“It all started with a chance article. Perhaps in a book, most likely a Wikipedia article- a lazy day spent browsing the annexes of the internet. Politics and history are two of my love languages, start talking about different types of government and I’m fascinated. Maybe that’s why Hungary piqued my interest. Fascism, communism, and the subsequent readjustment to capitalism? I was hooked. Not to mention the beautiful architecture (like the Parliament building!) and insanely awesome thermal baths. That was in 2007. And on August 24, 2015 I’m moving to Pápa, Hungary to teach English.

A lot has happened in between. My dream to visit Budapest, Hungary stayed a dream until 2013. In 2012, I began attending EastLake Community Church in Bothell, Washington. I joined a small group completely unrelated to Hungary- we tackled tough questions about faith and Jesus. Leading that group was Susan Gulyas (current Hungary for Love president!), who had just gotten back from taking a team to Kékcse, Hungary. I was immediately interested in joining the next trip, and told her as much. Luckily, I didn’t scare Susan away with my excitement and one year later, our small team was preparing the next trip. And in May 2013, I visited Hungary for the first time. I realized my initial dream, and then an even bigger dream was born. I was going to move to Hungary. Everything I had learned about the country- its people, the language, the plight of the Roma, the culture, their delicious coffee- had enamored me. I didn’t know the details, but it was definitely in my five-year plan to eventually move to this tiny but proud nation. After that trip, Hungary for Love, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit was born.

The story of how Hungary for Love went from a small group of people seeking to love the unloved and do good in a country so often overlooked, to an official organization with that same mission yet armed with more resources is an incredible one, deserving of its own blog post. So I will just say this- HFL is now in a position to do an extraordinary work. After a nationally-aired commercial and a two-page spread in a well-known news magazine, we have potential organizations that wish to join us on our mission to help Hungary’s most impoverished youth fulfill their potential through education. Yet, we haven’t had anybody on the ground full-time to deepen these relationships. That all changes August 24th. Whether you simply follow our story, donate to our work, or choose to come with us on our next trip in May 2016, we invite you to join us on this journey. It’s been an exciting one so far, and it only gets better from here!”

-Love, Lily

You can designate your donation in the memo area on the PayPal confirmation page at the end of your transaction. A tax receipt will be mailed to you at the end of the year.