Sister Hannah Schoendorfer in Hungary: Running after the bus with broken boots

9:55 AM (9 hours ago)

Hey!

So first off you are probably wondering about this title! So the boots I brought from home, the ones that I was really excited about because I got them on sale, ya they completely died this week!! No wonder they were on such a good sale! Hahah but anyways the zipper just stopped working and wouldn't zip up but we were out and about for the day and running from one member's house to another and I had to run to the bus looking like a fool with one of my boots just flapping all around, it was too funny.

Anyways this week flew by, I seriously just feel like I was emailing yesterday! Izabella and her family are still doing great. She is still working through some health problems but we had such a neat experience one night when the elders had the opportunity to give her a priesthood blessing. It was a really sweet blessing and she said that she really has been feeling better. She continues to be the sweetest néni here and I just get so happy every time I see her, which is quite a bit actually because she comes to all of the branch activities along with church.

This week we actually went to another funeral! That's right, two in a row. This one was a little different. Joli, who the funeral was for, must have been really loved because there were so many people there. It was also snowing during it so it made for a pretty cold time since the service is basically outside under a covering. It was again just so sad to see how sad the family was and it again just made me so very grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation I have that I want share with everyone.

I wish I would've kept a tally of how many times this week a néni told me I wasn't dressed warm enough. The funniest time was when we were at Klári Néni's who is so so sweet. She is a member of our branch and she has one of the strongest testimonies of anyone I have ever met. She had just read Richard G. Scott's memoriam in the Liahona and she started to cry as she talked about the prophet and apostles and how she knew they have been called of God. As she talked about this, it reminded me of my dad's conversion story, which I'm sure if you ask him he can tell you better than me. I remember that he told me a time when after he had been learning about the church, he went a devotional that President Kimball gave and my dad said he "felt the spirit so strong and could not deny that this man was a prophet of God. Ever since then I have always loved hearing the voice of the Prophet and other leaders of our church, who lead and direct us. As we listen with full purpose of heart, oh what happiness and joy we will feel. It isn't always easy to hold on through challenges but oh how sweet it will be when we feel the blessings of out hard work" (my dad recently shared his conversion story with me). I am also so grateful for the Prophet and church leaders we have and my testimony has been strengthened as we have taught people this week about Prophets and Apostles.

We were let in tracting for my first time since being here!!! It was the coolest because it was the third door we knocked on and it was my turn. I told the gentleman who we were and he said in Hungarian, "Your accent is not Hungarian! Where are you from!?" It was so funny, I told him we were American and we started to show him the Book of Mormon. He invited us in and I really felt the spirit as we taught him about the restoration and Book of Mormon. His name is Viktor and he works with a traveling musical group which is really cool. He was really involved as we taught him. Also, the TV was on when we got there and was making noise in the background but as soon as I started to share Joseph Smith's first vision, it was quiet! It was the neatest experience! We are planning to go back this week and hopefully teach him again so I am excited about that!

We went over to Ilona Néni's again this week, who I have talked about before. The cranky néni who acts super sad until you get her laughing, ya that's her. Anyway we went over there and her son and his girlfriend were there. They actually live in England but we got talking and they were super interested in the the church. It was so amazing! I think Ilona was a little sad about not getting all the attention haha but it was one of the best lessons! We read from the Book of Mormon with them and taught them about the restoration as well.

We had a zone training in Miskolc this week which was fun. It was actually kind of sad because I wasn't able to see any of the sisters from the MTC, in fact I didn't get to see any other sisters at all because Sister Wilson and I are the only sister missionaries in our zone! It was still fun though. At the end though, the elders were staying overnight for splits, so it was just Wilson and I with a large box of Book of Mormons and two packages that I had gotten. We thought we had more time but surely enough found ourselves running for the train and just barely making it on with all our stuff haha, it was so close! It was perfect timing though because the next train didn't come for hours and we made it back just in time for Korus and the lessons we had.

Sport nap was really fun again this week, it is so funny to play basketball with everyone. This week we had 8 of us and played Americans against Hungarians and it was too funny. There is this one Hun, named Zsolti who they always put me in charge of guarding since we both aren't very good at basketball but he is hilarious. Zsolti just dances around everyone to try and get the ball from them and when he shoots he pretty much just chucks the ball and it goes every which way, sometimes it doesn't even hit the backboard or anywhere near it, haha I love it!

At church this week I really felt like part of the ward. I really love each of the members and as I am able to communicate more and more I feel like I really am getting to know them more personally. They are all so sweet and although it's small, I am so grateful for the branch we have. Jelenna, our branch president's mom, had us over for dinner last night and fed us yummy fruit soup and treats us so well! She really does a lot for the branch too and I am so happy to have met her and continue to be able to get to know her better.

Today we went to the zoo with the elders and it was so fun! If you were wondering when a good time to go to the zoo is, ya know like when it isn't crowded or anything, I have the answer! It's in the winter time, when it's snowing! Hahah, it was great though and we basically had the place to ourselves. It was also good that we went today because it was our last district outing with all five of us because while we were at the zoo we found out that Elder Murdock is leaving us :( I guess there is an Elder going home so they need to split up the trio.

A scripture that I found this week that I really loved was in 2 Tim 1:7, which says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." I really love that whole chapter and I just love those words! I know that as we strive to be strong in our faith, we will be blessed!

Love you all so so much!

Sok

szeretettel, Schoendorfer Nővér

Trip to Miskolc: this is right after we ran and just barely made it on the train. I hadn't even had time to put my money back in my wallet after quickly buying the train tickets.