Alice WinterBlog Leave a Comment

 “I met God at a very young age. My childhood was not always easy but through it all I learnt that God always guides the right people in your life in order to help us with the day by day challenges. I believe that now I can be the right person who can be there for these children. Showing them the unconditional love of God.” 

My father, Ernő, and my mother, Veronica, got married in May 1995. Although they lived in the same village Cuieșd (Romanian name)/ Székelykövesd (Hungarian name). They barely knew each other from childhood, because my father is older by 6 years. My father sometimes tells us, when he saw my mother for the first time, she was so little and she was playing with cans in the dust. When they got older, they were in the same Christian youth group in Cuieșd. And that was when they started dating. After a year and a half they got married.

My sister Dorottya, my brother Ernő, my mother Veronica and my father Ernő

I was born on the 20th of February 1996. My mother liked the name Dorottya (Hungarian form of Dorothy), but my mother forgot the name at the time, so I was baptised Ilona, after both of my grandmothers and also after one of my great-grandmothers. Ilona is the Queen of the Fairies in the Hungarian folklore, but the name is also connected with Helen(e) the daughter of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology whose kidnapping by Paris, was the cause of the Trojan War.

This is me – Ilona Szabó

After a year my brother, Ernő, was born and after two years my sister, Dorottya, was born. I am always proud to say that I have a brother and a sister; they mean so much to me. We grow up surrounded by lot of cousins and relatives. Probably that is the reason why I am family centred. When I was little, I really got attached to my father’s mother and my father’s grandmother from his mother’s side. When we found out about my mother’s schizophrenia, they were there for us. God guided them in our life in the right moment. They were some sort of role models for me, I looked up to them, I admired them, and I love them. I can still remember their faces and they are forever in my heart.

When we were young – Me, Dorottya and
Ernő

I am thankful, because I and my siblings grew up listening to the stories of the older ones in the family. Each time, when we gathered around the table of our grandparents, we could hear stories about their childhood. And each of them showed the presence of God during harsh times. I also learned the importance of humor and laughing, because this helped them to deal with problems.

My father with the bees

Now my father is a maintenance worker but he is also a beekeeper. My mother is a housewife, she makes delicious cookies. My brother finished the university; he has a diploma as a Translator and started a beekeeper course. My sister is in the 2nd year of University, she studies Finance and Banking.

“God has shown how much He loves us and I am grateful for every blessing in our life”

Templom (Our church)