Second of two parts
How could a disaster organization in Hungary grow in 10 short years from a $25 donation to become a dominant force in disaster relief? The answer lies in large part to the faith of its founder.
In its brief decade of existence, Hungarian Baptist Aid has earned the reputation of being the first to arrive and the last to leave when a disaster strikes. Their goal is to arrive at the scene of a disaster with help within 24 hours. What they have been able to accomplish in Iran after the Dec. 26, 2003, earthquake, in the tsunami-ravaged areas which were devastated exactly one year later and in parts of Pakistan destroyed by an earthquake last year are inspiring.
Equally inspiring, however, is the story of how it all began. Founder Sandor Szenczy (pronounced Shandor Senchy) tells the story in his own words.
“My parents wanted a daughter, but they got me instead. They named me ‘Sandor,' which means, ‘He who helps others.' They were not Christians and had no understanding of God's ways. Still, in one of the ‘coincidences' that happen in the spiritual realm, I believe God had a plan for me.
“In 1992 I became the pastor of a church with only 11 members. The leaders of the Hungarian Baptist Union asked, ‘Why would you want to go there? It is too small!' But, my wife and I went anyway. We had to live in a vegetable warehouse with only one window, but we believed we were where God wanted us.
“The church started to grow and I started to grow, too. I began to notice that there are needs a local church can take care of and there are other needs much too large for a local church to meet. When the Baptist Union took care of needs they were internal needs usually. This is good, but the greater needs were still not met.
“At this point, I met some Albanian missionaries who told me of the great suffering of people in their part of the world. By this time our church had grown to be about 20 and we were saving money to build a building. I was convinced in my spirit that it was the right thing to do, so I took all the money we had for the building and gave it to the Albanians. Not everyone understood, but I still believe it was what God was telling me to do. I believe God tests us in small ways to prepare us for obedience that requires greater faith.
“Another incident God used to prepare me for the beginning of Hungarian Baptist Aid was a gift of $25 from a widow in the church. It was a substantial gift for her — and for us, too. But I thought a long time about what to do with the money. I didn't know what to use it for. So I was asking God what to do with it. In my praying, I felt I should go to the North Korean Embassy in Budapest and offer money to help.
“So, I went to the North Korean Embassy and rang the door bell. Someone came to the door and asked in perfect Hungarian, ‘What do you want?' I told the person that I was Sandor Szenczy, a Baptist pastor, and that the work of the church is to serve and we wanted to help the people of North Korea. The person was not impressed. Again he asked, ‘So, what do you want?' I said, ‘I want to take one million dollars to North
Korea.' Immediately the door opened! ‘Oh, come in Mr. one million dollars!'
“They took me into a red room that had pictures of their leader Kim Il Sung on the wall and they formed a line to receive me. It started with the ambassador and included everyone, including his driver. They shook my hand and we talked politely. Finally the ambassador said, ‘Now, about the one million dollars. Do you have it in cash?' I said, ‘No, I don't have it in cash.' He said, ‘In medicine, then? Do you have it in medicine or commodities?' ‘No, I don't have it at all yet, but I have faith that God is telling me to give you one million dollars. So, let's pray to see how God wants to provide it.' So I bowed my head and began to pray out loud. I prayed a long time and when I opened my eyes, only the driver and I were in the room. He took me by the collar and dragged me to the door and literally kicked me out into the street.
“But I was not discouraged. I began to dance in the street I was so excited. I had done what God told me to do and I was happy. I went home and told my wife, ‘We are giving one million dollars to North Korea!' She was so excited until she asked, ‘Where are we getting the money?' I told her I had no idea. I told the church, ‘We are sending one million dollars to North Korea!' and the people were so excited until somebody asked, ‘Where is the money coming from?' I told them, ‘It doesn't matter where it comes from. What matters is God told us to do it!' Often people, including my wife, have not understood why I have done what I did. But when you know in your heart that God has told you to do something, what matters is that you do it. That was in April 1996.
“One month later, we sent a shipment of one million dollars worth of medicine, corn and seeds to North Korea. It came from many different places but largely from Baptist World Aid. Containers of the goods. Ten years ago people laughed. Now they do not because they see what God has done.
“But my faith has not always been strong. I must tell you of another experience. On April 30, 2000, I decided to quit. I had taken relief to the Groznyy Baptist Church in Chechnya. The church once had 500 who attended but now because of the persecution and terrorist actions of a group of extreme Muslem fundamentalists called Vahabites only 11 elderly ladies were left. Their church building had been utterly destroyed and these ladies lived beneath the rubble of the church. They had only rainwater to drink. They ate dogs they found on the streets. They had only the clothes they wore on their bodies.
“Pastor Sidnikov, the pastor of their church, had been kidnapped by the Vahabites and was never heard from again. The children of the church had been kidnapped and sold on the slave market. They still have a thriving slave business. The lead deacon was kidnapped. His head was cut off and displayed in the market. The elderly ladies courageously retrieved his head and buried it. The Vahabites believe that if they cut off someone's head that person will be their servant in heaven.
“One of my colleagues was killed and another's arm was cut off with an axe. In addition to the terrorism of the Vahabites, the people there had experienced two wars. Everything was torn up and there was such overwhelming evil there that I thought to myself, ‘This is it. I can't do this anymore.'
“One of the elderly ladies came to me and knelt and kissed my hand. I pulled it away, but she said, ‘Preach. We have not had a pastor in three years. We have not had the Lord's Supper. Preach and pray!'
“I said to her, ‘You have lost everything. You have no money, no home, no family, no possessions, no bank will loan you anything. You don't even have an identity. You have nothing!' She replied, ‘No, I have not lost everything. I still have faith. Preach and pray.' All the pain and hurt, children killed and enslaved, the worst kind of evil you can imagine had not defeated her faith. She wanted me to preach the word — and I could not.
“When I used my camera to record the devastation, the lady, Babushka
Orga, came to me and looked into the camera. She said, ‘Pastor, tell them, the other Baptists, we are still here.' She told me as a Baptist pastor to stand up again and preach.
“The power of that dear woman's faith filled me with new courage. I
stood and I preached. I prayed. We had the Lord's Supper together. From that moment I have had no fear of what could happen to me.
“God has blessed our faith and our obedience. We started with a $25 gift, but that gift was like the loaves and fishes of Matthew 14. In verse 16, Jesus told the disciples, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something.' They found five loaves and two fish, but they did not distribute these. No, they gave them to Jesus. He blessed them and divided them. Then they distributed what they had. Even the disciples ate for there was no shortage. Have you ever wondered why 12 baskets were left? I think it was so each disciple could have one to take with him as a reminder that God's supply is not limited. Plenty was not a problem for Jesus.
“I think Jesus is telling us to go beyond our own borders — beyond our own limits. When we go beyond our borders, beyond our own limits we meet Jesus. Our Baptist forefathers went well beyond their limits. But people forget this. They forget what they did.
“If we could forget borders and limits, what could happen? I think of North and South Korea; of Russia and Chechnya; of Gypsies and non-Gypsies where there is old hatred. We spend years without forgiving and hatred sets in. Or we may spend 10 or 20 years without forgiving each other. We live with old sins and begin to hate each other — BWA, SBC, CBF.
“Unfortunately, these are the happy days of Satan. We have a saying in Hungary: ‘We should put pepper under the nose of Satan.'
“ ‘Can anything good come out of Hungary?' At first it seems that people thought not. I was humiliated at times. It is only natural that they look to American and Western European agencies. We had to prove ourselves coming from an Eastern European country. But now people tell me, ‘We have no idea how you did it, but now we are used to seeing your dreams come true.'
“What are my dreams? I see Baptist airplanes and helicopters, trucks and lories and volunteers who will arrive at disaster scenes in less than 24 hours. Many times it happens that we don't have the money. But for God, it is the same to talk about 1 cent or 10 million dollars.
“Can God not do whatever he wants to do? Does God not have a supply for every need?
“One of our writers said, ‘We live on this earth in order to be at home somewhere.' As Baptists, we want to be at home wherever people are suffering and wherever they need Jesus.