August 20 is a National Holiday here! Saint Istvan (see the link here to learn more about Saint Stephen) was the first king of Hungary around 1000 AD. He also made this a "Christian" nation. I felt like celebrating because the high was only 71 degrees!!! After this last heat wave (second one I've had here), the cool, breezy temps brought welcome relief!
I also worshiped at Danube International Church on Sunday (with the Jantz family leading worship). It was a blessing beyond what I could have imagined! I had such a hard week last week - exhausted, hot, overwhelmed, and (sadly) very fearful of the unknown. I was able to spend some time Saturday resting and allowing myself to breathe after all the work I'd been doing at school. Sunday, every single song had to do with peace and resting in the Lord.
Ok, Lord, I hear you...
Several verses that the Lord kept bringing to my attention are:Pslam 91:1-2 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."Do you see the major trend?
Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Psalm 46:5 "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early."
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
I was so thankful that I was able to take some time Saturday to be still, and rest. I needed it. We are encouraged to make sure we are taking care of ourselves to keep us from burning out. That is key - spending time alone, and resting, basking in the presence of the Lord!
I was incredibly blessed by one song we sang. This is Kari Jobe's version, which I love, and I strongly encourage you to listen to it! [click here to listen]
Below are some of my [many many many] pictures from the evening.
St. Steven's Basillica
The beginning of the parade for the Holy Right Hand (see the article at the top of the post about St. Steven)
This. This right here is how close I got to the Holy Right Hand. So amazing. (Not pictured: all the "secret service guys" who were flanking the hand and were checking everybody out like crazy)
"Pot-bellyed man" statue
Rose Gelato - mine was nutella and strawberry!
Erzsebet Bridge (the "newest" bridge over the Danube) - we stood in the middle watching the fireworks
Standing on the Erzsebet Bridge (means "Elizabeth" in Hungarian)
Our {stunning} view for the evening - this is the Chain Bridge. The fireworks were set up on it and on the next bridge, and also on barges in between those two bridges.
I still can't believe this was real!!!! (Buda Castle on the left and Parliament on the Right)
Sigh...it was so magical I can't even describe it. The above picture is the Buda Castle.
And then the real magic began!!!!
Be. Still. My. Heart.
I can hardly believe these were real!!
I forced myself to only choose six to post, and it was soooooo hard!!!
It was such a blessing to be able to witness this, and to hear "The Blue Danube" played over a loudspeaker while standing over the Danube watching fireworks in Budapest!! I still have a hard time believing that this is my life.
I am aware, however, that my life will not always be as fantastic and fun and memorable. There will be hard times. Thank you for your continued prayers! I am continuing to work in my classroom and it is coming together! I am hoping to be able to post some pictures by the end of this week!
We begin school next Wednesday!!! I will be keeping you posted on that front!
No comments:
Post a Comment