The Week that Was

Heather: This past week was great! We had a lovely lunch with all the Elders at Solymosi, Marika's bright apartment. She made a finom gulyas that we all really loved. We loved her cheerful eating nook! Afterward we talked about the blessings of the Gospel and her beloved Peter. It has been just over 2 months since his death and she misses him so much. Marika teaches in Primary now and the kids just love her.

Friday we had a great group of kids and Gabi taught us how to make friendship bracelets. She was the only member of the Church there besides the Elders and was very busy trying to show everyone how to tie the knots for the bracelets. Not all of us caught on! We had a good time together and are grateful for the support we receive from Gabi and the Elders. We learned today that we will be loosing two of our Elders in the latest transfers. Elder May will be going to Dunaújváros and Elder Mullen is assigned as Zone Leader in Budapest.

On Sunday my star piano student, Veronika, was called and sustained as the Branch pianist. Veronica is very talented, she can play a piece of music by heart in with just a few tries. She will be a great asset to the Branch  as she learns to play all the hymns. I hope she will then teach others to play. We received a beautiful keyboard from the Harmon Foundation just before Christmas that will  be a big help to her learning to play. Our next challenge is to get her baptized!   

Spring is in the Air

Heather: I love seeing flowers bloom in the middle of January, even if they are pansies. This winter has been much more mild that last winter -- so far! The tulips I planted are also just showing their green noses in my boxes. Meanwhile last year's geraniums are still growing in the stairwell window. Friday I bought hyacinths and tulips at Tesco and had a quick look at their seed display. Spring is coming and I will be able to plant again!!

Norm: Well speaking of spring...there it was..."Right before my very eyes" . Now I gotta tell you. Since leaving Wyoming I have not ever seen a pickup truck any bigger than a Ranger or a Toyota Tundra here in Hungary.... But there it was, big as life itself, right off the show room floor....a Lariat Super Duty F350 with duelies.

Well I was drooling on the Skoda dashboard...and it had British Columbia license plates!! I'm still scratching my head.

Did I ever tell you about the time I passed the  Ferrari out on the motorway??? Well I have to admit that he passed me twice, but I passed him once ( he had stopped for gas you see) Well maybe if I wash the Skoda it will go faster.

Victor Borge - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 piano jokes

Catching up

A night out in Pécs with the Baughmans. From left to right. Szabadkai Adrienn, Szabadkai József ( first councilor Mission Presidency), Elder Rollingson, Gary Baughman ( Hungary Budapest Mission President ) Makkai Balazs ( Péc Branch President ) and Marilyn Baughman. Great company and wonderful food.

Csendes Margit is baptized January 8th in Kaposvár. Elder Miller performed the ordinance. His companion is Elder Hansen. Elders Hosch and Runnells act as witness.

Saturday was moving day for the Plisz family.This is the moving crew. Elders Galland and Mullen do their best to make the pizza disappear. Beatrix and her family sold their cottage in the country and move to an apartment in town, close to schools and the branch house.

Oh do I miss my Makita, my Duramax and my cargo trailer at a time like this. Beatrix's dad comes to the rescue and does an admirable job with his car and little trailer. Just as well, my rig would never fit down the lanes of the city.

Faces of Communism

Norm: On the southern outskirts of Budapest, somewhat hidden from prominant view, we found a boneyard of Hungary's wish to be forgotten past.
The Peoples Republic of Hungary, became the official communist state name in 1949  under an arbitrarilly apointed dictatorship of Prime Minister Rakkosi.

Under Rakkosi, Hungary experienced one of the harshest dictatorships in Europe. Repression was extreme upon the Hungarian people. Industry, farming and the entire work force was taken over by the Communist government. Religious instruction in the schools was denounced and purged from the education system and  replaced with communist propaganda.

Change started in the 1956 revolution when a student rebellion under Nagy Imre instigated a somewhat softening of the hard line repression of the People of Hungary. After the revolution which cost the life of many young countrymen, Hungary became the most reform-minded communist state in Eastern Europe, so its ultimate revolution was the least dramatic. Many of the intellectuals remained dispite the quasing of the revolution, continuing the fight against repression. In the 1980's a more relaxed atmosphere permitted growth toward a limited autonomy. 

 I'll never forget that notorious speach by President Reagan in Berlin. " Mr Gorbachev...Tear down this wall."
The final fall of the regime came in 1989. Budapest and other Eastern cities were dotted with numerous reminders of that dreaded era in the form of prominantly displayed statues. The Hungarian people no longer wished to live with that reminder on a daily basis. Down the statues came, not to be destroyed, but to find there way here to this Szobor Park as a momento of  the tyranny and a reminder to never return to anything like it again.

NEW YEARS in SZEGED

Norm: The Young Adult Center in Szeged sponsored an invitational 2 day New Years party. Our Pécs group chose to attend as well as two from Kaposvár. We were pleased to meet two of the kids who came up from Romania as well. After the games and dance, all but us old folks braved the cold and the snow to witness the fireworks at a near by park. Party broke up about 3;00 am. From there we all retired to a youth hostel for a few hours of shut eye.

Heather and I were asked to present a seminar on "Preparing for Marriage" which started the New Years Day festivities. With 97 years of combined experience in this topic, we felt like real "profi's". Some 20 youth attended. It was the Romanian boy who translated my part from English to Hungarian. Lunch was prepared by a local member family and the dish was called a bográcsgulyas. It took a crew of four people several hours to hand roll the BB sized pasta balls. It of course had lots of paprika and was prepared in a big pot over a fire in the back room..... pioneer style.

All including the missionaries chowed down although Dora on the left is not quite sure.

Our marriage class was helped by our puppets Fanny and Peter, in a skit based on the book "Fanny's Dream". We felt very fortunate to have attended Brent Barlows marriage classes over the years at BYU Education week. With Brother Barlows help we were able to pull it off . We had some good laughs to go along with the serious stuff. We felt it was quite well recieved.
It was fun to see the snow, but we were just as happy to leave it all behind and return to the warmer climes of Pécs.

Christmas in Southern Hungary

Heather: Our second Christmas in Hungary started with a Christmas Eve party with our 8 Elders from Pecs and Kaposovar. We had lots of food including the traditional Hungarian Christmas dish of stuffed cabbage. After dinner we watched a Disney version of  "A Christmas Carol," with Elders sprawled every which way on the floor. 

Then we went to the Pecs Cathedral, which had its beginining in 1055 AD,  to take in the Midnight Mass in D Minor. The Elders were appropriatly reverent and we were there early enough to get seats. By the time Mass started the cathedral was filled with people old and young. We were quite spell bound by the whole experience. The music was wonderfully performed by a full orchestra, well trained choir and magnificent organ.  

The Elders went home while Santa filled their stockings with care for Christmas morning breakfast! They arrived at 10 am and we consummed 2 pounds of bacon, 2 dozen eggs, a plethora of pancakes, and 2 dozen cinammon rolls! 

We had our own quiet celebration before the Elders arrived, Santa left Norm a new vest because she was tired of the old one and Heather recieved a lovely piece of Zsolnay jewlery which of course she deserved!

Later in the day we went dinner at the Koczka family's home. They had a wonderful meal ready with many different dishes that were delicious. We ate and ate some more! The Elders were entertained with games and magic tricks and had a few of their own to share. At six we went to visit the Szabadkai family. Sister Szabadkia fixed us traditional Hungarian fish soup. It was very good and just the right thing to have after all we had consummed during the day! We were so well treated by the Koczka and Szabadkai families that we were not even home sick! We had a wonderful second Christmas here. 

Boldog Karácsonyt

Tis the Season to be Jolly

Heather: We have enjoyed several activities that have given us a wonderful feeling of Christmas. Tonight we went caroling with the Elders and Maja, Gabi, Kira, Beatrix, Gizella, and Marci. Beatrix brewed some wonderful herb tea that we put in a 12 liter thermos. Then we all trekked to Szénchenyi tér with a pile of Books of Mormon, the tea cups, and our best singing voices. We sang and passed out tea for an hour and the Elders handed out all but one Book of Mormon. Marci and I looked after tea distribution and I had several very nice conversations with folks who were happy to have hot tea. One homeless person was particularly grateful and came for several refills for her friends. She spoke some English and said she was so happy to hear the beautiful music. She even joined in on one of the Hungarian carols. Our feet were cold at the end of the hour but our hearts were warm.

Last Friday the Branch had a special Christmas program. Beatrix worked hard and worried more to get everyone to participate in the Bethlehem as a Nativity program is called here. Little Hunor was quite amazing as he had all his lines memorized. The Christmas story was told in word and song and went without a hitch. It would have been nice to have had more members in the audience, but there were several non members including Hunor's school teacher. Last night we went caroling to our neighbors here in our building. Only three families were home but we had a special vist with the couple above us. They invited us in and fed us wonderful süti on beautiful Zsolnay plates. Even more wonderful the husband brought out his Bible and read us the Christmas story from the second chapter of Luke. We felt the Christmas spirit in their kindness and were happy to have the opportunity to share that spirit with them. We are so enjoying our second Christmas here in Pécs!

Gingerbread Frieberg Temple

Norm: In place of my spiritual presentation for primary this week, I presented to the Pécs Branch Primary children my attempt at creating a gingerbread Frieberg Temple. The kids thought it was great, however the uphoria was short lived. Problem started when we could not find molasses to make gingerbread, so we substituted a plethora of small flour biscuits mortered together with icing. Niether the icing or the biscuits proved to be structuraly sound. Within 24 hours after this picture was taken it started to self distruct. I actually learned the principle years ago to never comprimise on the use of proven building materials.
The temple for the Hungarian Saints is located in Frieberg Germany and was built in what was then East Germany, the only temple to be built behind the Iron Curtain.

Notice to parents and family of Missionaries serving in Pécs and Káposvar Hungary Budapest Mission. Watch this blog for our Christmas posting. The following missionaries will be spending Christmas with us. Bennion/May/Mullen/Galland/Hosch/Runnels/Miller/Hansen

Andrea Bocelli - The Lord's Prayer.

Boxing Day, Alive and Well

Heather. We had a special YSA-YW-YM Branch service project last night. It all came about while discussing ideas for our Christmas activity. We were glad to hear that Dec 26 is recognized as a special holiday. We mentioned that in Canada and Great Britain that day was the traditional day for boxing up food and gifts for those less fortunate and is called Boxing Day. Maja informed us that a similar tradition exists here in Hungary as well. Here shoe boxes are collected and filled with toys and goodies for needy children. This we will do.

The members brought the boxes, toys and games that their chilren no longer used. I thought we would do well to fill ten or twelve boxes, but when we arrived at the branch house, 2 tables were loaded with donations. We were also pleased to have 12 Santas helpers, half of which were non members. Fanyi and Cintha made the cards while Gabi, Sylvia and Iren wrapped. The rest of us sorted gifts and put them in boxes, as Andrea Bocelli provided the Christmas entertainment and ambiance.

Marci, the Elders, Zita, Sandi and George trimmed the tree and decked the halls to look festive for tonights Branch Christmas program.

Here is our industious group with not twelve boxes....but twenty. We were so pleased with the support of the branch and the youth.
Today in the Christmasy snow we will deliver the boxes to the toy store that distributes them to those in need.