news

International School Brings Life-Transformation

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:01:00 EST

Tim has only been at ICSB for two years, but those two years were life transforming for him. Tim is German and his mom works with the German embassy here in Budapest. Tim has some pretty severe learning/social disabilities. Tim’s previous schools have brought him heartache as he was rarely appreciated or treated very kindly. When Tim first came to ICSB, he could barely say hello to anyone and seemed to just want to keep to himself and stay away from the other students. This is far from the Tim we know today. We have watched him grow and blossom, achieve more academically than anyone thought possible and become a beloved student at school with many good friends. It was such a joy to watch him on senior trip interacting with all the other students, trying new things and being so adventurous!!! He has accepted Jesus as his savior and his faith is growing. Tim also won the “2011 Perseverance Award” at ICSB’s annual award ceremony and I don’t think there were any dry eyes in the house that night! Please pray for Tim’s future. His parents still have one more year here in Hungary before they return to Germany. He will be attending a Bible College, Vajta here in Hungary. Please pray for him as he starts college and enters this next step in his life.

Student Gets Serious About Her Faith

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:04:00 EST

The class of 2011 at International Christian School of Budapest (ICSB) was an awesome class and very easy to work with. We praise the Lord for that. We would like to highlight one of the graduates and ask you to remember her in your prayers.

Tina was born in Serbia and spent a few years there before her family fled the country during a war in the 1990s. They left everything behind to come to Hungary and live in refugee housing for some time. Eventually, Tina came to ICSB.

Tina has been a believer several years but this past year we have seen her grow incredibly. As God took different people out of her life, Tina made an awesome choice to get serious about her faith and really cling to Jesus. I (Kaye) got to have some great chats with her on senior trip about this. It has been so amazing to watch how God can work in someone’s life when they are open and willing.

Tina would say that her Christian Studies class this past year has really helped her grow. In her yearbook senior write-up she mentioned a big thank you to Linc for being a good teacher. She has also decided to attend Linc’s alma matter, Columbia International University. She is enrolled and accepted to start classes in the fall. We are so excited about what God will do in her and through her in the years to come. Please continue to pray for her as she leaves her family here in Hungary to study in South Carolina and pray that God continues to bless her with the funds she needs to stay in college.

2011 SHARE Conference

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:14:00 EST

Sopron, Hungary was the gathering place for the 2011 SHARE Family Education Conference. This is an annual event where missionaries from Europe and Eurasia gather for several days of encouragement through solid Bible teaching, educational workshops, and joyous fellowship. The TCKS love the days also as they participate in age-appropriate daily activities! Imagine being a teen and taking a day trip to tour a beautiful European city with a group of kids who have had similar life experiences. The purpose of the week is to serve missionaries and to resource them with helpful information as they home school or have their kids enrolled in national schools. There were also bonus services like free haircuts by professional beauticians. A family physician also gave a week of his time to be on hand so that every sniffle or sore throat could be checked. My role was to present one seminar but mostly I was there to spend time with the six families from SEND who were able to attend. One fun aspect for me was to help my colleagues serving in different countries to connect in this unique setting.

-Judy Severns

Passing Along Encouragement

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:50:00 EST

Last week we received this email from a couple in Hungary. We could not express any better why we work in Hungary as counselors. They wrote:

"There is a young couple who live near us and they have a young baby at home. We started a friendship with them recently. They were fighting and not getting along and the couple asked us for help. Their parents do not support them and they feel alone in their problem. It came to mind that we are so thankful that you helped us when we struggled. Because you stood with us, now we can help others. We are thankful for your service and praise God for everything he has done."

Biblical Manhood Challenges Teacher and Students

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:45:00 EST

Feeling led to begin an accountability/Bible study group with some high school students this summer, I was thrilled when five upper classmen asked if I would meet with them regularly this school year. Unlike myself in high school, these guys are serious and meet consistently every week at one of their homes. They asked if I would come every other week and help them explore biblical principles. They actually requested that we look at issues surrounding biblical manhood.

As honored as I am that they asked, the whole idea is a bit daunting. My first thoughts centered on my own mistakes and inability to live the godly life that I desire.

Fortunately that fear didn’t stop the process. God has encouraged me that the lessons I have learned and am still learning may very well be the best lessons these young men could ask for. Maybe that truth is really what we all need to be doing--learning new lessons as we journey along and then simply sharing them with others along the way. I would covet your prayers as I endeavor to move forward with transparency and humility with these godly young men.

Missions Is Like Football

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 06:00:00 EST

I love this time of year; the cooler weather, the smell of fall, beautiful leaves, and football! Another missionary from my church used an analogy of missions being like American football. I asked his permission to borrow this idea and add some of my own thoughts.

In American football there are four main parts of the team: management, players and coaches, trainers/medical staff, and fans. In missions the management would be equivalent to the home office. This is where recruiting happens, payroll is done and many other administrative activities take place.

The players and coaches would be similar to the missionaries and field directors who are evangelizing those that need to know about Christ.

The trainers and medical staff are the member-care part of the mission, usually unseen unless there is a problem or emergency.

The fans are in the stands rooting for the players and buying the tickets that pay the players’ salaries. These are the supporters or partners in missions. They encourage the missionary with prayers and notes, and support them financially.

All parts are needed to be an effective sports team. The same is true of the missions “team;” but many churches and some individuals don’t see the need for the member care group unless someone close to them is in a crisis and needs the resource.

Imagine the Super Bowl being played and the favored team not bringing its trainers or medical staff, in order to save some money. Then in the first minutes of the game, their star quarterback goes down with an injured ankle. Unknown to the coach, the injury is minor and the quarterback could finish the game with some special sideline treatment. However, they send him back to the experts at their home field and he is not able to make it back in time to finish the game. The fans would be outraged that something simple could have been done, but wasn’t because the team wanted to save a few bucks.

Member care has always been important to mission agencies; however, in today’s mission climate it is even more important. People willing to serve as career missionaries are not coming to agencies like they used to. Many people are willing to serve 2-4 years but then move on to something else they feel God has for them. Career missionaries need to be kept on the field and in the “game.” If there is an issue, the first step is to treat it while they are on the field. If the missionary comes home, the odds are quite high that they will not return.

If you are one that hasn’t seen the value or the need for member care in a missions organization, I hope this stirs your thoughts a little. Please consider being one of our “fans” and help keep missionary families on the field by meeting their children’s educational needs.

SHARE Conference Planning

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST

Currently I am in various stages of planning for SHARE (education resources for MKs) trips to serve missionaries in five different cities. Just yesterday I Skyped with a helpful contact in Lviv, Ukraine to try to determine what the educational needs are there. Lviv has a population of about 735,000-- quite a large city. Other plans or possibilities are being worked on to serve St. Petersburg, Russia; Istanbul, Turkey; Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. It is a challenge to keep the details and people involved in all of these potential events straight and organized. I’m very thankful for Word table.

Educational support is so important for these missionary families. One of the main reasons missionaries leave the field is a lack of good education options for their children. We hear time and time again how much they are blessed by the SHARE conferences.

Please pray for wisdom as decisions are made about venues, timing and other important details so that we will be able to serve the greatest number of families who need educational support.
-Larry Milks

God Plans Conference Around Iceland Ash

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EST

Remember the no-fly zone over Europe when the volcano erupted in April? Kaye Myers in Hungary didn’t expect it to push her into conference speaking, but God did. Kaye says,

“In April, I had the privilege of sharing at an outreach for Hungarian ladies. Each April a conference is held by Hearts at Home. Ladies from this organization come to Europe and speak in several countries to encourage moms. My friend was organizing the event and early on she was praying that God would totally plan the evening. He certainly did! After talking with her one day, God led her to ask me to speak. I was to share a short story about something I learned about parenting.

Then, all the ladies that were to fly here from the states to be the main speakers couldn’t because of the no-fly zone across Europe due to the volcanic ash floating from Iceland and I was it! God is faithful and in control. It still turned out to be a wonderful evening for all! Our thoughts were that about 80 ladies would show up. God’s plan was that 145 ladies would be in the auditorium that evening. His ways are best!