December 9, 2008

Hurray for volunteers

Something very exciting is happening here in Hungary. We have a group of men who want to be volunteers. That may sound odd to some people in the United States, where volunteering is a very common practice. But here, this is a big deal. You see, Hungary is a post-Communist country where people were “volunteered” for dirty jobs, and the church was a “subversive organization.” Almost 20 years later, a new generation of people and new perspectives are now becoming more dominant, and people are hearing God’s call in powerful new ways.

The group of Hungarian men who want to learn how to organize emergency response in their communities receive practical training.

The volunteer team is a group of men who want to help their neighbors in emergencies. I was asked to do some training for them recently because of my connection to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. They asked me to teach them how to organize communities to respond to emergencies. Historically, in Hungary people expect the government to be the responder. We see it the same way in the United States—we wait for FEMA to come and the rescue squads to organize the search and rescue. We know to stay out of the way of the professional crews so they can do their lifesaving work and get people to the hospital as fast as possible. After these initial lifesaving measures are complete though, the long process of recovery begins. Many of the same things happen here in Hungary with emergency personnel who do search and rescue, but then people are pretty much on their own to repair their homes or recover their businesses.

Volunteers for emergency response also receive 'training in community organizing.

The types of emergencies in Hungary are somewhat different from those we experience in the United States. Hungary doesn’t have hurricanes, rarely has a tornado, and wildfires from Santa Ana winds don’t happen. School shootings have never happened here either. However, the land here is flat and when there is a huge snowfall in the mountains of Slovakia or Ukraine, spring brings flooding for many poor villages downriver in the flatlands of Hungary. We have a lot of poor rural people with a couple of acres and no source of income. These people often heat with wood, and house fires are a problem. So, for the church’s emergency response team here in Hungary, our work will probably be to help recover from flooding who have little ability to rebuild. Or we may also help a family whose house has burned. Our team also works to cut and distribute firewood to poor families for heating in the winter.

As the men asked about organizing the community, many issues came up. They wanted to engage others in the process of serving their neighbors and serving God. This is definitely outside the bounds of what is normally done here. We talked about making it possible for everyone to serve—old and young, able bodied and not so able. There are many jobs that need to be done in the recovery process—from driving to phoning to cooking to praying. Unlike many other situations where we try to get the most done as efficiently as possible, here we try to get the most people involved to accomplish the task. This is because something happens to us when we give of ourselves in God’s name. We are changed and come to know ourselves and God in a different way. The idea of making room for others to participate in God’s work was a new concept.

There were many other issues to be dealt with. Working cooperatively with the local government offices is a very different approach from the former years of hostility between the church and the government. Financial transparency about funds available and building a good working team are also essential skills. There are many hurdles ahead for this group of dedicated men as they work to serve God and their neighbors. However, I am encouraged by their tenacity and their spirit. They have been swimming upstream to get this team started for almost two years now, and instead of quitting when they receive little or no encouragement, they are slowly growing in knowledge and numbers. God is amazing! Hooray for God’s volunteers!

Thank you all for your prayers and support for our work.

Sincerely,

Kathy and Joe Angi

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 180