Another Great Week

Sziastok!  (Hi!)

     It really has been another great (and really cold) week here in Nyíregyháza! Early in the week we were invited over by a bácsi, named Attila's house from our ward. To give you an image real quick, he reminds me of the older next door neighbor in the movie 'The Little Prince' (if you've seen it) or Belle's dad in 'Beauty and the Beast'. He is probably my favorite bácsi here because he is just so creative, sweet, and inventive. At one point he said something about how he knows he is old but that isn't going to stop him from trying new things - I love it! 

     When he started to drive up to his house, his dog can running out and was so excited he was coming home, it was like the dog knew the sound of his car from way down the road! Attila built his house and is actually still adding on to it. I thought it was funny how many little projects he had started around that house, it reminded me of being at my brother Frankie's house when he first bought it and started to remodel. Attila made lunch for us and told us stories. He also loves teaching about the gospel and I think he taught us more than we taught him! When he thought I didn't understand something he was talking about he would say it again in a mixture of English and German (I told him about how I lived in Austria last Summer) and it was so cute! 

     After we left his house we went to Erika's. I think I've talked about her and her cute family before. Her daughter, Kata, who actually wasn't there when we arrived, is starting to learn the piano and said she wants to be an organist! I actually told them there was a video of me playing the piano and organ on youtube from my High School Senior Recital and she said they would watch it together. Erika is always so thoughtful and gives us little treats when we leave. I hope we can start teaching her family more and maybe at some point I will be able to play piano with Kata. 

     We went tracting afterwards and it was so so cold and no one was interested, but there was a bácsi walking outside and I went over and started talking to him. At first he wasn't really interested but as we introduced ourselves and testified of the Book of Mormon he really listened. He said he had never heard of the book before but that he would read it. Sometime we will have to stop by there again. 

     On Tuesday nights we sometimes go to what they call English Club. I can't remember if I've talked about this before or not since we only have been once before, but it is in the upstairs portion of a bar which is kind of interesting. Ure Elder and I were on a team playing fussball and we totally crushed Murdock Elder and Dóra. Afterwards though, Betti who came a little late and I started talking. She has started to read the Book of Mormon, and I taught her about the Restoration. It was great to be able to teach in English for once and I shared with her one of my favorite scriptures, Helaman 5:12, which says,

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of

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God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

     I think that is such a powerful scripture and I have seen how having a sure foundation really does hold strong when hard times come our way. If our faith in Christ is strong then everything will eventually work out. The spirit really was strong as I talked with Betti, even if it was in the upstairs of a bar. 

     Also this week we attended a funeral of a member's (Margít) sister, her name was Anna. I never actually met Anna, but I have learned that she had schizophrenia and Margít had been taking good care of her for a long time. They are both older and my heart sank as I watched Margít with one hand on the top of the casket, before the service started, with tears rolling down her face. The service was really interesting and it was the first funeral I have attended in another language. It was also the first funeral I had been to where they actually buried the casket at the funeral with everyone there. Margít dropped in a piece of a blanket and some flowers. This experience really strengthened my testimony of the Plan of Salvation and I am so grateful for the knowledge we have that families can be together forever and I love sharing that knowledge with the people here. 

     One night this week we went to Kata's house. At first she just had one small lamp on and we were just talking and I was trying to talk to her mom (who I included a picture with) since there is no hope of really understanding Kata. Just kidding, I actually started to understand her a little bit more this week, but she talks so so fast and always is bouncing off the walls with energy. After I finally got the Néni (mother) talking, it was impossible to get her to stop haha. I started to share a scripture and then when I started to explain why I liked it she just went off about who knows what.      After we left their house we went over to Laszlo, Évas, and Danis. Dani is their 7 year old (kind of) monster of a child. And no, I'm not just making that up; Laszlo actually called him that and that's how I learned the word for monster (szörnyű). It was enjoyable to visit with them, they are a sweet family. But at the end of a nice dinner and visit with them as we sat on their comfy couch we were suddenly caught off guard by Dani flicking us with a partly empty danimals yogurt! It was like it happened in slow motion, and my companion and I had spots of yogurt everywhere on us. After this occurred, his parents made him go take a bath but really it was Wilson Nővér and I who needed the bath haha! It was one of those moments were I was like "I'm just a missionary in Hungary, getting sprayed with yogurt by a little 7 year old." Luckily it was at the end of the night and I just thought it was rather hilarious. 

     Now for an update on Izabella, Iza and Viktor. They are still doing great but they have a few obstacles that will hopefully work themselves out. Izabella  has some health problems which she wants to make sure are okay before she gets baptized, but this week were are going to teach her more about the priesthood and see if she would like a priesthood blessing. Iza and Viktor continue looking for a new jobs so they would be able to attend to church, but I'm not sure how long that will take. The first lesson we had with them was great because we brought a Ukrainian member who was able to talk to Viktor a little bit, but during the second lesson we didn't have her with us. This week we were teaching them more about the gospel and as we taught, Iza was translating what we were saying into Ukrainian for Viktor and it was so neat to see him learning through Iza. I really felt the spirit even if I didn't understand a lot of what was being said, but I am so grateful that there is one language that is universal - the language of the spirit! I love teaching them and I hope they will continue to progress, I know that the Lord provides a way for us in situations as we strive to come closer to Him. 

     A few other fun opportunities that happened this week were korus, jaték est (game night), and sport nap. At korus, Wilson Nővér wanted to try to play the piano for a few of the songs again. We had a little break then during practice, since Ure Elder and I were sitting next to the piano, we started knocking on it as if were tracting and gave our door approach and Kata about lost it laughing haha, it was pretty funny. Kata loves the missionaries and loves when we come to korus and double the numbers of the people there. Jaték est (game night) was so fun this week and Kristőf (a boy with special needs) was the life of the party. We were playing this game where we had to say a name of an animal and pass it around the circle before the person in the middle tagged us. Kristőf kept forgetting what animal he was and then he just started making turkey noises and said he wanted to be darth pulyka (pulyka is turkey). It was too funny! Everyone loves Kristőf and he will always brighten up your day. 

     And finally Sport Nap - I'm a little hesitant to write about this because I know my brothers will just get a kick out of it and their klutz of a sister haha. I was playing around with the soccer ball with one of the members on the basketball court. We were playing around on a court that was covered in snow for the most part, but there was one part where you couldn't really tell was covered in straight ice, and I totally fell backwards on it when I ran to get the ball. It hurt so bad, but I'm okay! We also played a game of basketball with a new group of guys that came and I don't know if any of them had ever played basketball before, it was so funny to watch as the ball was going every which way. Later that day we were at our Relief Society President's house, teaching her granddaughters, and I told her about how I fell earlier and she gave me a little pillow and insisted that I sit on it. I know I say this almost ever week but the nénis here are really just the best! 

     I think that's a good recap from this past week. I love you all and hope you have a great week wherever you may be. Oh there is one more thing to share. On the way home from church yesterday, a básci stopped me and before he even heard me say anything he said "honnan jöttel?" (where are you from?) It was so random and then he just told me about how he coulndn't speak any english, but told me I was pretty and then just walked away before I could say anything else. I don't know what it was that made him wonder where I was from, maybe my blonde hair, but it was just so random and made for an interesting walk home!

Sok szeretettel, Schoendorfer Nővér

When it gets super cold, you just have to really bundle up

3 D puzzle of the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest

Member's mom who lives with them and she is so cute. She usually acts miserable as if she doesn't want to talk to you but if you just keep trying to talk to her she'll be laughing within the next few minutes, and then you aren't able to get her to stop

We go tracting in many big apartment buildings and they almost always have lots of plants everywhere, I love it!

This is the view outside my window where I study everyday and the sky today had a really pretty sunset!

This is a really cute note that Kristof wrote in my planner one night, I have talked about him before (the young boy with special needs). He always brightens your day. It says "You are a friendly girl and also nice. I hope you enjoy it here in Hungary."