ZONE CONFERENCE

We enjoyed our final Zone Conference of our Mission.  The Miskolc Zone met at the Mission Home in Budapest for a day of inspiring instruction as well as seeing our fellow missionaries that we don't get to see very often.

The Miskolc Zone June23, 2016

The beautiful garden and fountain at Bishops Park in Eger

Elder Peterson in good company, in Bishops park

Sister Peterson matches our mission car!  We love our car although we don't drive it much.  We can walk anywhere in the city of Eger.

They have cool 'manholes' in all the cities of Hungary

The 'Posta", a different experience than in America.

Of all the many fields of sunflowers, finally they are beginning to bloom.  Can't wait until they are in full-bloom!

P-Day, learning some 'whipping skills with Elder Santander

Leaving the beautiful Bishops park with Elder Santander, Elder Martindale, Elder Seamons and Elder Robinson.

VISITING THE CITY OF PÉCS

We have been to most of the major cities in Hungary on mission business.  The one city that everyone says is the most beautiful, Pécs, we had never been to.  Well we needed to find out for ourselves so we decided to take a P-Day and drive there.  It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Eger.  It was a perfect day for a road trip, so we packed up our treats and headed out.  It was a beautiful drive through the countryside to a section of Hungary unknown to us.
Pécs was founded by the Romans, who called the  place Sopianae, in the 3rd century AD. It was an early centre of Roman Christianity.  However the Turks took over the city 1000 years later. Today there is much evidence remaining in the city centre of the Turkish influence.
There are beautiful walking streets with quaint shops, monuments, water features, sidewalk Bistro's, theatre's, and of course the beautiful St. Peter's Cathedral, Gazi Kasim Pasha Mosque and Jewish synagogue.

The "National Theatre", where they hold Opera and Ballet performances

Beautiful water features on the walking streets

We loved this beautiful Hotel

Colorful walking streets, where we especially enjoyed the shade canopies  1

Meeting Elder Martineu and Elder Lawrence in the square.

St.Peters Cathedral, was first built in 1009

The gate entrance to St. Peters's Cathhedral

The interior of St. Peter's Cathedral

Beautiful interior of the Cathedral

Stairs to the 'Bell Tower'

Exploring the 'Bell Tower in St. Peters's Cathedral

The view from the top of the 'Bell tower' of St. Peter's Cathedral

Elder Lawrence served with us in Eger.  It was so good to see him again. We are standing in front of the "Gazi Kasim  Pasha Mosque".  This was the city's primary mosque for two centuries.

Beautiful apartments on the walking streets of Pécs.

Rolling farmlands just outside Pécs

OUR LAST MISSION TRANSFER

We are officially into our final transfer of the mission.  Every nine weeks there is a mission transfer.  It is always hard to see changes and this week was no different. We lost two special missionaries, Elder Dietrich and Elder Haws.  But we gained two great missionaries, Elder Santander (Chili) and Elder Martindale (Idaho).  One of the best parts of our mission is serving with these wonderful elders. They are an inspiration to us.  They work so hard and love the people so much. We love having the opportunity to participate in the teaching programs as testifiers to what they teach.

One of our last District meetings  together. Elder Robinson, Elder Dietrich, Elder Haws, Elder Peterson and Elder Seamons. Elder Dietrich and Elder Haws were transferred to other cities.

Piroska and Sister Peterson doing their visiting teaching at the nursing home.  The elders always came to help translate.   This is indeed a 'group' effort.

We will miss these quaint European streets.

Elder Peterson in front of the 'Bishops Palace' in Eger.

We love to take our evening walks along these beautiful canals in Eger.

We couldn't resist taking this picture of a hungarian Nény carrying her feed sack home on her bike.  Hungarians use bikes a lot and we see everything being transported this way.

Every Falü has a beautiful yellow church. We were just passing through.

We love the scarecrows to scare away the birds.

Wow, cauliflower doesn't get this big in America!

This is the "Branch House, in the alley just behind our apartment.  We love the great location for us, only 59 steps from our  door to the door of the church.

Elder Seamons, Elder Peterson and Elder Santander

Sunday dinner with Andi Branch member) and Balás (investigator)

"And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."

Mosiah 2:22

DALLIN AND SARA'S VISIT TO HUNGARY

We enjoyed a special visit with Dallin and Sara this past week.  We completed our apartment inspections in Budapest and Tatabánya on Tuesday morning, then excitedly headed out to the airport to meet them. We spent the remainder of the day seeing some of the sites in Budapest before returning back to Eger. Dallin and Sara got a glimpse of what our mission work is like here in Hungary.  They were able to participate in some teaching appointments with us.  They attended our english class and made many hungarian friends.  Afterwards their 'new friends' were anxious to show them some 'hungarian foods', in the local shopping market.
Friday after our district meeting we drove back to Budapest to enjoy some more sites. We showed them Castle Hill at night, visited the "Hospital in the Rock", walked across Freedom Bridge, shopped at the "Nagy Piaz", strolled on "Vaci Utca, visited St.Sephens Basilica, Parliament, "Shoes on the Danube, Heroes Square, etc.
Saturday we returned to Eger to prepare for district conference on Sunday.  We traveled to Miskolc's to attend the conference.  It was great to see the members, missionaries and investigators in our district.  It was a wonderful conference, with an emphasis on members working with missionaries to help the work move forward.  Elder Mortensen translated for us and Elder Bradshaw translated for Dallin and Sara.
On our drive home we decided to go the long way through the "Bükk" National Forest.  It was a beautiful drive that went through "Lillafüred", where there is a famous palace that was built during the industrial revolution era. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking.  We have visited this area before and wanted to share the beauties with Dallin and Sara.

Welcome to Budapest!

Beautiful flowers in front of Parliament!

Love those streets in Budapest

Beautiful people, beautiful view of Parliament

The night time is fun on Castle Hill

Love the breakfast served to us in our apartment while in Budapest!

Enjoying breakfast on the terrace of our apartment in Budapest.

Much to see and buy at the 'Nagy Piaz' in Pest.

Dallin and Sara enjoying the sites in the rain!

Dallin a top the Minaret in Eger

Enjoying the view of Eger from the 'Minaret'

Morning walk to Eger Castle

"Diósgyor", a medieval castle, located in Miskolc

Beautiful gardens at 'Lillafüred"

Waterfall on the grounds of '"Lillafüred"'

Beautiful Sunday drive through the forest of 'Bükk'

The forests of "Bükk"

Dallin and Sara enjoying Sunday dinner with Elder Haws and Elder Robinson

Dressing up at the Turk castle, in Sirok

Enjoying hot chocolate at "Stuhmer's", famous hungarian chocolate.

Enjoying a famous hungarian bath near Eger.

Farewell dinner with Dallin and Sara.  Dallin finally tasted hungarian goulash!

We feel so blessed that Dallin and Sara were able to spend this week with us.  They now have a taste of why we love the people and the culture of Hungary. Our friends here also loved meeting our son and daughter. No matter where we live in the world, one thing is certain, we are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. His work and His glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
Our work is to assist in that great work. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 2 Nephi 25:26