It is a pleasure and a privilege to connect with other global Kingdom workers. In many circles, we “stick out” because we live spread out across continents or have accepted the call to jobs without traditional paychecks. The sense of relief that comes from sitting with another person that “gets it” is like a deep soul-sigh. It’s a blessing to sometimes “stick in”.
At our recent WorldVenture conference we enjoyed sharing conversations and meals with folks serving all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. A frequent topic was what the schools are like in the different countries where the missionaries live. As we listened, I started to notice a pattern - missionary effectiveness on the field and outlook on the future was heavily influenced by their children's school experience.
Most parents we talked with fit into one of two groups. One group felt thankful for their local schooling options, and the other group felt stuck in unsafe or difficult schools because there are no other legal options. (Homeschooling is against the law in many European countries.) From the parents that felt like their kids were thriving in school, we heard more about the parents’ ministry, relationships, and hopes for the future. From the parents that were worried about their kids’ school environment, we heard more about the challenges of navigating school relationships, regret over harmful experiences, overall frustration, and concerns about the future.
This conference confirmed what we already believed to be true: The education of the children is key to the long-term effectiveness of a missionary family.
We heard about all kinds of school settings from WorldVenture parents. For some families, there are accessible, safe, and supportive public national schools or private secular schools. A few families were able to successfully send their kids to a large, well-known, regional Christian boarding school. A smaller number has access to local private Christian day schools. We left encouraged to resume the mission of providing excellent, biblically-based education to families where they live.
ICSB is providing stability for Christian families currently in Budapest with roots all around the globe. This stability enables them to effectively reach a wide variety of people groups with the Gospel without sacrificing their children in the process. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of such a vital ministry. We’re so glad that you are in it with us.
Praise God for a restful and inspiring WorldVenture conference! It was a blessing to be taught, heard, and cared for by our WorldVenture headquarter staff and volunteers. We appreciated informative sessions, workshops, and worship together. We soaked up some sun and spent some focused time doing some long-term planning.
Praise God for his provision through you, our partners! 2022 has been filled with uncertainly and unprecedented challenges across the globe. We are thankful for your faithful and consistent partnership through all the ups and downs.
Pray for healthy bodies for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year. It's hard to be effective when you are sick and in pain. Please pray that God will supernaturally protect us of from illness. Dave has two herniated discs in his neck. He is undergoing physical therapy, and is seeing some improvement.
Pray for staffing needs. Pray especially that God will call a godly teacher to come to ICSB to teach K-5 music!This vacant position is an urgent need. If you know of anyone that could come to ICSB to help fill this gap, please let us know in a reply email.
Dates to pray over in February:
February 9-11: Winter Classic (Previously ICSB International Basketball Tournament) is a significant in-reach and out-reach event for our ICSB community and calls for all hands on deck.
February 15-March 1: A visit from Team Grandma! Both Jenn and Dave's mom will travel to Budapest for a catch-up visit.
February 20-24: Winter Break
February 27-March 3: Spiritual Impact Week involves daily chapel sessions with guest speakers and integrated school worship and other activities.
