Main picture

Main picture

Mission Home Address

Hungary Mission Home Address

Sister Teagen Schnoor
Hungary Budapest Mission
Budapest
Hajnóczy József Utca 14
1122
Hungary

Monday, 26 May 2014

May 26, 2014



Some of the beautiful architecture here in Budapest!


An amazing old church

The pictures of these buildings don't seem to do them justice. 
They are just stunning, some of the most beautiful things I think I've ever seen! It is just amazing!

 Just like a postcard! The beautiful city of Budapest!
































A cherry tree! Definitely the most delicious 
cherries I've ever tasted!





Our smelly little bathroom in our apartment haha. 
It's only going to get worse with the hotter weather!


Wow, it's hard to believe I'm writing this from across world from you! Ah! I'm in Hungary!! I made it safe and sound! By the way, it is taking me so long to write this because the keyboards are so different over here! It also has every word underlined in red. We're just in a computer lab down the street from where we live and so you pay to use the computers!. 
Oh my goodness! I don't even know where to begin! I love Hungary! Everything is so different here, I can't believe it! Ok, I'll start at the beginning! The plane ride was pretty good, I slept for just an hour, so I was pretty tired by the time we got to Paris! We only had an hour there, so we just ran to our next flight! There were so many of us and so many bags we all had, it was a miracle that we all made it! Oh and I saw the Eiffel Tower while we were landing! So cool!! Paris was sooo humid! It felt like I had just put on lotion it was so hot! The plane ride was so hard to not fall asleep on the way to Hungary. I fought through it though!! I am a lot more used to the time now though. I was super tired those first few days for sure! We have an hour for lunch and dinner each day, so I would just eat real quick and have a power nap haha so it was a huge help!

It was so amazing to see Hungary for the first time out of the plane window. I just had no idea what was waiting for me down below, who I would meet, where I would live, who my companion was, just everything! I had the worst butterflies ever! When they made the announcements, I was sitting close to Gonzolas Elder (the one who knows Justin and speaks Hungarian) and he said "that's Hungarian!" I listened and my heart dropped, it didn't sound close to anything I had been taught! He laughed and laughed after and said just kidding that was actually French! haha I was sooo relieved! Then Hungarian came on and I knew it was Hungarian! I could only pick out a word or 2 here and there though! 
When we landed, President and his wife were waiting for us. They are so so sweet! Everyone was so amazed that all of our suitcases made it with us! It is beautiful! Everything is so green over here and there are flowers everywhere! It's super super humid, so I have just accepted the fact that I'll have poofy hair for the next 16 months! haha We were all looking sooo rough that first day too! We weren't thinking straight either and I felt so bad for everyone trying to talk to us! We went to the mission home and had our first Hungarian meal! It was noodles and chicken with paprika sauce, it was super good! I really like the paprika too which is good because apparently it's going to be in everything!! haha The Bagozzi's from Cardston were there too! So great to see them again when everything else was so new! She gave me a big bear hug!
We went to the river (Duna) and went to see the Parliament buildings. It was stunning. Wow, all of the buildings here, I don't think I've ever seen buildings so beautiful - the pictures so do not do them justice, but hopefully it works to send you some! I couldn't believe looking at everything that I would be living here for the next 16 months. It all just seemed like a dream to me! (well, that also could be because we were all half asleep from the night before) haha 
We actually stayed in a hotel that first night because there were so many of us, I couldn't wait to shower! When we got to the room it took us about 3 minutes just to figure out how to turn on the light. Then I couldn't figure out how to get the toilet to flush, or how to turn the shower on! haha Then when I finally got the shower on, water went everywhere because there was only glass on half of the shower and the rest was just open! It was obvious I wasn't home anymore!! 
We went "streeting" the next day!! My butterflies had just gotten worse and worse! The first man I stopped saw my name badge and said kátolíküs vagyok! He put his hands over his head and ran away! haha What he said was,"I'm a Catholic! He only had 3 teeth in the front, top and bottom! Oh boy! The next man I tried to talk to had a big mustache. I introduced myself and a spider crawled out of his moustache!! haha he said “no” real quick and I wasn't too heartbroken to see him leave!
Ok, so as far as the language goes, it's so hard. I can understand a word here and there if they are talking about the gospel, but I just stand there nodding my head and smiling and pretend like I can understand! I just watch my companion, if she nods I do, if she is sad I'm sad, if she laughs then I laugh! haha It's so bad, but its all I can do! I thought that the language would just be a lot of people not understanding what I want to say, but it's the opposite!! I just don't know what anyone is talking about, so I have no idea what to say! I know it will come, but it is so frustrating right now! I have never been the person to just not talk when I meet someone or to just stand there in a conversation, but that's completely me now!
Oh my companion!!! Her name is Megan Butterfield, she is from Utah and is adorable and I love her! Heavenly Father knew that I would need someone like her. This is her very last transfer until she goes home, she has a blog too, check her out! She is so patient with me and the language. She isn't sitting beside me so I'm not just sucking up, she is just so laid back with everything too. She is amazing at the language too, so she has been a huge help to me. I just feel so bad because she is pretty much teaching lessons and tracting alone! I want to contribute so bad though, so I just have her ask me questions in the lessons so I know what they are talking about and I can say a sentence or 2 or bear my testimony about it. I just sit there in lessons and pray for the Spirit to touch them that they will recognize the truth of what we're saying. I know that's the biggest help I can give. 
So we're serving in Dunáújváros! When I told some of the missionaries where I'm serving first, they all just said, "Oh, I'm sorry!" It was so sad! So Duna, that's what we call it, is where the Communists were building. It is an industrial city so it is just filled with factories and ten story buildings! They have metal factories close by us, so there is an awful smell here.. always. We took a train to Duna. I loved driving through the country, there is just so much new to see and it is so green and beautiful! So we actually live in a ten story building. It's tiny and cute! The elevator is so so sketchy though! haha you could squeeze 3 people on if you had to, but it is so awkward when you do because you're always touching! haha it hasn't broken yet though, so, so far so good!

 There is a new smell on there everyday too. Our bathroom smells the worst though, it's just a little toilet in a little room and it always smells like paprika and some other mix! We have tried everything, we can't get it away! haha There was a note from the Sister's before us warning us about it too! Oh well, you just learn to take a deep breath before and not breathe while you're in there! It has a shower with just a shower head that you hold in your hand, does that make sense? Like it's not on the wall, so you use one hand to hold it and the other to wash your hair! It takes some getting used to! I've already gotten a lot more used to the smells outside, it's just really bad in the ten stories when it gets hot! It's hotter in the buildings than outside! So we're white washing this area which means we're the first sisters in a long time to serve here, so we start with nothing, we just go! It's so funny though, because since we're both new we have no clue where anything is!! We get lost all of the time! We also live in a really rough part of the city, but I know that it doesn't matter where we live, the Lord is protecting His missionaries! It's also so funny to hear people try to say Schnoor!
The first day or 2 we just tracted, every day, all day, trying to find anyone we could teach. We just pick a ten story, go to the top floor, and knock on every door. If you mention religion or they notice you're missionaries, right off, they will slam the door in your face! So we just say that we're new, (which is so obvious when I talk haha) and that we're wanting to get to know people and want to ask just a few questions. They still normally say no, but there is sometimes that one person in each building who will give us the time of day. Oh, and when you knock on a door you have no idea what will be on the other side. No one wears clothes in their house. No one!! haha I have already seen more men in little undies than I thought I would my whole life! haha No shame here!
There is a man named Jósef who let us in. He said that he isn't religious and he doesn't want religion in his life because he is already too old. He said he doesn't know if God exists, but if He does, he has a lot to thank him for. Super cool guy! He was really closed off at first, but at the end my companion said the prayer and he said I would like to add to your prayer... then started praying! He thanked God for us and prayed that this might be the start of something new in his life and to help him know if this is true and a good thing, which was so cool, because we hadn't asked him to pray for any of that and we really hadn't taught him much. Hopefully we will be meeting with him again this next week!
Another lady talked with us at her door for a good 30 mins. She is only about 4 foot tall and has the biggest round, beautiful, eyes. Her name is Terí. She loves her dog more than anything. It looks just like Ryan's dog Charlie and always has its hair in a pony on top of its head with a bow! She looooves to talk! She mostly talked about her dog the whole time and what it will be like when the dog dies. She agreed to have us back though! We taught a lesson and talked about the Book of Mormon. She loved hearing about it and would just nod and stare with her deep eyes, then talk about her dog some more.. she agreed to read the intro and Moroni 10. We asked if we could come back on Wednesday and she said "and Saturday too!" haha she is so cute!
Ok, the other person we met with is named János. Wow! He is he a character!!! He has been meeting with missionaries for a few years now. We have been to see him twice. He said he believes everything he has been taught and knows it's true, but he doesn't want to follow any commandments. He is super short and so cute! He has the smiliest brown eyes! In our lessons he asks the funniest questions, so out of the blue! The first time I bore testimony to him about why I decided to keep commandments. He smiled and touched his heart when I talked about living with my family forever. When I was done he just tilted his head to the side and wiggled his only top front tooth and asked if my teeth were real or fake.... haha so hard to not burst out laughing! When I told him they were real, he didn't believe me! He said he wants me to give him my teeth so he can wear them and get all the ladies... he is such a character! He is so full of questions. In the middle of a discussion, he will ask, "what did you learn in school, what do

 Canadians look like, do we wear bear skins in Canada?" He poked a mole on my comps arm and asks "what is that, why do you have it, where did it come from?" haha He said I look like I'm really good at sports, so I asked him which ones he likes to play. We didn't understand what he said so then he said, "oh, I'll show you. haha I thought he was going to pretend to shoot a hoop or something, but he goes up to Sister Butterfield and told her to stand up. She stood up and not a second later he had his arms around her and was lifting her up in the air!! haha I felt like I should help but I was laughing too hard! He comes about up to her chest, and he pretty much just arched his back so she was propped up on his belly! She was just laughing and turning red. He put her down and jumped real quick, swung his arm around her neck and brought her down into a headlock! I had no idea he could move so fast! By this point I was zero help and had tears streaming down my face then he turned on me and had me in a head lock! I was sitting down at the table though, so he was pretty much just hugging my head against his stomach! Oh my, I love János!! We laughed for most of the way home.
So the first night, we went to a Family Home Evening with the Elders and a family. For food they had bread with peppers on it and a red kinda brown spread. It smelled so strong and tasted like a mix of spicy and horse radish and the relish. I ate all of it, but it was for sure NOT my favorite. I couldn't understand them to know what I was eating but found out after it was just plain fried fat! So glad I didn't know what it was when I was eating it! Sorry Dad, but apparently they love just thick lard or fried lard on all of their bread, so I gotta learn to love it! The other foods I've tried have all been great! We have been to dinner once and they had this fried meat that was in really big perfectly round balls. I was a little worried at first, but it was sooo good! The food tastes extra good since I've pretty much been living on honeynut cheerios for the last week! haha We're getting some more groceries today, so no worries Momma!
Everyone kisses each cheek when you say hello. I think it is so sweet! I love it, the little kids all do it too. It's a little awkward when the boys all lean in for a kiss! haha There are some real flirty boys here! I don't have to speak the language to figure that one out!
When we were walking down the street there was a huge tree that had branches covering the sidewalk. When I got closer I saw that it was a cherry tree!! I had to try one.. it was so delicious! I ate so many cherries right from the tree! I wish you could have been there! I know that's one of Dad's favorite things, no chemicals, and so so fresh! They tasted better than candy. Everyone owns dogs here too! I see little Charlie's everywhere! There are some terrifying ones too! I've jumped behind my comp many times!
In Hungarian, they say snails blood, instead of chill out or calm down... haha so funny! Jay told me about her endownments on Saturday!! That is the best news and I wish I could be there too!!!!! I hope everyone can make it up for that! Chantelle keeps the letters coming, she is a sweetheart! How the mail works is all the letters go to the mission office and just wait there until we come in to Budapest, so it might take another week to make it to me, but Sister Butterfield sent something home and it was there in 2 weeks! So hopefully not too long! So where we are, there are actually just us and then one set of elders, so we do a lot with them they are really great too, but we're not with any other missionaries in a district. There is a little branch here! I met so many people before and after church, we actually had to go up and introduce ourselves and bear a short testimony, I was nervous, but only because I still couldn't speak! I just said how I'm very new so I know that I'm hard to understand, but I want to bear my testimony. I just did a really short one and talked about Christ, his Atonement, and Joseph Smith. Lots of people came up to me after and I couldn't understand them, but they said the word testimony and were smiling, so I hope they understood it!
I think I’ve answered most of your questions, sorry this is so long! It was so good to read your letters! I love hearing about home!! I can't wait to see the changes on the house and those flower beds sound adorable! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRAYDEN AND RYAN THIS WEEK!!!!!!!! Give them some Birthday spankens for me!
I love you so so much, stay safe, stay strong, know how much I love you all!!
Sök Szeretlek,
Schnoor Nővér

Thursday, 22 May 2014

May 20, 2014 - Email from Teagen's Mission President


HUNGARY BUDAPEST MISSION



Dear Missionary Family:
Your missionary has arrived safely in the Hungary Budapest Mission!  We are excited to finally have your missionary here! Here is a photograph taken today at the Budapest Airport.

(Click Picture to Enlarge)
When we returned from the Airport, I held brief interviews. These 
interviews are an important part of being able to assign the missionaries to the proper companion and in the proper city.  We want to make sure they are able to accomplish the things they have been sent here to do.
Following interviews, we held a wonderful dinner in the Mission Home. The missionaries then went on a short tour of Budapest. The missionaries walked to Castle Hill – and had a nice view of the Parliament, the Danube, and other historic sites.  
Tomorrow, the missionaries will be taken to have photographs taken for residency permits. They will also  be “contacting” individuals on the street (called “streeting”)
We have asked the missionaries to e-mail their family on Preparation Day (Monday). You should expect to hear from your missionary then. 

When the missionaries return to the Mission Office, they will receive some brief training and will then be assigned their first companionship and their first city. The missionaries will then depart to their new area of service.
We are excited to have your missionary with us.  Hungary is a challenging place for missionaries.  Yet, the missionary service here is very rewarding.  Lives are forever changed by the righteous service of our missionaries.  We can see the Lord hastening his work in these latter days.  We can see the Church growing here.  We know your missionary has been sent here for a divine purpose.  We will do all we can to help your missionary accomplish great things in Hungary! Thank you for your prayers on behalf of your missionary - and on behalf  of all of the missionaries in the Hungary Budapest Mission.

Best personal regards,
            
PRESIDENT LOWELL V. SMITH



























            


May 15, 2014




Today has been so so crazy! I have just so much to do before I leave in just a few days and today is the only day I can do it all! It's all just errands, run here to drop off my shoes, pick up dry cleaning, go to the book store to buy little things I need for the trip, pick up my shoes, gotta eat in there! Then I gotta some how pack! haha I just may arrive in Hungary a little mental.. nem bi! (thats no problem!)
Ok, so here's my week really fast! This week flew by! I was right, every week went faster and faster and this last week felt like a day! It has been a happy/sad week for me. We taught all of our last lessons with our investigators and had our very last normal day at the MTC. I can't believe I have been here for 2 months! Today we went to the Temple for the very last time for 1 1/2 years. That was so much harder than I thought it would be. We sat in the celestial room for almost an hour after. I felt like I just had to soak up that amazing feeling all that I could to last me the next 16 months!
Oh my! I loved Brooke's letter!!! Me and my roomies all just love her and her stories! I have honestly not had an extra minute to read it again, so it was just fast at dinner, but we were all loving it!!! I need to start a little quote book just for her! Ah! I still have so much to do today and I only have 2 hours left before we teach at TRC and we don't have a lesson ready yet! haha oh boy! This day! 
Oh, and tell me in Dear Elder tomorrow what Dad and you think would be better for me to do so I'm not so jetlagged when I get to Hungary! So should I just try to sleep and be awake on the plane according to Hungary time or should I just try to sleep as much as I can on the plane and then just stay awake until night time in Hungary? haha I have no clue! AAAHH!!! I'm going to be in Europe in just a few days!! How crazy is that?! I'm a little nervous for the 10 hour flight.. but I am so so excited!
Oh and some questions before I forget to ask you/ tell you things! I had no idea about Brother Wynder making my mission plaque!! That is just so so sweet! How did that all come about? That just melts my heart about him and makes me want to cry!!
Oh and more random things I'm just remembering!! All of the Ukraine missionaries in the MTC just got reassigned to Peru!! Nuts hey?! So they were here for 5 weeks learning Russian, and now they are over at West campus for another 6 weeks learning Spanish now!!! 
Tomorrow before 11 is the very last day for Dear Elders so make sure all the fam knows! I don't want to miss a letter! So from here on, it's just the Hungary address now! Oh, and can you please send me everyones cell numbers for the airport? it sounds like I will have about 3 hours, so I would love to call any family I can! Maybe even Grandparents for just a few minutes?  
Tell Kendra a huge congrats from me! I would love to see her invite too!  
I don't know if I'll be able to check my blog in Hungary, but I'm not worried in the slightest! Hopefully keeping up with it doesn't take much time for you! 
Oh and....Elder Perry came on Tuesday!!!! It was amazing!!! He is looking really good too! He is 92... I had no idea! He gave an amazing talk all of the strength of companionships. I sat 2nd row. I have been so incredibly lucky to hear all of them! All of the Branch Presidents and everyone are amazed too! They said that missionaries are so lucky if the hear from one apostle.. I have heard from so many in my time here!! I guess it was just a really great time of year because it is kind of a down time in their schedules.
HAHHAHHAHA I just read your letter Jay!!! hahaha I am laughing so hard and everyone is looking at me wondering what is going on!I Can't believe I'm coming home to 2 babes (and please maybe more?!!!) AH!!! That was the weirdest thing to see you Jaycie with a pregger belly! Like you had one before I left.. but no where close to that size!! haha I cannot wait to see the babies!!!!!!!! I expect SO many pictures! And not just online ok? Like they are great to see, but I can only see them once a week when I email! PLEASE send me printed off pics in the mail! I want to look at them whenever I can! Oh my! I cannot believe how soon they are coming either!!! 
Oh and did you happen to find anything out about the purple envelopes?? I hope they are real!! I would loooove to send everything home! And again, do NOT send me a package!! I promise I don't want them! I can get everything I need in Hungary! I would so much rather just get things from there anyways with the time I will be there! I promise I'll buy things and send pics home of what I bought too! 
Haha, Well, I'll only have Hungarians to compare myself to, so the bar is set pretty high!!  Aaaaah!!! Remember the Best 2 Years? "Elder, that wasn't the language they taught me in the MTC?'... hahaha That's seriously going to be me!!! 
You're so right though! The language really is important, but what is so much more important is learning the language of the Spirit. As long as I'm in tune with that and even if I can't speak anything but a sentence or 2 when the Lord needs me to, then I don't care. That is all that I could want is that when He needs me, I will be there. I can't believe I'll soon be talking to real people! Ah! I have the worst "in trouble" butterflies ever!!! No one in my district understands what I mean when I say that! haha Oh and my teachers also said that they all went at least 3 months at a time without anyone to teach... that would be so hard! They said they would street all day, but no one wanted to hear. 
Awe thanks so much family!! I love you so so much too! I cannot wait to talk to you in just a few days!!!! I feel like I should be even more nervous, but I feel like I'm not actually leaving the MTC. haha I feel like I'm serving my mission here which is fine with me! haha Thank you for putting my name on the prayer roll too. I know how much help everyones prayers are to me. Please keep them coming! 
Oh ps.. I have the best image in my mind of Dad fighting and wrapping himself in that plastic wrap!!! haha The redneck genius is at it again!
Well I wish this week was more exciting! haha I feel like nothing happened to tell you! Sorry! Next week will be the exact opposite though!! AH! I will have soooo much to tell you! Just this time next week, I'll know who my trainer is, where my area is, what the food is like, if I can understand anyone, if anyone can understand me haha.. just everything!!! 
It's going to be so hard being across the world from my family.
I love you all so so much! Can't wait to talk to you in just a few days!!! xoxoxo 
Sok Szeretetel
Tigger