Week 26 Update - Hello from Szeged... again!

Last week of the transfer was so bittersweet.  WE had to say so many “potential” goodbyes because it was a positive thing that one of us would be leaving.  Giullian Nővér and I couldn’t help but get extremely sentimental these past few days.  We had been companions for the last 4 months!  We were pretty much a married couple!  Well, even more because we were never apart!

4 months is a long time, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else!  Guillian Nővér is one of the most Christ-like and diligent people and set the ultimate example for me and I am going to strive to be the kind of missionary she is! She definitely got my mission off to a solid, obedient, and motivated start and I will always be forever thankful for her.  Change can be annoying at times, but it’s necessary and will be really refreshing and exciting

We had a long, busy last week together! We met with a bunch of people that we love so much, had a blast tracting, and just enjoyed each other’s’ company!

(Gillian Nover and me with one of our investigators, Andras.) 

CHERRIES, CHERRIES AND MORE CHERRIES!!!

There is this one néni that we go and help do yard work and I exchange, she cooks for us.  This week we picked a whole bunch of cherries and then she made us cheery soup! So delicious! I don’t think I could ever get sick of cherries!

(bottom photo: Guillian and me with the Elders and a member of our branch, Geza and his dog.)

CELEBRATED MY 6th MONTH MARK ON MY MISSION!

I celebrated with my favorite American soda!  Haha… time definitely flies when you are having fun!

A BAPTISM! IN CANADA?

Zsolt was one of the sweetest guys!  I met him one of the first days I was in the country as he was investigating the church.  He found a job opportunity in Canada and moved there during the transfer and it turns out that when he got there, the church welcomed him and took him in.  Before we knew it, he sent an email that he was going to get baptized.  So this past Saturday was his baptism and the missionaries over in Canada were able to set up Skype and we got to be there and watch it all.  The branch gathered together and we even got to hear everything translated to Hungarian!  Thank goodness for today’s technology!  We got to experience Zsolt’s special day and it was so incredible to see him so happy!  It was extremely weird for us to hear English, all of us missionaries actually listened to the translations instread of the English over skype… church in English will be so weird when I get back!  Anyway, happy for Zsolt and felt so lucky to have been there to experience that. 

THE PEOPLE

I feel like I say this a lot, but I LOVE the people here in Hungary with all my heart.  They are just like nobody I have ever met before.  When we told our investigators one of us would be leaving, we got a whole bunch of fruit and hugs and a cookbook! One member gave us a eal to take home after church, and our friends gave us cards and a little gift!  Some of the most thoughtful people over here, I swear! 

(Our English class!!! These people come every single Thursday to class and are so cute and really improving in the language! We are like a cute little family!)

(Szilvia- one of our amazing investigators)

TRANSFER CALLS

I don’t know about you, but I have been s curious as to what next transfer will be, and this week could not move fast enough!  But, finally, we got a call this morning and….

I’M STAYING IN SZEGED AGAIN!!!  This city just cannot get rid of me!  And I am so happy to be able to continue building and finding here!  A new companion will be a new experience and I am really excited. 

That’s all I really know right now, so I will have to update you more next week!

Hope you are having a wonderful summer!  Sending my love your way!

XOXO

Sok szeretettel,

Gertsch Nővér

OPTIMISM IS KEY! Week 25 Update

HAPPY JUNE EVERYONE!

This week I will hit my 6 months.  And this week is also the last week of my second transfer!  Next week is going to be full of change and I am so nervous.  My only companion I have had in the country will be leaving me (or I will be leaving her) and not knowing if I will be staying in the beautiful Szeged is a really crazy thought!  My companion, the people in the branch, the city, the investigators are all I have known for the past few months and I have become so comfortable and grown to love everything about this place. 

But I have started to realize that in a mission, change is inevitable and usually happens when you don’t want it to.  Although I may be extremely nervous and scared, I feel a growth within myself because with all of that, I am also so excited.  I have gotten so comfortable and as a result of that I feel like I have hit a plateau.  I just started going through the motions and not pushing myself.

 So this change will definitely be a challenge but I am so READY and it is much needed.  Next email, I will be able to update you all on what’s happening next transfer.  Praying this week goes by fast so I can find out already!

As for this past week, I don’t have much to write about.  A lot of people cancelled on us or did not show up for our programs, so I got to practice a lot of patience and optimism!

 Here’s a couple of highlights of the week:

-       We were out in a village visiting someone, and it worked out that we were outside right as the sun was setting, so I FINALLY was able to see the sunset and it was breathtaking!!!

-       The weather has been so crazy lately.  It will randomly rain and randomly stop.  Being from California, I am not used to rain in June, but it’s fun!  Gives us a break from the heat and makes for some killer clouds.  I have been staring up at the sky all week.  I’m obsessed!

-       We meet with this family that has little kids and they are my absolute favorites because I miss my little cousins so much and they fill the void until I am back with my family again!

-       We tracted into this néni (grandma) that opened the door with the biggest smile on her face and it never left her face as she invited us in and we got to talk with her.  Actually it was more like she talked to us for an hour and a half, but nonetheless, she was so happy and made me happy!

-       We celebrated with one of our investigators, Laci.  It was his birthday! 

-       CHERRY SEASON!  The past few days we have been going out to tract out by the family homes, or családi ház’s, and there are cheery trees EVERYWHERE!  How could you be sad or down when you can eat a whole bunch of cherries for FREE? Definitely going to have to get one in my backyard someday.  Our tracting breaks have been so delicious lately… I love it!

And that’s all I can really think of for this week.  Not too much of an update this P-Day – but next week will be one for sure!  I have such a love/hate relationship with change but I am ready to see what’s next for me!  A quote I heard back in the MTC has been helping a lot lately:

            “There’s no comfort in a growth zone and there’s no growth in a comfort zone”

It is so true!  I need to start growing, but that’s not going to happen if I stay in my safe, easy comfort zone!  It’s definitely easier said than done, but I am so lucky to have help and strength from my Heavenly Father, I just gotta take that scary leap!

I love you guys so much.  You are always in my thoughts and prayers and I appreciate you more than you will ever know! 

OPTIMISM IS KEY! 

Sok Szeretettel,

Gertsch Novér

Full Steam Ahead! Week 24 Update

Brooke's email address: 

brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

Teljes Gőzzel Előre!

(this happened to be a quote on my bottle cap and I found it quite fitting! It translates to “Full Steam Ahead!”)

This week was another long one, full of lessons and work, work, work!  Also, I have never experienced so much humidity in my LIFE!  Within one week, summer has made its way over to Szeged and I am slowly melting, but thank goodness for ice cream! Definitely missing ice and air conditioning, but the city still remains as beautiful as ever!  There are a bunch of fountains everywhere and we sometimes just sit and admire them for a minute or two.

While tracting, we met a couple of new friends!  Another little stray pup just started to join our tracting one day and although nobody was interested in our message that day, this little guy just made me so happy!  I wanted to take him home, but my companion said no, which was probably for the best, haha! 

I also almost stepped on a snail, but picked it up instead!  Never would I ever have before held a slimy snail, but hey – when in Hungary!

This weekend I also went to my first BBQ in Hungary!  A little bit similar to ones back at home, except there are no grills!  We sat around a fire like out camping and put chunks of meat and whole vegetables on a stick!  So much fun!  Feels like summer!

The transfer is just about over, two more weeks left with my amazing companion!  Change is so intimidating and scary but also inevitable, so I will try my best to adapt! Next transfer will also be my 6-month mark, which totally freaks me out because time has started picking up!

I wish I had some spiritual experiences with investigators and finding new ones, but this week, I feel like we hit a little wall!  A couple of our investigators are becoming less and less interested and don’t want to meet anymore.  It has been such a hard experience for me, because you invest so much energy into making sure this person feels the Spirit and understands everything and you think it is going so well – you can see their potential and their spirits lifted – only for them to not want it anymore.  It’s definitely a great lesson on patience and that everyone has the choice to choose with their free agency.  Don’t get me wrong, we still have a few solid investigators that are progressing and I am so incredibly happy for them and we still leave the apartment each day ready to find those that are prepared and ready as well!  Hope and faith, hope and faith.  Those two things are what I continuously am given opportunities to strengthen while on my mission so far! 

Sorry this week’s email was a shorter one, but life is so good and feelin’ happy and hopeful for tomorrow!  Love you all so very much and sending a big hug your way! 

Have a great week and take care!

Sok Szeretettel,

Gertsch Novér