Week #14

Hey everyone!!

I have some big news this week! Remember how I already have an interesting family tree (mission family)? Well, it just got interesting-er! I now have a “foster sister” who happens to be Kimball nővér who was my companion in the MTC!!!! She was serving in another city, Miskolc, but her trainer became sick and is unable to train, so Kimball nővér ended up with us! Wonderful Papritz nővér now has to train two greenies at once! This situation is pretty unheard of. We are doing our best to have it not be too stressful for her. It is great to be back with Kimball nővér! I already feel so comfortable teaching with her! Its only been just over a day together but I feel that this is going to be great and we will all learn from each other.

I wanted to share a few miracles that happened to me this week. I really receive a lot of blessings out here! I often name my miracles. Today I will share: The passport csoda, csengő csoda, and church csoda. (Csoda sounds like “choda” for anyone who is wondering what their head voice should say as they read).

Passport Csoda: Several times this week, either Papritz nővér or I would think to grab a bag or something else of ours last minute before leaving the house. Then it happened at least 3 times that we were checked on public transit for passes. If we had not taken those things with us we would have accidentally not had our transit pass or our passports (which are both required when you are checked). We didn’t know why we felt to bring the extra items, but then we would realize that the night before we had put our pass in a different place or something and had we not taken the extra item, then we would not have had our pass. We also had never been checked before until those days where we decided to bring extra things. Csoda!!

Oh wow. Csoda means miracle. I would go back and write it, but I feel like I should be honest with my lack of remembering and allow you to have wondered through the last couple paragraphs what csoda was all about. You are all pretty clever though, so I bet you figured already.

Csengő csoda: One day Papritz nővér and I came home and we couldn’t get into our building because the keypad (the “scengő”) wasn’t working properly. We tried several times and then gave up and decided to try the other side of the building. As we turned around, we discovered someone was watching us from their car as they were stuck in traffic. This was someone who we recognized and is a person who makes us uncomfortable. As we walked around the building I realized that if the csengő had worked, this person would have seen where we live. Later that day that same csengő worked perfectly. The Lord really is watching over His missionaries.

Church Csoda: This happened two weeks in a row! We have really been wanting for someone (anyone) to accept an invitation to come to church. The past two weeks, completely outside of our own efforts (our efforts weren’t working), someone showed up to church without us knowing they would. After the first week I thought that the same miracle wasn’t likely to happen again, but then it did. Another person came the next week! Ah so good.

I have really been feeling that the Lord is blessing us with success. And He is sending so many miracles for me! More than I even notice I am sure! We have ample people to meet with and our lessons have been going very well. I often feel a strong spirit in our lessons. It feels so wonderful in lessons when you see the look in someone’s eyes that shows you that they came to a new understanding. People get this look of intrigue and interest as we teach them of restored truths. Then when we invite them to not just believe us, but to find out for themselves, we often see them hunger to study and pray for themselves. It is great. I cannot wait to see what happens as we follow up with people.
I had a great experience in a lesson this week where when the lady was speaking, I prayed to have love for her. As I listened to her words and prayed for love, I felt that love that I wanted. I cared for her and wanted more deeply to understand her thoughts and feelings. It was great.
I had a similar experience this week where I started to feel a little bit frustrated. As soon as I recognized my thought process I prayed to let it go and to think positively. As soon as I prayed for that, my mind cleared, my heart lifted, my forehead unfurrowed (which I didn’t even know it was doing until it released) and I immediately felt peaceful and positive. The power of prayer!

Oh wow I still haven’t mentioned Monday in Budapest! Monday I was in Budapest! I got to see my whole MTC district again!! We all came down for the purpose of getting our temporary residency and to get some training from the mission president and his assistants. It was so great to see my old district!!!! I really love them so much and my heart was so bright when I saw that each of them were healthy and happy! I kept saying all day how happy I was to be with them again. Ah it was wonderful. It reminds me of when Alma meets up with the Sons of Mosiah again (but I’m sure their joy was 10000x greater). Time feels crazy. Both fast and slow.

Papritz nővér and I were taught by a lovely lady how to make stuffed peppers this week. It was fun! And delicious! Papritz nővér also received some strange mail from the post. A package broke open or something and for some reason they thought it was hers, so they sent her someone elses mail. She received a child-sized onesie, and 3 random pairs of unpackaged socks. Hahaha. My bed broke yesterday (it was broken before I came and had been fixed before I arrived. I managed to undo the fixing). There was room to put my mattress on the floor, so I was able to sleep wonderfully. But we’ll see what happens with the bed. Before I arrived it was called “the coffin”. So we’ll see what happens. Right now its halfway between normal bed and coffin bed… so I look forward to seeing which way it ends up. (I am kind-of rooting for coffin haha).

Its a weird feeling to have “a blog”. You can’t let yourself feel too shy, or too confident. Hm, I guess that is true about everything in life. Well then good. Let us all go on being not too shy and not too confident. Let us be humble.

It doesn’t ever get old to me to express my gratitude to you. Thank you again for your support and caring. It makes me feel loved. It lifts my spirits. It strengthens me.

Looooove, Surányi nővér