Piroska, pogácsak, and painting…
June 10, 2011The 30 day outreach in Pécs is nearing an end. We leave a week from today! It’s crazy how fast the time has gone by. It seems like just a few days ago we were moving into the flat, and now we will soon have to move back to Vajta again.
The last few weeks have been interesting. I have had a few firsts, such as feeding a baby and visiting a prison. Two things I have never done before… Today was my first time in the prison, or any prison for that matter. I have to admit, I was scared. As soon as I passed through the first security check I realized exactly the type of ministering I would be doing, and my heart sank. What could I possibly have to share with these women? I can’t relate to their lives. I’ve never even set foot in a prison and here I was going to say something to encourage them? It would have to be nothing of myself, but of God. As Leah and I entered the main area for the women, we encountered a creepy guard who apparently had a thing for American women…. I pretended that I couldn’t speak Hungarian… this incident made me even more nervous. If the guards themselves are kind of sketchy, what could the prisoners be like? Will they even care what I have to say? We soon found ourselves in a room with five women prisoners, three of which Leah knew from previous visits. Two of them she had never seen before. There was one woman in particular named Piroska. We thought Piroska was a man at first, but when she sat down and introduced herself, we understood otherwise. She had a short haircut which was shaved on the sides, wore men’s clothing, and was missing most of her teeth. In addition to this, she had an incessant amount of cuts and scrapes up both arms, and was holding two inhalers in her hands that looked like asthma medication. It was apparent that she wasn’t supposed to have them when the guard saw them and asked her about them… I began to share with them by reading from Philippians 3:7-9 and 4:11-13. I started to talk about the apostle Paul and how he could have peace and joy even while in prison because of Jesus. Piroska and another woman had to leave before I could go any further… I hope that somehow even reading those few passages of scripture will impact their lives in some way. The other three women who Leah knew were able to stay. The seemed very interested in what I shared with them and asked really good questions. I hope I can have another chance to go to the prison when I visit Pécs in the future. It was very humbling for me, because I knew that there was nothing I could do or say to them that would help besides the words that God gave to me. There was not a way for me to understand their situation completely, and yet God still chose to send me today. Through weakness, He can display great strength…
After the prison, we went to the church to meet up with everyone and finish painting. The guys have been working on repainting the outside of the building. We will finish it tomorrow :) Callie, Selah, and I talked on our way to the bus stop about the things God has been showing us. I feel that every moment here, even little ones like that, God has been using to reveal Himself to me and also what is in my heart. I feel that one of the reasons He has brought me here is to remind me that I lack the ability to do anything, or to love anyone effectively apart from Him.
“so then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase…”
1 Corinthians 3:7
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption- that , as it it written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
