This past weekend we filled up all 7 seats of the Dacia, and drove to Subotica, Serbia.
Our purpose in going was to take some people from our church to see the work that God has done through the Calvary Chapel there - which was the first one in Central/Eastern Europe.
On Saturday we hung out in the city, ate some great čevapi and hung out with friends from the church.
Nate and Felicia like traveling and found plenty of places to play and run around.
(pictures by Kovács Kati)
Because the Subotica church service is on Sunday evenings, Sunday morning we went down to Bačka Topola for church, and I had the privilege of preaching the sermon.
After church we went to a lake outside of town, where we drank coffee and the kids got to play at a playground.
Later in the afternoon we went back to Subo for lunch, and we hung out in the church coffee shop until service started.
Church in Subotica:
On Monday morning we headed back home to Eger, but we did some shopping first. We found this juice, which I think God ordained for our family:
I think we need to find a way to get this stuff by the trucklload!
Maybe transporting a truck load of juice, without a commercial license, would be easier to get across the border than your children.
ReplyDeleteWell, I would hope that it is easier to smuggle juice than children!
ReplyDeletei didn't realize your wife is hungarian. having a native wife sure helps the language skills, eh. ;)
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I know some people who have native spouses and for them it seems to hinder their language skills.
ReplyDeleteRosemary is Hungarian - her dad was a refugee from Hungary during Communism, and she was born and raised in the US, only learning Hungarian when she moved here as a missionary. But she is fluent, and it is nice having a bilingual family.
Is the Subotica church Hungarian speaking or Serb speaking or both?
ReplyDeleteIt is a bilingual church, but the main language is Serbian.
ReplyDeleteThe pastor is Serbian and teaches in Serbian, and there is translation in the back row for anyone who needs it. The children's ministry is bilingual.
Personally I think it is a great testimony that the church is bilingual and multiethnic rather than being separated on ethnic lines. It would be hard for me to imagine such a church in Slovakia for example, but Subotica is a multiethnic city that prides itself on tolerance an coexistece. Most Hungarians there speak Serbian and many of the Serbs and Croatians speak Hungarian as a second language.
okay, that makes more sense. i was gonna say, i didn't pick up on ANY accent in her english, but that's cause she's american. ;) so, she has dual citizenship, too? our kids have both and we're looking into doing lena's US citizenship as well.
ReplyDeleteYea, Rosemary got Hungarian citizenship really easily because her dad was a dissident. Have you ever though of getting Ukrainian citizenship? I've thought about becoming a dual citizen - I meet all the requirements. I just haven't done it yet.
ReplyDelete"I've thought about becoming a dual citizen - I meet all the requirements. I just haven't done it yet."
ReplyDeleteDid you pass the language exam, or do you have an exemption? I have thought of trying to get Hungarian citizenship, but I have doubts about passing a language exam unless it's really easy, which it doesn't seem to be.
I have not taken the language exam, but I don't think it would be a problem for me. I know that you have to take a citizenship exam about Hungarian history and government - in Hungarian of course. The requirements I was referring to were things like living here for a certain amount of time, having "letelepedés" and Hungarian family members.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on going to the immigration office soon to ask about it - I'll let you know if I learn anything interesting.
Try this webpage:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bfkh.hu/vizsga_allampolg.htm
That is really useful. Thanks!
ReplyDelete