newsletter of the Lados family

Please tell me some words about yourself and your family. My name is István Ladi, I serve as a pastor at the Baptist Congregation in Mátraszőlős, and also work as a pastor at Grassalkovich Antal Vocational Secondary School ( which is a school in Hatvan, supported by Baptist Congregation ).I am married since 2007, my wife is Anikó, we have two beautiful children, Benjamin is 3, Anna is 2 years old. We live in Petőfibánya, in a flat. How did you get to this workplace and how did you start your serve at school? This school was the first school, that required being supported by the Baptist Congregation, and at the same time there was a demand for a Baptist pastor who could take part in the life of the school (in the teaching and in the education of their students). Because of this school being a recipient school ,there several students with disadvantageous background and students from Gypsy ethnic studying in our school, so they are in bad need of both mental and intellectual support. Last year brother Imre Csuhai was the person who undertook this service to come here once a week and take care of the youths and the teachers, too ,in the case they need. His service was received a warm welcome, and there was a demand from the leaders of school to work there a part,-or full-time pastor at school. Brother Csuhai was not able to fulfil this request, because of his other services, and it was the time I have heard about this service. I came here first to examine the school in May of 2012. My first aim at this time was getting acquainted with the teachers , students and leaders of the school. Officially, I have worked as a full-time pastor at Grassalkovich School since September 2012. What kind of work do you do, what is your field of work? I teach the youths within the confines of the ’Youth Being on the Verge of Life’ program, made by Timothy Association. This course is based on Christian foundation. In these lessons they can hear about self-knowledge, self-image , treating of a conflict, AIDS , problems of choosing companion and sexuality and avoiding of using drugs. Besides these lessons, every morning I wait for a tea those pupils who want to talk a bit before the lessons and start the day with some sentences from the Bible. Home-visiting and having connection with the students’ families are also my tasks. I organised several programmes, the last one was at Advent , when I organised a three-times 15 minutes celebrations with thoughts from the Bible and I have taught a Christian hymn for the students. On Thursdays, I meet brothers from different denominations and we pray together for our teachers and students , for their being converted to Christianity. Sometimes, I substitute my teacher- colleagues when they are ill. Furthermore I try to be sensitive to the workers of the school, to help them both physically and mentally. How could you adopt yourself to the school-community? I adopted myself to the school community very easily, I was received a warm welcome and I can feel their total acceptance from the very first time. How many students do you meet during the week? Officially, I teach about 50 students. But, I often meet other students, because I am being often asked by my colleagues to talk about the material of’ Youth Being on the Verge of Life ‘in from-master lessons. What kind of attitude of the students do you find to the faith ,their studies and the family ? They hardly ever have motivation, because of their earlier bad experiences. Most of them don’t like study at all, but , at least half of them could study, in other secondary schools, if they had grown up in better circumstances, I think. There are children who have connections with charismatic congregations and they say, that they believe in God .The hard life is also seen on them, but on the other hand God’s grace is seen on them, too (they have another way of thinking). Otherwise, most of them are open minded and inquiring, on their controversial ways. Almost 90 percents of our children are form Gypsy ethnic group, so they think that family is very important, but we can recognize the estrangement from the society , too. There are a few girls, who already have a child, or they are going to have a baby just now, but they don’t want to get married, furthermore they think in a very indecent way in connection with the marriage. What kind of problems do these students deal with? They have the same problems as the other young people of their age have :love, sex, choosing the companion, but there is the drug beside these problems and the hopeless future in financial and emotional areas, too. There are pupils, who are scared to go home, because they are worried about the situation may wait them at home. In private talk they often tell me about the fact, that they can eat one time a day, or they even starve. Could you tell me an important story, that has happened since you have been there? I have seen several life-situations, but the most sorrowful has happened with a very clever girl. Her mother arranged her marriage to a boy, without asking about her daughter. She had no choice, so she moved to his family. She had to take care of her mother -in law, and she wasn’t allowed to go to school, to get a job. I have talked to her, and once she came back to school. She told about her decision: to leave the family and move to her grandmother .Unfortunately, she left pregnant and a few weeks later she moved back to her new family. I haven’t seen her since then. And this story has happened in the 21-st century. I believe that only Christ can pick up Gypsy ethnic- people from the situation they are in now. What are your aims in your work ? My first aim is to be the good smell of Christ on my workplace, to take him familiar for a lot of people. As I know, there is not a mercy based evangelical congregation in Hatvan ( that is not a public church), and my most ardent wish that God would use me to found one. Did Jesus Christ’s personality touch students from your school? There are pupils, who are already in touch with Jesus Christ, but unfortunately, there is not a fellowship near here I can warmly recommend them. I think that this is a long procedure, and we are only at the beginning of it.