Easter~~ The kid of Kecskemét‏

What a beautiful surprise it was when we were driving around with a member, and what did we see? A GOAT!!! Well, actually 2 goats!

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I first heard that I would be serving in Hungary, my first thought went to little cottages, with white picket fences, dirt roads, and goats in the front yard... I know now that I was clearly a little off!  Hungary actually has those things we like to call cities and turns out its a pretty civilized socialization. For many aspects I was gladly surprised to find out that my first thoughts were so far from reality, I do have to admit that I was sorely disappointed about the goats aspect though! If you were friends with me on snapchat before the mission, you know that I kind of like goats as my story was often random adventures with goats that would take like 20 minutes to cycle through.

It was evident that I wouldn't be finding goats in Szeged, but when I got my mini transfer call to Kecskemét I was pumped! The word for goat in Hungarian is Kecske, so surely I figured I would be able to find a plethora of kecskék in Kecskemét. Once again, WRONG! Turns out i am wrong a lot these days! This transfer I was determined to find a goat while we were tracting out in one of the little villages outside of Kecskemét.

Well, Sister Jeppson and I have made it 2 months with no success, but then along came EASTER!!! What a beautiful surprise it was when we were driving around with a member, and what did we see? A GOAT!!! Well, actually 2 goats! But I really only like the baby one, moms are kind of boring!  And it was in Kecskemét, we didn't even have to wonder out into a little falu! We pulled over the car and asked the owner if I could hold it! She told me that she wasn't sure if it would let me hold it, cause it was born just 3 days ago! But then, it just ran out of the little pen and I picked it up! And thus, my Easter day, my transfer in Kecskemét, and basically my whole mission was made, right there in the blink of an eye! So you could say our Easter went well! (Refer to the 20 million pictures with goats below)

Aside from the fun adventures of Easter, it was also a great day in spiritual aspects also! It is quite interesting because as missionaries we have the opportunity to go around and try and talk to people about Christ this Easter holiday, which is the reason we celebrate Easter to begin with, yet people don't have time to talk to us about Christ because they are busy with their Easter activities. A little ironic if you ask me, but its whatever! 

Church this week was great! The talks were centered on Christ and His Atonement! Berta, one of the members, spoke about His Atonement and the ways that we can use it in our lives. One of the most beautiful things about the Atonement, is that no matter how much we know and learn about it, there is always more! We will never be able to fully comprehend the love he has for us, and the power that His Atonement has in our lives! And with each talk given, or each scripture read, our testimony and understanding of Christ, His Suffering, and His love for us can grow! 

Last Monday, Sister Jeppson and I had the opportunity to attend Family Home Evening with the Mecseri family! For the Spiritual message, Bishop shared with us a short film about a violin! It showed the violin  maker putting everything he had into making this beautiful violin. Someone then bought the violin for their child, and after a while of practicing the child decided he no longer liked the violin. The violin was then put into storage, sold, and endured a lot of hits and falls throughout the years. At the end of the film there was an auction in which the violin was being sold, however, nobody wanted to buy it. At this point, the wood was battered, one string was broken, and it wasnt all the aesthetically pleasing. It wasn't until a man stepped forward and played a song on the violin that the people realized just how beautiful the violin was, and in that instance the value of the violin sky-rocketed. This violin is symbolic of each of us. Just like the little violin maker, we have a Father in Heaven who created us and loves us very much. However, sometimes life gets hard and like the violin we get a little battered, our polish wears off, and the way that people sees us no longer aligns with the way that our Father in Heaven sees us. With the society we live in these days, it is easy to be hard on ourselves and loose sight of our true value, which can only be assessed through the eyes of God our creator. It is important that we do our best to remember who we are! We are all children of God, and He loves us each very much! We need to not be so hard on ourselves, and just remember to love ourselves as we are while trying to continue become better and more like Christ! We must also remember that everybody else is also a child of God. Don't be too quick to judge other people, we can never know their full story, and we are not in a place to judge, as we ourselves are imperfect beings. This next week I challenge all of you to try and see the people around you the way that their Father in Heaven would see them!

Celebrating Easter with some good 'ole Apple Sparkling Cider

I have to go now, but I hope you all had a great Easter! Have a great week, I love you all!

Sok szeretettel,

LeBaron Nővér

J. and Á. did my makeup! J. told me afterwards that I looked like a clown, I would have to agree haha

    

FRISS PÉKSÉG!!!!  

3/21/2016~~Mini Week

Well folks, not much has happened since Thursday, so we will keep this one short!

Friday we had district meeting and a teaching appointment with a member, and afterwards we helped her plant some flowers in her garden! Friday afternoon, the mission president and his wife made a last minute trip down to Kecskemét, it was good to see them!

 

Saturday we met with Ilona and she gave Sister Jeppson and I some advice as to which horoscopes we are allowed to marry and which ones we need to stay away from. She told me that Elder Paul would be the best match for me, and Sister Jeppson should marry Elder Evans...it was a AWKWARD moment!!

Sunday we went to church...Big shocker there haha! We also got a little hungry last night and made some mystery snacks...nobody needs to know what it actually is hahaha 

And that there is a condensed version of the last 4 days, here are some photos attached below! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sok Szeretettel,

LeBaron Nővér  

We taught ourselves how to ride our bikes with no hands! So now we just hold each others!

How 'Bout That For A Zone Conference?‏

Lunch in Pest with Elder Howard and Elder Dixon

My dear friends and family,

What can I say? It has been quite the week... week and a half if we are being technical. Tuesday was a Hungarian holiday celebrating one of their many revolutions, everybody had work off and most places were closed so our P-day was moved this week to Wed. originally but due to me needing to be in Budapest for the doctors ours was switched to Thurs.

Alot has happened since I last emailed, so apologies to anybody that emailed for not having the chance to respond. On Friday we had a mission conference in Budapest in which a member of the 70 attended to speak to us. It sounds like it was a real hit, I actually couldn't say myself because Sister Jeppson and I didn't make it through the conference to hear him speak. We had gone up early morning because Sister Jeppson had an interview with the mission president. As I sat in the mission home office I started to feel really sick, my face was becoming really warm, and my head was pounding like crazy. I took some ibuprofen and hoped that it would go away soon, and after Sister Jeppson got done with her interview we headed down to the conference. I made it about 15 minutes before turning to Sister Jeppson and telling her that I thought I was going to throw up. I didn't want to interrupt the conference though, so I sat there for another 10 minutes before I could not wait any longer. Jepp told me to leave and she would come check on me in a few minutes. I stood up, ran out of the conference, and made it to the bathroom just in time before I threw up. 

After emptying the contents of my stomach, I turned around to find Sister Jeppson standing there with a box of mints in hand, talk about a true friend! Unfortunately I did not have time for the mints though. I started to get real dizzy, I was super light headed, and felt as if I was going to pass out. Luckily one of the Senior missionaries rushed into the bathroom right then and caught me as I started to fall off the bathroom counter onto the ground. Her and sister Jeppson helped me onto the elevator and we went upstairs to lay down on a couch. At this point my face was burning up, but my body was freezing cold and I was shaking. They put wet rags on my face and covered me with a bunch of coats. At about this time I remember no longer being able to feel my arm. That's when things got a little scary for me. Sister Szabadkai, the mission president's wife, came in to see what was going on.

From this part on, the day was a little bit of a blur, but apparently I was in shock, so they decided that they needed to call for an ambulance. All I can remember is hearing people talking and them switching out the wet towels on my face, while I laid there shaking. And then I heard people running. Our zone leaders, Elder Bagley and Elder Martindale, had left the conference and came upstairs to give me a Priesthood blessing as we waited for the ambulance to come. I honestly cannot remember much of what was said in that blessing, but in the moment I was able to comprehend everything that was said, and it was one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard. I have never felt such peace before in my life as I did when Elder Bagley was blessing me with those words God had given to him to comfort me. The spirit in the room was so strong, and I felt so much comfort in that moment. I do remember being promised that everything would be alright, and that my work here in Hungary is not finished yet. It is hard to put into words the way that I felt while receiving that blessing, but if there is one way that I do know how to explain even just a portion of what I felt, it is that our Heavenly Father knows and loves each one of us. I have always known this and had a testimony of it, but I have never felt his love so strongly and evidently as I did in that moment. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and all the worthy Priesthood holders in my life who have had a positive influence in my life! I have such a strong testimony of Priesthood blessings and their power in our lives, it truly is the way that men are able to act in God's name and receive blessings from Him as he predicates, and I am oh so thankful for this knowledge.

After the blessing things were not necessarily a ton better, but I did have a reassurance that everything would be okay, so I need not worry. The ambulance came and got me, and Sister Jeppson & I had a fun ride to the hospital, keeping the mood light, quoting Betty White's fake heart attack scene from The Proposal #greatestmovieever. 

Yes I'm LAUGHING to keep from CRYING!!

When we arrived at the hospital they took me into a room and started running a bunch of tests. Everything seemed to be normal, despite my symptoms, so they took my blood, put an IV in my arm, and moved me out of the ER. Only problem is that there was not any room, so they just rolled my bed out into the hall and left me there. I had also been wearing a long sleeve 100% polyester shirt with zero stretch, so I had to take my shirt off for the IV. So there I sat in a random hospital in Hungary, in the hallway, in just my bra...FOR 4 HOURS as they gave me 2 IVs and I waited for my blood test results. It was quite the experience to say the least! After 4 hours of waiting, the blood test finally came back completely normal though. The doctor had no clue what could have happened, she concluded that it must have something to do with MY BRAIN, so I would have to meet with the general practitioner and then go see a neurologist for further testing. 

On that note the doctor released me and we headed out to the front of the hospital to catch a taxi back to the mission home where we would be staying for the night. As I opened the door to climb in, the taxi driver started to reverse. He knocked me off my feet a little with the door, but luckily he noticed before backing all the way out and running me over. There was no way I was going back in that hospital, especially not that same day! 

Sister Jeppson and I slept at the mission home, and Sister Szabadkai was amazing and made us food and took care of us just if if she was our mother! Saturday morning we woke up and had breakfast with their family and then President and Sister Szabadkai drove us home to Kecskemét. 

Yesterday Sister Jeppson and I went up to Budapest for the doctors. Ever since Friday my headaches have been really bad, been throwing up and the general doctor couldn't figure out what is going on, so I will have to go meet with a neurologist next week. I have received a lot of comfort from Elder Bagley's blessing though, and I truly believe that everything is going to be okay! While we were in Budapest there was a mini transfer going on because Elder Bagley and King finished their missions and are headed home, so we had the opportunity to meet up with them and their companions for lunch and say goodbye to them, so that was neat! We are now back in Kecskemét ready for a busy week full of missionary work! I love you all, have a splendid week in good ole America!

 Sok Szeretettel,

 LeBaron Nővér

 

Our first ever semi-okay companion picture. Also turns out Budapest is really pretty!

,

Us trying to be normal for once

The shoe monument in Pest. This is a memorial where Jews were lined up on the Duna and shot into the water during the war. Really sad story, but touching memorial for them

 

 

I found myself a cute Hungarian man, we are engaged!!! (Dont worry, i did not actually touch him, that would be gross)

Hungary~~02/29/2016

The view from this side of the bridge, also it was a little windy

LUNCH TIME

Well folks, it was a pretty slow week over here for Sister Jeppson and I. I have been recovering from being sick, so we spent most of our time inside this week. On Wednesday I had a doctors appointment up in Budapest, so we got to meet up with Elder Wilcox and Elder Cannon for lunch and walk around the city on our way back to the train station! I also got a piggy back from good 'ole Ronald Reagan, so that was fun!

On Friday President & Sister Szabadkai came to Kecskemét for interviews! It was good to see both of them! Interviews went really well! I feel like the language is finally starting to come along a little bit too, Ive had a bit of time to study while I wasn't in bed sleeping, so that's been really helpful!

Who would of thought of running into a USA President in Hungary......Pres Reagan was kind enough to let us jump up on for a little piggy-back ride & picture!!

Other than that not much happened and we didn't really have any programs, we just visited with a few members!

Buda Sunset

#Metrostopshoes

Sorry for such a short email, but I will send some pictures! Love you all, and hope you have a great week!

 

 Sok Szeretettel,

 LeBaron Nővér

I slipped and that is my leg dangling in the air...I currently have a nice bruise on my hand from his rock hard chin hahha

March 7, 2016 ~~Boldog Nők Napot!

Our Women's Day Tulips

Happy Women's day to all my fellow women out there! I didn't even know that was a thing previous to sacrament meeting yesterday when the young men came and gave all the women little tulips, but turns out it is, and I rather like it!

This week has been really great, Sister Jeppson and I are having such a great time serving here in Kecskemét together! We had a really neat teaching appointment with our investigator "J" on Friday! Last week we had given him a Restoration pamphlet and asked him to read it, and told him that we would talk about it this week when we met. Well when we got to his house he told us that first off he hasn't drank at all in the last 2 weeks! Which is amazing, because he is an alcoholic, but he has decided that he doesn't need it anymore and it is just a waste of his money!  He also told us that he had read the Restoration pamphlet... 5 TIMES!!! He ended up teaching us the whole Restoration himself from what he had learned from the pamphlets! He seems to understand it all really well, and says that he believes it all and knows that it is true! It was such a great teaching, and the spirit was super strong! It was a great experience! He is on baptism date right now, and there are still a few things we are working on with him, but he is progressing so much! We are so HAPPY  for him. The rest of the work is going really well too!

Something that has been on my mind this week with our investigators, and even in my own life, is the miracle of repentance! Last week Elder Lee gave a talk in sacrament meeting and it was really beautiful! He highlighted alot of sides of repentance that we normally don't think about it, but the ones that I love the most. First things first, repentance is not just for the big things. There is not a single day that goes by that we don't have something to repent for. Not a single one of us is perfect, and we shouldn't expect ourselves to be. Our Father in Heaven knows that we are imperfect beings, and that is why he gave us the Savior and His Atonement. Repentance is not just for "sinners", its for normal people. We shouldn't associate repentance with a negative connotation, repentance is truly a gift from God so that we can be forgiven of our little imperfections that we all have in order to grow closer to Him and eventually return to Him after this life! Sometimes in life, we slip up and make some bigger mistakes, but in the end if we are sincere in our desire to change there is not a single thing that we cannot be completely forgiven of if we repent and accept the power of the Atonement in our lives. The key is truly just to let the Savior into your life and use his Atonement everyday, that is how we can truly be the happiest in this life! 

We tried to make pumpkin cookies which turned into pumpkin bread... it was a fail! Oh and i got a hair cut!

I am out of time, and must go now, but I love you all and hope that you have a great week! Szeretlek benneteket!

Sok Szeretettel,

LeBaron Nővér

I crashed on my bike...oops!

Homeless Hamster Huggers (H^3)‏

"Our New Bikes"

This is the Homeless Hamster Huggers coming to you live. Sister Jeppson and I have officially joined a bike club, or rather started one ourselves! So yeah... WE BOUGHT BIKES!!! I just couldnt do it anymore, I was having some major biking withdrawls, so we gave President Szabadkai a call last week and asked if we could buy ourselves some bikes. His response was "Sure, just watch out for your skirts!" It was the greatest news I have heard in a while! We absolutely love our bikes, its like we have our own cars... but just in bike form! We are like little elementary school girls with their first bike, AKA yes we take pictures with our bikes haha!

P-day bike rides!!

Enough about the bikes though, things are going great here in Kecskemét! It is truly mind blowing to me how different missions are than I ever expected, but in the greatest way possible! I honestly am having the greatest time of my life, I love it so much here! First off, lets talk about the members! We are over here chilling on a whole different continent, yet these people are so amazing and somehow still make us feel like we are at home! They are just so loving and accepting of us! Sani Bácsi brings Jepp and I chocolate everyweek  to church, Kovács Irma loves inviting us over for her famous soups, Tardi Anna just loves us to death, the Bognarék & Misi are like our older siblings, Donna is like my little American grandma whose chilling in Hungary, and then the Mecseriék are just one of the cutest families that I have ever met and always let us play with their kids and have a little fun! I honestly never knew that I would be able to love people this much, and this quickly, they are all like my little Kecskeméti family!

Next up is investigators! I have still been sick so Sister Szabadkai didn't want us meeting with alot of people this week, but we did have a few teaching programs. We had the chance to meet with our investigator József who is currently on bap date. He is having a little bit of a hard time giving up alcohol, as he has drunk his whole life, but we have been working on it with him and he is improving! He absolutely loves the Plan of Salvation and has read the pamphlet we gave him like 15 times! We decided to give him a new one to read haha! He is doing good though! 

KRISZTI!!!

Zone Training

On Thursday we had Zone Conference down in Szeged! I love getting to go back to my greenie city, it will always feel like home! We had the opportunity to meet up with Kriszti, a recent convert there in Szeged, before the training! It was so good to be able to see her! I seriously love that girl so much! Our training was really good, it was focused on trying to help our investigators to progress! After the conference I got to talk to Elder Bagley, our zone leader who I handed all my work over to when we got transferred out of Szeged. He said that András Bácsi has been doing super well and is actually progressing! He even went to church the week after I left, which was super cool, cause he had promised me he would before I left! Turns out he actually loved church and wants to come again! I am so happy for him! 

I also got a call on Saturday from Elder Wilcox, the old Zone leader in Szeged, to tell me that Pék Kitti is GETTING BAPTIZED!!! Kitti is a young college girl that I streeted one day while Sister Csolity and I were tabling in Szeged. She had a little bit of a religious background and seemed pretty interested in what we had to say. We had given her a Book of Mormon that day and she gave us her phone number so that we could meet! That was around Christmas time and then her sister got sick and had to have an operation so she was taking care of her and the hospital and was never able to meet with us before I left Szeged. I handed her over to the Zone leaders as a referral, and turns out they were able to meet with her after her sister was healed from surgery, and on Saturday she asked Elder Bagley if she could get baptized! That was super cool to hear. In our mission the work is generally pretty slow and we rarely actually get to see the seeds we plant sprout into anything. It can sometimes be really hard and a little bit discouraging, but we have to press forward in the work and just have the faith that the little things we do and the long hours spent finding will actually result in something one day. So it was really neat to hear from Elder Wilcox that a seed we had planted is actually growing, that all those long hours spent freezing our butts off in the cold were for a reason. And now because we were obedient and diligent in what we were supposed to be doing, Kitti's life will forever be changed! Its the little things we do that make the biggest difference, even if we cannot always see it in the moment. I'm very thankful that I was able to hear that story and just be re motivated in the work, to have my faith sparked once more! I seriously am so thankful for this opportunity I have to be serving here in Hungary and to share the restored gospel with these people!

Happy late valentines day from the two of us (Thanks for the chocolates mom)

Boldog Valentin Nap!‏ (Original Written 2-15-16)

Transfer day~I'm so blessed to have served with Sis Giullian

I hope you all had a great valentines day yesterday, and apparently today is president's day or something like that, not really sure cause that isnt a thing here! This week we went up to transfers and we had to say goodbye to Sister Giullian, it was so fun serving with her, it was sad to see her leave! But she has called us everyday since she got to Szeged, and she is loving it there! I have been sick this week and have had to stay inside and sleep, so we didn't have too many programs.

  We did have the chance to meet with a new investigator of ours named Ilona! She has met with the elders, but because of new mission rules, they had to give her over to us! She is this super cute little grandma, who cooks amazingly, loves talking to us (Reminds me of my Mema), and we absolutely love her! When we met with her Saturday she cooked some duck with mashed potatoes and plum soup for Sister Jeppson and I. I was a little hesitant to try the duck, but once I took the first bite, it was like one of the greatest things that I have ever tasted! Also she puts eggs in her mashed potatoes, it sounds crazy, but it was amazing!

Eating Ilona's duck!!!

I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon in my life! I know that it was written for us in this day, and that as we read from it, we truly can grow closer to our Father in Heaven and we can find the answers to our prayers that we have been seeking! I bear testimony to you that the Book of Mormon is true and that it can bless each of us in our individual lives! I'm so thankful for this opportunity i have to serve a mission and to be able to share this book of scripture with the people here in Hungary! There is truly no other thing i would rather do with my life right now!

I am out of time so i must go now, but I love you all and hope that you have a great week ahead of you, filled with adventure!  Don't forget to look for the good in each day!

Sok szeretettel,

LeBaron Nővér

We found Chupa Chups in the Asian store!!!

"D" doesn't like pictures for some reason, so we have to take them with a blanket over her head hahah

The sunset from the Dom (a man made mountain here in Kecskemét)