Na, akkor most Miskolcon vagyok.
Transfer day went well! Saying goodbye to everyone was rough but it is what it is. I think transfers are good for us missionaries. In one area, we get used to the place, companion, people, routine, etc. It becomes us and our way of life. Then suddenly, from a phone call, everything we know is completely changed and we know that EVERY thing will be completely new and we will have to adjust. The interesting part about all of this is that this is exactly what our investigators have to go through in their decision of baptism. Suddenly, everything they know about life and how to live it is changed and they have to adjust. The common part in both situations is that the Lord is there with us, every step of the way.
It was kind of nice not having to worry about when my train was going to depart or anything like that this week. I just loaded up our car and we drove out of Budapest. I'll be honest, after a year of not driving, it was really interesting to have to drive in one of the biggest cities in the world. Yea--we'll just leave it at that. I thought it would be like riding a bike. Once you learn, you can never forget. I think I have a handle on the whole driving thing now but driving in Europe is pretty different. Their streets are not in the least like Utah's. They twist and turn every which way with a billion arrows pointing to who-knows-where. I'm enjoying it though!
Last weekend, the Pécs Branch gained a new, strong member. I was bummed I couldn't be there for it but I heard it was incredible. They will be gaining another new, extremely strong member this weekend. I will sadly have to miss that event as well. Pécs is just too far away from where I am now. BUT it's okay. She's getting baptized and that's all I care about.
Get this, the companionship I just came into is going to be having a baptism this Friday! So where we give, we gain... I'm sure I just wrecked that saying but I'm sure you all know what I'm trying to get at.
Speaking of new companion... Elder Cox is wonderful! Get this: this transfer is his LAST transfer! It's been extremely interesting to go from Elder Bennet, in his very first transfer to Elder Cox, in his very last transfer. Since this is his last transfer, everyone calls it his "dying transfer"and I will be the one who "kills"him. (I don't know if those terms are common among other missions, but it's what we all use here in Hungary.) He's from Bountiful, Utah and he has an angelic voice. He also has a guitar with him and so it's been way (too) fun to jam with him after we do our planning every night. I get the biggest kick out of his humor and I've already loved serving with him so far. He's such a great missionary and I'm excited to gain some of his wisdom this transfer.
I haven't been able to take many pictures of the city or our apartment yet--we've been too busy. The city is pretty pretty... Our apartment is actually right on the main street so there are constantly people and trams right below our windows. Actually, to get to our apartment, we have to drive on the tram's tracks. We have a special paper on our dashboard that allows us to do that and I'm still trying to get used to it. It's really scary driving on 2 sets of tracks that could have a tram coming at you at any time. It's an adventure though!
The meeting house here is MASSIVE! They actually have benches in the chapel and it's such a pretty building. I will have to take some pictures of it as well.
We met with a man this week who seriously tried to convince us that Jesus was Hungarian. I have heard stories of such a thing happening to other missionaries... I didn't know it was real.
I'm going to Budapest this week for my first "Zone Leader Council" meeting. I'm excited for that!
Oh yea, if you don't know what a zone leader is or anything, here's something that will get you up to speed:
Within the companionship, there is a junior and senior companion. One of the senior companions in the district (usually consisting of 2 different cities) is the district leader and watches over all of the companionship's. There are 2-3 district leaders and districts in a zone and each zone has 2 leaders (the zone leaders) that are in a companionship together. They watch over all of the district leaders and the companionships that they watch over. (So they watch over about 4-5 areas) Then there are 2 assistants to the president who are over all of the zone leaders.
Well, that's about all I can think of as far as updates go. Update yourself on your reading from The Book of Mormon--daily. You will love it, yourself, your life, and your strong relationship with God.
Szeretettel,
Alldredge Elder
 |
| A sad goodbye to our golden investigator. |
 |
| We were two peas in a pod... This is a humorous picture of us getting off of our train. |
 |
| Another sad goodbye to Elder Bennett (same tie, same backpack, same belt bag-that's what they call fanny packs here... and yes, we're wearing them European style) |
 |
| DRIVING!! (Driving in Europe is nuts) |
