August 12, 2014

Just the three of us at 4:30 am at the train station! haha 

The sun in always up by at least 4:00 here! 

The beautiful Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest!

Such an amazing view from up here!

This has to be one of the most beautiful Parliament buildings ever! 

It’s just so huge and majestic and so beautiful!

With Sister Jensen at the Budapest Parliament Buildings! 

This was amazing to actually see the shoes we read so much about before I came on my mission. Wow! I can’t even explain it. Just so sobering and moving to stand right where it happened and so incredibly sad. 

It’s a World War II Memorial of the shoes that would have been worn in 1944, along the banks of the Danube River. It is such a sad reminder of the terrible killings of the Jews in Budapest who were lined up at the edge of the river and then shot in the back by the Nazis. 

So many of them not a whole different than the shoes today.

We found a way cool church built into a rock, haha so random, but really neat!
The guy let us in for free as long as we prayed! 

So here is the history of the Cave Church! It was originally the home of a hermit monk who cured the sick with thermal waters. In 1926, it was turned into a church but in 1951, the Communist Secret Police arrested the entire order of monks and the chapel was blocked up with a thick cement wall for the next 40 years. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the church was reopened again.

Elder Zwinlgy and Chambers!

Statue of Liberty on Gellert Hill, Budapest

This week Jozsí was baptised, he is the Elders investigator. He is in a wheelchair and can barely move his limbs, it was the neatest experience. Us missionaries sang “Come Thou Fount.” He was crying and couldn’t even wipe his own tears, his Mom wiped them for him. He was beaming all day. Three people helped to baptize him. It was the neatest thing to see Elder Oakes all dressed in white carrying him into the baptizmal font. When Jozsi came up out of the water, he just kissed the elders over and over on the cheek! So sweet!

This week I almost came back to Canada... I found the biggest spider I’ve ever seen in our bathroom! Even my companions who don’t mind spiders were freaking out! Eeew!!! It was the big thick beefy kind too! Thank goodness for companions, who trapped and killed it outside. I pulled my bed away from all the walls and even though it is sooo hot, I sleep with covers on every night! 

Ok, so I don’t have much time today again, by the time I read all of the emails, I only have about 40 mins. left to try and write everyone back!

We went up to Budapest twice this week, so it was 12 hours on the train this week, it flew by! haha Our luck with trains hasn’t improved yet... missed our first train by 5 mins. at 4:30 am (new summer time) and then jumped on the wrong train! haha Long story short, everything worked out and we made it just in time for our meetings! Second time the train was all full, so we had to take a way different route again! haha One of these days were gunna get it!!

While Sister Sholly had greenie training, Sister Jensen and I got to tour Budapest!! It was so great having a free day to just do whatever! We did so much!! Went to Parliament, saw the shoes by the Danu (the ones we were looking at before my mission Mom), went to Fishermen’s Bastion, then hiked up to the lady with the leaf (haha no clue what the real name is!) It was such a fun day, sad Sister Sholly couldn’t be with us though!

Miracle for this week, Kondrad and Chen both agreed to be baptised!!! I’m so so happy for both of them! Chen has been meeting with the missionaries for months and we tracted into Kondrad. He is German and has such amazing faith in God. His prayers are always about 25 mins. long, he comes to church each week... but most of the time a little drunk, soooo word of wisdom here we come! When we asked Kondrad to be baptized he said “Igen, szeretnem, de nem tudom hogyan” which means, yes I would like to, but I just don’t know how?'  It was the neatest experience! haha Don’t worry, we know how!

This week Jozsí was baptised, he is the Elders investigator. He is in a wheelchair and can barely move his limbs, it was the neatest experience. Us missionaries sang “Come Thou Fount.” He was crying and couldn’t even wipe his own tears, his Mom wiped them for him. He was beaming all day. Three people helped to baptize him, it was the neatest thing to see Elder Oakes all dressed in white carrying him into the baptizmal font. The Spirit was there so strong and I knew how proud the Lord was of him and the covenants he was making.

So many more miracles happened this week, I don’t have time to write them all, but things are still going great here in Debrecen! I love it here! Oh, and on the 20th is the holiday with the huge flower parade!! So lucky to be serving here for it! So next week my P Day might be off again!

I loooove the pictures of little Beau!!! He is so adorable, I love him so much already and cannot wait to meet him! You’re right, it is really tough not to be there with everyone, but it is flying by already! I had to do the math, but you’re right, 5 months so soon!!! Does it feel like that long for you??

Love you all so much! xox

Sister Schnoor