Elet Szava

Lauren Elsasser's mom sent me this article from the Standard-Journal. I think it is so great that we are still talking about our trip. Thanks Lauren for being a good ambassador for our group, the U.S. and Hungary as well. Here is the article.

By Jeff Shaffer
Standard-Journal
Tue Sep 09, 2008, 11:45 AM EDT
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MILTON — While some students were enjoying the summer sun at the pool, beach or amusement park, one local student found herself playing the role of teacher on the other side of the globe in the Republic of Hungary.
Lauren Elsasser, a senior at Meadowbrook Christian School, joined a missions team from Richfield Mennonite Church, for a chance to visit the central European country, share the gospel and teach English to some Hungarian children.
Through it all, the Mifflinburg teen gained a renewed appreciation for the opportunities available here in the U.S.
In her first week overseas, Elsasser helped prepare the Bible camp, Elet Szava in Toalmasra, a former communist training center.
When it came time to teach, there were some language barriers to say the least. Elsasser said Hungarian is completely different from anything she’s ever seen or heard.
But Hungarians are hungry to connect with the Western world and the first step is learning English.
Elsasser said she and Bria Leister of Richfield spent most of their time teaching things like days of the week, animal names, body parts and the hellos and good-byes to the young pupils. She added she tried to pick up a few Hungarian words in the process.
Other group members, Elsasser said, taught baseball to the natives, a growing trend there.
The Meadowbrook student had many chances to take in the culture. She visited Budapest, and experienced pastimes like horse shows.
Looking around in the country, Elsasser said “you’d think you were old time Europe. Walking to the local store for all your needs. The scenery is beautiful.”
Then there is the food — pork and bread.
Elsasser said that made up a lot of meals. Under communism, she learned the people weren’t allowed to eat pork and assumes they’ve just been making up for it all these years. One specialty is roasted pig fat, into which Hungarians dip their bread. It supposedly tastes just like a BLT, she said.
“We were all like, ‘an Applebee’s or an Olive Garden would be good right now,’” Elsasser said.
That’s something the teen has come to appreciate about her own country, a blend of cultures. In Hungary, it’s strictly Hungarian.
“There was a lot of culture shock, and it took awhile to take it all in,” she said. “Here (in the U.S.) we have the chance to experience everything. It’s a melting pot.”
Don’t let the lack of diversity take away from the people, however. Elsasser said everyone was full of hospitality.
In fact, she admitted it was sad when it was time to leave, but she can see herself returning some day. It meant a lot to her to lead children to Christ or at least put smiles on their faces. Some children there appeared to come from broken homes.
“It’s exciting helping people, and there’s a sense of accomplishment,” Elsasser said.
While Europe was a new venture for her, she is an experienced traveler having been on other missions trips. Elsasser and her classmates were in the Dominican Republic this past spring. A few years ago, she was in Arizona with the Navajo Indians, which she said was also incredible.

Jeff Shaffer: 570-742-9671
jeff@standard-journal.com