Greetings from Hungary!

In this letter, we’d like to share with you about our church’s summer camp for the Roma. It was held from July 15 to 17, and for the second year it was held at the Dorcas Retreat Center in Hosszupalyi, Hungary. Almost 100 people attended, including 10 college students from the United States, South Korea, and Germany.

An American student brought marshmallows from the States, just as someone did last year, because we do not have marshmallows in Hungary. Last year, when the Roma saw the marshmallows, they asked what that is. Puha cukor in Hungarian, which means soft candy! Now, you can imagine what we did with the marshmallows. We all gathered around the campfire with one or two long wooden sticks. Of course, we roasted the marshmallows. As most of Americans had experiences of roasting marshmallows around the campfires, everybody was laughing, teasing each other, burning the marshmallows, asking to eat his/her well roasted and melted marshmallows. It was full of joy, happiness, and encouragement.

We were amazed and thanked God that we could experience the Kingdom of God just with all those little pieces of marshmallows. It reminds us of a favorite Bible verse: "God’s Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy Spirit gives" (Romans 14:17).

The second story that we’d like to share is about education on basic dental care, especially how to brush teeth. After the first breakfast at the campsite, we all gathered and were given toothbrushes and pastes. One of the medical students from Korea lectured and showed the appropriate method for brushing teeth. Everyone brushed his or her teeth, then they were asked how they felt. Their replies were "fresh," "very clean feeling," "good," and "it’s the first time." Two-thirds of them had just brushed their teeth with toothbrushes and toothpaste for the first time. This may help you to imagine the situation of the Roma in Hungary, as we began to describe in our previous letter.

We do not have any church building for the Roma at this point, but by God’s grace and with the help of three denominations—the PC(USA), the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea, and the Reformed Church of Hungary—it was possible to purchase the land for the church building. At this point we express our thanks for your prayers and support for this mission.

Shalom,

Kaeja & Stephen Cho

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 86