Campus Crusade for Christ, Hungary

Many of you met Paul and Lori Dickason when they visited with us the last time they were in the area. Below is their letter:

June 2008

Dear Friends,

Things are quieter now and we can take a moment to update you all. Hope you are all well and able to cope with the storms, floods, the volatile markets, and of course, gas prices. Watching from here, it looks as if everything is happening at once to you guys.

Life in Hungary has not been as volatiel. Our weather patterns seem milder, and the politics have even settled down a bit since the riots of 2006. We are affected by oil prices, though, and gasoline is up to nearly $8 a gallon. Fortunately, European cars are smaller and ours is a Corsa (Jon's knees reach up right by the steering wheel). And much of what we do, both the church plant and the school is within walking distance or a short drive. We are SO glad we no longer have a minivan!

Speaking of Jon, he was just here after finishing his freshman year at U of Delaware. We now say he is 1/4 of an Electrical Engineer :-) He seems to have weathered it well, and has even picked up a minor in Computer Science (useful for us as well!). He kept his scholarships; now he just needs a summer job (hopefully by the time you read this, he will have found something - anything!)

The school year has ended. I (Lori) had tears in my eyes watching 28 students graduate. Most of them were missionary kids bound for US universities, gearing up for the reverse-culture shock of America. I wondered how each one would do. Every story will be different, but the struggles with the transitions will be the same. Although we are a small school with limited resources, they were prepared academically, and for that we are thankful, in a sobering kind of way.

Last week I met a Chinese lady who runs her own company here. She and her family all found Christ through her son attending our school, and now he is in the US studying to be a teacher. Interestingly, several of the Chinese students who became Christians in the last 2 or 3 years are on their way to US colleges as well. Who knows where they will end up in life? Who will they influence? Meanwhile, the wait-list of Hungarian, Chinese, and Korean students for our little school grows. The applying families say that our school is different - the teachers are different, and so are the students. Hopefully after a few weeks, they see Christ and not so much us.

Paul continues to teach and mentor guys in the two church plants. The new one here in Diosd is about ready to choose elders, so it's not just the pastor and Paul leading the church (How did the Apostle Paul manage to appoint elders after only a short time?) Meanwhile, it seems like everyone around here knows Paul and who he is. Last month he was on a local Hungarian TV station helping judge an English speaking contest for kids from 4 different countries. IN August he goes to Romania to teach Old Testament to the CCC Romanian staff there.

Our Diosd church is also dealing with its first tragedy. A 10 year old boy died in a car accident when his father fell asleep at the wheel. The family has been involved with us for about a year, with the mother and this boy becoming Christians. As you can imagine, we are dealing with intense feelings of shock, grief, guilt and anger. Pelase keep us all in your prayers.

This is only a glimpse of our lives. Because of you, we can do this. We have even noticed that several of you have sent in a little extra to our account - you must have heard about the dollar. Well, it's true, and we thank you. Drop us an e-mail if you can and tell us what is new in your lives.

Grace and Peace,

Paul and Lori

Paul and Lori Dickason, Campus Crusade for Christ Hungary
Duna utca 46, Diosd, Hungary H-2049