Week 30: HAPPY HAPPY EASTER! 🌷🐇

HAPPY HAPPY EASTER!! What a wonderful week. Filled with studying, testifying, celebrating, and thinking of Jesus Christ. On Monday night we ate dinner at a member's house. It was such a fun and natural interaction. It is fun to be at the point where I feel like I can truly communicate with members. To laugh with them and connect with them. We shared a spiritual message with them about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I loved hearing their thoughts and conversion stories. We could feel the spirit so strongly. 

On Tuesday it was my birthday! woohoo! 20 éves lettem. Naygon hálás vagyok, hogy szolgálhatok egy misszionáriusként Magyarorszagon. We had 2 lessons on my birthday which is the best birthday gift I could ask for. One of them was with B our new friend. We met up with him at a café and he gave me a pen that says Happy Birthday in Hungarian, as well giant Milka chocolate bars to my companion and I! We had a great lesson about Joseph Smith and different churches that exist. We asked if he had read any more from the Book of Mormon since the last time we had met. He nodded and told us that he had read the first 15 chapters! Whatttt?? So cool. As we were leaving he told us he had a really good feeling. We also set up to meet with him again that same week. We did on Friday. We gave him a church tour and taught with the Elders about Prophets and commandments. He showed up in a white shirt for the church tour. We invited him to church and he came! Oh happy happy day. It takes him a while to get to church but he was still there. In a white shirt and little suit coat. The members made him feel very welcome. We also had Elder Rubén V. Alliaud from the Europe area 70 there in church! We talked to him and he gave us some amazing advice about how the Holy Ghost is the ultimate teacher. And all we need to do is to help our friends feel it because in the end it will be what they feel that truly convinces them of the truth of our message. 

We also went to the Oldhams house, an American family and shared an Easter message with them about Jesus washing his disciple's feet. They have 3 little kids under the age of 8. We sang a primary song with them and then asked them how they could be like Jesus. Then we gave them all stickers. They also fed us fried chicken and homemade chick filé sauce and chocolate cookies. mmmm. American food, it has been a while! 

We also went to the Törökék house yesterday and helped them prepare lunch. They asked us to share spiritual experiences and all about our missions. I think we had a good influence on their kids, as they are ages 13-16. They reminded us about the easter Monday holiday they celebrate here! In Hungary, the custom is most commonly known as "locsolkodás" (sprinkling). Traditionally, young men splashed young women with water, but today, young women and girls are more likely to be sprayed with perfume. In return, women are expected to provide men with hand painted eggs. 

We made cookies and paintings for all of our neighbors.

Only a couple of them answered, but the one older woman who answered was so so grateful. We sat with her and she told us about some really hard thing going on in her life. She has met the missionaries before, and all I can say is that I am really grateful we live right across the hall from her. I have a feeling she may accept the gospel soon. :)) 

 We went street contacting in the park right next to our house. I went up to a man and asked him what kind of dogs he had. We talked for a bit and then asked him if we could share a message about our beliefs. He agreed, but told us he needed to walk his dogs. So we walked around the entire park and talked about life after death and karma etc. We got his email and phone number! Unfortunately the number didn't work and my phone deleted the email...But I have a feeling that if we are supposed to see him again we will! 

This week, I realized just how much a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is SO absolutely crucial. I think one of Satan's biggest deceptions and ways he gets us is to take away our personal genuine relationship with Christ and make it feel artificial or disconnected. I don't know how to describe how close I felt to Jesus Christ this week. He felt like a friend. I sometimes imagine him differently than he is depicted in art. But that Jesus Christ is so real to me. As I read the story about his life, I realized just how much Jesus Christ as always been apart of the plan. For example; Leading the Israelites out of Egypt God told them to sacrifice a lamb and to put the blood of it around their doorframe. The blood of the lamb is what saved them from death.. does that not sound familiar? It was totally a symbol of how Christ's blood literally saves all of us from death! God has been preparing people through prophets throughout all of time!

We played jeopardy in English Class

Sometimes I forget that Jesus Christ wasn't just important when he was on the earth. All those that lived before him had to have faith that he would come, and all those that live after him (us) have to have faith that he DID come!! God has given us prophets, signs, symbols, everything along the way to testify of Christ. We may not be able to live at the same time Jesus Christ did, but neither has the vast majority of human history! It takes faith! It even took faith for the disciples and they saw him in the flesh! My point is that believing in Christ takes faith. It always has. It wasn't any easier for those in the Bible or Book of Mormon times who just heard that Christ would come, and it's still hard now! But God gives us so much to show forth his great plan. I love this scripture from 2 Nephi that testifies of these points, "Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him." When we find those things that "typify" of Christ, we really find true happiness. Find those things that "typifed" of Christ. In your personal scripture studies of those from before us and even today!