Exploring Different Forms of Outreach

1992 was the year a team of 10 missionaries began ministering in Hungary. The missionaries explored a number of areas of ministry and tried different forms of outreach during the early days in Hungary. Since many of the missionaries were English teachers, one area they looked into was that of evangelistic English camps.

Military Camps

The Hungarian military, operating a system of 12 secondary schools, asked another mission agency, International Messengers (IM), to organize a one-week English camp for students during their 1994 spring break.

An Opportunity

Subsequently military officials requested more camps and full-time teachers for its schools. IM suggested that the officers contact OMS, knowing that several team members were working as English teachers in Hungarian public schools. Completely surprised by the military’s invitation to organize four one-weeks camps, OMS missionaries saw that opportunity as coming from the Lord and accepted the challenge.

Transformed Lives

God moved in amazing ways during that first summer English camp ministry in 1994. Many of the students gave their lives to the Lord over the course of the summer and during the months that followed. Some of the hardest students’ hearts were softened. Some students initially broke every rule and challenged the missionaries at every step, but later they left left camp in tears and broken hearts wishing they could stay longer.