When Bus4Life arrived in Hungary from Ukraine at the end of November, no time was wasted. Arrival at Baktalórántháza was around midnight, and the next morning Bus4Life was ready to welcome first visitors onboard. The next few days were spent in Baktalórántháza and nearby Nyíregyháza visiting three high schools with partner organisation, Shout for Life. The team was also invited to a nursing school to speak to the nursing students about abortion.
“At first I wondered what I could possibly say to them that they didn’t already know,” OM’s István Horváth says. “But the visit was very good. We spent time together talking about the medical aspects of abortion , but also the spiritual side of things. They paid attention and were thinking deeply about the topic.”
During a typical high school visit Bus4Life is open from 8 am to 3 pm welcoming approximately 200-250 students in groups of 15-20. When a group arrives to the bus, it’s not uncommon for the teenagers to be a bit restless, making a lot of noise and perhaps offering ajoke or two about the topic. But when it’s time to talk, most of them quiet down and pay careful attention. At the end many admit that they didn’t know much about abortion.
On December 4th, Bus4Life driver Teemu Laitinen flew to Finland, and a local Hungarian driver took over steering the bus. Teemu served as the driver for nearly nine months, and was a big blessing to the ministry. He was known for often grapping the translator and talking to people during outreaches despite not knowing any of the local languages. He was in his element both behind the wheel and outside the bus.
More school visits
More schools were visited in mid-December, this time in towns and villages near Budapest. Visit to a large vocational school in Gödöllő was particularly encouraging as the school’s health visitor (school nurse) spent the entire day at the bus. At the end of the day the health visitor told the team that what they say to the teenagers makes a big difference: “It is very important what you say to these kids, because they are not the best of students – they have learning disabilities, problems at home, and problems with alcohol and drugs. To hear that their lives matter and that they are important – that is significant.”
Many of the students were quite touched by the presentation on the bus, and talked openly about sexuality and sex before marriage among other topics. The Gödöllő school (and others) have requested that Bus4Life would return for a similar visit in two years. They want the next age group to be able to hear the same information, too. “The bus serves as a good platform for the visits,” István says. “It’s something different, something out of ordinary, something for them to remember.”
Bus4Life spent a total of 12 weeks in 2018 visiting Hungarian schools with Shout for Life. Through the school visits we want to tell students that they are unique and their lives matter.
“This generation would like to just play and enjoy an easy life. They turn on their computers and play in an artificial world online. They don’t live really. I would like to show them that life is good, and that they don’t have to be afraid,” István says. “I want them to understand how unique they are, no one is like them. I tell them that they are like Leonardo da Vinci paintings that people are willing to pay millions for, and that because they are valuable, the choices they make in life matter. I want them to understand the responsibility they have in life and in their relationships.”
“The main thing is to tell them that God exists,” István concludes. “How directly I’m able to tell them that depends on where we are, but I always tell them what God has done in my life.”
Christmas outreach
Before Christmas Bus4Life spent four evenings on the streets reaching out to prostitutes. Thebus was dressed with Christmas decorations, and coffee and cake were served to visitors. The women were given Christmas gifts, and of course, Santa Claus was onboard talking about the meaning of Christmas and the significance of Jesus Christ.
The Christmas outreach was organised together with the Salvation Army, Anonymous Ways Foundation, and The Hope Will Die Last.