Justice

About a year ago Balázs got robbed on the train on his way to Szihalom. 3 young guys started harassing him and pushing him around, demanding his money and mobile, as well as his jewelry. It got to the point where Balázs decided to go in and report them to the police.

At first, it seemed to us that reporting it would mostly just be a waste of our time, because Balázs had gotten his phone back from them, and had only lost a small amount of money and a necklace - but we reported it anyway. And it did take a LONG time. We spent about 12 straight hours at the police station filing the report - only finishing at 6 in the morning - just in time to get ready for church!

But it turned out that filing the report was worth it. We found out that Balázs wasn't the only person they had done this too - but in fact these 3 guys spent all day every day riding the train between Miskolc and Füzesabony, bullying people and stealing mobile phones and money. So, when Balázs reported them, although it wasn't a huge crime, it was the final straw.

Over the past year we have had to go back to the police station a few times and went to a court hearing where Balázs had to testify. And last week we got a paper from the court informing us of the sentencing that the 3 guys got. They were charged with a 'gang robbery' (tömeges rablás) against a minor, and the older 2 got sentenced to 3 years in jail, the younger got 2 years.

I have to say that I was impressed with the Hungarian justice system throughout this whole thing. I know that other people have had bad experiences with them - but in this case I think they did things right.
I think this story is a good example of how it is worth it report crime to the police, even if it is just for seemingly small crimes. I only wonder how many other people these guys robbed who didn't think it was worth it to report it to the police.

Anyone else out there had experiences with the Hungarian police - either good or bad?

Wind of Change

Like the Scorpions back in 1990, we're feeling the Wind of Change here too.

Balázs moved in last week. Its been a really big change, but we're getting used to it. It many ways it is nice to have him around; he's a really good guy. Tomorrow we have a meeting at the gyám hivatal in Füzesabony as part of the process of us taking him in. He's really nervous about it - poor guy.
We also still need to find a place for him to stay for a few weeks while we are in America.
Please pray for these things!

This week our Wednesday Bible study changed locations - for the past year and a half we've been meeting in the apartment of a couple from the church, and now we moved it to our church building. Our idea was that more people might show up if it was in a public place rather than someone's apartment - which is what actually happened :)
We also changed the time from 7 to 6 - which is cool, because this way Rosemary gets to come to church and we get home earlier, but it also means I have less time to prepare on Wednesdays!
And we also started studying a new book. For the last 3.5 yrs that our church has existed, we've been studying the Torah on Weds, and last week we finished the last chapter of Deuteronomy. So today we started Hebrews, which I'm really excited about studying with the church.

Also, I sent in my application for a seminary this week. Its called the Open Theological College, and its part of the University of Gloucestershire, England.

And a good friend of mine moved to Budapest yesterday, for work, after getting laid off from his job in Eger.
Budapest is a black hole in Hungary. It sucks in everything around it.
I hope my friend will be able to return from the great beyond soon.

I wouldn't mind following the Moskva down to Gorky park...

Füzesabony: Could it get any worse?

After my last post, in which I mentioned that the nearby town of Füzesabony is almost surely on the Top 10 list of worst places in the world, I recieved some questions about what could possibly make this place so horrible. Obviously this was a question asked by readers who have never passed through the town!
For those who have passed through Füzesabony, I do not need to try very hard to convince you of the horribleness of the place, as you have felt it and seen it for yourself.
For those of you who for whom the name Füzesabony (or Fuzzy Bunny as my non-Hungarian speaking friends like to call it), means nothing, let me explain why I feel the way I do.

For about one year Rosemary and I traveled from Debrecen to Eger almost every week to disciple new Christians, pray for the city and what God's plan was for us, and I taught a home Bible study.
Well, because of a disagreement 150 yrs ago between the Catholic bishop of Eger and some government officials, Eger was punished by being left off of the main train route which runs through North-Eastern Hungary. Instead, the train would pass through (you guessed it) Füzesabony, some 20km south of Eger.
Practically, this means that whenever you travel to Eger from Budapest or Debrecen you must pass through Füzesabony. Worse, you have to change trains here to transfer to Eger and the wait could range from a mere 5 min. to up to even 1.5 hrs!
So, as Rosemary and I were travelling back and forth between Debrecen and Eger on a weekly basis, we spent a significant amount of time in Füzesabony (I cringe just writing it).

What does one do in Füzesabony for one hour, two times a week?, you might ask. Well, let me take you on a little tour.
As you step out of the train station, you are greeted by the lovely Main Square (See photo on right). Gracing the center of the sqare is a wooden memorial to something, which for as long as I can remember has been half-broken and surrounded by tall weeds.
Across the street on the other side of the square is the lovely "Vegyes bolt" (roughly translated as General Store), where you can buy a plethora of RANDOM stuff. Last time I looked in the window, the display included a plastic tray for drying dishes, a paint brush, a shoe, and some nails. You get the idea.
Walking down the street, you have your choice of 3 seedy bars, always filled with lots of smoke and kids from the local primary school. For those travelers who would like to sip a coffee as they wait for their connection, this is their only option.
As you continue on your journey down the main drag, you soon reach the pride of Füzesabony--the city water tower! Believe me, it does not look better in person.

The answer to the above question What does one do in Füzesabony for one hour, two times a week? : One does nothing in Füzesabony, for there is nothing to do.
That's not always a bad thing though. I spent a lot of my time there reading my Bible and praying. God knows what our tendencies are, and he knows that sometimes in order for us to sit down and spend time with him he has to put us in places like Füzesabony for one or two hours per week!

I hope now that you can better understand why I am thankful that God called us to Eger. We would be fine living wherever he would call us to, but we sure do enjoy it here!
Keep on praying for Eger, and while you're at it, pray for the people of Füzesabony as well. They need it.
Farewell for now.