Hopelessness

The other day I had a very unnerving conversation with one of my students. He was having a pretty rough day and telling me how his life just absolutely sucked. At some point he said:
Do you know what is good in life? Tobacco, alcohol and sex. That's it.

Unfortunately I think that many Hungarian teens feel this way. They do not see anything else out there to live their lives for. They just party. They look at their country and fail to see anything good. They hate the government, they hate where they live, they do not see any good job opportunities, no possibility to move up in the world, no reason to hope.

This has been weighing on my heart since that conversation. It breaks my heart to see my students get mixed up in drugs. They are all so intelligent, they have so much going for them, they all are learning English, and I see possibilities. They only see walls. It kills me to know that most of my students will have sex as soon as they get a boyfriend or girlfriend (or even before that...) I think back to how I felt about sex in high school... and I realize that there is no way I would have been ready then. I would not have been able to comprehend everything that goes along with that. In fact... I know that I will never be ready for sex until I am married, in the safety of a covenant relationship, with the blessing of the Father. It hurts to see the change on the girl's face when they start getting into sexual relationships. They change and the innocence that they showed before is gone forever. Drinking is a huge problem here. Legally you are not supposed to drink until age 18. Since I have been here I have been "carded" once. That consisted of the lady asking "Are you 18 yet?" And me saying "Yes." She didn't even ask to see my ID. Most stores will sell alcohol to anyone without question. If kids don't get it at the store then their parents will probably buy it for them. Parents accept it as something "they will do anyways... better to do it safe at home." Many of the boys who I teach proclaim that they are or will soon be an alcoholic. My heart goes out to them. I want something better for them.

I want them to know that there is more to life. I want them to know that the hole they are trying to fill with tobacco, alcohol and sex can only be filled with one thing. The hole can only be filled by God. The wounds can only be healed by Jesus' blood. The change that they desire in their lives can only come about through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I want to show them true love. But I cannot be Jesus for them. I can only point the way to Him. I want to show my students what real joy is. Not the happiness that comes from getting a new toy. The joy that flows out of your heart because you know the salvation you have in Jesus Christ. I pray that my students see that joy and that they will desire to have it too. And I pray that my students not think that it is because I am American. I want them to know that my joy comes from the Lord, it is my strength.

Heavy stuff. Please pray for Faith, Hope and Love to exist in my students lives.