From Blakes Letter Monday May 25th

So this week was interesting. We ended up getting dogged at about all of our programs but we ended up haveing alot of just random programs that were really neat. Like on tuesday and wednesday we ended up having programs with these girls that are going to college here. Haha we taught them right infront of the Nagy Templom, The Reformatus temple, which is our biggest enemy :). But the programs went pretty good. then we found these 2 really awesome guys that live way out in the country and they are just awesome. im really excited about them.
The Debrecen branch is still really struggling this week was very hard at church and the members that are active are really starting to show that its really hard for them. So if you could pray for our branch to stick together that would help alot!!!!!
So we made it a goal to baptize challenge one person a day on the street! we did get an investigator out of it so thats awesome but wow its really tough just walking up to somebody and telling them who we are and then asking them to be baptized. I've always wondered what their perspective of it is, having 2 (handsom :D) young men walk up to them and then ask them to get baptized.
So thats it this week just working trying to keep things together.

Hi family

So this whole last week we have been preparing for an open house we had on saturday at the branch house, Biggest wast of time ever, and then a koncert that the mission put on during sacrament meeting. So last week was very tiring, long and stressing. The open house we got 1 person to come in after 14hrs of working. But then on sunday we had the koncert and there were almost 70 people in church!!!! Wow that chaple looked so good with that many people in it. The koncert was a Restoration koncert and it was way awesome!!! im hoping our branch members will start realizing that they need to help us if they want this church to grow. Thats the hardest thing right now is that nobody wants to do anything to help us so its tough.
So we found these 2 guys from Samolia and they a really interested in finding out about the christian world. They are muslim and they grew up in samolia but its a huge war zone over there so they came here to survive. The one guy Joseph has 3 brothers 1 sister that he hasnt seen since they left Samolia, he knows one is in Finnland, 3 are somewhere in America and he is in Hungary. Man this guy has been through alot and his parents were killed right in front of him. They have never read anything about Christians and the first Christians they "ran into" was us, the mormons. So im hoping that this goes well.
Wow its hard right now it seems like everthing is falling apart over here. A few of our investigators are just on a friend basis now they arn't that interested in the church anymore, our young womens president wants to leave the church because she feels like the church is holding her back from being with her boyfriend, The elders qourom president started smoking again. Freak nobody wants to even bless or pass the sacrament any more. Thats my new calling in the church is to organize that sacrament and get it prepared so that its ready when the meeting starts. Wow i didn't think it would be this tough. haha
WEll the koncert went good so im hoping that it will really kick some people in the back and that they will realize that this is where true Happiness is.
Im so glad we have the Gospel in our lives!!! Its so amazing to see how it blesses those that really obey the commandments and Excercise their faith in Jesus Christ.

Mom i hate to tell ya but your probly not going to be getting any of those pictures you wanted for along time. So yesterday this Szigany, Gypsy, guy comes into the church and he heard that we would give him money. So he goes and talkes to Msis, the branch president, and misi told him that we can't just give money to him but we can give some service to him and help his family find a job. But he didn't want that answer so somehow in the middle of everything he stole TONS of stuff inlcuding like 4 cameras (one of them was mine) some stereo stuff and i don't know what else. He pretty much cleaned out my backpack with stuff. The good news is that Misi is a lawyer and has alot of his information from when he was talking with him, a few of the sisters investigators that were there know the guy and so we might find him. FReak all i want is the memory cards back cause all my pictures so far were in them.
But just letting you know you probly wont be getting any pictures for along time. I got the insurance on my camera if you wouldn't mind going to inkleys and seeing if we can't get any thing covered, but i don't think it covers "Szigany" theft. :)

Pictures & Mother's Day Call

We all got to talk to Blake on Mother's Day. Thank to technology Brook & Jen, Reed & Melinda and kids were all on phones in WY. and Stuart, Carol, Nate & Madalyn, Ashlee and McKenzie were all on the speaker phone in Utah. It was so nice to hear his voice and the joy that he is having on his mission. Blake is really feeling the spirit and getting along well with the language. He told us all about the people that he has made friends with. He made us all hungry with the food and goodies that he talked about. He wants all to know that he is loving his mission and that time is going by to fast. These are some pictures he sent home in his email this Monday. I am not sure what all the pictures are at this time. But it looks like fun. One more thing he says that he is gainging weight. So i think that is a good thing. The one thing that he told us in his letter on Monday is that he is growing a mandrin orange tree.

Letter Home May 4th

I found my long lost Hungarian Redneck Relative!!!!!!!!!!!! haha he lives in this little town outside of Debrecen calle Hajdúböszörmeny and we went and had a Szalona Sötés i have no idea how to translate that into english but all you do is get this huge piece of Pig fat and slightly roast it over a fire and then drip the fat onto a piece of Delicious Hungarian bread coverd with onions, peppers, cucumbers, and ohhhhh man its good. i didn't have my camera with me but ill try to get some pictures next time were out there. But anyways this guy is the biggest redneck ever. we get there and he's working on his tractor then he shows us his airplane that he built haha its in this old garage thing. He said he'd take me up and let me fly it but i told him that its not allowed right now but in about 2 years id come back and we would do it for sure!!!!!!!! haha also we just talked about working on cars and engines and guns. I realized as i was talking about building car engines and Guns In Hungarian that i AM ACTUALLY learning this language.

"THE CHURCH IS TRUE"

**parts from Blakes letter May 4th 2009**