Dear Friends of Hungary for Love,

After a six-year hiatus, we’re thrilled to announce that Hungary for Love is back with a mission that’s bigger than ever! Since our last project in August 2019, the world has thrown us some curveballs, but our passion for empowering marginalized youth in Hungary never wavered. This July, we’re heading back to the heart of Transylvania to the village of Érkőrös, and we can’t wait to reconnect with our longtime Hungarian partner, KCA, and serve alongside the incredible local community there. Our mission remains steadfast: to improve the livelihood of marginalized youth in Hungary by providing resources that unlock their potential through learning and opportunity. We’re ready to make a tangible difference again and we want YOU to be part of the adventure!

Our upcoming project is a game-changer for Érkőrös, a small village with big dreams. We’re teaming up with KCA to transform an existing building into a vibrant hub for after-school tutoring, community events, and essential facilities like plumbing and toilets — amenities the village currently lacks. KCA has already laid the foundation and started the plumbing and now it’s our turn to help bring this vision to life. Picture this: a space where kids can study, dream, and grow, where families can gather, and where the community can thrive. This isn’t just a building; it’s a beacon of hope, and we’re beyond excited to see it take shape with our own hands next month!

To make this dream a reality, we need to raise $12,000 to cover the cost of bricks for the walls, concrete reinforcement for the roof, wooden roofing materials, roofing plates, and gutters. The labor? That’s covered by an all-star team of KCA’s technical experts, local volunteers, the local church, and our enthusiastic crew of six traveling from the U.S. Every penny you donate goes directly to this project because as always, we promise that 100% of your contributions fund the project materials and resources needed. We’ve seen the power of your generosity before and we’re humbly asking for your support to help us hit this $12,000 goal and bring this transformative space to the people of Érkőrös.

Want to do more than donate? Come join us! We’re opening our hearts and our team to anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and serve alongside us this July — or keep us in mind for future trips! Whether you’re swinging a hammer, playing games with the kiddos, or simply cheering us on, your involvement makes a world of difference. This project is a chance to rebuild, reconnect, and reignite hope in a community that’s ready for change. We’ve waited six long years to return to Europe.  Together, we can create something extraordinary in Érkőrös and we can’t wait to share this experience with you.

As we embark on this exciting chapter, we’re reminded of the words from Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This teaching fuels our enthusiasm and reminds us that every effort, every donation, and every moment we spend serving is planting seeds for a brighter future, for eternity. Join us in this harvest of hope—donate today, spread the word, or come along for the ride! Let’s make Érkőrös a place where love and opportunity flourish. Visit our website to contribute or contact us to join our team. Here’s to new beginnings and much love!

With gratitude and excitement,
The Hungary for Love Team

Hey everybody!

Thanks for your continued interest in Hungary for Love and the work we are doing in Hungary. It means a lot that you’re still here, invested in the mission and the people. As many of you know, I moved to Hungary in August 2015. It had been a long-term personal goal of mine, plus having a board member in-country is an asset to HFL.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been teaching at a primary school (grades 1-8) in a small town in western Hungary called Pápa. It’s been an incredible experience. My Hungarian language skills have greatly increased. I talk in Hungarian every day- to store employees, my co-workers, and my neighbors. I still have a long way to go, but I have made much more progress than I ever would have in America. Working in a school allows me to learn firsthand how the Hungarian education system operates. Even more, I get to participate in the cultural traditions that make Hungary so uniquely wonderful. We recently celebrated Farsang (“carnival”), where we dress up in costumes and throw a party with a ton of food and games. Fourth graders are brutal at musical chairs, in case you were wondering. I dressed up as a flower garden, the students were very impressed. There were also princesses, a waiter, a ballerina, and many soccer players. Another favorite holiday is December 6th- Santa Day. It’s where Santa comes to visit and brings chocolate and sometimes small gifts. Sometimes he even brings me chocolate.

When I first moved here, I had grand plans to visit present and future potential partners quite often. However, I underestimated my adjustment period and overestimated how easy it would be to travel by bus or train. Fortunately, I often get the chance to visit Kaposvár and Vése, where we worked in summers 2013 and 2014. Other groups and churches frequently visit that partner of ours as well, and I’m often invited to join them in their work. As a result, I’ve made many new connections and met some of the kindest and most authentic people. I’ve also learned how to adapt to different teams and schedules from serving alongside them.

The last year and a half has been an adventure full of ups and downs that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am grateful that this is my life, that I get to actually live in Hungary. I plan to be in Hungary for at least another three years, and use this time to support HFL’s mission. Want to hear more about it in person? Join me at our rooftop party in Seattle on June 22^nd, or consider volunteering with us abroad this August. I look forward to sharing our work with you, and I hope you can join us.

-Love, Lily

Szia! Greetings from Pápa, Hungary. Szia is a wonderful Hungarian word that means both “hello” and “goodbye.” If I’m greeting multiple people, it’s sziasztok. Simple, right? Not so much. Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Each noun has 18 different forms. There are 44 letters in the alphabet, with many sounds difficult to produce for an English-speaker. Sometimes it seems like an insurmountable hurdle. But what’s even more frustrating is not being able to communicate. Not only can I not have meaningful conversations with people, I can barely form a sentence. Though I understand much more than I can articulate, that isn’t helpful when I require assistance or have a question.

About a month ago I attempted to travel to Kaposvár (a 2-hour drive, or a 5-hour train ride) to visit a Hungarian family that I know and that HFL had worked with on a previous trip. I rushed out of school on Friday to catch the one train that would get me there at a reasonable hour. I missed it, due to not being able to find the rather nondescript train station. Worse things could’ve happened, so I planned on catching the earliest train out of Pápa, making it to Kaposvár by Saturday morning. Woke up at 4:15 am, walked 25 minutes to the train station, and caught the 5:05 train with ease. 2 train transfers and I would be there by 10:00. No problem. Except there was one problem- the train I was on was running late. As a result, I missed my connecting train in Györ. I had no idea what to do. I’d taken trains in Hungary before, but never by myself. And now I was stranded in a town 50 kilometres away at 6:30 am in the pouring down rain with no idea how to get where I wanted to go. Talking to the person at the ticket window proved fruitless, because I couldn’t adequately explain in Hungarian that my train was late, so I obviously couldn’t have caught the train listed on my ticket. The train is great for going from a small town (like Pápa) to a major city (like Budapest or Vienna). It is not so great going from a small town to a non-major city (like Kaposvár). I had no options, because that train was it- my only chance. Due to the current refugee situation, there were about 20 police officers at that train station and given the fact that I was visibly upset and confused, I was worried about attracting attention to myself. Luckily, no one really noticed me. After a quick phone call bearing the bad news that I would unfortunately not being able to make it, I decided that since I was already packed, I would head into Budapest. Make lemonade out of lemons and all that. I might’ve moved to a different country, but I was still the same me- positive and looking for the bright side. So I got on a train to Budapest (no transfers this time!) and spent the weekend getting to know my new country’s capital. Fast forward three weeks: I did it! I successfully took a train to and from Kaposvár. I spent Saturday with the church community in Vése (HFL did work there in 2013) and with the church in Kaposvár, where I got the opportunity to share why I decided to call Hungary home. This was the first weekend of many to come where I got to share the HFL mission and invite others to come alongside and support us in our journey.

Many have asked how my transition has been, and I always say “good” because it truly has been. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. Even when it takes thirty minutes to try to figure out how to call my credit card company and finally giving up and paying to use Skype, when going to the post office is a big deal, when I get condescended to by the cashier at Interspar because I didn’t bag my produce properly, and even when I still haven’t taken the bus because I’m terrified of ending up who knows where. I’m thankful for all the support I’ve received from friends in America, and for all the incredible people here in Hungary that have made it more smooth. For me, my next step is to spend the school fall break at Debrecen University taking an intensive Hungarian language class. And when I return I have a grammar tutor so I can perfect one of the world’s hardest languages. Maybe they can also teach me how to bag produce properly.

-Love, Lily

“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

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