Week 32: God's love SURROUNDS US!

 

This week was one of my absolute FAVORITE WEEKS!! We had 3 service opportunities and 2 ward parties. On Monday we went to help one of the senior couples send a package and translate for them. We met them at the church to drive there together, and right when we arrived, so did 4 massive IKEA and TESCO trucks filled with supplies and food for refugees to be sent to the boarder! What was supposed to be a little post office drop off turned into an hour of service. It was lots of fun and we were glad to help. We happened to be in the right place in the right time.

On Tuesday we taught B again! The lesson went well! I am so grateful for the chance to teach him. He also prayed with us and it was so simple and sweet. On Wednesday we went to another refugee service place. It is a sports Arena that has been turned into a spot where refugees can find travel plans, get food just before moving out again. Most refugees aren't staying in Hungary but have to stop through here. There were not a ton of kids, but the few that did come were really fun to interact with. We colored with them and then had a tea party with a stuffed gorilla. I seriously love kids and it was fun to just color pictures and play with them for a couple hours.

Another service activity we got to be a part of was planting trees!! It was pretty last minute as we got an email that some organization needed our help. So the stake president texted about 10 of us and we all drove in the mission van to different locations to plant. I even started up a conversation with one of the workers. I told him that sometimes I sing in Hungarian and he started following our "Come Unto Christ" social media page!

Service opportunities bring so many chances to share the gospel! Another one of my favorite parts of this week was going street contacting with the APs. Trying to stop people as they are speeding off the Metro is definitely nerve racking and not easy. We decided to walk around the nice area in front of IKEA where all the people were sitting on benches. (That way people can't really run away from you haha.) We asked people what made them happy. We seriously met some of the coolest people and got some contacts. We also gave out two Books of Mormon and got to explain it. It

just fiilllled me with so much joy to put those copies into their hands. They were actually surprised when we told them they were free and took them gladly.

The world has its fair share of grumpy rude people. There is no doubt about that. But I will take 5 grumps if that means getting to talk to the golden people, who are so open and loving and accepting and kind! If you are reading this and considering a mission, JUST DO IT! Oh it is so worth it. I am loving my mission more and more and more.

To end this email, I will talk quickly about these two ward parties we got to be a apart of. One ward party was a picnic and two of our friends came! C who is from China came and had so much fun! K also came! Many members from Pest work for Dotera and this is the reason that K was there. K really got to have a natural interaction with the members. We played card games and soccer and I think she really felt the joy and love from the ward. She is also moving really close to where we live! The first counselor naturally invited her to come to church and she said she is trying to move out this Sunday, but she would love to come another time!

God words in such mysterious ways. My sister sent me something from BYU speeches on Spotify. It really changed my perspective and gave me a lot of hope. It's called "Yes, and..." The Art of Living by Lisa Valentine Clark. Here is the link: (You may have to copy & paste on google search)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1k4OTdqAcr2nBLDxiKwO7X?si=-6jYPhzJQtCpXb3MfmuAlg

It is about recognizing God's abounding love for us in life. "It is part of the gift of charity to be able to recognize the Lord’s hand and feel His love in all that surrounds us. At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. You will search all your life to uncover His hand and the gifts He has bestowed upon you because of His intimate, modest, humble way of granting such wonderful gifts. I submit to you that happiness and divine providence, like a fish in water, are all around us like the air we breathe. We are enveloped in God’s love." Is that not just sooo beautiful? Why do we so often forget that God loves us? It probably makes him sad. I want to continue my whole life searching for God's gifts, because I truly believe they surround us. Go look for God's great gifts this week!!