Dear partners in ministry,
A normal August update typically reports a summer slowdown in activities, and maybe news of a vacation, but this is not a normal summer for us. Since I last wrote, we have indeed had a lovely time with our kids here in Europe, but we’ve also participated in an intense conference on the role of the Church in a future peace in Ukraine, said farewell to one of our volunteers Michal, visited a small village with a ministry partner, and spent an entire week with four of five new Cohort Europe year volunteers here in Budapest. It’s been a whirlwind summer so far. One update from the fiscal year close for 2022-23 is that we came very close, but not quite all the way to our fund-raising target. We would love to find a few more monthly individual donors, and we would especially love to identify a few more churches looking to support ministries like ours. As always, you can find our support page here. (At the actual giving page, you will see a box that says “Please select” and you should select Missionaries-Europe; and from there you scroll to our name on the “choose a missionary” box.)
Family visit
In late June we welcomed Bastian, Bea, and Moss to Budapest, and the five of us rented a car and drove four hours to the Slovakian High Tatras, a gorgeous stretch of mountains that are part of the Carpathian range that runs through the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, and Serbia. Reminiscent of our many trips to Colorado, we were amazed that this mountain paradise is only a few hours away by car. And all good Hungarians will remind you that many towns and areas in the Tatra region were once a part of the larger Kingdom of Hungary. After our time in the mountains, we returned to Budapest for several days of enjoying our city as tourists with our kids, even collaborating to successfully escape from an “Escape Room” on one of the days. We are very grateful that we had these two weeks together.
Ukraine Future conference
Shortly after the kids left, from July 14-17, I along with our two volunteers Michal and Abby, participated in and helped organize an intense four-day conference for church leaders from around Europe - Ukraine, United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Serbia, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Croatia and more, as well as Syria, Lebanon, and South Korea. We met for two long days to wonder about and pray for peace, and to listen to the voices of Christians in Ukraine. The Bishop of the Reformed Church in Hungary, as well as the Bishop of the (Hungarian) Reformed Church in Transcarpathia – Ukraine were co-hosts, and both were very active in the discussions. Abby and Michal were assigned to be formal “listeners,” taking careful notes to be shared with the organizers after the conference; and I was responsible for moderating the fourth and final panel of the two days of discussion. After the two days were over, a large contingent of the conferees, including Michal and Abby and I, got into vans and drove the four hours to the border into Ukraine. We spent two days and a night worshiping in and visiting churches and social service activity locations, and being impressed by the degree to which the many ethnic Hungarians who live in this part of Ukraine as ethnic minorities have shown deep hospitality to the thousands of internally-displaced Ukrainians who have fled their homes in the eastern part of the country. These are the people who while they have not left the country, are effectively refugees in their own country. It’s an enormous challenge to imagine peace, reconciliation, rebuilding, and an on-going faith. One very moving element of the visit was a gift that we were given by the Transcarpathian Bishop, a small wooden plaque with the words from Job 14:7-9 on it, “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." The conference took place at about the 500th day mark of the current war, and he claimed this set of verses as his basis for hope.
Farewell to Michal
A few days after the conference, we said goodbye to Michal Rubingh as her year commitment came to an end and she moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan. We wish her the best as she re-joins family and friends there, and as she continues to process the many lessons of this past year. Her contributions to our ministry have been immeasurable, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner together over the past year. Thank you, Michal!
Gagybátor and jazz
On July 22nd, (our 34th wedding anniversary!) Julie and I traveled a few hours by rental car to a very small, very poor Hungarian village where some of our fellow church members visit once a month. The approximately 200 residents of the town are almost all Roma people, and the village is quite literally at the end of the road. It’s a story longer to tell than I have time or space for, but I can summarize by saying that spending time in the presence of the very poor, especially when they are children, is an experience that clarifies the depth of what’s wrong with the world. It was a great privilege to be there, and we will likely go back, and it is also a very complex set of circumstances that leads to a poverty so deep. The name of the small non-profit that our friends have started there is called the “Missing Link in the Chain.” Their goal is to do their best over time to make right that which is not yet right, one small thing at a time. In the evening, upon our return to Budapest, we celebrated our anniversary out with friends listening to a very talented jazz band – we are truly blessed!
Cohort Europe orientation in Budapest
On July 31, we welcomed Maria Puccini, Juliana Knot, and Sean and Ashley Ray to Budapest for a week of orientation to their year-long commitment to the debut year of Cohort Europe. I introduced this group in our last letter, but now I’ve met them in person. Unfortunately, Ivan Santoso, our Cohort Europe volunteer coming to Budapest from Indonesia, was unable to secure his visa permission in time to attend the orientation with the group. (more news on Ivan in a second). Maria and Juliana will volunteer with Resonate colleagues in Berlin, Germany, while Sean and Ashley will be with other Resonate colleagues in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Our itinerary for the week included everything from discussing well-being and mental health, goal-setting, lots of time building our team with sharing about ourselves, listening to God together, prayers with and for each other, and even cooking and dancing together. Ivan joined us for several hours via Zoom, so even though he was not yet in the country, he was definitely part of the team. And speaking of Ivan, we have received good news just today that he has officially received his residence permit to live in Hungary, and we will have him here in Budapest very soon. Please pray for Ivan’s transition, and if you have any interest in supporting any of these young adults in their continued support raising, you can find links to their Resonate giving pages here, and here. At the actual giving page, you will see a box that says “Please select” and you should select Missionaries-Europe; and from there you scroll to Ivan Santoso’s or Maria Puccini’s name on the “choose a missionary” box.
Imminent farewell to Abby
Abby Voskuil, our other year-long Resonate volunteer for the past year, has remained an extra month in order to help with the kick-off of the new group of Cohort volunteers. And like Michal, Abby’s presence with us, her intelligence, her positive attitude, and her willingness to fill in wherever needed, has encouraged us, and has greatly extended and deepened our work and ministry – we will miss her. Thanks, Abby!
Church camp for Ukrainian refugee children – Julie
Finally, this week (August 7-11) Julie is very engaged with a day camp that our church congregation is offering for the children of the recipients of the food bank assistance – these are refugee families here in Budapest from Ukraine, and there are approximately 30 children attending the camp each day. The kids speak Ukrainian, and most of the volunteers speak either Hungarian or English, so communication is a challenge!
A few days ago on the tram I noticed a small hand-written note taped to the doors with these words on it:
minden rendben lesz
mindig minden rendben lesz
@_önmagad
The translation is reminiscent of the comforting words of fourteenth century mystic Julian of Norwich’s:
“all will be well, all will be well,
all manner of things will be well.”
(önmagad translates “yourself”)
Words that we need to ponder, and remind ourselves of, in what often feel like dark times for the world.
We are so grateful for each of you reading this, and the unique ways you walk alongside of us in partnership – praying, texting, emailing, Zooming, sending monthly support, visiting, and much more.
Thank you.
And may the peace of the Lord Christ be present to you today,
Jeff and Julie Bouman
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