Summer's here.

I am back in PA after 6 months of travels with the PhotogenX crew. Lot's of stories, lot's of God breaking through... more highlights than low lights. In the total duration of the trip I was in 17 countries, teaching 32 books of the Bible and a few other lectures for different YWAM courses and bases, and I wanted to share some pictures and stories from the last few locations our team went.

PhotogenX time with the Roma people

With time winding down on the road, there has been no shortage of highlights for my team and me as we traveled through eastern Europe. While most of our time there was in Hungary, three of the students and myself, took a week to visit central Romania, to do a project with a people group known as the Gypsies or, Roma people. We had an amazing time learning and documenting their journey and their struggles as a people group, and were able to minister to both the poorest of the poor, as well as meet, interview and pray with the Gypsy royal family. Part of this trip included me learning how to drive a stick-shift car in Budapest, and driving 12 hours to Hungary... kind of a "crash course," but without the "crash" praise the Lord!

visiting a Roma village in central Romania

a toddler demonstrating traditional Roma dancing

Humanities in Hungary

We had a fantastic time during our few weeks in Budapest, Hungary. It was an interesting place to study subjects such as "God' in Government, Economics & international relations." Hungary was behind the iron curtain 20 years ago, and has a fascinating history and culture, forged out of a volatile struggle centered on the subjects we were studying. One place we visited was "the House of Terror" which is a memorial to the victims of the communist and fascist governments that ruled Hungary last century. It was a sobering place for me as I discussed with students the roots of these forms of government, and the dire effects of taking God out of the authority structures of a nation. In addition to this, I think it was a powerful reminder to all of us, that we need to be crying out to God in prayer for our own nation.

bbq for our Hungarian love feast

climbing the stairs at the Fisherman's' Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

Open doors in Kashmir, India

God was preparing hearts and opportunities to receive our team before we even made it to India. While there, we were still doing classes, and had the privilege of having for our guest speaker, Vishal Mangalwadi, an Indian, Christian, thinker & writer who was able to share with us on Indian culture, worldview and religion. Our group was invited to share at the University of Kashmir, and after meeting the students there, we were able to explore the area with some of them as our guides. We did a photography exhibition sponsored by some local businesses, displaying photography from around the world, as well as a section revealing the beauty of Kashmir. It was also great to be able to partner with local ministries as the workers there reach out to the predominately Muslim population.

found a place to watch the world cup at our photography exhibit

a common Indian traffic hazard

local produce sold by the road

some pictures © Savannah Chastain, 2010. Used with permission

SBS in Kona and Budapest

Well I just got back from my time in Switzerland and Hungary, so blessed to be able to be a part of what God is doing in YWAM over there! All my travel went smoothly and teaching in the SBS in Budapest was an incredible week. I was able to spend time with students and YWAM staff from Lebanon, USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Macedonia, Singapore among others, teaching in the mornings and being part of the community there. God totally orchestrated my time, and the trip was a great blessing to the staff team who had been praying for a speaker for that week before I committed to go. While I was there I taught three books in their SBS: Lamentations, Nahum and Zephaniah. They have a team of two SBS staff pioneering a new school there, which is a huge amount of work, and it was great to be able to bless them this past week.

Divine appointments

I try to remember I Peter 3:15 as I travel which says: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." On my flights and train trips these past two weeks I've been able to have some great conversations that I believe God set up and I want to share one with you.

Last Sunday I took a train overnight from Switzerland to Hungary. The only other person who spoke english near me was a Hungarian girl who was going back home after vacation. We talked for a while and one of the things she shared with me was she had been a Jahova's witness for several year but recently had stopped believing in that religion. We had a long conversation about who Jesus is, and when I got my bible out to show her some scriptures another girl across from us got really excited and pulled out a Hungarian Bible from her bag. The two of them then started speaking Hungarian (effectively ending my part of the conversation) but when we were leaving the train my new friend shared with me that the other girl had told her about a church she could go to and they were going to stay in touch. So praise God! That's the power of His word!