Istvan thanks you for his shoebox

Calendar brings joy to Istvan

Istvan, now 64, was homeless before a building contactor took pity on him and let him sleep in a corner of his commercial premises, in a village in Zala county, southwest Hungary. He has been living there for several years and in exchange does some occasional work for the owner.

When someone called to present him with a Blythswood shoebox, the calendar from last year’s box was on display. “Istvan cheered up especially when he found a hat and gloves in his box,” says Melinda Lőrincz, noting that Istvan’s corner of the shed is heated with a small stove. “The calendar also brings him joy and he asked us to pass on his thanks to the donors of these gifts.”

In boxes for adults, Blythswood inserts a Words of Life calendar in the appropriate language. Other boxes include either a Bible story book for children, or a booklet for teenagers.

For 2024, the children’s book is Jesus Is Alive, telling the story of the crucifixion and resurrection. In The Big Change, Agnes Csiszer recounts how she became a Christian.