July 16, 2021

Dear friends, family, supporters, encouragers, past and present colleagues,
 
Julie here, to thank you for being all of the above and more, and to give you a snapshot of what we are up to.
 
Recently there have been a number of very hot days in Budapest: days in the 90s, high 90s, and about 100 a few days. These are the kind of days where a sheen of sweat coats your neck, even if your hair is tied up in a ponytail. You make sure to walk on the shady side of the street. The chart on Google maps appears to show that the local waterpark is two or three times busier than usual. You wonder whether you should escape your un-air-conditioned apartment by going to the mall or movie theater or just riding around on the 4/6 tram because it does have air.

At the end of a recent such week, we had plans to do something fun with a young Iranian family who arrived in Budapest around the same time we did. They are clients of Kalunba, the refugee-serving organization which will be one of the main foci of our work here. Personnel changes and the effects of the pandemic have brought a lot of uncertainty and upheaval to Kalunba, so we are still just beginning to discern what Jeff’s and my roles there will be. But one of our main connections to Kalunba so far has been spending time getting to know A. and M.
 
Our plans for this get together were to go to Margit Island, and for the first time their 12- and 15-year-old sons would join us. One of the island’s main entertainments is a fountain with choreographed shows of water and colored lights dancing to music happen on the hour between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. The island is also an oasis of green in the middle of the city, especially for families like ours and theirs living in the concrete-heavy inner part of the Pest-side of the city. Flower gardens, a small zoo, a waterpark, snack and drink stands, small pedal- and motor-driven vehicle rentals, even an open-air theater round out the entertainment options.

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When we arrived, it turned out that A. and the boys had been to the island and the fountain before. But M. had not been with them, and they were excited he was going to get to see the musical fountain. Even though the fountain’s “show” was still 20 minutes away, we sat down at the edge of the fountain and started enjoying being near the water. Pretty soon shoes and socks started coming off. The water on bare skin was so refreshing. When the music started, though, A. just came alive with delight in the music and the water together, and her joy was contagious. Whenever the music built to a climax, so did the spray from the fountain, and the mist enveloping us made us laugh and cooled us down naturally.
 
We did some other things after the show, including introducing our friends to their first taste of Hungary’s popular “junk” food, langos, (think a savory elephant ear, fry bread, or funnel cake). But the clear highlight of the evening was the fountain, and we made our way back for the 9 p.m. show. At 9 p.m. the show is longer, and it is dark enough by then for the colored lights to change the entire look of the presentation.
 
As we sat there in the dark, once again enjoying the coolness and beauty of the water, the music, and now the lights, I was struck by two things. Dear A. and M., unlike Jeff and I, had not come to Hungary by choice. They had to leave their native country when it became known that they had become Christians. As soon as that information was public, their lives were in danger. When their boys talked about wanting to go "home" that night, and A. told us that by “home”, they meant the fountain because they liked it so much, the difference between their situation and ours could not have been clearer to me. No matter how much I enjoy the display, I don’t think I will ever call the fountain “home.”
 
And as we sat listening to Michael Bublé sing,
 
“Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom on a tree
You know how I feel
 
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good…”
 
And as I witnessed the enjoyment A. and M. and the boys were taking in this simple entertainment, I could only hope and pray that it is indeed a new day and a new life for them. It is not easy for them, and yet we had this moment of which Marilynne Robinson could have been speaking in her novel, Gilead, when she wrote, “…it is easy to believe in such moments that water was made primarily for blessing, and only secondarily for growing vegetables or doing the wash. I wish I had paid more attention to it.”

Other things happening:

• Continuing daily Hungarian lessons; we’re starting to learn the past tense! Since March, we have had over 90 lessons, each 90 minutes, and we are approaching A-2 level competence.
• Jeff is planning to be teaching a course at Károli Gáspár Egyetem (university) this fall on Service-Learning and the purpose of university education.
• We are meeting new people: Viktoria, Csenge, Carmella, Alyeriz, Mahdi, and some neighbors.
• We are meeting some old friends: Kata, Eva, Kati, Judit, Zsuzsa, Viki.
• We are actively participating in a mission discernment process of our church community in Budapest.
• We are experiencing many firsts after the easing of Covid restrictions: singing in church, eating inside a restaurant, seeing a movie. Covid numbers are down drastically, and vaccination rates have been very good until recently, slightly ahead of US percentages.
• We will be visiting Michigan and Seattle in August to celebrate Abi’s graduation and to help her move back to the Midwest. Current schedule: GR August 8-10; Seattle (and enroute to GR) August 11-20; GR August 21-29. We would love to see as many of you as possible! On August 8 we will give a brief update at Neland church in the morning.

Prayer requests:

• Continued low Covid numbers for Hungary (and for an end to the pandemic)
• Discernment as many opportunities to serve begin to present themselves
• A. and M. and family’s adjustment to life in Hungary (and our adjustment)
• Our parents and children, especially Jeff’s dad, who has had a rough several months with difficulty sleeping, reduced mobility, and an undiagnosed set of conditions. 

Financial update. We reached the end of the fiscal year (our first with Resonate) in good financial shape. Because we were not with Resonate for an entire fiscal year (our year began part-time in August), it’s harder to calculate whether or not we reached our official target goal, but all indications are that we have had a very strong start. We are grateful for each of you who have made financial gifts to Resonate on our behalf, many of whom have made monthly pledges and kept them. Nearly daily we receive email reminders that one or more of you have made a gift that day to our account. Thank you. Monthly donors make it easier to plan and budget, but we definitely appreciate gifts that come in annually or in a less-planned way. If you made a gift last year to our account, we encourage you to consider giving again this year, and/or becoming a monthly donor. Our goal set by Resonate for the 2021-22 fiscal year is $113,000. Please reach out if you have questions about that goal – we have joined Resonate during a time of some structural changes in their process of making goals like this, so the rationale is hard to sum up in a short paragraph. In any case, we are confident that we are where God has called us to be, and we trust the Spirit’s leading for those of you considering supporting us. We are happy to report that there are six congregations currently supporting us annually, and we are in conversation with others.

In Christ's Peace,

Jeff and Julie Bouman