Dear all,
Heeeey, guuuyss. So, this week:
1. Yes. I was a cat for Halloween.
If I can remember back to good ol' Halloween 2013 in America this is what we call a "basic." Yes, I, like many women before me, fell into the trap that is being a cat on Halloween. Time was short, pressure was high, and resources were about as limited as you can get searching for a costume in a Tesco in Eger, Hungary for a random American holiday. It happens.
I'm sorry!
I'll try better next year ;)
2. Because last year I suffered severely from a disorder called "We Didn't Have A Stinkin' Halloween Party" that caused a lot of grief---this year I had to overcompensate by throwing not one, but two!
Sister Rada and I single-handedly threw the sickest Halloween party the Eger branch has ever seeeen! Okay, okay, so I have no evidence to actually back that up, but it seemed like everybody had a good time, aand the zone leaders were there on splits and they seemed to really enjoy it, too!
On top of that, we sometimes email at this house for underprivileged kids and young adults and we're friends with the coordinator and she asked us to help her throw a "real American Halloween party" for all the kids--so we told her about bobbing for apples, cake walks, carving pumpkins and all that good stuff and got to go to the party and tell the kids stories and help with the games and got some of the awesomest volunteer hours ever, it was super fun.
But, yes. Unfortunately there were no graveyard break-ins this year, who knows, I think I may actually be growing up, though the lights were just as beautiful for All Saints' Day. ;)
4. We met with T this week and were really nervous about teaching him one of the Commandments. He willingly accepted it and is still super excited to get baptized and bore a beautiful testimony about how he knows this Commandment only strengthens the Plan of Salvation. To say that I am PUMPED would actually be a total understatement. (!!!)
5. This week we had district meeting. Our little district is kind of special because, of the six of us, five of us will be going home in December. So this week we kind of went around the room and said things that we had learned that we didn't necessarily think we would on our missions.
And I don't know why this came to my mind first, but I said that one of the coolest things I've learned on my mission is that I've had to actually put into practice (every single day) some things I already knew were true.
Honestly, on my mission one of the greatest gifts I've gained is a huge appreciation for the baptismal covenants. I think that they were something I understood in basic before I got out here, but I feel like I much better have come to know the meaning of "mourning with those that mourn" and "comforting those that stand in need of comfort" on a completely different level.
I think I've just come to learn in a much deeper way, that everybody hurts. Everybody. The postman you see every day. The people you pass by on the streets. You best friend. Your family. Everybody carries a lot of deep sorrow around with them in this life--and drinks from that same bitter cup.
And all you have to do to honestly, truly find a piece of relief to your own pain is go out and help others' with theirs. And this is one of those things that I swear, I think I already knew, but I never had to live every single day until I came on my mission.
Life is all about perspective, and if you widen your perspective wide enough to see that everyone else hurts just like you, and start to reach out, you begin to realize that your own pain is a lot lesser than you thought. That other people carry a lot more pain than you could ever imagine.
And that's what being a missionary is all about. Trying to go out and help the ailing and sad and sick----coupled with power and authority from God to preach just as Christ did. And it's really kind of special. Because I have the whole rest of my life to live up to my baptismal covenants---but only a year and half to do it with a black name tag.
So I'm going to make the last full month count. That's for sure.
Sorry for the rambling again, I think I'm already experiencing some pre-end-of-mish nostalgia.
Love ya'll---send me a letter while you still can!
Tudom hogy a Mormon könyve igaz!
Szeretet mindig,
Carle Nővér
p.s. Congrats on making it home this week lovely Sister Bates! Can't wait to see you on the flip side, love ya ;)
Heeeey, guuuyss. So, this week:
1. Yes. I was a cat for Halloween.
If I can remember back to good ol' Halloween 2013 in America this is what we call a "basic." Yes, I, like many women before me, fell into the trap that is being a cat on Halloween. Time was short, pressure was high, and resources were about as limited as you can get searching for a costume in a Tesco in Eger, Hungary for a random American holiday. It happens.
I'm sorry!
I'll try better next year ;)
2. Because last year I suffered severely from a disorder called "We Didn't Have A Stinkin' Halloween Party" that caused a lot of grief---this year I had to overcompensate by throwing not one, but two!
Sister Rada and I single-handedly threw the sickest Halloween party the Eger branch has ever seeeen! Okay, okay, so I have no evidence to actually back that up, but it seemed like everybody had a good time, aand the zone leaders were there on splits and they seemed to really enjoy it, too!
On top of that, we sometimes email at this house for underprivileged kids and young adults and we're friends with the coordinator and she asked us to help her throw a "real American Halloween party" for all the kids--so we told her about bobbing for apples, cake walks, carving pumpkins and all that good stuff and got to go to the party and tell the kids stories and help with the games and got some of the awesomest volunteer hours ever, it was super fun.
But, yes. Unfortunately there were no graveyard break-ins this year, who knows, I think I may actually be growing up, though the lights were just as beautiful for All Saints' Day. ;)
4. We met with T this week and were really nervous about teaching him one of the Commandments. He willingly accepted it and is still super excited to get baptized and bore a beautiful testimony about how he knows this Commandment only strengthens the Plan of Salvation. To say that I am PUMPED would actually be a total understatement. (!!!)
5. This week we had district meeting. Our little district is kind of special because, of the six of us, five of us will be going home in December. So this week we kind of went around the room and said things that we had learned that we didn't necessarily think we would on our missions.
And I don't know why this came to my mind first, but I said that one of the coolest things I've learned on my mission is that I've had to actually put into practice (every single day) some things I already knew were true.
Honestly, on my mission one of the greatest gifts I've gained is a huge appreciation for the baptismal covenants. I think that they were something I understood in basic before I got out here, but I feel like I much better have come to know the meaning of "mourning with those that mourn" and "comforting those that stand in need of comfort" on a completely different level.
I think I've just come to learn in a much deeper way, that everybody hurts. Everybody. The postman you see every day. The people you pass by on the streets. You best friend. Your family. Everybody carries a lot of deep sorrow around with them in this life--and drinks from that same bitter cup.
And all you have to do to honestly, truly find a piece of relief to your own pain is go out and help others' with theirs. And this is one of those things that I swear, I think I already knew, but I never had to live every single day until I came on my mission.
Life is all about perspective, and if you widen your perspective wide enough to see that everyone else hurts just like you, and start to reach out, you begin to realize that your own pain is a lot lesser than you thought. That other people carry a lot more pain than you could ever imagine.
And that's what being a missionary is all about. Trying to go out and help the ailing and sad and sick----coupled with power and authority from God to preach just as Christ did. And it's really kind of special. Because I have the whole rest of my life to live up to my baptismal covenants---but only a year and half to do it with a black name tag.
So I'm going to make the last full month count. That's for sure.
Sorry for the rambling again, I think I'm already experiencing some pre-end-of-mish nostalgia.
Love ya'll---send me a letter while you still can!
Tudom hogy a Mormon könyve igaz!
Szeretet mindig,
Carle Nővér
p.s. Congrats on making it home this week lovely Sister Bates! Can't wait to see you on the flip side, love ya ;)