One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.– Psalms 27: 4
My name is Gyorgy Harman, I was born in Hungary, where I lived until I was 33. I then moved to the UK, where I work as a freelance carpenter.
I thoroughly enjoy working with wood and I know that my love and passion for wood work is given and sustained by the Lord every day. I am grateful that one of my hobbies is my actual job.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthian 12 talks about the different gifts of the Spirit. He uses the human body as an example to explain that there are various jobs that each part of the body does, just as we do different things in Christ’s body.
I am neither a great preacher nor a gifted intercessor. I am not good at helping with children’s ministry, and my singing voice also needs some training. In many areas of service, I do not feel as comfortable as my fellow brothers and sisters. Nonetheless, it is not a problem because the Word says that each part plays its own part and that is how the body works perfectly.
If I cannot preach, I can be the hand who makes the pulpit. If I do not lead others into loud intercession, my hands can quietly signal prayer in reverence and intimacy. I don’t have talent for children’s work, but can have hands that hug them and lift them up when they get tired. I do not need to lead worship to be able to help transporting or tidying instruments.
I wanted to share the above to explain that I know that the fruits of my handy work are a gift from my heavenly Father. It is always a joy and privilege to serve Jesus through them and to advance His kingdom.
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD. He examines all his paths.
– Proverbs 5:21
Last July, I was able to meet up with Chuck Long who I first met 25 years ago while building a Christian bookshop together in the eighth district of Budapest.
Chuck has always been a role model and kindred spirit in my life. He is a man of great wisdom and deep faith in the Lord who has a great capacity for work, knowledge, expertise, and creativity in the building sphere. Besides having these and many more gifts, he is also a great spiritual leader.
In our meeting, he explained how he was asked to build a church in Szentmargitfalva and whether I could go and visit them for a day. When I got there, the bare walls and the cross at the back of the chapel were already standing. Although I was only visiting family in Hungary and didn’t even take work clothes with me, I quickly found myself on top of the roof helping to put the beam structure together.
Check the blog next week for part two of Gyorgy’s story.
– By Gyorgy Harman OMS Hungary Volunteer
