21st Birthday Surprise & Trusting God and His timing

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

3/6/2107 - 21st Birthday surprise!

Let me just start off by saying that this week had so many ups and downs.  But hey - ilyen az élet! (That’s life!)  It started off with my 21st birthday.  LEGAL - woohoo!  haha seriously means nothing to me.  I feel the exact same.  But I was the luckiest because we had Zone Training in Budapest that day, so I got extra hugs from Sister Szabadkai - I couldn’t be happier!  

Sister Smith made me a birthday cake!

Unfortunately, the morning of my birthday I woke up with the flu that lasted for the rest of the week.  Happy 21st birthday to me!!! My sweet companion made me palacsinta's (hungarian pankcakes) before Budapest also I think I had a fever in this picture Mom haha
  

But ain’t nobody got time for that.  I had to take a sick day to recover the next day.  But then that night, I had no choice but to decide to feel better because we had dinner planned with one of my favorite families in the ward.  We took the bus out to their house with their son, Bence, and when we get to the house, he tells us to go straight into the kitchen and so we do.  I walk in and the entire Dercsenyi family as well as the Mecseriék, another family in the ward, were all there with sparklers and sang the Happy Birthday song in Hungarian!  They had thrown me a SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!  and let me tell you - I was not expecting it in the slightest!  A birthday I will never forget.  I have such incredible people in my life.  I don’t know how I got so lucky!

So that was one of the ups.  One of the downs, is that because of certain circumstances, we no longer have any progressing investigators.  Not a fun feeling.  So our days are now filled with a whole lot of finding!  But I have an amazing companion and we are both so motivated to find those that are ready to hear about the gospel. 

Just 2 days ago, this old man let us in while tracting.  We were so excited.  He was adorable.  He spent about 15 minutes just showing us different things all over his house.  As we were looking at pictures on his bookshelf, we just so happened to come across a Book of Mormon that he had received many years ago.  So right then and there, we were able to go over the Restoration of the Gospel and touched on the Plan of Salvation because he had just recently lost his wife.  Everything was going so smoothly it almost seemed too good to be true!  Meeting with this bácsi was exactly what I needed as a reminder that there are people out there open to listening to us and gave me so much motivation to go find them.  

FAR SANG! aka Halloween. Yay for being the only ones dressed up!

FUNNY STORY FROM THE BACSI WHO LET US IN -  so halfway through our conversation, Sanyi Bácsi leaves the room to get us something to drink.  He comes back in with a bottle of sparkling water and another bottle full of dark, mysterious liquid.  I asked what it was, and he laughed as he poured us both a glass saying “grape juice” (….aka “wine”).  We told him we don’t drink alcohol and he hands us the glasses anyway.  He was SO insistent that we try “just a little taste” and that we “had to celebrate our new friendship”.  Don’t worry Mom and Dad - you will be proud to know that I firmly declined and did not drink the wine my new friend tried to force me to drink!  I really do feel a lot of potential with him thought, we are just going to go back and teach him the Word of Wisdom, haha.  Gotta love tracting stories!

Best Friends reunite!  Welcome to Hungary Roche Nővér!  Roche Nővér with with me and Mason Nővér in the MTC but she wasn't able to come to Hungary with us due to medical issues.  But she is FINALLY HERE!!! 

Elder Ure and I had matching shirt/tie!

Well thats it for this week!  HAPPY MARCH!

Love you & Miss you so very much!

Sok Szeretettel, 

Gertsch Nővér

**On Pday we explored Gyor a little.  Here are a few pictures of this beautiful city!

3/13/2017 - Trusting in God and His timing

Well, I will be honest when I tell you - this week was a harder one.  We started it off so ready and motivated to find, but then finished with the exact same results.  At the end of each day, it was so hard for me because we had tried our absolute best to find people to teach.  We tracked building after building, talked to so many people on the streets, and kept going and pushing through all the rejection.  Never have I EVER felt so ready to find someone and teach them about the gospel.  All day everyday, I am constantly praying that the next person we talk to will be “the one”.  My faith and trust in the Lord is the strongest it has ever been.  With this little bump in the road, it would be so easy to get upset and mad at this and that people are not being placed right in front of us.  We are giving the Lord our all and feel like it is making no difference whatsoever.  

After a long day of tracting, I confided in my companion with all of my frustration  As we talked, we were instantly comforted when we looked at our situation in a different light.  This entire last week we had the option to stop after the first building...Give up when the 10th person said they were in a hurry. But we didn’t.  (Don’t get me wrong, I still let myself get down inside sometimes.)  But as I said before - I gave Him my all.  I am trying my absolute hardest and I am proving to the Lord how much I love Him and how dedicated I am to His work.  And for that, I am incredibly thankful.  Because as I look back on this week, I can see and I can feel, how hard I tried and I know Heavenly Father sees it too.  

                             

BARBS. realest of homies.

The whole mission is just an 18 or 24 month period to really show Him where your heart is.  There is going to be trial after trial, week after week, of no work, and faith will be tested.  But after the trial of your faith will you then receive your reward.  

The Domjánék, a less active couple that we met with this week

Andi - a less active member we meet with

Roli! 

So now I start a new week, even MORE ready and excited to find those that the Lord has prepared.  Trusting in God and His plan AND His timing is not always the easiest.  But I know that if we do that, He will be with us every step of the way.  Blessing us with strength, patience, comfort, perspective...the list of blessings goes on and on.  

Splits in Szombathely

I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Excited to share some stores next week! 

A néni gave me her pantyhose because I wasn’t wearing tights and she was so worried I would freeze…..

Love and miss you all!

Sok szeretettel,

Gertsch Nővér 

Brooke Gertsch Mission Update 2/21 & 2/27

Sorry!  I got behind again!  These are Brooke's last 2 emails!  

2/21/2017

Transfers? Here already? 

The talk of the missioon was that the 10-week transfers are really long. But these 10 weeks were so packed with adventures and miracles and if the "long" transfer flew by, I am scared for how quickly these next 8 weeks will pass. But ALWAYS going to try my best to make every single moment count. I apologize for how short this email will be. So many special things happened this week, but with transfers, I am a tad bit frazzled! Forgive me. Next week will be better! and i will be able to send pictures! 

Well, I feel like it was only yesterday that i was doing this, but this morning we recieved our transfer calls....and i get to stay in the beautiful city of Győr! It was such an answer to my prayers. I have made so many connections with the people here and I could feel deep down inside I am not finished here. So motivated to keep finding and helping those the Lord needs me to find and help! Sadly, my sweet companion, Smith Nővér, will be leaving. I leared so much from her and she definitely has one of the biggest hearts. Evans Nővér will be my new companion and I am so excited to serve with her! She is hilarious and plays the ukulele. So I am ready to jam. And work really hard too, haha. 

You know, transfers used to make me so sick. The unknown, the anticipation of the call, the change (and not to mention feelings of inadequacy and wanting a certain thing to happen) attack you all at once. My first few transfer calls- my companions and friends can attest- I was a total mess. So scared. Then the transfer would go better than ever to be expected and in my companion I found a lifelong friend. The Lord always knows exactly what I need. And I know that. I have felt that so many times. this transfer call was a whole lot different. Granted- yes, i did pace around the apartment all morning. But I really felt at peace because I trusted in the Lord. And do now more than ever before. If anything, I have learned that extremely valuable lesson while out here and I know I will be needing that confidence in Him throughout the rest of my life. 

Okay, that is all for this week! I promise the next week will be more detailed and exciting haha. 

I love you all. 

Have a great and wonderful week! 

Sok szeretettel, 

Gertsch Nővér

2/27/17

so we are emailing in this library where i cannot figure out how to upload pictures! i apologize for none this week, going to get something figured out ASAP! 

A special thing happened at transfers this last week. Back i the MTC, Mason and Roche Nővér and I were all companions in a trio. Unfortunately, Roche wasnt able to come out to hungary with us due to health problems. but we remained best friends and emailed every week for the past year. she got better and was given another opportunity to come out! At transfers, Mason Nővér and I practically tackled her ad we had quite the emotioal and glorious reunion. so proud of her. she is such a great example of strength and dedication ad i am excited to have her here in the country! so that was a great way to end the transfer. 

TRANSFER #7. It has only been one week, but it has already been so much fun. for starters- my new companion, Evans Nővér, is incredible. She is such an amazing missionary and makes me laugh all day every day. always get blessed with the best. 

Hungary has this holiday called "farsang" which is kind of like halloween in February. we went as cats ad the ward threw a party and we ate a whole bunch of homemade donuts ad got to sped time with my favorite people. it was super funny (well actually awkward..) it was a costume party, yet the only ones that actually dressed up was my companion and I. haha. so funy. it really was though. and the next day at church, everyone was calling us the "macskák" and i think we will be forever known as the cats. cool. 

This week we met with oe of our progressing investigators, Tibor. He was actually progressing so much the past couple of weeks. even came to church! when i brought Evans Nővér over to meet him, he seemed super depressed again ad it had seemed like all of the progress we had been making with him had disappeared. It was so hard for me. but as we were in the lesson, i all of a sudden had a glimpse of how Heavenly Father feels with us. none of us are perfect and no matter how far we get, sometimes we still fall. sometimes we still take a step back. the amount of patience He has is impossible for us to comprehend. But i am so incredibly thankful for his grace and mercy and do not know where i would be without it. so as hard as it was for me, i learned a lesson myself and gained a new perspective. we talked about prayer and went back to the basics. it was the that i asked him to pray (keep in mind he does NOT like praying in front of people) ad he offered one of the most heart-felt and sincere prayers I have ever heard. As he finished, i was beaming and had tears in my eyes because I was so proud of him! He let down his wall and the spirit was able to touch all of us- Now i just hope and pray that he continues to access Heavenly Father through this simple gift. Prayer really is a gift. 

Well, that is all for this week! But i am positive that this transfer will be the best one yet. 

Készen állok. 

Have a wonderful week! 

Sok szeretettel, 

Gertsch Nővér 

Psalms 27:14

The Lord never fails me. Never. THIS WEEKS EMAIL UPDATE!! 1/30/17 - 2/6/17

Brooke’s contact info:

brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

1122 Budapest

Hajnóczy József utca 14

Hungary

^In Budapest!!

Well this week was full of a whole bunch of miracles.  As small as they may seem, they were really big in my book.  My perspective had become a little clouded, but the Lord blessed me with many moments that reminded me of who I am and why I’m here.  And for that, I am so incredibly thankful.  He strengthens me when I am weak and whenever I push myself to serve Him with all my might, the Lord never fails me. Never.

^Budapest

From past experiences, I had grown to kind of (really) dislike tracting after 7:30pm.  Here in Hungary, people are going to bed by then and are very upset with us for wanting to share a message with them.  I have never been yelled at and kicked out buildings more than when we decide to tract late.  So when Monday evening came around, I will admit - I did not have a bounce in my step as we walked up to the tall 10-story building.  But I did have a fervent prayer in my heart and promised Heavenly Father that I would try my hardest to share the gospel and to be brave.  We got through about 20 people over the intercom, but nothing.  The next guy said he was not interested, but let us into the building.  Going inside was GOOD because we were freezing, but it was also scary because rejection to the face is never easy.  But I went into the building feeling nothing but peace.  I knew I was doing what He needed me to do and I figured out I was right just a few minutes later.  We went up to the neighbor of the guy that let us in and she was not interested. As the neighbor closed the door, the man that let us in opened his, and kindly asked us what it was we wanted to talk about?  Then for the next 30 minutes, we talked about Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation.  As we were having this pleasant conversation with this man (at 8:00 at night) I had a prayer of thanks in my heart.  I put myself out there and put the Lord’s work before my fears and He led me to someone that was ready to listen to what we had to share.

^ This is one of the buildings we tracted....most don’t look like this fyi haha

Another quick miracle I wanted to share was one we found after a little trial of our faith.  We had a day of nothing to do, so we went finding…. for hours!  I was getting a little down that we had talked to so many people, but nothing.  Not one.  But, we kept going, kept pushing on and as we were waking back to our apartment for dinner, we passed this old bácsi and I wished him a “jó estét” (good evening).  He stopped right there and exclaimed “hey, I know who you are!  You’re the mormons!  He was absolutely adorable.  He began asking all of these deep questions and I cold tell right away he was a logical type of person and struggled to believe in something he can’t see.  We talked about prayer and the Holy Ghost, but he still seemed a little frustrated with it all.  Then he started to say he is a bad person and is not going to heaven.  Broke my heart!  Then he looked at me and asked what kind of a person I thought he was.  Without hesitation, I emailed and simply said, “You are a child of God and He loves you so much!”  Instead of fighting back, his eyes welled up and with a soft smile asked, “yeah?” and I firmly answered back, “yeah.”  At 88 years old, this bácsi seemed to think it was too late for him.  So it was an amazing feeling to be able to tell him that it’s never too late and that God is waiting for each of His children - no matter the age - to turn to Him and accept and live the gospel.

^This is one of our investigators, Tibor! 

^This is my inspiration- Fehér Kati. a member here. she is the sweetest person i have ever met and took us out to eat and to visit a bunch of less actives all over Győr!

Those were just two of the many experiences I have had this week.  All in all, I love being a missionary and I love sharing this message of hope and love.  I have never been so sure of the truth of this gospel and I am so thankful for my Savior that is with me every single step of the way.

^haha we found a pair of smashed glasses on the street and they were perfect for our little snowman friend!

I hope you all have a great week and know the I love and miss you all so much!

Sok Szeretettel,

Gertsch Nővér 

"God's love encompasses us completely!" 1/116/17 - 1/23/17

Brooke's contact info: 

brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

Ice skating on P-day

Quote for the week:

“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely.  Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly.  Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.” - Dieter F Uchtdorf 

I have been taught my whole life that I am a Child of God and that my Heavenly Father loves me.  I have known that forever now.  Out here on the mission, I have not only been reminded of that, but have sincerely FELT it - personally and for others around me.  He knows and loves each and every one of His children and it’s a love that we will never be able to fully understand.  I am so thankful for the testimony I have received of this and for the opportunity I have to help the Hungarian people find comfort and safety in God’s love.

Well, this week was a busy one!  We were in Budapest for Zone Training and then Szombathely for splits.  After zone training, Smith Nővér and I accidentally got on the wrong train and found ourselves lost in the middle of nowhere at 9:00pm.  Oh those mission adventures!  So glad I have the most amazing and patient companion that can laugh with me as we try to use Hungarian transportation!  And for President Szabadkai who came to the rescue and helped us get home to Győr, hehe… If I can get around this country, I feel like I can pretty much do anything!

Getting Lost!! 

One of my favorite moments from the week was in a lesson with one of the less-actives here.  We read and talked about one of my FAVORITE conference talks from President Uchtdorf called “He will place you on His shoulders and carry you home”.  It talks about the parable of the lost sheep and how we are all worthy of rescue.  This woman needed to hear this message at that moment and it was lead by the Spirit and I can’t even put into words how much I love being a missionary!  And the best feeling was seeing her walk into the church building on Sunday after not attending for quite some time.  Sometimes all it takes is a little reminder that the Lord is there and loves you.  And just as it said in the talk, “Just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior, He will find you.  He will rescue you.  He will lift you up and place you on His shoulders.  sHe will carry you home.” 

I know this statement is true.  I have had my own moment of feeling lost and alone.  But with the power of prayer, the weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I am reminded of who I am and what it is I’m doing here.  I have felt the Lord’s joy and happiness when one of His sheep makes the brave decision to come back to church.  There is going to come a time in everyone’s lives where we are going to have to turn to the Good Shepherd.  But I promise He will save us.  This was a little more spiritual letter, but I am a missionary and that’s all I know.  

Church Building in Győr

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Sending my love!

Sok Szeretettel, 

Gertsch Nővér 

Joy of Service - Brooke Gertsch Update 1/23/17 - 1/30/17

Brooke's contact info: 

brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

Woah, where did January go?  There have been many days that have felt really long.  But in the grand scheme of things, they all pass extremely fast.  For one, I cannot comprehend that in a short week and a half, I will be hitting my 14 months on my mission and one year in Hungary!  Time is a precious thing and I continue to try to enjoy every single minute.

Making töltött káposzta with the Elders and Johanna on P-day! Töltött káposzta is stuffed cabbage. sooooo good!!

At the beginning the year, a new focus was added on for our mission, service.  President Szabadkai challenged all of us to find opportunities to serve in the local community.  Here in Győr, we have been blessed with the chance to serve in a "idősek otthong" or old folk’s home, as well as a home for adults with special needs.  In all honesty, these experiences have been some of my most favorite on my mission.  Getting to see others in such a simple way of just being a friend to talk to makes me want to continue to go back again and again.  I could see the light of Christ in their eyes when they smiled and felt the Holy Ghost even when we were just talking about this neni’s garden.  

This week, we visited the special needs facility with the Elders and the AP’s.  We spent the whole evening with those sweet souls dancing and singing, talking and telling stories.  By the end, my cheeks hurt from smiling for hours straight.  Although I was technically there to serve them, it was really them that helped me to see the beauty of life and they lifted my spirit.  And the most touching thing happened at the end of the evening.  As we were leaving, they all ran into their rooms and grabbed their favorite stuffed animals and gave them to us to take home.  Most definitely shed a few tears.  I love those people and am so thankful for the opportunity I had to spend time with them.  I recommend making time to somehow serve in the community.  I promise you won’t regret it!

^^These are some of the stuffed animals they gave us at the special needs facility.

There also was Missionary broadcast this week from Mission Headquarters, and some of the General Authorities spoke to us.  I will be honest with you...For the past few weeks I have become so focused on numbers and with time flying so fast, I don’t want to leave not having done everything that I could have!  It had been weighing me down for a while and my view on things had become extremely blurry.  But within a couple of minutes of watching the broadcast it all became clear again and the words from the Apostles were exactly what I needed to hear.  So comforting.  And a good reminder to me that this is the Lord’s work, not mine.  and I, nor anybody else around me, decides what is success and what is not.  There were a few changes made in the schedule and with the work - all of which I feel and know were revelation from above!  The entire time, my heart was filled with so much love and appreciation for the leaders of our church.  They are, without a doubt, inspired of God and we are so blessed to have the to help guide us in today’s world.

^^Standing on a frozen lake! I wasn’t kidding when I said it is freezing here!

Cant believe how fast this week went, and I know this one will be just as fast!  More to come next week!

Sending all my love, 

Gertsch Nővér 

Continuing to change and grow everyday! Brooke Gertsch Mission Update 1/9/2017

Brooke’s contact info:

1122 Budapest

Hajnoczy Jozsef utica 14

Hungary

She would love a quick hello email!!!  brooke.gertsch@myldsmail.net

Well, this week totally flew by.  They really are getting faster and it is really starting to scare me!  Still enjoying every minute of it, though. The awkward moments, the snow storms, the funky foods - ALL OF IT.  Man, I love this place and these people more than I can begin to explain.  And that doesn't even really make sense.  I can’t speak well english anymore, haha!  You know what I mean!

• This week, we visited family in the ward who had the cutest little twins.  You could most definately say that it made me miss MY twin and little kids a whole lot!

• We also were adventuring (looking up less active members) in a falu (village) and found SLOVAKIA!

^ SLOVAKIA JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER!

“ADVENTURING” IN A NEARBY VILLAGE (FALU)

• Went on splints with the Sisters from a city called Szombathely and I got to spend time with Towne Nőver who is the sweetest!

• And met with my favorite person on the planet, Johanna! (Brooke’s mom is going to try to NOT take that last sentence personally!) 

Well I just kind of rambled on about my week, sorry! 

^ THE WARD BROOKE IS SERVING IN GYŐR, HUNGARY

On a more serious note, the biggest thing I have been thinking about, studying about, and learning about, is our self-worth and our purpose here and God’s plan for us.  I had taught the Plan of Salvation so many times before, but this week, with one of our investigators, we really focused on our time here on Earth and why we are here.  This investigator just feels so lost and so alone.  One of the coolest things I have received as a missionary, is being able to see someone through Heavenly Father’s eyes and as this person was saying that they feel that they just go through life unnoticed and doesn't understand what they are doing here, I just wanted to hug them so hard and tell them, “YOU ARE LOVED!”

I tried as best as i could to help this person know the God loves them more than they will ever know.  Something I have learned is that it is so great to help comfort someone and tell them that they are loved and important.  I was able to see their heart soften and they even got emotional.  But then we left and came back a few days later, and it was like we had never said anything.  SO what is most important is that we, on our own, turn to our Heavenly Father, find out for ourselves that He is there.  And as we do that - without a doubt - we will start to feel His unconditional love and will receive guidance as to where we need to go in life.  That is why prayer is so important, because it is the way we can strengthen our relationship with the one that we need most.  That’s what is so cool about his whole mission thing.  I knew all of this before.  But it wasn’t until I was teaching somebody else and telling them these things, that it really clicked.  It changed me.  I am just continuing to change and grow everyday.

D&C 18:10 - “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”

^Brooke and her companion 

Okay, I think I will end this one now!  I hope you have a wonderful week and remember:

Nem vagyunk egyedül

Sok szeretettel,

Gertsch Nőver 

Some beautiful pictures of Győr!