Consecration Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!

It has been an interesting week this last week!

Stories:
-We went on "exchanges" this last Thursday for TRC, meaning that Gallion Nővér and I taught together. It was so fun! We taught about the BOM using an umbrella analogy-- let's say your friend gave you a gift of an umbrella and it was raining outside. You would use the umbrella, right? Well, not reading the Book of Mormon and learning from its council is like walking outside in pouring rain with an umbrella tucked under your arm. So read the Book of Mormon! The lesson went really well. The girl we taught wrote that she really liked it, wanted to read her scriptures more, and thought we spoke really well!!!!! She also forget my name, so just wrote my name as "Szépség" on the comment card, meaning prettiness :P

-I had a funny experience in the cafeteria the other day during one of our SYL days (which means I was only speaking Hungarian). SYL is most hard when people who don't speak or understand Hungarian try to speak to us. I was standing in line for a wrap and an Elder starting talking to me. I communicated that I was doing SYL and thought he would stop talking to me after that. However, he insisted on still talking to me even though he was really bad at deciphering what I was saying. At one point he informed me that he wanted to ask me where I was from, but it was kind of pointless, huh? Laughing, I told him "Connecticut." (Still pronounced the same haha) At another point, he asked me what the weather was like in Hungary and if it rained a lot. He illustrated "rain" with charades. I can still understand English just fine hahaha! Charades aren't really necessary. It made me laugh! But it was nice of him to try! Everyone here is so nice! I feel like I have hundreds of sisters and thousands of little brothers here!

-Speaking of random people met in lunch lines, I met an Elder here who is the FIRST missionary EVER from his country (it is some obscure one starting with a K). What courage he has! What an example! But I think for everyone here, we have made sacrifices. Missions are NOT easy. But I have felt God's love and felt the truthfulness of this message. So how can I not share it?

-Our classroom building's power went out on Saturday, which was weird. We had to study in the dark without any AC. It was an interesting experience! We were informed that it was good practice for Hungary, though, haha, where apparently they don't really use air conditioning!

-This past Sunday was our THIRD Fast Sunday in the MTC! Crazy!! Some people aren't even here for one! (We'll actually be here across four different months- July, August, September, and October! Weird.) Anyways, on Fast Sundays in the MTC we have what is called mission conference and the mission presidency speaks. This last Sunday, a speaker told a story about a woman who wanted to know if God was there. She was riding her bike when a pretty strong wind rose up. She decided to stop and pray and ask God to prove His existence by stopping the wind. She got back on her bike and started riding. Instead of stopping, the wind got stronger and fiercer! When she finally got to the hill overlooking her village, the woman stopped an sarcastically thanked God, believing that he hadn't helped her. She then heard a voice, though. The voice was still, small, and powerful. It said, " I did not still the wind; instead I gave you strength to overcome." She then realized that she had made what was normally an hour long trip in 1/2 hour. I loved this story because THIS is how God helps us! He doesn't take the bad things out of our lives, but instead helps us overcome them with strength and peace! I have felt Him helping me learn this language, and grow as a teacher while I've been here! I know He has helped each of you too! Can you think of an experience where you felt that extra strength?

-The rest of mission conference was SO GOOD! I wish I had time to transcribe all of my notes for you all! I will share one more thing, though, from a different speaker: "When we are prideful, we are imprisoned by men's judgments. We are dependent on the world to tell us our value." Contrast that to knowing our divine worth, as sons and daughters of God. How freeing is that? How empowering? I feel so strongly that it is so important for everyone to know how VALUABLE they are in God's eyes! You reading this, YOU are of great worth!

-I was able to bear my testimony in our Fast and Testimony meeting in our branch (which are always so cool! There are just missionaries lined up to share what they feel!) and it was so neat. I know that God loves us and sees our potential. He answers our prayers. I know this because He has answered my prayers and questions with feelings and answers. I cannot deny the love I have felt from Him.
-Some other great testimonies were one done in Albanian (I couldn't understand the words but I could see how strongly he felt. It was powerful.) and one of our kicsi, Jepsen Nover, told a story I loved. She told about a hike she went on with some YW one time. She, an experience hiker, was planning on quickly going to the top to enjoy the view. Instead, she ended up hanging back to encourage and walk to with a girl who was struggling, every step of the way. She said, "If someone is struggling, we should stay back and help them, because we will get to the top either way!" How true! So be kind this week!

-The Albanians have been doing their Consecration Week this past week (which is interesting because we start ours once they end theirs!) but we have been able to communicate SOMEHOW even on days when we are just speaking Hungarian and they Albanian. I'm actually get pretty good at Albanian :P Sometimes I act as their "interpreter" but mostly just because I'm really good at guessing what they mean. Sometimes my guesses have been right on the dot and they bust up laughing. The Albanians leave Monday and we are really going to miss them. if your district is like your immediate family, the Albanians have been like cousins to us. They have been here the whole time we have and we are really going to miss them!

-I was able to hear Adams (my little brother here) recite the first vision in Portuguese the other day! That was so neat! He told me that it was really hard with me staring and smiling at him, so I studiously looked at the ceiling while he did it. It was so good, though! He has it memorized!

I start Consecration week today after the temple. Just Hungarian! We are also, as a district, giving up desserts. The other sisters and I are giving up opening our letters this week, so we can focus more on our purpose. We can still open packages! And we will open all of our letters next Wednesday, so please send some really great inspiring ones this week :)

I love you all!

<3 McKenna aka Kramer Nover