International Training Base – Hungary

It’s amazing how the roaring laughter of teenage girls can resonate in the walls of the International Base on any given Wednesday from their gathering place in TAB Coffee House.  That first floor of the base however, complete with the base staff’s expertise –Allison Jones’ daily coffee fumes flying through the air, Janene Wooten’s legendary brownies drawing in crowds, and Krisztina Révész’s heart-felt hugs as an afternoon greeting – is just a small part of what happens weekly at our home in Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary. 

When the International Base first opened in 2017, our team knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to be developed. The house itself, home for years to IPHC missionaries Dave and Linda Fannin, had to undergo renovations in order to house the staff, mission teams coming in, and the coffee house on the first floor. That task, involving a solid month of renovation, constant intercession, and vision casting, was taken on by The Awakening’s first international team: Krisztina, who served alongside the Fannins for 11 years, Janene, Dreama Bryant, and Carolyne Smith. 

According to Krisztina, starting a ministry from scratch meant a lot of work and a lot of questions. 

“The unique thing about coming here is that we were starting it from scratch basically,” Janene echoed. “We all had so many ideas and so many thoughts, but also so many questions. And so, I feel like the first six months were just us figuring out, okay this works, this doesn’t work, we wanted this, but we’re going to have to wait to do that, because obviously we wanted to fulfill the vision of this house, but we have to make things work.” 

Ministry started out slow at the base, but connections with the high school situated directly across the street were almost automatic. Those connections between our staff and the local English teachers then became one of the biggest encouragements as the staff proceeded. 

“I thought, I’m going to go on the mission field and everything is just going to click into place, and you know, God called me to go so it’s going to immediately work out awesome,” Janene said, explaining her thoughts when she first arrived in Hungary. “That’s not how it is. There’s a lot of ground work that has to be laid before it starts flourishing.” 

That’s when, according to the base staff, the layers started forming and building upon one another. As they worked on the house they were also taking ministry trips to serve and support missionaries and national leaders across Europe, attending language school, starting English club, learning to work with the local pastors, and overall sorting things out.  And, while the layers now include a constant flow of interaction at TAB Coffee House, English class in the high school where the staff interacts with both students and teachers, English club where a group gathers on Wednesday nights at the local church, and weekly ministry trips in the nearby town of Rackeve, it all started with building relationships within the community. 

“Just from my perspective, I feel like we’re in this period now where I can honestly see so much potential and growth in every ministry that we’re part of,” Janene said. “Things are changing and moving forward!”

Even through personnel transition at the base, our staff has been able to have a constant presence in the local community. Now, as interns and various teams come to serve alongside them, learn, and grow, they are seen by the community as part of the team. 

“I’m really excited for what’s going to come in all of our ministries,” Allison said. “Like in Rackeve with what we want to do over the summer with the interns there. We’re not really sure yet, but we have dreams of stuff. And, just seeing what could happen after the summer and with the coffee shop and the school, as well as being excited with the growing involvement with the church. I’m excited to see what the Lord’s going to do.”

Momentum at the International Base is just getting started. We believe we haven’t even caught a glimpse of what God is beginning to stir, not only in Hungary, but across Europe! We believe God will continue using the base to spark conversation and make disciples as our staff ministers, but we also believe that as a training center, spiritual giants will emerge from it as a force to be reckoned with. 

“It’s just a process, but we are in it already and I want to see it happen,” Krisztina said. “I just see us putting our best into it and all those who are coming after, and the interns, and the future staff, just moving toward that goal. It’s super exciting to me.”

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The Awakening at Emmanuel College

It couldn’t be said any better: When you put 12 uniquely created strangers with different personalities, likes and dislikes in a room together with four really excited leaders, it can be a little uncomfortable at first, but after their first night together, The Awakening’s Emmanuel College interns bonded like family. 

As the youth and college department of IPHC World Missions Ministries, we couldn’t have been more excited for our traditional internship to begin, for the first time ever, at Emmanuel College at the start of the 2018 Fall semester under the leadership of Josh and Ashlee Hafner and Jon and Erica Campbell. 

The internship, mirroring the one based in Oklahoma for students attending or living in close proximity to Southwestern Christian University, focuses on one-on-one discipleship, practical ministry training and cultivating healthy relationships, all while offering various ministry opportunities including two ministry training days per semester, monthly family nights for interns and leaders to grow in communion with one-another, and drop-in sessions aimed to provide learning opportunities from various ministry leaders. 

As the internship began, our interns entrusted our leaders with a relationship of discipleship and accountability. Throughout the semester, relationships continued to be formed not only between the interns and the leaders, but amongst the interns as well as they walked alongside each other in pursuit of God.

According to Josh and Ashley, the interns experienced something they’d never experienced before at their very first Ministry Training Day (MTD) covering prayer and prophecy with long-time partners of The Awakening Lou and Rebecca Shirey. After that, most gatherings grew to include a time of prayer and prophetic encouragement initiated by the interns.

As the semester continued with family nights and a MTD with Seth and Madeline Nix, our Emmanuel interns continued to be poured into; even pouring into each other.

“We have seen new friendships blossom and flourish, and they have always been so timely for each intern,” Josh and Ashlee shared. “I love how God knows each intern and what they each need so well that in a moment He can create a connection between two people that is sacred and will last a long time.” 

With the constant echo on the importance of being sensitive to hearing God’s voice, our first semester at Emmanuel College has provided a season of growth for those who are so willing to say “YES!” to God when He calls.

“We want to see the students that come through this internship equipped with the tools and skills they need to carry out their God-given assignments (that they may or may not be aware of just yet),” Josh and Ashley said of the semesters to come. “God’s best might look different for each of them. Whether that looks like long-term missions, short-term missions, local missions, ministry in the church or ministry in the marketplace, we as a team can’t wait to see the students graduate from Emmanuel and walk out their destinies.”

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The Awakening presents "The Table"

In November 2018 we had the amazing opportunity to present “The Table” for the very first time to the local community around our headquarters in Oklahoma!

“The Table” originally started as an idea to find a new way to engage people in The Great Commission. The Awakening’s desire to use the arts to portray that message then came to life in the month of October as the writing process began. The vision stayed the same as rehearsals began, and on opening night we were believing God for big things! Big things like one of our interns praying with teary-eyed 10-year-old girl who wanted all her friends to know Jesus, and an auditorium of people looking to God saying, “Here am I, send me.” 

“The Table” follows the lives of a doubting husband, unwanted daughter, striving mother and jealous sister as they fight to find their way through a world of struggle, all while leaving the audience to ponder one important question – will you go? Will you reach out to the world around you like Jesus asked us to do in Matthew 28:18-20? 

In hopes, this all-original piece won't stay a one-time show for long, but will be presented for a second time in January before it is then taken to churches across the United States. Our prayer is that as "The Table" finds its way around the world, the heart of God will be portrayed to all people and they will be stirred to see the world around them His way. 

To discuss having “The Table” come to your church email Seth Nix at seth@goawakening.org.

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The Awakening says "farewell" to the 2014 summer interns

On August 5th, 2014 The Awakening held the commissioning service for their 2014 summer interns. We took the time to celebrate their hardwork and growth over the summer. 

A few of the summer interns gave a short testimony of their time serving with The Awakening. The staff members of The Awakening expressed their appreciation and love to each intern with a few words of encouragement. Bishop Doug Beacham gave a few heartfelt remarks and Bishop Tal Gardner presented each intern with a personalized Bible. Bishop Tommy McGhee gave closing remarks and the benediction which was followed by a prayer time for each individual student. 

It was a bittersweet moment end to the two month internship. While they were serving with The Awakening, the interns ministered in many places including Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama and Hungary. The students all departed on Wednesday, August 6, 2014.

On behalf of all The Awakening Staff, we want to say thank you to the summer interns for all their hard work and dedication to The Lord’s work. You will always hold a special place in our hearts and we love you very much. Now go change the world!

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Project Restore: A Place of Hope

by Kaylee Gernandt
summer intern to The Awakening

Last week, while a majority of The Awakening team was in Hungary for EuroQuest, I was given the opportunity to travel to the east coast to stay in a safe home for human trafficking survivors. This home is a part of Project Restore which is, “a non-profit ministry existing to provide a safe and healthy home environment where hope and Christ-centered love collide to offer complete healing and restoration of survivors of human trafficking.” It was my pleasure to get to see first-hand how this safe home was run. I was nervous going in because I wondered what the girls staying there would think of me intruding on their lives, but I could not have been more mistaken. The girls welcomed me with smiles and hugs and I quickly realized that they were as excited to have me as I was to be there.

Much of the schedule for each week is planned in advance so that the girls will get to participate in different activities. Some of the things that I participated in were Equine Therapy, Grief Share group, classroom time, and even free time when we were given the option to choose a fun activity to do as a group. Equine therapy was definitely a new experience for me because we didn’t ride the horses but instead fed them, groomed them, and learned how some of their training is done. All of the horses at this stable had been rescued and it was easy to tell that the girls had already made deep connections with certain horses.

Grief Share was a group for those who had lost one or multiple loved ones whether to death or other circumstances and this group consisted of people from the community. For classroom time, the girls were currently working through a DVD series by John Bevere called “The Bait of Satan” which discussed ways to keep from taking offense and trying to avenge ourselves when we have been wronged. I liked that there was a variety of activities and options that the residents could choose from in addition to what was required of everyone.

My favorite part of the week was when the girls and I had a sleepover in the living room and watched movies and ate popcorn. The whole week was truly a blessing by getting to watch these strong women seek after and worship Jesus. It is so encouraging to see their ability to talk about their past with the assurance that it will not dictate their future. I am excited to see the fruit of Project Restore and I cannot wait to see what the residents are able to do to assist others who have survived human trafficking.

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How Great is Our God!

by Evan Davis

summer intern to The Awakening

How great is our God? This is the question I found myself asking on the last morning service of Euroquest. How great is the God who brought eight nations together under one roof to praise his name? As I stood in awe while each nation sang that song in their own tongue I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. "There are a varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are a varieties of service, but the same Lord: and there are a varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." In this moment I realized what it really means to be a part of an international body of believers.

The theme of Euroquest 2014 was "Rebuilding the Altar in Europe". In Joshua when God commands the people to build an altar he specifies that they must use only uncut stone. How much easier would it have been to build an altar with uniform stones that fit together perfectly? Building with fresh stone is painstaking because each rock has a distinct shape. Similarly the church body is comprised of individuals who are all different. Do you ever find yourself thinking how much easier it would be to "do" church if a few members were a little less "different"?

Building with uniform stones may be easier but how much more beautiful is an altar of uncut stone? The delicate balance of these distinct stones fitting together is what makes it beautiful. Being the body can be difficult because it's comprised of broken people, but just like an altar of uncut stone a church body of broken people brings glory to God. There are a variety of people in the body, but we all serve the same God. That is what is so beautiful about both the altar in Joshua and the church today. 

Thank God for giving me this realization and allowing me to meet people from our church in Europe!

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Panama - A beautiful country with beautiful people

by Stephanie Poole
summer intern to The Awakening

Panama is so beautiful. The people there love and serve so willingly without holding back. They served us just as much as we served them. The pastors that we worked with love God and they want to see their community come to know Christ. Panama isn’t a poor country. They don’t need us to help them rebuild or give them things; all they needed from us was to go into the community and draw attention to what God was doing in their churches. 

So that's what we did.

We went to several schools and one park where we did skits for the kids. We shared the gospel with them through our skits and our love. This was a stretch for me - physical labor and working hard are my strengths. I can persevere through sweat and hard work, but talking to people, making personal connections with kids, and putting myself out there for them to see was hard for me. I learned so much about how to evangelize. I learned that it's not about me or what the kids will think of me; instead, its about letting God use me to show them that He loves them. I had to learn to put myself aside and let God speak through me.

I loved playing with the kids at each school, trying my best to understand and be understood. We laughed at each other's failed attempts and normally ended up recruiting WesleeAnn to translate. I even met a girl at one of the schools named Stephanie! I got a picture and talked with her as much as I could, even though my spanish was limited. She freaked out when she saw the gauges in my ear; she pointed and said “Grande.” It was so cute! 

 

My favorite moment from the whole week was on Monday when we went up a mountain to visit a school in the Indian village Ngäbe-Buglé. We did our skits and played with the kids there. Afterward, the pastor of the church in the village invited us to see his church. He said a few words and told us he had some Indian dresses that his wife had made. Then he said he wanted to give them to us. I later found out from Jorshua, one of our translators, that was a huge honor. It just doesn't happen. The Indians don’t let people who aren’t in their tribe wear their clothes. I was so honored to know that he was so thankful for what we did that he would allow us to have these dresses. We prayed after that. I was holding hands with the pastor and I could feel him shaking and crying. He was so grateful for us. I looked up as we were praying and took it all in. From where I stood, looking out over Panama’s mountains and holding hands with the pastor wearing this Indian dress.. I can’t put it into words but I’ve never felt so much love before. It was truly the most beautiful moment I’ve ever experienced. My words do not give justice to that moment or what it meant to me. I could see God all around me - in the scenery, in the pastor, in my team. Never has God been so real to me than in that moment. 

God taught me so much this week about patience, responsibility, removing myself and my thoughts and letting God use me the way he wants. He also showed me how to empathize with my team and be there for them in every situation. I thank God for all that I’ve learned and experienced this week.

I can truly say that Panama and its people have captured my heart.

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