More Heights

On Tuesday, I had a very eventful day! After preparing and serving the lunch for the Roswell team, I had the afternoon free to join them in some sightseeing. We went to a Turkish minaret, left over from the days when the Turks inhabited Hungary. The minaret is in Erd, the city next to Diosd. It was used to call the Muslim Turks to prayer five times a day. I was particularly interested in the tower because I took two courses on Islam last year. It was very interesting to see the minaret.

The Minaret

Three to five people could climb to the top at a time. I debated and finally decided to go up with Sara Kazar. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself! The uneven stone stairs go up in a steep and tight spiral. They are not evenly spaced, and there are only two tiny windows (when my foot was next to the window, no light came in). I slowly made my way up, holding the wall as best I could. I made it to the top (thank the Lord!) and pretended to enjoy the view. It was a nice view, but when you don’t like heights…

Well, when we headed back down, I made Sara go in front of me (I’m a terrible person…). Going down was much worse than going up because at least going up I had the stairs directly in front of me to catch me if I tripped! I eased my way down, clutching the wall and the “column” made by the spiraling stairs. I slowly dropped my foot to find the next step. Sara chatted the whole way down, “Oh, this isn’t bad at all! What’s all the fuss about? Its just kind of dark, but there’s no problem!” She heard me gasp when one step was a little farther down than expected. “Sara Beth?” I heard. “Are you all right?” “Hmm mmm…” I answered, too busy trying to breathe and feel my way down. We both started laughing at that point (well, somewhere in my mind I was laughing at the absurdity of the situation…I was too tense to actually laugh out loud at that point). Then Sara continued talking, guiding me the rest of the way down, distracting me. When we got to the bottom, I stopped and said, “Thank the Lord!” It was like the ropes course all over again! Why I keep doing this to myself, I have no idea. I know that I don’t like heights, and if anything, I only grow more nervous every time! But in a way, it has taught me that trusting God doesn’t mean not being afraid. It does mean stepping in faith, praying all the way, confident that He will see me through. Which He does, no matter what! I don’t have to fear, because He is faithful, but even when I am afraid, I am learning to trust Him even more. “When I am afraid I will trust in You.”

This makes it look taller than it actually was, I'll be honest.

Anyway, that night I went to some friends home for dinner! Bea and Tibor are very kind, and I love their three children, Anna, Balint, and Nori. We had so much fun talking and laughing and playing. We ate a delicious meal, followed by skipping rope, a basketball game, and even tossing the football around for a while! By the time we went inside, it was very late. Bea put Nori to bed around 10:45, when we came in, and then she asked if I wanted to just spend the night. I thought to myself, Sure, why not? So we stayed up late, played some more games, and had a great time. I really love this family, and I’m so glad I got to spend time with them! When we go to the retreat at Nova, Bea has promised to teach me goblien (again, I have no idea how to spell this, but it is a type of sewing). She showed me some of her work and some that had been given to her. It is all very beautiful, and I am excited to learn! Tibor took pictures that night, and when he sends them to me, I will post them! Thanks, Bea and Tibor, for a wonderful night!