Sajt night

I got a call from President Szabadkai this morning telling me I was traveling back to the east tomorrow... Im so excited. Ill be serving with Szerdi Elder who was actually my Zone Leader two transfers ago and is a blacksmith. Im hoping to learn a few random tips! Oh yes and Ill be serving in Szeged which is in the same zone as Szolnok so Ill be able to go back and work in Szolnok for a few days during the transfer!

This week we spent lots of time looking up inactive members in villages just outside of Pápa. This meant learning how to use the impossible bus schedule and lots of tracting on dirt roads... I imagine it to be what South America feels like just maybe 80 degrees colder. My toes are falling off.

Tamás talked with his dad yesterday and we are excited to hear the results tonight when we talk with their family. We met with a new investigator and were so lucky to be able to see her heart softened by the spirit. We got threatened to have the police called on us if we rang any other doorbells in the apartment building we were tracting because apparently according to the blackmailing néni no one in the building needed Christ. Well we knew that wasnt true so we kept the work up awkwardly finding out that no one else was home in the building hah. 

The Órsosék came to the Mikulás party... basically another holiday that santa comes and gives more presents but yes anyways they came to the branch house for the first time in a few years. I love them so much and am so sad I wont be able to see them for awhile. 

-We got let in while tracting to a néni who looked just like a pirate.

-Watched the Christmas Devotional which was so good even in Hungarian.

-Had sajt night (cheese night) this is when you cut up cheap cheese into sticks them bread them and deep fry them and eat them with jam or hot sauce. My face in the picture is how my arteries felt after the cheese night.

-We also had splits in Győr and streeted in their big Christmas market which was really pretty but I forgot to take pictures sorry.

-Oh the solemn picture is taken outside of our ancient investigators home who is literally in the spirit world now. Worked out well... not the death but the wearing all black besides my tie when we found out.

Sorry this is all out of order but I have to go pack and dont have time to organize these thoughts!

Szeretlek,

Hughes Elder

This

-- 

Love,

Elder Hughes

I forgot my camera

Sziasztok,

This week was busy! Tamás is doing better than ever... we met with him four times this week and he fasted for the first time in his whole life on sunday with his mom and us! Jozsi (his dad) has already opened up more and more to us and we are hoping and praying he will let tamás set the special date this week. M i r a c l e s!

I forgot my camera and also only took one picture all week but Ill try to do better this week I promise!

My favorite part of the week was tuesday night around 8:30pm. I was on exchanges with an Elder serving in Tatabánya and we were about to start our walk home after he took a picture of the cathedral and christmas lights. I was looking at the lights and thinking about the heater at home when a man walked around the corner into this deserted square. I weirdly felt I shouldnt talk to him (which rarely happens, since I have come to the point that I feel guilty whenever someone passes and I dont have time to try to talk with them) but I didnt talk to him then 10 seconds later an old man with a white poodle walked around the corner. I felt a unusally strong prompting to stop him and talk with him. So I made the awkward cut off walk thats way too normal for me now, and asked him what makes him happy. He thought quietly and responded the gist of which was that nothing made him happy. His wife had left him and moved to austria, his two children whom he loved more than anything died, and he was left in Pápa alone with nobody that cares about him. He got ready to walk away when I asked him a few questions about his belief in God. He genuinely explained to me that hed been taught his whole life that God loved and knew us all but now he believed quite the opposite. By this time my companion had finished taking the picture and was by my side and bore testimony of the plan of salvation a nd did his best to relate to this man (since his mother had died three years ago) The elder promised András he has the opportunity to live with his family forever and that death is not the end. After he finished András asked how we could say that we know this? since we havent experienced death. I told him we believed this because it is taught in the Book of Mormon and we had received a witness of the truthfulness of this book. I bore testimony that he could know too and feel the same peace that we have been so generously given. And teary eyed he took the book and thanked us many times and promised hed read it to the end and pray about it.

Moments like that make the hours tracting when no one is interested and my toes feel like theyre going to fall off worth it. Weve been given so much. Now is the time to share it.

Im grateful for genuine, humble, hardworking people. And when I think of people like this Im reminded instantly of Grandpa and Grandma Hughes (and not just because grandma is basically hungarian). Im grateful for their examples. I didnt get to meet grandpa in this life but Im grateful for all he did for grandma and dad which directly has blessed me, I have felt both of their love and I quote Grandpas testimony because it is mine as well.

From Grandpa's journal: "My testimony is that the Lord will help you if you let him, if you have faith that he can. Do not be false in living the standards of the church. Only you are fooled. Remember this, that only two people know the intent of your heart-- you and the Lord."

I love you és Kellemes Karácsonyt

Hughes Elder

Thanksgiving

Hah it's pretty hilarious you and dad are skeptically wondering if my happiness if fake... But don't worry, it's real. If it's not there I will certainly let you know! We have interviews this week, thank goodness, then transfers in two weeks which is crazy. It went by so fast!

This week I was going to write a thank you email. But Hannah's was really good so I'll just do what I do when my comp shares a really strong testimony and I can't think of anything else to say but he has awkwardly given me the spotlight. "I know what Hermana Hughes said is true." Instead of telling you how great you are I'll spend the little time I have to try to illustrate some things that made me laugh/smile this week.

Balázs committed to live the Law of Chastity.
Advent here in Hungary started so all the lights got turned on. Choirs sing outside the cathedrals sunday nights, and people are less surprised when we approach them late at night and ask them questions about Christ! This season is beautiful. 

Also we had a weird spastic snow storm for thirty minutes just barely but now its decievingly sunny outside and looks warm even though its not. 

I got the O'Briens birthday package and several Fluffernutters, then cultured my companion on what a Fluffernutter is. Then funny thing is we had exchanges and Ure Elder was looking in our kitchen and found the Fluff (he grew up in New Hampshire so he understands how incredible Fluffernutters are) and we were able to talk about what makes them so great as we each ate too many.

We are fasting with Tamás this Sunday for his father's heart to be softened so he can get baptised on the 10th! Yesterday he taught us the Plan of Salvation and shared his testimony about eternal families. He also came to church and prayed every morning and evening and read his scriptures a little everyday! It's so nice to be able to focus everything on these wonderful (closed off) people and I'm trying to enjoy every moment. 

The family we home teach (they're American and don't speak Hungarian and are less than less active...) invited us to Thanksgiving dinner at the NATO base (which is weirdly hidden behind some trees basically in our tracting area...) But it was so good to eat Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of Americans and Norwegians we have tracted into this transfer, hah. They also went to the military base in Italy last week and surprised us with a lot of American food they bought us there. One word: EGGNOG!! 

I will try to explain the funniest tracting experience now. Theres no way I can explain it well enough but here we go:
We tracted into an ancient Néni who invited us in. We started the lesson and tried every way we could to talk about the restored church but she wasn't having any of it. Finally, after she showed us her hundred prayer necklaces and their secret powers, the death bed of her priest, too many pictures of this same priest man it got a little uncomfortable, then filled our hands with a secret stash of apples she revealed to us. In her garage I saw a huge Bible and pulled it out to try and at least teach her a little truth so we could bear testimony of Christ. I asked if I could show her my favorite verse and soon realized there were no chapter or verse markings in this edition. (Backround knowledge: Hungarians can barely read the Bible in Hungarian so missionaries trying to read it is usually futile). Oh its snowing again. Anyway, after realizing that this was not going to work I began to make panic signals (crazy abnormal eyebrow twitching with easy quick lip readable messages) to Ure Elder as Emilia Néni babbled about how she knows Donald Trump is at least 96 cause she heard it on the radio.  Ure Elder quickly realized what I had been mouthing to him and decided to text a member and ask their favorite Bible scripture since finding one at this point was out of the question. By this point Emilia knew something was up so it was my responsibility to filibuster. I asked every question I could think of, I had her show me the contents of each of her kitchen drawers. For some examples of my filibuster questions here are a few: Where did cinnamon originate? And who found it? What are storks? Is it true they bring babies? (She did not catch onto that one so I gave up.) Why do people crush pepper? What is your favorite soup? What is your favorite food? What is your favorite kind of bread? After my 5 minutes filibustering stunt we got a text of a verse, read it, prayed, told her we had to leave 4 times, waited for her to look through every jacket she possesed for the keys, then finally left.

Life is so funny. Sometimes its not this apparent. But happiness is all around us.

I had this thought occur to me during the Sacrament that Christ already overcame everything. That truth means that with Christ we can overcome everything God sees fitting. It requires work on our part. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and enduring patiently with faith. But with Christ everything is possible Moroni 7:33. 
This reminded me of some scriptures that helped me when I struggled to find this strength. They're in Isaiah 40:28, 29, 31 and they say:
"Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creater of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is he weary?...
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

I know this is true. I've seen it in my life and many others. God is so merciful. He loves us and He wants us back, but we must do our part.

Love,
Hughes Elder

Settling for bagged milk

Dallin Hughes7:04 AM (3 hours ago)to meThis week was incredible. We met with more people during the week than I think I ever had on my mission. At one point I felt a little like I was in Mexico but then after a stark cold 3 hours knocking on doors I ended my fiesta daydream. We had néni after néni let us in (6 in total), hear our message, tell us about how big Hungary used to be, and almost every single one sent us off with a gift a horder would find pleasing. I collected dried/pressed flowers from a néni that her grandaughter gave her, a Christmas ornament (homemade), then too many old cookies/biscuits/rolls. They almost all offered to be our "Hungarian grandmothers" like every other old woman I've met in this city and let us off telling us to come back anytime and knock on the window if she didnt hear the knock on the door...
 
Balázs (a 39-yr-old man who has investigated the church for many years) is praying about being baptised on the 10 of december and we are fasting with Tamás so his dad will also let him be baptised that day.

I started off the week by making a music video to an efy song in Hungarian while my companion took a nap on P-day. We had a great zone training tuesday and a good run in parkas back to the train station so we didn't miss our train. It resulted in 4 very sweaty elders sitting on the floor of a very crowded train for 3 hours. We spent the rest of the week in Tatabánya for splits, Győr for District meeting and Szombathely for district conference which was weird to see everyone. Zoli, our ward mission leader there (who is notorious for speaking loudly and never not speaking), yelled, "Milk teeth is back!" and gave me a big hug. It did not help that I was drinking milk that Shepherd Elder had bought me the day before because the best milk in Hungary is in Szombathely and he's the best. But yeah, then Zoli pointed out I was literally drinking milk to everyone, then had me smile and drilled me for the next 10 minutes asking me, my companions, and random members that don't know me if I ever drink water. Goodness. But it was a fantastic meeting and the Szabadkais taught and ministered to the people in the district. ALSO Balázs came AND brought a friend woohoo!

I have no time. I love you all. The subject line refers to the fact that Im not in Szombathely and live on a diet of muzli, milk in bags, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and atheletic greens... then all those cookies and other items nénis pawn off on us as we tract.

I love you and will share this " 16 But if ye keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
 17 For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.
God has promised us so many blessings as we live his higher law. He keeps his word always. Don't settle for less when you could be blessed with the constant companionship of the spirit and countless other blessings.
Love, Hughes Elder
Photos:  Me getting my frizbee of the snow protector thingy with my ingenious invention feat mop. random stick and dustpan and lots of tape.
Tamás middle, Betti member (mom), Jozsi (dad)(catholic)
Cutting onions
lots of kézi munka (nénis creations)(these are just from a few of our lessons this week) 
(my bagged milk)

Aggressive Cats

Balázs is preparing for baptism, Betti's (member) husband is participating in our lessons and opening up to us, and an evil aggressive scared cat stopped following us while tracting yesterday after the longest 10 minutes of tracting/swinging my leg out so this nasty creature wouldnt brush up against me. Being a missionary is the best and I have weirdly never been happier.

Now for more miracles. IT SNOWED for 3 hours while streeting and tracting people. We found two new investigators, a member in Győr fed us healthy food and there I ate the second salad I have been fed in the past 10 months. Our missionary leader has been setting us up with members/less actives/former investigators whom we weren't able to weasel ourselves into their homes without them. I took a picture with an annoying kitten that wouldn't stop following us --that explains just perfectly how I feel about cats. Now whenever people ask if I like cats (a annoyingly common question) I can just show them the photo and not have to take 7 minutes of trying not to offend them but still make my case that dogs can do everything cats can do and more. Also they aren't disloyal and most importantly they keep their shape when you pick them up and aren't made of jello. 

We had a great lesson with Balázs in which we talked about baptism and 2 Nefi 2. We made the resolution to, after we ask a thought-provoking question, to be quiet and not be afraid of the silence. I think my huge Catholic cook book said it best in a quote under the recipe for "$10000 Mexican Surprise" where it said "Don't interrupt the silence unless you can edify it."

We tried it out and it was so incredible! We asked lots of questions regarding the peace he felt in his life. After answering questions, reading scriptures, and just sitting there praying during minute gaps of silence as Balázs read and thought, we had the the beautiful experience of seeing someone  come out of the darkness and into the light. He told us he wants to be baptized and is willing to work and do all he needs to do. Theres a lot of work to be done. But this is the first step.

The humility it takes to align your will with God and apply the gospel into your life is huge. It seems so simple to believe these things are true, but I'm continually surprised at how often I and other members of the church believe they are true but don't necessarily believe they will work for them as well.

Our incredibly loving Father in Heaven gave the earth, His Son, and the gospel to all his children, 
members
 and non-members alike. This gospel consists of Faith in Jesus Christ and in His atonement, repentance, baptism and recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

If you believe or even desire to believe these things are true, it can change your life right now, where ever you are at. With time, experience, and hard work your belief that these principles are true will deepen. The atonement is the key to happpiness. Use the key. Let Christ carry that burden you hold. Because He already has. We just have to accept it. I bear testimony of that in Christ's name.

I love you sokat.
Hughes Elder

PS. I met with a blind man and his wife (who only speaks German) and had the best Hungarian gulyas stew Ive had in Hungary. Funny 'cause a German made it.


Elder Biesenger

Where did the time go

Weve seen so many miracles. Like we always do. Just in case you forget that we do. Sorry I just realized that I say that every week, but we really do see them so I actually think its fine.

This week we found a new investigator while tracting!

We had a man call us and ask for a Finding Faith in Christ video (which even though we pass out cards that offer them none of the mission on the whole west side of the country has any... so were gonna give him A Mormon Könyve instead!)

We got a ward mission leader who has a goal of finding 20 priesthood holders in the near future WOOHOO members with missionary faith are the best members!

And this morning when I tried to pretend to hit my companion with a long stick when my wind up ended up being too long I only popped one light bulb into 100000 pieces instead of 7!

Miracles are everywhere. And the work here in Pápa is growing!

Sacrament meeting was incredible and I felt the spirit strongly when members bore their testimonies of when they went to the temple. It's so easy to take the temple for granted. There are so many faithful members saving and saving to experience the joy we can experience so often. Since its available, go and serve as much as you can!

I love this quote by Spencer W Kimball about member missionary work!

"Many a person in this world is crying knowingly and unknowlingly, 'Come over... and help us.' He might be your neighbor. She might be your friend. He might be your relative. She might be someone you only met yesterday. But we have what they need. Let us take new courage from our studies and pray as did Peter, 'And now Lord... grant unto thy servants, that with all Boldness they may speak thy word.'"

If you do not think this is what EVERYONE needs, please pray to have the spirit testify to you this is true. Everyone can benefit from this message. Everyone. Share it.

Szeretlek.

Hughes Elder

Halloween and Chanting Nènes

Everything is going very well.  Elder Biesinger is fun to be with! It's always awkward when he asks questions about Hungarian and I don't know the answer but we get along and were both learning a TON

First off I can't let Hannah just walk over me with her cool witch investigator (of whom I'm incredibly jealous.) I did sort of meet a witch man who I called out of our phone (contact from previous missionaries) and met with him. The climax of the lesson was after I had sort of zoned out from him telling about his worries about the Catholic church then him closing his eyes, opening them weird, me giving him a weird look cause he was staring at me, then him telling me his spirit was running in circles through my body. Mormon missionaries meet with the wierdest of the weirdos worldwide! I quickly ended that lesson with a prayer where I strongly asked for the Holy Ghost to be with us hah. 

But back to the usual long letter. EXCEPT this week it will be longer because Death Day here in Hungary and lack of internet cafes in our tiny little city! Meet the Mormons was a great success, more people came then usually come to istentisztelet! The whole idea was definitely inspiration and really helped the members get out of their comfort zones which allowed their testimonies to grow. 

Tamás, one of our 2 investigators, said he knows the Book of Mormon is true. WOOHOO (I have become incredibly socially awkward and accidently said that vocally when he told us that.) And a bonus miracle: his father came and participated in the lesson. I have never seen his mother (a member) with more joy. She desires nothing more than a priesthood holder in her home. The gospel blesses families that is biztos. 

We also had a really spiritual zone training with the Szabadkai's. We discussed the sacredness of baptism and President Szabadkai bore powerful testimony that before anyone is baptised we should really focus on repentance in lessons and interviews. And also ask them the simple question "
Do you feel peace?
" If they don't they are not ready. Therefore they should make peace through prayer and any other way they can make up mistakes they've made. I think this also clearly applies to us. If we do not feel peace when we pray at night, we must pray to know what to do to make peace. I'm so grateful for the atonement.

Other things that happened this week:
Halloween night I hid inside my companion's bed where the blankets and pillows are stored. My intent was to scare him because of Halloween and everything, and I thought he'd be in in 5 minutes, but I fell asleep and ended up waking up 20 minutes later. It was nat a fail however because I did find out I'm not claustrophobic.

The other day we looked up some former investigators and were let into a nénis house. I asked if we could offer a prayer and my companion began praying. Immediately I opened my eyes to find her chanting (a prayer of her own composition I found out later) to Jesus with hand movements and all. (It was a perfect Halloween lesson since I felt like I really was with a witch.)

On our way to tract I heard a honk and immediately turned to my companion "I've never been honked at as a missionary-- I feel like I'm in America!" I started waving and looked for the car that might have honked and I found it hah. It was an old man flipping us off. I lost it and just started laughing so hard I think my companion is still confused. I guess I was just caught so off guard hah.

Everyone who believes in Christ, that he is our Savior and our Redeemer, is a disciple of Christ. I've met a few people during my mission that have told me things along these lines "Well I don't believe in Christ because my mother was a wonderful woman and she believed in Christ and suffered so much because of it. He didn't make her life easier." 

We cannot say that we are Christ's diciples and NOT expect to have some experiences of suffering like He did! I know Christ atoned for us. I have felt his healing powers in my life and seen the miraculous effect it's had on valiant saints here. I know he lives and he loves all his brothers and sisters. I'm so grateful he gives us little tastes of what he experienced in the garden and on the cross. They are a blessing and we should cherish those and always remember them. If you do you will come to better comprehend what He gave us; and in result will grow closer to Him. "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." Acts 5:41

Szeretlek
Hughes Elder

PS: From your photos, why does it look warm everywhere else in the world? I guess I could be in Siberia so I'll just count my blessings. 

Also, There were missionaries here before but the members didn't trust them very much and so we've taken on a lot of responsabilities and I'm sure willl reap the blessings at some point in the distant future.

Madár Tej //Unicorns milk thats not a translation just the best way to describe it.
Tracting in the rain at night
A members incredible foodstorage
Fall in Hungary (similar to fall everywhere else)

I'm an Intercity

Pápa is beautiful and really tiny and sort of feels like Europe... I'm not sure how I feel about that. It has less traces of communism than the east and no 10 stories. I already weirdly miss them and the tacky elevators that always feel like their going to break as they "mint egy csiga" get you to the top. 

Leaving the Szolnok branch was really hard but luckily the branch here is really similar. We're 20 people and if we averaged out all our ages I feel like it'd be in the 60's or 70's, hah. However there are 2 six year old kids that built a train track right in front of the podium during sacrament and were vehemently racing trains on it. At one point one of the moms leaned over from a few rows back and said "Ábi be quieter!" he responded quickly "Mom I can't. I AM AN INTERCITY!" hahah (Intercity trains are the fast trains here that we usually ride on.) I feel like Maze and Vi would get along just great with them!

Biesinger Elder is originally from Medina, New York but doesnt know Abbie's family... but more recently was in the MTC and I love that so much. He has so much faith to find, faith to see miracles and a ton of gospel drive. It is refreshing. He already speaks way better Hungarian than I did 8 months ago and he also made the worst chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten. But I love him anyway.

Back in Szolnok Érnő and Éva came to church and LOVED it, Ribar Elder said! And they are getting pretty close to baptism! I got called as Ward Clerk and did all the tithing computer work yesterday in Hungarian. My best friend: my pocket dictionary. 

Mom to answer your questions: Our district is Pápa, Tatabánya Elders and the Győr missionaries. We travel by train for splits, zone trainings, and district meetings. In Pápa we travel by feet or bikes. Woohoo. There is a hill though and it is quickly awakening me to how out of shape I am! My new apartment is the nicest I've ever been in. It has actual settings on the oven so it actually deserves the name "oven" now instead of "fire box." 

The mormon tabernacle choir sang the most inspiring in the past general conference closing hymn.  I love this chorus:

Fear Not, though the enemy deride! Courage! For the Lord is on our side! We will heed not what the wicked my say but the Lord, our Lord we will obey!"

I love that. Fear not! Courage! If we will obey, this promise is ours. I love it. I challenge you all to share your testimony of the Book of Mormon with someone, whether its a family member, friend, or work partner thingy (what do you call that?) Every active member in Hungary this week is giving away a Book of Mormon with their testimony written in in. Share yours.

I love you,

Hughes Elder

Photos:

Here are some of Pápa and one of Elder Haroldsen at transfers cause he just went home! 

They have a spring and fall cleaning here where people just throw stuff out of their windows and the next couple days garbage men pick it up. Its a littering disaster, but I found this gem (wolf skin?) and took a picture with it for Rocky and Dan. Probably have tics from it too.

Happy hallowen. We did this one Pday cause we couldnt think of anything else to do since Szolnok is not the most happening city.

And there is one in Szeged for our free day we had a long time ago. Our whole district. Elder Ribar's face is my favorite.