What does a small Hungarian border town, an oil boom, and an old Peugeot 106 have in common?

When I found out I would be serving at Summer English Camp 2017, I honestly wasn’t too sure what to expect. I personally am a big fan of my comfort zone, and a trip to teach English in Eastern Europe would definitely force me out of it.

Sometimes things cannot be truly understood until they are experienced. Simply hearing statistics and facts can lead people to say, “That’s terrible” or “Those poor dears.” Perhaps the words are heartfelt, but nothing is done.

What can be said about a place that brings equal amounts of pain and joy? A place that serves as a wait station between certain harm and a new life. A place that is meant to grow life, but in turn contains it, making a jail of canvas walls and good intentions.

Walking into the Yazidi (learn about the Yazidis here) refugee camp at Petra Olympus, volunteers and visitors would be bombarded by the sheer number of children.

Katerini, Greece, has been a home for refugees for almost a century. After the Greco-Turkish war, people living in Turkey with Greek ancestry had to return to their forefather’s land. They came with very little, to people unable—and perhaps unwilling—to lend a hand.

This wasn't my first trip to Serbia, but it felt completely new. The first time I went was as part of a Houghton College trip. This time, I was alone, and that knowledge made everything around me seem much bigger.

Have you ever feared for your life? Have you ever wondered if your child would survive past 15?

There is something beautiful when a moment can transcend language and culture. That’s what I experienced on my latest journey.

Here in Hungary, I have learned that detail-oriented artistic talent can actually be a wonderful way to connect with people.

After camp, missionaries invested in my life, and a major transformation took place that led to a commitment to full-time service to God through youth ministries.

As Christians, we have a great message to those who are without hope. We have Jesus Christ in our lives and hundreds of years of the Christian heritage of the ministry of hospitality.