Have you ever thought about all of the women who are reading the same words you’re reading right now? Have you considered the myriad faces of women who listen to the Revive Our Hearts podcast all over the world? Perhaps you’ve attended or streamed a True Woman conference that included women from an array of different countries. Or maybe you’re a woman outside of North America who has discovered the freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ that this ministry proclaims.
Recently, I’ve had the unique opportunity to become friends with a Hungarian woman who has been fueled by Revive Our Hearts. I am the women’s ministry director at my church in Michigan, and one of my greatest joys in that role is being a part of our biweekly moms’ group as a mentor mom. The group includes moms of young kids from our own church family as well as many friends and neighbors they’ve invited.
Last fall, I was getting to know one of our newer moms, Csenge, who had recently moved to the area from Germany with her husband and two young daughters. She explained that their family planned to be in the area for three years as her husband established an American office for his German company. Csenge grew up in Hungary and has five siblings including a twin sister.
A Unique Connection
One morning at our moms’ group as I filled my plate with breakfast treats, Csenge excitedly introduced me to her twin sister, Sophie, who was visiting from Budapest. Sophie told me a bit about herself including how she meets with other young women in her home to study the Bible. She then asked, “Would you please tell me all about your women’s ministry here at church?” (Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes can assure you I had no problem fulfilling that request.)
I told Sophie about our Bible study classes, seasonal events, and prayer initiatives for women, and then she explained that her only connection with American women’s ministry is Revive Our Hearts. As if I wasn’t excited enough by this dear young woman asking me about my church’s women’s ministry, I became ultra-enthusiastic when she mentioned Revive Our Hearts! I shared about my own connections with the ministry and walked her to my office to give her a stack of books and Bible study workbooks to take back to Hungary, including a book written by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. We hugged and thanked her twin, Csenge, for connecting us.
Several weeks ago, Csenge gave birth to her third daughter and let me know Sophie would be making another trip from Hungary to meet her new niece. Sophie had one personal wish while in America: to meet Nancy. Csenge asked if I knew of any way that might be possible. Remembering the excitement of those moments when we shared our gratitude for Revive Our Hearts together, I told Csenge I would contact the ministry to see if a meeting might be possible. By the mercy of the Lord and the kindness of the Revive Our Hearts staff, it was.
A Joyful Day
I spent a glorious fall morning driving from the east side of Michigan to the west, talking with Sophie as we headed to the inaugural recording session in “Studio N,” which had been recently constructed in Nancy and Robert’s basement. We joined a few Revive Our Hearts staff members as Nancy recorded several episodes of the podcast in the new space. My heart overflowed while watching Sophie drink in Nancy’s teaching with her Bible open on her lap. I knew the Hungarian translation of Lies Women Believe was tucked in her bag in the hopes that Nancy might have a moment to sign it in the midst of her full day of teaching. Sophie had that opportunity, and much more, as the day progressed.
Nancy and the team invited Sophie to share about how she got connected with Revive Our Hearts, how the podcast and Nancy’s writing have helped fuel her ministry to young women, and how she has shared those resources with others, including her mom—a pastor’s wife in Hungary. I sat with tears in my eyes, watching that conversation being recorded in the new studio. The tears spilled over as the group gathered around Sophie to pray for God’s blessings and power to continue to fill her.
I was overwhelmed with the Lord’s kindness to allow me to be a part of that moment. After years of being blessed by the Lord through Revive Our Hearts myself, there I was, standing in the midst of a moment when the far reach of the ministry came near. What a joy and privilege! Sophie and I headed back across the state with full hearts—and Sophie’s specially signed copy of Lies Women Believe as a keepsake from the day.
No matter how you found Revive Our Hearts and no matter where in this world you live, I am confident that the Lord is showing Himself to you through this ministry as He has to Sophie and me. God’s truth, which Nancy and other women teach, live out, and exhort us to through the podcasts and resources of Revive Our Hearts is changing lives. I know because I’ve seen and experienced it. Together, we’re a part of God’s kingdom being grown and strengthened, day by day.
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