Hello friends!

I’m currently writing while on a bus home to Pécs. The sun is shining and it is truly a beautiful evening to be driving through the Hungarian countryside. Sunflowers are in full bloom at present and I can’t get enough of the fields of gold glowing in the sunlight! My four-week intensive language course in Budapest concluded on Friday and now it’s time to finally jump into life in Pécs! I am excited!

The last four weeks in Budapest were wonderful overall. I loved every bit of the language course and found it to be extremely helpful, not to mention fun! I’m aware more than ever how much there is left to learn (which is very daunting at times), yet so far I have found myself excited over each new bit of learning. It is exciting when more of the pieces come together! Of course, it always seems simpler in class than when I am out in the real world fumbling my way around, so please do continue to pray for my language learning!

Through a not-so-fun sickness in the middle of the course that caused me to miss a few days of class, I was reminded to entrust this learning process to God, as He is the one who enables me to comprehend and understand.  I was afraid missing classes would cause me to fall behind and not be able to keep up through the rest of the course.  God was so kind to speak truth into my fear and remind me that He is Lord over every area of life. It’s neat to experience God’s peace in the midst of not-so-fun circumstances and see evidently that God is not hindered by earthly circumstances. His continual promise remains, “not by [human] might nor power, but by my Spirit.” 

Along with enjoying the content and process of the language course, another highlight was the people I had the opportunity to connect with. My new friend Cara, who also recently moved to Pécs, was also doing the course and we were roommates for the month, thanks to our dear friend who so graciously loaned us her apartment!

Sometimes together, sometimes separate, we had some awesome opportunities to connect with people outside of class. After class lunch excursions or walks through the city, it was really neat to get to know a few of our classmates. We spent a lot of time connecting with one girl in particular. She was very open with us and we got to share a lot about our lives and faith. We are praying that she will encounter the God who loves her and gave Himself up for her.  

It was also really sweet getting to connect with a few of my old friends who live in Budapest!

As I mentioned already, God has been continually reminding me: “Not by [human] might nor power, but by my Spirit.” This is my heart’s cry as I look forward to getting settled in Pécs. With transition and change come new unknowns and areas that are beyond me. I am comforted knowing that every bit of life and ministry here depend on God and not on me having all the answers or knowing every step. Please pray for me as I begin to figure out life and ministry roles, invest in relationships, and figure out the practical details. In these next few weeks, I will be looking for a language helper, begin looking for an apartment and be focusing on building relationships. Will you pray with me that God will guide each step of this?

PRAYER:

• Finding a language teacher and this process of language learning.
• These new friends in Budapest, that they will be drawn to God.
• Transition to life in Pécs: apartment, language teacher, life &  ministry roles, etc…
• Boldness and discernment as I begin to build relationships with young women. A huge desire is to begin a weekly Bible study with some of the women. Many have a hunger for the things of God and there is a great opportunity/need to go deeper in this way. Pray for God’s leading and wisdom and how to best structure and go about this.
• With the unexpected loss of a cousin and her unborn daughter, it has been difficult in a lot of ways to be away from family these past couple weeks. Please pray for my family, especially for her husband and 16-month old daughter, her parents, and siblings. I am comforted knowing that God is holding my family, pray that I will be able to entrust them to God and His care continually during this difficult time.

Much love and God’s peace!

Brenna Lynn