Stories of transition: Szeged, Hungary

These are my ponderings and reflections of the refugee situation which occurred during 2015 in South East Hungary.  These are the keywords which for me described the situation which unfolded

Inconceivable  –  We were first aware, long before the media, of some people coming to Hungary whilst visiting a friend in Subotica, Serbia. There were a few people walking along the motorway and we did not think much of the situation. They seemed to be a few people and not an indication of the massive influx which was coming.

Overwhelmed/Powerless – The small Evangelical churches in Szeged (< 50 people) have very limited reaction times, and resources were limited. By the time, we could help, the problem had relocated. The local church pastors usually have more than one job not including church work and could not drop everything to help with situation. However, predominantly full-time church workers came cross-country to help.

Frustrated – We and others here felt a bit frustrated. We feel that in the end, we were trying to help but were always playing catch-up. Communication was not only hard within our own national church groups but also between different denominations and other involved parties. Social media throughout this has been a blessing and a curse. The wide variety of numerous sources with various information which differed, made the process of helping and being useful harder whilst letting us know acutely what we weren't doing.

Political – Every incident was used for  scoring points on a political agenda both at home and abroad.

Generosity – Hungarians, who think that they not very affluent, were very generous and there was a surplus of donated goods.

Suspicions – There were some people who were fearful of helping in case the incoming refugees were terrorists.

Tiredness – Every refugee that I saw was tired and hot (it was a brutal 35+ °C summer) yet was well behaved and patient despite understanding very little of what was going on around them.

Forgotten – The situation has passed and everything has returned back to “normal” – There are some political advertisements but the average man on the street is now more worried about terrorism and Islam.

The dust has settled on the immediate problems/need and now we are in the hands of politicians. Looking back with hindsight, it seems that the refugee crisis was the first of its kind. Everyone who was moving was connected via the internet. The refugees were like a flock of migrating birds, able to adjust and quickly correct for local conditions. In the space of 4 days, a thousand strong holding camp had sprung up and closed as people looked for new EU entry points. The big question which people are not even aware of is the longer-term impact of refugees in Szeged and how the church can help.

Andy Cheeseman is Pastor of Szeged Pentecostal Church and International Chaplain to the University of Szeged.