January 4, 2015

Stands selling New Year's Eve essentials were braving the cold.

Another very cold week has come and gone – and now the snow is melting and it’s warming up a bit.  AND, we only took the above pictures!!!!  So sorry, this will be a text only post.

Monday we hosted family home evening, had a nice message and played a few games. 

Tuesday, along with the elders, we were invited to the home of one of our young single adult members, whose mother is taking the discussions.  They are lovely people and we had a very enjoyable evening getting more acquainted and also meeting the father/husband who was in town and home because of the holiday week.  As a non-member, B (the mother) has family history records on paper several hundred years back and does indexing daily.  The family history missionary couple will be coming to Kaposvár next week to help B learn to digitize her records and we’ll invite other members to come and learn also.

Tuesday morning I went grocery shopping and must mention I have never seen a store so busy and crowded.  Remember, all stores would be closed New Year’s Eve and Day.  I think half the town's population were there stocking up like it was the day before a natural disaster!   There were very long lines at the meat counters and the check out registers; employees were excusing themselves to get through the crowds with palate after palate of alcohol that were being placed at every strategic eye-catching site in the store.  The next day I went back because I had forgotten something. The other half of the town were there this day.   The meat shelves were empty!   The pickle shelves were empty!  The eggs were gone!  Luckily I only needed a bar of baking chocolate, and there were four left!

We gathered at the branch house for New Year’s Eve and played some games with a few of our young single adults and a couple of investigators.  We had a good time and ended in time for the missionaries to go home on schedule.   We did not stay up to ‘ring in the new year,’ but I was reading and kept hearing intermittent fireworks going off.  At midnight they became intense for a half hour or so, and then they were intermittent and close by for awhile!  Also at midnight we received a text wishing us Happy New Year – so I guess we really did ‘ring it in’ – just not in an upright position and outside in the bitter cold.

The elders spent New Year’s Day with us.  We had a repeat brunch of palacsintas, played games and then had lentil soup later.   Lentils are the traditional Hungarian New Year’s fare – which if eaten first on New Year’s Day, one has a promise of prosperity.  One shouldn’t eat fish because luck swims away with them, nor should one eat poultry because luck is ‘scratched’ away.  Roasted pork is the meat of the day because it symbolizes progress as pigs root themselves in the ground before going forward.  Traditions and superstitions are very alive and well in Hungary, especially with holidays and meals.

When Sacrament Meeting started this morning, there were 13 adults in attendance – six of us were missionaries.  That was a bit scary.  However, within a few minutes we had 25 – much better.  There was a mini transfer this week and we received an elder from Germany.  This was like Christmas for our German couple in the branch.  Brother G (who only speaks German) has been wishing for this for the 9 years they have lived here.   The elder translated for them, and when Brother G stood to bear his testimony his face was lit like a Christmas tree he was so happy!  President B told us (he and his wife were here for lunch) that Brother G will now receive a calling because the German elder can help translate for him!   

For those who have asked and are concerned, we will report that our little Carlee has reached her weight so that her surgery is scheduled for this coming Thursday, January 8.  They will remove her stoma bag and reattach the small intestine to the large intestines.  The goal is that the remaining small intestines have healed and will be able to absorb the nutrients necessary from the breast milk for her to thrive and get off of the TPN (the nutrition substitute that goes in through the feeding tube) as that is not good for her liver.  When they started some breast milk she seemed to be absorbing it, but lately has not seemed to be and has been receiving antibiotics to hopefully clear up interfering bacteria.  We are hoping and praying that on Thursday all this will be successful and that she will then continue to heal, grow and develop normally.  

We know that Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are very aware of little Carlee and her family.  We also know that miracles have not ceased, and if it is the will of Heaven, Carlee will be healed.  We pray for faith, understanding and love.