Dance Party with Eric and Erika

Eric and Erika were so nice to teach the waltz and cha cha to the young adults for our dance party. After teaching the basic steps, they went around the room and danced with some of the young adults. If the decorations look familiar -- they are. We used the same ones for the New Years Eve party. It's all about staying in our budget. :) We had a great time. Young Adults from all over the country came so that made it even more fun. Of course we had the same problem as we do in the States -- more girls than boys. Eric was busy trying to dance with as many girls as he could so they all had a chance to dance with a guy instead of another girl.

Eric teaching Institute

Friday night -- April 13th, we had a big dance party. Normally Friday the 13th is a good day for me but this particular day we had quite a few things go wrong. First we ran into terrible traffic so we were an hour late getting to the Stake Center. Then I found out about a 15 minutes before Institute was supposed to start that the teacher was stuck on his train. A tree had fallen on the tracks and his train was stopped. So I asked Eric if he would teach the class for me. He was super nice about it. He had 5 minutes to prepare. The lesson was on Agency. Livi translated for him. According to all in attendance the class went well -- so that's always good to hear. I really appreciated his help because I was busy trying to get everything else organized for the party.

Palacsinta with Eric and Erika

One night for Institute we made Palacsintas. We put vanilla pudding, bananas and chocolate topping in the middle and then as you can see, powdered sugar and chocolate topping on top. They were delicious. It was nice to have Eric and Erika there to help make them. The young adults loved them.

Szentendre with Eric and Erika

We had a fun time in Szentendre. Apparently Marty and Eric have similar personalities. Both of them decided to try on interesting masks or hats while they were in Szentendre. I think it's funny that they both found something fun to try. We also tried another special Hungarian pastry - Langos. You can't eat very many of them. They kind of drop to the bottom of your stomach and stay there for the day. :)

Carmen in Budapest

After walking around Castle Hill for a few hours we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. They had musicians playing for everyone. They came over to our table and asked if we had any requests. We couldn't think of anything so he started making suggestions -- anything from a play, a musical, an Opera. Of course as soon as he said Opera I thought of Carmen. It was fabulous. We are actually going to see Carmen at the Opera House in May. I'm very excited.

Buda Castle with Eric and Erika

While we were visiting Buda Castle we watched how the Kürtőskalács are made. They are a special Hungarian pastry. They are also delicious. Eric is trying to figure out a way he can make them in Idaho for his business project. We'll see what happens with that idea.

Hollókő with Eric and Erika

Since Eric and Erika arrived on Easter Sunday we went to a small city near Budapest the following day. It's a fun place to visit. They local people dress up in native costumes. There are dances and all kinds of performances all day long. Of course we had to try one of their sausages. it was actually pretty tasty.

Heroes Square with Eric and Erika

Of course no trip to Budapest is complete without a trip to Heroes Square. You will notice that Eric did not take the challenge issued by his older brother and sister. He just stood by the horse rather than climbing on it. :)

Easter Eggs

We had an interesting experience trying to dye eggs for Easter. All of the eggs here are brown so the normal dyeing process does not work like it does in the States. But we had a good time trying. Megan sent me a couple of egg dyeing kits. We also used regular paints and brushes. It was alot of fun and we ended up with some very creative eggs.

Companionship Purses

Many of the missionaries here get some kind of item to remind them of their transfer with one of the missionaries. Sister Christensen and I have teased about how fun it would be to serve together. Of course that will never happen, but it would be fun. So we bought companionship purses anyway. She's a darling missionary. I really enjoy her.

Wheelchair Event

We had the opportunity to go to the Wheelchair distribution this year. Every year the church donates wheelchairs to people in Hungary. This year they donated 500. 900 people applied for a wheelchair so the ones who receive a wheelchair feel very fortunate. They had people in wheelchairs perform. They also had two ladies who had previously been in wheelchairs but are now able to walk perform for us. They were angels - one in blue and the other in gold. Their performance was a little unusual but very heartfelt and sincere. I'm glad I was able to go to this.

Title of Liberty

March 15th is an important holiday in Hungary. It's similar to our Fourth of July. Brother Kucskar came and talked to the young adults about it. He did such a good job. He also related their history to the scriptures and Captain Moroni. The man in Hungary who started the revolution for their freedom was also very young - just like Moroni. Brother Kucskar also talked to them about what they were willing to fight for. Moroni made a Title of Liberty and taught his people to fight for their families, their religion - important things in their lives. So after Brother Kucskar's lesson everyone had the opportunity to make their own "Title of Liberty". It was a good activity and helpful to remind them of what's really important in their lives.

Lóránd's Baptism

We were able to go to Debrecen for Lóránd's baptism. Elder Conklin was given the opportunity to baptize Lóránd. Elder Conklin left to go home just a few weeks after this. As you can see the "pool" was very small and the water was very green. But it was a great experience to be there. Marty and Karis both served their missions in South America. So they saw a few more baptisms then we see in Hungary. They couldn't believe we would drive 2 hours to witness a baptism. In Hungary the goal for the year is 150 baptisms -- in South America that was the goal for the month. - Big difference.

Marty & Karis - Heroes Square

Of course Marty couldn't be outdone by his younger sister Rachelle who climbed one of the horses on Heroes Square. He asked me if it was Ok and I told him I didn't know for sure but Rachelle had done it. But no sooner did he climb up there then a group of school children and their teacher were staring at him. The teacher was sternly telling them something. We assumed it was something along the lines of " don't follow his bad example." These statues represent the 7 tribes who fought for freedom in Hungary.

Marty & Karis - Parliament

The Parliament Building in Budapest is one of the largest Parliament buildings in Europe. It's pretty impressive to see.

Marty & Karis - Buda Castle

We spent quite a bit of time walking around Buda Castle. This is the Hunter's Fountain up on Castle Hill.

Marty & Karis --Eger

Jeanie and I were assigned to speak in Eger so Marty and Karis went with us. The Scotts are senior missionaries serving in that city. Elder Scott is serving as Branch President. They invited us, two of the Elders and their investigators to lunch. Elder Scott and Sister Scott are an amazing example of two people willing to serve a mission. A few years ago Elder Scott who was a surgeon, had a stroke in his eye and just a few days later became legally blind. They are such a good example to all of us. Elder Clavel and Walker took us to see a beautiful church in Eger. Elder Clavel translated for us and Elder Walker conducted the meeting and also sang a musical number. After church we walked up to the castle where an important battle for Hungary was fought. It rained on us a little while we were there but we enjoyed seeing the city and meeting the members in Eger.

Marty & Karis -- Szentendre

One day we went to Szentendre. It's a pretty little city right along the Danube River. They have lots of shops with yummy food and souvenirs to buy. Marty tried on this hat just for fun. The clerk was not so happy about it. Marty became a big fan of Gyros sandwiches in this town.

Marty & Karis' trip to Hungary

This is right after Marty and Karis arrived. They both looked great. I don't know how they were able to travel for 20 hours and still look so good. But it was so fun to have them come.

Little Prince

One of our Gofri Est activities we read " The Little Prince" and then talked about it. It's a great book with alot of insight about life and people. Afterwards we colored and decorated crowns to remind us of our potential to become Kings and Queens as children of God. As you can see not many participated in that part of the activity but those that did had a good time. I just had several Burger King crowns. So they covered the logo and decorated the crowns. I thought it was super fun and a good reminder of the purpose of the evening.

Missionary Conference with Elder Christofferson

Here is a picture of a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I was able to meet and talk to Elder Christofferson. It was an amazing experience. He is such a genuinely nice man. He gave us great counsel and advice. We were so lucky to have him come speak to us. Immediately after our Conference with him, we took a Mission picture. Of course in 6 weeks this picture will change but it was fun to get all of us together for a picture.

Beardos

I wanted to get a group picture of all the missionaries with their beardos but it was nearly impossible to do. So here's just a few of them. Elder Saunders ended up with the most unusual beardo because he chose a very fluffy yarn. Elder Johnson is demonstrating his the best because he has the beanie on with it to hold it in place. This was a fun thing to do. I ended up making about 10. There would have been more but I told them to quit telling other missionaries about the idea. :)

Nagykaniza

President Baughman decided to open a new area in Nagykaniza. This is a picture of the 4 missionaries who are serving there. Elder Wanlass, Vasquez, Headrick and Rosen. We went to help them get their apartment and a place for English Class. Super young men - They are very positive and hard-working. I'm sure they will do a great job there.

YSA Committee

We had a fun weekend planning for our YSA Conference. A few of the Young Adults who live in other countries spent the night and went to church with us. Then after church they came over for lunch. The young men in the picture are Zoli, Adrian, Vasek and Janos. The young women are Eni and Ewa. They are from Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary. It's hard to tell from the picture but Adrian( long sleeved white shirt) has huge arms. He says he and his cousin enjoy working out. So they are going to " take care " of any problems we might have. :) It was so funny when he offered his services to us. We are having a great time with them.

Speaking assignment in Pápa

We had a speaking assignment in Pápa. I was sitting by this woman with a darling little boy. I wanted to talk to him but of course I don't speak enough Hungarian. Then I noticed she was showing him books in German. Perfect -- so I say to her "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" It was wonderful. It's so fun when you are able to talk to the members. The other picture is Istvan. He translated our talks for us. He speaks great English. It's a very nice little Branch. I enjoy going there. The members are so nice to us.