Feb 2024 Bouman Prayer Letter
Dear friends,
At the end of this month Julie and I will mark the completion of three years in Hungary. It’s amazing to imagine it’s been that long already. Looking back on some of our early communication as we prepared to leave in 2021, one image we used was a bridge metaphor, referencing the six downtown bridges that connect Buda and Pest. We articulated then that our leaving the US and arriving new in a host country required navigating sometimes foggy uncertainty in the middle of the river, trusting that there would be something waiting for us on the other side.
Our Young Adult International Fellowship gathering last week Thursday was good evidence that our prayers were answered – there was indeed something waiting for us, many things in fact! We met last Thursday as we normally do, at 6:30 pm in our apartment, and we welcomed twelve international young adults, mostly students. It is always a very diverse group, from many different countries, but last Thursday was the first time we experienced a group where each individual was from a different country – twelve participants, twelve countries – they came from Hungary, Kosovo, Syria, Ukraine, Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Scotland. Together we watched a fascinating and well-done short video that made us think about quick judgments, how sometimes acts of service actually work in a different direction than we assume. (I recommend it to you here). As we closed the meeting in prayer, the Spirit moved several to pray in their native languages, and it felt like a surprise burst of Pentecost right in our living room!
In addition to the on-going hosting of the Young Adult International Fellowship, we also continue our efforts to assist the Refugee Ministry of the Reformed Church. In December we helped provide Christmas gifts for many children in the program, and we met with leaders of the organization to consider ways to help in some upcoming transitions. As the war continues next door in Ukraine, donor interest and other factors have presented a constant set of challenges for this organization to keep running. In addition, the Food Bank Julie has been volunteering with for nearly two years has gone on a “pause” after Christmas, hoping to stabilize their funding in the near future.
I spent quite a bit of time in January revising the course I will teach again in the spring, on art and activism for social change as demonstrated in the American Civil Rights movement. The motivating role of faith in this movement has always inspired me, and it has surprised many of the students in my class. Registration opened this week, and teaching begins next week; I’ll also be teaching an intermediate English class again this term. I’m grateful to have discovered the excellent documentary “Summer of Soul;” as well as a number of resources on the Harlem Renaissance – both have given me hope in a time of difficulty for the world.
We don’t often report on it, but we continue hosting monthly gatherings on the second Friday for a broad spectrum of visitors in which we sit together and read one poem, and listen to one song, and discuss both together. This has been a surprisingly rewarding way to gather a fascinating and diverse collection of Hungarians, other non-Hungarians, young and old all in one place for meaningful common discussion. We have our “regulars,” and we always seem to attract newcomers – usually between ten and twenty guests. Last month we read a poem called Try to Praise the Mutilated World by Adam Zagajewski; and we listened to one of our favorite songs by the band Over the Rhine, “All My Favorite People (are broken).” This is a highlight of each month.
Our new Cohort Europe program remains vibrant and rewarding. Our five participants have all realized that their volunteer year is more than half over, and they are bravely and wisely working to discern God’s call for their next steps – more international ministry, academic programs, other callings in and beyond Europe? I’ve spent a fair amount of time in conversation with them as individuals and as a group. Meanwhile they remain faithful in their local placements in Berlin, Klaipeda, and here in Budapest. We are looking forward to seeing each other again in March at the Resonate annual spiritual retreat.
On another related topic, we are also eager to connect with young adults who might find themselves interested in a year of ministry exploration in community in Europe next year. If you know anyone that might fit this description, please connect us. You can also direct people to this site on Resonate’s website. Thank you!
Julie continues in her weekly tutoring at a local Hungarian high school, and she co-leads a monthly women’s gathering at our church on spiritual disciplines. Together we both remain in our roles as elders in our local church, and last Saturday we hosted a five-hour “elder’s day” retreat to spend some time on our mission, vision, and some practical logistics for our common callings.
We were so grateful to see many of you, and especially to spend time with both of our families during the holidays. And as it happens, we will be back before you know it – we are scheduled for a six-week time of “ReConnect” this summer from mid-June until late July. We hope to connect with each of our supporting churches, and as many of our individual and family partners as we can as well. Please reach out if you have a suggested time and place for a gathering or get-together. More details will be forthcoming as this time gets closer.
At the midpoint of our support-raising year, we were grateful to be very close to the halfway mark for our financial goals as well. Thank you, and thank you to each of you who so faithfully donate on a monthly and one-time basis. We could not be involved in this ministry of presence without your partnership. As always, our donation page can be found here. We deeply appreciate your amazing partnership.
Finally, we would ask you to pray for our local congregation here in Budapest, St. Columba's Scottish Mission church. It's a congregation with a very long and storied history in Budapest, and at the same time it is a very small congregation. Even in a congregation that is small, we have found that there are deep needs for God's healing grace and mercy, and we ask for prayers for some of our members who struggle with challenging health, vocational uncertainty, and stress and fear of many kinds. We are grateful for this community, and very blessed by its worship, hospitality, and service.
Thank you, friends, for reading another long update. We pray that 2024 is a year of flourishing for each of you, and a year of surprising peace, and unexpected moments of Pentecost joy.
Sok szeretettel, (much love)
Jeff and Julie
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