Happy!!!

Eating yummy Kelacs

Elder Flake and Sister Grigg hanging out on a bridge

Playing hearts with the District on P-day

Hello everybody!

I hope you all had a great week full of goodness and happiness. Yes, I am aware of the release of One Direction's newest music, and though it pains my soul that I can't listen to it, the truth is I really don't have time for it anyway. Ilyen az élet. Such is life. And besides, there is work to be done! :)

Anyway, this week has been full of craziness and fun adventures. It hit 111 degrees last week, and literally the city of Szolnok starting implementing measures to protect people from the heat. They had people all over the city handing out free water and they had trucks driving by "watering the streets", or just spraying water on the streets. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish with that, but they're Hungarians. Gotta love them. 

So fun moment of the week: as stated in my previous letter, I got to be Senior companion for 24 hours this past week. Elder Flake came up from Kecskemet and he had only been in the country for about a week. Because of that fact, I ended up doing a lot of the talking! I did all our programmes, all the finding leading, and all the phone calls. Quite the turn around from the normal life I had led as a greenie for the past two months or so. But with the sudden flood of missionaries coming in, the chances that I could go senior soon or train soon are much higher than in the past...so, I'm mentally preparing myself for that day. Elder Flake was super fun to have around while he was up here, and he is already doing great with the language!

My FAVORITE moment of the week was actually last Saturday. From those who are avid followers of my blog, you may recall me talking about tracting into this awesome lady who I could see being Relief Society President one day. Anway, we went over to her apartment with a member and did a lesson three with her about the Gospel. Throughout the day I had been thinking about her and thinking about how we could help her. Over and over I thought "Bap challenge her!" I dismissed it over and over, until when we were talking to her and the end of the programme arrived and I couldn't dismiss it any longer. So, what did I do? Yep. Totally bap challenged her for October 12th. Her response? "Persze" Of course. My whole body was on FIRE I was so happy for her! They talk about as missionaries you will feel the happiest you have ever felt in your life on your mission, and that night in a really hot apartment building with one of the coolest ladies I know in Hungary, that love was REAL. When she showed up to church on Sunday, she brought one of her friends with her-and he wanted to know more about the church as well! She also went up to every member and missionary there and said "Szervusz" to all of them-I love her! I really, really, really want to be in Szolnok for her baptism...I hope that works out somehow. Love the work!

We also had a programme with another investigator. She fed us some "palacsintas", or crepes, and then she asked if we wanted soup. So we had soup. Then she asked if we wanted this chicken thing. So we had a chicken thing. Then she brought our this cabbage stuff. So we had cabbage stuff. As we were leaving, she gave us fresh plums and some sort of drink from Arabia. I'm pretty sure I surpassed my calorie limit that day. Woops!

We also went on down to Kecskemet for district meeting last Friday and we got that yummy Cafe Rio type food again that we love...so good. So all in all, this week can be described as "HAPPY". It was just that: happy. It's easy to get discouraged as a missionary sometimes, and you have moments where you think "Did I really sign up for this?", but it's moments like the programme we had with "E" that make up for every.dark.moment we have. And, when we really think about it, our lives are never too dark enough for the Savior's light to break through. Because of Him and his condescension, we will never have someone that "doesn't understand" what we go through. One of my favorite places in Szolnok is the side of my bed, because it's one of the closest places I've felt to my Savior in all of Hungary. He's here in Hungary. He's also right by your side, every step of the way. Sometimes it's painful and sometimes it's a step in the dark, but there's always a light! 

I LOVE this work. I LOVE the people in Szolnok, I truely love them and I hope I can spend the big 10 week transfer here with them. I LOVE my companion, he makes me yummy food and can speak Hungarian...seriously he's the coolest! Have a great week everybody!

Lots of Love,

Giacalone elder