jump roping on the fourth story at 6am is socially unacceptable

My subject explains my tuesday morning. The worst part about it is that I didn't even think it would inconvinience someone else which makes me feel dumb, but the best thing about it is that I think my neighbors hate me less now that I don't do it for 45 minutes every morning!

We ate lots of stuffed cabbage and I feel with every serving a few of my once talented taste buds drown and suffocate in the fumes of fermented cabbage. So by the time I get through next year's holiday season I should be completely ready to handle the culinary disaster of shaved ice found in the Phillippines. (Also, that word is very hard to spell. In Hungarian the translation is phillips islands. )

This week we were able to finally meet with our investigator, Gyöngyi, who has been in the hospital. She's kind enough I think I'll risk catching a disease and go back to that death-trap of a building. On a more serious note, she is really struggling healthwise which is hard to watch and hear about, but It really is a blessing because she is coming so much closer to the Lord. Her Book of Mormon is on her side table (next to one of her roommates with a crazy lazy eye) and she says she is praying more now than she ever has in her life.

We gave Zsuzsa, another investigator, to the sisters when we re-drew the areas here in Szeged. She was sad but handled it well. It's hard to watch her not progress since she's ready to get baptised as soon as her partner will agree to marry her; but the answer, like always, is more prayers and love, love, love.

We had a fantastic MCM and our branch president came who is one of the only sarcastic Hungarians alive and is just so great to be around. We went through the ward list and he told us who we should go visit and who we (mostly the sisters) should avoid.

We also had a branch New Year's party which we were able to attend the first thirty minutes of before our bedtime hah! Luckily we were given out of pity all the leftovers from the party.

And yesterday we had great church service where we talked alot about the Europe mission plan. This was followed by a impromptu testimony meeting where members shared their testimonies about missionary moments. And this was followed by not letting this opportunity go to waste and me running around and setting up times we could visit the members or times they could come help us in our lessons since everyones' hearts were changed all of a sudden! One testimony in particuler touched me, but It won't be explained adequately in my translation, but here goes nothing:

Basically this néni has been a member for around ten years and last week for Christmas she got the courage to follow the Europe plan and "invite a friend."  She chose her best friend/husband who is not religious and wasn't very supportive in the past. He agreed to come and she bore testimony of the Spirit softening his heart. She told us that as she walked to the door she was surprised to find him standing next to the door in nice clothes. He asked if he could come with her again today and she asked him to repeat what he just said cause she didn't believe a word of it! She was overjoyed and walked with her husband, who is in a walker, across the city, stopping at a bar halfway through because he wanted a beer, but not judging him because that was not her place. Her job was to love him, invite him, and teach him through her example. That is in fact all our callings too.

 11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

I know our efforts of sharing the gospel are not wasted when we do not see immediate or results in the seemingly far future. It is our sacred duty to love all God's children and my resolution is to seek more diligently than ever before for charity, which makes this all possible. I know when we have charity we can feel the love of God whenever we serve and pray. Because we have been given much we too must give.

Sok szeretettel,

Hughes Elder

BÚÉK

A JW Christmas

This Christmas I felt myself, well a little bit like a Jehovah's Witness since we didn't do much to celebrate, but I weirdly enjoyed it and stopping people on the street asking them about their families and how Christ has effected their lives.

In Hungary they have a few traditions I love and one is Mikulás napja. It is when Santa comes to all the children. He drops off gifts, toys, and fills their shoes with candy because it doesnt occur to the Europeans that eating candy out of their shoes is very unsanitary. Especially unwrapped chocolates (this is the one problem I have with the holiday.) Thanks to this holiday though, Santa is almost completely separated from Christmas. It leaves families to enjoy each others company while indulging themselves in the incredibly and quite unbelievably stuffed fermented cabbage and fish stew that I am just positive is killing my tastebuds bite by bite (unfortunately this is an incredibly strong and old tradition that even though I asserted all my strength with a few members to stop/change it, I was unsucsessful.)

So we spent our Christmas attending church, caroling to less active member that didn't show up to church, and skyping. {Insert: I really am so sorry for being so awkward on skype. I dont know why its stressful for me probably becuase I love you all so much and I just have one hour to leave an impression But I wanted you  to know I love you and feel pretty bad for not sharing a spiritual message since my testimony was not understandable to you guys!} But I love you and am already preparing for the next skype with better questions and trying to learn how to smile normally again since apparently my smile doesnt cut if for you guys anymore which is funny because the nénis cannot get enough of it.

1 miracle this week was that I got to go on exchanges in Szolnok! I love and miss that city and more than missing the ghetto city I miss the incredibly welcoming and loving people I spent so much time with in it. I was able to meet with Érnő and Éva, Aniko, and we got let in to a man's home and taught aout the Book of Mormon and taught him how we can change when we apply the Atonement into our lives.

Other than these two things our week was filled in unbearably awkward caroling experiences (ask mom or dad), #lightingtheworld/SZEGED, and looking up inactive members with the senior couple. (Seniors PLEASE serve mission, your cookies and cars are just priceless!)

I love you all and hope Hannah was less awkward to skype with. I leave you with these wonderful promises to missionaries found in Doctrine and Covenants. They have helped me while being meticulously railed on with hard questions by smart Hungarians, helping and trying to understand struggling missionaries, and being chased/yelled at/thrown objects at by drunk bácsis. The Lord stands beside us as we bear witness of his Son.

 5 Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.

 6 Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

 88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Szeretlek és Boldog Uj Évet kivanok!

Hughes Elder

Pictures- Christmas weather,

Szerdi Elder making metal trees during lunch

Christmas conference 

always moving efficiency

This will be short because my mind is a big tornado right now. Weve been so busy with meeting investigators, christmas party preperations, and finding. Oh and climbing up the 4 flights of stairs to our apartment (this is where the efficiency part comes in). Ive never been more motivated to plan more effectively so that I can avoid the stairs. Well yes this is awkward cause Im just complaining but yes anyways Im moving on. Maybe just dont share this with anyone cause its really out of order and just terrible.

But my week was great. We had transfers on wednesday, lessons all thursday, mission leadership conference on friday in budapest, meetings and christmas party and a baptism (first one ive seen on my mission) it was an 8 year old though and was accompanied with old nénies talking in the back during the ordinance about how we should be working harder so there were more of these. But luckily the spirit at baptisms is louder and more powerful than nénis gossip. Woah this letter is just really negative... Awkward I really am happy the news just threw me off.

Well Ill talk about my companion. He is Szerdi Elder. He is a blacksmith and is making me a tree out of wire for christmas and a ring out of a spoon... that is the extent of his creation without his tools and kiln of sorts hahah I love him this is the best transfer. The first question he asked me on the train as "If you were a troll what would you make people do to cross your bridge?" He is great and I hope you guys can meet him on christmas. He is also a pro yo yoer and has a world record in a video game that he claims only three people have ever played... I however think hes just being really humble. He comes from Southern california and speaks beautiful hungarian but gives me lots of opportunittes to praxtice and learn. Its so good. Every morning im so happy when I wake up and I think thats a huge sign of my happiness since I dont have sheets in this apartment and its always really cold and jumproping is no fun and when I wake up it means in three and a half hours I have to go down you know... the stairs... Yes its even bad going down them.

Szegeds beautiful. The people are... well stilll hungarian. And Im still loving being a missionary. Well I blame you guys for making this email such a mess but I guess i should take responsability so I do now and apologize for not writing this out before hand. I love you all. and cant wait to talk with you soon.

Love,

Hughes Elder

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)