Dear friends,

I am the new Global Mission Intern working with the Reformed Church in Hungary. I work for Global Ministries, the combined overseas ministry of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I hail from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is in the southern part of the United States. I am an alumna of Louisiana State University where I graduated with a degree in Marketing. I am currently working in English communications with the Ecumenical Office of the RCH. Currently, my term of service in Hungary is one year with the possibility of extension.

I come from a place that is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Budapest, literally and figuratively. Baton Rouge is the capitol of Louisiana with a population of only 229,000 people. I am a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which in comparison to Reformed Church is an extremely young and small protestant community. My journey to mission started when I was 14 and I took my first mission trip to Mexico. God changed me that week. I don't think I realized how much it affected me until I look back almost a decade later. Mission got into my blood in Reynosa, Mexico and never left. When most kids were excited about summer break, vacations and lazy summer days, I was counting down to our church's annual trip. I have travelled all over the United States and several times to Mexico for service. And in the back of my mind, I always knew that I wanted to serve for an extended time. The circumstances surrounding my application and acceptance at Global Ministries were too coincidental to be anything but designed by God. I needed the RCH, and the RCH needed me. The rest, as they say, is history.

Budapest has been an extremely warm, welcoming place since my arrival. Everyone is excited to share the Hungarian culture with me and I am honored to learn! I look forward to all the experiences that God has in store for me during my time in Hungary, all of the opportunities to learn and grow. My sincere hope is that I am as much a blessing to the mission of the RCH as the church and its people have already been for me.

Blessings,

Amy Lester

We encourage you to follow our GMI throughout her journey in Hungary. Click here to read her latest thoughts on the power of music, including reflections on her recent involvement with the children of a Roma after school programme.