short.. but the sweetest.

Being back in the States has been so wonderful, and so many people have blessed me and encouraged me since returning.  One thing that has been somewhat burdening though has been the fact that many people I'm able to share small stories with, or talk about experiences with never truly understand what my time there meant to me.. some just don't get it.

Today, however, God blessed me and showed His great love through my little buddy Isaac Birschbach.  Isaac made my day today when he gave me this heart magnet he made for me. On it are the colors of the Hungarian flag. And without saying a word this amazing boy communicated an understanding of my heart and the impact this last year in Hungary had on my life that many people never will. Thanks Isaac! You're the best ♥

wrapping things up.. finding meaning.

so it's been another 3 months, and they have been a whirlwind.  we've been traveling almost every weekend for the last 2 months, and spending as much time as I can with students and the orphanage kids during the weeks before I leave.

this last friday, Abby and I threw a party for our foreign exchange student friend Madison, and all of our students.  about 30 minutes before we were expecting guests we receieved some really terrible news that one of the girls at the orphanage took her life.  she was a beautiful, energetic, always smiling and joking around 16 year old girl, and the news came as a total shock to us.  Abby and I got to hold each other and cry for about a minute before having to pull ourselves together to host 50 students at our flat.  the distractions made us able to pull off a great night for our students, but the next day we made our way to the orpahange to comfort the children.  it's been a really hard couple of days, probably the hardest since arriving in Miskolc, and I haven't had the chance to really grieve yet, but God has been giving me strength to get through these last few days, encourage the kids, and still smile and love His people.  Please pray for the orpahange.. for God's peace and healing in their hearts.. and for His protection over their minds during this time of vulnerability.

today there will be a memorial service.  we'll share memories, show pictures/videos, and I'll be singing a song that I wrote last year about God's healing.  below is a recording of the song that God blessed me with the opportunity to make here in Hungary with a good friend.  The song is called Healing Hands.

On a more positive note, I received this encouraging message from a student on Sunday:

"Hey Alyssa! :D Thank you so much for the lyrics,it is very meaningful and deep.Awesome song,one day it will be famous. (:
Today in church the worship was about teachers who form the lifes of students by teaching them about the love of God,and it was like that the pastor was talking about You.
Because I think the love of God is reflected in You,and You taught me to trust more in God and to be more tolerant to people and to love them like God loves us despite of all the faliures what we have.
I am also very grateful that You chose Hungary because you had an impact on lots of people's life,and all the people of Miskolc will miss you.:(
I hope You will have an awesome life and i hope that God bless You and give you back multiple of all the good things and love that You gave us.
Can't wait to see You in May!God bless You.We will never forget You.
P.S Oh yeah,and before I forget,in class, Dany and myself promised to play You something in guitar,but that sadly didn't happen.So we will compose a song for You,maybe I will write lyrics,but probably it will be just an instrumental version,cause I can't sing,Dany can't but You can pretty well so.. (:
Please Write if you have some good stories or whatever."

This was encouraging to me because, although I had never had an intentionally spiritual conversation with him, God was using my life, my smile, my words and my actions to minister to the hearts of others this year, even when I wasn't stepping out to vocalize my faith.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me this year, encouraging me, and supporting my ministry financially.  I can't express how blessed I am to have such a strong network of support.  I love you all.  See you back in the States soon!

Alyssa

way over due update...

Hey everyone! I'm posting my most recent newsletter for those of you who aren't on the mailing list, as well as two videos that I recently made.  One is a video that I made for the AWANA kids talking about what it's like to be a missionary, and the other is a little picture slideshow of the kids at the orphanage with their names.  Many of my friends and family have been wanting to put some names to faces so I thought it would be an efficient way of going about it.

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In reflecting on the past year, I am amazed at how blessed I have been. Around this time last year, I was starting to inquire about TeachOverseas and fill out my application to be a part of the Hungary team. In the beginning stages of this journey, it was more of a dream-like opportunity than it was a reality, and looking back, I can see God’s hand in all parts of the process and how He has grown, shaped, and changed my heart in the last year. I couldn’t have imagined the many ways that God would bless me this year: bringing in all my support, giving me the confidence to trust and rely on Him in times of loneliness and trial, placing people in my life and using them to love me, teach me, and convict me, opening doors for ministry in the orphanage and with my students, and showering me with His grace and mercy every single day. And those examples are just a small percentage of the many blessings I’ve seen in my life this year. I am in awe of the amazing God we serve.

Although the orphanage has been where my heart longs to be most of the time, the majority of my time spent here is with my students at their school. This part of my ministry has been more difficult to dive into and develop, and as a result has caused me to feel insecure about my role in the classroom. However, with the New Year and the new semester, many of my students have started opening up to me in new ways, inviting me to coffee or to get pizza or visit some of the amazing sights in Miskolc. A couple of them have even asked me to start looking at my schedule for a weekend that I have free to spend with their family in their small villages! This is really exciting for me, and I’m hoping that it will allow me to develop deeper relationships them and open doors for God to use me to love them in deep and personal ways. Please pray that He will continue to present opportunities such as these and that He will use me in their lives for His glory. As many of you know, the orphanage in Diosgyor has become a huge part of my ministry here, and the kids there and the relationships I’ve developed with them have been some of the most wonderful ways that God has blessed me this year. One weekend, in particular that I really felt God moving was the weekend that we celebrated Christmas at the orphanage (December 17-19). This was probably the most blessed weekend of my life. On Friday afternoon, started the celebration off with a few Christmas crafts followed by a movie to end the night. Saturday was when most of the action took place. We arrived early for breakfast, made salt dough tree ornaments, set up the Christmas trees in each house, decorated gingerbread houses for a competition, made hot chocolate, sang and danced to music, and just had an amazing day of enjoying timeless fun together.

Just before dinner, we all gathered into one of the houses for a Christmas program that the kids had organized for us. Smiles were drawn, tears rolled down cheeks, and laughter roared as the kids performed a Christmas rap and a couple other songs and dances. Watching them all dressed up, having fun together, not thinking or worrying about the fact that their families abandoned them or that they’re treated poorly on a daily basis, and so proud of their efforts to impress us filled me with so much joy. It’s amazing to me to think back to when I first met them all and how their demeanor and mood has changed since then. I can especially see it in Vali’s face… her eyes are brighter, her burden seems lighter, and she smiles in place of what used to be sadness and hopelessness. They are such beautiful creations.

After the performance, was the gift opening. It was incredible to watch their animation… their contentment. They tore through boxes full of wonderful gifts from their wish lists, smiles plastered across their faces and eyes lit with excitement. I handed out the cards that families from Winneconne Christian Fellowship sent for each child and got to watch as some pulled out pieces of jewelry and immediately put it on to show off to everyone in the room, some found the nearest translator to have handwritten letters meant specifically for them, and the smaller children eagerly ripped through the paper to get to their stack of football cards, stickers, or small toy waiting inside. After the initial chaos of gift opening started to die down, I looked over to see Laci (Lazlo) sitting on a small couch by himself. He was reading his personal letter, which happened to be from my mom. His cheeks were wet, and when he got to the bottom of the page and finished sifting through photos of my family, his eyes met mine and he immediately rose to his feet to come give me a hug. I asked him what else he got for Christmas and he held up his letter and family photos and said, "This one is best… my favorite." This boy had a box filled with things that your average teenage boy would idolize and his favorite was a handwritten letter and some pictures of a family he’s never met… my family. Love goes such a long way. It was such a precious moment for me when he later pulled me into his room to show me how he put up the pictures by his bed. He pointed to them and said, "Your family." I said to him, "YOUR family." And with a satisfied nod, he pointed to me and replied, "My family… testver (sister)."

The next morning a mission’s organization called Word of Life put on a puppet show that presented the Christmas story and Gospel for all the kids. Afterwards, during a time of prayer, Vali and Adam prayed to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior!! She was crying… I was crying, and with the help of a translator I got to explain to her how excited I was because this meant that we would never have to say a final goodbye to each other because one day we will be reunited in Heaven where we will spend eternity together with Jesus. Hallelujah!!! There was a party happening in Heaven that morning.

Bible studies at the orphanage are going really well also. We have about 10 kids that come regularly, and they have been asking a lot of questions lately.


I received many, many beautiful personal Christmas gifts and financial offerings to help with activities at the orphanage. Thank you so much for loving me and caring about the orphans that I've come to love. Your gifts are a beautiful expression of the Love of Jesus Christ. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:25

Prayer Requests:

Some of the kids from the orphanage have been coming to our church and seem to really enjoy it. Please pray that they will continue to come and really hear God speak to them.. and develop relationships with a community of believers that are Hungarian!

My school asked me to lead the morning staff devotional a couple times, and I got to share some of how God had led me to Hungary and how He has been working since I arrived..it's cool to see God using me in this way.

More and more students are asking me to talk and hang out outside of school, visit the orphanage, stay the weekend with their family... prayer that God will use those deepening relationships.

Discernment in God’s will for my future.

I’ve started the process of applying for Graduate schools and it’s hard not to get excited about what might be waiting for me when I return to the states. Pray that I wouldn’t lose my present focus and become distracted by future possibilities, but also for just enough focus and motivation to get the applications done without adding much stress to my life.

AWANA video

Diosgyor Orphanage video