Notes from the Office- March & April

 Chillin in the Office! 

Most of you now know that Elder Dalton is serving as Mission Secretary in the office of the Hungary Budapest Mission.   With the new office job he hasn't had as much to write about as his work is more routine.  I've included some letters he's sent over the past few weeks in this post.  I've also included pictures taken by  Katy Susan Spitzer who visits Budapest and is kind to take pictures for me (because we all know that Elder Dalton has not been great about sending us pictures!)

So here are some updates from Hungary....

 

April 16

Well it's transfer week and everything went fine.  It's a lot of work for us here in the office, so it was a little stressful getting everything ready, but now things have quieted down again, so this next week should be pretty normal. Yeah, two left from our district. Elder Priest and Sister Hafen. Which I was sad about because I'm friends with both of them and I served with Priest, so it was fun being with him again, but we kind of knew that they were leaving. It will still be a good transfer!

 The weather has been super nice here recently! Spring in Hungary is definitely a lot more like spring than it is in Maine! I would have gladly gone swimming today! It was actually hot! 

It is definitely weird coming up on my 21st birthday. Even weirder since I'm on a mission. Being on the mission just makes it seem like time stands still, and I don't get older and things don't change while I'm gone, but they totally do change and I am way older now! I definitely don't feel 21 yet, but I guess it will be cool!  Not quite sure what I'll be doing, probably nothing too exciting. 

NBA playoffss! Should be fun! I heard that the Warriors broke the Bulls record for wins! Sounds like they are going to take it! The office senior missionary couple keeps me updated on some sports stuff, so that's been nice. Pday plans... We had sport nap this morning, played some soccer, and then we went with the senior couple to this American restaurant called Johnny's Bistro for lunch and it was AWESOME! Really good burgers and we got milkshakes as well. Just like you would find back home, so that was cool. Then we got a little lost on the way back. Other than that, we will probably just relax. Nothing too exciting! 

Love,

Drew

April 9

So I know I am writing a lot later than usual because we actually had a ward hike today, and it ended up taking literally ALLLLL day. We left at 10 and got back at 6:30... It was really fun though! We didn't go that far (about 11 kilometers. I don't even know miles anymore :P )  When I say hike, it's actually just a walk through the woods, because we don't really have mountains here.  We had to wait every 10 minutes for people to catch up but we got to this little look out tower which was cool. It was foggy, so we couldn't even see out far, but it was still really cool. Then we made a fire and cooked some stuff and had food and sandwiches. It was a fun time hanging out with the members, investigators and the other missionaries. 

We actually have transfers this week (crazy!!!) but we were told we will most likely stay, so I'm not too worried about it. My comp is Elder Krueger and he is a really good guy and I like him a lot! It will be fun having another transfer! Office stuff is good. It can get boring sometimes, but there are some days when it is really not boring, and so I do like it a lot! I probably won't be here for the rest of the mission though. I have now, 1 and a half transfers, and so I will probably be in the office for another full, and then go somewhere for 5 weeks before I head out. So that will be cool. 

Conference was good! I still haven't seen the Sunday afternoon session, but I read some of the conference summaries and it sounds like they were good! I watched all of them in Hungarian, I guess that's good for the last time, but it was really great and I understood a lot of it (when I was paying attention). Always fun having conference, but I am excited for my next conference to be in English! 

Yeah, Mom. I figured you were freaking out a little bit after the attacks, but seriously, Hungary is not a target at all. But they still have police and anti-terrorist people at the airport and metros, but I think we will be alright. And don't worry, I'm not planning on going to the airport for another 4 months.  Yeah, really sad about those missionaries though. We get some updates on them from the office couple here, and my heart goes out to them for sure!

It's been super nice here and spring is totally here. I have been here for over 20 months! It's totally crazy! Can't believe how time goes by. Less than 4 months now. Office work has been going well! We have had more chill weeks with not too much going on which is actually pretty nice to have less stressful stuff going on. So still liking it a lot! Actually, the baptisms in the mission are going down a little bit, but hopefully we can have some more success coming up! Things have been going pretty well with us! We don't have too many people we meet with, but the ones that we do are really great! Hungarians do have a pretty big Easter here. I think it's a much bigger holiday here in Hungary than it is back home which is actually really nice. And they have this funny tradition where the guys spray the girls with perfume and then the girls give them an egg, cuz that totally makes sense! I just think it's funny and want to bring this tradition back to America!!! 

Anyway, sorry gotta run now but I love you all lots! Hope you have a fantastic Easter and a great week! 

Love,

Drew

March 19

We had a mission conference recently with a general authority visiting. It was a pretty big conference. We got to go to the one for Budapest, which was actually a lot smaller than the others, because it was just our zone and all the other conferences were multiple zones, but it was still lots of fun. The 70 was a super cool guy and he talked about some really good stuff. I liked it a lot and it was probably my last big conference with a 70 or someone else coming from other places, so that's also kind of weird. Not much else to say though, we just kind of talked about how we can find people to teach more effectively.  It was good! And these conferences were all in English because the 70 doesn't speak Hungarian. For some conferences, Pres has spoken Hungarian, and the rest of us just English, but I think he's been trying to do more in English so that the younger missionaries can get more out of it as well. 

Hiking the Hills of Budapest

Hey guys!

The week has been good so far and p-day last week was super fun! We went for a great hike, and I will include some pictures too! It was really cool because Hungary really doesn't have a whole lot of hiking opportunities. But it actually didn't take too long to get out to the mountains (hills). They are right next to the city. The weather here is still pretty nice and getting nicer. I'm just about ready for spring in full, but it has been taking it's time. I've still been wearing my winter coat around, but hoping to shed that pretty soon and enjoy the nice weather coming up! 

With the office work our time for daily studies and exercise is different. We go into the office at 8:30, so we have a little time for some of that study, but really not a whole lot, so it has been kind of tough adjusting, but we basically have a part time job along with normal missionary work, which really hasn't been too bad. I'm still liking it so far! 

As far as the missionary work, one family that we teach came to church last week so that was pretty cool! They are super awesome so we are excited about them. Other than that, things have just kind of been going along as normal. Today we are going to meet up with the APs and make a little bonfire somewhere and cook some hot dogs and s'mores. So should be a good day!!! 

Love you all lots and hope you have an awesome week!

MISS YOU

Andrew

Hiking Pictures from last P-day 

Priest and I went down that little crevice there. It seemed like a good way down until we reached there, and there was no going back up. So we kind of just climbed straight down a cliff, the pic doesn't really do it justice, but the sign says: "Dangerous, falling rocks, forbidden to cross" So it was an adventure.  I felt like a hobbit walking through middle earth! 

A couple of weeks in Buda!

Note:  Here's a couple weeks of updates from Andrew in just one post: 

February 20th 

 Work is going well! This week was actually pretty interesting because my companion has been sick pretty much all week. He ate some sushi from the grocery store (he did not heed my warnings) and it just tore him apart. So we really haven't been able to do much. He either went with another elder (who also happened to be sick) and slept all day while I took care of office work, or he came in, and toughed it out and then we just went home and slept after. So yeah, it's been an interesting week, but he is feeling a lot better now! We do have regular missionary work to do in addition to work in the mission office. We have investigators and teach people. Still trying to get into the new routine and adjust after the transfer and get to know the people we meet with, but we have some solid people and I'm hoping to meet with some people that I used to teach when I was here before!

It was a lot of fun at church on Sunday as I got to see a lot of people that I haven't seen for quite a long time! I'm really glad I came back to Buda! There are currently 8 missionaries in the ward. Us (the secretaries), the APs, the sisters and another companionship of elders. I actually like all the people as well so it's been fun! 

While my companion slept off his sushi, I went on splits and got to visit an awesome new convert! Elder Robinson (my trainer) taught her, so I had already heard a lot about her! She is such a sweet lady and cooked an amazing dinner too! Here's a few pictures from our visit:

February 27th

This week went pretty well! Everyone is back to full health and luckily it seems I was able to avoid the sickness going around (don't want to jynx it though....). I will try and take some pictures in the office this next week to send to you guys, but I might forget again. I will do my best, I know I'm not great at taking pictures... For p-day we are actually planning on going for a hike! We're going with Elder Priest (my former companion from Kispest and yes he's serving in Buda now too!) and his companion and maybe a few members or something. I actually do know a lot of the missionaries in the district. Buda usually tends to be older missionaries, so most of the people I know, or even just am familiar with because I've been out for so long, so it's been fun so far getting to do some fun stuff with friends! There isn't anyone from the group I came out with, but all of them are within a couple groups around me. We also have an office couple in here with us. They're the Simkins and they are super awesome!  They always bring us treats and stuff. So that's fun as well. The work is picking up a little bit. With transfers and illnesses, it's been kind of weird the past couple of weeks, but there is this super cool family that we meet with thats going to come to church this week! (hopefully) The son is 19 or so and they are really interested in the church, so that's cool! I'm also hoping to meet soon with some of the people that I used to teach, so we will see how all that goes!

I am praying for my friend Chris and his mom Sarah and the family.  I do check on his site as much as I can which is nice, and I"m grateful to see he's making a lot of progress quickly! I am praying and thinking about them everyday. All we can do is trust in the Lord that everything will work out. 

The weather has been pretty nice here. Like spring has already come. Some days, I don't need a jacket or anything. But then it usually rains and goes back to a little chillier, but I think the spring will be here quite soon! The weather is nice today, so we are gonna go out and enjoy it!  

Hope you all have another great week Love you lots!

Elder Dalton

Back to Budapest!

Hey there!

 

Sorry that I didn't get to write last week. Kind of got cheated out of a p-day last week. 

 

Yeah, so I will update you a little bit on the past week, starting off with my last week in Pápa. Nothing too exciting really, just a lot of goodbyes. But we were actually in Győr for splits (yes, that was lots of fun, getting to see a lot of people before I left for good) and got to go to a baptism for a girl that I knew when I was there! She's a young girl and super sweet and I was really glad to see her get baptized!  

We were at a game night at the branch house in Győr, when I got a call from President Szabadkai, and he said that I was going to be the new mission secretary and that I'm leaving on Sunday! I was pretty surprised and didn't see that one coming whatsoever, but excited too! I did have to leave out a few goodbyes planned for the next week, but we basically went back, met with a few people, I bore my testimony in church and then packed up and left! 

 

So then the beginning of this week, I was getting trained by the secretary I'm replacing (one of my good friends on the mission), trying to learn all the stuff that I need to before he leaves. So we were pretty busy just figuring stuff out, but I think I got the hang of it! I'm really not super overloaded with work, but have enough to keep me busy. Basically, I am in charge of sending out letters and organizing everything for incoming and departing missionaries, managing apartment rentals, and inputting baptismal records. There are a few other things along with day to day tasks, but those are the big ones. But I  actually like it a lot so far! Kind of nice getting a little change of pace! And I'm super pumped to meet with a lot of the people that I used to meet with when I was a greenie! It's gonna be awesome! And I'm actually in a trio (for the time being) with Elders Craig and Krueger. They are both cool guys and I like them a lot, but Craig is just staying a little bit to train Krueger more (he's also new) and then will probably leave at some point. So we will see what happens with that. 

 

I'm also excited for church tomorrow because then I'll get to see a lot of members and people that I knew! Should be a really great time! I am pretty excited about it and hope it will be a good experience!

 

Oh, and winter is pretty much over. It has been a little colder recently and rained, but I still feel like winter is ending, which I am not mad about, because I am pretty ready for spring!!! And we don't really know what we're going to do with our pday today, since it's still raining, but we will try and find something fun in the big city! Maybe see some old friends as well! Oh and my p-days will now be on Saturdays. So look forward to that!  Anyway, love you all lots and hope you have a great week!!!!

 

Andrew

18 Months

Hey there!!! 

Yes, I hit the 18 month mark! Pretty weird huh? Just 6 more months! I go back and forth though. Sometimes it seems like such a short time, and other times it seems quite long,

Our week was good! Pretty uneventful as well, but I guess we got to do some fun stuff! We played some ping pong with one of our investigators and we went for a hike in a nearby village, so I guess it was a pretty fun week! Other than that, things are pretty standard though! I had to teach in priesthood, but it was simple, but still I always worry about having to teach in Hungarian! It's a lot easier to wing it in English, that's for sure!  

The weather has been super nice over here! Like summer! We didn't need jackets or anything and we went the other day to play basketball with the kids that we visit sometimes, but it was just kind of playing around and having fun. I mean, I really haven't played serious basketball since I was back home! So I will be excited to hit up the Y when I get back!!! Some noon time or something! As for activities, not too much. If we want to do something fun, we usually invite some young people to a cafe or something and have hot chocolates and just hang out and talk. 

Transfers are next week so we'll see where I go next. I wish I could stay longer, but changing is always good I suppose. I am ready and not ready. Weird, I know. This could be my last transfer.  There are definitely places that I would like to go and places that I would not like to go, but I thought about it, and since I have kind of been in the same area my whole mission, I think I would like to stay in a ctiy close by, to make it a little easier for when we come back to travel around! But other than that, I'm not too picky. I would go anywhere!!! 

 Hope you all have a great week and love you lots!!!

Elder Dalton

Happy 2016!

Hey everyone!!! Happy 2016!!! Hope that you all had an awesome New Years and that this year will be a great one! Who would have thought that 2016 was actually gonna get here! I know I didn't.   Mission New Years are definitely not the craziest, but relaxing nights are good too! 

 I think my time in Hungary has made me pretty wimpy, because it feels WAY cold out here!!! Seriously though! I am ready for spring already! I need to spend some more time back in Maine to get that warm Mainer blood back in me! Yeah, the weather has been pretty weird recently! So we got snow this week and it pretty much came out of nowhere but it was fun! Lots of snow quick and some mini snow ball fights. The snow really makes me feel like I'm at home, its weird! 

Things in Pápa are pretty much the same. Nothing too exciting. We just started one of our investigators on a stop smoking program, so we will see how that goes. We are hopeful!  Trying to work with a lot of the members still and the branch, which is awesome by the way.    We also got to meet with the American family, so that is always fun to visit with them! I gave a prayer in English and totally kept stumbling over my words. It actually was hard for some reason! Hungarian does something to your mind!!!  Oh, and I gave a talk in church this week too! I was a little worried about it when I first was working on it because I was supposed to talk for 20 minutes... I mean, you know that in English that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but in Hungarian, it was a different issue. But luckily, my ability to just talk for long times payed off and I even ran a little bit long, so I think it ended up alright!  I spoke about missionary work. fitting, right? 

We haven't been to the school the past couple of weeks because of the holidays, but we are going tomorrow, which should be fun! We had English class again after a little break, so that was good.

We also might actually have an opportunity to play some basketball over here in Pápa though, so thats cool! At some school or something. Maybe this week or the week after, we will see.   I guess the snow was the big thing of the week. And it was funny, cuz the Hungarians were freaking out about it and how dangerous and slippery it was, and I'm like, please, it's just a sprinkle. We go to school in stuff like this.

Good luck to the Pats! Give me a play by play next week!

Love you all and hope you have a great week! Miss you lots!

Elder Dalton

A few pictures of the snowy days. 

 

It's going to be a Pápa Christmas!

So yes, transfers are tomorrow and the big news is..... I am staying in Pápa for Christmas!!! And I am getting a new comp! Elder Stanley! I am way pumped about it because we served around eachother in Pest! He was Wilcox's greenie! So it is going to be awesome and we are stoked! Should be a good Pápa Christmas! No need to feel sorry for us. Christmas was awesome last year and it is going to be a great one this year too! 

Things in Pápa are going really well!  I could have sworn I mentioned  the hike! It happened a couple of weeks ago. If I didn't... then we went on a hike, and it was really nice and pretty and we saw a castle!  Went with the branch, so that was cool!!! 

 We do have bikes! And I crashed on it the other day :P You know my history with bikes! I don't know why I am so bad on them! It wasn't bad at all, I didn't even get scrapped up or bleed anywhere, but I did mess the bike up a little bit. I hit the curb and it threw the tire crooked and then flipped me over it. Nothing bad, just embarassing... It was in the middle of a big intersection. But pretty comical! Other than that everything is normal. We had a pretty average week. 

Oh, I FINALLY got to watch Meet the Mormons. They put it out in Hungarian a couple weeks ago and we watched it with the branch (in Hungarian, so not quite the same, but I got most of it) and it is really good! I liked it a lot! Really cool stories about the people! And I got a little sad too when they were talking about the missionary.... I didn't cry (like some people...) but I do miss you guys a lot! 

The weather has been way nice here too! We had a day where it was like, probably 50 or so degrees out, and people were still complaining about it, and I was like, for December this is amazing! Back home we go swimming in this weather!!!! Christmas time is absolutely gorgeous here in Hungary. Pápa is pretty nice, but we went to Gyor for splits again this past week and it was amazing! They had lights all over the city and they had big stands set up every where, a skating rink in the square, and the town hall was all decked out with lights! The lights and all the stands are really awesome!!! 

Anyway, some interesting stuff for the week: First of all, we went to a members house this week, and ate what is commonly referred to as pig jello. So basically, they take all the left over parts of the pig (ears, legs, etc.) and get all the fat and juices out of them, and then turn it into a gelatine. Then they put some meat in the middle of this jello, and put it in the fridge. I normally like most things, well it wasn't quite as bad as it may sound... This past week was the Hungarian St. Nicholas day! (Mikulás Napja) I probably said this last year, but just as a reminder, here in Hungary, Santa doesn't bring the presents, but the baby Jesus does! So they celebrate Santa on the 6th! And so we were in Győr on Friday and went to a Mikulas party there and then back in Pápa on Saturday for the party there! So that was lots of fun!!! Other than that, things are pretty much normal! We got my bike fixed so everything is now going smoothly! 

We have also been using some new Christmas cards that we got and it is great now! A lot more people are open to the message of Christ in the Christmas season! The Savior is born!!! A Savior is Born   Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! Only a couple more weeks and then it's Christmas!

Love Andrew

The English class we teach