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Greetings from Keszthely!

Well! It's been over a week since I arrived and as you can see, we've been having some fun!

I arrived in Budapest on Thursday morning and Timi, the admin staff member in Hungary picked me up. We shoved my giant suitcases in her tiny euro car and drove to my new apartment. I got to spend a couple of hours with the girls that were living there this past year, getting used to how everything works. I left one of my suitcases at the apartment and we headed for the train station around 1 o'clock. Let me tell you, it can get HOT in Hungary. It was at least 90 degrees when I arrived. My suitcase was sooooo heavy and I had to lug it about 5 blocks to the tram, through a 10 minute ride and up two flights of stairs to the train track. After a sweltering 3 hours train ride (no windows and no AC), we finally arrived at the camp. By the time I got my suitcase down the street and up to the dorm room, I was ready to call it a day, but it was only 6 o'clock.

We spent the next 2 days setting up the camp and getting to know each other before the group of Americans arrived. They got here Saturday night and the next couple of days were a madhouse. Getting people settled, showing people around the town, playing get to know you games. There's 72 staff here this summer and it certainly takes a while to get to know everyone. Meetings began soon enough and Sunday through Thursday were filled with continuous meetings. How to share your testimony, how to share the gospel, the four spritual laws, how to walk in the spirit, Bible Study, Discipleship group meetings, etc, etc. It's been jam packed and not exactly a lot of fun this week, but we know that will all change when the campers arrive.

Last night, we had Braveheart night. We split into two teams and played war games, complete with face paint. The picture above is of myself, my new friend Karen from Arkansas, and Mikelle (or at least half of her!), who I got to get to know well last summer. Our team won, of course, and we had some good fun :)

Today is our day off. I slept in til 11 (at least 4 hours later than usual) and then we went to a great pizza place in town for lunch, Donatellos. Now, we're just relaxing, waiting for tomorrow when our campers will arrive and the summer will officially start. It's been close to 100 degrees every day this past week, but the Lord blessed us with a thunderstorm last night and it's much, much cooler today. It's supposed to be cloudy and cool for the next few days, we we're very happy about that ! :)

Thank you for all your prayers. I'm really loving my role as a discipleship leader and can't wait to see where God takes our group over the next three weeks. Continue to pray for the campers that we will meet this week - that their heart and minds will be open to the gospel and many will come to know the Lord this summer.

Thanks for reading all this and I'll try to update again soon!

With love, Lauren

posted by Lauren @ 5:57 AM 1 comments

Written on 06/22/06 at 3:00 a.m. (Eastern time)

This picture is the view from my plane window - somewhere between Frankfurt and Budapest.

I am writing this blog from 30,000 feet above you. I’m on my flight from Frankfurt to Budapest. Only 30 minutes to go until I am officially in Hungary – ready to start my year!

It’s been a very, very long two days. I woke up Tuesday morning, intent on heading out early to complete my errands and tasks merely one day before my departure. My sister Clare kindly tagged along and by noon, I had finished purchasing travel sized items, CD cases, toiletries, and power converters. I then headed straight for my room, determined not to leave until I was completely packed and ready to go.

I left my room at two a.m., tired, stressed, frustrated, and all around ready to harm the bathroom scale that continually told me that my suitcases were too heavy. I decided that there was nothing more I could take out or put in (although the next morning, I did another major packing rearrangement) and called it a night. At 3 a.m. I was still awake and headed downstairs to try and combat my insomnia (aka nervousness) with some terrible middle-of-the-night television.

I didn’t sleep at all that night and finally got off the couch at 7 am to run some final errands (things I had forgotten the day before) and try and de-stress. A trip to Starbucks (which I have decided makes the world’s best bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches), target, and Barnes and Noble for the newly released Counting Crows live album, and I was set. A couple of last minute arrangements and tasks and all of a sudden it was time to go to the airport. My close girlfriends came by to send me off and we had a tearful goodbye in the driveway. That was repeated in the airport with my family, and before I knew it, I was alone at the gate, ready to begin my journey.
Praise the Lord that there were no problems with checking it, nor with my tickets, or my luggage. I got on both flights with ease and now I am just waiting to land…

posted by Lauren @ 7:25 AM 0 comments

The time is near...

In exactly 14 days from today, I will be boarding a plane for Budapest, Hungary. Or that's the plan at least. Yesterday I received a call from the project director informing me that since I have a one-way ticket, I am going to have trouble leaving the States. Apparently, once I get on the plane, I am free and clear. With a valid passport, Hungary will let me into the country for three months on a "tourist visa" (nothing). But without a valid residence visa, or documentation explaining why I don't have a return ticket or a residence visa, America will not let me leave. The reason I don't have a residence visa is that I can't get one until I get there. The Hungarian government will not allow me to apply for a residence visa until I sign a contract and establish a residence. I can't do that until I get to Hungary, but America won't let me leave without it. Do you see the Catch 22 I am in?

This afternoon I plan to spend on the phone with the airline, figuring out exactly what kind of documentation is required to replace a visa. Campus Crusade headquarters will provide me with some of what I need, but I may need to contact the embassy in Hungary as well.

Please pray for me in the coming days. I only have two weeks left to get ready for Hungary, and now I have worry on top of it. I explained my frustration to my parents last night and my dad said, "Well of course you would run into something like this. Satan doesn't want you to go!" He is absolutely right, but I will not let the devil get me down. God has blessed me too much and I have worked too hard to let one little problem get in my way.

Pray that I can explain my situation clearly to the airline and that they are honest and helpful with me. Pray that I can work this out by the end of the week so that I can enjoy my weekend and begin packing!

Support wise, I am feeling great. I have over 100% of the special need donations and over 80% of my monthly need. I know what you're thinking: "She only has two weeks and she still needs 20% of her support?!" Yes, that is true, but trust me when I say that that is enough time to raise $300 a month and I am confident in my Lord to provide what I need. Pray that I am diligent over the next two weeks and can leave for Hungary with 100% of my support.

Thank you so much for all of your love and support. The encouragement I feel when I speak to you just warms my heart. I will be sending out a prayer letter just before I leave with a prayer calendar, my itinerary, and contact information. After that, all of my letters will come from Hungary!

God Bless and thank you again :)

With love, Lauren

Please direct any and all comments and/or questions to LDMathews@gmail.com

posted by Lauren @ 7:26 AM 0 comments