incense symbolizing our prayers lifting up to heaven.
Another type of prayer they mentioned was the silent prayer hike, based on the Desert Fathers' prayers. A group would hike through the beautiful mountains on a 16km trail, in complete silence and just praying to the Lord. They only started this hike in October, but have already led 16 groups on it!
I'm really excited to focus so much on prayer and grow in my prayer life. Brett was saying how in many churches, we just learn to give the Father a few praises, then ask for things. I have to admit, this is often how I pray. What else is there to pray about? Well, I hope to learn that during the 3.5 weeks stay here!
Oh, about Maranatha House fitting the members of the team…Kaitlyn has a dream of opening a spa/aromatherapy house one day, and there are very cheap, wonderful aromatherapeutic spas here. Kayla loves cafes, coffee, and has a gift for intentional, silent prayer, and Brett and Sena are thinking of opening a cafe/prayer house on the university campus nearby. Brooke lives in Charlotte, NC, where one of the major US 24-7 prayer movement locations are. So, this place is perfect for us!
That's all for now…Thank the Lord for His perfect provision!!
I will post an update on our last week in Bulgaria, and some pictures of our place here soon!
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P.S. Another blessing is a slight relief for both me and my teammate Corinna from a mixture of mosquito and what we believe are chigger bites. We both have over 100 of them!!! We get them from walking in vegetation and fields. Thank You Lord for sending us to a place with no bugs so we can rest before we go to India!
