November 2017

Have you ever been angry? Like really angry? You feel your blood pressure rise, your head starts pounding, your scalp starts to burn. It happens to everyone once in a while. It happened to me this past month. I was mad about a situation that I had no way to fix. I tried to calm down, I went for a walk, I thought my situation over and over and over with different scenarios, but there was nothing that I could do about it. Honestly, I simmered like this for a couple days before I realized that God had a plan in it. I don’t think this is a great epiphany or anything. We know that God works all things together for good, that He has a plan for every situation, but still, in that moment, in my anger, God comforted me. My perspective changed. I readjusted to God’s mindset and my outlook in the face of this problem changed.

I have been thinking more and more recently about God’s plan and the way He directs and shapes circumstances in life to draw us to Himself. We always have a choice to accept His leading or reject it, but God wants to use everything that happens to me as a way to get to know Him in different ways. My situation that angered me so much was one of those ways.

Also, this past month I celebrated my birthday. My students all know my birthday (I tell them weeks in advance… I’m an only child), and I had lots of cards and classes sang to me, but I also had one very special surprise. At lunch time, I had a feeling that people were trying to get me out of my classroom. I usually work through lunch because I teach before and after and those thirty minutes are a nice time to prepare. Anyway, the middle school science teacher came into my room and asked if I would go downstairs with him. Ok, I see what’s going on. My 8th grade girls are all standing in the lobby, not in the cafeteria where they should be, whispering and suddenly becoming quiet as I walk by. Ya, something is up.

We sat awkwardly in the teacher’s lounge for a few minutes before I asked if I could go back up to my room. We both figured that enough time had passed that it wouldn’t appear like I knew what was going on.

The bell rang and as I walked down the hall toward my room I could see that the lights were off and there were banners and balloons hanging from the walls. I could see the tops of a dozen heads behind the desks. As I walked in they all popped up and yelled surprise. It was the best surprise party I have ever had. 

I don’t know how to describe what I feel for my students. I feel like their parent, their sibling, and their friend all at the same time. I didn’t get a picture of it, but on one of my white boards the wrote, “We Love You, Mr. Cook”. I love them too.

This is why I need my perspective to line up with God’s mind. God loves these kids more than I do and He is using me to help them get to know Him.

October 2017

Last week a student from my Bible class walked into my classroom during a break and just stood there smiling at me. It's not uncommon for this to happen, but this time it was a little strange. This student is new to GGIS this year so I don't have such a strong relationship with him yet. I smiled back. We stood like that for a few seconds. It was kind of awkward. He then said "I became a believer yesterday" and walked out.

Ummmmm.

That's amazing! I caught up with him later during my break and talked to him for a minute. He said that he had been praying and thinking about becoming a Christian and decided to the day before he spoke to me.

If you've read my newsletters before, at the end of every school year we have a survey that we give to all of the high school students asking them some spiritual questions, "do you understand what it means to be a Christian, are you a Christian, would you like to be" etc. Once we receive these back we can pretty easily gauge where our students are after all of the teaching we have given them through the year. I have never had a student come to me and tell me that they accepted Christ five weeks into the school year, though! Incredible!

I think that often times, if I am not actively aware of spiritual things, I can miss what God is doing.

I lead a Bible study on Friday nights for our High School students and our theme in September was "How to Keep the Fire Burning". Often times during our High School Retreat we have this amazing anointing and kids are fully aware of the presence of God. I have seen (and experienced) though, that just like the Parable of the Sower, there can be circumstances waiting to snatch away the seeds that have been planted. In our Bible Study we talked about how I can continue to live in that life, that spiritual awareness that I had in those anointed times. I don't know if the kids got anything out of it, but I sure did!

Another big part of my ministry here is working with a Korean youth group. Last weekend I was able to go to the Korean Sport Day which brings together the Korean community here in Budapest. I was shocked to realize how many of these awesome people I have met in the past year working with the youth group. It’s amazing to me that I get to do this!

September 2017

I just got back from spending three days in the woods with 85 high school students. It was awesome. Every year at GGIS we take the students on a retreat so that they can all get to know each other and the teachers better. This year our theme was “Bearing Fruit”. We do a lot of fun things, play sports, have games, do a barn dance, but most importantly we have our sessions. Last night, sitting around a campfire, we passed the microphone around and a few students spoke about their time in the school and what it has meant to them. As a staff member, there is no better way to see the fruit of what God is doing here than those moments. We are bearing fruit. We may not realize it, but it’s happening. Isaiah 37:31 says that you bear fruit upward as your roots grow downward. To bear fruit is an awesome thing but the more important thing is to have roots. I hope that some students this weekend were able to grow some more roots.

Last weekend, I was able to be with the Korean youth group that I help out with for their retreat. We didn’t travel anywhere, but we did have a few services and then took the teens to play laser tag.

I love being with teenagers. They are the most real people you will ever find. They are honest, they are passionate, and they are growing up. I don’t think there is any better profession than to work in the ministry. No one knows what God will produce as fruit in the lives of the people we minister to but we do know that it will be at the perfect time and in the perfect place for His use.

I have one student who came to my classroom when I had a break this week and asked me a question about the Bible. She was a bit unsure about something she had heard from another church because it sounded funny compared to what she had grown up hearing in her church. We looked at a few verses together and in the end she decided that she was correct doctrinally and the other people were misrepresenting the truth of scripture. I was so surprised by how mature this girl had become just over the summer break. She had her daily reading Bible that she goes through and writes down her thoughts on that day’s portion. I was so impressed.

I was talking with my friend, Tim, this week about the evidence of doctrine in people’s lives. It’s incredible to see the results of a life that is allowing God to work in it.

Please pray for us here in Budapest. God is doing amazing things in a lot of lives. Next week we will kick off our after school Bible study. Pray that these times will really help establish the students and help their roots grow deep.

Thank you all for your continued prayer!

Summer 2017

I am back in Budapest after a great summer!

I was in the United States for about six weeks. I was able to attend the GGWO International Convention then headed up to New York to see my family. It was very relaxing and great to see everybody. I also had the opportunity to be in a dear friend’s wedding. This past weekend, my friends, Tim and Myriah, their baby, Agnes, and I took a drive to Slovenia, it’s about six hours away, but has some beautiful mountains and beaches.

I have been thinking this summer about finding and abiding in your calling. Some people may not know what I mean by that and that’s ok. It’s just knowing what God wants you to do and doing it. Jonah knew what God wanted him to do and refused to do it. He eventually came around and had great fruit but still didn’t want to do what God said. I wonder how many times I have know that God was telling me to do something but I refused. I think maybe a lot. However, when I actually do listen to God and start to walk in my calling, I find that it’s the greatest possible thing I could do. For now I am called to teach in a tiny school in Hungary and work with a Korean youth group. This summer, even though it was relaxing and it was nice to see everyone, I knew what my calling was and it isn’t to live in the US. I couldn’t wait to get back here to Budapest and continue to see what God will do. I pray that this year will be incredible. I don’t know what is in store, but I know that I am where I am supposed to be right now.

“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” I Corinthians 7:20

It’s a short newsletter this time but there is going to be a lot happening in the next month! Thank you for all of your continued prayer and support. Walk in your calling!

May 2017

What is truth? This is a question that Pilate asked Jesus and which has subsequently been asked throughout all of history since. In Bible class last week we asked this question. I think young people today are struggling with this question more than ever before because truth is being attacked more than ever before. Pilate was staring at the embodiment of Truth and failed to recognize it. In the same way, people all over the world today violently reject the very idea of God when in reality He is the truth for which they are searching.

Today (May 1st) is a national holiday in Hungary and I just got back from a long hike. There are a lot of beautiful parks in the mountains (hills) near where I live and I have been trying to make it a point to get more exercise recently. For a few weeks, I have been looking forward to climbing up to this certain peak with a huge tower on the top of it. Today was the day for it. I walked. And walked. And walked. I was sweating, legs aching, and I never made it. As I walked through the forest, ever clearing I came to I looked for the peak and kept catching glimpses of it. Finally, when I reached the pinnacle of the hill which I was climbing, I realized that I had overshot my target by about a mile. I couldn’t believe it. I looked all around and the tower I was trying to reach was actually behind me. I was on a completely different mountain!

I wonder how many people live their lives like this. They look for truth, they catch site of it, keep going, looking up and then realize, once they think they have finally achieved their purpose in life that it wasn’t God’s intended purpose for them at all. The truth that they thought was reality was actually a lie.

One of my Korean students asked a great question a couple weeks ago along the lines of this- what if all the work and study that we put in turns out to be pointless? We come to the end of our lives only to find that we achieved nothing lasting? My heart breaks thinking about this question.

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of 8th graders, who I see six days a week normally between teaching and church, and they were so confused about the meaning of the Christian life.

The Christian life isn’t working or doing something for God. The Christian life isn’t being a nice, upright person. It’s simply knowing and operating in the truth. How do I know the truth? I get to know God who is the Truth. God doesn’t compromise on truth. He can’t. There is too much at stake. How will a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed to the Word. How will I be sanctified? By the Word, the Word is truth.

The problem is that the truth can hurt. My flesh doesn’t like the truth, it’s not nice to my flesh. My flesh has ideas for my own life and God may have a completely different plan.

The greatest thing that my students can do in their lives, the greatest thing that that Korean girl can do, is to recognize Truth and follow Him. That’s the greatest thing that you and I can do in our lives as well. Pilate missed it. Most of the world will miss it. I want to recognize Truth when He’s looking me in the face and I want to follow Him.

Sorry I didn’t really talk about what is happening in Budapest! This is more of what I’ve been thinking about in my heart for a couple weeks.

Please pray for GGIS as we begin to wrap up our school year. I’ll be back in Baltimore in about six weeks!

The Wrong Message

When I was just starting Bible college, I went to the "Teen Studies" that the youth ministry in Baltimore has every Saturday night. I didn't really do much, I was stuck between a teenager and a team member, but I remember a Pastor coming up to me and telling me that I had a gift in working with young people. I kind of just shrugged this off as nothing and didn't think any more about it.

When I moved to Hungary, I was encouraged to help out with the Friday night Bible studies, help run events at school, and also "run with the boys" on the soccer team. I did it (and still do) and it's fun. I don't really think about it.

About two months ago, I had the opportunity to go on a class trip with the 9th and 10th graders from school. It was AWESOME. I had so much fun with them. I think over the course of two days I got about five hours of sleep but I felt like the Energizer Bunny. I kept going and going and going. I didn't really think about this until one of the other chaperones asked me how I was able to keep up. I didn't know what to say. This kind of stuff is just fun for me.

I don't think I'm special. I know kids like me, but I don't really think anything of it. I know there are much better youth leaders around the world and I think that to even call myself a youth leader is kind of overstating what I do. It doesn't take anything out of me, it doesn't take any work or preparation. I just like being with younger people and getting to know them.

This past weekend we had a youth retreat with the Korean church that I attend on Sundays. Admittedly, I don't know the kids as well as I would like. This has been different than school. In school you get to know students day in and day out for the majority of the year. In church, you see them for like two hours on Sundays and then go about your week. As the week of the retreat approached I felt a bit apprehensive. Do they really care if I'm there? Do I add anything? I'm an American guy in the middle of 26 Korean kids and a handful of Korean adults. How can I relate to these kids? We're not from the same culture or generation. Most of them grew up across the globe and I'm American through and through. Do they think I'm just some weirdo who is trying to be Korean? (I'm not, by the way. I just think that Korean culture is more similar to American culture than either Chinese or Hungarian, the two other main nationalities I have taught, and so I get along best with Koreans.) Do I have anything to actually give them?

These are the things I was thinking about all week before the retreat. Stupid. As soon as I got on the bus with the kids I was overflowing with joy. I was excited. I had energy. We barn danced, we ate good food, we played frisbee in the dark, and when the frisbee broke, we played tag. I got a solid five hours of sleep after a long work week and then hit the ground running Saturday morning, by the afternoon, however, I was dragging. What happened? I was worn out. This hasn't happened to me before.

But then...

A girl I had met just once before the retreat, a girl who isn't part of a church, but was invited by her friend, asked me a question... about God's love. She heard a message that she didn't understand but it led to an opportunity for God to reveal Himself to her. I foolishly thought it was the wrong message, but God used it.

Bam.

Wide awake.
We talked for the next hour.
She prayed to accept Christ as her Savior.

I was awake. The rest of the night was incredible. This new energy burst from me. I was lip syncing and dancing on the bus ride home. I was so happy and excited, it's Wednesday and I'm still thinking about it!

In II Timothy 1:6 Paul writes "I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you." I understand now. This is my calling. I am stirred up in my gift as my gift is stirred up. In pouring out, I am being poured into. How am I able to keep going?
God.
God is working through me. I find the greatest, most lasting memories in my life are when I speak one on one with young people. The other stuff, the dancing, singing, cookies that I bake, are all just ways to get into those conversations. They are tools God has given me to reach people. When I am able to connect with kids like I did during this retreat, that's when I feel the closest to Him. It quickens me. I'm not anything but God uses what I am. I thought I was just a sub, a fill in, but I was wrong.

Here they are:

These kids are incredible. They wanted to pray longer than our prayer sessions lasted. They were (mostly) able to stay awake through four pretty substantial and challenging messages. I love them so much.

April 2017

So much has happened this month in Budapest! We had our last European conference in Hungary- next year it will take place in Poland. This is a little bittersweet, because we on the Budapest team have been able to host Eurocon for as long as I’ve been here, but it’s also neat to see it moving on so that other European churches have the opportunity to host it.


The theme of this year’s Eurocon was “A Time of Love” from Ezekiel 16:8. I am always amazed that the themes of different conferences throughout the year are always so timely. Now really is a time for love.

It was great to see all of the visitors and friends who came from around the world to be with us. In a time of wars and feuds, political angst and economic instability, it’s incredible to have a couple thousand people from all over the world with all different backgrounds get together without bias or prejudice and worship God. It truly is a time of love.

Last year I had been asking all of you to be praying for one of our Seniors who accept Christ at Eurocon. A year later, here is a picture (sorry it’s so small) of that same girl marching for China in the missions march. 

I am so proud of that girl and all of the decisions she has made in her new Christian life.

Keeping with the theme of Eurocon, I have recently been thinking about love as a choice. I don’t love people because it’s convenient, I love people because I can choose to love them with God’s love. When Christ looked out at Israel in Matthew 9:36, he saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He loved them even though they didn’t know He loved them. Can I love someone in Russia even though I’ve never met them? Can I love someone from Brazil even though I’ve never been there? I can! Eurocon was great proof of that very statement. When I have the love of Christ, every moment is a time of love. I make the decision in my heart to love people, not because they love me, but because God loves me.

I was speaking with a recent Bible class about this topic in relationship to reaching the lost. We said that no matter how polished your apologetics may be, the thing that really reaches people and that makes a difference is love.

This coming Friday, I will be going on a weekend retreat with the kids from the Korean church. If you think of it, please pray for this time.

Lastly, please keep GGIS in your prayers. Toward the end of every school year, we give out surveys in Bible class checking to gauge student’s interest in Christianity. Teachers meet with different individuals after reading the surveys and try to connect and answer any questions they have. Every year students get saved, and some even get baptized, but it’s also a time of great warfare because the spirit of God is moving so mightily.

God is doing great things!