"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."1/18/2017 " 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 .
The spring of my senior year of college, my campus pastor told me to look up this bible verse. Like so many other students in the last months before graduating, I was really struggling with what the future held. I had just been diagnosed with anxiety and had not gotten in YAGM. I was trying to figure out what to do after finishing my internship that fall and felt that all the plans I had made were falling through. After finishing my internship, I applied for YAGM again and was wait listed. I was disappointed and hurt after being turned down twice, but knew God must have different plans for me. A few weeks later, I got a call from the ELCA YAGM office, saying I had been accepted to the program. I was ecstatic. In the weeks leading up to orientation and moving abroad, I was terrified of leaving everything that was comfortable. I was going to a country that I didn't know much about and was going to be living alone. However, God always has a plan, good and bad. This last Monday, I was diagnosed with Bronchitis. An illness that I have had multiple times, I knew what was wrong before the doctor told me. Having bronchitis literally thousands of miles away from your parents and from healthcare you are familiar with is terrifying. Being this sick is a learning curve as well for my parents. In true Hungarian fashion, I didn't know what time I was going to the hospital. I just waited until i got the message that we were going. Being parents, mine worried that I didn't have an appointment. We just showed up at the hospital and the doctor helped me. I knew it would work out and I would see a doctor. I just didn't know the path that I would take to get there. The community I am living in has been wonderful in making sure I am cared for mentally, emotionally, and physically. My mentor has touched based with my principal, making sure I have everything I need. After posting on Facebook that I didn't have a toaster, the principal showed up at my door and told me he was getting me a toaster. I smiled when this kind man told me "when he asks if I need anything, literally anything, that includes a toaster." It was touching that he and my mentor made sure I had food, medicine, and was resting. An English language teacher brought me to the hospital to help translate what was going on and what I needed to do. This gave me a chance to get to know a teacher I hadn't had a chance to get to know. Jeremiah 29:11 applies so much to my YAGM year, often not knowing what is going to happen or what is going on. But, God always has a plan. He is showing me how to let go and trust that things will happen. In Hungarian fashion, things never go as I plan them. But, things always work out. Being a volunteer in YAGM, I am learning to allow others to help me, whether that's a ride to the train station, my principal showing up with a toaster, medicine, and a thermometer, or a teacher bringing me to the hospital. My parents were astounded at my brother and I when we were recently all together because so often the two of us were so calm when we didn't know what was going on. We both just trust that God had a plan and the people in our communities would help us.
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"Elaina! Over here!" Walking down a street in Jerusalem, trying to find our hotel, I saw my family for the first time in over 4 months. After an eventful trip to get here, I don't know who was about to cry first: my parents for having all 3 of their kids together again or me.
In talking to people who have participated in Young Adults in Global Mission or those who work with the program, no one has heard of siblings serving the same year. So this year, my parents not only have sent two of their children half way across the world where internet is spotty at best. but their youngest just left for a semester abroad in Norway. My mom is a mother who doesn't often worry that her children will be safe, until all 3 are literally thousands of miles away. Serving in YAGM, each participant's story is different from the next, with each country's having very different contexts for how the participants are serving their communities. My brother lives with a Lutheran pastor and his family in the basement of a parsonage. I live in a 2 bedroom flat above the cafeteria of the local Lutheran High school. My brother works 25- 30 hours a week. I have duties scheduled 7 days a week. Even between my brother and I, we cannot make comparisons because even within the countries that we serve, our contexts are so incredibly different. Walking down the streets of Jericho, my mom grabbed my hand and asked what I was thinking. Visiting Carter, I realized how little I knew about the world. There are so many layers, politically, religious, and other wise, into Israel and Palestine and it was a lot to process in such a short period of time. But, as our family was able to see where Jesus was born and died, where he was baptized, floating in the Dead Sea, and seeing my family, my eyes were opened to cultures so vastly different from the one I grew up in and the one that I am currently serving in. Living in a country thousands of miles from my family, I often get asked if I miss them. I miss them everyday. Things happen everyday that make me wish they were around the corner instead of around the world so that I could share what I am experiencing more frequently.
But, after living here for 4 months, I am a part of the community. I recently shared lunch with a teacher at the school that I am working at. I mentioned I was trying to cook a certain recipe that required corn starch only to realize I don't know the Hungarian word for it. She managed to find me some. The woman at the corner bakery I go to recognizes me and automatically gets what I want. Every Tuesday, a student of mine helps me translate the lunch menu for the following week. My mentor's wife welcomes me home with a hug when she picks me up from the train station. The youngsters at worship have begun to recognize me and smile and wave when I get there. I have realized I can live without the best of the best coffee ever made. Showers don't need to take a half an hour. Biking is not just for exercise, but can be used (and is used) for daily transportation. Asking for help is required when you don't know the language. However, if you don't speak the language, you can still build strong, healthy relationships with people within your community. Do I miss my family? Everyday. But, I am so thankful for a community of people who make sure my heat works, I have food, and I am cared for. "I beg young people to travel. If you don't have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown, eat interesting food, dig some interesting people, have an adventure, be careful. Come back and you're going to see your country differently, you're going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture,food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You're going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It's not what Tom Friedman writes about. I'm sorry. You're going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can't get out of a book that are waiting for you at the end of that flight. A lot of people- Americans and Europeans- come back and go "Ohhhh." And the lightbulb goes on. (Henry Rollins) This year, I have the privilege of working with a few different populations of people.
During the school week, I work with high school students (10th through 12th graders) at the Lutheran High School in Békéscsaba. Parents and teenagers are able to choose the secondary school that the teens attend. The schools can either be in their hometown or in a neighboring town. Some of my students are from surrounding villages or towns and take the bus into Békéscsaba everyday. Others are from towns further away. They stay in the Lutheran High School Dorms Sunday night through Friday, heading back to their hometown Friday afternoon. The dorms come at no cost to the students and their families. Although 3 meals are provided, the students’ families pay out of pocket for these. Besides English, all of my students are taking at least one other foreign language. Hungarian curriculum requires all students learn English, Italian, or German. Most students will take intermediate or advanced level language tests after completing high school. They have to pass the higher intermediate language test in order to get into university. The lessons usually involve a conversation around upcoming holidays, how school is going, or we work on English homework or practice tests for the language exam. I correct pronunciation and grammar. My students teach me Hungarian words for different things and love showing me their favorite musical artists. Two mornings a week, I attend activities at the Lutheran Nursing Home in Békéscsaba. One of many services the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary provides, the nursing home has an assisted living portion and memory care. 3 meals and around the clock nursing care are provided on a daily basis. There are activities two days a week for residents living here. During the mornings, the activities are aimed at those in the assisted living. There are memory games, exercises, discussions, and crafts. Each resident has a very different personality. One gentleman loves to rile up the women by making sly comments during activities. Each of them will laugh, point their finger, or shush him. Three mornings a week, I head over to the Day Center for young adults with disabilities. Another service provided by the Lutheran Church, the day center is in another part of the same facility. Recently added, it has a large activity room, a lunchroom, a mudroom, a staff office, and a room where the young adults can go and rest throughout the day. In the rest room are two beds, a TV, and a fooz ball table for them to use as they please. I come and hang out, doing crafts with the participants, watching movies, or interacting as staff work on other items for the facility. Afternoons are usually spent with students in English lessons. One evening a week, I take a bus to nearby Békés. I attend a weekly worship service for Roma and Non Roma Young adults. People of all ages attend. I have begun meeting with two young girls wanting to work on their English. We meet before worship, kick around a soccer ball or play a game of pool and chat in a mixture of English and Hungarian. They usually tell me something in Hungarian, point, and I repeat in English. Every morning, I wake up to the sun rising behind the Little Lutheran Church, which is across the street from my flat. Students are starting to arrive to school, chatting as they wait for their teacher to get there. The smells of lunch already being cooked begin wafting up to my flat.
This year, I am living in a two bedroom flat above the "Canteen" (cafeteria) in the local Lutheran high school. Before arriving in Békéscsaba, I was told that I would be in a one or two room flat: which means it could be a studio or a one bedroom flat. Arriving to my flat, the principal asked if I had been told anything about my accomodations. I chuckled. I had learned by this time that what I was told, expected, and shown were all very different things. Now being here almost 3 months, I realize how much I appreciate the space and being so close to everything. Church is literally across the street, the market is a 5 minute bike ride, and I can get anywhere I need to go by bike in Békéscsaba within 15 minutes. If my water heater happens to stop working in the middle of the week, my principal is over in a matter of minutes to fix it. The bus stop is right outside my flat. My students also have figured out where my flat is as we occasionally use it when the classrooms we use in the school are being used by other teachers. A couple of students have come and hung out while waiting for lunch. This year is a year about challenges and hard conversations. It is about learning how to navigate these conversations with grace while understanding you aren't always going to agree.
The United States Election hit me hard in more ways than one this year. Being the only American in the school that I work in, I was the only one many students and teachers had to ask or talk about the election with. When they would see me, they would ask my opinion and if I had voted. Not knowing how to express myself in English, my first language, it was hard to navigate these conversations with grace. Teachers and students would ask my opinion and being so numb and in shock, I had a hard time putting words into coherent sentences in these conversations. The media portrays one version of the election and often doesn't give the full story- not just in Hungary or the United States, but all around the world. Being the only American, I was put under a microscope, grilled about Trump winning, asked about my feelings, and people not fully understanding when I would talk about it. I had to put into words, feelings I was wrestling with and talk about reasons why I had a hard time accepting that Trump had become the President-elect. When I could finally get the words out, the reactions were all over the board, students not necessarily having heard what i was sharing because that hadn't been talked about in the Hungarian news or it was a different perspective. This year for me is not only about hard conversations, it is about breaking down stereotypes, or at least giving people another perspective to think about to help challenge their view of the world. I not only have to talk about American politics, but address stereotypes of people who identify as being Roma Hungarian. The Roma I have met have been nothing but kind, hardworking, and well rounded people. They work, go to university, have families, and have strong ties to churches in the communities. Attending a youth group on Saturdays in a church community comprised of Roma and Non Roma young adults has helped me put faces to a culture of people I had only heard about. These people help me smash stereotypes in conversations I have. So many of the young people in the youth group have such a strong faith. God works through them to help make the world a little bit brighter place. These conversations help me learn how to have good conversations where I can address racism, sexism, and other stereotypes while not belittling the other person. Today is my Dad's birthday. Although I was able to FaceTime with him, it isn't the same as celebrating with him in person. Being in another country on such a special day reminds me again of how important my family is to me.
In the weeks leading up to my year with YAGM, my dad, mom and I excitedly researched Békéscsaba, looking up pictures of my new town and exploring where I would be living for the next year. Even since arriving in Hungary, my dad would text or FaceTime and tell me what the weather would like that day or week or ask how I was doing. I love checking in with my parents, seeing how they are keeping busy since becoming empty nesters (even if it is only for a year!). He loves to hear about how teaching is going or if I am warm enough or getting enough to eat. Even from thousands of miles away, my dad is still checking in to make sure I am right where I belong. Hope you are having a great birthday Dad. Hope Luther (finally) wins against Wartburg today! “Be brave enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”
Recently, the YAGM Central Europe group met in Eger, Hungary (in Northeastern Hungary) for our fall retreat. One of the conversations we had was about accepting help and not necessarily always needing to return the favor. Something that I have learned how to do is accepting help and realizing that people offer to give you a hand and don’t always expect you to reciprocate. I have met incredible people who have helped me in ways I didn’t know I would need it. The information lady at the train station patiently figured out how to help me with my train ticket, despite a language barrier. A woman on the train platform let me know a part of my bag was unzipped and didn’t want anything stolen. A man was looking for the same platform for the train to Eger and the two of us ran around until we found the right place. On the way home from Eger, a man who was on my train saw me struggling with my baggage as I ran down the platform, worried I would miss my next train. Because that particular train station was confusing, he helped me with my baggage, ran with me to the next stop, and told the train staff that I was coming and not to leave the station yet. Within Békéscsaba, God has given me an incredible mentor whose family has shuttled me back and forth from the train station and understands the stress of moving to a new place. My mentor has helped me with some of my work sites and is patient when I have questions. He has placed a patient principal in my life who grabs a ladder when I run into his office telling him I need someone to climb on the roof to get something for a couple of students. God gave me a community of teachers and students who have helped me adjust to a new country, a new home, and a new language. God works in the community of Békéscsaba to welcome me and feel at home, despite the miles between my home in the States and me. God knows when I need help and I stress myself out. He places people in my life to show me that everything always works out and to laugh when I am about to cry. He shows me how to accept help and shows me that it’s okay to ask for it. Before arriving in Hungary, I had all sorts of expectations: of what my home life would be, of what my work week would be, and of what I would be. As I settle into a new community, a new home, and a new work schedule, I realized that not only have my expectations changed, but so has my reality. Back in the States, a typical work week is Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. In Hungary, I will be working with High school students on developing their English Language skills, helping a teacher develop a Jewish History tour of Békéscsaba, work at local Elderly Care Facility, with adults with disabilities, with a youth group of Roma and Non- Roma youth, and anything else that is asked of me. I will be working a variety of hours, 6 days a week.
Before I arrived, I expected that when I showed up, I would be handed a schedule of my duties, where I was supposed be and when. I also expected that I would be told exactly what my job was and what my supervisors wanted me to do. Instead, I learned to embrace that the staff that I would be working with at all of my sites didn't want to overwork and overstress me. Instead, I have picked my own hours, for the most part, and the days that I work. Although this concept is great to those just visualizing this, it was hard for me to grasp. I was used to having my duties laid out and knowing exactly what I was supposed to be doing and when. My mom laughs when I FaceTime her and tell her about what is going on in my life. In the States, I was high strung and needed a minute to minute of everyday or at least advanced warning of what was going to happen. Instead, when I am told to show up somewhere, that could mean a meeting with a supervisor, or it could mean "Come on, I am taking you to your work site where you will meet your new supervisor and colleagues for the year". I have embraced not needing to constantly be in control of what is going to happen. Hungarians have a firm belief that things will turn out exactly how they need to turn out. Now, that may be several weeks in advance or the day of the event. But things will always turn out. The best example I have of this is the day I went with a local pastor to the local immigration office to fill out visa paperwork, only to be told that the paperwork wasn't right and that I needed to come back. Now this is ALREADY intimidating, but then to have this meeting happen in a language you are still learning, you start to get a little panicky. My country coordinators are great and have let all of the Hungary volunteers know a head of time what to expect and the paperwork that we needed to bring with us. But then, this pastor and I headed to the bank to set up an account so that I could receive my monthly stipend. The bank that we went to is a branch of a larger Hungarian system that my country coordinators use and are familiar with. Now mind you, when we arrived, I was already wound up after the immigration office. We walk into the bank and sit down with a representative. I pull out my passport, which is all i expected that I needed. I was asked for my social security card, which I didn't even have in Hungary, because that wasn't on my packing list. I wrote down my number and was told i needed an exact copy of my card. I almost started bawling in the middle of the Bank Lobby. The pastor looked at me, laughed and said "Elaina, breathe. Don't stress out. It's going to work out." Fast forward to starting my first official day of work tomorrow. Everything is working out. My bank account is set up. I have a roof over my head, I am fed, clothed, and have an incredible support system of teachers, pastors, and staff of other local facilities. In true Hungarian fashion, everything is working out, just maybe not to my American sense of the phrase. Szia!
As orientation winds down, I wanted to share about a significant weekend that the Volunteers in Hungary were able to experience. September 4th and 5th, we traveled to the beautiful town of Sárszentlörenc. We were able to meet the staff of the Lutheran Church of Hungary in Sárszentlörenc and some of women who identify as Roma Hungarians. Although Révolop, the town we have stayed in for the duration of orientation in Hungary, is beautiful and relaxing, Sárszentlörenc was an eye opener and the towns are nothing alike. Révolop is a resort town, where people come to stay to relax and enjoy Lake Balaton. Sárszentlörenc is much more of what I envision of where people live and work everyday. When we first arrived, we got a quick tour of where we were staying before being told to drop off our bags and that we were having lunch outside with members of the Lutheran Church. The YAGM volunteers sat dispersed through the congregation at the long lunch table, attempting to use the “kicsit” (or little) Hungarian that we had learned the previous week. We had a traditional Roma soup that is with homemade bread that is also a traditional recipe that only the Roma use. The soup was made with the bones of the chicken cooked in it and the bread is used to soak up the broth. As lunch is the biggest meal of the day, we were continually told to eat more. It is typical to the Hungarian Culture that Hungarians will continue to try and give you food even if you say are full. After soup, we had cookies and Japanese pears that grow in the yard of the guesthouse. This weekend, we packed a lot into two days. Almost immediately after lunch, we were told to grab a notebook and that we were heading over to the church to learn about Hungarian and Roma Culture. In towns and villages in Hungary, there are two churches, one “big” and one “small”. The big church is typically used during the spring, summer, and early fall as it is easier to keep cool, while the small church is used in the winter or for smaller events as it is easier to keep warm. The church in Sárszentlörenc was built after the Turks invaded Hungary and has been around ever since. The paintings around the sanctuary and the Alter were absolutely stunning and the church was beautiful. After talking a little bit about Hungary, we were split up into several groups and were able to visit with a member of the Lutheran Congregation that identifies as Roma. Another volunteer and I were able to meet with a woman name Mari. She invited us into her home, where we sat and discussed what she liked to do, how she ended up in Sárszentlörenc, and her faith journey. From the moment we arrived in the village, she immediately welcomed us. On several occasions, she mentioned how wonderful it was that we, as American Young Adults, were there wanting to learn about her culture and her way of life. Her faith was incredibly strong, despite such strong discrimination her entire life. Mari even told her husband that Jesus was her number one. Her favorite story was about Jesus dying on the cross for us because He died for everyone, not just white, male Hungarians, Americans, etc., but He died for her and other Roma as well. Mari shared that when she first got her own house, she didn’t have running water and didn’t have a bathroom in her house. However, she trusted in God that everything would turn out alright. She then moved to a nicer house, but it still wasn’t ideal. However, she still didn’t have running water. The house that we were visiting it, she had just recently moved to within the last few months. Mari considered this her castle. Although not big to Americans, it had everything that Mari wanted: running water, an indoor bathroom, several rooms, with a large kitchen. When we went to leave, she stopped the other volunteer and I and gave us huge hugs, holding us close and telling us how wonderful it was that we were there. After meeting with Mari, I wanted to hear so much more about her life, where she came from, what she liked to, and other questions that we weren’t able to ask in the time we had with her. We continued to learn about Hungarian culture, through listening to a local Roma band that played traditional Roma music and hearing stories from other congregation members. The next morning we were able to participate in worship that was all in Hungarian. We were asked to sing a couple of worship songs and hymns that we grew up singing and were able to take communion. We ended our visit to this beautiful town by seeing a few of the sites that the people of Sárszentlörenc were so proud of, including a tree that a popular Hungarian author was inspired by that had been there since the town was founded. I felt the Holy Spirit in the Roma Women we met, the pastor and other members of that community as they opened their arms and welcomed us into their homes and lives. I cannot wait to share more as I head into my site in Békéscsaba this upcoming Tuesday! |
Elaina JohnsonI am from a town on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. I grew up in Hudson, WI, where I had the privilege of returning after graduating from Winona State University with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Archives
December 2016
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