March 22, 2015

Lovely restrooms at a Shell station along the road -- had to pay though!

Awaited for months, spring fills the world with the cacophony of life when it comes.  And waiting for this season is not in vain: sooner or later it does arrive.  Like a playful distant relative, you never know when it will knock on your door.  But when it arrives in your life, it comes irresistibly, with cheerful fervor.  It tells stories with laughter, filling the rooms, streets, squares and cities with the taste of sun and wind. 

                                       (Delightful quote from a Hungarian Herend Porcelain Brochure)

Top ten reasons we know it is spring in Hungary:

            10.  Birds are singing – every morning around 4:30 a.m.

 

              9.  Flowers are planted, buds are becoming visible.

              8.  Many fields are green and many are being plowed – getting ready.

              7.  Tractors and other large farm equipment are out on the roads –under 40 mph.

              6.  The snow fences in fields are being taken down.

              5.  Colorful Easter decorations are at the malls.

              4.  Street workers are out en masse – cleaning, sweeping, pruning, planting.

              3.  Sidewalks are teeming with bicycles -- coming up behind without warning.

 

              2.  Restaurant decks are coming outside.

              1.  Ice cream shops and stands are opening!

Another full and fulfilling week.  We traveled four hours to Szolnok and met with two agencies – a hospice and intermediate care and a home for disabled adults.  Two elders accompanied us to translate.  About mid-afternoon they indicated they hadn’t had lunch yet! Our second appointment was out of town a ways, so when we finished we hurried back to town and had some quick dinner before the weekly English class they teach at the church.  We don’t always have or take time to walk around a city and take photos.

But on the way, we saw some interesting buildings:

Close up of the intricate window design.

 Then it was on to Békéscsaba to spend the night.

There we met a senior couple, Elder and Sister Smith (Randolph, UT) and enjoyed a visit and refreshments at their apartment.  Above is Hotel Fiume (built in 1867) where we stayed, a very nice place right on the walking street.  Across from it is this city government building.

Above is a glass telephone booth and an intriguing antique desk inside the hotel.

Before appointments the next morning we went for a walk and saw:

  

A very blue government building,

The Békéscsaba LDS meeting house.

 

The Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church, which seats 3,500 (5,000 SRO). 

The next morning Sister Smith brought a lovely lady (and her husband) to whom she teaches piano to translate for us.  We visited a hospital and then another home for the disabled – of all ages.  

 

Afterwards we had lunch together at the hotel dining room --  some very delicious vegetables and almond potatoes. 

And then we headed home.  On this trip we finished the book, Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly.  It was most interesting, but oh, so hard to read and know much more detail about Roman leaders and torture and the time of Christ.  It is incomprehensible to even try to imagine the pain and suffering He willingly endured for us. Oh, how grateful we are.

Elders Heilein (Frankfurt, Germany), Martineau (Santa Clara, UT), King (Orem, UT) and Roberts (Pleasant Grove, UT)

Friday we went south with our Kaposvar elders to zone training in Pécs.  We were asked by Elder Kearon to meet soon and review the principles learned at Zone Conference.   It was probably the best zone training we have attended.  Three items we are asked to focus on:

•  Mornings are very important – attack them!

I frequently say to missionaries in the field, ‘You make or break your mission every morning of your life. You tell me how those morning hours go from 6:30 a.m. until you are on the street in your mission, whatever time it is; you tell me how those hours go, and I will tell you how your day will go, I will tell you how your month will go, I will tell you how your year will go and how your mission and your life will go.’                                                                                    Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

• Baptisms – Make it personal; bring them home.

• Choose to be happy!

Saturday morning I left on the train at 6:00 a.m. with Sister Balint (our Relief Society president) to the stake RS celebration in Budapest.  That was nice to see a few people I knew in Budapest and be there with these humble, wonderful sisters.  There were some talks, some impromptu role plays about visiting teaching (the sisters were quite hilarious and dramatic).  It was fun to watch them.  They also showed a Church video about hands – in service throughout life. Have you seen it?  It is very touching. 

We had 12 ‘friends’ (non-members) at church today!  We are really praying that some of these will ask and have a witness of the Spirit so that they will make a commitment for baptism.  Our elders are doing a great job.  They are finding and teaching and we enjoy being with them at their teaching discussions (programs) whenever we are in town.  It is a privilege to bear our testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel to those whom they are teaching.  It is a privilege to serve here. 

March 15, 2015

If we were in Italy, we would wish you “Happy Ides of March.”(We were reading about this fateful date of Julius Ceaser earlier this week.)  However, since we are in Hungary, we will wish you “Happy Hungarian Spring.”  This day in Hungary stands for democracy and freedom and commemorates the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, a bloodless fight for freedom from Habsburg rule, which then grew into a war against Austria and her allies.  Hungarians were only asking for freedom of the press, to establish a parliament and government, freedom of religion, a jury, a national bank, a Hungarian army and the withdrawal of foreign military presence (freedoms most of us take for granted).  In 1849 Russia intervened on the side of Austria, and won!  Independence for Hungary was short-lived once again – really until 1989.  These tri-color ‘cockades’ are now proudly worn by Hungarians on this day. 

Today is the start of a new Hungarian law – stores begin today to be closed on Sunday.   While that sounds wonderful, and hopefully it will be, there are quite a few exceptions that are controversial.  Apparently, small family-owned businesses have a choice, malls with theaters can stay open and businesses that cater to tourists or are near transportation stations can also stay open.   You see the conflict / discrimination – especially  for those people and stores who depend on the weekend employment and shoppers.

Monday at family home evening we celebrated Elder Heilein’s birthday with his favorite banana cake  -- his family’s special German recipe his mother sent me.  The bottom is sort of like what we call German pancakes, next a layer of sliced bananas, then a layer of pudding mixed with whipped cream, and drizzled with chocolate on top.  He was happy. 

Tuesday we headed to Győr to a carpet store to buy and pay for some carpet (with roads and villages) for a kindergarten room and drop off some books and earphones to a school we are helping.  They are waiting for the delivery of some cabinets and some gym equipment for the kindergarten, so the ‘closing’ will be the next trip that direction. 

We continued to Budapest and took Elders Parkinson and Depallens with us to ‘close’ a project with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Catholic Order.  This is a home for mothers in crisis, and the Humanitarian Fund provided them with 3 small refrigerators, a washer, a stove, some baby bottles and thermometers.  Some directors make a big deal out of ‘closings,’ and others just express their thanks and appreciation and it takes 5 minutes.   This was the latter.  Here the appliances are not yet in their specified rooms.    

We hoped to visit something of note that evening, but places were closed.  We even tried to find an English language movie, but the only one available didn’t start until 9 p.m. – too late for this night.

The next morning we met at the mission home for Zone Conference, with visiting general authority President Patrick Kearon of the Europe Area Presidency.  We felt the Spirit throughout the day.  Elder Kearon is a master teacher, as he reviewed and taught principles from Preach My Gospel.  A few of his comments: 

• The miracle of having 85,000 missionaries is that the best and brightest are out at a time they turn from caterpillar to butterfly. . .
• Nothing happens in missionary work until you find people to teach. 
• Long before you speak, impressions are made; look the message, become the message. 
• ‘Investigator’ is such a harsh word.  What does it bring to mind?  Let’s call those we are teaching ‘friends.’ 
• Don’t ‘drop’ the friends we are teaching; ‘rest’ them for a season if necessary.
• When meeting with less actives, ask them how they joined the Church; let them relive their conversion.

Back home, we attended programs with the elders on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Friday our interpreter came to help us make appointments in a couple of new cities.  It was rather discouraging as it seemed that principals and directors were out of the office and we were told to “call back next week.”   Later, we realized that this is a holiday weekend.   We will try again Monday and are hoping to head out this week for areas in Hungary we have not yet served. 

Because today was a holiday, there were fewer attending church today.  But afterwards it was the branch ‘linger longer” – a pot luck meal on the third Sunday of each month.   It’s a rather casual meal after the meetings, and the members are participating better (bringing food) each month.  Our high counselor and family members were visiting today; they surely helped the attendance numbers. We sang Happy Birthday to Zsuzsa; her cake had the traditional Hungarian 'sparkler.'

We continue to pray for senior couples to serve missions.  The lack of replacements is true also in the  Europe Area humanitarian missions.  Of the 13 couples who are serving in countries in our area, only four are currently being replaced.   We are told the budget money is there, so we can do practically unlimited projects.  In the next few weeks we will try to meet with many new potential projects – and then with no one coming to complete them, we will need to wrap everything up before we leave.    

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  We are grateful for that witness.   We are grateful to represent Jesus Christ and in some small ways help His Church and His work be known and go forward in the country of Hungary.   And, we have truly been guided and blessed in our experiences. 

March 8, 2015

Are these in America?  We've only seen them twice in rather obscure places.  
Hazelnuts are indigenous to Hungary.

Another wonderful Sunday.  It was branch conference today, and the stake presidency visited.  We heard from our branch president, who is amazing and always speaks from the heart with great messages related to the scriptures – and never a note!  He spoke about water being near Christ or being mentioned in the scriptures and related it to living water.  The stake president’s talk was also wonderful.   He is a very humble young man and became quite emotional as he bore testimony to the words we had sung in the opening hymn, How Firm a Foundation:

Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

L-R, Dori and Balazs Balint, branch president, Mirko Kovacs, stake clerk,
 Christopher Southwick, stake president, and Stan

We invited the stake and branch presidency to lunch afterwards.  We knew they would have some meetings afterwards and didn’t want to send them off for a two-hour drive back to Budapest with no lunch.  Meetings and interviews took quite awhile; they didn’t end up here until after 3 p.m., and then left after 5 p.m.   What a long day for these men.  But we did enjoy our visit. President Nemeth-Toth is missing from the picture as he went to 'rescue' a branch member's car issues (long story).

Earlier in the week we were in Budapest where we spent a day paying for orders, shopping for three different projects and closing the project for a children’s home.  The Humanitarian Fund provided the home with a fridge, microwave, stove, a projector and sound equipment.  They have classes that make movies and they wanted to be able to show them to the students and to visiting students.  We were looking forward to knowing how excited the students were to have this equipment.  However, the director apparently forgot the appointment or double booked as he was away at a conference at appointment time.  They called the assistant and she showed us around and we ‘closed’ with her, but didn’t get his personal touch. 

We met with a new potential project – a home for mothers and families in crisis.  This usually happens when families lose their housing, their job, etc.  Yes, there seem to be quite of few of these places for which the government then becomes responsible.   We are waiting to hear from them. 

While in Budapest, we went with Elder and Sister Peterson (fairly new senior couple) to visit the House of Terror – a rather poignant and grim experience.  Again, we could not take photos.  The House of Terror is now a museum, but the building and the block were “witnesses to two shameful and tragic periods in Hungary’s 20^th century history.  It was truly a house of terror.  In 1944 it was the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis.  Then between 1945 and 1956, the notorious Communist terror organizations took up residence there.”

We thought we would see actual torture chambers and devices, but thankfully, there were none. We saw empty, but horrific cells in the basement.  Experiences were talked about tastefully on video clips; there were newspapers and photos of victims and the ‘victimizers.’  Uniforms were displayed, showing the change from Nazi to Communist rule, but the terror did not change.  The leaders executed anyone suspected of being against the ruling party.  Many of these leaders were never brought to justice; and some are still living.  Sad statistics show millions of people perished over the decades in the camps of the Gulag; and 600-700 thousand former Hungarians citizens ended up in Soviet captivity.  Many of them were not allowed to return to their families even after the expiration of their punishment. The last Soviet advisers left Hungary in 1989.  The last Hungarian prisoner-of-war, András Toma, returned home from Russia in the year 2000.  

Oh, what a sad and tangled history Hungary has had.  Elder Russell M. Nelson dedicated this land for the preaching of the gospel in 1987.  The mission was opened in 1990.  The country is young in the gospel sense.  It is only the current generation of youth that do not have the background of thoughts, teachings and traditions to overcome. 

Slowly we see some progress being made in our little Kaposvár Branch.  Members are starting to attend more regularly.  There were 8 non-members/investigators there today.  In fact, the father of a family that has not attended since we’ve been here came and even stayed for priesthood meeting.  We and the elders have visited several times to let them know that we need their family and their family needs the Church and the gospel.  It was thrilling to see him walk in.  We all so need the support and strength of the Church and its members and we also need to give of ourselves to the Church and its members.  We are so blessed and so thankful for our Savior’s love, mercy and His Atonement for us.  We must spend our days – and far beyond – serving with our whole souls and hopefully this will help us become at least somewhat profitable servants. 

March 1, 2015

Typical step configuration for strollers, the disabled, etc. 

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.   And 9 non-members were at church today, along with 4 visitors, and a member who has not attended since we’ve been here – and she bore her testimony!  It was a very good meeting – even if the mission president pre-empted the elder who usually translates for me.  

Another week here at home and attending many programs with the elders.  One was with a 12-year old who wants to be baptized.  The elders need to meet with his mother (she brought him to church last week).  Another program was with a lady from the Dominican Republic.  She is married to a Hungarian and he has a cousin who is a member serving a mission in California.  She wants to learn about the church.  (Small problem, she is leaving in a couple of weeks to meet her husband who is currently working in Germany.)   Interesting program.  She is being taught by a German elder.  He speaks great Hungarian, has also learned English and is now learning a bit of Spanish to teach her.   She speaks a little Hungarian and a little English, but Elder Miller’s Spanish and the translation app on his iPhone for Spanish were great helps in the lesson.  Another lady is very interested, likes all that she has been taught; she just doesn’t want to discount other churches.

We also visited a sweet family who live about 40 miles out of town to home teach and give the husband a blessing.   They just had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago.   He is so cute and filled out; he weighs around 8 lbs.  When I held him, I just thought of Carlee; she’s about that size – and I wanted her to be in my arms.  It was a tender moment.  The husband is doing some sort of training/school so that he can get a job and when that is finished in April, they will move to Kaposvar and then they can come to church.  They seem very interested and sincere.  His mother is an active member, but she usually comes in to town on Saturday and stays with a daughter for the weekend. 

On the way we went through a village with homes that had interesting designs.  We have noticed them in villages before.  We are told that this is a very old custom.

We did have three projects approved this week and have been monitoring the deliveries of several orders from our computer here.  We will be headed to Budapest this week to close a project, purchase items and possibly visit with a new potential project.  

Elder Miller had a suit cleaned and picked it up this week. The lady at the cleaners very carefully took his suit off the hanging rack, took the hanger off and neatly folded it up inside out.  Since it was raining out, he did ask for some plastic to cover it.

We had a branch activity/party on Friday evening for Farsang (pronounced ‘far-shong’).  Farsang (“Carnival” in English) is an important tradition in Hungary, as it is in many other parts of the world.  It’s a combination of Christian traditions and old pagan rituals, very tied to the Catholic Church.  Typically, Farsang season starts after the Christmas season, which officially ends on January 6^th or Epiphany.  It can be marked by masquerade balls, eating, drinking and loud noises and comes to a high point the last three days before Lent begins.   We are told that some towns carry on this tradition with events during the whole season.  Don’t know of any events in our town, but then there’s a lot we don’t know about.  We saw some masks for sale.  Our party was much milder than other celebrations, I’m sure.  

Since missionaries can’t dress up, we only had a couple of young girls don the ghoulish garbs that are supposed to scare away the winter and welcome spring.  And the girl who was in charge didn’t really get the karaoke to work as she planned, so it was a pretty low-key activity.  We did have 10 non-members in attendance!

Exciting week or not, we are grateful for the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, for our membership in this Church and Kingdom on the earth and for the opportunity to serve the wonderful people of Hungary.