A Hungarian Holiday!

Well, it's been another eventful, fun-filled, completely exhausting week for the Weavers! Just like always, we have been going, going, going. Last Monday, August 19th, was the first day back to language school after our nice summer break. I was so thankful to the Lord that I was ready to go back! In the beginning of the week, I was dreading it, but by the Friday before school began, I had pumped myself up mentally to get back into learning Hungarian. I do not learn very well if I am not totally and completely tuned-in to the subject being taught, so it was important that I was motivated to go back to school, or else the time could be a waste!

For the last three weeks of language school, Paul and I have decided to attend a new university all together. It is called ELTE (Please don't ask me what the acronym stands for! All I know is it is a famous Hungarian's name plus the word "egyetem" which stands for "university"). We made the decision to switch schools because our friend's wife was also attending, and she had recommended it to us. The program is thus that we attend six hours of class per day, and at the end of the school hours, we have some kind of special presentation or outing. For example, last week we took a trip to the National History Museum, and we had a guest professor come in a discuss the history of Hungary in the 20th Century. It was incredibly interesting, and that means a lot coming from me (AKA: queen of zoning-out)! This next week we will take a visit to the Opera House (I totally almost wrote "Oprah House"!), The Museum of Applied Arts, The Terror House (a museum devoted to the Holocaust in Hungary), and the same professor will return to speak about the history of Hungary from the fall of the Berlin Wall until present day. One week down, two to go!

This past Wednesday was the national holiday for Hungary which celebrates their independence. Budapest was completely packed! Paul and I headed into the city for the afternoon to check out the activities, food, and events. One of the biggest attractions for the holiday is the annual Red Bull Air Race. Professional stunt-performing pilots from all over the world compete in a race of loops, twists, turns, and obstacles, in order to receive the best time. The coolest part was that the whole show took place over the Danube River! Literally millions of people were lined up along the shore, as they watched these stunt planes complete their amazing tricks. I've provided a few pictures of the event. It was so cool to have all the ancient and beautiful Hungarian buildings in the background! Parliament is pictured at the top of my blog.

Yesterday I played "mad scientist" and attempted to propagate ivy so I can plant some in my yard this fall. I took stem cuttings from the end of the ivy growth and placed them in prepared soil. According to the Internet (and Martha Stewart) the cuttings should have rooted in 4-6 weeks, at which time I can transplant the ivy into my yard. We will see! I know you will be checking "Jill's Blog" everyday as you anxiously await the results! Until that time, thank you for your prayers and interest. We love and miss you all! Sziasztok!

P.S. Happy Anniversary Gramps and Grams! We are amazed at your commitment to eachother and to the Lord! We love you!

P.P.S. Welcome home, Dave and Karen James! You have been very much missed over the summer! We are so glad to have you back from furlough!

The Weaver Summer Low- Down

Well, it is officially the last week of our break from language school, and I'm not sure I am ready to go back! There are still so many projects around the house I want to complete. Seems like there is never enough time in a day!

Starting this Monday, Paul and I will continue our intensive studies in Hungarian for three more weeks. After that, the Bible Institute will be in full gear, so language study will have to be slowed down big time. Actually, I am hoping we will be able to find an adequate tutor to help us during the week throughout the year. Learning Hungarian is my top priority right now. I don't feel like I can fully function or the Lord adequately unless I can communicate with the people! Don't get me wrong - I look at everyday as a gift from God, one that should be used to its fullest potential in that moment for the Kingdom, but I absolutely cannot wait until I can thrive in a Hungarian speaking society! I want to be able to go to the store and not be embarrassed, chat with my neighbors, and talk to my kids' doctors (when we have them, in like 20 years!).

Paul and I have decided to test out a new language school entirely for these last three weeks. This new class takes place in the oldest university in Budapest. It will consist of four, two-hour sessions, including grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and speaking exercises. In the afternoons, the school will have "labs" consisting of either a guest speaker or a field trip. The guest speakers will give seminars on Hungarian culture, history, and society. The field trips will be to historical Hungarian sights, such as Parliament, Castle Hill, and various museums. Should be lots of fun! I am more than certain we will be two pooped puppies by the end of the three weeks, but hopefully we will be chatting away in Hungarian!

I have spent the break cleaning, sewing, relaxing, studying, and canning! To the left, there is a picture taken of our very first harvest from the garden! Since then, I have been out every other day, picking more green beans and tomatoes. The peppers are coming in slowly, but they look awesome! It is amazing how much one can find to do around the house when you really think about it. I took time to wash all the windows and shutters, inside and out. I cleaned the whole house, top to bottom, getting rid of dust on the upper pipes, cobwebs in the rafters, and organizing "junk drawers" that everyone has, I'm sure! I also found time to complete some much needed sewing projects and little around-the-house crafts.

Probably the neatest "chore" I completed over break was canning! Tomatoes were super cheap this past week, about 100-150 Forint/kg (around $.60/kg), so I took advantage! (those older ladies in the store can get awfully pushy when it comes to cheap produce. All I can say is it's a good thing I'm a Christian!) Not to mention, we have a nice crop of maters ourselves, growing in the back yard! I canned about 17 jars of crushed tomatoes, and I tried my very first stab at salsa as well. I've made fresh salsa before, but never tried simmering it and preserving for later use. I had no idea what kind of peppers to buy at the store to give the salsa a kick, so I settled on "eros paprika" peppers. Eros means strong in Hungarian, so I figured they were at least a little spicy. I charred them in the stove and removed the skins, seeds, and veins. Luckily they were just enough heat to give my tomatoes and fiesta flavor! It will be nice to have the salsa for last minute company.

I also made some homemade peach butter from a recipe that Karen James, my friend and fellow missionary, gave me. It turned out sooooo delicious! Really easy too - just some peaches and sugar in the crockpot. This canning thing is getting better and better!

Tonight we are house sitting in the Diosd house, where we lived during language school. The family who owns the house will be returning early next week, so I have to take some time in the next couple days and clean up our scum from there home. They were very kind to let us stay here, but I think they appreciated knowing that someone was looking after their home as well. Next week, when language school starts up again, Paul and I will move to a new house in Budafolk where a staff member with Word of Life's mother lives. Her mother is on vacation for the next four weeks, so the timing worked out perfectly! Praise the Lord!

My wonderful grandparents, on my dad's side, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last weekend. Wow! 60 years! You must really get to know someone after that length of time! They are such an inspiration to me. They were not Christians until after they got married. Life has definitely brought them some difficult times, but through it all, they have relied on the Lord for wisdom and strength. I hope that when Paul and I look back at our marriage in 60 years, we can be half the couple they are. I am so glad the family and their church friends were able to get together last weekend and celebrate a truly God-honoring, faithful, and selfless marriage. I love you Gramps and Grams!

Word of Life just wrapped up its last week of summer youth camp. There were seven weeks of camp, which included volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer, and various languages. Paul and I had never been in Hungary for a summer to see what all goes on during the camping season. I have to say that it is amazing! It was awesome to see the staff playing different roles from that of the Bible School, and morphing into "camp mode." We attended a couple different meetings and activities at the camp this past week. I was so impressed! All the kids seemed to be having the time of their lives, while also learning about the Lord. This is what the ministry should look like!

Please pray for us during the rest of this last week before school, especially Paul. Not only is he the Academic Dean of the Bible school, but he has been placed as head over the internship program this year. He will be responsible for keeping around 15 interns on their toes, plus he is teaching a new class this Fall. This requires much study and organization, not to mention perseverance. On top of all this, he is expected to learn Hungarian, and be my husband! Please pray that my wonderful Paul does not burn out. He needs to be strong for me!