January Newsletter
This is how we ended up after tangling ourselves up for a round of the 'human knot' game. Way to adorable to not stop for a family photo!
Boldog uj évet --- Happy New Year! First and foremost, I want to start with expressing gratitude, for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, and for both your spiritual and financial support in this ministry. As always, I feel the need to mention how important it is to me that I convey as best I can my experiences so far. This often feels like a nearly impossible task, so I’m thankful for your grace in reading as you follow along with my writing.
Shortly after my last newsletter, I left my home in Pécs for retreat with my fellow YAGM volunteers. We spent time in Budapest and five days in Szalka, at a lovely cottage that overlooked a small lake and wooden grove. The family that runs the cottage has lots of animals and wide-open spaces, it immediate felt like a home away from home (away from home)! It was wonderful to reconnect with my dear friends and hear more about their experiences. Also a constant source of hugs, peanut butter and hot chocolate is never a bad thing. We spent hours singing, playing music, reading by the wood fire, and discussing scripture. Much of our study focused on the idea of God the Gardener, from John chapter 15. If you’ve never read John 15, or you’ve read it 100 times, I would recommend returning to it again in meditation.
I'd like to share a prayer for the New Year, based on the words in this passage.
To a year of gardening our Field of Becoming
May we, with tenderness and care look out upon the garden of our hearts.
May we seek out those hidden corners
Where we perceive frailty and weakness
In fickle branches
Let us acknowledge
Compassionately
Their hidden strength
Finding meaning and relevance in the
Mud and muck
Noticing where the soil has turned dry
Cracked and separated
Overcome by imbalance
To much sun love
Not enough water
Thirsting in moonlight
May we be drenched
By healing rains
May our hands be dirtied
Making paths for
Divine healing
Liquid love
To pour and emerge
From hidden well springs
Just waiting
for the space to be
Fully
embraced
As we walk amongst the garden
May our feet be bare
For once
Taking time to be
Connected
Naked and unafraid
May we rejoice in our blossoming
Flowers unfolding
That confident beauty only vulnerability can muster
But those soft
Delicate petals
Momentary splashes of color and grace
Are just a part
of the whole
Embellishment and celebration
Following a time of labor
Sweat and tears
True beauty also lies within the roots
Deep down
Dark and dirty
Grit and muscle
All the faith
trust
surrender
to mere possibilities
of a flower
so vast
inconceivable
The world above ground
Foreign
Seasoned
Growing and cycling
Between life and death
Never ending process
Cultivating
And honey bee
Healing
This sacred garden within
Starting the first week of December the main street of Pécs, Szécheny Tér, transforms in to a beautiful Christmas Market. There I saw handmade pottery, woodcarvings, intricately decorated gingerbread ornaments and other beautifully crafted trinkets. The aromas of mulled wine and kürtőskalács (Hungarian chimney cake) made my walk home all the more vibrant each night. On December 6th, Hungarians celebrate St. Mikulás day, its tradition for children to receive small gifts and chocolate. Rather than a tradition of St. Nicholas (Santa Clause) bringing gifts and sweets on Christmas Eve, like in the US, it is instead baby Jesus that brings the gift. This month I had fun presenting about Christmas traditions from my family and home to a local high-school English class. I’m looking forward to spending more time with these students, helping them with their English speaking and offering other presentations on aspects of American culture. One of the first weekends of the month I spent time with church members decorating Advent wreaths. This wreath decorating is a tradition here in Hungary, and its typical for families to display and light the advent candles throughout the month. I found that lighting my Advent candles each Sunday helped me to slow down to appreciate the passing of time as I prepared for Christmas. Rituals like this are helping me to reconnect to the beauty of my Christian heritage in ways I didn’t anticipate, and for this I’m grateful.
The second weekend of December my church hosts a children’s Christmas service complete with puppet show and chocolates for the kids. I had been missing decorating with family back home, so I really appreciated being a part of decorating the Church and helping with the show. That Sunday I also traveled with the Gospel Choir I’m a part of for our holiday concert. I had a really lovely time with friends from the choir singing and grooving together for a crowd of 100 or so people! On the ride home they spent time telling me all about the Hungarian history of the countryside we were driving through. The history is rich and intriguing, so I really try to soak up these moments of story telling.
Valaha Madarak Voltunk
I also had the honor of attending a few events celebrating traditional Roma dance and music over the last month. These experiences stand out in my memory, filling my heart and mind with both beauty and inspiration. The organization FUND Pécs is a primary art school for Roma children, offering a space and opportunity to learn traditional art and music alongside the state school system. I can’t tell you the joy and honor I felt watching the kids I work with perform for the event. I may have cried just a little bit. The event was planned to commemorate the addition of a new conference room. After the performance I was invited to share in a meal (Lecsó and Almás or apple Rétes) prepared by women from the community. Let me tell you, it was very delicious! In other words, one of the most important Hungarian phrases I’ve learned so far, “Nagyon finom!” Its moments like these that have been stopping me in my tracks, bringing me to my knees and filling my heart with gratitude for my time learning and serving here in Pécs.
The second event was part of the University of Pécs’ 650 year Jubilee celebration. The event “Valaha Madarak Voltunk” or “We were ever birds” was themed and named after a common Roma folk story. I was first introduced to this via the Fresco Village Mural Project in Bódvalenke. (Check out my fellow YAGM, Michelle's article for more on this tale) The event was organized by the Gandhi Grammer School in Pécs, which is the only secondary school in all of Europe devoted to preparing Roma youth for higher education. The Deputy State Secretary for Social Inclusion said of the event, “This evening is about faith, the hope that we can change our co-existence” by celebrating the diversity, values and authenticity of Roma people and Roma culture. The music and dance performances took the audience on a journey of the Roma people from India to present day Hungary, in addition to twelve other countries around Europe. I really can’t put in to words the inspiration I felt watching the songs and dance of over 200 performers from all different social groups and nationalities tell this story.
A Tour of Six Christmases
Tangled in love, humbled by generosity and hospitality, filled with appreciation and joy. Renewed by the gift of Love and Christ.
I want to just share a favorite moment from each of my Christmas celebrations.
Christmas Eve Day: Spent with Pastors Barbara and Patrik. Barbara and I prepared a meal together, as every good Hungarian lunch mandates, we made a delicious soup and ate a dessert with poppy seeds (a Hungarian favorite). Sweetest moment? Starting out our meal by sharing pieces of a single orange. A tradition that Barbi’s family celebrates, sharing of fruit on Christmas to honor the unity, connection and relationship of those at the table. Amazing, so much love for this.
Christmas Eve: Spent with my dear friend Anna and her family. We ate a delicious fish perkult and lots of Begli for dessert, both typical Christmas Eve foods. It was so lovely to be welcomed by the whole family, aunts, uncles and cousins. Lots of laughter, hugs and joyful family reunion. What more could I ask to be a part of?
Christmas Day: Spent with Pastor Zolton and his family. We enjoyed homemade pizza and cheesecake for dessert, so great! I enjoy any opportunity to hang out with his four kids and wife, in the afternoon we relaxed on the couch watching Brother Bear one of my favorite Disney movies. Zolton and I also spent time together listening to some of his old records as well as music he has produced. The afternoon was simple and lovely.
Christmas Night: Spent with my friends Dániel, Bori and their totally rad mother, Ingrid. Favorite moments: hearing about their year living in the US while Ingrid studied at University, laughing my butt off playing games and eating the most finom chocolate cake.
December 26th: (The 26th is also celebrated among Hungarians!) This day I spent with Kati, and English teacher who attends my church, and her family. The weather was wonderful so we decided to go on a hike in the Mescek forest, and then came back to homemade stuffed cabbage, Begli and Palinka her husband had prepared for us. Have I mentioned I love töltött káposzta/stuffed cabbage?
December 27th: My wonderful friend Melinda invited me over for dinner and movie night with her two boys. I cant express how wonderful it is to experience the warmth and hospitality of my community here. We watched cartoon movies (a not so secret love of mine) and played board games. I even got to cuddle with a ginea pig AND a spotted leopard gecko. Just being a part of the family for a night was so, so nourishing.
To all of you who are with me in spirit, in prayers and in love, I thank you. Also, mad appreciation for everyone who read this whole newsletter, apologies it went a little long. But there were just so many moments to honor and reflect on.
I wish you a wonderful year of loving, learning and growth and will leave you with a poem I wrote shortly after the Christmas season.
With love,
Kayla Rose Taylor
Mi ez az élet?
Life is about learning
listening
remembering how to love
like children love.
Life is about discovery.
uncovering and pondering questions
In stillness and with company.
Its about discovering new landscapes, new ideas
old ideas
the hidden connections between it all.
Life is about relationships,
the easy ones, and the hard.
Life is about
gaining appreciation and gratitude for big things
and small.
Life is about heartbreak, and grief
sadness and failure
Life is in our continued footsteps
our resilient breaths
Taken despite the fear
Life is about food and family
Remembering where we came from
Best before it’s too late
Life is about music and poetry and art
Its about play and dance
board games and whiskey
Waking up for the snow.
Life is in
Trees and flower and sea turtle sways
The smell of citrus in wintertime
What is life about, really?
This list could go on and on
Could encircle back
Zig zag here and there
It stops and starts
Sometimes the question
Wanders along
alone
For awhile
Leaving me be
Sometimes the question sits with me
As my feet hang over the edge of a cliff
I’ve never liked cliffs
Up close and personal
Just from a distance
Like a best friend who you can trust to hold you and challenge you
This question sits beside
Hold it tight
Let it stay for awhile
Let it simmer with the potatoes and onion
Then put it back on the shelf for awhile
Live your life
But remember it for all its worth
For all the mystery and depth
For all its simplicity
Remember this life while you live it
And beg it the question
Why
Or maybe just how
For now
Maybe just live
And let the questioning be
Left unanswered
For now
That’d be okay too
