pics week 7

Kispest Week Seven (Week 97)

So last week as I was emailing it was snowing outside and was freezing. Now it's sunny and warm and they're saying it's supposed to be like 60 degrees? What is this? Utah?

We had a killer week last week. Went on splits with our fearless Assistants over in Óbuda, or Old Buda. They have such a fancy apartment we were super jealous. I went with Elder N, he's a super cool kid. We talked a lot about life and, naturally, about my upcoming "death".

Then we gathered the children of our zone together for a zone training, like unto a Mother Hen. I'm serious when I say children because EVERYONE IS SO YOUNG. It was then that I realized that this mission is totally different from the one I came to 21 months ago. I still love it, but all my old friends are gone :( and now I have new ones :) That's just how the mission goes.

We went Ice Skating last week with an investigator, her daughter, and the other elders in Kispest. Such a good time. I have no idea what my legs are doing in the picture, but I never was athletic so whatever. My feet still hurt from that.

Both "L" and "A", our bapdates for March, showed up to church on Sunday. Woo! They loved sacrament meeting. I think sometimes as missionaries we cringe because of the talks sometimes and when we see who is giving them we get a little nervous, but both talks were solid and the members bore great testimony. One of our investigators that was there afterwards asked me if I could baptize "if we (her and her daughter) decide to get baptized". I was like "Um...yeah." Duh! 

This past week I've been studying a lot about change. Missions are all about change. Investigators change their lives, members change their testimonies, and more importantly, missionaries change their faith. I think that is just something that I'm starting to grasp, and it's almost the end. I've figured out why obedience is important and how the Lord always keeps His promises.

It's a real thing.

All is dandy over here. Budapest is just incredible. The guy next to me smells very strongly of alcohol.

Life is great. It's all about perspective. :)

Sok Szeretettel,

Elder Giacalone

Kispest Week Six (Week 96

It's snowing outside! And we're going ice skating later today! Yay! I love winter!

And it sounds like it's a lot more like winter out here than back in Utah. Really, 70 degrees?? That's messed.

So last week, I was sick. Oh, so very sick. I had a fever that was on and off for like five days. Being sick at home is so much better than being sick on a mission. You just suffer through the day and hope that your drugs will kick in. Bleh. But, I'm feeling much better. I got a blessing from one of the elders here, and bam! Totally fine now. Loving life.

Last week we finished teaching "L", one of our bapdates, the Law of Tithing. We had a member of the Bishophric there to help, and it was sooo good. Like, this ward knows how to do missionary work. They don't steal the entire program, and they aren't just silent. They know exactly when to bear testimony or when to share an experience. I've been to eight cities, but this ward seriously knows what's up. "A", our other bapdate, was only able to meet once and didn't show up to church and isn't answering her phone, which was a little alarming. I hope we get a hold of her soon.

We streeted out to Parliament and took pictures. The weather was FREEZING but sitting there besides the massive castle was worth the trek out (granted there is a Metro stop that plops you off right at the gate, but there's no adventure there! Lol). We also saw the memorial to the Holocaust by the river. It's a bunch of bronze and iron cast shoes set up by the Duna, because that's where they made them take them off before they threw them in the river in winter. Super sad but very moving.

So last week was hard because I was sick, and because it didn't go away at first, That was hard. But there were many beautiful moments last week that were little bursts of sunshine: getting a beautiful health blessing that included some other "extra" bits of advice from Heavenly Father that left me in tears, tracting and getting "let-ins" left and right and moments to bear my testimony to people who would hear it, and getting commitments from people to change their lives. A missionary couldn't ask for more. I have been so blessed, and I just didn't realize it in the moment.

Life is great. Just take it a day at a time, and you'll see the greatness in each day.

Sok Szeretettel,
Elder Giacalone

Kispest Week Five (Week 95)

So the entire city of Budapest is caught up in a freak out mode because of this flu bug that is like taking over the entire world. It's super scary!

Well the weeks are just flying by and honestly it's a little scary! This past week was just packed full of awesome things. The lady with the broken back made her way to church, absolutely loved it, and is on bapdate for March 14th! We are super pumped for her!

On Saturday there was a funeral for a member here in Kispest. He wanted his ashes scattered over the Danube river, so we (the elders) all went on this ferry boat with the rest of the ward and cruised for a few minutes out to a specific area. They put the box containing his ashes in the water, and then everyone threw a flower in the water. It was very sad. I thought about how happy I was knowing that this guy still lives, and that death isn't the end. It's just a very important little step we have to take. The weather was beautiful, it was the only time during the week where the skies were blue and the sun was out. The river was gorgeous and the four of us elders all stood on the bow of the ship and just looked at Budapest from the river. For some reason it was a very calming moment for me. Sometimes nature can just take our breath away.

Cool moment when Elder Zwingli and I were streeting by the Duna and a guy came up to me and asked me if I had any cigarettes. I said "No, but I have a Book of Mormon", and I pulled it out and we chatted for it for a while. He accepted a copy and we set up to meet later this week. Lol.

The new missionary here is Elder Nordberg. He's a convert of like a year and a half, and he's just seriously the coolest guy ever. It's definitely weird talking to him because he's just starting his mission and I'm...well...I'm further down the road. Haha.

We are loving life. So many miracles and great moments daily. I love being a missionary and being able to help people. It's the best! Heavenly Father loves His missionaries and it always surprises me how much He is willing to go to help you with anything.

Have a good week everyone!!

Sok Szeretettel,

Elder Giacalone

Kispest Week Four (Week 94) PICS

"Hey...show me your tongue!"-Aintablian Elder

The Duna is so brown right now...ew

PEST

I had Hummus! SO GOOD

Found A&W root beer...of my YES!!!

Church in the city of dreams

Kispest Week Four (Week 94)

It's another great week here in the Kispest-lands! We destroyed all our goals we had set and now we're here again emailing. It feels like we were just here like yesterday! It's insane how fast time is flying. 

Remember the lady that broke her back and let us in to her apartment like a few weeks ago? Yeah, so she's like super legit! She continues to astound us with her determination to learn and grow!

Great moments like week:

• Coming back to a let-in a few days later to find out that she has read like fifty pages out of the Book of Mormon and had like a million questions. We answered her questions and taught her the Restoration. She sat there and soaked it all up and as we finished with a prayer and got up to leave, she grabbed my suit sleeve and said: "Find the others who are waiting for you, like me."
• Having one of those moments when your bapdate is so set on baptism that he is willing to take any advice on how to quit smoking. I just sat back and soaked in the moment with so much gratitude in my heart to be able to teach him. He's awesome.
• Splits with a good friend from the Buda side. Got to talk some things out with him about life and everything. At the end of the split he said :"Elder Giacalone, I just love you!" and gave me the biggest hug. I'm grateful for amazing missionaries to work with!

With transfers here, I am sadly losing Elder Spedding. He's off to the mystical land of Győr. I am getting Elder Zwingli! He's a couple groups beneath me, and I served around him during my little adventure out to Eger for a month. Haha. He's a good kid, I'm excited to work with him.

And...I guess I'll state the obvious: yes, I have started the last transfer of my mission here in Hungary. It's a weird feeling, with just nine weeks remaining out here. We have a LOT to do out here, and I intend to make the best of it! Here's to working till I drop dead!...literally. 

Sok Szeretettel,

Elder Giacalone

Kispest Week Three (Week 93)

The good news: I do not need to get eye surgery! But I have a stye...ugh. So not needed right now. Gotta love getting random bumps in your eyelid.

I had sushi for the first time last week! Our investigator took us to this really good Japanese restraunt and they had a moving little Sushi conveyer belt. You just sit by a little window thing and snag the sushi on a dish as it moves by. Soo much fun! I had octopus!

We had a baptism last week in the other companionship, it was so sick! It was another one of Heavenly Fathers children making his way back home. So cool, and really pretty.

We had Zone Training with the whole zone! We taught about being "Smarter Missionaries" and using our time wisely. We also divided the city of Budapest amongst the ten companionships here since the old lines were like five years old, and some companioships were closed down. I felt like someone after World War One carving up Europe amongst the winners, but this time it was the city of Budapest to Mormon Missionaries. Lol. 

I was thinking about my mission a lot the other day last week, since just ten weeks are left, and we went to a program literally like three blocks south of the Parliament building (you know, the big one with spires). It was our second time meeting with her. and we had a beautiful program on the Plan of Salvation, and life after death especially. I got to bear testimony of eternal families, something that is so precious to me and something my mission has given me. As we were getting ready to leave she asked me something that hit pretty deep: "did you think your mission was a success?" I looked at my companion, and he just kind of raised his eyebrows and gave me the "this one is all you" kind of look.

At first I started by saying that I am by all means an imperfect missionary, that I am full of flaws and things I can work on, but then I saw in my minds eye faces of people that I love here in Hungary, faces from more than twenty-one months worth of work. Some were special investgators and some were my own companions!

I told that lady that my mission changed my life. I told her that life, and missions, aren't always what we expect, but honestly in the end it's not about what we expect-it's about doing God's work, and trusting that things will be ok if we follow Him.

I still have ten weeks left and who knows what is around the corner or what I am going to experience tomorrow, but I know that my mission is a successfull thing. It can be and will be for anyone, if you choose to make it.

So make it awesome, cause it's totally worth it.

Sok Szeretettel,
Elder Giacalone