October 19, 2ö14

Senior Conference this week.  President Smith likes to superimpose with the Budapest skyline as a background.  No, we are not dangling our legs in the Danube.

Monday we headed to Budapest and were in time to get to the Garmin store and learn that GyPSy was not repairable, but they kindly sold us a replacement; and then we went to the mall and bought a sewing machine for a home for disabled adults (as the staff would like to be able to mend their clothes). 

We also picked up our order for the safety pad to go on the basketball standard (it sits on the edge of a soccer field and could potentially be in the way of a soccer player).  It turns out this was made in the back of a tailoring shop.  Above are a just a couple of samples of the beautiful work they do there.  No, we don’t have the finest tailored safety pad in the country; that’s just where they are all made. 

Tuesday began our Senior Conference.  We heard thoughts and testimonies from a new couple and then the couples who are leaving soon, along with ideas and activities each are doing to help strengthen the branches where they serve.   President and Sister Smith also shared thoughts and examples of the role of senior missionaries and how we can be effectively involved with the proselytizing missionaries with whom we serve.  One of the sisters shared the following:

The Savior’s Seniors, by Margaret Beets

                The Master’s heart was full of compassion for these, his children.  Looking down upon the earth below, he mused, “Yonder are seniors unorganized.  We will try them and see if they will leave their rocking chairs, their mobile homes, their fishing spots, and their grandchildren and become saviors on Mount Zion for those who anxiously await the gospel message.”

                And it came to pass that the work was organized.  And the seniors came with sprightly step, with halting walk, with braces and crutches and wheelchairs, with pacemakers and hearing aids, hip and knee replacements, back surgery, and bottles of vitamins. They adjusted their trifocals, rolled up their sleeves and went to work.  Their eyes sparkled and their hearts sang as they accepted their allotted chores.  And they brought forth good works. . .and all did as much as they were able.  And Satan cried with a loud voice in terrible frustration. . .and the Master looked down to earth and was pleased with these his senior children.

 In the evening we had an enjoyable time playing games.

The next morning we split into two groups and went two different directions for some sightseeing.  We headed north to see the town of Visegrád to see the Citadel and Royal Palace and then to see the Esytergom Basilica.

The citadel (or fortress) sits very high on a hill overlooking the town of Visegrád and the beautiful Danube River Bend Valley.  

At the time it was built it protected the valley, controlled the commercial route between Buda and Esztergom, and was the customs house.  

 

It was built by the Romans during the reign of Constantine.  It was destroyed by the Mongols in their raids in 1241-42.  King Béla IV built the current fortress.  

Elders Jensen and Miller trying to be tortured.

We saw the sign for this room -- Arm Exhibition.  Maybe this is where Ammon brought his arms to King Lamoni.

 No, it was three decades of Hungarian weaponry.

 Life-size wax figures, depicting a feast and a dance.

Below the citadel is the Royal Palace – or its remains – of the early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias, built in 1247.   The Turks put an end to the 350-room palace and Visegrád’s heyday in 1543.  Most of the palace and town were destroyed, and then later were buried in a mudslide and is still being excavated.   

In the palace courtyard is the Hercules Fountain, which is depicted on the thousand forint bill.

We then drove to Esztergom, had lunch (a good vegetarian pizza) before going to see the Esztergom Basilica – officially the Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed into Heaven and St. Aldebert.  

This is the Mother church of the archdiocese of Esztergom and Budapest and the seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary.  It is the largest church building in Hungary and the 18^th largest church in the world.  The cathedral was first built in 1001-1010 and was the first in Hungary.  It burned, survived the Mongol invasion, was destroyed, rebuilt, and ruined under Turkish rule.  The current cathedral was built on the same site and consecrated in 1856, and finished in 1869. 

Inside the cupola and a portion of the ceiling.  

The altarpiece (painting) is a copy of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti, and is the largest oil painting in the world on a single canvas.

The skull (and a few random bones) of St. Istvan (Stephen).  Remember that his hand is in the St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest.  Poor guy.  Wonder if we’ll see other parts in other places? 

The organ is the largest in Hungary and third largest in Europe, has five manuals and 146 stops.  Franz Liszt had one of his compositions premiered at the cathedral’s 1856 consecration ceremonies.  

A statue to the side of the cathedral depicting the coronation of St. Stephen.

At the statue we could look across the Danube and see Serbia.

Later, on the way out of Budapest we stopped to purchase backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags for a children’s home in Budapest – to be delivered on our next visit.

Oh, we turned in the ‘red rocket’ and were issued a new, navy blue 2015 Opel – without cruise control and with suicide doors!  All the cars in this mission are navy blue.  Anyone know why that would seem a standard color for church vehicles?

Young Single Adults was a good evening on Friday – a birthday celebration for one of the girls.  This is a piñata that Évi (another young sister) made.  Saturday we attended a ‘program’ with a man who is a school teacher and who has met with the missionaries on and off for a number of years.  He’s a great guy, speaks English, believes, even helps teach; but  now the goal is for him to make a commitment.

Our meetings today were very good.  We had several investigators in attendance, along with a member of the stake presidency, our mission president and wife and the office senior couple who came with them.  Elder Miller says they had a record number in Priesthood meeting.  Our translator’s father was visiting from Texas and they came over for lunch before he left back to Budapest to catch his flight.

We are grateful for our calling to this beautiful country of Hungary. This country is very old, and they have had a long, oppressive and eclectic history.  They have been centuries without the gospel.  Is it any wonder that it is a bit hard for them to make changes in their traditions?  Those who have are so appreciative and know they are truly blessed.  We are blessed to know and serve these children of Heavenly Father – to love them, bear our testimonies to them and hopefully see them accept this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 

October 12, 2014

Beautiful Autumn Flowers in Kaposvár

The last two weeks the air has been quite humid and the laundry didn’t dry hanging out on the deck on Saturday, so figured it was time to bring the drying racks inside for the season.  However, this Saturday was a nice sunshiny day and clothes dried very nicely.  We are enjoying the pleasant crisp autumn weather and watching the tree-lined streets fill with falling leaves. 

This week we mostly were at home calling, researching and preparing for projects.  We submitted two and both were approved.  

We spent some time preparing a Power Point presentation showing a summary of our humanitarian work for the senior conference this coming week.

One day we drove to Pécs to inspect a missionary apartment (that had been closed for a couple of transfers), and go to a sporting goods store there to check out backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents for one of our projects. 

We have truly been grateful for and depended on GyPSy to get us everywhere we needed to go. She has done a great job.  It is quite amazing that she can find the most obscure addresses.   But we think she has died.  She’s been acting up and saying she has a low battery – even when she is plugged in.  We plugged her in to the computer, but nothing changed and last night she lost all her programs.   How long do GPS’s last?

It is definitely harvest season.  The sunflowers are mostly gone.  The fields of corn are still standing.  Not sure what will happen to them.  Haven’t seen much corn for sale in the stores, so don’t know if it is field corn or used for oil. 

Saturday we discovered the Nagy Piac (Big Market) here in Kaposvár, so went to have a look.  Speaking of harvest season, here’s a sampling:

Paprikas (peppers) are prolific -- and profoundly palatable!

Cauliflower (karfiol) was white and delightsome. . .

Zeller (celery root) is a bit weird looking. . .

Radishes (retekek) on steroids. . .

 Carrots (sárgarépak) show the muddy fields. . .

The corn (kukorica) was perfect. . .

Beets (céklak) grew gigantic. . .

Kohlrabi (kalarábé) looked inviting -- just need to find some recipes

Cabbage (káposzta) are all quite large

Idared apples (almak) – Hungary’s best 

 Walnuts (díok) and horse chestnuts (gesztenyek)are indigenous.

  And no Hungarian market would be complete without. . .

The pickled vegetables --  pickles stuffed with sauerkraut and many other vegetables. . .

The sausages. . .

and a few handcrafts.

October 5, 2014

We spent most of this week working in and from Budapest.  

Tuesday we closed two projects.   The first was for the Tunyogi Healing Playhouse.  Forty years ago Tunyogi  (third from left) started this foundation for infants and young children who mostly were deprived of oxygen at birth causing motor skill development issues.   Her therapeutic ‘games’ have been presented at conferences in Germany and Norway.  She is very dedicated and feels if the child begins treatment as early as six months old, there is a 90% chance they can start normally in school.  This picture shows the older children’s class.  They were given 3 cassette players, a vacuum, a shelf and some chairs.  Tunyogi gave us a plant.

The other closing was at a homeless shelter in Budapest.  The city is trying to get all the homeless off the streets, so in this one district, they are turning vacant buildings into apartments for the homeless.  One apartment was finished and had several occupants.  An adjoining apartment was still being finished.  The woman on the left was painting a room where she and her husband  (who is very ill) will be moving in.   Yes, the building is old, but all rooms and belongings were clean and in order.   The leaders (bottom right and next to Sharon) told us they meet each morning and evening to talk about the day, possible employment opportunities, assignments in the apartment (as they share kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities), and to boost confidence.  They stress cleanliness – showering each day and clothes being kept clean.   The LDS Humanitarian Fund provided them with refrigerators, stoves, and washers.   One of the leaders told us he was very impressed with the donation, and then he sort of choked up.  We told we were impressed with what they were doing for the homeless.  He was very teary when he spoke about the woman (who was painting) saying they have such a sad, very awful story.  It is very humbling to meet and help those who are willing to help the ‘least of these.’ 

We visited a children’s home in Budapest which was WAY UP a hill – and we went the wrong way (up and more up) a couple of times, but when we finally arrived, the view of the city was spectacular.   

We discovered that our public transportation passes included a boat ride on the Danube.  So we took a ride just at dusk and while we were on the water, the lights of the city and bridges came on.  Budapest from the Danube is really a beautifully picturesque city, especially at night.  There are 7 bridges that span the Danube to connect Buda and Pest.  Some are much more elaborate than others.

The next day we drove to two other cities – Szeged and Kecskemét – and met with the director of a disabled day care for children and the Red Cross.   It is amazing that when these people start up they find a tiny, available spot in a building and that becomes their office for many years.  The office for the disabled day care was so tiny there was no place to sit down.   It was full of the papers and files for the 22 years or so since they have been a foundation.  

So with the project that was approved last week, we have plenty to keep us busy this week.  

We had looked up some places to visit while in these new cities, but it didn’t happen.  We walked past the Szeged Synogogue, so could take this picture.  It was rather hidden by trees. 

On the way from one city to another we passed the Mercedes Benz manufacturing plant.  It was HUGE – as in MASSIVE!   Stan went to see if we could take a tour, but they do not have such a thing.  It was interesting to see the lineup of bicycles and scooters and very few cars in the employee parking lot.  Obviously, these workers cannot afford a Mercedes!   (Actually, it is probably because of the very low wages in Hungary that the plant is here.) 

While in Budapest we attended Zone Conference, which is always nice to see other missionaries and have a spiritual boost as we learned how to become master teachers, working with ward/branch leaders and being better and more effective missionaries.  The outgoing and incoming missionaries bore their testimonies, which is always impressive -- so many young missionaries so prepared!

General Conference was awesome again.  We still need to watch the Sunday afternoon session – hopefully this evening.  We were able to watch the Saturday morning session live on Saturday evening and then the elders spent much of Sunday with us and we watched the Priesthood session, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions.   We are so grateful for the technology that allows us to view conference – some live and others right away.   Truly we are blessed and live in amazing times. We are grateful and blessed to have living prophets, seers and revelators who lead us, strengthen us and bear testimony to us.  We are grateful for our Savior who makes all this possible.