A Conversation About Hope on the Danube

Bogi Kozma’s Jewish contact Vera told Bogi she had many questions about Christianity which no-one has been able to answer. So, Bogi offered to meet with Vera to help her find the answers, as she reports. 

Meeting with Vera proved difficult, as she has a disabled son and caring for him takes all her time. After meeting, we stayed in contact by exchanging messages over the following year, and were both surprised to learn we share a love of open water swimming.

Summer brings with it swimming events and I was pleased when Vera agreed to sign up for one together in a bay on the Danube River. Vera chose the 500-metre distance, while I swam 4.5 kilometres. Afterwards, we sat down at a restaurant by the water for a well-deserved late lunch.

Once there, Vera began opening up about her past. She was previously married and had two children with her ex-husband; her disabled son and a daughter who was stillborn.

This tragedy shook her life so deeply that, even ten years later, she still cried as her daughter’s birthday approached. I thanked Vera for sharing her story with me, and she thanked me for listening to something that others had not really listened to before.

I then asked Vera is she expected to see her daughter again. This opened up a deep conversation about hope, faith and eternal life.

We talked about different ideas people have, and I tried to separate the biblical message from the layers of tradition that have accumulated in Jewish belief since the Middle Ages.

I was grateful to have had this opportunity with Vera, away from the challenges of life and am looking forward to sharing more with her the next time we meet.

Please pray that Vera will have time to meet with Bogi and, as she hears more about Jesus, will soon be saved.