Happy 2017! We hope it is off to a great start for you!
We are trying many things and hope to be able to relaunch Stannard Snapshots as soon as possible. As you may know, we are constantly running in to roadblocks with having insufficient manpower for the opportunities at hand. As a result, we are trying to put together a video to help recruit people to come and join our time for short term trips (days/weeks) or longer internships (1 or 2 years aka STINT). The video is taking a while due to complications with technology and us not being big time video editing gurus 😀 But we wanted to pass along what will make up the subtitles for the film…this was taken from 5 students in Pécs and is all their own words. We hope you will find this encouraging and perhaps even inspire you to pray about coming over for a bit! Can’t wait to add the video soon 😀
Eszter G., a college sophomore who became a part of our ministry as a junior in high school.
Hello! I began attending Cru in 2013 and I am from Pécs.
I would love it if you came to Pécs.
We really need for you because we would like to see spiritual change occur here.
There are a few of us already who are a part of this, but we really lack sufficient time.
We need you to come!
Cru in Pécs has already done quite a lot.
We would love for you to also see and experience that wonders that God is doing here and hopefully will do through you!
So I would like to encourage you to come!
Bence G., a high school sophomore who became a part of our ministry as an 8th grader.
There are a lot of spiritual opportunities here in Pécs.
A lot of people here would say that they are Christians,
but in their understanding they would say this because,
“well I have been baptized as an infant, sometimes I go to church, and I try to live a good life”.
But the true meaning is not clear to them and they don’t understand what true Christianity is or what the Bible says or what God would like to do in their lives.
Bogi K., a high school junior who became a part of our ministry as a sophomore in high school.
Hello! I have been a part of Cru for 2 years now.
Perhaps that seems like a long time, but for me it feels like I only just started yesterday.
For me, this was a very new experience and I was very shy and didn’t really have enough self confidence to go by myself to the meetings.
But a friend of mine took me to my first meeting so that I could see what it was like.
I was really surprised at how nice everyone was to me and how the atmosphere was very relaxed and family like.
And I think this is a great place to speak about topics that we don’t really have time to discuss amidst the busyness of daily life.
And these are things you can speak about later with your friends.
We talk about things such as religion, the concept of God, and the gifts that we have received from Him.
And you can make a lot of new friends there!
I have received that most information about my relationship with God through Cru and have received answers to questions that I have not be able to find in my church.
Réka G., a high school junior who became a part of our ministry as a freshman in high school.
The way that Cru has really helped me has been in how to build good relationships with others and how to initiate toward other people.
I’ve learned this not only through the Cru meetings, but also in going out to do evangelism.
This has taught me how to initiate toward those who are not Christians and how to share with unbelievers and how to relate well toward them and share about the real purpose of life.
Bence G.
Cru has really helped me to understand how to share the gospel with others…
and if someone accepts Christ or is already a Christian, how to continue following them up and…
how to help them grow in their faith, that this has been a really great experience.
Eszter G.
Cru has really impacted and changed my life too.
And it has helped in teaching me how to share with and communicate toward others.
It has also helped me in that as others see what is happening in Cru, they will come to us and ask us to help them.
And we need help in this area too, to explain to these people what it all means…what Christianity really means to us
Because for a lot of people, they don’t really understand the true meaning of Christianity.
And I have also seen, how here in Pécs, students are constantly coming to us and we get to share what has changed in our lives, that we have grown closer to God through what we have learned at Cru
Afterwards it is clear to see that they are searching for God too and you aren’t alone in this and it is really important to help them in this area.
Andris P., a high school sophomore who became a part of our ministry as an 8th grader.
I think that Cru is needed here in Pécs because students here are pretty open to spiritual things and if there isn’t someone who can explain the gospel to them, they won’t ever get to know it.
Whenever we have gone out to do evangelism, people usually listen to us and if they come to their first meeting, we know that we have given them and they have heard the gospel message.
I have also seen amongst my classmates that a number of them have accepted Christ
And a lot of them are curious about it but haven’t fully accepted it…or don’t really live out their faith
because…because there isn’t really anyone who can give them advice about how they should.
And Cru helps exactly in this area and has helped me to know how to practice my faith and to know how we can grow closer to God.
And these are things that I have been able to learn during my 3 years being a part of Cru.
And I have grown a lot closer to God than I ever did before.
Bogi K.
Well, I think that it is important for you to come to Pécs because there are a lot of people here who…I also live here
And I have noticed this…for whom life is very grey and many don’t see any meaning to life
I don’t see many people who any big goals or who have found their purpose in life
And it would be really great to give them hope and to see the change in that that everyone would experience love and that they would be happier.
And I think people in Pécs really need this and need you to come here to Pécs and we would be very thankful!
Réka G.
So, we need you to come to Pécs so that we can see spiritual transformation begin to take place here too
because, for example, in Budapest this transformation has already begun to take place and is pretty established
But here in Pécs it is still very much in the beginning stages and it would be really good if Luke and Michelle weren’t doing this on their own
because…because it isn’t possible to do this much on their own and they could be much more effective if they had people to help them
and if we were able to work together with STINTers to bring together new ideas and together see spiritual transformation begin to take place in Pécs.
Bence G.
So here in Pécs people really need to hear the gospel, they are searching for happiness, but often do not find it and they don’t know where to look for it.
And that is why it would be really great if there would be a STINT team here because they would be able to help in doing evangelism
And not just in sharing the gospel, but afterwards helping students understand how they can continue to grow in their faith and this would really be a huge help
And really, please come to Pécs, Hungary, because people really are open, but we need, we need more people
The workers are few, the workers are too few and it is certain that people here are open!
Halfway Around the Globe 