"I'm in the most beautiful country Momma!" Week 20 Update

Brooke’s email address:  brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net 

Week 20 (I think I put the wrong week last week… - Chris)

"I'm in the most beautiful country Momma!" 

Okay, I am starting to understand what other missionaries have been warning me about how fast the time starts to go!!  Seriously felt like P-Day was like 2 days ago.  The idea of time never ceases to amaze me haha!

-This week, I had a lot of “oh my gosh, I’m in Hungary” moments and did my best to really soak in those moments and make them count!  On Tuesday and Wednesday, we went on splits again with the Sister Training Leaders, so we got to travel up to BUDAPEST!  I LOVE BUDAPEST!  It is so beautiful and was a much needed breath of fresh air and a change in the scenery!  We met with some great members and of course were fed extremely well!  By the end, I was excited to head home to my family and home back in Szeged!

The Parliament Building in Budapest

  The Szechenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest                        

- We met with a YSA (Young Single Adult), Gabor and his family this week and his dad is an expert fisherman and wanted to cook us a traditional Hungarian FISH SOUP.  He cooked it along the Tisza River so that was a glorious afternoon in the sunshine!!  I love sushi… and like Tilapia, and of course tuna fish (cooked) but other than that, I don’t really do fish!  And I had heard stories about how there were full-on fish heads and eyeballs in the soup, so it was a pleasant surprise to see none of that!  I have become so brave when it comes to eating and give the fish soup a thumbs up!  I can cross that off the list of things to try!

- On the topic of food, FAGYI, or ice cream, is my true love!  It can seriously lighten any day!  I do not have an ounce of regret as to how much Fagyi I consume, and will yet consume!

- A little tender mercy for the week was while we were tracting - We climbed up the 6 flights of stairs and I will admit, I did not have a huge amount of energy.  But we knocked on doors and took turns talking to people.  Halfway down the building, we met this girl and we got talking about how we were American and what we were doing here in Hungary.  Without hesitation, she asked us to come in and we had a totally solid conversation about the Book of Mormon and she took one and we are going to meet again next week.  We pray with all our hearts, each and every day, to find those that are ready to receive the gospel and have been prepared.  A lot of days, I am so impatient because they don’t run up to us and get in line!  And sometimes I get too excited too early and the people that I think may progress, end up not wanting anything to do with us.  BUT I will always stay hopeful and I will always stay positive!  I am in such an incredible country with the strongest and very influential church members and will patiently wait and work to find those that need the gospel.  

Teaching English Class - Teaching "Directions"

Thank you, always, for the love and support.  I am strengthened and able to do my best thanks to your prayers!  Sending my love to you all.

Have an amazing week!

Sok Szeretettel,

B 

Here's to growth! Brooke Gertsch - Week 15 Update

Brooke’s contact info - I know she would love to get updates on all of you as well!!! 

brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net 

Gertsch Nover

1122 Budapest

Hajnoczy Jozsef utca 14

Hungary

Another week here in the beautiful city of Szeged!  Honestly, I have never experienced such a beautiful spring in my life!  Here’s a quick rundown of this past week:

• I said “szia” (see-ya) to one of my pairs of shoes this week.  We went to go find a less-active that lived way out in the middle of nowhere and walked so far, the sidewalks disappeared.  So we walked a long way on the side of the road.  Turns out the address was wrong so we headed back towards the city for another program we had scheduled.  As I was walking along the road, I took a step in this big, huge mud puddle, and my entire foot was covered in mud.  We didn’t have time to go home and change shoes (or buy a new pair for that matter) so we ran down to the shore of the river which was right next to us.  It was quite the sight to see.  Definitely not one of my most functional and proud moments, but made for a great story.

• I finally got to meet the sweetest soul who’s name is JANKA!  She and I had met on social media before I left home and then she wrote us in the MTC and we got to teach her on Skype in the MTC too.  There was a Young Adult Conference in Szeged this weekend, so she came down and we got to hang out!  She is pretty much the coolest!

• I think I died and went to heaven.  After going to a dinner program with the Senior couple - Elder and Sister Howell - we were driving back and came upon this HUGE flower field.  A field of Cannola flowers.  They were nice enough to pull over so we could frolic in them and take some pics!  It was definitely an “I must be in Hungary” kind of moment!

• This week I also felt the transition of being a “greenie” or new missionary to NOT being a new missionary because I am on my second transfer!  AH!  One moment in particular, was extremely painful and I wish I could take it back, but of course, you can’t.  My companion was talking to an investigator about the Book of Mormon and I could tell that she was wrapping the lesson up, so I started to plan what I was going to say for the prayer, because 9 times out of 10, they call on me because I’m more quiet out of the 2 of us.  As I am thinking of things to say in Hungarian, all of a sudden all eyes turn to me, and I frantically look at my companion and she whispers to me, “testify”, and not one word comes to my mind.  Bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Christ is one of the only things I know how to do!  But for some reason, I was given a stupor of thought and immediately regretted letting my mind unfocused, even if it was for a minute or two.  I wish I could say i recovered, but I didn’t and couldn’t believe that I let the person we were teaching, my companion, myself and Heavenly Father down by not testifying of truth at that moment.  It made me realize and recognize how many opportunities I am given to bear witness and that I need to step up my game and step out of my comfort zone and be brave.  At first, after that experience, I let myself get upset and question if I can do this.  But instantaneously, I get this thought rush through me of “you live and you learn.  LEARN FROM THIS BROOKE!”  And honestly, from that point on, it has rejuvenated me and motivated me to push my boundaries.  I’ve learned that I never want to regret not speaking to people, so I have started talking to people when we go tracting (something I was too scared to do before) and always share my testimony, even if it is short and simple.

“We had an American Breakfast for dinner last night with Elder & Sister Howell and the Elders.  I WAS SO HAPPY!!!”

I love being a missionary for countless reasons.  But one in particular, is that life is so crazy!  Some days you step in mud.  Some days, you miss home a whole lot.  Some days you get frustrated because the language doesn’t come as fast as you want it to.  But being here on a mission, I have never felt alone or weak, to the point of giving up. 

With all your love and support back home AND help from above, I can do hard things!!! I am learning A LOT about PATIENCE and PERSPECTIVE.  You can say that it is the right way to live, but until you actually put it to the test, that is when you learn a whole lot.  I can’t wait to learn even more in the next year

Here's to Growth!!

- Gertsch Nover  

4 MONTHS ALREADY? Week 18 Update

4 MONTHS ALREADY?

Don’t get me wrong, I try my absolute best to “make the days count” instead of count the days.  But honestly, I cannot believe I have been gone for 126 days!  CRAZY!  And now we are at the end of the first transfer - in Hungary - and I have gained so much experience I would not have the opportunity to experience anywhere else!  

As I’ve said in my past emails, SPRING is definitely here in Szeged and I’m in love!! Flowers everywhere and so much green!  I don’t know why, but when the weather gets better, I get happier and so do others around me.  Apologies for all my flower pics - my camera doesn’t even do it justice!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:

We met with two amazing members - Kitti and Timi.  They are both Single Young Adults in our branch.  We met with them and had Rootbeer Floats.  Talk about missing home!  It’s nice having some foods that taste the same and the best people to drink it with.

STORIES FOR THE WEEK:

• Meeting the sweetest family - At the beginning of last week, we went out to a falu, or village, and got to meet with a family that lives far from Szeged.  I could say so much, but in short, they all have such a strong unity and it was amazing to see how strong there testimonies were.  Seriously, my testimony grows so much just from people like these that go through a lot and at the end of the day, still have a smile another face and a great relationship with God.

• So yesterday, we were trying to look up less-active members and were having no luck.  We randomly decided to tract this one building, and no one answered, except this old lady, and she let us in!  That doesn’t happen too often!  haha, so we came in (and she was so cute scooting around with her little walker).  As we got to the living room, there was another little old lady and it turns out they are mother and daughter.  We were guessing that the mom was definitely in her 90’s and the daughter late 70’s or 80’s.  They were so adorable !  It took about 2 minutes before they began to tell their life stories and both their husbands died and they only have each other.  It gets more precious.  We asked if we could share a scripture and they absolutely loved it and love God.  We gave the mother a Book of Mormon and when we told her it was free and our gift to her, she began to cry and said that she has never received such a special gift and began stroking it!  If only everyone had that reaction to the Book of Mormon!  It really IS such an incredible gift, to have God’s words here on the earth through his Prophets.  but yeah, so we finished the little lesson with the neni’s (Grandmas) with a prayer and in the middle of my companion’s prayer, one of them jumped in and started adding on to her prayer!  We were smiling so hard.  It’s little things like that and people like them that make me so thankful to be where I am!

TRANSFERS - 

And the news as to what I will be doing in the next two months is….. WE ARE BOTH STAYING IN SZEGED!  My trainer and I are staying together and we are so happy that we don’t have to say any goodbyes to our friends and our home here! 

 9 more weeks in the Sunshine City!  I couldn’t be more happy!

I love you all so much and hope you  have a great week!  Stay strong & healthy & safe.

Lots of Love from Hungary!!!

Brooke 

Ether 12:4

“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

Hello Spring! Week 17 Update

Hello from Szeged!

In all honesty, I was worried that this week, I would not have anything positive to write about.  I went a solid 4 days where all we got was rejection after rejection.  I am coming to the end of my first transfer, so this week I tried talking to more people and practiced with the language, too.  And it just so happened that as soon as I took a step out of my comfort zone, we began to get doors slammed in our faces (for the first time).  the first time -  I really tried my best to shake it off (my comp and I actually sang the Taylor Swift song haha).  But the second time, the man slammed it so hard that my heart dropped immediately down into my stomach.  I look back at those first few weeks when I thought getting no smiles back was hard!  I will be the first to admit that after that experience, I let myself get a little weaker.  I lost the drive and the energy, I usually have, and just kind of shut down.  i didn’t know what I was doing here, I felt like I wasn’t making a difference - just bothering people that were uninterested.  I started to focus on negative stuff and it is scary how fast the perspective can change when you let it.  The weather has been gorgeous this week and I hadn’t really even noticed because I was too busy being gloomy inside.  But here’s where the good stuff comes in-

Last week we had called a woman who was inactive in the church and she agreed to meet with us.  And after the long week I’d had, I was praying praying praying for a good moment to come around the corner.  And this lady was JUST THAT! When we came in and sat down, she immediately started to tell us about her life.  About why she left the church, about how she loves the Sister Missionaries … SCORE haha!  The entire time as she talked, I was overcome with such a strong sense of gratitude because although I still feel like I can’t speak much Hungarian, my understanding of what people are saying is growing each and every day.  As time passed, this woman continued to like, bear her testimony of how much she loves God and how important prayer is, and we could truly see that she has faith.  This woman was hurting so bad.  She is all alone, her family has nothing to do with her.  My heart broke as she continued to talk because you could totally tell that she just wanted to talk to someone! And we were so happy we could be that someone!!! As we went to share a spiritual thought, she opened to a random page in the scriptures and found a scripture on strength and freaked out and said, “That wasn’t me!”  we all started crying by that point.  She was so cute and continued to flip through the Book of Mormon to other pages and would find a scripture she (and I) needed to really hear.   It was such a testimony to me of the power of the Book of Mormon and how it is the word of God and can help anyone with any trial in their life.  I could go on and on about this experience!  Haha, she said she can totally see me doing something with writing in my future (? She may be a psychic?) It was just rejuvenating for me to go from wanting to be done, to watching someone’s spirit come out from hiding and to get her laughing and smiling again.  I don’t think I have felt the Spirit so strong while on my mission!  I know she may have needed us to come at that exact time, but I needed to go to her and learn from her, too!  It’s funny how that works!

Anyway, I LOVE this gospel and I LOVE being a missionary!  I am so thankful for the patience the Lord has for me when I crawl back in my shell and give up for a little.  But as soon as I start moving, He ALWAYS gives me opportunities to be strengthened.  And I know that does not just apply to me as a missionary, but to anyone throughout any walk of life.  He has felt every pain - whether it be the rejection of a door slammed in your face or feeling completely alone, and we don’t have to experience any of that on our own.  Aren’t we lucky?

 My heart is so full.

Then to end the weekend with 2 days of General Conference.  We actually watched the Saturday morning session at 6pm and then the Saturday afternoon on Sunday morning and so on.  So that was a different experience!  No PJ’s or pillows...but being here on a mission, I have never gotten so much out of a couple hours of listening to the leaders of the church!  Each talk  was full of so much relative inspiration for everyone and made me want to be such a better person in so many ways. 

Setting up for Conference at the Branch House 

I really really love this gospel.  Have I said that already?  I know I’ve already said that I love my Savior, but I could (and will) say that an endless amount of times.  Having the knowledge that I am never ever alone can get me through any difficult challenge.  And what’s really amazing is , that was what we were teaching that lady  I was talking about before.  I had no idea that by serving and teaching others, I would be the one learning as much, if not more, than the people we meet with!  

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoyed Conference too!  It was so much fun to watch the session live and to know my family was at home watching the same exact thing, as well as my friends out on missions too!  We are so lucky.  so, so lucky!  

Stay safe and happy!  

All my love,

Gertsch Nover 

Week 16 Update - Happy Easter!!!

Brooke’s contact info

email:  brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

mail:  1122 Budapest

    Hajnoczy, Jozsef utca 14

          Hungary

I have officially made it through Christmas, New Years, My Birthday, and now Easter away from home.  And it has been the most humbling experience.  It really gives me a different perspective on the day and reminded me as to what the day is really all about!  Maybe I’m growing up? Haha, but I did have about 5 chocolate bunnies/eggs so that felt like home!

TRANSFERS are like 2 weeks away!  I am kind of the worst when it comes to the unknown because it drives me CRAZY every time I think about it.  So I try my best not to think about it too much.  I can’t imagine leaving the beauty of Szeged but mostly the people I have become to know and love.  But it would be exciting to go.  So time will tell I guess!!!

EASTER DINNER was a big LOL because no one in our district had thought about going to the store to make something nice for Easter dinner … so we gathered all we had left which was a little bit of ham, carrots, rice, bread and we made Palacsintas (Hungarian Pancakes) and put our left overs in them!  It was the funniest, kind of saddest, little meal.  But hey - ONLY IN HUNGARY!!! I am so lucky to be surrounded by missionaries that make the best out of any situation.

So last P-day we went to the Szeged Zoo.  It was super fun!  I could seriously watch the Penguins all day.

But one thing that set this zoo apart from any other zoo I’ve been to, was the feeding time… we were “lucky" enough to be at the Lion cage… right at LUNCH TIME!  They had a nice little room to the side of the cage where they let them in to eat.  The next thing I know, the Lions were devouring these poor innocent rabbits!  Fur and all!!  Sorry, I know it’s disgusting, but it was National Geographic status.  SO CRAZY!  Talk about the Circle of Life.  Yeah so that was crazy.  And then when we started to pass by cages with dead baby chicks all over, I couldn’t keep myself composed so we left and got some ice cream.  Haha, I have decided I would rather be oblivious to the feeding animals at the zoo!  Lesson Learned!

(You can thank me later for NOT adding the photos of the Lion’s feeding session - You’re welcome! - Chris :))

This week, I wish I could say I have a super cool story where we met someone and were able to find people and bring them to church.  But I don’t.  And that doesn’t get me down!  Because I DO have numerous stories each day where we were able to help someone carry groceries, or stop someone and have a really solid conversation about God and Jesus Christ.  I don’t know if it is because the sun is starting to come out, but people are slowly becoming more smiley and friendly, and I never thought I would get to a place of such happiness so fast.  The language is starting to pick up, I am feeling so confident in who I am and what I am doing, and yeah, being a missionary is pretty dang cool.  I don’t really look at numbers and if they are low or not, because no matter what, I know that I am doing my absolute best to make sure that every person that I come across has a positive experience with missionaries and hopefully has a better day!

SENIOR COUPLE!  Elder & Sister Howell got to Szeged this weekend and they are so great.  They are from Southern California and their courage to try out their Hungarian to people on the streets is so inspiring!  Haha… they crack me up!  It’s nice to have “almost grandparents” here too.

   Brooke’s District in Szeged

SPRING is taking it’s sweet time, but slowly the flowers are starting bloom and there’s a whole lot of GREEN.  I’m obsessed!  I really am so blessed to be in such a beautiful place.

  LITTLE MOMENTS THAT MADE ME SMILE THIS WEEK:

•    I got Dusty’s package with the cutest cards from the kids and GOLDFISH & CHEEZ-ITS!  You can ask my companion, I pretty much cried like a baby.  I miss snacks from home!! (And my Aunt’s, Uncle’s and cousins too!!!) 

 •   we found a Thai restaurant there is Szeged and I got Padthai.  Super, super yummy and was the most hipster place I’ve seen in a long time! Haha - my kind of restaurant!

•   One day were were tracting and came up to this Neni’s (grandma’s) house and after she declined our message, she started asking us where we were from and we had a nice little convo and she began picking flowers out of her garden and then gave them to us!  I LOVE THOUGHTFUL PEOPLE!  They make my world go around!

Speaking of the world… we may not have access to the news, but word has spread about what happened this past week in Brussels.  This world is a crazy world, man.  When things like this happen, I get a little (okay maybe a lot) scared as to what will happen next.  But what I am learning, is how important it is to cleave unto the Lord and His gospel because when we do that, not only can we be strengthened to get through hard times, but He can help soften our hearts and give us hope for better days.  I am so incredibly grateful to have found comfort through my Savior and I hope I can help others find it too.  He is always there.  He just leaves it up to us to build our faith in Him.  

A scripture we shared at the branch’s Easter part is one of my absolute favorite scriptures.  It’s in Moroni 7:42 and it says:

            “And what is it that ye shall hope for?  Behold, I say unto you, that ye shall have hope through the Atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal and this because of your faith in Him according to the promise.”

-Nagyon fontos hogy krisztus es o engestelese az alapunk legyen.  Es amilor hiszunk krisztusban, a hitunk abni fog nekunk erot es perspektiat hogy mindvegig kitarssunk.-

(It’s so important hat Christ and His atonement be our foundation.  And when we believe in Christ, our faith will give us strength and perspective, to help us endure to the end)

I love you all will all my heart!  I pray that you are all safe and happy!  I hope you all had a great Easter!

All my love, 

B