Fides Quaerens Intellectum

The past 10 days has been one of the most exhilarating travel experiences of my life.  As I write this blog entry  I’m sitting in the middle of Budapest, Hungary, at the regional headquarters of the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Eric Turner (IMPACT 360 Associate director for operations) and I have been traveling around central Europe visiting with missionaries from the IMB who will host our students for their month-long international service experience in January ‘08.  Site visits have included three cities in Hungary (including Budapest), two cities in Czech Republic (including Prague) and Bratislava, Slovakia.  We were also able to take a day trip to Vienna, Austria.  Amazing! This was my first trip to this part of the world, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

I was most impacted by the faith and perseverance of the missionaries with whom we visited at each location.  Everywhere we went, the basic line was this:  “We’re out here forming relationships with these Europeans however we can–through English camps, sports, etc, with the hope of sharing the gospel with them at the right time.  The people are hardened not just to the gospel, but anything that smacks of supernaturalism, but we know that God will deliver the harvest.”  One missionary in Hradec Kralove (pronounced “Her-au-ditz Kra-low-va”), Czech Republic, put it this way, “We’ve seen two conversions in six years.  We remain faithful because we know our God sustains us and grants the harvest.  Perhaps our role here is soil-tilling and, more than that, actually doing what we can to remove boulders from this ground.”  I have so much to learn from these faithful men and women who have sacrificed the creature comforts of American culture so that the gospel can go forth. 

A few other things that surprised me in the course of our travels:

• The WC (”water closet,” or bathroom) is not free!  I got charged every time I needed to use a public restroom.  In general, however, these bathrooms are cleaner than public restrooms in the States.
• Meat and potatoe-type meals are the main staple.  Lots of different ways to prepare the meals–and lots of delicious ones, for sure.  They even serve “American potatoes,” what I’ve always known as french fries. 
• The cathedrals and basilicas are absolutely breathtaking, and yet they are seen by the nationals as mere relics of the past.  This was not so much of a surprise to me, being aware of the history as well as corresponding with believers who have lived here.  What is somewhat mystifying, however, is how these physical monuments of worship to God were engineered with permanence and excellence in mind.  These Gothic and Romanesque structures have been here for centuries, and they’ll be here for centuries (and  perhaps millennia) longer if Christ tarries.  And yet, Europe is nearly spiritually dead.  On the other side of the Atlantic, we American evangelicals are seemingly more spiritually alive (although I am increasingly concerned about our addiction to techno-savviness in worship–an overreliance on powerpoints, videos and jumbotrons in worship in order to “feel” like we’ve properly met with God) despite our apathy regarding any kind of architectural excellence in our church buildings.  The most spiritually alive Christians here in Europe typically worship in house churches, store-front type facilities, and other non-traditional buildings.  Hmmm.  No apparent linkage between architectural excellence and sincere worship of the Creator–on either side of the Atlantic.  This is a tough pill for me to swallow, but it is indeed the case. 
• No automatic transmission vehicles!  I even saw a standard 5-speed Grand Caravan in Slovakia! 
• Europeans love their dogs!

No doubt more will come to mind later as I process the whole experience.  I can’t wait for the incoming IMPACT 360 (www.impact360.net) class to be here in January.