YSA CONFERENCE IN ROMANIA

Every year the young single adults here in eastern Europe have the opportunity to attend a country YSA conference.  This year the conference was hosted by Romania with young adults from seventeen different countries.  Romania is a beautiful place covered with rolling fields and tree covered mountains.  Our destination was Brasov, in the heart of the area known as Transylvania.  Here is the home of Bran Castle, best known as Dracula's Castle.  We traveled 12 hours by bus to get to our destination.  As a missionary couple serving with the young adults we had the opportunity to attend this conference with 34  of our YSA's from Hungary.  We were able to get to know many of the YSA from other countries as well, during the week, as we shared experiences together.  It was held at a beautiful resort hotel at the foot of one of the ski mountains.  There were many well organized institute classes, service projects, firesides, dances, sport events, hikes, and even a trip to Dracula's Castle.

On the road with the YSA

Brasov Romania with its Hollywood style sign on the mountain.

Just chill in in Brasov with Tamas Furko, Laszlo and Tamas Szabo

Winding our way through the city down narrow alleys.

Elder Peterson with brother and sister duel, Klaudia and Benji Wunderli

Beautiful city of Brasov, Romania

Sister Peterson hanging out with the YSA

Our entire group of approx. 180 of us from 17 different countries.

The view from atop Bran Castle.

The hike to Bran Castle

Senior  Missionaries helping with the conference, Elder and Sister Flanders, Bair, Keppner, Stratton, Pres and Sister Ivory, Elder and Sister Anderson, Peterson, Dalton, Johnson and Brother and Sister Euvrard 

Pioneer games, three legged and sack races.

Lobby of the Alpin Hotel

Many opportunities to get to know the YSA

Our dining hall with Sister Cintia Geröly, Zsófia Mátyás, and Eszter Kovács

Waiting at the bus station in Budapest for our ride back to the mission home after an awesome YSA country conference.  We are loaded up with flags and supplies we will need for next years YSA conference in Hungary.  We will have the opportunity to host the conference next year.  We will be working to get our committee together very soon.  We are looking forward  to hosting  the YSA country conference next July.

P-DAY ADVENTURE

A few of weeks ago a couple from Utah came by the mission home.  They had been on a 600 mile bike ride down the Danube.  They begin their trip in Germany where the Danube begins and ended here in Budapest.  They were flying home the next day and wondered if the mission could use two nice new bikes. We looked at each other and thought, "could this be for real". Since we arrived here six months ago we have dreamed of biking through the city and along the Danube.  We often looked at those rental bikes that they keep around the city and considered trying them out on a P-day, but we had no helmets.  Mission rule, you have to wear a helmet. We gladly accepted their gift and thanked them for their generousity. Now the mission home has two bikes available for missionaries in this area.

Today we took the bikes out for a ride around Margit Island and over the Lion Bridge. These are a few sights we enjoyed along the way.

We would like to share a thought from Joseph B Wirthlin,  "We don't have to be perfect today.  We don't have to be better than someone else.  All we have to do is to be the very best we can."

TEARFUL FAREWELLS

We knew this day was coming but that still didn't make it any easier.  We have loved serving with President and Sister Smith and Elder and Sister Bagozzi for the past 5 months.  They have been such great examples to us and we will never forget this wonderful experience. It was so sad to see them go but we are so happy for their families who are anxiously waiting back home for them.
 The office baton has now been passed onto us for the next month. We will do our best to keep it running smoothly until the "Office Couple" arrive August 1st.  We have actually enjoyed it very much, but we are pretty tired at the end of the day.  Some days are much longer when we have YSA programs to care for.  But we love keeping busy and love serving the people here in Budapest.

After an early morning airport trip to drop off President and Sister Smith we were back to the office to welcome our new mission president and his wife.  President and Sister Szabadkai are Hungarian and come from the beautiful city of Pécs, in southern Hungary. We are very excited to get to know them better and serve with them.

A week later it was time to say goodbye to two other senior couples and 10 young missionaries.  It is always so hard to see them go. Two more early morning airport trips and more tears as we bid farewell promising that this would not be the last time we would see one another.

Elder and Sister Peterson with President and Sister Smith and Elder and Sister Bagozzi,
Saying our goodbyes to our dear friends.

President and Sister Smith headed home after three wonderful years of service.

President and Sister Szabadkai and their daughter Lea

Our farewell to Elder and Sister Viernes and Elder and Sister Miller.  We have been bless to have served with them as well.  We will miss them!

Final evening with these wonderful missionaries at the mission home.  They have been such great examples to us.
Sister Feil, Elder Day, Elder Dellenbach, Elder Cox, Elder Robinson, Elder Nyman, Elder Whiting, Elder Zwingli, Elder Swink, and Elder Olsen.  Also shown but not going home are our AP's Elder tuttle and Elder Heilein on the far right.  Also pictured Pres and Sister Szabadkai.

Final goodbyes at the airport!

 We have a tradition here that the night before the missionaries depart, we walk up to Castle Hill.  We enjoy a beautiful view over looking the Danube with Parliament in the background. Everyone always wants a final look at the beautiful city of Budapest. We then read aloud the "Dedicatory Prayer for Hungary" by Russell M Nelson. He promised the people of Hungary that the day would come there would be an "emergence of light and power." And that "its people may be blessed with rays of divine light of the gospel and a future of fullness that restored truth will being."  He continued, "May the promised gathering of thine elect bring them safely back to thy fold-that wards and stakes may one day dot this land.  May the future servants, foreordained before the world was formed, take their places here in thy earthly kingdom.  Wilt thou hastened the day when missionaries and members may unveil thy glorious message to thy sons and daughters of this great nation."
 We can see the fulfillment of these beautiful promises. How blessed we are to know the plan that our Heavenly father has given us.  We know these things to be true and that the Lord's promised blessings await to those who are faithful and endure to the end.