January Brings Change

Happy New Year in Hungary 2012 

 Tiffany has been called to serve in Kispest, Hungary

She will be a great asset with her 

positive attitude and her excitement in being about the Lord's Work

Here is a bit of information of Kispest, Hungary

Kispest forms the largest part of district XIX (Hungarian: XIX. kerület) of Budapest, Hungary.

Kispest's inhabited history predates the Hungarian settlers and Sarmata and Avar .

The whole settlement was destroyed during the Mongol invasion.

The next few centuries it was used as a royal hunting ground.

In 1723 Antal Grassalkovich bought the Szentlorinc hamlett, a small chapel and the Gloriett the only survivors from this era.

After the Grassalkovich family died out, the place often changed hands.

In the 1850s a Belgian Bank subdivided the area.

Károly Herich engineer, Ministerial aid, József Egger engineer, and Lajos Rózsa barrister bought the subdivision and they sold it in 1869 as Colonie-Klein-Pest at an enormous profit.

In 1871 the Kispest village was established when it broke away from Vecse.

In 1873 received a 'large village' status.

In 1880 it had a population of 1800 and although Pestszentlorinc left Kispest in 1909, it rapidly grown to 30,000 by 1910.

In 1911 Kispest became district centre of Erzsébetfalva, Csepel, Soroksár, Pestszentlorinc and Dunaharaszti. In 1908 Sándor Wekerle politician and Prime Minister and Minister of Finance at the time begin the development of the Wekerle settlement, which is still an outstanding example of early 20th century mathematically designed development.

Originally the development was intended for working class settlement, but only middle class people could afford it at the time.

Kispest under went rapid industrialisation during the time between the two World Wars.

The Population reached 50,000 by 1920.

In 1921 it became a city.

Due to the large industrialisation in and around Kispest the township suffered heavy damage during WWII due to large scale carpet-bombing by the Allies.

From 1st January 1950 Kispest became the XIX district of Budapest. 

Pictures of Kispest and a first letter from our Missionary

January 2, 2012

Szia a csaladom!! 

Well, it's a new year! Can you believe it?! It's been an interesting week getting adjusted to all the changes that are happening, but things are going really well.! Transfers were on Thursday. We spend mine and Elder Weston's last night in Békéscsaba with one of my favorite families- Edina and Tibi and their kids. Tibi is investigating the church, but Edina has been a member for a few years now. They are such cute parents, and they have the most adorable kids ever! It was strange taking the train to transfers, I felt sad leaving all the people I have come to know so well and love so much there. I know we will continue to stay in contact, and who knows?- maybe I could serve there again!

Transfers were fun! It's always great seeing all the other missionaries and getting to talk to friends. I was able to see everyone from my MTC group! They all seem to be doing really well. It was sad saying goodbye to sister Johnson and the Elders in our district. We have all grown really close and have become great friends. I have learned so much from serving with them. I know we will stay friends for eternity. 

Sister Kramer and I are having a great time though! We are still pretty new at everything, but somehow we are able to manage. It's really fun serving with her since we both were in the same MTC group together, and we already know each other pretty well. My first night in Kispest we had a program set up with some of our investigators at the hospital- which Sister Kramer had never been to, and neither had I... we mostly use the transportation here to get around- vilamoses, buses, the metro. So we were trying our best to find the right bus stop. We got a little lost and took about an extra hour to get there... but eventually we found it! That's what happens i guess when you stick two missionaries in their 3rd transfer together. haha We had a great program with them though. Sister Kramer speaks really well. So together we are able to speak and understand most everything- well all the important things anyway.  

Friday we did some tabling! Tabling is always an adventure. Most people are busy with their own daily schedules and don't really like to stop- but the ones that do are usually pleasant and really nice to talk with (most of the time). I was able to talk with quite a few people that day. There was a bum who was talking to one of the Elders. He turned and asked if he could talk to me. I said sure. At first i was a little nervous to talk to him, I didn't know who he was and I wasn't really sure what he wanted to talk to me about. He asked me what it is I am studying in school. I told him. Then he began asking a few other questions. As our conversation went on I began to feel less afraid of him. He seemed to be sober, and we began talking about life and family and the gospel. He told me about his family, and how he ended up on the street. He asked me what we do as missionaries, and why i decided to come on a mission. He asked about my family and if I missed them. It gave me a lot of opportunities to bear my testimony to him. I was able to talk to him about eternal families, about why this life is important, about the Savior's atonement and how we all can progress and be better. I told him about the prophet, and how i was called to Hungary through revelation from God. I told him why I love being a missionary and why the work is so important to me, and how the gospel has blessed my life. I even talked to him about the word of wisdom and how our bodies are a gift from God, and that's why we don't drink or smoke. He seemed surprised when I told him I’ve never done any of those things. I committed him to quit... he told me he smoke 15 cigarettes a day! i suggested he could tapper off. He said he never thought about it before. Everyone smokes here in Hungary, even all the young kids. It’s pretty sad, but who knows? Maybe he'll try and stop. 

We talked for a while. Somehow, I was able to understand and communicate all these things to this man in Hungarian! Some days I am so amazed at how much the Lord is helping me to learn this language. I know that he was really listening too- and thinking about what we were talking about. It helped me to recognize that everyone needs the gospel in their lives, no matter who they are or what situation they may be in. The gospel can help people find purpose and joy. It can bring light where before there were none. I am grateful for the conversation I had with that man on the street. Who knows if he will ever accept the gospel in this lifetime, but I know the spirit was there with me, and testifying to him through me.

The ward here is Kispest is incredible. It is a fully functioning ward!- with a bishopric and counselors, relief society and priesthood organizations! It's quite a big change from Békéscsaba. It's really amazing to see though. Everyone in the ward is so friendly! The bishopric was standing at the door greeting everyone with hugs and wishing them happy New Year. Its like a big family here, I think I am going to really grow to love it. 

I do miss everyone in Békéscsaba, but I know there are people I am meant to meet here. I know that Sister Kramer and I will be pushed to do a lot this transfer, but I think it will be good for us and I know we will learn a lot. 

I also received the Christmas packages! Thanks so much! Diane thank you for the peanut butter and the vitamins, and for the scarf you made!!- I love it! I've worn it basically everyday since I opened it. It is really beautiful and I like the color. 

Mom, thanks for everything! The pens were especially helpful, and I was so grateful for the candies and things and for you taking the time to wrap each one. :) 

Dad and Holly, thank you for the pajamas and for the picture frame!! That will definitely be great with all the pictures I am taking. Can you also tell G-ma and G-pa Johnson I am so thankful for the cookies and the books they sent! I actually started reading one of them and I really love it! It’s filled with all these inspirational quotes and there are some really great stories in there. I am going to write them a letter soon to thank them. 

Love you all! Talk to you next week!!

Sincerely, 

Sister Tiffany Johnson

Kispest, Kos Karoly ter (please translate:o)

January 9, 2012

Dear Family,

It's been a tough week. But tough, in the way that it was exhausting but i learned a lot. I never realized just how much work my trainers did in our companionship, until all of that responsibility was placed on my own shoulders. Now, it's up to Sister Kramer and I to find people, set up appointments, teach lessons, and work together to do all the things we have learned from our previous senior companions. At first, I was excited and scared to be co-senior with Sister Kramer. We are still both very new in the mission, and while i can speak the language somewhat, there's still a lot that I don't understand. It takes a lot of concentration trying to comprehend what people are saying, and sometimes I am impatient with myself as I am learning Hungarian. I want so badly to discern the needs of our investigators here, but its hard to know their needs when i can't understand all that they are saying. At times I am surprised with how much I do understand though, and it is helping me learn to rely a lot more on the spirit than my own knowledge or abilities- which is a good thing i suppose. The members have been a big help too. When we have a member present with us in lessons, its always helpful to have them share their experiences and testimony, and of course they speak perfect Hungarian, which is nice too. 

 It is fun being companions with someone who i already knew and was friends with from my MTC group. While this week has been full of new responsibilities for us, Sister Kramer and I always seem to find opportunities to laugh during the day. Which is always a great relief. I am convinced that what my last companion always said is true, "if you're not laughing, you're not doing it right." Missionary work is filled with funny moments, it's good to find a balance in working hard, but still being able to laugh at the mistakes we make. I had a friend who told me in a letter, that it is a great feeling to not know what you are doing, but to know you are doing the right thing. In summary that is exactly how i feel. I am still very new at all these missionary things, I had great trainers who helped me learn to work hard, and now I have to apply all that I have learned. It is a comfort for me to know, that while I do not know everything, I have the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help guide and direct us to where we need to go and what we need to do.

The members here are incredible, and we have great Elders who are the zone leaders, who are always willing to help us. Yesterday in church I was so amazed at how, even though everything is in Hungarian, and the ward here is on the other side of the world, the spirit is still the same. It is such a ward family here, and everyone is very supportive and welcoming of each other. It's amazing to see how much the church really is growing, even in vast parts of the world we aren't always aware of- like Hungary! 

We met with some of our investigators this week. They are all really nice people, but none of them seem to be really enthusiastic about our message. We need to find a way to help them become more excited about the message we have to share. We did a lot of finding this week too. I know there are people here in Kispest who are ready for the gospel!- we just need the Lord to help us find them. 

GOOD NEWS!!!!- 4 of our investigators in Békéscsaba are being baptized this Saturday!! Katalin, Julcsi, Zsuzsa, and Marika! The first three were put on bap.date during my time there, but Marika has decided to be baptized too! I am so excited because President has given us permission to go down there and see them for their baptisms this weekend! What a miracle all of them on the same day! I just love these women so much, I'm so happy they've decided to take this step in their lives.

Well, that is the update for this week. While i feel an extra amount of weight has been placed on my shoulders, I am grateful. I have learned so much just in this first week serving here with Sister Kramer. I know we will both grow a lot during this transfer, and it will help us to set the pace for the rest of our missions. I am thankful for the confidence our mission president has put in us. I know that with the Lord's help, we will find success here in Kispest and be able to live up to the responsibilities that we have been trusted with. 

Sincerely,

Sister Johnson 

P.S. I attached some pictures. The family is Edina's family i was talking about in one of my past emails. I LOVE THEM! Brigi and i look like sisters in one of them. They are such a sweet family. then there's one with Sister Johnson and I, and one with my new companion SISTER KRAMER! :) 

Tiffany, Sister Johnson, The Elders and Edina's with her family

Sister's Johnson and Johnson

Sister Johnson and her new Co-Senior Companion, Sister Kramer

January 16, 2012

Dear Family,

   So, a couple things came up today and I don't have a lot of time to write. This week was really incredible. Yesterday were Katalin, Julcsi, Zsuzsa, and Marika's baptisms in Békéscsaba. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to go. I was so happy when President gave me permission, because Békéscsaba is pretty far from my new area, but it was such a special day.

Because the branch in Békéscsaba is so small we don't have a baptismal font there. I remember the search for the font when I was there was pretty unsuccessful. Normally people will allow us to rent a pool for the day, but we had been having a hard time finding a place. Luckily we were able to find a place. The funny thing though, was that the only place we could find was a hotel, and so the baptisms were held in a Jacuzzi.

 I can't imagine what amazing faith these women must have to be in this tiny branch with only 2 priesthood holders, and to be baptized in a Jacuzzi! But that just gives you an idea of how amazing they are.

   It was so great seeing so many of the people I love there so much, and to be there for this amazing step in the lives of these women. The baptismal service was simple and small, but really beautiful. We had a small testimony meeting and a few talks were given. The other sisters and I sang "Come Thou Fount" in Hungarian, and the spirit was really incredible there. Afterwards we were able to stay for church, and for the confirmations. Both the elders that gave the confirmations are in their 6th and 7th transfers here. I can imagine it was intimidating to them to give a blessing in a language that is not their own for the first time. But they both did great. The spirit truly directed their words, and it was a really special experience for me to be there. I have seen these women grow so much.

 Looking back I can remember Julcsi praying for the first time, or Katalin asking so many questions about the book of Mormon and just loving to read from it. When they all came to church for the first time, or when they made the decision to be baptized. They have all grown so much. It has been such a privilege for me to be able to be a part of watching them as their testimonies have grown, and witnessing them as they accept the principles of the gospel and work to change their lives. Looking back, I know it wasn't me that changed them at all, but it was the spirit they felt from our message that made them want to change and helped them to gain their testimonies. Someone explained to me once, that we as missionaries are like road signs, we simply guide people to the truth and they have to use their agency to choose which direction they decide to follow. Our message and the Book of Mormon stands on it's own. It is a message of truth, and I know that those who diligently seek are able to find the truth in it.

   This mission has blessed my life in ways I cannot completely express in words- and I still have another year to learn so much more and meet so many more amazing people! I was so blessed to be a part of these women’s' lives, and to have them as a part of mine. I have built amazing friendships with them that I know will last through the eternities. And I have learned so much from each of them. I have also had some really amazing companions that I have built great friendships with and who have taught me so much. I know that success comes through hard work, and diligence, and faith in the Lord. I am so grateful for my companions who have been such great examples to me, and have helped me to strive to become better each day. This work is so true, and so much bigger than I am. I love being a missionary and I am learning so much everyday. I am so glad that I have so many of you supporting and praying for me and our investigators out here, it means so much and I know that it is helping to bless our efforts. 

I love you all so much!  

Talk to you all next week.

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér

January 23, 2012

Hey family!

I don't have a lot of time to write today, but I promise I will write more next week! This week was good though! Sister Kramer and I taught the whole Fire Department full of firemen! haha well, actually 4 of them. But they want to learn more, and we set up to meet with them again this week! Things are going well though. We tried to reach Super Standard this week, and came so close! All we needed was just one more investigator at church, and we would have had it. But we will try again. We did a lot of streeting and tracting this week though, to try and find some new investigators to teach. We ended up getting lots of new numbers, and set up with some new people for next week. We were even let in while tracting a 10 story! The lady was really interested and kept saying it wasn't a coincidence that we came to her door that day. She told us she had been thinking a lot about God, and it was a blessing we showed up at her door. We are planning to meet with her again this week. 

I wish I had time to write more and give you a better update, but I will have to do that next week. For now, just know I love you all lots and things are well here in Kispest. 

Have a wonderful week!

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér 

A Beautiful Day in Budapest visiting the Parliament Building

January 30, 2012

Hey Everyone!!

It's been another great week! This past friday (the 27th) was our 6 month mark! I have now been a missionary for over 6 months! Can you believe it?! Time is passing so fast! 

This morning we went on a tour inside the Parliament building and walked around parts of Budapest. It is fun being in the city and getting to see all the fun tourist sights. The air is freezing cold!- but still no snow. We've had a little here and there, but the weather has been generally pretty nice for the most part. This week... I'm trying to think of what stories I should share with you. Generally each week is the same. We go out and find, have appointments, help out at church events.. do missionary work. So really, there's not much that's all that new this week. We had some really great programs though. We met with this lady Timi. She seems really interested in the church. She had recieved a Book of Mormon from some other missionaries a while back. She read the introduction and the testimonies in the beginning. We had a senior sister come with us to teach the lesson. It turned out to be really great that she was there. Her testimony added such a great spirit into the lesson. I think Timi really felt it. She told us she was really close to her God-father who passed away a few years ago. Ever since he died, she told us she has had a lot of questions about why he died and what happens after this life. We told her that the answers are in the book she was holding in her hand! We told her next time we could talk about the Plan of Salvation, and what happens after this life. I'm really excited to meet with her again. How cool that our message has the answers to so many of life's "unanswered" questions! She is really interested in learning more! One thing I really loved that she said was, when she reads from the book, it is different from other books she's read. She said that even by reading just a small part, her mind begins to be opened to all these new ideas and she starts thinking about lots more. We told her, that is what makes the Book of Mormon so special. Even though it was written so long ago, it was written for us. And the stories and things we read in it, we can apply to our own lives. And as we read the spirit can help us to learn those things which we need to understand. 

We also had Zone Conference this week. I actually love Zone Conferences! We talked a lot about how to be more effective teachers, and talked a lot about the Plan of Salvation. President Baughman checked up on Sister Kramer and I to make sure our young companionship was still doing okay. We told him things were going well. I really do feel like I am learning a lot. I am actually hoping that Sister Kramer and I will get to serve together at least for next transfer too. I feel like we are finally starting to get the hang of things here in Kispest. The language is coming along too. I feel like I have good language days and bad. Its like the language turns on and off in my brain sometimes. Some days I can speak and understand so much, and other days I feel like everyone is speaking some crazy language that is definitely not hungarian. haha But overall I feel like I am improving. Sister Kramer says she has noticed a difference in my speaking even since I got here to Kispest, so that is good i suppose. :) 

We went to visit the firemen again yesterday! There were only 2 there this time- János and Tamás. They are awesome though, and really interested in what we are teaching them. They read in Alma 32 like we had asked them. We talked about the importance of faith, and how faith often starts out small but as we continue to search and learn, our faith can grow. They had LOTS of questions for us. I was really glad we had a member (Livi) come with us. She was able to understand more then we could and give them more in depth answers to their questions. They agreed to meet with us again next week! They even showed us around the fire station afterwards! We were able to climb in the trucks and things! :) I asked if we could slide down the fire poles but they said you have to be a registered fireman to do that. haha oh well. I'm excited to meet with them again. They both prayed in the lesson too! Tamás said the opening prayer, and Janós said the closing. I am hoping soon we can get them to come to church with us! 

Well, that is pretty much the update for this week. Not too much more to say. We were able to have a conference call with my MTC district for our 6 month anniversary! They all seem to be doing really great. I really love everyone from my MTC group. Luckily, I still get to see most of them a lot. 

Scott, I got your letter from the priests! thank you. It was.. well.. interesting. haha but really nice of you all to take the time to wirte me. I will see if i can write a letter back sometime. Dad and Holly, that is so cool you were in Lebanon. Dad, how come you never took me anywhere cool like that?! You both go to so many incredible places. Mom, it sounds like things are going really well with you all. Thanks for sending my package! I'm so happy you found my iPod! It will be so nice to be able to listen to music again. 

Oh ya! and guess what!? The office elders here were able to put "Insanity" on a usb drive for me! So my companion and I bailed on P90X and have decided to do Insanity! Our goal is to be ripped by the end of next transfer. We'll see if we can stay motivated enough or not. We tried the "Insane abs" this morning... it was insane. haha 

Anyways, I love you all! Thanks for all your support and prayers! További szép napot! vigyázzatok magatokra! 

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér 

Kramer Nővér and Johnson Nővér 

Inside The Parliament Building

She's Still Turning Heads as Well as Melting Hearts of Iron

December and Loving The Hungarian Life

Christmas Time in Békéscsaba

December 27, 2011

Dear Family,

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I love you all SO much! It was so great to talk to everyone this week! I'm so glad you all are doing well, and that you had a good Christmas.

Okay, so transfer calls came this morning and some crazy things are happening this transfer! Sister Johnson is going to be staying in Békéscsaba, and I will be going co-senior with a sister from my group in the MTC- Sister Kramer in Kispest!! It's sad to think I will be leaving this city because I have grown to love it so much. And kind of scary that Sister Kramer and I will be serving together in only our 3rd transfer. I know we both still have so much to learn when it comes to the language and missionary work- but I’m such we will learn a lot together this transfer. I think its going to be a really great growing experience. Sister Gallion (my MTC companion) is going to be coming here to serve with Sister Johnson. I'm not exactly sure why the Lord wanted to have her come here and me go to Kispest instead of me just staying here... but I’m sure He knows much better than I do. I know that the Lord will help qualify both Sister Kramer and I for what is ahead of us. 

Well, alright so now that you have the update... let me tell you about how our week went! We had a great week spreading lots of Christmas Cheer! We went back to the hospital again this week to visit our friends in the rehabilitation center! We sang some songs, shared some scriptures and even gave a Book of Mormon to the nurse there, Agnes. Monday night was our Christmas party. We had quite a few people come actually! We decorated Christmas cookies, drank hot chocolate, played pin the nose on the snowman, and cut out snowflakes! It was quite a party I’d say. The best part was everyone was talking with everyone, so I think our investigators ended up having a really good time. :) 

Wednesday was zone conference so we took a train up to Budapest. We had some trainings and then watched the end of the year slideshow (Sister Johnson don't worry I'm mailing one to you!) and had a really nice lunch together. In the evening we did a white elephant exchange and Sister Baughman read us all some Christmas stories. It was a really fun day! 

On Thursday we thought it would be a good idea to go tabling and hand out flyers for our Christmas concert. Sister Johnson decided to bring the hymnbooks so we could do a little caroling on the street. I had never really sung on the street before so it was a new experience for me, and at first i was a little nervous. We got all sorts of reactions out of people, but mostly we just made a lot of people smile. By the end i was really enjoying myself. I could tell that we were helping everyone who passed us feel a little bit more of Christmas cheer. When it was time to pack up, i asked Sister Johnson if we could just sing one more. She of course said yes, and we decided to sing "silent night." We sang in Hungarian, and just after we started singing a man walking by stopped in front of our table to listen to us sing. Once we had finished his eyes filled up with tears and he thanked us for our song. We talked to him about why we celebrate Christmas, and who it is we remember during this time. We gave him a Book of Mormon and a pass-along card with our name and number. I'm hoping he will read it. He walked away with a smile on his face, and i know we were able to help him feel the spirit and make his day a little brighter. It was a really great experience. 

Friday was our Christmas concert. Elder Rummler and I did a duet to "Oh Holy Night" and i played my guitar. We had a great crowd there too!- which was really exciting for this little city. Lots of our investigators came, the members brought their families, we had a few inactives show up, and even a few people from English class or off the street! The program went really well and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards I decided to introduce myself to the people i didn't recognize. It was kind of scary doing it with out my companion- she was busy talking with other people. So I went around saying hello and I met a lady Eszter, who has come to English class a few times and took one of our flyers from our singing the day before. She thanked us for our music and said it was a beautiful concert. I talked to her for a bit about her family and what her plans are for Christmas. I asked if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. So I told her I would be right back. I went into the next room and grabbed one of the books with a pass along card. I boar a simple testimony to her about the Book of Mormon and told her i wanted her to have one. She was so grateful to receive the gift and said she would read from it. She also said she would try and make it to church next week! I won't be here, but I’m hoping that she will come. 

This weekend was great too. We spent a lot of the time just relaxing since we don't really get to do that very often. President Baughman gave us permission to go to midnight mass, which was really interesting. The church was freezing cold!- but I’m pretty sure every person in the city was jammed into that Cathedral. It was a nice experience though, and it was cool to see how other people worship the Savior during Christmas time. The music was pretty too. 

We had lunch with Erzika Néni on Christmas day. She's an older lady who didn't really have any other family to go visit her. She made us so much food I thought I was going to explode! But we have to eat everything we are given or some people become offended here. Hungarians take a lot of pride in their cooking. 

Some people have been asking me about Károly and László- the men we found on the street about a month ago. László didn't really work out. He didn't ever show up to any of our appointments we planned with him and wouldn't ever answer his phone. But we did happen to bump into him on the street again! We gave him a book of Mormon and talked to him for a bit…but he didn’t really seem interested in the church. Maybe later he will be ready. We are still meeting with Károly. He is a really nice man, but is progressing very slowly. I think all this new information is a lot for him. He is really solid on his testimony of the bible since he once was a reformatús preacher- but I think the thought of another book as a second witness is strange to him. We have talked to him a lot about prayer, and how it's important for him to find out for himself. He keeps saying he will come to church, but hasn't made it yet. I still think there's a lot of hope for him though. He is beginning to recognize we believe in a lot of the same things. 

I guess that's pretty much the update. Transfers are on Thursday, so my next email I will be in my new area with my new companion!! Sister Kramer is really nice and I think we are going to have a lot of fun together. I'm a little scared since both of us are so young in the mission, but I know we will do great things with the Lord on our side. I love you all lots! Take Care!! Talk to you on Monday. 

Sok Szeretettel, 

Johnson Nővér 

December 19, 2011

BOLDOG KARÁCSONYT!!

Wow.. I can't believe it's almost 2012! How exciting! This week has been INCREDIBLE! So much has happened. Miracles from the Lord! That's all I can say.

So, last Monday we didn't have a p-day, since we went to the baptism last Saturday. We still emailed.. but after emailing we went right to work. We decided to go to the hospital to visit one of our investigators there named Marika Néni. She had been in the hospital for a while from her diabetes. We brought for her a message to share about Christ, and some Christmas Hymns in Hungarian to lift her spirits. She wanted to get out of bed, so we went into this sitting area in the hall. A family was sitting at the table next to us. A father, a mother, a son, and 2 daughters. We taught our lesson and then sister Johnson pulled out the music to sing- right there in front of everyone. We asked the family if it would be alright if we sang a few songs and they said it would be fine. And so we did. Then we said a prayer with Marika. After our prayer Sister Johnson began testifying to the family next to us about the gospel. She is fearless! She even recited to them the first vision! I could tell the family was somewhat standoffish from all this new information, and i was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Maybe because I’m not use to preaching to so many all at once.. I'm not exactly sure why? But the father ended up coming over to our table to talk to us some more. His brother had just passed away, and he was asking a lot about what we believe about life after death. The son got up and walked into a different room and the daughters were reading from a magazine. We talked to the father for a bit. He spoke really fast, and it was hard for me to catch much of what he was saying. He ended up having to leave to check on something with the nurses, but we gave him a book of Mormon and a pass-along card with our number on it. He seemed to have enjoyed the conversation with us but didn't really seem interested. We said goodbye to Marika, and as we were walking to the elevator one of the daughters caught up with us. She asked if she could hear a little more about what it is we teach. She said she didn't know what it was, but as we were sitting at the table talking, she saw and felt that there was something different about us. We began talking to her about what we do as missionaries, and a little more about what we believe. She ended up giving us her phone number so we could meet again and talk some more. As we walked into the elevator I was amazed at what had just happened. I thought that she wasn't even paying attention to a thing we were saying, but yet she was. And best of all she wanted to learn more. It taught me a really important lesson about how you never know who is listening, or who may be impressed by the spirit when you are unafraid to bear your testimony. I felt somewhat disappointed in myself. I had thought that this family wanted nothing to do with the gospel; I thought we were making them uncomfortable by preaching to them about the gospel. But this experience taught me that I need to be more bold and unashamed of what I know to be true. As we walked down the halls of the hospital, my companion talked to me about the importance of being a witness at all times, in all things, and in all places. I learned it is important not to be so concerned about what others may think of you- whether they think you are a crazy person or not. Because we never know who is listening, or how others may be influenced by the spirit as we are unafraid to be a witness of His name. 

While there in the hospital, we decided it would be a good idea to go around to different rooms and sing some Christmas songs to people. We weren't sure if that was allowed, so we went to the front desk to ask permission. They ended up telling us to go to some service building...which we tried to find with not much success. We ended up walking around until we wandered into a rehabilitation center- which we thought was the right place, but wasn't exactly the service center. We told the nurses there that we just wanted to sing some Christmas songs to people. One of the nurses Agnes, asked if we wanted to sing right then we said, sure! Then she told us to just wait a few minutes and she would get everyone assembled in a room to hear us. So, Sister Johnson and I had our own little acapella concert in front of all the old people in the rehabilitation center. I was somewhat nervous at first, there were probably about 20-25 people all gathered in the tiny hospital room, but as we began to sing my nervousness melted away. Sister J and I just sang our hearts out and smiled as big as we could. I think we really left an impression on the people there. We were able to bring them closer to Christ through our singing, and you could see it! At the end their faces were brighter. There was an old man who had been sitting in the room when we walked in, we had tried talking to him, but he seemed sad and didn't smile at all. But though out our singing he began to smile, and by the end he had the biggest smile on his face as he walked out of the room. It was a really special experience for me, to see that I was able to help others feel the spirit through the talents the Lord has blessed me with. As we were leaving, Agnes thanked us for coming and told us we could come back anytime. We gave her a pass-along card with our number on it before we left. The next morning we got a text from her again thanking us for singing. She said that God smiled through our eyes. She told us she was Catholic but would like to talk with us some more about our church! :) We are meeting with her again tomorrow. 

The Lord is helping us see amazing things happening here. Yesterday, one of the inactive members Erika, came to church with her son Laci after not coming to church for 8 months! It was a great surprise! We told her we would walk with Laci to church, because she had said she couldn't come. But when we came to her house to pick him up she came outside and decided to come as well. I can't even tell you the change that i saw in her countenance. She was shinning and so happy as she headed home with her son that evening. She said it was great to be at church again after so long. I'm so happy she had a good experience. She is singing with us in the choir for the Christmas concert too! So I’m so excited she is finding her way back! It’s really exciting and I know its good for Laci as well. 

I gave my first talk this Sunday!!! Yes, in Hungarian. Haha Since our branch is so small there aren't many people who can speak in church- and so, Elder Weston asked me to give a talk on the atonement. For 10 min!! I was so nervous. But I think it went alright. I practiced A LOT teaching the wall. I think it helped later in the actual execution. 

For the Christmas concert i am for sure playing the guitar!!  Elder Rummler and I are doing a duet to Oh Holy Night... Just in English. We practiced yesterday and it sounded really good! He has an awesome voice and the harmony sounds really pretty with the guitar. I'm really excited about it! And... I know I said I found this sweet guitar that's travel size and great for 30 dollars.. but I think I might buy the one i saw the other day at the store. Sorry... I’m super indecisive sometimes. But I just really love it and it's not too expensive. I just think it would be a really great thing to have from my mission to always remember. and I don't want to regret not buying it, because I know I will use it! Even after my mission. So I hope that's okay. 

December 12, 2011


Well HELLOOOooOoOoOoOO!!! :) 

I'm trying to remember everything that happened this week!- It's been a long crazy week and we've done a lot! 

Last monday we had P-day as always. Suprisingly, P-days as a missionary are just as crazy as everyother day. We spend a lot of time running around to the grocery store and things. We have this Chinese restraunt we got to about every P-day. Yes, Chinese. It's really awesome. The people there are really funny.. and they heat up your food in the microwave before they give it to you. haha gotta love Hungary. 

We had a small miracle happen last monday though! Every friday we take a bus out to a small town to visit one of our investigators Klára in Szabadkigyós. I love taking the bus because we always meet the coolest people, and it's a great opportunity to talk to others about the gospel. Well, last week Sister Johnson and I met a man on the bus named Alex. He spoke some english and seemed interested in our message. We gave him a Book of Mormon, but before we had a chance to ask for his information we reached our stop. My companion quickly pulled out a pass-along card and told him if he was interested in learning more he could call us. Then we got off the bus. Now, normally when we give out our number on a pass-along card we rarely, if ever, get a call back. Sister Johnson and I figured we probably wouldn't hear from him again, but atleast he had a book of mormon he could read from. We prayed that night that he would call, and last monday- he called! He said he wanted to learn more about the book we gave him! Sister Johnson and I were so excited. We met with him and he seems like a really solid investigator! He said he would read Moroni 10, and we should be meeting with him again tomorrow. I hope he will read and pray about what we are teaching him.

Well, anyways, Thursday was Zone interviews in Seged. President Baughman talked about the Christ-like attributes chapter in Preach My Gospel. I think this is probably one of my favorite chapters in Preach my Gospel. All the other chapters talk alot about missionary work, and how to make the work more effective. But this chapter is about how us as people and as missionaries- and how we can improve ourselves to be more like Christ. I'm going to preach for a second... i normally don't do this in my letters, but bare with me... 

One thing i really think is interesting about the Christ-like attributes is that really, they are a goal we can never fully attain. Instead they are something we have to be constantly striving for and constantly working at. We will never be humble enough, or patient enough, we can never have enough charity and love in this life, because there's always more we can give. And the closer we come to having these attributes, the farther away we feel from achieving them. Christ says we must be perfect, even as He and our Father in Heaven are perfect- why would he expect us to be something he knows we can not be in this life? Well, I think that perfection isn't really a destination, but instead it is the constant striving to grow, learn, and be better than we were the day before. I think perfection is constant improvement, and that is what Christ is asking us to do.

Anyways, Interviews were really great and not scary at all. President Baughman is really awesome and didn't even really ask me many questions. We mostly just talked about how much i am loving Békéscaba and how i'm liking my mission so far. 

OH!- Saturday i went to my first baptism! i didn't know the man being baptized, but Sister Johnson had known him from back in Miskolc. She served there for 5 transfers! It was a really great experience. My old companion from the MTC sister Gallion is serving there! It was really fun to get to see her again. Sister Gallion, Sister Barnhart, Sister Johnson and I sung a special musical number at the baptism. We sang "Lord, I Would Follow Thee"- the first 3 verses in english and the last verse in Hungarian. It was kind of a suprise for us- we practiced about 5 min before. But it turned out really great and i think the people there really appreciated it. Hungarians are really touched by music. It was really exciting to see them light up from hearing our song. The whole baptismal service was a really great experience for me. There was a really speacial spirit there. I remember during one of the talks after Barnabás had been baptized, Sister Johnson turned to me and said- " i don't really know why but I'm crying." I just smiled and said, "this is what it is all about." We are here to Find those people who are ready to take that step and to come unto Christ and accept the gospel in their lives. I feel so blessed to be a part of it all. I am so excited for the day when Katalin or Julcsi or Zsuzsa, or our other investigators i have come to know and love so much finally takes that step! And i get to be here to support and encourage them all along the way! It's amazing to watch as others progress- we get to see their testimonies grow, and watch as they begin to make and keep certain committments and change their lives. I already am seeing the gospel work in the lives of others. I can see how it lights them up and helps them to be happier. There truely is no other work on earth that is more important than lifting others and helping them to find more hope and purpose in their lives. 

Sister Johnson and I are having a lot of fun! I am learning so much about myself by being out here on a mission. It's really exciting. She's helping me to think more about what it is I want out of life and what kind of person I want to be. She's a really great example. I have been blessed with such AWESOME companions, and i am learning so many important things from each one. 

I bought a guitar! but not the one i saw in the store last week. That one was kind of expensive, so i decided to wait a few days before i bought it. Elder Conklin (one of our zone leaders) called me a few days later and told me he was selling his guitar. It was a travel sized guitar and he was only asking for 6000 ft or like 30 dollars. :) So, i he brought it when he and Elder Nielson came up for splits and i got to see it and i really like it! Plus, its easier to carry around since it's smaller, which i think will come in handy- especially since i want to use it a lot in programs and finding and things.It feels really great to get to play guitar again! We have a Christmas concert coming up so i think i will probably perfom something with my guitar for that! :) 

Okay, I guess that's about all for this week. I wish i could write everything detail in my emails, but then we'd be here all day. i have been a very devote with writing in my journal though!- haven't missed one day yet! So don't worry, all of my experiences are being recorded!

I hope all is well. Love you lots and i'll talk to you next week! 

Sok Szerettel,

Johnson Nővér 

P.S . i attached some pictures with our investigators and things. Katalin is the lady with the red hair! i just love her- she's got a lot of spunk. and Julcsi and Zsuzsa are the mother and daughter in the other picture. They are so awesome!! Also, Sis.J and i, and a merry christmas picture from us. :)  i'll try and send some more pictures next week. LOVE YOU TONS!!! 

Julcsi (Mother) and Zsuzsa (Daughter) and Tiffany

Johnson's Nővér with their Christmas Bundles

Katalin and her Missionary Angels

The World is full of WONDERFUL Sisters

December 5, 2011

BOLDOG UNNEPLET!!!
Hello family! I hope everything is great on the other side of the world. Things are wonderful here as always! I am just loving Békéscsaba and my companion and i are having a blast! I am suprised with how well we get along! It feels like we've been friends forever!- but we just met last week. haha We laugh a lot. Which makes the work that much more fun. :) We have some really awesome Elders here too, and of course amazing investigators. 6 of them came to church on sunday!!- 2 were a complete suprise! it was really exciting. The spirit in fast and testimony meetings here is always so strong! i love listening to everyone bear testimony. it's amazing to think each one of the members here are converts, and they all have such solids testimonies of the gospel. It's exciting being able to understand a lot more than i could my first few weeks- it was an incredible sacrament meeting. i hope our investigators all were able to feel the spirit as i could- because it was definitely there.
Ok.. so I am now officially addicted to tea! don't worry.. the good kind of tea. We drink fruit tea, herbal tea, and camomille tea basically every morning. And we go through a jar of honey in about one week. But i think its keeping me healthy because i haven't been sick at all yet this winter! (knock on wood).
Our investigators are doing great. One of our new investigators from last week came to church! Her name is Edit. She's an english class student of ours. We've only met with her twice, which is why i was amazed that she showed up to church on sunday. She seems to be accepting everything really quickly- she's reading from the Book of Mormon, and now she is praying in the name of Jesus Christ too. Its really exciting to see her progress! i'm hoping she will continue to meet with us and maybe come to church again next week!
Julcsi and Zsuzsa invited us over to bake and decorate ginger bread cookies! it was so fun! they had all sorts of shapes and ideas. Zsuzsa made the cookie dough from scratch. And we helped cut out the shapes and frost them. She gave me the reciepe!- although, its in Hungarian. So hopefully one day i'll be able to read it. We had a great time decorating and talking together. I think this might be a new tradition i will start with my family every christmas. We had to bump thier bap. date back to January. They are both still doing awesome! and progressing and coming to church each week. But Julcsi has a swim competition on the day we planned for- she asked if she could move it to next month. I'm hoping i will still be here, but if not i will travel back so i can be here for there for Katalin's and their baptism.
What else... oh! i started P90X! haha it's pretty intense. I've been doing it by myself... but Sister Johnson says she will try it with me this week! i will be ripped by my birthday! (i hope).
I want to tell you all about the people we are teaching!.. but we are meeting with a lot of people and that would take a while to talk about each one. Right now we have 11 progressing investigators! We have a few others, but its hard to determine who isn't progressing and who we should meet with less. It's hard for me to see people who know its true, but don't act on the witness they recieve from the spirit. I just know lots of our investigators have a testimony.. but for some reason they won't come to church. Sis. J and i are working on a plan that will help get our investigators coming to church.
One of the men we've been teaching Károly- i talked about him in an email a while ago. He is the one who appraoched us on the street. He's an older man and is a former preacher for the reformatikus church. He loves the bible and is a super nice man. We've been teaching him almost every week. We had a really amazing lesson on the plan of Salvation with him this week. When we were talking about the Spirit world he asked about people who have never heard about the gospel. We told him about how they will have an oppurtunity to recieve it in the next life. and talked to him a little about temples and the work we do there for the dead. A church magazine about temples happened to be sitting on the table at the branch house where we were sitting. We flipped through the pages and showed him the pictures of the temple and talked about why they are so speacial to us. The spirit was really strong, Károly told us he would like to read some of the articles, and said he would try and make it to church next week! :)
Well, I should get going. There's lots of things to do on P-days. I found a guitar i really love! its 2400 ft which is like 120 dollars. It's somewhat used but it has a really pretty design and just seems to fit me perfectly!! i think i'm going to buy it. It was so fun just being in the store today and getting to play all the guitars! I forgot how much i really loved playing. I've been practicing piano too! i'm hoping when i get home i will be able to read notes. I LOVE music! I don't think i mentioned this in my last email.. but we just got brand new Hungarian hymn books! Nice ones! With all sorts of songs in it! They have all the great songs from the english hymn books and even come thou fount!! Its really exciting to get to use them. I think the members and investigators are really excited about all the new songs we have to sing.
Okay, i'm off. Love you all! Thanks for the emails. Dad and Holly, i hope you are both feeling better. I'm glad you were able to spend sometime with Sophie. I will try and send a letter to G-ma this week. Mom, you are so great! Don't worry about sending me tons of things- i just enjoy reading your emails and hearing how the family is doing. Maybe if Dave has sometime i could hear from him! i'd really like to hear how he's doing. I am planning on sending everyone something little for Christmas. Its not much, but i think you will enjoy it. :)LOVE YOU ALL TONS! Take Care. Talk to you again next week!

Sok Szerettel,

Johnson T Nővér