Hello everyone! This is my last time writing on my whole mission! This is the last p-day of my life! Weird!
As before, it still doesn’t really feel real that I am going home. This morning we got transfer calls… well actually they forgot to call us! haha We only found out about who Burdick nővér’s new companion was going to be because someone else called us to tell us about what was happening with them, and we asked them to wait because we didn’t even get our call yet, and they happened to be right there with the Assistant who was supposed to call us, so we got to talk to the assistant. Poor Burdick nővér! She had to wait a long time! He apologized for forgetting us, but then we were told that Burdick nővér is actually getting 2 companions! One, who is one transfer older than her, and one, who is one transfer younger. Cool right? One of them is going to have to sleep on an air mattress! There are 11 new sisters coming in and only 2 sisters going home. Our mission is exploding! It is so great!
Also… if you had to take a guess on which day of this past week was my favourite, what would you say? Sunday? Why yes, it was Sunday! Well done! All my Sundays lately have been spectacular!
This Sunday I got to be an active participant in all three hours of church. In Sacrament meeting, they asked me to bear my testimony. So far on my mission, my testimony in a sacrament meeting has always been coupled with a joyful smile as I share the things that I feel and know. This is the first time that a had to hold back tears. During my testimony, there were three members, who are good friends, who looked to each other as a cue and then all made a little heart with their hands for me. It made me smile so big and I almost laughed out loud! I feel such strong love for the people here in Szolnok and preparing to leave them is a painful experience. I thank the Lord for the pain though because it helps me feel how much I really love these people and my mission.
Then I had the opportunity to translate into Hungarian for a Seniour Sister who gave a talk after my testimony. The members are little angels. The ones who speak English, and even some of the ones who didn’t, would look to me and smile and nod and encourage me as I did my best to translate the gist of what the Sister was saying. Could they be any more supportive? Could they be any more loving? I can’t imagine that they could be. Although I am here to serve, I receive so much love and service myself that it is humbling. I am so grateful for the many angels the Lord has sent me throughout my mission. I had such angels in every city I have served in and they make my mission even more joyful.
In Sunday school, I got to be the white board scribe for the teacher. Fun! I enjoyed it. Then, in Relief Society, another Seniour sister was teaching so I got to translate for her. I like translating in Relief Society because it is low stress and I get to translate back and forth into both languages – into Hungarian so the class can understand, and into English so the teacher can understand the input from the class. They are just as supportive there and help me with words and conjugations and they are so patient and loving. I cant get enough!
I am going to miss Hungarian Sundays. Le sigh. Le soupir du jour. Ah I cant remember French anymore. That is on the list of things to do when I get home – get my French back AND keep and improve my Hungarian of course! :) I look forward to Skyping with my Hungarians!
Oh get this! It snowed. It is the end of March! It snowed and stuck! We played in it last night for a few minutes with a couple investigators and members after Family Night. It was so fun! I made some jokes about my plane not being able to take off because of the weather, but I know I must come home. At Family Night, a member prepared the spiritual thought and she made it just for me! She talked about friendship and she read out two poems to me and then she, and the Branch President, shared scriptures from the Bible and the Book of Mormon about friendship. I was so touched! People are so nice to me!
Ah I wish I could write everything. I got some really wonderful mail this week! I love my mail! :)
What can I say as my last words? It is sad to come to an end. It really is. Every day here is something special. Every day I speak in a foreign language, I teach people about things of eternal significance, I pray many times with many different people, and I feel the Spirit working in my life. I know I can feel the Spirit at home too, I have the gift to have Him with me always if I am worthy, but I know it will not be the same. The mission is a spiritually high experience. You think about yourself less than you would back home. Your work only benefits you when you are doing it for others. You don’t have to deal with the stresses of “normal” life because they deal with most of them for you with the mission organization. It is so safe and comfortable here in some ways.
But I am willing to take on the challenge that you all face daily. I am willing to come back and be part of “normal” life again. I am willing to trust that the Lord has plans for me and to step into the unknown and have faith that He will help me uncover the great things He wants for me. I need to make this step – coming home – to secure for myself the blessings that are awaiting me. So I will do it. I don’t know about you but I love blessings!
The number of blessings I have received on my mission are innumerable. I don’t have the capacity to remember them all and am sure I didn’t successfully record them all in my journals. But one great blessing is that looking back on my mission, the hard times are a blur. They are there, I know they happened, but I look back at them with gratitude and don’t feel the pain anymore. What a blessing!
I will be seeing you soon on the other side! I love Hungary, I love my mission, I love the Lord.
A million “thank you”s and expressions of my love to those of you from back home who have been with me in spirit throughout my mission. All forms of support made a difference in my life and in my mission – prayers, good thoughts, letters, love, reading my blog, it all blessed me! I am so so grateful. You are my angels from home. It wouldn’t have been what it was without you. Köszönöm!
With all my love,
Surányi nővér