Hi from Budapest!!
Hey guys! I want to share a quick update about my time here in Budapest. I have been here for 3 weeks now, and although it has been a huge adjustment culturally and spiritually, I'm starting to feel more at home. Walking is a way of life here. On a normal day we walk between 2-4 miles and we live on the 5th floor of a building that has one very tiny, very slow elevator (which means lots of stairs)! I live in a flat with 4 other girls (3 students and one staff member). We do all of our own shopping, cooking, and cleaning. So, a lot of our free time is spent doing chores, but it has honestly been such a blessing getting to serve each other in this way.
This is honestly one of my favorite pictures from this time. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of our flat. We all love to be together, even if we aren't talking or engaging, we just like the closeness. I have been so utterly blessed by these four wonderful humans and I can't wait for the next few weeks with them!!
This picture has a lot going on, but most of the pictures are just buildings and sights we've seen around the city. The top left picture is of the Hungarian Parliament Building lit up at night. The top right is the building we live in. The middle bottom picture is the Budapest Eye (a huge ferris wheel) and the bottom right is the Danube river. The one in the middle is us making cookies last weekend :)
This is a view of the park with the Budapest Eye. We go here for evangelism quite often, and walk around just looking for people to talk to and share Jesus with.
Budapest is actually a combination of 2 cities (Buda and Pest). We live on the Pest side, which is where a lot of people from around Europe come to have bachelor/bachelorette parties because it is so cheap. This is a view from our side looking over at Buda.
This picture is just me being really excited to see trees!!
This is St. Stephen's Basilica (a huge Roman Catholic church in the heart of Budapest). It is a huge tourist attraction because of its architectural beauty and massive size.
So far, Budapest has been a huge adventure. There have been some really tough days, but also some seriously amazing ones! This week I was able to go and visit the safe house for women who have been rescued from trafficking/prostitution, and meet a few of the girls. They didn't speak any english but there was a woman who translated for us. It was so precious to get to know their personalities and hang out with them for an afternoon. I'm excited for more opportunities like this in the future weeks!
Please continue to pray for me and my team. One of our fellow students decided to go home last week and that has been a difficult adjustment for many of us. Please pray for transparency and unity as we process through this change. Also, please be praying for our teams as we prepare to leave for outreach in 4 weeks. Many of my teammates are still trusting for funds. My outreach team still needs about $4,000 and our whole school needs just under $22,000.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions about what I am doing here or just want to hear more stories (I have a ton!). Thank you so much for reading, supporting, encouraging, and praying!! I am excited to share more of my journey with you all!!