First Trip to the Opera

Two weeks ago, Paul and I had the exciting opportunity to attend the opera for the very first time in Budapest! Now, I know what you are thinking... "Paul and Jill? Attending the opera? I didn't know they were so cultured," If that was the first thought that popped into your head, don't feel bad, because you're right! Paul and I are your typical corn-dog eatin', dollar store shoppin', Survivor watchin' Hoosiers, but once in a while, it's nice to have an excuse to dress up and pretend to be someone we're not!

Our wonderful guest teacher for the week, Dr. Daniel Anderson, President of Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia, and his dear wife, Rosealie, were very interested in attending a performance during their trip to Hungary. Mrs. Anderson is an accomplished musician and was quite aware that Budapest is famous for its music. So after taking our guests sightseeing in Budapest, we ended a perfect history-infused day with a trip to the Opera House.


Paul and I outside the Opera House __________________ Paul with Dr. & Mrs. Anderson


The Hungarian State Opera House was amazing! Of course, I had seen the outside of the Opera House many times, during our trips to Budapest, but up until now, I have never been inside. I cannot believe what I was missing out on! The whole building was incredibly elaborate: marble staircases, golden walls, and hand-painted murals. This is the kind of stuff you only see in movies! Construction of the Opera House took nine years, with its grand opening in September of 1884. The auditorium holds 1,261 seats, and I think almost all of them were taken.




We saw the production, Don Pasquale, an Italian opera filled with love, lies, and comedy. Of course, it was difficult for me to understand every detail because the opera was in Italian, with subtitles shooting across a screen in Hungarian, but I got the gist of the story. It was more interesting for me to appreciate the music, scenery, and talent of the opera performers. All of the actors were Hungarian, yet they spoke and sang Italian fluently. They were all exceptional performers and had an incredible amount of stamina to sing for such lengths and with such gusto. I was truly amazed.



Our trip to the Hungarian State Opera House was a great cultural experience. We learned some more about Hungarian history and what the opera was all about. It's so neat to see these little blessings that the Lord brings into our lives; opportunities that we would never have outside of our regular lives, but blessings that the Lord gives because he loves us! How truly blessed we are!

Bible Club Pizza Party!

What do you get when you combine games, a movie, and free pizza? A day full of fun! Just ask the 42 people who attended the second-annual Bible Club pizza party! Saturday, March 12th was a big day for the Bible Club, as we had been preparing this evangelistic event for quite some time. We passed out flyers to the club kids, their friends, and many children in Tóalmás. 39 children and 3 adults/parents attended the party, many of which had never been to the castle or the Bible Club before. What a blessing it was to see so many new faces!




The weather that day was absolutely perfect, so we were able to play many games outdoors. After a short song time, Varga Istvan, a Hungarian staff member, presented the Gospel. We were to watch The Prince of Egypt later that afternoon, so Istvan incorporated the story into his presentation. He talked about the many plagues that came upon Egypt because of their sin, and how God protected the Israelites. He explained that we are all sinners, in need of a perfect Savior. Istvan presented the Gospel in a clear and concise manor, and in the end, 23 children raised their hands that they had asked the Lord into their hearts during his closing prayer! Wow! It was SO exciting! After the prayer, we split the 23 children into small groups and discussed the decision they had just made. It was so wonderful to see the Lord work in the hearts of these little ones!


Of course, we couldn't have a pizza party without indulging in lots of pizza, 18 pies to be exact! The kids enjoyed every last crumb as they engrossed themselves into the big screen movie. What a great day! Please pray that many of these children come back for the weekly Bible Club, which meets in our home on Friday afternoons. We want to encourage them in the Lord!