Hey there,
This week was awesome. One of our investigators committed to be baptized and it was awesome because when we were planning what we would teach her we both felt really great about extending the commitment and against all odds, she accepted it. So that was a big first for me as a new missionary. It was funny because she called us to cancel our program and to say she didn't want to meet anymore but then she called back a few minutes later to say that actually, she could meet that day if we had time. Which, of course we had time because otherwise we just find, find, find. :) She is super funny and one of my favorite people to visit. She is like 67 years old and she has a very child-like personality. She has a hard time reading scriptures because they are hard for her to understand or something like that and I think she gets bored with them. So I made her a big calendar with three scriptures a week for her to read and we'll put going to church and praying on there as well. We're going to give it to her this week and hopefully it will help her. I am going to decorate it and make it cute for her because she really likes things like that. Hopefully she will see that reading the scriptures doesn't have to be difficult. I am going to personally call her this week and make sure she prays before she goes to bed. It's going to be scary but that's one of my goals for the week. I actually tried one night this week but she didn't pick up and I was a little relieved because Hungarian is hard enough to understand in person. On the phone....it will be interesting, that's for sure.
The other most awesome thing ever was that L.... came to church. Yes!!! That was also a big first for me. Having an investigator come to church. (Ash-ten investigators at church, really?!! You've got to be kidding me.) Well, actually technically we have one who comes every week but this was the first investigator who we personally found who came to church. I love L.... because we found him during my first few days and I started the door approach when we tracted into him and bore my testimony during that first lesson. He is very curious and a thinker and likes to ask a lot of questions. I don't mind because all of his questions so far have been things that I've already thought about a lot in my life and he speaks really good English so if he asks a question that my companion doesn't know I can explain an answer to him. We asked him to come to church and he said he was afraid of groups but he would think about it. Then we fasted for him to come on Sunday and Sunday morning he called and said he would come and we were like, "Woot!!!" So he came and we sat on either side of him like proud parents until my companion got asked to conduct the music and I was left alone with this investigator and I had no idea what I was doing because have I ever taken an investigator to church before in Hungarian? No! And I try to not speak any English at church because I think it's rude so if he asks me a question then I'm doomed. So then we start the hymn and it is one that I'm not really familiar with in English and I have to struggle to figure out the words in Hungarian and follow the tune at the same time and there's not really anybody sitting near us except for other missionaries' investigators and they're no help of course and L.... didn't open his mouth once so there I am trying to figure out how to sing this hymn in Hungarian with a groggy throat and really high notes and I have no idea what's going on and apparently neither do any of the Hungarians because I was like the only person in the congregation. But we made it through and then I told L... that I was sorry and that I wasn't familiar with that hymn and he said no, no you sing prettily. And then I just felt awkward. But the meeting was good and after he said it was really nice and he liked it and he stayed for the rest of church. So it was a big success and we are so excited to see his progress.
Some interesting experiences of the week included getting yelled at by several people, one of whom yelled at us and then after, when we went to knock on her neighbor's door, she went to all the effort of coming back to the door to yell at us again and tell us not to knock on her neighbor's door because then her neighbor would call her and she didn't want that because she was sick. Nobody in that building let us in and almost everybody told us they were sick. I thought it was funny. But scary when we got yelled at.....
Yesterday we had a man with blood running down his face come ask us for money. Luckily we were tabling with the elders at the time so I didn't feel scared but it was really weird. He had bandages on his neck and and head, but he was really dirty and his wounds were openly bleeding. He asked for money for bread and one of the elders gave him a little money and he left. It was so strange and sad.
Oh, we tracted into this lady who I refer to now as Ursula because she opened her door and it was dark and gloomy inside and she kind of billowed out in smoke. She told us that we should not be in this area because really bad people and criminals lived there and women had been attacked before. My companion told her thanks for warning us and we left but it was super weird and freaky a little bit. But I didn't believe her that much because we met a lot of nice people in the building. I figured if the super nice, classy Catholic man two floors up didn't warn us, then why should we pay attention to the scary woman. But my companion said she always pays attention when people warn her like that because she used to not and then she saw people get attacked. And then later I felt bad for judging that lady and I realized that she was actually a daughter of God just like me and it was nice of her to warn us of danger...
So there you have it. It's been a great week. Some discouraging moments but nothing too bad. On Thursday I felt something click in my brain with Hungarian and after that it's gotten a lot easier to understand people and it's fun to study now because I have faith that it will eventually stay in my head. I can feel myself being blessed all the time. Thank you for your prayers. I think the jet lag is gone and I'm just dealing with normal tiredness these days. I have no trouble sleeping. :) I love you all a lot and I hope that your lives are full of blessings and joy. Take care!
Naegle nővér
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