Day one of English Camp in Tapolca has been on our minds for months. We finally reached it today! 70 faces I have never seen before rushed in to registration and I was overwhelmed with excitement. I was one of the people who got to interview the students to see which level of English speaking class they should be in. This was really cool because I had the experience of talking to someone who knew my own language as well as Hungarian. And I could experience talking to someone who knew very little English. I could easily tell that all of them were really trying their absolute best which showed me that they really wanted to be here. This made me so excited that they are willing to learn and hopefully learn something about Jesus and be led on the path of salvation these next two weeks.

I was also encouraged by a few students who didn’t talk much to me. For example, one girl seemed like she didn’t really like me or have any interest in me, yet later during games she ran up to me multiple times to “save me” in capture the flag. It’s cool to see that just a nice “hello” or “szia” along with a smile can go a long way!! It may be discouraging when a student doesn’t take interest in you, but they truly are listening and I think they appreciate it.

We also heard a wonderful story about one of the students named Luca. At school someone asked if anyone read their Bible or prayed. Before Luca could respond almost all of her classmates responded “Luca does!” This was very encouraging because her classmates can see Jesus shining through her actions and proclaiming Jesus even at school! It gives us a great reminder to always live for Jesus in all we do. Today I’ve let Colossians 3:17 resonate in my mind: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

We had such a wonderful first day of  English Camp and we can only give God the credit for the blessings of beautiful weather, 70 students (many more than last year), and the relationships we have both rekindled and created new. To God be all the Glory!

Krista Anderson