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This summer was truly amazing. God has taught me how to be more open.
I have gone through many trials in the last five years, many of which seemed endless. I felt so broken and empty. I sought after the things of the world and began feeling depressed. I have never been a person that likes talking about hard times I was going through, so instead I have always kept everything hidden and bottled up.
It was eventually so overwhelming that I couldn't take it anymore and I went through even more depression. Since then, God has showed me how much I can lean on him and trust him with everything, even my deepest darkest secrets. He whispered forgiveness and love that I could not deny and began molding my life and showing me small parts of a big, amazing plan He has for my life.
At the beginning of this summer my plans were to attend a junior college in my home town and then go to a university later. I had always ruled out bible college as an option simply because I didn't want to go. Through this summer I have learned how to hear God's voice more clearly and although I am still no expert, I know that he has called me to attend Bible College. I am now planning on attending the Bible College in Murrieta, CA this fall.
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I loved the classes so much, I got so much out of each and every one of them. The outreach trips, and just being in the continual fellowship.
He truly became my best friend, I learned how He truly is all that we need. Nothing else in this world satisfies like He does. I learned how faithful He is, and how loving He is. I learned a little bit about being in ministry, and how healthy it is to be out of your comfort zone, how the Lord will take you out of your comfort zone to teach you to be completely dependant on Him.
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The Lord showed me that it isn't about how I can serve Him, and still benefit myself, but just how I can serve Him, and serve others. I learned that the old testament is so much more than just stories, but can be used to teach all kinds of things we can relate to, like obediance, and seeking God's council above our own.
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Pecs: I loved it! the town was really cool and it was after that devotional that the Lord really started working a lot in my heart and healing a lot of things
Budapest: I love this city! i wish that we could have done more outreach type things, but touring the city was amazing too!
Disabled Conference: this was probably one of my favorites, seeing them get baptised was probably the highlight of my summer
All Hungary Childcare: I really liked this as well, i could have played with the kids all day!
Bonyhad English Camp: this was a favorite as well! those kids had so many questions and we also got to feed them peanut butter, and share worship with them, it was great!
Bovec, Slovenia Wilderness Trip: I loved this trip it helped so much with leadership, and teamwork. Plus getting baptised was incredible! This was a favorite as well, the whole trip, rafting, hiking, wow it was amazing!
Celje, Slovenia: I loved helping out with the church, cleaning and picking weeds, it was nice to have hopefully been a blessing to them
Vajta Outreach: this was awesome as well, just showing the love of Jesus, i think they all enjoyed it.
Palfa Mental Hospital: I am looking forward to going back there next semester, they are so loving and they just want to be loved so bad, i loved every minute of it!
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I loved this program, and i think for anyone that needs some time alone with the Lord, to grow in Him would learn a lot from this program, and grow a lot.
I came to AVFL expecting God to show me everything in my life. My future career, college, and maybe even husband. I like to plan ahead. But I was not told any of these things. Instead I was taught that God would show me on His timing. I learned that I need not worry about anything. He is the only thing I need to focus on. I just have to know that He is holding my hand in everything, and He will lead me step by step. That is a very hard lesson for me to learn. And thanks to this program, I am beginning to learn this.
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The most personally beneficial thing was the time away from the "real world". I enjoyed getting to know new people and have wise teachers pour knowledge into me. I enjoyed being able to learn about the bible daily. I also loved the service times. It reminded me that I am a servant of Christ and gave me alone time to think and talk to God.
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Coming to Eastern Europe this summer was one of the best choices I've made this year. The Lord has revealed so much truth in His Word that I had never realized was there. He has opened my eyes to what He wants me to do with my life. This summer was not just a "Spiritual high", but an everlasting treasure of experiencing the Lord's presence in a way I had never known before. I have made many new friends over these six weeks that I will never forget, but most of all I was drawn closer to my best friend and Lord, Jesus Christ!
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I can't even write all the Lord has taught me. Through this experience the Lord has showed me a whole new side to the Word and Himself that I never knew was there. Truly walking away from the experience knowing what I know now about the Lord makes me question how could anyone walk away from Someone so good? The thing that I realized the most was I came to A Vision For Life with expectations and wants but the Lord changed them to His expectations and wants.
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When I made the decision to come here to Vajta I wasn't absolutely sure what the reason was. I knew that I wanted to get away from my place of comfort and familiarity to seek the Lord; I knew I wanted to be used by the Lord in some way; I knew I wanted a little taste of what missions was like. But I wasn't sure of the specific purpose of my going, only that the Lord had told me I was to go and that He had put the desire in my heart. I'm still not absolutely sure of what He is doing one month and four days after arriving here. However, I've realized that is probably wasn't to radically save some native Hungarian's soul. The products I have seen have mostly been inside of me; the Lord has revealed some things about my life.
Firstly, the Lord said (and is still saying) that He is faithful; He is the provider. He provided the means for me to go on this trip after praying for two years and despite me thinking I would never go. I have struggled with reliance on God and total surrender to Him since the beginning of my walk. The Lord knew; He's just pointing out something I need to deal with in my life so that I can be used effectively.
When I go home I have a lot of major decisions to make that will affect my whole life. I already knew that I wanted my decisions to be made in the Lord's will, now I feel that the Lord has prepared me to just wait on Him, even if it becomes difficult, because He has it all in hand.
I praise and thank God for giving me the opportunity to come here, for Jason, Lisa, Andrew, Phil, Paul and the rest who made themselves available and served us in the most amazing ways, and for the people who came with me to this program. Jesus truly is amazing.
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When I first got here, and for a month after that, I really had a hard time. I was really homesick. I had an extremely bad attitude towards everything and everyone. What I learned though, is that God remained where He had always been. He stayed faithful to me. He was faithful to not let me stay as I was. Little by little He took down my wall and softened my heart to the work He wanted to do in me while I was here.
The ministry that is happening in this place is truly amazing! God is doing such an awesome work here in Hungary and all of Europe. After I finally let God speak to me I was able to see the awesome things that He was and is doing here.
Through the AVFL program I have learned how to completely rely upon Him and how to trust that He has only my best interest in mind... even when it is not what I want. These past six weeks really have been life changing for me. I have come to learn the importance of seeking God completely and waiting on Him to give me an answer. I have learned to recognize His voice above all others.
The many outreach opportunities have been such a stretch for me. God really opened my eyes to see how much I take for granted in America. He really gave me a heart to want to minister to people around the world... America included.
This program is an awesome ministry! God is changing lives through it. AVFL is awesome There is no way that you can come here and not be changed. You will not go home the same!
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My first experience with AVLF was that I hated it. I didn't want to be here and everything was made miserable because of my horrible attitude towards everything because of my home sickness.
Now that I look back, God taught me how to wait on Him. He brought me here and would stay true to His promises. Of course He was faithful and got me through my homesickness allowing me to really experience what He had for me.
Something God taught me that lifted a major burden of mine was that I was made acceptable already because of Jesus. I didn't have to work at being good because Jesus made me good. I used to condemn myself because I thought I wasn't pleasing to God. But I am pleasing to Him, I'm His daughter and He has made me acceptable. It is so burden lifting when you get your doctrine straight.
One other thing that God showed me was how much He loves me and wants to spend time with me. Each day He's waiting to hear my voice so we can fellowship. He also taught me to love being broken before Him because that is when you are most vulnerable and ready to receive instruction. But most of all to pray, read God's Word, and to never stray from the path God has set before me because He will be with me through it all.
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What I have been learning here during these six weeks is love. Love is the greatest thing ever and without it we are nothing. Just being around all the people at the campus you tend to feel right at home just because of the love that everyone has for each other out here. That is truly a blessing to me to just be around people that care about you and just love on you. There is no other way I would want to spend my summer than here in Hungary in the body of love.
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My experiences have blown my mind away. God has shown me so much and is still showing me a lot. As I am doing classes in AVFL I am learning more of who God is and how much He loves me and as I read His word and spend time with Him I see my heart fall in love with Him more and more.
I have learned and am still learning that abiding in the Lord is the greatest thing. I want God to be always my first love. I always want to live God loud in my life. I have learned that I'm not living for this world or the people in it but all for God, and that's the way I always want it to be.
God has been showing me about the gifts of the Spirit too. It's so cool that He gives us all a gift so that we can glorify Him and build up the body of Christ.
This summer has been really amazing.
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There are so many things the Lord has revealed to me. It's been amazing how much my prayer life has changed since I have been here. I spend more time in the Word. Spending time with the Lord has allowed me to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The power and grace of the Lord is incredible and I am learning to know Jesus.
God reigns over my heart and my life, and I have learned that one on one time with the Lord is more important than anything God has been able to reveal what will affect my future.
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Palfa Mental Hospital: I was extremely scared at first and the different cultural greetings freaked me out but once I finally got comfortable they blessed me so much. There was nothing that could have gotten rid of the smile I had on my face while getting to dance and sing with them. The joy they had was contagious. I felt a lot of spiritual warfare there and feel like that place needs constant prayer.
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I think the classes are great! I really like them all because through the classes I learn so much about Jesus and His love for me. All the teachers have blessed me just by teaching me!
This summer we got to go to Croatia, where I learned so much; trusting God, being patient to my team mates. When we were walking around the church area we saw all these ruined houses from the war, I realized then how blessed I am to have an awesome family and a wonderful home, all these things that most people in Croatia lost in the war.
We got to go to Baja and serve all the kids from orphanages and families that don't believe in God. It was really awesome there! I learned a lot there too; being obedient, trusting God, and thinking of others before myself. I really felt like God was there with us and with all those kids!
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I have experienced some of the coolest things in the past few weeks. What God has done in my life has been miraculous. Things that I have cried and prayed and pleaded with God to change in me have finally been so simply changed as I learned to abide, grow, live, serve, love... it's been so sweet.
I've learned things here that will radically affect me every day and it makes me laugh to think God had to bring me to the middle of Hungary to show me.
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A Vision For Life has been an amazing experience. Being newly married it has given my husband and I vision, a passion to go out on the mission field.
It was a time of stretching and growing, giving me opportunities to step out in faith.
God is so faithful and ever merciful. I have been to a lot of places and have met a lot of Christians but never have I felt the unity of Christ as I do here. It was truly a blessing to come here. God moved and provided everything we needed. The one thing I have learned through all of this is God will use a willing heart, and it is amazing what He can do with it.
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I'm extremely excited to go and learn more about the Bible and about my God. My prayer at the beginning of this summer was to fall in love with God and long to spend time with him. I am head over heals for him and feel empty on the days I don't make him a part of my life. I am so blessed that He loves me the way he does. I am still learning to trust him more and more each day. I know that my God will never forsake me and I can't even find the words to express how much I love him.
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