Three of my 4 Grandparents were born in Hungary and came to the USA in the early 1900s. My parents were both born in the US but with Hungarian being the most comfortable language for their parents and grandparents they grew up speaking Hungarian in their home and were both fluent.

Due to a variety of life circumstances, I did not grow up speaking Hungarian fluently though I was exposed to it in a number of ways as a youth at a Hungarian summer camp in Ligonier PA, a Hungarian dance group in Youngstown OH, living in Hungary for 4 months while my mom took some courses on the Kodály Method, two years of Hungarian Language camp through the WIlliam Penn Association, as well as frequent interaction with many Hungarian relatives, friends, and refugees in our community.

I feel very fortunate to have had the rhythm of the language in my head for so many years. Now that I am intentionally learning Hungarian, along with our children, here are the things I believe are helpful for learning this complex language:

*** The most important thing to do is stop bemoaning what you don’t know and don’t blame others for your situation. Start learning.

The most wonderful thing about Hungarian is it is so very phonetic. It is very dependable that way. Mastering the Hungarian alphabet is essential to your progress. If you have anyone near you who can work with you on that, do yourself a favor and sit at their feet, learn it and learn it well. It is the most basic yet most essential ingredient to mastering the language.

Make vocabulary flashcards. Start with the numbers, colors, animals, and food. Once you start getting Hungarian words in your brain, you will start thinking about those objects in a way that helps you keep the words in your brain.

Label objects in your home with the Hungarian words. This will help you see Hungarian words every day.

Find a relative or friend who also wants to learn Hungarian and challenge one another!

Challenge yourself to learn basic phrases or the Common Table Prayer or even The Lord’s Prayer.

Incorporate Hungarian phrases into your daily life.

If a Hungarian class is offered near you–sign up for it!

Join a group that has an interest in Hungarian language or culture. There are many within the US. If you want to know what might be around you, email me at liz(at)magyarmarketing.com

Volunteer to teach English in Hungary!

Practice!

Plan a trip to Hungary –there is nothing quite like having a deadline to motivate you to learn!

Spend some energy growing your knowledge base. There are free internet based resources out there (see below) but there is nothing like having some books in your hand! Buy a Hungarian phrase book and a English-Hungarian / Hungarian-English dictionary. Get a CD with someone singing Hungarian songs. Ask others to buy these for you for Christmas or your birthday. There are also CD based language learning programs– visit the Language Learning Area at our website.

I hear so many complaints that Rosetta Stone doesn’t have Hungarian–it is true, they don’t, but there are several other options:

Before You Know It Language Program is a program you download on your computer. The introductory program for Hungarian is one of their free offerings. It isn’t perfect but it is pretty good.

Live Mocha is a web based language learning system available in many languages and Hungarian is one of them.

If you have an iPhone there are some Hungarian Apps for your iPhone. There are several free ones and you can also pay to upgrade.

No More Excuses! You can do this!

If you have some other tips or suggestions, please send them to me an I will add them to this list!

Elizabeth, Hannah, Gerry, and Landon at Hungarian Language Camp.

Mindennapi kenyerünket add meg nekünk ma. És bocsásd meg a mi vétkeinket, miképpen mi is megbocsájtunk azoknak, akik ellenünk vétkeztek;

És ne vígy minket kísértésbe, de szabadíts meg minket a gonosztól. Mert tiéd az ország és a hatalom és a dicsőség mind örökké. Ámen!

Lord’s Prayer -Hungarian

Please learn more about our Hungarian Bible Project for Children

Patricia has some specific prayer requests:

* For every seed sown in every child’s heart in the last twenty years to bear the fruit of coming to Jesus!!

* For the mama baby home funds to be generated so we can continue to build.

* For the young ones who are struggling that have come out of the orphanages to stabilize by finding work and a place to live for starters.

* For the foundation as laws are changing as of January, whether the Lord would have that continue or should an American non profit be established instead.

* For everything we do to be under the will and timing of the Lord Jesus so as not to miss steps or His will.

* We have two pressing needs, one is for a newer used van as we have used this one up and need one which will pass inspection by November. We do a lot of Humanitarian Aide, etc. and cover a lot of miles. Also the children and young people we reach out to are all over Hungary.

* I am asking the Lord for a miracle to stay put at least one more year for the sake of Bela’s schooling. Otherwise we must move out of the place we live in in Budapest and move permanently to Monosbel where we are building and a small one bedroom home could be used for living quarters but three hours away from Budapest.

My parents, Elmer and Elizabeth Szabo, on their wedding day!

GREETINGS!

Can you believe it is almost summer! We are so excited about the upcoming months even though we are going to be very busy!

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IMPORTANT NEWS!!

We will be traveling for about a month so Magyar Marketing will not be mailing out orders from May 8th – June 8th.

The website will still take your order (and the credit card transaction will be processed immediately) but the order will not be filled until June 8th. Please keep this in mind. If you have orders for Mother’s Day or need kalacs/beigli for a graduation party, please order it now!

We will be traveling to Hungary to visit relatives we learned about recently and let our kids see the beauty and history of Hungary. We have not ever taken a family trip this big so our kids are pretty excited and my husband and I are a wee bit nervous. Three of the six of us have been steadily learning Hungarian so we shouldn’t be too lost. I hope. We would love it if you would be willing to pray for our safe travels.

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Hungarian Bible Project for Children in Hungary

While we are in Hungary we plan to connect with a family that ministers to orphans in a very hands-on way. Not only do they invest their time with children but they continue the mentoring relationship into adulthood as possible. They are building a home for un-wed mothers near Eger and operate on a shoestring budget. Patricia has requested children’s Bibles to be able to give to the children they work with and so we will be meeting with a publisher in Budapest to secure as many Bibles as we can for the money that we raise.

Between now and May 7th we are setting aside 10% from all of our retail sales to put towards these Bibles. Anything you buy for you (or others) will automatically add to the funds. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Hungarian Bible Project for Children! We would love your help!

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SALE!!!

In addition to 10% of all purchases going toward the Hungarian Bible Project for Children, we are having a sale! All kalacs/beigli is 10% off! This is a great time for you to save some money and make a difference! Here is a link to all of our SALE ITEMS!

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BOOK SUGGESTIONS

Looking for a bit of Hungarian influence in your summer reading list? We have complied a list of books worthy of consideration. CLICK HERE for details.

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New Jersey Hungarian Festival

Please stop by and say hello if you will be in New Brunswick, NJ on June 2nd (Somerset Street Mall Area) at the 37th Annual Hungarian Festival! We will be having some great prices and keep in mind you don’t have to pay shipping costs so there is added savings if you live in the area! If there are some things you want to make sure we have on hand you can send me an email and I can set aside your desired items so all you have to do is stop by and say your name and pay and you can be on your way, though you probably will want to browse around anyway, but at least you would have a head start on your shopping!

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Hungarian Cooking Challenge

Did you take the Hungarian Cooking Challenge? If so, we need two or your four recipes submitted with a photo if possible and a little description of the fun (or challenges) you had as well as your name and address and we will send your apron out! Click on the link for challenge details!

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Update on our New Catalog!

While we are in Hungary the catalog will be at the printer. We plan to have it with us at the New Jersey Festival and bulk mail it to everyone on our list in July or August. Please be on the look-out for it. Please call or email if you want to be sure you are on the list or sign up on the website. We are also hoping to have it available in pdf format on the website.

Blessings to you as you work and play this summer! We hope to see you soon!

The Magyar Marketing Team

~ Liz, Don, Lauren, Landon, Elizabeth, and Hannah

Are you interested in helping some Children’s Bibles in the Hungarian language get to children in Hungary?

Let me tell you how this started.

I am in contact with a publisher in Hungary who publishes Christian books in Hungarian – I am most interested in his Bibles — he has a Children’s version as well as an easier-to-read version for adults.

I am also in contact with Patricia who lives in Hungary and works with orphans. She is originally from California but has lived in Hungary the last 20+ year ministering to these orphans. She isn’t even Hungarian but speaks fluently — and she married a Hungarian national. They have a huge heart for missions. They live on a very modest budget and have officially adopted one child but unofficially love on many, many kids. They are also building a home for unwed mothers near Eger.

I asked Patricia if she could use some Children’s Bibles and her answer was yes ~ 50!

50? Gulp!

It would be wonderful to hand the publisher the money for the 50 Bibles when we visit Hungary in May. The publisher is willing to get the books to Patricia. We will buy as many as we can.

Here are some ways you can help:

* Please pray for this opportunity. We are excited to partner with the publisher, the missionary family, and our customers who have a heart for this type of ministry. Thank you for praying!

* Consider making a purchase from Magyar Marketing between now and May 7th. 10% of all retail sales will go towards purchasing these Bibles.

* Consider a contribution of your own to this project. Any $ amount will help. While we are not a tax deductible organization so you won’t get a tax credit, this is a great opportunity to share God’s love with these children. All $$ donated will go to the purchase of the books and the exchange penalty at the bank (unfortunately unavoidable).

*Encourage a Hungarian group you are a part of to “team up” and send a donation. It would be great for families with Hungarian backgrounds to work together via their club or church or dance group to send over some Bibles.

May I say I am so thankful we have come this far in being able to share the Gospel with Hungary? I remember my mom sewing money into the coats of priests who were going to visit their family in Hungary and Transylvania so love offerings could get to those churches.

If you would like to make an additional contribution please email me at liz(at)magyarmarketing.com

May God bless your day!

Liz and family

To see a description of the book and price, click on the link and it will take you to the our website. If you have any questions on the appropriate age level for these books, please do not hesitate to call.

Stolen From My Arms by Katherine Sapienza

The Uprisers by Jeannine Végh

My Brother’s Voice: How a Young Hungarian Boy Survived the Holocaust by Stephen Nasser

From Habbakuk to SARA by Stephen Szilagyi

The Good Master by Kate Seredy

The Essential Guide to Being Hungarian translated by Paul Olchváry

My Flag Grew Stars by Kitty Gogins

Precious Legacy by Mária M. Csanádi

Hungarian Rhapsody by James Derk

Stephen Széchenyi And The Awakening Of Hungarian Nationalism, 1791-1841 by George Barany

The Lace Dowry by Andrea Cheng