“It’s important for us to get outside of what is familiar,” explained Mason Wilson. He and Levi Baker were able to do exactly that on a recent trip to Budapest, Hungary. The pair journeyed across the globe as part of an exploratory mission. The primary objective was to see the progression of a church that has been planted there. “We wanted to see what God is doing there,” said Wilson.
Wilson is a transplant from Whitehouse, Texas. “The home of Patrick Mahomes,” he said with a grin. “He went to my high school.” Wilson was born and raised in the church. “In east Texas, everyone goes to church,” he said.
The 34-year-old and his wife Deidre moved to Iola in 2013. “I took over the student ministry at Harvest Baptist Church,” he explained. That is where he first met Baker. “When Levi was in high school, I mentored or discipled him,” he said.
In contrast, Baker’s journey in the church began 12 years ago. “I had a pretty normal childhood, but we weren’t involved in church,” said the 28-year-old. “I had some tragic family things happen in my life that changed a lot, including my living situation.”
At age 11, Baker moved in with his brother’s family. He started attending Harvest Baptist Church with them in 2012. “I met Jesus when I was 16, in April of 2013,” he noted. “Mason and his wife came to the church in January of that year. They started investing in us church kids.”
Around that same time period, Baker attended a disciple event called Disciple Now in Joplin, Mo. “That was a turning point in my life,” he said. “It took that event and the investment from Mason and his wife for it to click for me. I realized I needed Jesus.”
IN 2015, Wilson met Kale Hovarth at a mission conference. “Our church is good friends with Kale and the church that he came from — First Baptist Church in New Philadelphia, Ohio,” he said. “Our churches share fellowship together.”
Hovarth and his wife Brooke went on a mission trip to Hungary, mainly because of Hovarth’s Hungarian ancestry. “On the trip, they ended up feeling like God was calling them to plant a church there,” explained Wilson.
In late 2020, the Hovarths moved to Budapest. After gaining dual citizenship, Hovarth and his family spent time becoming acquainted with their new home. “The first couple of years they were there were dedicated to learning the language,” said Wilson. “They just recently established their church at the start of this year.” The church, named Zugloi Bible Church, has been holding services ever since.
Baker and Wilson set out to visit the Hovarths in mid-September as a way to encourage them on their journey. “They left all their family and friends back in the States when they moved,” said Wilson. “Leaving home and moving to a foreign country is challenging, so we wanted to encourage them.” This included babysitting so the couple could have a date night; cleaning the church building; and sightseeing with them in their new country.
“Seeing the work they’ve done was our main objective,” Wilson added. “It was insightful getting to see all the hard work it takes to make something like that run. We can take it for granted coming from a church that has lots of able-bodied ministers who are helping carry the load. It was really inspiring to see.”
WHILE THE trip to Hungary was exploratory in nature, it was also much more than that. “I wanted to take this trip to encourage Kale, but it was equally important to me that I bring Levi with me so he could see the behind the scenes of what it takes to plant a church,” Wilson explained. “It sounds cool to have God call you to plant a church, but it’s not simple. There’s a lot of work involved. This particular trip was important for our church because we always want to be inspiring the next generation.”
Baker was intrigued by the process of planting a church, especially in a different country. “I thought it was interesting. Kale does everything,” he said. “He is the missionary, the pastor, the cleaning and finance teams. He does it all.”
They were able to experience a church service on Sunday of their trip. Aside from the language barrier, the service was very similar to one they would see back home. There was a time for singing and a sermon. “We didn’t understand the words that were being spoken, but it was cool just to see that God was moving there,” said Wilson. “Even if we don’t understand it, God is doing something.”
Wilson believes mission trips are a way to have a better understanding of different cultures. “The world is a lot bigger than we think,” he said. “The Lord is doing things all over the world. We worship a certain way and other countries may do it a different way. Neither are right or wrong. There are cultural contexts involved. These trips give us a heart for people. It develops a passion to love people, no matter where they come from.”
