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**

Just to Help

Just to help you with his lingo,
ize=thing
Bacsi=uncle or a name they give all older men
Sirni=to cry...sirok=I'm crying
Belvaros=City center or center of the city
Finomsag=delicious
nagyon=very
TESCO toilet paper=OUCH...its maybe one ply if that.
not the most pleasant

Hey Family March 30

So Tip of the week... Don't forget to close the shutters
when your taking a shower haha...
So i forgot to and i started to sing into the shower izé and
then i turned around and looked down out the window,
were on the 4th floor by the way, and there was this old
bácsi looking at me shaking his head.
Then he just turned and walked off... Wow Hungary is awesome!!!

Pictures **
1- ( sorry its hard to see ) Tough Guys
2- Mansells Birthday Breakfast that Blake Made
3- The Elders in the district last p-day

Hi Family March 23rd

So this last week has been really different for me out here.
It was one of those really tough weeks.
Out of 26 programs scheduled only 5 of them meet with us.
We had 2 new investigators and they both dropped us and
said they didn't want to meet any more. So its been tough
but we did find this guy who lives about kiddie corner-ish
to our building and he was really interested so we did get
a new investigator.
My first transfer is almost over already.
I am doing good.
Pictures.
Kitchen, Room, Mansell and I

So ya there's rednecks in Hungary too!!!

So ya there's rednecks in Hungary too!!! So on monday
after the Horotbágy we went to Misi's house, the
branch president, and taught him and his 2 sons
Ricsi and Roli about the priesthood. Ricsi just got
ordained a deacon and he is way excited about that so
that was fun. After that we left and decided
to just walk home, just the elders. As we were going
through this park-ish place we saw these 3 guys standing
up ahead with a bike that had some big box thing
hanging on the side of it. One of the guys came up to us,
more like stumbled up to us, totally wasted and asked us
if we would buy them beer because its his birthday and
everybody drinks on there birthday. Haha it was really
funny listening to a drunk guy speak hungarian and english
at the same time. Anyways we told him no and started walking
away towards the other guys and as we passed them i realized
that it was a fridge strapped to the side of a bike so that
they could push it around and still keep there drinks cold.
Haha Dang i couldn't stop laughing because it made me
realize that Corey and I probly would have done the
same thing.

Sunday we celebrated the Independence from turkey and they
have a big celebration at the Nagy Templom,Big Temple


** Parts from Blakes letter on March 16,2009**