Dave and Jenn and their three third-culture kids have been serving at the International Christian School of Budapest (ICSB) in Hungary since 2013. Their purpose there is three-fold.
1. Proclaim the Gospel to students and families who do not know Him with their words and lives (Romans 10:13-15).
2. Disciple Christian students and staff to live as integrated people wholly in obedience to Christ (2 Timothy 3:10-17).
3. Support the missionaries whose children attend ICSB by giving their students a world-class education. They aim also to support the missionaries who serve as staff in the Lower School to enable long-term stability at ICSB (Acts 6:1-7).
They carry out this purpose as the Lower School Principal (Dave), as a Lower School Health Teacher (Jenn), and on the Student Protection Team (Jenn).
They face many challenges in service at ICSB. A few of the key challenges are:
• Meeting the educational needs of many different cultures in one school is a real challenge. Imagine discussing the Cold War in a classroom located in a former Communist country with students from current Communist countries and Western nations! An even greater challenge is effectively communicating the gospel, and other biblical principles, to such a diverse group of students.
• Securing Long-term teachers and staff that provide stability to Third-Culture Kids is a key issue. Most international teachers stay on average 2-3 years which creates huge turnovers and makes consistent progress difficult. From a leadership perspective, this challenge is complex and ongoing.
• Providing support to students whose academic and social progress was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This will take several more years and creative, diligent approaches are needed.
Please pray that they will effectively proclaim the gospel, disciple students and staff, and support the missionaries in our community. Also, please pray for their social, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health as a family and as individuals.
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