That pinball feeling hasn't left yet hahaha. This week was all over the place! Elder Peery will be home for 2 weeks for some medical things and so we had to take all of his stuff to Budapest with us. They're redoing the railway between Miskolc and Budapest so we took a train for part of the journey and then transferred to a bus. While we were on the train, we met a really nice old man named Béla who loved music. He wasn't really interested in our message, but we suggested that he listen to the Tabernacle Choir and he was super excited. He was a really nice, funny man and we were good friends by the end of the trip.

Wednesday morning I said goodbye to Elder Peery and met with my new companion, Elder Hough. Immediately after we met up we had MLC, which was incredible. We brainstormed some ideas for how to be more effective missionaries and established goals and plans for the future of the mission. After that, we moved all of Elder Hough's stuff plus 2 fold up beds back to Miskolc. Fun little tender mercy: As we were walking home with all of this stuff, I was thinking, "Man, the day is over and I didn't really get to talk to many people." Just then, a woman standing outside of a bar said, "Hey, are those fold up beds? How much did they cost?" Anyway, this sparked a conversation and we talked with this woman and 3 friends for about 15 minutes. It was awesome! And, as we were walking away, Elder Hough said, "Just before that happened, I was feeling bummed that we weren't able to talk to many people today and then they stopped us!" Long story short, we both had the same feeling and God threw us both the same bone! Pretty cool.

We got to meet with some new people and had some really amazing lessons. I'll let you all know if things keep progressing, but until then I'll just leave you with that little tid-bit. Just know that the work is going great here in Miskolc. Adjusting to teaching a completely new set of people is kind of like a little speed bump, but it's not so bad. The Lord has totally helped me to figure things out and helped Elder Hough and I to survive haha.

On Saturday, we had an awesome opportunity to serve at a facility for autistic people here in Miskolc. They moved headquarters and needed help moving furniture and things, so we went and helped them out. It was a ton of fun but man, my arms were dead by the end hahaha. The best was when we had to carry a massive rolling printer that had to be like 300 pounds or so up 2 levels of stairs. It's a good thing the Missionary Department recently put out some missionary safety videos, because we totally had a safety moment before lifting hahaha. Needless to say, we were all unharmed and had fun getting to serve!

The big miracle of the week was on Sunday, when we saw two families of 4 returning members with whom we're working walking in the front doors! It was so awesome to see them all there in Church and everyone had a great time. Seriously, this is a huge miracle and I was just sooo happy to see them!

I seriously love being a missionary. I just get to talk to cool people and do cool stuff and live in a cool place and make friends and have the biggest adventure ever ALL THE TIME! And the best part is the growth and the things I'm learning. I know that Christ lives and that He knows us. His care for us and our relationship with Him is so much more personal than we sometimes realize. I know that He is aware of each and every one of us and our personal needs. He really can help us and heal us and give us the strength we need to push forward and do His will. 

I love the Gospel and love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ. There are just so many things that make me think, "Man, this HAS to be true. It just makes so much sense!" The best evidence that all of this is true comes from the Spirit in these little moments that we all can have throughout the day as we study, pray, and live righteously. 

Life is seriously so good. Just think about it. We'll talk next week haha.

Szeretettel,

Elder Burnett

Has it seriously been a week already? Things are going a million miles an hour here in Miskolc and it's epic. I'm just grateful to be done bouncing back and forth between Debrecen and Nyíregyháza. Miskolc is a pretty big city. There are tons of 10 stories and endless people to talk to, so that's been great. We've seen daily miracles, and that's no exaggeration. It's a really awesome feeling when you hit the pillow at night completely exhausted, but you know you made a difference! What an honor to be able to have a responsibility like this.

Their new apartment:

https://youtu.be/Y1tuvFW1SVo

I've been studying grace this week with the question in mind, "How can I rely more on the Lord and recognize His grace?" As I've met with families and people who come from circumstances I've never known and as I've done all that I can here as a missionary, I've been so humbled as I've come to realize that I really can't do much. Without the Spirit and without the Lord, I can do nothing at all, actually. So long story short, Christ's grace is the reason that imperfect people like me can do His work. He endows us with strength and power beyond our own abilities and helps us do amazing things! Also.... I have so much to learn about this topic still, so take everything I say for what it's worth hahaha.

~Let's just get to the bullet points~

-Tuesday we got the news that our train left for Miskolc THAT NIGHT so we packed, cleaned, and took off. When we got to Miskolc, I met up with Elder Peery and we headed straight to our new apartment. Our apartment is really really nice. It's freshly remodeled and has a DISHWASHER! The catch is there wasn't much furniture, so we've slowly been getting that this week. Now we have 2 beds, 2 desks, some wardrobes, and the dishwasher works. Life is good!

-Wednesday we went to look up some returning members who ended up not being able to meet, but we felt like there was a reason we were in the area. Elder Peery thought of some people who they had met with a while ago and we swung by for a visit with them and had a great conversation totally led by the spirit! We were totally sent there.

-Tons of tracting.

-Had a great turnout at English class! We have 2 classes: beginner and advanced and there were 21 people in total!

-I got to Skype my dad for his birthday! Seriously so much fun hahaha.

-Met with some awesome families and other people who are investigating the Church

-Got STUFFED by Kati néni (member who cooks for the missionaries. It was awesome.)

-Just saw awesome miracles

I've never been so tired, but I've never been so happy. I'm so grateful for my mission and for all the experiences that have come with it. I know that this Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that He is the one who leads it! We have so much valuable knowledge and I love the perspective that comes from that knowledge. I don't have to wonder who God is or what He's like. I know that He looks like me. I know that He knows me. I know that I matter to Him! He loves us. What simple, yet beautiful truths.

~This week's random graffiti~

I gotta go tell people about this, so I'll talk to you all next week!

Szeretettel,

Elder Burnett

Sheesh! This week kinda made me feel like a pinball. You know, flashing lights, lots of bouncing around, loud noises and general chaos. It was fun! (Warning: Long Email. I won't be upset if you skim it haha)

On Monday, we got one of those classic texts from President Hettinger, which said, "Hey Elder Smith, can you call me when you have a second?" We all know what that means! Elder Smith will be serving as the next Assistant to the President and had to head up to Budapest on Wednesday morning. It'll be a big adventure for him :)

Tuesday we went to my favorite place in the world: The Immigration Office! My residence permit is expiring in April so I had to apply for a new one. Good thing I didn't do my hair that morning, 'cause they took my mugshot to put on the new card hahaha. Oh boy...

After the Immigration Office, we met with Andi and Erick and had a great meeting with them. Andi was sad that Elder Smith is leaving, but she's going to be so excited to hear that Sisters will be coming to Debrecen! (more about that later). Erick might be less excited, but we'll see hahaha. They're awesome. I left that lesson just so grateful for the people I've met and the friends I've made as a missionary.

Then we went to meet with Csáki Csaba. He's still doing well hahaha. I love that man. We read from the Book of Mormon together and discussed what we read.

After our meeting with Csaba, the Nyíregyháza Elders, Elder Proctor and Elder Hudson, came to stay with us so that I wouldn't be alone when Elder Smith heads up to Budapest. The 4 of us had a great time together.

Wednesday was crazy. We went and helped Árpád at his garden center and spent an hour or so tying down potted trees so that they don't blow down in the wind. It was really fun! Árpád is also super cool.

After that we had to rush to Nyíregyháza for a meeting with a returning member named Laci. He had the cutest 2 year old son who kept offering us his toys as we were talking. Laci also gave us one of the heaviest meals I've ever eaten. He gave us a giant leg of ham, homemade sausage, and some other meats. It was pretty much straight salt and fat hahaha. He kept saying, " Be sure to eat some pickles or this will destroy your stomach!" So that was nice.

Thursday was another one of the craziest days ever. We went out to Hajduhadház (where József lives) because there was a referral there from Facebook who requested a copy of the Book of Mormon. We went out there and we couldn't find the house we were looking for so we asked a man who was standing outside of his home. He asked us who we were, and when we told him we were missionaries he asked if we had a book we could give him. "For some reason" I had packed 2 copies of the Book of Mormon that day, so I asked if we could come in and share a message with him about the book. He invited us in and gathered his family around. There were 15 people living in that tiny little brick house. Several children, several adults, and the matriarch, Kata, sat in on our lesson. They didn't talk much, but they invited us to come back next week, saying that they really need the Lord. Well, that's what we're here for, so we'll go back!

Since we were in the area, we decided to visit József. He was super excited to see us and invited us in. He excitedly told us that he was reading the part of the Book of Mormon where Nephi sees the vision of the tree of life and he talks with the angel. He said, "You know what's funny? Just before you showed up, I was praying to God that He would help heal my legs so that I could come to Church. And then you showed up! God must have sent you!" I felt prompted to talk about Priesthood blessings. I would have offered to give him one right then, but for some reason I felt like a member should do it. We told József about it and he was so excited. He has such great faith! This week, some of the members will go with the missionaries to visit József to give him a Priesthood blessing. It will be a miracle!

I'm going to do the rest in bullet-point format because this is just going to be a novel if I don't:

-Back to Nyíregyháza to teach English class. Had a Stake Correlation meeting afterward. Stayed the night there.

Friday:

Went to Debrecen in the morning. Had District council and afterward helped the Ockeys unload some stuff from their car to a new apartment being opened up here.

-Back to Nyíregyhaza to meet with Józsi Bácsi (another super awesome man. I love him to death!)

-Cleaned the Branch House

-Back to Debrecen. Drunk guy at the train station wanted to fight me, then asked me for money. I just told him no and walked away.

Saturday:

-Helped a member move

-Went to visit our friends from Pakistan. They cooked us an amazing dinner and we had a great time with them

Sunday:

-I spoke in Church about having questions and finding answers to those questions. Everyone from the Eszénus congregation came! One was a woman we hadn't met before: the mother of the priestesses. She said afterward that she just felt something special when she walked in and that she wants to come again! One of the other people from the congregation told her that she should get a copy of the Book of Mormon, so I gave her the copy I was carrying with me. She said she was going to read it on the train.

-After our Church, we went to the Eszénus church service, which was held in Bianka and Dori's apartment. It was awesome and they asked lots of questions about the Book of Mormon afterward.

-Had barbecue ribs for dinner with the Ockeys. Super good end to the week!

Still reading? Hahaha sorry about the novel. It was a jam packed week, and this is only a part of it. The last thing I'll talk about is transfer calls! We got our transfer calls this morning and it looks like I'll be moving again! I'm going to Miskolc with Elder Peery. It's going to be incredible. Can't wait! Also, they're moving 2 companionships of Sister missionaries here to Debrecen. Should be good for everyone!

Love you all and hope you have a good week! Talk to you soon.

Üdv

Elder Burnett

It's flu season, and none are immune! Except for us, we got immunized ;) But plot twist, we got sick this week regardless, so that was a bummer, but we'll get to that later. Here's the breakdown of this week:

"Sausage Claus" - (There was a holiday called Disznó Vágás or pig slaughter)

Monday we were in Budapest for exchanges and interviews. I was with my m8 from down under, Elder Mccann. Since we were there on p-day, we got to go bowling with the Assistants and the Secretaries and we had a ton a fun. That evening, we had a lesson with a woman in a café. She had been stopped by the APs sometime last week and wanted to learn more. She was very nice and listened carefully and asked a lot of questions. One question that she asked me was, "How has your mission changed you?" I couldn't just tell her one thing. I talked about how I've learned what happiness is, I've learned what sadness is, I've learned what true poverty is, I've learned what true humility is, I've learned loneliness, I've learned really who I am and why I'm here on earth. As I was just pouring all of this stuff out and blabbing on and on, I said, "Do you feel that feeling in your heart?" (I knew that she could feel it, because I could feel it. My ears were burning and that always tells me that I'm speaking through the Spirit haha) She said, "Yes, I feel it." and I told her "That's the Spirit of God testifying that these things are good and true. I get to feel that all the time and I get to help others feel that. Isn't that awesome?" Then she just looked at me and said, "Wow! I have goosebumps!" The Spiritual terrarium that we had created in that little café was the perfect environment for us to extend a commitment. She was so excited about reading the Book of Mormon and learning more about what she was feeling. It was one of the best lessons I've ever been a part of.

Tuesday we met a man in the park named Ábel. He looked like he was deep in thought on a bench, so we went up and started talking to him. At first, he was a little skeptical of us and kind of mocked the idea of what we were doing, asking questions that were probably more to provoke us than to actually get an answer. As we answered, he changed and got serious. We ended up teaching him about the Restoration of the Gospel and he said, "You know, I have a lot of questions about these things. I don't know what to do and I feel lost. I feel like this might help me." And then we set up to meet with him on Thursday. Being a missionary is so cool, lemme tell ya.

Wednesday we did some translation work for the Ockeys and the Europe Area Welfare Manager, Gilles Francois. We first went to an assisted living home for children with severe autism and other mental disabilities and took a tour of the facility. It was an incredibly unique and humbling experience. After that, we went to a children's hospital in the oncology wing to see about helping with some funding for new equipment. After all of the translation work, we went out for lunch and ordered a ton of delicious food from Calico Jack's. Brother Francois was awesome and I felt like I had known him for years by the end of our day together. It was so cool to take part in this kind of work!

Thursday I woke up with a little tingle in my throat. At first, I thought my throat was just dry, but I soon realized I was getting sick. The day was pretty normal and we had a really awesome English Class, but I went home and just passed out because I was so weak and tired.

Friday after District Council, we went over to the Ockeys' house to try a home remedy called a mustard plaster (I guess it's a Canadian thing? Go ahead and google it haha). Well, they don't have mustard powder here, so we tried bottled mustard. Unfortunately it didn't really do anything except make me smell like a hot dog hahaha. It was worth a shot, eh?

Later that day the Szolnok Elders came up for exchanges. Elder Barton and I went out and I felt like a zombie, but we still had a good time. We've spent a lot of time together, but we've never been on exchanges together so it was a lot of fun to finally get some one on one time with him.

Saturday after exchanges, we went and visited Ken. We went to a little café and ordered some delicious white hot chocolate and had a good conversation with him. He's a great man! 

As we were walking home from our meeting with Ken, we ran into the Ockeys and Gagniers, who were on their way to dinner. Naturally, they invited us to come with them and of course, we accepted the invitation. We went to this place called IKON Debrecen, which is... well, a VERY fancy place. I had some duck with sweet potatoes and oranges and it was really interesting. I also got to taste squid ink (kinda tastes like buttered toast) and some other cool stuff that was really fancy. We get so spoiled, that's for sure!

Here's the duck.  Parker said it tasted like baby food.

Then of course yesterday we had Church and Elder Smith got sick too. We decided to rest and try to get better, and it worked! We're feeling much better now. Oh, also we may have accidentally locked Csáki Csaba in the meeting house.... whoops! Don't worry though, someone came to get him hahaha.

Things are going great! I'm still a little foggy brained and sore throated, but I'm happy and life is great. I love my mission and I feel so blessed to be here.

Chapstik blow out...

I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Burnett