September 23, 2014

We went to Sister Steel’s and Attilia taught us how to make 

fruit soup, wedding salad, and potato patties that I don’t remember

 the name of! They were all so easy to make and so good! 

Can’t wait to make all of it for you when I’m home! 

Two sweet nénis offered to show us their houses while we were
tracting a ten story. One of them whipped out over 100 puzzles that
she has done and these little tea bag art origami things!
Actually super impressive! 

She gave one to me and Sis. Sholly “as a memory to never forget me.”
Such a sweetie! They were literally fighting over Sister Sholly and I,
who would go into whose house!

Last week was my 6 month mark!! SO crazy!! Those 6 months flew! 

It feels like years when I think of everything that has happened

 in the last few months, but then it just feels like a few weeks ago 

I was in the MTC! It’s so weird, I can’t explain it! 

It’s going so great though! We all went out and got pizza to celebrate! :)

 This is Boros Erika!! 

The lady with the ice cream that I felt so strongly to talk to! 

Orange glittery scarf lady!

Konrad got so excited to start over when I took away his smokes 

that he jumped up and started to play the piano like a crazy man! hahaha

Here is the Piac we go to each week to buy our fresh fruit and veggies! 
Best peaches I have ever had in my life! They seriously taste like candy!!

This pic of all of us together is this morning at the Steel's transfer breakfast! 

This week was sooo busy! It feels like a month since I emailed! It went fast, but just sooo much happened in it!

On Sunday we went to Miskolc for a Branch Conference. There were so many members there, we almost filled a whole chapel! It was amazing!! When we all sang it almost felt like I was back home (except it was in Hungarian!)  

         Our investigators are doing really great. Chen has been living the Word of Wisdom and seeing the blessings from it! His baptismal date is coming up so soon! He is starting to realize how important this decision is and second guessing himself but he is so ready though!! I just pray he can stay strong!

Konrad, oh boy, haha where do I even start? We took a big step back with him this week! He said it’s just too hard to come to our church when all of his family goes to the Református church. He said he has prayed and knows that this is the true church and that he knows the Book of Mormon is true... so he came up with a solution! He will read and study The Book of Mormon every day, but he won’t come to any activities and just go to the Református church each week! Konrad!!! SO… we taught the Restoration for the fourth time to him. Saddest news too! He smoked for the first time a few days ago. He stopped meeting with us everyday last week and he caved in, so sad for him! So I took them away again and he is starting over again! 'Sikérűlni fog!'

         We went tracting on Sunday and since there was a chance it was me and Sister Sholly's last time, we went together! It was the craziest tracting of my mission yet!! Whew! We met this guy who was so stoked about the free English that we teach that he wanted to come tracting with us! haha I’ve never had that happen before! He wanted to come ring doorbells with us in his ten story! So instead we had him meet with Dori and Sis. Naegle and we went back up to finish the building. 
Ok, so we finally broke away and went outside to find the sisters.

We saw this lady throw a stick at these kids and they were yelling back and forth, so weird! Naegle and Dori were still talking to our English man, so we planned to walk around the play ground and go streeting. The lady who threw the stick was sitting on some stairs and rocking a 101 dalmation shirt. Sister Sholly (the sweetheart she is) smiled at her as we passed. The lady jumped right up and broke a stick in half and came running up to us! She was saying “war” in Hungarian a few times, put the stick in our hands and said “peace, peace.” We’re like “Oh thank you!” and tried to leave, when Sister Naegle and Dori came as they thought we were streeting her. She whips out this orange sparkly scarf and said that she must do something to me. Not a second later she had the orange shawl on my head!! She starts going off about how beautiful I am, and then says that I am too beautiful. No man can see my eyes and then pulls the shawl in front of my face! I burst out laughing and said “Bocsi! Csak nem tudom mi ez” – “Sorry, I just don’t know what this is!” (grabbing the scarf) Stupidest thing I’ve ever said, but I was just drawing a total blank and it’s the best I could come up with! Sister Sholly is just dying laughing, hiding behind Sister Naegle and starts snapping pics!! The lady grabs Sister Naegle and asked her to translate to me. In English she says, “Your homeland is the Netherlands!” haha Sister Naegle, huge eyes, speaking like a robot because she is trying so hard not to laugh says “your homeland is the Netherlands!” Remember all of this is going on while I have an orange glitter shawl on my head! The poor lady then bursts into tears and comes under the veil with me. I didn’t want to make her upset so I just went along with all of it! Ah! I had no clue what to do! We finally got away and we cried laughing about the craziness of it all on the whole way home! Just another normal day in Hungary that I love!!

     So this morning we got transfer calls. I’m being transferred to Székesfehérvár! I’m going to be going Co senior with Sister Cropper and Sister Whitaker! We’re also going to be opening a new city! (there are Elders, but no sisters right now) I'm so excited to be serving with both of them and in another trio, but I am so so so sad to be leaving Debrecen and all of the people here that I love so much! It’s going to be so strange going from all of the people we’re teaching here to literally zero in the next city. We were a pretty sad sight this morning at the Steel’s, me and Sister Sholly and Elder and Sis Steel were all just crying and hugging each other! I’ve just come to love them all so much! It feels like I’m saying goodbye to my family all over again. So many of our investigators cried when we said goodbyes too, AH! I hate goodbyes! Sister Naegle said I’m the youngest that has ever gone Co Senior before, just 4 months in the country. So it’s going to be hard at times for sure, but I’m just trying to trust in the Lord and I know He will be watching out for me!

Love you all so much!

Sister Schnoor xoxoxo