Hey everybody! You gotta check out this video of our new house. As mentioned in my last post, Paul and I bought the James' home when they left. Right now, one of the married couples who attend our Bible School is staying in the home with their three children. As you can imagine, they need it a lot more than we do! Once they graduate at the end of May, Paul and I will move into our very first home, at least one that we own :)
We were there last Saturday, testing out paint colors and making sure the married couple was all moved in and settled. If you're curious, you can click on the arrow below and see a virtual tour of our new place!
Well, yesterday marked a milestone for us. The Weaver team has been in Hungary officially for one whole year! That's right, on February 17, 2008, Paul and Jill Weaver stepped off their tiny airplane and stepped into the Promise Land! All joking aside, it has been one incredible year. We have seen God's blessings again and again, and we feel like we're just beginning. The time has gone incredibly fast, and it's so exciting to think about what the Lord will do in the future. To God be the glory!
Last Monday, all 28 second year students of the Bible Institute (along with some staff and, of course, us) loaded up on a huge tour bus and headed towards Budapest. Our destination: the Jewish Synagogue. Paul is teaching a course entitled World Religions right now in class, so this field trip was meant to personalize and bring to life the true essense of the Jewish faith. The Great Synagogue of Dohany Street in Budapest is particularly interesting. With a seating capacity of 2, 964 seats, it is the second largest in the world, next to New York City. It is modeled after the Byzantine style, with some elements of Gothic. When completed in 1859, the style was quite controversal, as some Jewish people felt the synagogue looked too Catholic and even Islamic. During WWI, the synagogue was an internment camp for the Jews. Over 2,000 Jewish bodies are buried in the courtyard, all with the death date of 1944 or 1945.
Our tour guide was an ethnic Jewish Hungarian. He said there are around 100,000 Jewish people presently living in Hungary; most live in Budapest. He said in a good service, 50 people attend that huge synagogue. Just 50! What struck me the most was the fact that when we asked our guide questions about the Messiah, or the Old Testament, he became very uncomfortable. He did not want to talk about the Bible. In fact, at one point, he actually said, "I am not so religious. I go to the synagogue on the high holidays." I couldn't help but think that he is so lost. He knows all of the Jewish history. He works for the synagogue. One would think he would have his life figured out, but even he is not convinced in "religion." When you think of it, please pray for this man. Maybe some of our questions fueled his thinking that there is more than rituals to God.
Things are cold and snowy here in Hungary. In fact, I just took this picture of the castle yesterday morning. I hope you are all staying warm and have visions of spring in your spirit! Until then, enjoy some Starbucks for me! Thanks for reading :)
