Guess who's sick! Me! This is the 3rd time in the 4 or 5 months that I've been back on my mission that I've gotten a cold. Luckily, it's not that bad and hasn't affected our work schedule. Last Saturday, Elder Suggs and I received a special assignment from president. We have some unused vehicles taking up space in the garage downstairs, and we were asked to drive them to the other side of the river. President also told us to just drive them separately, so that was kind of weird. I drove the rav 4 (President Szabadkai's old car) and it was pretty incredible. We made it there and back with no problems.

I lost my camera last week and 17 miracles was still fresh in my brain, so I knelt down and said, "Heavenly Father... I know that if you could help the pioneers cross the United States, you can help me find my camera. I need an 18th miracle."

Elder Suggs found my camera sitting in the passenger seat of the little Toyota that we drove to the Pest. The weird thing is, we cleaned that car out the day before and I didn't see my camera anywhere. Then, it just happened to be sitting right there in the seat. My friends... it was the 18th miracle!

This week was solid. The new office secretary, Elder Udy, came to join us on Wednesday so now we're in a trio until this next Wednesday. It's been great to have him here, and I'm very excited to work with him. He's from Pennsylvania, likes golfing, and went to BYU for a year before his mission, studying finance. He'll be a great companion!

While we were out contacting earlier this week, we decided to have a competition to see who had the best tie. As we stopped people on the street, we would either start with, or finish with the question, "Which of us missionaries has the best tie?" This made almost everyone we talked to laugh! It was a great way to break the barrier and help them realize that we're not just robots here to convert the world. To answer the question you're all asking, Elder Suggs won with his plain, salmon-pink tie. One guy told us that he hates ties hahaha.

One day, as we were on our way out of the office, Elder Schow called us on the csengő (the doorbell, which also has a camera that you can talk through) and said that there was a Hungarian man that wanted to speak with us. Elder Suggs talked with the Hungarian man and he said, "I've read your book and I want to talk to you! I want you to hear something." We excitedly went down to talk with him. In a nutshell, he tried to explain to us that he read a verse in the Book of Mormon about the 10 commandments, and it reminded him of the Ark of the Covenant. He told us that he was seeking a partner to accompany him to Demascus where he would then uncover the Ark of the Covenant. He also said some other weird things like that he saw the Angel of God, who had 300 wings and is only visible to men over 30 who have children. Women, men under 30, and men with no children apparently can't see angels. 

You just can't make these things up! 

Super sorry, but I'm completely out of time. Hope you all have a great week and I'll try to make next weeks email a bit more spiritual!

Sok szeretettel,

Burnett Elder

Hungarian of the week: Kecske can mean goat, or a slang term for bike. "Yeah, I road my goat to school today"

Another packed week! 

We saw a Scientology demonstration in the public square near our apartment. As we were walking past, a man stopped me and asked, "Are you Mormon missionaries?" and I said, "Yes, we are!" and we just started chatting a bit. His name was Jan, and he was from Florida. He said that he's always had really good friends who were members of the Church, and that he respects us a lot. He explained a little bit about what Scientologists believe, and said, "Our churches have quite a bit in common, you know. We have a very different view on history, but we have a lot in common. I really like the Mormons. If I wasn't a Scientologist, I'd be a Mormon!" He was super friendly, and I appreciated his kindness. We asked him about the demonstration, and apparently the Hungarian government confiscated a lot of records from the Scientologist church here in Hungary because they are a "weird church". The demonstration was in protest to this so I guess that's pretty admirable.

We got to drive Elder Engbjerg of the 70 to the airport because all of the taxis were booked. This was a huge blessing, because we had such a good time chatting as we drove! He was such a friendly person, who just radiated love. He shared with us a very special experience of how he decided to serve a mission. He was living in America when he found the Church and was baptized, and nobody in his family was a member. As he was flying home to Denmark, he remembered the admonition of so many prophets and other priesthood leaders that, "every worthy able young man should serve a mission". He kept dismissing the thoughts as his own, but they were constant and relentless. He couldn't sleep at all with his mind so occupied by the thought of serving a mission. He thought, "I'm too old. I've already been to college! I just joined the Church, I don't need to serve." but the thought persisted. Finally, he prayed, saying, "Heavenly Father, if you prompt somebody to encourage me to serve, then I promise I will serve." After that prayer, he was able to fall asleep for the rest of the flight. He said that when he woke up, he had forgotten all about his promise.

When he returned home, he attended church at the nearest meeting house, where the Bishop asked to have an interview with him to get to know him. During their interview, they talked about Elder Engbjerg's conversion, his adventures in America, and what he liked to do with his free time. In the middle of the conversation, the Bishop said, "I don't know why... but I feel the overwhelming need to ask you to serve a mission." That's when the tears came, and Elder Engbjerg remembered his promise to Heavenly Father. He told the Bishop of the promise, and they got straight to work! "The Lord heard my prayer and my promise, and he kept me to it. I am forever grateful for the things that I learned from my mission. It later helped me in many callings, including when I was a mission president in Poland. I will never forget how I felt, knowing that my prayer was heard and answered." 

I'm so lucky to have had that special experience driving with Elder Engbjerg! As we chatted, I told him that it was miraculous that I was able to return to Hungary, and also funny because I got put into the same mission as my girlfriend. When he heard that, he laughed and patted me on the shoulders and said, "You have to update me on what happens! I need to know how this story ends!" hahaha.

We had splits in Dunaújváros and I got to be with my buddy, Elder McCann. We got to go on splits a few transfers ago, and we get along really well. Elder McCann and I were able to mow a néni's lawn! I have pictures, but they're on Elder McCann's camera, so they'll have to come later.

When we got back from splits, we had an unplanned lesson over Skype with a man named Sándor who lives in Denmark. We have Skyped with him once in the past, and Elder Suggs had to check something on the computer super fast, and he noticed a message from Sándor, saying that he was in a rough spot and needed help. We called him and had a great discussion about how we can receive peace in Christ, and how the Book of Mormon helps us to do that.

Immediately after that, President Hettinger came downstairs and told us to go up to his apartment (they live right above the mission home) and get some dinner. They had to leave right away, so they said, "You guys can just stay in our apartment. Just close the door on your way out!" I'm glad they trust us! 

Right after that, we had a member visit with the Gonzales family. Jared is from Mexico, and Bettina is Hungarian. They met at BYU Hawaii, were married there, and moved to Hungary to work. They gave us a bunch of extra cake and sweets that they got from someone's wedding, so we totally scored with that visit!

English class was a huge success. Got to explain a lot about our church and what we believe in and 5 people took copies of the Book of Mormon and the 21 day reading challenge afterward!

Friday we got permission to go to a YSA event and watch 17 miracles. That movie is a tough one to get through. I was biting my tongue through half of it so that I wouldn't cry hahaha. One of the sisters in my district is in that movie too! She's the little Danish girl who jumps passed all of the rattlesnakes.

One line from that movie has been bouncing around in my head for the past little while. One of the pioneers said, "There were times when I felt like giving up, but then I remembered all of the times when the Lord had spared us previously, and I offered a prayer of gratitude instead."

Sometimes, I feel like giving up too. Missionary work is the hardest work I've ever been asked to do in my life! But I think of all the miracles that have led me to this point, and I know that forward is the best direction to go, and the best way that I can show my gratitude to Heavenly Father for providing this opportunity is by working hard. Next time you feel like giving up, count your blessings and be grateful instead!

Sok szeretettel,

Burnett Elder

In Hungary, cows say mú and bú. Dogs say vau-vau, horses say nyihaha, mice say cincincin, and pigs say röf-röf-röf. 

We had a lot of visitors this week including the one and only Elder Rohner (one of my companions from the MTC) who got to spend the night in our apartment. One of the best parts about being an office elder is that we have the apartment that is closest to the mission home, so we get to host a lot of elders who come through Budapest and have to stay a night.

This week, I got cleared to start driving! Driving here in Hungary is pretty much the same as in America, but the signs are different and there are some small differences in rules. The biggest thing is that it's much more chaotic, in my opinion. There are sections of the city where the lines in the road have worn off, and therefore you have no real direction. You just kind of go for it and hope that nobody is going for it in your direction at the same time lol. Also, the roads are super thin so you have to hold your breath a lot while squeezing between cars.

We had zone conferences this week and Elders Suggs, Martin, McCann, and I all sang "Lord, I would follow thee" in Hungarian a cappella. If I find a recording, I'll be sure to send it out :)

I got to have my own special part in zone conference! President Hettinger asked me to give a "funny, but hard hitting" presentation to pump people up about cleaning their apartments, because we have been having trouble with some landlords who are unhappy with the way that missionaries have been treating their apartments. So, I got up there and singed some eyebrows :). I'm grateful that I was raised in a household where we learned to do our chores. Now, I get to share that with missionaries! hahaha

The highlight of our week was yesterday when we went out to lunch with my dear friend, Rozi néni (aunt Rozi). She is the sweetest woman ever, and she loves to take the missionaries out to eat. I think that she takes 3 or 4 companionships from 2 different cities out to lunch every week! Anyways, she always takes us to this gyros place in Széll Kálmán tér. The problem is, that gyros place is pretty much the worst hahaha. They reheat the meat in the microwave and the gyros always turns out soggy. So, naturally, we suggested to Rozi néni that instead of microwaved gyros, we get microwaved chinese food instead. She was happy to switch it up a little bit and we went to a little hole in the wall chinese place on the street corner. I got soup, a main dish, and a drink for 990 forint (3.52 USD) hahahahaha. Anyways, halfway through our meal, a random woman comes up to us and asks, "Do you speak Hungarian? Can you please watch my baby while I use the bathroom?" and we were like, "Woaaaah, yes we speak Hungarian but no we definitely can't hold your baby, sorry. Maybe Rozi néni can!" and of course, Rozi néni is the sweetest person to ever live, so she took the baby and we waited. Once the mom came back, we invited her to sit and have lunch with us, which she did happily. We naturally started talking about the Church, and she was super open and accepting of everything! We invited her to Church and she said she would love to come. She was asking, "Can my son come? Are their boys his age?" and we said, "Yes of course! Please come! He would love it!" So she excitedly wrote the address of the church down and said she would be there. What a miracle! All because we didn't want soggy gyros and because I have a soft spot in my heart for reheated chinese :)

Of course, she lives in the other elders' area.... so she would meet with them. But that's okay, it's still miraculous!

In other news, someone gave me a bag of mountain dew flavored popcorn that fizzes in your mouth. Weird.

Things are going well and I love being a missionary. Lot's of crazy stuff happening and no time to explain!

I know that the Lord is leading and guiding us every single day, whether we know it or not. One of my favorite things to do is trace all of the events that lead me to a specific moment and look for the Lord's hand in that. For example, think of all the things that had to happen for us to meet Veronika (the woman in the Chinese restaurant). I know that God knows us each individually, and He is directing us always. It's so cool to have experiences like this where we can see His hand in our lives so directly. He certainly planned for us to cross paths with Veronika, and I'm so grateful to be an instrument in His hands!

Have a super duper week!

szeretettel,

Burnett Elder

Hungarian of the week: Apparently, Hungarian has contributed the words "goulash", "paprika", and "vampire" to English. Pretty cool!

Alright, buckle up, because this email is about road trips! (Ugh, I hate myself for that one, but I saw the opportunity and had to take it so forgive me) Also it's going to be super long, so I'm way sorry. You don't have to read it all.

Okay wait, before we move on... You'll never guess who just walked into the office to talk with us. President Szabadkai! He is here visiting because Sister Szabadkai has a training here in Buda. He is very happy and it was so fun to talk with him for a bit :)

Last Saturday, we left for Pápa immediately after emailing. We got to Pápa and met some of the sisters from Veszprém, because they had the keys to the apartment. We went through the apartment and cleaned it of all missionary stuff, loaded it all into the van, and took off to Szombathely. In Szombathely, we met up with all of the Sopron missionaries and most of the members (and even an investigator) and a lot of the Szombathely members as well. It was a ton of fun to see the members of two of the cities I had served in previously! Horváth Csaba from Szombathely was especially excited to see me and was sure to save me a seat right next to him.

The baptismal program was wonderful. Elder Hudson gave his first talk and he did such a good job! Everyone was impressed with him. We had a few other talks, a special musical number, took some pictures, and then got to witness the ordinance. Everyone in that room felt the Spirit, I just know it. It was so powerful. I couldn't help but feel like there were angels, ancestors, and friends on the other side of the veil present as we all crowded around the font to watch Robi step into the waters of baptism. As he went under the water, his past life was laid to rest. He came up a new man, with a new purpose. He had taken a huge step on the path bag to his Heavenly Father. I am so grateful to have been there and to have had the opportunity to witness such a beautiful moment in his life!

In the pictures, you'll notice that Robi doesn't smile. It's not because he is unhappy, I promise. A lot of Hungarians just refuse to smile in pictures, which I think is kind of hilarious because they all seem so mad hahaha. 

After the ordinance, we sang hymns, heard a beautiful testimony from Robi, ate a lot of food, took more pictures, and then parted ways. We needed to go close an apartment in Sopron, so we took the other elders with us in the van. About an hour or so into our drive, the GPS led us off onto a suspiciously small, dirt road. We drove down it for about a mile or so, when we saw two men in camo, wearing orange vests. They were sitting on stools and had a big, canopy tent set up right beside them. My only thought was, "What a strange place to camp!" 

Suddenly, Elder Millett shouted, "STOP THE CAR THIS IS THE AUSTRIAN BORDER!!" so Elder Suggs jammed on the breaks. The two men got up and walked over to us and confirmed that it was indeed the Austrian border. The soldiers were really nice and actually helped guide Elder Suggs as he turned around hahaha. 

Anyways, we made it to Sopron, had dinner at an italian place (I talked to the waitress as we were checking out and she gave us her number and agreed to meet next week!), got all of the mission stuff out of the other apartment and then went to sleep. The next morning, we drove back to Budapest and made it back in time for Church. As soon as we pulled in, I realized that I left my bag in Sopron. No camera, no passport, no scriptures. RIP.

On Wednesday of this week, we went to the east of Hungary and got to visit Eger, where we had dinner with a senior couple and some other missionaries, closed down another apartment, and collected more stuff. We spent the night in Eger and left the next morning for Miskolc (pronounced me-shkole-ts). Same thing in Miskolc: we met the elders, collected stuff from the apartment, had lunch, and then headed off to Nyíregyháza, where we met up with Elder Gilson and Elder Wrathall. It was great to see Elder Gilson again and we had a good time chatting. After cleaning up Nyíregyháza, we made our way back to Budapest just in time to have a training meeting over Zoom (basically it's just a big skype conference call) with missionaries from like 6 different countries. They just gave us some training on a new referral management program that I get to work a lot with. Sora De Waal (Corinne's trainee) and her companion, Sora Madsen, were in the Zoom call along with Sora Hettinger. At one point, they answered a question and forgot to mute their mic again, so we could all hear them giggling and talking. I sent them a quick text that said, "Hey, you're not muted btw" and then they all laughed really hard and muted themselves again. Pretty funny.

This email is too long, so I'm going to do a bullet list:

-Had splits with Elder Spencer, one of the AP's

-There was a huge YSA party that was Italian themed (the Church is taking them all to the Rome temple open house! So jealous!). We got to go for an hour and I saw some of the YSA from some of the cities I served in earlier. There was a noise complaint at 11 that night by one of the neighbors, so that shut the party down lol.

-We got to host Elder Rohner (my mtc comp) and his companion because they didn't have a train home after a doctor's appointment

-A Mongolian man came and asked us to tell "Mr. President Nelson Brother President Sir" (it's funnier in Hungarian) that the BYU pathways program should be made available in 35 new languages. We told him we would do our best to tell President Nelson, but said that we probably wouldn't be able to. He encouraged us to try anyways.

And just so much more. I'm so glad to be here. It's the best.

Have a great week! 

Sok szeretettel,

Burnett Elder

Hungarian of the week: To say "I'd like to get off in Budapest" you would say "Budapesten szeretnék leszállni" which, when translated literally, means "Budapest-on like-would-I off-get-to"

Whack.