I am not a German!

Hello everyone!!!!!!!

This was a great week! I hope you all had a good one too. Let’s see…

Tuesday: The Zone leaders were in town having splits with our elders, which was so fun! We had a district meeting and talked a lot more about how to better use the Book of Mormon in our teaching and it’s role in conversion. Then some tracting, and then we met with Kornél. I was really nervous because we were teaching him about the Law of Chastity, and those lessons are really hard for multiple reasons. A lot of people here really don’t like it…and sometimes it is just straight up awkward. But its cool, because its something they need to learn about! But anyways the lesson went really well…or so we thought. Until the end, when he told us that he doesn’t want to meet with us anymore. That made me really sad…and all night I was just feeling really down on myself and just like the worst missionary.

Wednesday: We went to teach the old bácsi, László, again. But this lesson went down hill really fast when he started getting all touchy feely and asking weird personal questions. We just kept kind of ignoring them and going back and saying…OKAY so like I was saying…Joseph Smith was a 14 year old boy… But it got to the point where we had to have the elders call us so we could get out of his house. Needless to say I was feeling really uncomfortable all night and we are not going back to visit him. He is the elders investigator now! After that lesson we got on the bus to head back down town…but then we realized we were on the wrong bus that actually took as pretty far away to this random tiny town!! And we had to wait there 40 minutes until another bus came to take us to the right place!!! Typical greenie mistake haha!! Then we met with cutest Polett and talked a lot about some questions she had about the Book of Mormon. Then she took us out for some pizza 🙂

Thursday: A long day of tracting and trying to figure out my residency card…still without success…and then we got to go see Sándor which of course brightened my day!! He was asking us if people are ever mean to us, and we said, “oh my of course!” and started telling him all kinds of funny stories! And he got really upset and said that if we ever have a bad day that we can come over and he will make it better. That made me smile so big!!

Friday: Another long day of tracting!! This time we decided to go try out a new little neighborhood right by the river that is part of our new area, because it has never been tracted before!!! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! But I forgot my camera so no pics of the cute houses or river 🙁 I’m so sorry mom! But this week we will probably go back..then I will take some more.  It was so nice and we called it the resort falu (falu means like neighborhood) because it was so cute and fancy feeling.

Saturday: We cleaned the church all morning and our special job was the windows!! and I got to use the fun squeegee thing to get the water all off at the end!! I was so excited about that, persza! Then we had a branch council meeting, and then a little tracting. Also it was Európa Nap (Europe Day) in the town square and there was music and dancing and super cute Hungarian craft booths and things! It made me so happy! Mom you would have loved it!! I tried to sneak pictures of the cool traditional dresses! So zoom into those pics and you will see it 🙂 Then stake conference and another missionary meeting.

Sunday: Stake conference all morning…AND THEN SKYPING HOME for Mother’s Day!!!!!!! We went to Gabor and Anita’s house to Skype our families. They are so kind to let us do that! I love them. Two of the strongest members I have ever met. And seeing my family was the happiest moment of my life – haha – I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH IT HURTS!!!!! I was afraid that talking about what’s going on at home would make me sad…but everything was just the same. Everyone looks and acts and sounds the same and that actually really comforted me a lot!! That was the best time ever just feeling like we were all so close. And having Ashley there made me SO HAPPY!!!!!! aghhhhhh I can’t get over how grateful I am to have such an amazing support system. I love you.

Monday: We cleaned our house up real good and that always makes me SO happy!!!!

Randomssssssss: (sorry kind of a lot this week)

The street we live on has been weirdly smelling like fish sticks all week…so do with that what you will.

Sándor was teaching us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he starts talking all about Sátán Bácsi (basically translates to grandpa Satan/old man Satan) and we start laughing so hard!!!! He keeps saying it with a straight face like its a totally normal thing to call him!!!! Hahaha so we will be using that term from now on for sure!!!

We can’t speak English anymore! We were walking down the street and my comp was like hey look at that guy and his pair of breads…wait a second. What do you call a little group of breads like that!?!? And we could not remember for the lives of us how to say a loaf of bread!!!! hahaha!!!!

EVERYONE in this crazy country thinks I’m a German. EVERYONE. I say things in Hungarian to people on the street and they say Dankeschoen (think that’s how it is spelled) or when my comp says we are from America they’re like OK you’re American…but what is she!? (pointing to me) is she a German????? hahaha it is so funny!!!!!!!!

I have the worst allergies ever!! And blowing your nose in public here is actually polite so I have been blowing my nose like crazy and feeling like the grossest human haha!

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!! Sándor’s baptism is officially planned for this Sunday at 3!!! We are freaking out about it!!!!!!!! We finally found a place to do it and we are so excited. I cannot wait to watch him make this first step towards the gates of eternal life!! I could not be more proud or excited!!

While we were tracting in the resort falu, this old mad opens the door, we do our little spiel and then he just says (in the creepiest voice) “I am very sicck!!!! very sick!! do not come any closer!! do NOT come any closer!!! no closer!!!!!!!” (while backing up back into the house) hahaha! We were like uhhhhh, okay, but do you want this book?????? It will solve all your problems!! hahaha!!

We were in a sports store and we were in the bike section and it reminded me so much of Austin and I teared up a little. Not too much though 🙂

The time has been going by freakishly fast this transfer and I really hate it!!

So all in all, great week! Long but so good. Sometimes it is really easy to get down when I read my friends emails and see how many people they get to teach and share the gospel with. I really try not to be too negative in my emails, but I think being real is so important! So sorry if I am a little raw sometimes… but anyways it is really easy to get down on myself a lot when I see all this success people in other parts of the world have. It is easy for me to feel like I’m not working hard enough, or like my hardest isn’t enough. Or like I am doing something wrong! It really hurts inside to want to share this beautiful message with people…people you love so much…and then to have them not want to hear it. I know this message will bless so many lives and I just want to share it with everyone!!! I especially got sad when Kornél, one of our only progressing investigators dropped us. BUT!! I know that the Lord is with me. I know that I am doing my best and I know that that is all He asks of me. I feel really boosted up after Skype yesterday when my family was telling me that even if I don’t see any success here, that people are still being blessed because of my service. It’s just the hard part for me not to have the instant gratification!! But I have been working so hard on trying to be positive even when I don’t see the success right in front of my eyes. So if I these people here won’t listen to me at least I have all of you who have somehow miraculously made it to the end of this ridiculously long email…God loves you! He knows you. He understands you perfectly. Pray to Him. He wants to hear from you. Read His words. They will strengthen you.

I love you all so much and I am so thankful for all of the love and support I get from you weekly!!! Remember who you are!! 😉

sok szeretettel, (shoke ser-ett-tett-el) (lots of love)

Mason Nővér