Education Students Gain Cross-Cultural Experience and Teaching Skills in Hungary ESL Camp

July 17, 2024

In June, School of Education Associate Professor Dr. Barbara Adams ’91 Hamilton took 12 education students to teach English as a second language (ESL) at a camp in Letenye, Hungary, and serve a community through the local church in partnership with One Mission Society.

Each day, nearly 60 students from ages 7 to 17 were divided into teams ranging from Gospel and English lessons, crafts and games, creating a fully functioning program for children each morning. Education student Olivia Parsons ’25 led the English team with four other students, and she steered the team to create the curriculum. Charlotte Barnes ’25, Sara Clark ’26, and Makayla Carpenter ’26 worked on the Bible team with Sadie Sprankle, OMS English Camp Director. 

“The teaching experience that a trip like this offers is invaluable,” said Parsons. “Before you go, you are preparing lessons, collaborating with other future teachers, and honing your ability to understand your students’ skill levels. While in Hungary, you get to practice all these skills as well as adjusting on the fly. While teaching lessons, you learn flexibility, adaptability, and how to best collaborate with your peers to offer the best possible lessons.”

“I am so very proud of how ready and responsive our students were to prioritize what God was doing in the present moments before them,” added Hamilton. “Above and beyond the curriculum planning and teaching, they were guided by the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit to serve the students, our new partners from One Mission Society (leaders, interns, translators), and the school and church community partners.”

With the creation of a Bible curriculum centered on the life of Jesus from his birth to death and resurrection, nearly 40 children invited Jesus into their hearts at the end of the week.

“Pastor Laci, the district superintendent of the Methodist Church in Hungary, began speaking to the students completely in Hungarian, where he reviewed the week of Bible stories about Jesus’ life,” Hamilton recalled. “He also told his personal story of how he came to Christ when he was 12 years old at a camp setting like this and how he accepted God’s call to be a pastor at the age of 16. Then, he led them in a simple prayer to invite Jesus into their hearts and to follow Him with their lives,” she continued. “We looked around at each other with tears in our eyes and smiles so big as we thanked God for allowing us to participate in such a life-giving moment for almost all of the campers on that last day!”

“Spiritually, as a team, we learned the value of the body of Christ,” said Parsons. “Our team quickly found the gifts that God has given each of us and made space for each team member to learn and lead. Our differences were picked perfectly and allowed us to connect with students in the exact ways the Lord needed us to.”

While giving the students their cross-cultural engagement (CCE) credits, the trip also acts as a versatile education course credit for education majors and includes different partnerships offering more options to keep serving in Hungary including OMS Embark, long-term student teaching through the local school system, and the opportunity to stay in Hungary for subsequent English camps throughout the summer.

“I think I can speak for most of us that went on this trip that by the end of the week we were all trying to figure out ways to get back again to Hungary and serve,” Parsons added. “This community impacted us in profound ways, and all of us are excited to get to continue in partnership to spread the Gospel!”