June 8, 2015

Goodbye, Nyíregyháza, Elder Weaver, Sister Whittaker, Sister Wilson, and Sister Viernes!

Very sad to leave Nyíregyháza. I feel like that's the place where I've been growing up for the past few years of my life, when in reality I've only been there about four months. I'm really sad to be leaving all of my friends there, but it's also very exciting to be able to move on and try again in a new place! It'll also be great to go back and visit all those good people someday.

My new city is Érd, a small suburban town on the outskirts of Budapest. Apparently, Érd has been problematic long-term in the sense that the work is very slow here. Not many people are found to teach, and the mission has supposedly considered shutting down the city for mission work many times. There isn't a ton of programs here, so we have a lot of finding to do. But, honestly, I'm excited! Elder Wilcox is really cool and a super fun guy who likes to work, so I think we'll get along very well and get some major work done this transfer. Already, we've had miracles happen. Riding the bus back into town one day, a random lady asked us if we would teach her daughter Spanish and English for a language exam coming up soon. Until now, they haven't been talked to by this lady, and there hasn't been a Spanish speaker in Érd for a while.

It's also fairly cool to be a piano player for the branch again, since before Sunday they were just using a CD player to have accompaniment for the hymns in church service. The branch here is small, but it has many super kind families. One family is an American former missionary to Hungary who served here just after the mission was opened in the early 90's. He came back to Budapest for school, married a Hungarian, and they have an entirely American lifestyle here in Érd. They had us over for dinner the other night and made us REAL kraft macaroni and cheese, REAL s'mores, REAL potato salad, and REAL American barbecue with authentic sauce. Lots of great people here, and needless to say, we ate really well when they shared that with us the other night. Their son is leavin soon for a mission to Switzerland.

The sisters in our district are awesome as well! We have sisters Hafen and Sholly here, both of which are just phenomenal missionaries. Honestly, I'm nothing but excited to be in a district where everyone wants to do good missionary work. It's gonna be great.

It's a little hot here, and a bit more humid than the desert, but other than that everything's sweet here!

I hope everything is equally as good for all of you guys stateside! Be good this week and have the best days possible! Be happy! Love you all! :)


Priest Elder

Found a track to work out in Nyíregyháza! Super fun

to go do some real running out there and lace up the shoes!

Chilling riding a carriage!

Holding the puppies at one of our friend's house

in Nyíregyháza! super cute little baby

boston terriers. 5 or 6 days old

Kalánd park for last p-day in Nyíregyháza!

Zip lines, ropes courses, obstacles... 

all 20m in the air! Super cool.

Last picture with the coolest senior

couple ever, the Vierneses :( So sad to leave them!!

Last picture with the English Speakers Club 

in Nyíregyháza! Gonna miss these guys

Selfie waiting for the train! Elder Wilcox is super cool!

Gonna be a fun transfer because of how much we both like to work.

Graffiti is EVERYWHERE in the big city

Supposedly, everyone doesn't want to serve in Érd because the work is slow and the city is "boring." I say, rubbish! ;) This place is gonna be fun! Really though, we have some great new ideas, and the branch needed a piano player and someone to teach Spanish to investigators. We are excited about the potential for this transfer. Ironically, this was the first picture taken in Érd... Look how happy I am to be here :D