Team Hungary's Final Day

By Kim Rairdon

Our final day in Hungary seemed to sneak up on everyone. Today Nimrod planned a surprise excursion with our group and the youth group. Our host families didn’t even know what we were doing. We went to a place called Bugaci Ménes. This is a national park and an area that demonstrates life and traditions from the early years of Hungarian life. After arriving, we loaded up on two horse drawn carriages and drove through the windy plains till we arrived at the demonstration site. There, Hungarian horsemen demonstrated their amazing skills with their horses and whips, that when cracked sounded like gunshots, in ways most of us haven’t seen before.

After the show we were treated to an amazing and delicious lunch of Goulash cooked over an open flame followed by Hungarian pancakes with apricot jam. Everything was so flavorful! 

Bellies full, we headed back outside to take place in the Hungarian Folk Game Olympics.  We split into teams and were challenged in horseshoe throwing, a potato sack race, pushing a teammate in a wooden cart, rolling a huge bail of hay and finally getting the chance to test our own skills with the whip by knocking over a wooden pin from a distance away. It was all so much fun!

We had a short break to spend some time with our host families and before heading up to the church for a farewell dinner with all of the families and the youth group. We were treated to one last delicious Hungarian meal and a plethora of Hungarian sweets. Some members of our team were able to share some special moments from the week. 

We have served alongside our Hungarian brothers and sisters this week and we pray for the seeds of the Gospel we were planting while here. Before coming here, Hungary, being half a world away, seemed so far. But after getting the chance to love on the people here and be loved back, this week we were able to make our big world feel a little smaller.  

Goodbyes were said, tears have been shed, but hearts are full. We return to New Hampshire forever changed by the people we now call family.