Magyar Egyház, 1986 (65. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986-11-01 / 6. szám
10. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ SUMMER YOUTH CAMP Once again, the beautiful Laurelville Mennonite Church Center in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, hosted the annual Summer Youth Camp, Aug. 17-23. Many of the campers have impatiently waited for this week to see old friends and to meet new ones. Sunday afternoon was filled with joyful laughter and welcoming hugs as 137 campers and counsellors registered and moved in. The girls were living in the “Guest-House” on top of a big hill and some of us probably lost a few pounds climbing it up and down. On the other hand, the boys were luckier, living in the “Motel-House” almost at the bottom of the hill. That night we all went to bed curious and excited about the coming week. Monday, the jogging group was up bright and early enjoying the beautiful morning. After breakfast and morning devotion, we all gathered in the meeting house for a lecture given by Rev. Louis Medgyesi. “Dwelling Place of God” was the topic and there was an interesting small group discussion following the lecture. Following lunch and horizontal hour, the campers could choose between free time activities and different workshops such as choir singing, Hungarian embroidery and hiking. Most of the campers chose to swim and enjoy the sun at the pool during the afternoons. The most exciting and fun moments of the day was the initiation of the new campers. Finding a piece of candy in whipped cream and shaving cream without using hands and blindfolded swallowing a tiny “living fish” which was actually a piece of peach (but the victims didn’t know it), made us all laugh. Dr. Eva Fabian was our guest lecturer Tuesday morning and her topic was “What Is the Way of God?” Following the daily activities the “Water Olympics” was held that night. We all gathered around the pool and were divided in six teams which competed against each other. We all went to bed quite exhausted and the result of the vigorous exercise were seen the next morning, when only three joggers showed up. However, we all recuperated after breakfast and listened to the Rev. Dr. Coralyn Medgyesi’s lecture on “Use and Abuse,” after which two buses took the campers to Bethlen Home in Ligonier for a visit. A delicious lunch waited for us there, and also a tour of the home for those campers who haven’t seen it yet. In addition, there was enough time to go shopping and sightseeing in the town before the campers returned to Laurelville. That night was the dance we all have been looking forward with great expectation. Many of the campers have planned for days what they were going to wear that special night. A DJ played a great variety of music for us, including a limbo dancing contest. It was a fun night! Thursday morning a lecture about “The Bottom Line” was given by Rev. William Nyerges, and the groups discussed a variety of questions connected with the topic. That day ended with a talent show. It was surprising to see how many actors, singers and artists there were in the camp this year. It was late when we finally ended the program. However, it was not the end of the day, the older campers went for a midnight barbecue on the mountain, while the junior campers were enjoying a midnight swim and bond fire. All the campers were grateful for the wonderful evening and hope that this could become a tradition from now on. “Commitment and Contribution” was the last topic of the week, and we all sat quietly, perhaps realizing that this was the last day of camp and many of us wouldn’t see each other till next year. The daily activities seemed to fly by that day, and soon it was time to get ready for the Consecration Service. The choir, which have been practicing hard all week, sang beautifully. We all lit candle lights, prayed and sung together. The evening was filled with emotions and probably we all will remember this evening for a long time. Saturday morning was busy with packing and saying good-bye to all our friends. It was hard to leave the camp. In behalf of the young people we thank those who made the 1986 Summer Youth Camp possible. We also express our thanks to our directors, Rev. Alexander Kovács and Priscilla Hunyady, and all the counselors. Maria Bcgazy Columbus, OH JESUS, REMEMBERED ME... A CHRISTMAS STORY The life of Jesus is like a mosaic in which the thousand tiny colored stones were not all glued firmly to their base so many of them dropped out. The remaining picture is still beautiful and tells us all we need to know — these are the Gospels in the Holy Book. But it is worth to search for the lost stones. When found and put back into the picture with loving care they make it fuller and even more beautiful — these are the hundreds of legends about the life of Jesus. Stories, bits and fragments; mysteriously they fall into their proper places; in wonder one looks at them — when you heard them once you wouldn’t want to lose them ever anymore. Let me take you this Christmas Eve on the search for one of these missing stones. Our journey on the search is foggy, only once in a while does the light shine through, yet always sufficient to find our way. The first ray of light rests on a small castle among the Transdanubian hills in the new Christian Kingdom of Hungary. The name is Nadasd, the year 1046 — and a girl is born there. The mother is from the family of the holy king, Stephen. The father is also a prince, yet a refugee from far-far away England, Edward by name. The girl, a precious pearl in the life of her exiled father is named just that — a Pearl, Margaret. There, in Nadasd, called for many centuries Briton’s Land by the Magyars, she hears the first stories about Jesus — possibly the one mosaicstone we are now searching for, brought there from the Orient by wandering monks or merchants. Margaret soon returned to the foggy North and as a beautiful maiden became the queen of the Scots. Her life is full of dangers and fears among the warring rulers of England and Scotland yet anxiously she watches that her three sons learn not only how to ride horse and hold a shield and wield a spear but also how to retell the wonderful story of the life of Jesus. Here we find a new ray of light on our search: the youngest boy, David, particularly loved the stories about the Baby Jesus. Many years after Queen Margaret had died — the faithful called her Saint Margaret of Scotland — David became the king of all lands in the North. For a while he was a brave warrior himself but the greatest fight he had
