Monday, December 22, 2014

Merry Christmas!! (Dec 22)

I love you all so much! And I hope you have a great week and Christmas. Remember that Christ truly does love you. :)

Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

these are the things my friends do to me on my mission. dont you just love people? hahahah.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas... (Dec 15)

Except for I dont think well have it this year.. :( It has been pretty cold, but no snow yet.. hopefully soon! 

But! Christmas is coming, which is a very exciting thing! :) Getting ready for Christmas has been a fun thing here in Győr, mostly because the missionaries are doing quite a bit of work, and it has been hard to find solid member support.. but, we'll see how it goes! I think our Christmas program will be good. :) We will be acting out the Nativity with a lot of youth and children! Hopefully it gets the kids in gear to understand the why of Christmas! 

Well, I love you all tons! Have a great week, stay warm and safe and remember to #sharethegift with christmas.mormon.org !! :) 
Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder



Santa's Coming, Santa's... Came? (Dec 8)

So this week was way fun! Kind of a lot of craziness, but what do you expect from a mission? :) 

We went caroling in the belváros and a lot of people were very curious in who we are haha. So we got to talk to a lot of people that way! We also went ice skating today for P-Day, way fun! Our district is a lot of fun. :) 

As Christmas is approaching, I encourage you all to show a little more charity, be a little more loving, and think about Christ just a little bit more. I know that the more we do, the more often and openly He communicates with us. And make sure to be sharing thechristmas.mormon.org website!! The church does an amazing job with those videos, lets show the world what they are all about. :) 

Love you!! Stay safe and warm and happy! :)

Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

  this is barbs. :) 
 this is Sindy--yet another amazing spiritual thought at English class! This girl was baptized not even a few months ago, and she is already teaching the gospel. :) way cool! 
 The nativity, set up in the belváros. 
 Me and Barbs, in front of the giant Christmas tree! way way pretty. :) 
 and this is us ice skating! fun, fun! 
And the caroling! The kids are investigators (should be baptized, but their parents wont let them) and were passing out flyers as we were singing! so awesome to see how Christmas can touch so many people. :)

The Seasons are Greeting Us! (Dec 1)

Woo-hoo! I love the Christmas season! It is a special, magical time for everyone. :) Especially for us missionaries as we are going around and talking about Christ all year long, Christmas is a good time for us when more people are willing to take a minute out of their day and talk a little about Jesus. Kind of a good feeling to see how much the Spirit of the Lord can affect people. 

Otherwise, our week was rather nice, nothing too special happened. Mostly we just taught some people and helped out with the members in their various duties and activities. For example, next week, I will be playing the piano in the ward's primary program! This should be fun.. haha. Pray for me!

Also! As much as you are capable, share the website christmas.mormon.org with everyone and everywhere :) the Church is launching a big campaign, so make sure you are ready for when it hits! 
Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

 our thanksgiving... lunch! haha. we actually got double the amount of food you see, but we only ate that one plate haha. lots of food. :) 
 This is Sindy, one of the new converts. she gave the spiritual thought in english class about Lehi's dream and it was AWESOME! i was really impressed. and she is just 14 years olddd!
 this is Győr's town hall around christmastime, when it is all lit up and decorated and pretty. :) the inner city right now is super pretty! 
On Sunday night we had a little family dinner with all the missionaries and some members and investigators. way fun every week. :) 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

full weeks are happy weeks! (Nov 25)

well, this week wasn't anything special or crazy. but we were busy! it was a good feeling because we knew we were helping a lot of people and teaching them and helping them get closer to baptism. but hard because we were spread so thin, it felt like we couldnt give them as much attention as we should. but, this is the life of a missionary, i guess!

so transfers was this week! we got the call that we are STAYING together! since my companion goes home in a few weeks, they thought it would be easier to just leave us out here for christmas together. I think this Christmas will be a good one. :) 

we are also getting sisters in our area! big deal, sisters haven't been in Győr in a couple months, so the members are excited about it! we are too, because the work is starting to pick up quite a bit in our little city. :) 

keep us in your prayers! you are always in ours. :) love you!

Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder


What Does It Feel Like to Ráérni? (Nov 17)

Well, this week was way good! and crazy busy! haha. Started out with us getting asked to drive out to the edge of town and getting some firewood and driving it back to some member. Then, we drove to Budapest and had interviews with President, which went very well, and drove back and had a few programs. Then, we had to prepare for a Zone Conference that we held. Pretty crazy stuff, but I feel like it went pretty well, and we did a pretty good job of helping the zone! 

Then on Saturday, we went to a member and helped her move some wood! It wasnt anything too crazy. it was more of us throwing some cut wood pieces into her basement--type area (a pincébe raktuk a fát. Nem tom hogy ez hogy van angolul. pince? nem tom haha.). After that, we had a ton of meetings with people, and ran around the whole day hahaha. 

Then on Sunday, we drove up to stake conference! Hungary now has a new stake president! Bishop Southwick, bishop of the Buda ward, is now bishop and stake president for a while! haha, i have a feeling his first goal as stake president will be to find a new bishop for the Buda ward! haha. 

And that was about our week! Hopefully everyone has a fantastic week this week! Keep warm, safe, cool, dangerous, excited, bored, maybe even hungry! love you all. :)

Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

so we went to a sports store, and i was kinda bored, so i tried on some skiing goggles. :)
 they have a brand of ski goggles called flake! :D found my little flake junior :P
my comp likes the hot stuff.. :) PS that is a members finger and hand, not mine hahaha.
Fall is here! and pretty too :)
And we are pretty too.. :)
These kids are Dávid and Máté, some members here in Győr! Way awesome kids and family. :)
Me and Dávid put together this puzzle together! :D love this little kid. :)
 The family, the Bártfaiék, found this little keyboard, and wanted me to play a hymn for them, so I did haha. Their family is so awesome, it reminds me a little of my own--just 4 boys and no girls(one of the brothers wasnt there). But they are way fun :)
I know its crappy quality, but this is me and Kristóf, their older brother, and Máté. Way awesome. :) 

Better Late than Never! (Nov 10)

This week was really goooood! We had 3 new people in the last 2 weeks from members who want to share the gospel with their friends!! It is really amazing to see so many people really trying hard and doing missionary work, and helping us out so much!! After that, we spent a lot of time getting ready for the halloween party that happened on Saturday! It was a big hit, with 4 different rooms, each with its own theme (I was in charge of the 1st rooms, the Szellem Szoba or ghost room). As you went along the rooms, it followed the pattern of the Plan of Salvation, starting with pre-earth life, then earth (with vampires and werewolves), then the resurrection (with zombies), and finally the judgement day (with some witches). Talk about a party! Then we had to clean everything up since we had church the next day, so we spent double the amount of time cleaning it then the actual party! haha. but so worth it. :) 

As winter approaches, so does CHRISTMAS! I know all you Americans have Thanksgiving still, but here in Hungary, we don't really have that.. so I am thinking about Christmas haha. So start thinking about what you can give back to Jesus as the time approaches that we celebrate Him and His birth!

Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

 Fall is here!


 Me and Hancey walking around the város and enjoying the sights. :) Győr is so pretty!

 Sindy when we were getting ready for the party! 
 went to a Chinese restaurant and they had "fungus" for us to eat hahaha. 
 We had a big party! I was a ghost. :) we had lots of fun! 





Skeletons, Ghosts, Day of the Dead, and Other Scary Stuff (Nov 3)

So this week was a little slower for me. But it was definitely good overall. :) 

It started out with a Tuesday with a really slow morning, then 5 programs within 4 hours! Kinda crazy haha. And very good. :) My companion and I also discussed how we used to be good missionaries but have gotten lazy. :p so this week we are working hard to do everything exactly right! We also visited a new member's granpa's house, where we were offered alcohol about 10 times hahaha. But overall it turned out well, we didnt drink anything and got a free book! After that we had splits with one of my old friends, Elder Sterri. It was super awesome to hang out with old missionary buddies. :) 

In Hungary there is a lot of köd. Well, in general, not really. But this week there was a LOT. So driving in a car was kind of terrifying, haha. No crashes, but my heart did stop beating for a few seconds, to say the least. :) haha. 

Then we had Halloween! :D Halloween was not quite what it is in America, haha. We started out in Tatbánya, finishing up splits. There, we sang a little concert for some old people home, which we had no idea about until about 30 minutes before it started hahah. But it turned out well, and the old people liked it. :) After that, we came back to Győr, and had some fun with the young men, who were carving pumpkins! It was good to see a ward activity! Feels like it has been a while.. haha. After that, Saturday was a holiday, so we spent time with some members and some investigators. We also went to a cemetery, because Hungarians light up entire cemeteries with candles on Day of the Dead, which is Nov 1. 

Overall, this week felt like we didnt do a whole lot, but in reality, it was a pretty big success. :) Have a great week! Love you all!! 
Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

 Some of the kids that we teach. :) they are so dang cute! and hard to teach haha
 ooooohhhh snap!
 The family we teach. well, the mom and dad. and this kind of sums them up. the mom just sitting and listening, the dad actually participating haha.
 went on splits this week with an old companion. was very nice. :) Sterri! and his crazy good ball skills. even in a suit!
Day of the dead was this week. So everyone went to the cemeteries to decorate graves. This is one of our investigators family members. 
kinda crappy quality and does no justice whatsoever to what it actually looks like. But this is a Hungarian cemetery on the night of November 1st!  

This is What Missionary Work Should Be! (Oct 27)

This week was awesome! We had a lot of success and a lot of fun at parties! ;) not really, but it was my companion's birthday, so we had a surprise birthday lunch at a member's house. :) it was way good! This week was full of miracles and incredible experiences. :) I will share one: we got a call Sunday afternoon from a member saying that there was a young woman that was interested in the church and what we believe in. He also said that he would bring her to the branch house and stayed and helped us to teach her! The referral was very open to the gospel and loved the  message we gave about the Book of Mormon and prayer and Jesus Christ. That is what missionary work should be!

Time has become a weird thing on my mission. this past week has been very long in some ways. and yet, at the same time, it has been such a blur. missions are weird.. :) 

Well, I love you all! Be good, safe, and never forget that I love you! :)
Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder

 this is the glass that was sitting next to me when we went out to eat. it was staring at me for about an hour and a half. kinda creepy..
 these two are an investigator's children, even thought the girl has been baptized. and her sister is in Switzerland on a mission. but we are working with the mom to get baptized! right now, they are jumping off a cabinet onto the bed. :)
 this is the view of Győr from the top of a 10 story. dont ask how we got up there... :) hahaha. 
 Happy Birthday elder Hancey!! this is when we made a surprise lunch for him. :) over at Viki's place, one of the coolest members I know!
we are pro chefs. making some taco soup surprise with tortillas. :) hahahaha. it tastes better than it sounds! and a lot better than it looked... hahaha. 

Service, Service, Splits! (Oct 20)

This week was a great one! :) We had a lot of success, but not in all the places you might think! haha. First off, we had a fun time finding! well, not really. But we definitely tried our best to have a good time while we tracted hahaha. And then on Wednesday, a member came to visit us bought us breakfast and lunch! Way cool guy! Just kinda weird, because he didnt know me at all, just my comp for a few weeks from his last area.. haha. but hey, i could never say no to free food! :D hahaha. And then we went to do some service and helped a member out in her giant garden, where we turned into her very own personal rototiller machines haha and turned up all her soil. and BOY was it work! a few works in the morning, then a lunch at then end! pretty fun haha. and then we had splits! I got to go back to Sopron and see some old friends! One of my old investigators is even getting baptized! Hopefully I will be able to be there for that! Then on Saturday, we had yet another service opportunity, we helped paint! pretty crazy stuff haha. Then today, we had a fun P-day morning! got trapped in a car wash.. haha. only for a little bit. :) so we are supposed to clean our car like once a week or every two weeks or whatever. So we did that this morning when we were getting gas. so it is one of those electronic, like automatic car washes. but it is super weird, where when you drive in the garage door-looking thing closes and you cant back up. so its like a giant room haha. so we drove up and waited. and waited. and just sat there for a while, thinking that something would happen haha. so we were both getting pretty irritated at how dumb the car wash was being lol. so then my companion gets out of the car and tries to figure out what is going on, looking for anything to help us. except for we couldn't find anything. and there was no way out.... hahaha, so we were a little freaked out! luckily, we noticed this door at the back, so my comp walks out and pushes some button and the car wash starts immediately, while I am still sitting there in the car, without keys or anything hahaha. so we waited for the car wash to finish, then my comp runs back in and we drive away, hoping that the garages door doesn't shut on us on the way out hahaha.

well, have a good week! love you all tons! :) 
Sok szeretettel,
Flake Elder




 This is so great. :) "Szentlélek" means "Holy Ghost." So that says "Holy Ghost Pharmacy" hahaha.



 soda water has become a cult drink.. haha wut?






  I found the Washington Monument! in Hungary..? haha. 






 This is an old investigator from Sopron who will be baptized on Saturday! She even asked me to baptize her! Hopefully I can.. 


  Love old friends from other cities! 

 gotta love that BACON!  :D haha.
 painting is fun! especially with such... different colors! haha. 


"We believe in the ressurection of Hungary!"