Week 78 - Győr

Sister Fresh wrote one simple phrase in her email today ...

"Alig várom... :)" [I can not wait - in Hungarian]. She also attached this photo of herself with her luggage, packed and ready to go.

Fresh Nővér making the
ASL sign for "I love you"

We also got a second email with the following ...

"mehhhh I forgot to sign my email with Fresh nővér... and well I have to because its my last time... so here goes.

sok szeretettel,
Fresh nővér"

After spending Wednesday in Budapest at the mission home, she will board a plane for London, then Dallas, and finally Ontario. While we have loved having her as a missionary, we also "can not wait" to see her again!

Week 77 - Győr

Fresh Nővér's email began with:
 
"This week was really good :) We had a lot of new people to meet with and work is going so much better, just in time for me to leave right. ahaha"
 
She mentioned several things that happened this week, but said the details would come when she gets home next week. For example:
 
"We witnessed a possessed csengő... like ask me about this one when I get home. It’s too hard to write about. ahaha"
 
"Our apartment got broke into. They didn’t take anything. I’ll have to explain this one when I’m home too. :)"
 
"We were tracting and a bácsi tried to give us money... we aren’t supposed to accept it so for about 10 minutes he was persisting and  I was resisting.... but finally he got really smart and put it in my belt and ran inside."
 


"The money from the bácsi in my belt..." ‏

 
"I think that’s what I will miss the most about being a missionary is just the crazy things that happen to you and the really funny stories that come from them."
 
She will also miss the many people who she has interacted with and who have touched her life. Here are pictures of two of the from this week:

Fresh Nővér and Marika néni



Fresh Nővér and Edit 
(a wonderful member of the Győr Ward) 


Fresh Nővér has loved her mission experience, the missionaries she has worked with, and especially Hungary, the culture and the people. This picture expresses how she feels as her mission draws to a close and she anticipates returning home next week.


"Heart torn in 2"
(One sock has the colors of the American flag
and the other on has the colors of the Hungarian flag.) ‏



Week 76 - Győr

From Fresh Nővér's email this week:



"Happy America day!!! I had a surprisingly great celebration here as we had a little birthday party for America with the youth. I made brownies and they were hard and burnt, but everyone said they liked them ... I swore off making them ever again but with all the compliments I think I might have to make them someday ... mehhh The party was super fun! We played American games and did American things. I got my face painted and we threw water balloons. Oh  so great!! We love America, and the biggest surprise of all was that night in the bel város, where we live, there were fireworks :) So crazy I didn't even know they loved America that much here!"



"We love America!" ... Fresh Nővér, Watson Elder,
and Williamson Nővér celebrating on the 4th of July.





"Face Paint with Goldie ...
She wanted hers to match mine!"





Fresh Nővér and Nelson, a ward member from
Portugal, at the youth party.



Other odds and ends that happened this week:



"There was a super cute kids festival this weekend in the bel város and I want to like bring my kids back here for that... They like closed down the whole island and some roads so that kids could just  run around everywhere!!! It was a childs dream. Everything was decorated really cute and was very colorful too :) I love this city."

"I'm a bad person ... I made a bácsi [old man] cry. We streeted a man and were just talking with him. I asked him what makes him happy and  he just started crying and walked away... i felt so bad. :("

"We streeted another man and he told me he could tell I was from America because my skin was so brigh .... its funny because I feel like I'm pretty tan right now. :(  hahaha"

"Also we were streeting and this néni [old woman] on a bike (seriously my favorite thing to see is nénis and bácsis on bikes) rides by and says, 'Excuse me ... I just wanted to say you two are really cute in your skirts' and other stuff like that. I guess she appreciated our modesty :)"

"We got a new kind of calling this week, primary chorister :) ... our good friend Edit asked us to help and so we just go in during Sunday School and sing with the kids :) Probably the best part of my week! :) Kids singing in Hungarian... talk about cute :)"

 

Last Fast Sunday:
 

"Yesterday was my last Fast Sunday here and so of course I wanted to bear my testimony. I felt fine about it and was ready to just get up there and not be emotional or anything, but right when I stood up to go and bear my testimony it hit me that I was leaving soon. I forgot everything I wanted to say to my beautiful Hungarians and I just like couldn't talk because I was fighting the tears. Basically, I just said a few things about loving  Hungary and all that. Then I sat down and bawled the rest of the meeting... It was the worst. All these little kids were staring at me and asking why I was crying. I think it was good to cry though, I have been wanting too for a while now but have been trying to be strong. I think church is the perfect place where you can just cry and no one can be mad... just blame it on the spirit or something, right?"



Week 75 - Győr

"This week was good, but it went really fast! Let me try and remember what happened ..."

"We went and visited Ibolya who is one of our investigators today. Her one daughter is on a mission in Germany and her other daughter [Daniella] that is 10 years old is a member.  Anyways, it was so cute ...  They set up a table for us outside and had yummy food and other stuff. We brought little missionary name tags for the kids :) They are also having us over the next two Saturdays for a szolna sütés and a barbeque :)))))"

Two happy missionaries ... :) 

Fresh Nővér , Ibolya, and Williamson Nővér  

Basel, one of the solid investigators they had been working with moved to Pest this week.  "I'm super sad he is gone but I think it will actually be better for him because he will be there with his family and they can go to the international ward. ... In our last program it was so sweet when he was telling us how he is glad he has been able to meet with us. He also said that the night we first met on the street he took a different way home than usual. ..." 

"Goodbye Basel"

"We had a funny experience with tracting this week.... So we are at a door and Sister Williamson is doing the approach and we hear this little voice that says,"Are you a boy or girl?" Haha! We were confused but then this néni opens the door and she is just in her bra and underwear! Sister Williamson says her door approach and the néni lets us in! ahaha it was great!!! After that Sister Williamson basically does everything and asks  her some questions. I just said a little something at the end... it was great:) and super funny!"

"Teaching Sister Williamson how to
side saddle :)"

"Church was cool and we had a special guest.... President Smith [the mission president] and his crew. It was cool and I had to translate for the women who came into Relief Society. It was only like 5 minutes though because then we were combined with the Priesthood since it was the 5th Sunday. It was nice to see them all . They kept making going home comments like "Why is everyone so trunky?" Hahaha!" 

"Look what I found in my soup .... "

 

Week 74 - Győr

From Fresh Nővér 's email this week:

"So I have started to freak out this week... let me explain. Once I stepped into my last transfer everyone started to talk about how I go home so soon, but I didn't feel it. On Friday at Zone conference I gave my departing testimony and idk it feels a lot more real now.  My thoughts are like up and down all day... home will be great, I don't want to go, I'm so tired, I love Hungary, free time, boys scare me, AC, Hungarian ice cream.... and so on. I'm really a crazy person!"

"Everyone has been asking me weird questions like, 'What are you going to do when you get home?' and 'Are you excited?' and 'What will you miss about Hungary?'... It's crazy! Also, like all my elder friends at Zone Conference were trying to say it was the last time they would see me, and they can't believe I'm going home already, ..."

Fresh Nővér with her "elder friends" at Zone Conference.

Some sisters in her Zone who were in the MTC
with Fresh Nővér. 

A tender mercy this week was that Kriszti and Panni, two of her wonderful friends from Buda, came to visit the missionaries at Zone Conference!!!

Fresh Nővér, Kriszti, and Butterfield Nővér

"I got to see Panni on Friday :) So great ... I love her so much and will miss her!!!

Funny faces ... 

and more funny faces with Panni!

Williamson Nővér, Fresh Nővér, and Panni

"So we had a lot of feeding programs this week and omg we went to one with the elders and they literally made food for an army. There were like 4 different types of meat and we were all expected to eat at least one of each and then on top of that vegetables and potatoes. It was so good and so fun, just like so much food! ahha  I love spending time with the members and getting to know them better. They are all really cool and have super interesting stories :)"

With "Tamas and his family‏"!

"So this week was weird and crazy and we witnessed a miracle ...."

"On Saturday there was a baptism in Pápa and so we decided to go since Sister Williamson hadn't seen a baptism here yet. We show up like right before it was about to start and the Pápa elders say, 'The font doors are locked, will you try your key?'  So we tried it, of course, and it doesn't work. (Our key is the lame one that only opens the front door). Anyways Williamson has this idea that we should check the office and see if we can find a key that will work... Honestly I have no faith at this point because no one leaves the all access key just laying around ,right? So I start to open cabinets and look in them and we find nothing but then we come across a locked cabinet. I'm thinking "It stinks that our key won't open that"... but i try anyways and what do you know, it opens the door and inside is the magic key that opens the font. We open the font and then put the key back and close the cabinet, and try to lock it with my key that just opened it, but now my key won't work ... I know right crazy!!! We tried everything but just came to the decision that God is real and he wanted the baptism to go on smoothly and so he made our lame key work one time to open the locked cabinet :)  Mircles are real!"

Week 73 - Győr

Sister Fresh started her email with this observation:

"Time is going really fast ... how is it already JUNE 17th??  MEHHHHH Okay, well another week has passed ... and it was good, busy but good."

These are some of the highlights from the week:

On Tuesday Sister Fresh and Sister Williamson met with Tamás, a new member. Not only did they have "a good program" but she shared "the best news ever ... Just to settle my last few Hungarian food cravings he invited us to his house on Sunday for lunch and this is so good because his mother makes the best food ever!! I died the last time we were there because it was so so good :) So excited!!!

"Wednesday was kind of a hard day for me. We had a stacked day with like programs and stuff to do all day long and I was really excited to teach people and just be busy doing things and not just finding. So, our first program gave us a wrong address, and the next two didn't show up to theirs. I was having a rough time ... but, luckily Basel, on of our investigators came through and we had a really good lesson with him :) Also we got fagyi and that made things better of course ahaha!"

"fagyi" = ice cream

Thursday morning "we had district meeting... yeah!! I love our elders! Our whole district meeting we were talking about how we can have more unity in the ward and stuff so that the missionaries and members can work together :) ... After that, we got on a train and headed up to Budapest for splits. It was really good, and I got to teach an old investigator that i taught back when I was in Buda :) So fun because I could understand him now and talk with him and have social skills! I went with Sister Fowers who is from [MTC] group and we had a lot of fun. It was really weird being away from Sister Williamson though. I felt like a mom and got really worried about her. I'm weird, I know."     

Fresh Nővér with her "old investigator" in Buda. 

Splits in Buda on Friday with Fowers Nővér
... The river in the background is the Duna.

Sister Fresh and Sister Williamson returned home Friday night and enjoyed both sports nap and a ward party on Saturday. "We had a water balloon fight and lets just say if there was a loser I think it was me... my hair and back were soaked! Haha! The ward party was super fun :)" 

Sunday morning ... "Church was great!" In the afternoon, "we headed to the train station and went back to Budapest for greenie training... we stayed the night at the Smith's and had dinner with them. Sister Butterfield was also there [they are going to be roommates at BYU next fall] We talked a lot it was great :)"

On Monday Sister Williamson was involved in "Greenie" Training meetings so "Sister Butterfield and I just talked forever in the morning and then met up with our elder friends serving in the city and went to lunch :) It was great to see them all."

Next "Friday we go one more time to Buda. I love Buda but I'm kind of excited for like a normal week of mission life too!" 

Week 72 - Győr

Fresh Nővér's email came on Tuesday this week because of a Hungarian national holiday called Whit Monday which follows Whit Sunday or the Day of Pentacost. She said, "So our week was good, but it went sooo fast! Like I'm kind of mad how fast it went and it's the worst because this week and next week are both really busy and so I feel like they are practically already gone. Anyways ... here are some highlights:"

Sister Williamson - Sister Fresh has loved having Sister Williamson as a companion and says she is doing great! "She taught the restoration by herself on Thursday" and had some success streeting. "It's been super fun to see and get to know her better :)" 

Bowling - "Last p-day we went bowling in like an old school bowling rink, if you can even call it that. The balls didn't have holes and idk it was just so cute :) I am really bad, even though I talked myself up and said how I was on a bowling league... It didn't show in my score ahaha but it was so fun :) We made all sorts of weird competitions for ourselves like throwing the ball backwards or with our eyes closed. So great!"

The elders and sisters at the bowling alley in Győr.

A Castle - "This p-day, yesterday, we went to a castle. It was super pretty and we had a lot of fun looking at it and climbing in the trees around it. We also we played games with the elders in the branch house!!!"

Eszterháza Palace, in Fertőd, Hungary, is near
the Austrian border.  

The next few weeks - "So these next few weeks will be crazy because we go up to Budapest 3 times ... Friday we have splits, Monday is greenie training, and next Friday is Zone Conference ... that's why time will just fly!!! mehhh I'm freaking out. I feel like June just started and it's already the 9th ... It's like I'm on a weird roller coaster of emotions and I am really anticipating the end like a bomb is going to go off and I am looking at the time go down really fast ... "

Sister Fresh and Sister
Williamson had
"Burgers that taste like America!"

"I tried on Sister Williamson's
quited skirt...
 I feel like I live in Thailand!

"Well ...  life is good and happy. I love it here and am working hard until the end :)"

Week 71 - Győr

In her email Sister Fresh said, "So this week I was a little sick and that was lame because I haven't been sick the whole time I have been a missionary and I told someone that and then the next day I get a cold! It was awful because you can't just rest, you just work through it, but i slept through lunch and that was good. I feel better now and am glad it was just a runny nose."

She also reported that, "Our week was good." And, "I love my greenie. She is cute and sweet.  She is so good at just trying anything and just goes for it :) I feel like such a proud momma :)" 

Some of the things they did (besides teaching programs to their investigators and tracting) were:

"This week Sister Williamson and I did some cultural activities ... we took a train tour around the city and I ended up paying for these two German ladies because they didn't have a forint [the Hungarian currancy] and they couldn't communicate with the train driver. After the train ride the driver was really interested in why we paid for them. So we talked to him about our church and how we are missionaries and just do nice things sometimes. He let me sit in the drivers seat of the train and that was so cool. We also went to an organ competition. Honestly it was kind of boring and not a competition because the same lady played all the songs, but hey we are cultured!"

Sister Fresh and Sister Williamson on the train.

Sister Fresh driving the train ... toot, toot!

"Sportnap was really fun this week, our teams were really even in skill and so we were tied up until the last point. My team lost, but I scored the first goal [soccer] in my whole life ahaha success!!!"

"Other than that we taught Relief Society on Sunday and it went well. It was on receiving revelation and the Holy Ghost.  Also, I only have one Fast Sunday left... weird mehhhh  I will for sure be bearing my testimony then, and crying."

Sister Fresh next to a sign ... on the top
sign the word "Magyarorszag" means
Hungary and the bottom sign is one of the
Hungarian flags. 

"Other than that nothing too crazy happened, just life as a missionary, so good. I love it :) "

Week 70 - Győr

This was a big week for the Hungary Budapest Mission as they said good-bye to 16 missionaries who had served faithfully, and welcomed 17 new sisters and elders to the mission on May 20th. The missionaries were interviewed, had meetings, given their companion assignments, and left for their new cities on May 21st. 

The missionaries who have finished their missions
and are returning home.

Sister Fresh with some of the elders she has served
with who were going home.

The new missionaries with President and Sister Smith
at the Budapest Airport.

Sister Fresh told us about her new companion, or "greenie" as brand new missionaries are often called. "Her name is Sister Williamson and she is from Roy Utah. She is 19 and really nice. She is the 2nd oldest in her family of 5 kids, and she plays the viola and went to Utah State for a year. She is cool, really chill, and so that is nice. She is really down for anything. She is a good greenie :) oh and she goes running with me!!!"

Sister Fresh and Sister Williamson after
being assigned as companions.

"We got to go to Veszprém on Saturday for a stake activity and there were people there from 5 of the 6 cities I served in so I got to see a lot of people and they remembered me and it just felt like home away from home :)  It was so fun! We did all these obstacle things and Sister Williamson and I were on a team with the boys from Győr and it was so fun!!! Whenever her or I would do something right that earned us points they freaked out! Haha! I also got to see Pál and Gizi néni too :) I love them!!!!"

Sister Williamson and Sister Fresh eating
"some good lard bread" at the stake activity.

Week 69 - Győr

Here are some of the things that Fresh Nővér mentioned in her email this week:

"Zone Training: Yea, it happened this week, and it was great as usual! I love the big missionary meetings where I get to see all my friends and you can always feel the spirit. I just get re-energized to do the work."

Elder Decker, Sister Fresh, and Sister Westover‏
at Zone Conference

Elder Loveland and Sister Fresh ...
"I wanted to be taller!"

"Elder Carter, Elder Decker, me, Elder Thomas,
and Elder Loveland :)‏"

"Concert: BYU came and did a concert here in Győr and it was good but get this ... guess who was there... Pál!!! I freaked out, I was so so happy! Like it was incredible to see him and talk to him about how life has been since I left Veszprém and how he has been since his baptism and all. It was seriously like a fairytale. I also got to see two other ladies from Veszprém whom I love, Gizi and Térike :)"

Sister Fresh with Pál, who she taught
in Veszprém!

Gizi, Sister Fresh, and Térike‏

"Panni: Panni got baptized on Friday... unfortunately I wasn't there but that was the same night as the concert so I feel like getting to see Pál was a little tender mercy from the Lord :) Anyways, of course  I got her a little present (just a scarf) and wrote her a letter. We talked the day after her baptism and she told me all about everything and she honestly sounded so happy!! She said she had already worn the scarf and that she loved the letter. ... I talked to her again Sunday night after her confirmation and she sounded even happier. She said she read my note again and wore the scarf again. She was also just really cute and funny and happy. I just love her, of course, and am so happy she was baptized and can feel the difference in her life. She told me she wrote 12 or 14 pages in her journal about her baptism :) love her!!!"

This photo of Panni on her baptism day
was posted on the mission blog.

"Death: Sister Westover and Elder Decker are dying and so it has been a week of goodbyes and excitement and sadness, but its good for both of them. They were both really good missionaries, and I love them both and learned a lot from them :)" 

"Elder Decker and I doing our girly poses :)‏"

Sister Erlandsson, Sister Westover, Tamás a recent 
convert‏, and Sister Fresh

The Győr 3-some getting ready to do some "streeting".

"Transfers: I am staying in Győr and I'm training a greenie. ... It's a good way to go out I think, just do work and try to help a little one learn. So yea that's transfers for me. Also my friend Elder Carter who I greenied around is also getting a greenie here so it should be fun :)"

Week 68 - Győr

In her email this week Fresh Nővér mentioned several investigators they are teaching the gospel to. She said that one of  these investigators has the desire to know that the church is true and "so we are praying strong and hard that 1. he will get the answer, but 2. that he will recognize the answer :)"

She also said, "We still do a lot of finding so that's fun ... really though we got kicked out of two building this week. Hahah! I think it's funny and always want to be sassy back to the nénis that kick us out, but I am kind so don't worry. Also, the best experience this week with tracking was when we were on splits. (Since we are in a 3 some we split up sometimes and so Sister Westover and a girl from the ward went to teach this lady, and Sister Erlandsson and I stayed and tracted and then taught Basel.) Anyway, on this split we were tracting before Basel's program and this little family opened the door. The cutest little boy came out and started to stab me with his sword, so I tried to trade him my freedom for some stickers. Well it kind of worked except that he stole all my stickers and then started to stab Sister Erlandsson. It was okay though because I got to talk to the mom while the kids were occupied and it was good. Unfortunately she doesn't want to meet with us ... but it was just like a little tracting blessing and tender mercy because this past week so many people have been slamming the door :( Hmm, but it's okay we work through it!"

"We got caught in a rain storm... I was soaked
through like I jumped in a pool or something."

As her mission is winding down Fresh Nővér has shared some of her feelings:

"I decided that I will miss Hungarian food. It's not always the best but it just makes me happy because it's Hungarian. I don't know, but I'm starting to get really sentimental ... I cry sometimes when I think about leaving Hungary. ... I already know that leaving Hungary will be way harder than coming here. Mehhh"

She ended her email with "Minden jót! Isten megáld benneteket." [All the best! God bless you.]

Week 67 - Győr

In the only email we got this week Sister Fresh said "Hi mom!!!! We talk so soon :) Love you" and several hours later we were able to Skype with her! It was a week early for the "Mother's Day Call" but because we were going to be out of the country on Sunday the mission president gave permission for us to talk with Aimee on her p-day. So at 7 pm Hungarian time and 11 am our time we were Skyped.



We loved hearing the voice of our missionary ...

and seeing her beautiful smile!

 

Not only did she update us on how things were going in Győr where she is serving, discuss a few details about her classes and housing for when she gets home, catch up on how everyone in the family is doing, and meet her new nephews Caleb and Ethan, but she also shared her testimony in Hungarian.

The quality is not perfect, there is a little background noise from Aimee's niece and nephew, and frankly none of us could understand a word of what she said. The spirit was strong, however, and it was fun to not only hear her speak in Hungarian, but also to hear her share the words of testimony she bears as a missionary each day.

 

 

Sister Fresh did email a couple of photos from the week:

"Sister Erlandsson and I soaking up the sun!"

"Us and the Zone Leaders at a ward
activity by the Duna."



Week 66 - Győr

"My week ..."

"Kedd (tuesday): So Tuesday was cool! I got to email you all last week on Tuesday because of Easter but that night we went on splits and the Buda sisters came over and we all stayed in Győr. Since we are in a three-some Sister Westover and I went with Sister Broadhead and then Sister Erlandson went with Sister Fowers. It was so great!!! Broadhead and I talked a ton that night just like old times when we served together. That day we taught two of our cool RCLAs ... both were baptized not to long ago. David who is 18 and Tamás who is in his 50's. I feel that Tamás actually teaches us everytime we meet with him because he is just such a good person and so nice and so solid. David is cute because he has really been opening up and spending more time with the other young adults :) We love them!!"

"Szerda (Wednesday): So we were still on splits and in the morning we went running.  Broadhead and i ran with each other the whole time and talked, which was a miracle because I never talk and run. We talked about how we are going to be healthy, fit people when we get back to America and motivate each other to not be fatties. Haha!  We honestly just did finding all day on splits but it was really fun :) The Buda sisters left around 5 pm and we had yoga that night. .. yea, so get this, the Relief Socity has a yoga night and we went and it was amazing!!!  I felt so good and we are going to make it a regular event. So Wednesday night is yoga :)"

Fresh Nővér and Broadbhead Nővér found a way up
to the roof of an apartment building when they were on splits.

Fresh Nővér is literally "on top" of
things today!

"Csütörtök (Thursday): Honestly Thursday was rather average I don't remember anything too exciting that happened. Sorry :( "

"Péntek (Friday): We had District Meeting in Pápa which is the cutest little town. The District Meeting was really good. ... I had to give the finding tip that had to be only one sentence so I said, "Smile". I think its good advice :)  After District Meeting we stayed up to help the senior sisters look up RCLAs and that was cool. They are really sweet ladies and it was nice because I got to give a nice pep talk to one of them about the language and not giving up. We also had young adult night and that was good :) I love the YSAs here :)"

The missionaries at their District Meeting.

"Szombat (Saturday): SPORT NAP!!!! My favorite thing ... I love soccer! I am not very good but its so fun! After that we headed out to a falu (village) to teach an investigator Ibolya and that was exciting. It was kind of hectic and hard to teach but good. She really wants to get baptized and is working towards that.  We also got to see a baptism on Saturday. The elders in Pápa had a baptism and since there is not a font in Pápa they came to Győr for the baptism. It was really great! I love baptisms!"

"It snowed... jk! It's just weird
cotton stuff that falls off the trees."‏

"Vasárnap (Sunday): Church!!! We also taught our investigator Gergő who has had a hard life but wants to change. We had a lesson with him and we were going to drop him if he didn't keep his commitment, but he did! We had a really good program about repentance and so we will see how it goes. He seems ready to change and do what he needs to do."

"Ma (today): So today I am emailing late because we went to the Zoo this morning. It was really fun. Animals are so interesting!"

A new investigator??? 

"Well, that was my week, nothing too crazy or out out of the ordinary but a good week. It went really fast for us all. Sister Westover dies [goes home] in 3 weeks!!!! And then it's my last transfer. mehhhhh I'm pretty sure I cry at the thought of going home and I know that time is and has and will go by so fast I am just trying to soak it all in. .. not that I don't want to see you all, but it really is harder coming home than leaving because I will never come back to life as a missionary. I always knew I would come back to life as a normal person but this is so different and no one prepared me for this!!!! "

"Okay, there you go I am never coming back! Haha!"

"Szeretlek bénéteket, a holdra és vissza [roughly translated 'I love you to the moon and back.']"

"Fresh Nővér"