Week 8: Four Months In

27 May 2013

Hey!

I have a hard time coming up with things to write about, and then I never have a ton of time left to write a ton. But, hmm, I’ll try. Haha

This week has been alright. I kind of feel like I need to sleep for 5 days straight and then maybe I can keep being a missionary. Instead, we're actually doing the opposite and going hard for Super Standard this next week. I'll let you know how that goes. We're doing kind of a consecration week of 7 days of SYL (speak your language) and a ton of work hours and things. Last week we got Standard again, so we're up-ing it this week. We might just go home and go to bed early tonight to prepare. Haha

Hmm…Interesting things that happened this week... I tried chicken liver or some kind of liver... Just a tiny bite... it wasn’t too bad until the aftertaste. Yuck. Also, we have an investigator and she’s psycho. Like actually. I don’t even want to go into detail because she makes us so annoyed. But, a couple weeks ago, when I first taught her, she complimented my hair and then when we went back to her house a couple days later she had dyed her hair…and then she said it was because she had seen mine. merp. I’ll take it as a compliment though Haha. We had to drop her off bap date yesterday, unfortunately. Maybe I’ll be able to tell you more about it later, but we’ll see. Haha I can’t get into it right now without getting annoyed again. And it would take way too much time. Hahah

Sometimes my sneezes come out really loud like Dad's. It happened one day this week and my companion was just like Whoa. And then it reminded me of when Dad sneezes and Pookie is sleeping in a ball and gets scared and then I laughed for like 10 minutes by myself. Haha

This week has been really high and really low, I don’t even know how to describe it. Most of it was just really bleh for no particular reason and then one day was just so good and I decided I really love Debrecen and Hungary and I actually really want to stay here for another transfer. But, at the same time I’d love to go open a new area. So pretty much I'll be fine doing either, or anything, but I really love everyone here and I LOVE the YSA and the people in the ward even though there are some definite crazies that I can’t even describe. Our investigators are SO intense some of them, but it’s just so different from the ones in Kispest. But I love them!

Time is flying by like crazy. I hit my fourth month mark on my mission AND my 2 month mark in the country this last week. I can't believe that I have just over a year left. A year and a half always sounded like so long, but I'm almost a third of the way through.

Anyway, I can’t think of anything else to say…so…ask questions. Have a good week! Love you all!

Week 7 Day 119 I call myself "vaj-mező" nővér (literally butter-field)

21 May 2013

Sziasztok!

Sorry I didn't email anyone yesterday! It was a holiday here (Pentecost, in English, I think?)

To answer some questions: "Debrecen is good! Yeah, there’s just one branch in the whole city and it’s pretty small. I guess it’s set up to be the stake center in a long time when they make the East Stake. But, the West will become a stake first. By the looks of it, it'll probably (hopefully) be really soon."

Hmm…This week I've actually been reading a lot about President Hinckley after hearing about President Monson's wife (which we were shocked to find out about, it’s weird not being part of the world and using the internet and watching TV). And, I found this little thing that was released in the Ensign/Liahona in 2008 about President Hinckley when he passed away and it’s been really cool to read and it just made me miss him. I feel like he was my prophet, even he was the third prophet since I was born.

Hmm, it’s super different to be in a…duo (?) instead of a trio. We have gotten really close and we get along really well, which is really really nice. It’d be awful to have to live, work and literally be with someone 24/7 when you don’t get along and can’t have fun, because the mission work is already hard and scary enough. Luckily I got lucky again this transfer. We've also been working on like giving me more responsibility, because we're pretty sure that I'll go senior next transfer or sometime really soon. Sooo, this week I made all of the phone calls and set up all of the programs for the week! Craziness! Don't ask me how I did it. Haha. Actually, it wasn't even bad at all, so that's good. Also, I have started leading the way to get to programs and stuff because Sister Perkins will probably leave next transfer and I'll have to know my way around. I lead our entire program this morning and planned it all by myself. Yikes. Haha but it went well. Hmm...yeah, and mostly I just get to talk a lot more in programs and people actually listen to me and a get lots of comments on my Hungarian, which I think is funny because I can't take those compliments seriously and usually I think people are just trying to make me feel good and that my Hungarian is actually awful. But, who knows. Haha it’s a nice gesture.

The word was really nice this week! We keep getting invited to eat at people’s houses and things like that, which I guess isn’t super normal here. I feel like I'll probably be here in Debrecen for a while, because I actually feel part of the group here and I've been getting along with people here super well. Everyone’s so cute and nice!

Ha! So funny story! Guess what I did yesterday! I told my companion that everyone would get a kick out of it back home, but…I CUT MY COMPANIONS HAIR! What! She’s a licensed cosmetologist (I don’t know how to spell that still) and she SRILL let me cut her hair! Also, I guess she really actually liked him, because she wants me to do it again, closer to transfers but shorter next time so that it stays healthy longer. Yikes. I would not just give anyone scissors and tell them to cut my hair if they’d never done it before. Hahaha but, at least she walked me through steps.

Another funny story, here I introduce myself a lot of time as "vaj-mező" nővér (literally butter-field) because people have a really hard time saying and remembering my name and people who speak a little bit of English love it because it helps them remember it. And people who don’t speak English, it’s just easier and they think it’s hilarious and always ask what a butter field is anyway and what it looks like. Haha

It’s been a looong week, but it’s been good! We got standard! We also put someone on bap date and we're setting another date this week, when the lady gets back to us, so the work is moving along here. It’s weird because Debrecen is a huge melting pot! Here's how I explained it to someone else: " it’s the second biggest in the country (I was just serving in the biggest), but it’s so much different than Budapest. people are so much nicer here and it’s like a huge melting pot and half the people we actually teach in English right now and we always run into people from everywhere like china, England, the USA, Israel, Nigeria." It’s a really interesting change and we meet such cool people here, sometimes it’s funny when we try to speak to them in Hungarian and they’re just like uhhh, do you speak English? Haha. Most of them are either refugees or they’re here for college.

Okay, my time’s about up, but tell me about real life! I love you all!

vaj-mező nővér

Week 6: Day 111: My transfer to Debrecen

13 May 2013

Hey!

Skyping yesterday almost feels like a dream! Weird! So I kind of explained to family yesterday what Debrecen is like, but no one else has really heard what it’s like. I seriously feel like I'm in a completely different country right now! It's SO different from Kispest. I'm pretty sure I moved from like the most rundown Sisters' apartment to the nicest one in the mission; so that's great for me! Not so great for Sister Messinger who swapped spots with me. haha :/ Also, people here are sooo nice, comparatively. Still not the same as Latins or even Americans, but hey, seems like heaven to me! I think this is the longest time I've gone without being yelled at! :) It makes me appreciate it so much more! Also, the work here is much different! They aren't used to going tracting or knocking on doors or anything. It's mostly just tabling, streeting and programs. Weird! It's a college city, so there are actually a lot of people from other countries because it’s a really good college! There are a lot of medical students and things! Also, everyone here rides bikes and it’s so much prettier out here than the cramped, busy city. Also, the houses here are actually (almost) like houses in the US. There are some really big nice houses here! I've heard that this is the second biggest city in Hungary and that it's the wealthiest area. Who knows if that’s actually true! Not me, because I don't have Google! Haha! No fact checking for me!

My first full day here, I actually got sick. So when we got home this Thursday, my head was killing me and my whole body was shaking and I ended up throwing up a couple times, but I felt much better the next morning! It's cool that it only lasted the short amount of time that we were at our apartment; anyway, it didn’t affect our work at all, which was good! The ward here is actually a branch and is super small (but I think big compared to the rest of the country), but the missionaries are actually a part of the ward here and are needed! Weird! Haha I helped translate a temple recommend interview at church on Sunday! So weird! I’ve never been a part of someone else’s interview with a bishop...

Hmm other than that... tonight Sister Perkins and I are walking through the cemetery with our elders! And my comp is sooo great! We get along really well! She's a cosmetologist. I don’t know how to spell that........ So we're going to the branch house soon, so that she can cut some people’s hair today. Also, I have a sister missionary tan. Yuck. Haha and my feet have really weird tan lines! I'll have more time to write next time, ask questions so I know what to tell you all about! But, this city is a big change. Luckily, Sister Perkins and I are like already best friends and have talked about our entire lives--not quite our entire lives--but almost. She’s great!

Fill me in on the funeral tomorrow and everything you're all up to! I want to hear it all! I can't believe I've been out so long! During next transfer, I'll hit my 6 month mark! orultseg! Craziness!

I hope you all have a really good week!

Love you all,

Butterfield nover