"Are you done?"

Since arriving home on January 4th, several people have asked me the same question: "Are you done?". I suppose since I have made two trips to Hungary (six weeks on the spring and four months in the fall/winter), some people are confused as to whether or not I will return to Hungary for a third trip.

The short answer: The soonest I will return to Hungary will be after I graduate high school in 2013, if I return at all.

Looking at the Shoes on the
Danube Promenade which
honors Jews that were
murdered on the edge of
the river during WWII.

The long answer: No, I am not "done". I am not going to claim that I will never go back to Hungary for mission work. Although it's unlikely, it is not out of the question. Hungary needs the Gospel, just like any other nation. To say that I am "done" does not seem like a smart thing to say since only God knows where I will go to spread His Word during my life. It could very well be back in Hungary just like it could be in another European country, Asia, Africa, South America... who knows? Missionaries are needed all over this world so I don't want to answer this question with a "no".
However, for the time-being, I am going to focus on finishing my high school education and doing mission work in and around my city. The need for missionaries in my own home is great -- I don't need to go across the ocean to make a difference in someone's eternal salvation when people across the street need the same Message. Hungary is similar to America in that they are both modern places with indoor plumbing, automobiles, electricity, etc. The differences, however, include different languages, customs, history, culture, governments... need I go on? After spending almost half a year in Hungary, I realized just how effective a missionary I can be in America where I actually speak the language, know where things are, and have a large community of family and friends who are willing to help in my evangelistic endeavors. Sure, I can be effective in Hungary, but I know God can use me here in Texas and America just as much if not more because of my familiarity with the U.S.

The work Jesus gave us to do on this earth will only be finished when He returns. So until that day, I will continue to be a missionary. It just won't always be in Hungary.

Mary Kate

"Go and make disciples of all nations..." 
Matthew 28:19

I spent about one week in the Italian Alps for the Midwinter Rally... so beautiful! 

HoliDAY Time!

Happy Christmas and merry New Year to everyone! The Ridgeways and I had an eventful holiday season at the "Midwinter Rally" (which is actually more of a retreat for missionaries). There I met many missionaries who were quick to tell me their story and encourage me to come back to Europe as a missionary as soon as I could.

On December 10th at the BCL, I conducted a program called Girl's HoliDAY. The goal of this one-time program was simple: help young girls (ages 7-11) see how they can make the Christmas holiday fun and yet less commercial. Rusty Ridgeway and I started planning this event several weeks before the day and yet did not get invitations out until the Wednesday before the program. Because of the short notice, I thought we would be lucky to have half a dozen girls show up. The response was actually overwhelming and much more than I'd dared to hope... 17 girls came! We spent the majority of the five hours we had making Christmas cards and cookies, an ornament, and cutting out snowflakes to decorate the library with. We did take time to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, however. After the half-hour film, I asked the girls some questions about when they feel hopeless (like Charlie Brown in the movie or Mary from the Bible) and where they go to for help (for example, Charlie Brown went to Lucy but Mary trusted in God). We spent some time talking about Linus' speech in the movie as well and thinking of ways we could make our own Christmas less commercial and more about Christ. Even though I had lots of questions prepared, I worried that I was boring some of the girls there. God proved to me, however, that when you talk about Him, people want to listen. By the end of our discussion, all of the girls had smiles on their faces and one girl even thanked me for the discussion.

(I will try to post pictures of this event when I get permission from all of the girl's parents to use photos of their kids... that's a lot of parent's to get permission from!)

Also, I couldn't help but add this picture of the kids from "The Lamb" group and me. Even though all three of the group's regular attendees already knew about God and the Bible, they all heard a clear presentation of the Gospel which I could tell answered some of their questions about Jesus and the Bible.

I leave Hungary in just a day and a half! Please pray for safe travels and beyond as I re-enter the U.S.A. With God's help, I will tell many people about the true life of a missionary and how they can pray for and help these messengers of Christ.

Mary Kate