November 23, 2014

Have you heard of Sharon fruit?  We discovered it this week and it is deliciously sweet and crisp.  One website says it's in the persimmon family; another says it is often confused with persimmons.  Persimmons are oval and Sharon fruit is round and called 'fruit of the gods."  May cultures call persimmons and Sharon fruit 'kaki.'  It was advertised in the store as Sharon fruit, but the person we saw eating it called it kaki.

After being gone last week, Monday was a catch up day – washing, shopping, baking --  but we were still ready for home evening.  We welcomed one member and four non-members. 

Tuesday we drove to Pécs as we were asked to inspect the three missionary apartments there before their transfer this week.  That was the reason for baking the day before – a loaf of pumpkin bread for each apartment.  When we returned that evening, we did the inspections for the two apartments here in Kaposvár.  

Christmas decorations were up in the Pécs Mall.  Notice that the carriage is pulled by moose!

Remember I mentioned that the appliance store here sold their refrigerator and raised the price on the washer that we had budgeted for.  So, while in Pécs we went shopping at a larger store in the mall.  We chose what they had in stock (because no store ever knows when they will get additional items once the current stock is sold) and they delivered the next day.   That’s an amazing tender mercy!

Speaking of a tender mercy, we are grateful for one this week.   The director of a disabled children’s home in Szeged had requested a screen (shown above).  She sent us a website and we located the screen at a store in Budapest.  We planned to go pick it up last week when we were there; however we ran out of time.  So decided we would pick it up this week as we left Budapest on our way to Szeged for the project closing.  And then our Monday 9:00 a.m. appointment called and postponed, so we don’t need to go into Budapest  tomorrow; we will go straight to Szeged.  Now what to do about the screen?  We had previously shopped here in Kaposvár and only found one screen with palm trees and birds.  That did not seem appropriate to me.  We went several places here in town asking about a screen and showing them a picture.  We went to all suggested places and the only place left was Pratiker – the screen with palm trees and birds.  When we walked into Pratiker, we saw the very screen that she requested!  She was supposed to have that screen!

 

Now getting it in our little car. . .

 Necessity is the mother of invention – tied to the ceiling!

Wednesday our translator left and moved back to Texas, USA.  Rather sudden and sad news for us.  He has decided he needs to get on with his education.  Currently his wife and child are still here.  The hope is that they will follow him soon.  But it has left us scrambling for someone who can translate for us.

Thursday Péter, an investigator, served as our translator at a closing in Nagykanizia. He did a fine job, but was rather surprised when we didn't accept the offered coffee.  It gave us a chance to have a Word of Wisdom discussion.   Here, the hospital had a waiting area in the Pediatrics Department, but no chairs and no tables in a small eating area and their very small refrigerator for medicines was going out.  Again, we find that with grants the government will fund basic salaries and maintenance, but nothing to enhance or improve.  

Friday evening, some of the girls (and Evi's mother) came early and helped finish some blankets for the project in Szeged.   I’ve learned since the last blankets we did.  

A few tips if you are making fleece blankets:  1)  not tying them means no hard knots to lay on or to get caught, especially in hospital tubing and machines, 2) rounding the corners is nicer, and 3) making a tiny slit and then slipping the fringe through and pulling it down tight leaves the finished edge much softer and consistently nicer looking.

 

Saturday we cleaned the church and then later went with the elders to visit two less-active sisters.  One sister’s husband just got out of the hospital and she is caring for him; the other is not well herself and has a hard time getting out.  But both are very sweet sisters.

Church attendance today was good.  We had 12 in Relief Society -- that's a record.  

All is well here.  We are grateful for our testimonies and for opportunities to share them.  We have been to two programs this week with the elders -- two girls who speak English.   We pray for the elders and those they are teaching.  This is not easy work.  Have you heard that for every door missionaries knock in Europe, someone in Mexico is baptized!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!