Szia Magyarországból!!! (Hello from Hungary!!!)

Hello all!

I am currently IN HUNGARY!!! Woohoo! It has been awesome! Let me tell you about my life since we last "talked." :)

(Just FYI, though-- it is an experience typing on an Hungarian keyboard!! The y and z are switched, there are additional letters, the symbols are in different places, and the computer tells me every word I type is spelled wrong because it is in English!! So if there are some funky mistakes in this email, sorry! I tried my best!)

(Wow, I'm just looking at my journal now-- so much has happened!! This is going to be a loong email!)

Anyways, let's take a quick trip back to the MTC before I talk about Hungary:

Our last TRC was on the Thursday before we left. Daybell Testvér's wife, Daybell Nővér, requested Christensen Nővér and I to teach her. We talked about charity and the importance of choosing to love in all aspects of life. She had not seen us in a couple of weeks and told us that we had improved SO MUCH! I think sometimes it is hard to see our own progress when we only move a little bit forward every day. But really, we have grown so much in so many ways since we started our missions a couple months ago! So that was nice to hear :) Afterwards, we all gathered around the Daybells and they gave us advice about Hungary. Daybell Testvér challenged us not to sit by our companions the first Sunday and to introduce ourself to the Bishop and ask to bear our testimony in sacrament meeting (stories about that later).

The Friday before I left, we had a new thing called in-field orientation, where the entire day was filled with workshops about in-field life. Much of our life in the MTC focused on teaching and learning the language (both very important) so this helped us learn about the practicalities and miracles of life in the field (missionary life away from the MTC), like working with the Spirit, goal setting, and working with members. Some of the workshops were taught by returned missionaries from this mini-documentary called "The District 2" that is used to help teach us (it just follows the missionaries around in the field while they are planning, teaching, etc.). So basically, they are "celebrities" in the MTC haha. One of the Hungarian sisters joked that she would get one of them to sign her Preach My Gospel (missionary study manual). She didn't actually do it. But it was funny!

The other days were basically full of goodbyes, pictures, and packing.

We did have a cool presentation about image that I really liked- the lady presenting said something I really liked: "Beauty is defined by action. Image (makeup, clothes) is a form of etiquette." Basically, those things are not beauty, but rather a courtesy to those we are with. It shows we care. And she told us to always ask ourselves if our image reflect that we care. Does our image reflect that of the Savior?

Anyways I'm going to skip ahead to traveling. We left on Monday afternoon from the MTC and we were all so excited. It was a weird experience getting on the bus and leaving the MTC grounds, where we had exclusively been for the last two and a half months. It was my district, some missionaries headed to Paris, France, and another missionary who had to go home because he had cancer (sad). We got to the airport and that was where the beginning of our adventures begin.

For those of you who do not know, I have a travel curse. It has previously struck by cancelling flights, forcing me to ride subways with tons of luggage, and sending me to Utah and my luggage to Scotland. (just a few examples) It came on in full force this past flight:

At the airport, I realized I couldn't find my little ticket thing they had printed for me at the MTC. It was ok, though, because we still had to check in and it was electronic. However, the bus driver insisted on calling just to make sure. We got in the airport to check in and the kiosk read my passport but refused to let me check in. (Travel curse.) I had to go to the little desk, where they checked my luggage, and tried to print my boarding pass off but they couldn't (travel curse). They finally realized that they had checked my luggage under the name of another missionary and that was why they couldn't. They finally got it all fixed and we went through security, where we were finally able to talk to our families a little bit. (Not for very long since it had taken awhile). We got on the plane, where I was actually graced with a window seat for the 9 hour flight. Which was awesome. The flight was great. We talked to a bunch of people, played games, saw the sun set and rise, slept, etc. I was so excited when we flew down into France. It was a lifelong dream come true to go there. I may or may not have seen the Eiffel tower in the distance (probablz not) but I like to think that I did! We got to France, got off the plane, walked through the airport and through a little check point. After that, we went to get our passports to go through customs. Guess what? Travel curse had struck again! I, absolutely horrified, realized that I did not have my passport with me! I knew I must have left in on the plane (and prayed really hard that it hadn't somehow been left in the SLC airport). We said a prayer, then begin the task of finding someone who could speak English that could help us (yeah, some advice: DON'T lose your passport. Especially don't lose it in a country where they don't speak your language!!!) We finally got to the right desk and they called to have someone check the plane. And then we waited. And waited. What was supposed to take 15 minutes ended up being an hour wait. But that was the cool part of the story: I prayed again and read 2 Nephi 4 about the Lord being our support and removing obstacles. And I felt the BIGGEST, BEST feeling of calm and peace. I KNEW that it would all be okay. I am not so sure that my companion was as confident as I was :P But we went up and asked again after an hour and a nice lady tracked down my passport for me! They had someone run it to us and all was well :D Although, the airport people were like, "Losing your passport is not a good idea, silly American girl." I know! (In my defense, I had checked my backpack before we got off and it was there. It just fell out while I was stuffing stuff into my backpack.) But I know the Lord really does watch us for us. I knew he wanted me to go to Hungary and would help the person looking find my passport. I know He blessed me with peace. And it all worked out okay, just like I knew it would. We got through customs super fast (there was NO LINE) and got to our gate with 2 hours to spare. And then I just wandered around the airport trying to understand French, eating French croissants. It was fun! Our flight to Hungary went without incident (we all had window flights, which was neat) and we arrived in Hungary Tuesday night :)

My first view of Hungary was of fields and houses with red roofs. We saw some cities the lower we descended. And in the airport, we talked to Hungarians (this language is REAL)! They told me I was adorable. (This has happened a lot since. They think it is really cute that I am trying to speak their language :P)

We were picked up by the APs. One of them turned out to be my old roommate and friend, Annie Anderson's, friend who I had met once and heard lots about, which was neat! It made a strange country a lot more familiar. The mission president and his wife were also there. We piled into cars and drove to the mission home. Budapest was all around us and I just stared out the window. To be perfectly honest, it is a city. It didn't feel all that different than other cities I have been in. It has beautiful architecture though! At the home, we had dinner, then went on a mini tour of some tourist spots.

The next day, we had breakfast, interviews, and went onto the streets with some missionaries. They gave us some Book of Mormons and some cards with info about our church on it and told us to talk to be people. My comp and I were lucky because we got to go with one of the experienced missionaries first and see an example. He actually talked to someone who was interested and he was able to give her a Book of Mormon and get her phone number so they could set up an appointment. That boosted our confidence! When it was our turn to talk to people, I just marched up to people and started talking. No one was interested haha :) That is okay though! I loved the experience anyways! I didn't come here expecting a lot of people to talk to me (heck, in real life, I don't like talking to random people on the street so I totally understand how they feel). I am here to offer the chance and do my best to show them the blessings this gospel brings and why it is so important in my life and how it should be that important to them too.

After lunch, we went into a room where our new trainers (missionaries who have been here longer that would be our new companions) were waiting. We sang songs, introduced ourselves, and then were assigned. My new companion's name is De Leon Nővér and we are serving in Kispest (part of of Budapest)! I love her! I KNEW we were going to be companions when she introduced herself and said that before her mission she loved Indie Rock. It was meant to be haha :) But really, we are a perfect fit and we keep finding funny connections between the two of us (we know a lot of the same people from BYU. We actually lived in the same apartment building there!) She has only been here for 7 transfers, but she has served as a trainer for mini-missionaries (who are Hungarians who serve a mission for 6 weeks or so) so her Hungarian is really good from SYL-ing for the last few transfers. We were assigned, took pictures with the mission president, grabbed my luggage, and then went. We bought a public transportation pass for me, and lugged my stuff across the subways to our new apartment. I didn't even have time to unpack because we had a program scheduled! I loved it :) They put me straight to work!

So, basically, I am a true missionary now! I have been working hard for the last few days! We have taught a lot of appointments and talked to a lot of people. We have set up a table in a park a few times with information on it and Books of Mormon. When people get off the bus, we talk to them about the book and if they are interested, give them a free copy and set up a time to meet with them again. I have talked to a few people all by myself and gotten their numbers and given them books! It was super exciting!

I definitely do not understand everything people say. They speak REALLY fast here. But I have found that I understand a lot through the words I do know and through context. And people were constantly surprised that I only got here on Tuesday. We went to a concert put on by missionaries and members on Friday with some of our investigators. At the refreshments afterwards, my companion told me to go introduce myself to church members and people. So off I went! I started talking to one member, by telling him I enjoyed his song. He started talking to me and eventually asked me when I had gotten to Hungary. I told him Tuesday and he could not believe it. He pulled someone else over and told them about that and said he thought I had been here for at least six months! I know I have a long ways to go with speaking but everyone is very complimentary of what I can say! This type of experience has happened often! And everyone always tells me I am adorable haha. De Leon Nővér jokes that the plan is to get me ready to be a trainer by my third transfer (which is 18 weeks here). I don't know about that! But I am working hard at improving! And De Leon Nővér is always giving me opportunities to grow. She will just ask me to explain stuff and share my testimony in lessons or talk to people. And so I am forced to talk! And it is great for me :)

I do not have time to tell you all the lessons we have taught but I will tell you a little bit about some of the people and what we do.

We have three investigators with baptismal dates!!! And bunches of other people that we have taught! We did the second best in the mission this past week, according to numbers (counting lessons taught, Book of Mormons given, etc.)

One of our investigators getting baptized is a little girl of 9 years old (Orsi) who is so excited and reads her children's version of the BOM every day! (It is fun to talk with the children because they just go and go and go. It is good practice for me to hear them speak and they are so friendly. They don't mind helping me with Hungarian!) Anyways, this last lesson with her, we brought the 17 year old that will be baptizing her with us and we practiced what the baptism will be like. It was so cute! I sat with her at church this last Sunday (not near my companion!) and she drew me a picture of a Hungarian house in my journal and gave me a bracelet.

Another story about church that will make you all laugh-- somehow I was signed up to accompany the children's primary program in sacrament meeting next week! I don't really play the piano? Haha :) But I one-hand accompanied them yesterday as they practiced (and all the little kids gave me encouraging thumbs up during and came and gave me hugs afterwards and told me I was really clever), and I have been practicing so I can actually do it. That's kind of been my welcome to the country-- we're glad you are here, let's put you to work! And I love it! That is why I am here! But maybe you could all pray for me for next Sunday!!! I will need the extra help!

Another investigator is named Zsuzsa. I didn't even realize she was our investigator at first because we met her at the concert and she just took me under her wing, pushing me to the dessert table and introducing me to everyone. And then she bore her testimony to another investigator there about the church!!! So I didn't even know she was investigating till afterwards!

Everyone here gives puszi (spelled wrong, I think, sorry) which are two kisses, one on each cheek, when you greet and say goodbye to someone you know. My first morning working, the Hungarian version of an Italian from Long Island (I swear he somehow even had the accent in Hungarian! It was funny) gave them to me and my companion. She apologized afterwards (because we are sister missionaries so we don't usually do it with men. although I wasn't that weirded out-- it just reminded me of home) but said apparently that happens quite often haha. They are very friendly and protective here once you get past the shell.

I've had some Hungarian food here, but not much yet. I've had a LOT of chocolate :D :D We actually had gyros one day, which was kind of random, but I mention this because, Dad, they actually pronounce the g and stuff here. You would appreciate it :P But my companion and I cook for ourselves a lot and are experimenting! Feel free to send recipes :D

I love it here! The city is perfect for me! The ward here is the strongest in Hungary and the members are so nice! And I love how many people are here for us to talk to and how there is always something happening!

This email is ridiculously long (I'll try to edit myself in the future) so I will end now. But if you all have any questions, send them my way!! I would love to hear about your lives (and see pictures TOO!). You are all allowed to email me, and that might be easier for most now, I don't know. But just so you know, my address here is:

1191 Budapest, Templom Tér 5

The address on my blog is the mission president's home. That works too!!!

For those at BYU, I know there is a super cheap option to send letters internationally in the mail place in the bookstore.

Anyways, keep the love coming! I will try to write to you all promptly. I am BUSY here though!! We work all day long! It is the best though :) And I know it will just get better and better as I grow!

Find someone to serve today! And do it with a smile :D

LOVE YOU!!!

Kramer Nővér aka McKenna

FINAL WEEK IN THE MTC

Hello everyone!

Consecration week is at an end! Today marks one entire week, during which I spoke just Hungarian and gave up things that were dear to me (desserts and mail) to consecrate this week to the Lord. It's been a really special experience. Let me tell you a little bit about it:

Last week, we started speaking Hungarian once we left the Provo temple after doing a session there. The session was really special and powerful. Fun coincidence: I ran into a sister who had served in my ward in Connecticut in our session. She remembered every one of my family members' names. Isn't that cool? Unfortunately and a little shamefully, I couldn't remember her name and have since forgot it again. But it was a testimony to me of the love you grow for those you serve on your mission. Anyways, after the session, we were all prepared to start Consecration Week. Some members of my district waited at the temple doors for an extra little bit of courage to step through them and start this difficult thing. I was determined to show no reservations (my companion isn't as comfortable with the language and was really nervous about this week) and just march through that door to show that it was a great thing we were doing that we need not be nervous about! I was busy marching and literally had one foot moving over the threshold when a temple patron asked us where we were serving. I quickly halted and retracted my foot so I could tell him about Hungary in English! After that, we marched through the doorway and begin our Consecration Week.

It has turned out to be a really special experience! It's been hard, for sure. We don't get many of our own pleasures in the MTC, so it seemed SO HARD at first to give up desserts and mail! Especially since I got some interesting looking letters and reeeeally wanted to open them and see what they said (a special thanks to those who wrote me during this week! It was much appreciated!!)! We were invited to goodbye "parties" full of junk food! AND for the FIRST time in my MTC experience, they finally had Graham Canyon flavored ice cream while I was in the cafeteria! BUT!!! By giving up those things, it really drove home the point that they are not why I am here on the mission. I am here to serve my God and His children. Those things are nice, but I really rely on the Lord for comfort. It was really empowering to realize that I don't NEED those things I thought I needed so much.

Also, giving up English was NOT easy. It wasn't too bad with the other Hungarians (even though we mostly only know how to talk about gospel related subjects) but there are only 12 total Hungarian speakers in the MTC. EVERYONE else has no clue. And EVERYONE wanted to talk to me this week! I'm not sure why! But it was an interesting trial of my obedience. And I'm pleased to say, I remained obedient to my promise! I spoke only Hungarian! As my little brother's district told em today at breakfast, though, I am REALLY good at charades now :P I told them I have had a lot of practice here!

Anyways, I think sacrifice brings us closer to the Savior. After all, did he not sacrifice everything for us? Has he not suffered everything with us? Sacrifice enables us to be more legitimate representatives of the Savior, I think.

Not much time left! But some other great things from this week:

-Well, this actually happened last week but I forgot to write about it. I received one of my most favorite compliments ever! A sister told me she loved my outfit and style. She told me.... (wait for it).... that I have SWAG. I'm pretty sure that means I'm cool, now :P

-The TRC was great this last week! It was super comfortable and we were told we speak really well! Even though I know my Hungarian is nowhere near perfect, it was nice to hear :P And even though I have a long ways to go with speaking, I feel like I can understand (American) Hungarian really well! In the comment sheets, both individuals said that we had taught them new things and inspired them to change to be better. Woohoo! Fulfilling my missionary purpose now!!

-Also, we had General Conference this past weekend! Maybe my favorite weekend ever!!! For those of you who don't know what that is, basically the prophet and apostles and other leaders speak to all the members of the world on topics they felt inspired to teach us about. It was SO GOOD. My favorite talk was probably from Women's Conference (parents-- can you post it on my blog) by Elder Uchtdorf. If you haven't seen it, PLEASE watch it!!! It was given at an all-women's conference, so it is directed at women, but I think it is applicable to everyone! Watch it all the way through! There are some really powerful points in the talk, culminating in, basically, YOU are loved. (Psalm- "When I consider the heavens... what is man that Thou are mindful of him...? Answer: We are God's children!)So watch it! I also loved his talk during General Conference on Saturday. (His speaking style really connects with me, what can I say?) Another talk I really loved was by Tad R. Callister about the Book of Mormon. He talked about how the Book of Mormon and the Bible together are necessary for establishing the true church of God on the earth. If you are unsure what the Book of Mormon is or why we have it, check out this talk! SO GOOD! Also some other favorites (just for general knowledge purposes) were Elder Eyring's and Elder Hales. What were your favorite talks? And why? Or has there been a quote that has inspired you? Share it!

I am SO OUT OF TIME!!!

I leave for Hungary on MONDAY! We leave MTC at 1:30 or so and fly from SLC to PARIS FRANCE (!!!!) to Hungary! I am so excited to serve this special people that I ALREADY love!

Wish me luck! Send your letters to Hungary after Monday! (And PLEASE keep writing me! I appreciate you all so much!)

Love you all!

<3 McKenna aka Kramer Nover

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

Another week (9?)

Hello all!

Time is FLYING! I cannot believe that I am in my NINTH week in the MTC! To put this in perspective, I have gone through three English transfers and one foreign language transfer. I leave in less than three weeks!! Crazy! I will start my Consecration Week (an MTC tradition where you speak only your mission language (mine being Hungarian obviously) for an entire week before you leave) one week from today! Bahhhh! I am excited though! I go to Hungary in less than three weeks!!!!!!!!

Fun news from my tiny world:

-We had ANOTHER apostle come and speak to us! We are on a roll!! I am totally okay with them making this tradition, though, haha. We had Elder Russell M. Nelson come and speak at our devotional last night. Like all devotionals, it was great! I learned so much! The Choir sang "Lilies of the Field" (which some of you will remember I have sung in church with Rachel and Kylee) before he spoke. Quite a beautiful song. And then he spoke exclusively about the Book of Mormon. The church had put out a special issue of the Ensign/Liahona this month entirely dedicated to the Book of Mormon. Elder Nelson told us that he wanted us all to have one, and, in fact, we were all given one last Thursday with the challenge of reading it by Sunday. It is great! It has testimony from each of the Twelve and personal experiences and history timelines and so much more about the Book of Mormon. I highly suggest you all read it! What really came across to me is how lucky we are to have the Book of Mormon. It is a gift from God. For those who don't know, Joseph Smith didn't write the Book of Mormon. Rather, he translated ancient writings from the prophets in America. It's a companion to the Bible and it is GREAT. It is the foundation for all we believe. Anyways, Elder Nelson spoke of the importance of the Book of Mormon as the foundation of our religion. You know the BOM is true and you know Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God and the church is true. And the cool thing is? Everyone can know for themselves if it is true by reading the book, thinking about it, and asking God. So I challenge you all to read from the Book of Mormon every day! That book has POWER to change lives for good!

-Daybell Testver left this past Saturday :( Sad day. I know that he is doing the right thing for his family, though, so that is okay. After class on Saturday, during which we begged for story after story and thought after thought from Daybell Testver, we took pictures and drank sparkling cider. I don't know if Daybell Testver realized how much we all loved him. He was definitely one of the best teachers I have ever had and taught me so much. Half the class cried after we left the room for lunch (we tried not to cry in front of him). We were able to give him a fun gift, though. Johnson Nover is a really great artist, so she drew a cartoon version of our district and teachers (uncanny resemblances, I promise). Each of us wrote a personal note on the back and then laminated it for Daybell Testver. It was personal and neat. In my note, I included a note I had translated for him, "Mindig amikor egy csengo megkondul, egy angyal kapja szarnyait." It means "Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." Baha. One day in class, we went around in a ciricle telling a story (in Hungarian) about Peter a Sarkany. (Peter the dragon). It was to help with our "umms." I can't remember if I told you all about this, but basically the elders said Peter was sad because he couldn't fly and died. Then it was the sisters turns. Christensen Nover said he was resurrected. I said he was happy now because an angel gave him wings and he could fly now. And then the story ended happily. Daybell Testver couldn't remember the word for wings at the time, though. So, I wrote that sentence to always help him remember :P

-Another fun story! Daybell Testver was our investigator "Mate" and on Friday, during our last lesson with Mate, Christensen Nover and I challenged him yet again to be baptized. (Not because it was our last lesson, btw, but the timing just worked out really well.) We had asked him to be baptized a few times before and he responded with he had already been baptized and then he just wanted to learn more first (he didn't feel ready) on those occasions. This time, we bore our testimonies about the importance of baptism and then challenged him to pray about it right there. It was so special. He asked God if it was what he should do. After the prayer, he told us his heart was pounding and that he knew baptism was important. He told us he wanted to be baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Christensen Nover and I were so excited, we could NOT stop grinning! After the lesson, we did a happy dance in the hallway! It is so NEAT to be an instrument in God's hands in helping people come to know their Savior personally and helping them take the right steps!

-The four of us Hungarian sisters want to try out to sing in a devotional or fireside. We were thinking maybe the Olive Tree? If anyone has any great suggestions for a song, send them my way this week! (With the music, too, if you have it!)

-We have been hanging out with Elder Jennei (the elder FROM Hungary) a lot and it is so cool to talk to him! He is totally willing to just talk and talk about Hungary! And he told us our Hungarian is really good! That is comforting to hear. While my Hungarian is nowhere near perfect, at least a real Hungarian can understand me when I talk! Yay!

Anyways, sorry to all those I wasn't able to write this week. I've been a little sick, so when I have free time (never really) I've been trying to sleep to feel better. I WILL write you all back though! I love hearing from all of you! Anyone, feel free to write with questions, stories, whatever

Love you all!

-McKenna aka Kramer Nover

Week 8 (I think?)

HELLO!

So listen to the week I've had:

-In TRC (the Teaching Resource Center, where volunteers who speak Hungarian come in, and we teach them small lessons) this week, we had Daybell Testver's wife (she comes in every week) and a sister who just returned from her mission in Hungary one week before! Crazy, right? She had been Daybell Nover's greenie in the mission field, so they came in together. It was SUCH a cool lesson. We taught about Joseph Smitha and I was able to recite the First Vision in Hungarian to them. It was one of the most powerful spiritual moments I've ever had, I think. While I spoke the Hungarian words about this American boy who lived 200 years ago, I felt such a burning feeling in my heart. I know that was the Spirit testifying to me that Joseph Smith DID see God and Jesus Christ in a grove in New York. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, who restored God's church to this earth! The rest of the lesson was just as cool and powerful. Sister Feller (the newly returned sister) wrote afterwards on our comment card that she "Loved it!" and "felt the spirit." She "loved that they made me bear my testimony. That threw me off and it was just what I needed!" And as a result of the experience, she wrote that she wants to "Come more often!" How validating! How cool! I love that we are able to help strengthen testimonies now! Also, at the end of the lesson, she gave us a Milka bar from Hungary! Very delicious chocolate!

-I finished the Book of Mormon last week sometime. That means I have read it once since I have started my mission (start keeping track!). As with every time I read it, I learned SO MUCH. I think the Book of Mormon is the foundation for my belief and knowledge of the truthfulness of what I am teaching. It wasn't always easy to read and study. But, as I've read it time and time again, as I've taken classes about it, as I've followed the principles taught within it, I've come to know that it is scripture. It IS the word of God. And, more than that, I followed the promise given in Moroni 10:4-5. That promise states that if we ask God, he will tell us that the book is true. I've done that and felt God's love and felt the truthfulness of the book. I was able to do it this last week and I just felt peace as I prayed. I know it is true. And THAT is what I think is so cool about going on a mission! It is not like I am trying to force anyone to "join our church." Rather, I am an inviter and a teacher. I invite people to learn more about something that is so cool and important and true. I can teach them about what we believe. But the cool thing is, I can say all I want and it still won't matter. What changes hearts and changes lives and converts people is when they take the questions of whether what I am saying is true to God Himself. Because it is a true promise (read Moroni 10:4-5) that if we pray with true desire to know, we will receive confirmation (not from our own minds but from the Holy Spirit) that all this is true. And that feeling of God's love is the transforming power that causes me to know and act today. So, yeah, sometimes (sometimes often) life is hard. But I know where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going. Through the scriptures and church, I have the "recipe"for happiness. And I know that Christ loved me enough to die for me and you so that we can return to live with Him and Heavenly Father someday. That peace (both through the Spirit and knowledge) makes every hard time here on my mission worth it. It helps me get through those hard times. So, if any of you are still reading after that giant paragraph :P, I would like to challenge you to start reading a chapter of the BOM every day with me! If you don't have a copy, the LDS church will send you a free copy! And as you read, think! I will start posting my thoughts about what I read. Hopefully you will comment what you thought! And that way, we can read through this awesome book together :)

-This week, my district is focusing on charity as one of our goals. We are studying it in the scriptures. We are finding ways to serve. We all have envelopes in front of our desk that we place nice written notes to each other every night. On Sunday, we are going to read all of the notes we received from our classmates. I would encourage all of you to have a charity week! The Beatles said, All you need is love, and they are right! We can never have too much kindness and love. So try this with your families and friends! And I promise you that your week will go so much better as you focus on other people other than yourself!

-I've made a lot of random Hungarian connections this week! I sat next to a girl who is half Hungarian in choir the other day. She told me everything she knew in Hungarian and told me to say hi to her family if I find them. Some other sister who held the door for me said her Grandma was Hungarian. We've taught about half the MTC campus how to say hello in Hungarian, I think, haha. (Servusz). Also!!!!!! THERE IS A HUNGARIAN MISSIONARY HERE! He just arrived yesterday. He is from Hungary, going to England. To realize how cool that is, there are only 4000 members in Hungary. And one of them is now here! I haven't been able to meet him yet, but the other sisters who did said that he told them Hungarians love brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Apparently they don't exist there? So feel free to send me some recipes so I can make those for the Hungarian people!!!

-Some sad news: Daybell Testver is leaving. His wife got a job, so he is leaving this one to focus on school (he is applying to the Accounting program). He is the best teacher I've ever had and a large part of it is that he just really truly cared about us. Also, every single thing he ever said to us about the gospel or the Hungarian people or the language made me consider those things in a new way and taught me how important it is to serve with love. The entire class (and him) might've cried when he told us. His last day is this Saturday. They already have a new teacher hired. But Daybell Testver said he will come to the TRC every week until we leave so he can still be part of the process with us. I"m glad! I love him!

Out of time!

Love you all! Send stories, pictures, whatever!

<3 McKenna

Another Week (Hooha, Time is FLYING!)

Hello Everyone!

Today has been a GREAT day! Wonder why? Well, I'll tell you :P

-Adams, my little brother, came to the MTC today! YAY! He has been called to the Brazil- Porto Allegre North mission, but his visa hasn't come in yet. So, instead of going to the Brazil MTC, he came here to Provo! Today is my P-Day, so I was able to see him when he came in. My dad had said that he would be arriving around 12pm, so my companion and I made sure to wait by the curb about 10 minutes before then. I was so nervous that we had missed him! I was pacing the wall and scanning the entrance when I saw this tall figure just waiting by the gate. I did a double-take when I realized it was my older brother, David Seth. He had come (unexpectedly to me, at least) to drop Adams off! I was so excited to see him that I jumped up on the wall and yelled his name and waved my arms. Security wasn't too happy with me haha :/ But mostly because they thought I was yelling at random people or a friend. When I explained it was my brother and pointed to my brothers coming in the gate, the security man told me that I better go and say hi. (They like families here in the MTC.) So I ran over to the shuttle that had just driven in and gave Adams a giant hug! (We are allowed to hug family, don't worry!) We were able to take a picture of the three siblings :) I'm so happy that Adams... I guess I should start saying Elder Kramer, actually, haha! Anyways, I'm so happy that ELDER KRAMER is here! I'm so excited every time I see him on MTC campus! And I hope that I can help him adjust :)

-Another reason why today is awesome? We are getting kicsi (pronounced keechee) today! This means that a new Hungarian district is coming into the MTC today! There is something very unique about this district, though. I've never heard of this before, but there are NO elders in the district! Instead, we are getting three Hungarian sisters! Crazy! I was able to meet one of them already (verrry quickly. I just gave her a hug and welcomed her.) but we put little notes and treats in their room. We'll for sure meet all of them tonight! And then we will help mentor them through the MTC! Hungarians are all really close (because there are never very many of us haha), so I am so excited to get to know these new sisters!

Ready for my random list of stuff this week???

-I guess I've never really told you about the floor I study on, have I? It is mostly a 12-week language floor. Next door we have the Albanians, then down the hall are the Estonians (there are just TWO total! And elder and a sister!), and the Finns. Also residing on our classroom floor are the Greeks (all of them are from different countries in Europe!), the Georgian (there is only ONE elder!), and some random Spanish elders. It's a pretty awesome floor.

-We've decided to start SYL-ing (Speaking Your Language) every day we can. This is helping our language a lot already! I can tell! I think I am one of the best two speakers in the class. We've gotten to the point that we understand most of the grammar principles. Now it is just a matter of applying said principles and memorizing memorizing memorizing vocab! I am officially halfway through the MTC (weird) and I have a lot of work to do!!!!!

-We got new desks! They are great! They are big enough that our stuff doesn't slide off them! And we can write on them with dry erase markers. That really helps with memorizing! So far, I've memorized some commitment questions, the First Vision, and Moses 1:39. (I was actually able to recite the First Vision (one of my favorite passages of scripture) to David Seth today! I don't know that I did the greatest job (I got nervous saying it to someone's face instead of the air, like I normally do!) but I made it through it!)

-Everyone loves my shoes! The elders in our district thanked us for not wearing boat shoes haha. But I'm always getting compliments on the shoes I wear (so thank you Dad and Mom!). Both my running shoes (which are bright blue and yellow-green and are probably my favorite sneakers ever) and all my other shoes. I love that I can still have a little shoe collection here :) All my other clothes are working really well, too! I love that we can be colorful as sister missionaries! It's so fun! There is a give away bin on my floor that the Hungarian sisters and I have been finding cute items in. We've been storing them in a closet that we call the "Traveling" closet (first we had the traveling skirt (like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), then the closet haha). Anyways, I guess I just wanted you all to know that I am still me, even though I am a missionary!

-The weather is starting to get cooler. It's weird when I think that it is September already! I have been here parts of three months- July, August, and September! I can't believe it is starting to become fall. How is school, everyone?

-Some interesting Hungarian tidbits: Stephen (my father's name) is István (pronounced Eeshtvan) in Hungarian. For short, you can say Pisti or Pista (pronounced Peeshtee or Peeshta). In my class, we have created investigator characters for ourself so that other missionaries can teach us the lessons, and we've chosen Hungarian names to go with those characters. Cox Elder, in my district, named himself "Pista Kék" which, first of all, is backwards (in Hungarian, the family name goes first, so it should be Kék Pista), but, more importantly, is pretty funny because it is kind of pronounced like Piece of Cake.

-Another fun Hungarian word: hug (pronouced hoog). It means little sister! I love the English coincidence, though! I love giving my little sisters hugs :D They are just so huggable!

-A fun Hungarian phrase (translated): potato! Yup, it's about as random as it seems. Apparently, in Hungarian, when they fist bump somebody, they say (in Hungarian of course) potato.

-We had mission conference this past Sunday. We have it every Fast Sunday. Our mission presidency and their wives spoke and it was so good! They are all great men and women :) Our mission president decided to just go off notes and speak from his heart. He spoke about missionary work and about how he worries about us. He wants us to be the best we can be. He shared his feelings with us. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the room!

-I recommend that everyone check out Mormon.org and the "I am Mormon" videos! There are such a variety of people in this church! The gospel is for everyone! Because it is TRUE!

Anyways, I'm out of time! Keep sending me the letters and love! I really really really really appreciate all the support that has been shown!

I love you all! SMILE! Be happy!!!! I know that I am SO HAPPY right now! And it is the hardest thing I've ever done! But, I have a lot of peace and joy knowing that it is the right thing. And knowing that God loves me :) I wish you all that same peace and joy!

<3 McKenna aka Kramer Nővér

Another Week

Hello All!

Sorry my email last week was so random! I forgot to bring my list of what to write about last week, so I was just writing about whatever popped into my head. But never fear! I have a lovely, LONG, extensive list this week to write about :) So enjoy:

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has been writing me and sending me packages! It is MUCH appreciated :) It's kind of funny, though. I feel like I'm getting so behind on responding-- in fact, I've been writing in letters "Sorry this has taken me so long", etc. However, I realized that some of those letters had only come a week before I was writing back. Which isn't really that long of a response time. However, every week here seems like a month! (In a good way!) I just have so much going on that my sense of time is skewed, I think, haha :P

I gave a talk in church two Sundays ago. They assign talks differently here in the MTC. Actually, they aren't really assigned. Basically, each week, every missionary in the branch writes a talk on one of the points of the missionary purpose (faith, Atonement, baptism, Holy Ghost, enduring to the end) and then, in sacrament meeting, it is announced who will be giving their talk. I was that lucky person! Baha. My talk was on faith in Jesus Christ. I literally had written only two things down-- a page number in Preach My Gospel and a scripture reference (which turned out to be the wrong one haha). But lest you be fooled, I had put a lot of thinking into the topic (one of the branch presidency had told me the week before that my turn was coming "soon." I didn't actually think he was serious, but I thought I should be prepared.) and the talk went really great!

I've been watching a lot of the videos on LDS.org and Mormon.org. A lot of them are so good! I recommend everyone check out the one about the Bible on LDS.org homepage (or homepage archive). A quote I really really enjoyed from one of these videos ("We Lived with God") is, "The more we look at the universe, the less it looks like a great machine and the more it looks like a great thought." I know this is true. There is an LDS site for the youth (who knew?) and there is a video of the temple dedication in Ukraine. I loved it because it showcased the celebration for the temple and all the youth in surrounding countries that had come to celebrate. I loved it so much because the teenagers in the video are like the teenagers in Hungary-- pioneers of the gospel in their country!

We had our first SYL (Speak Your Language) day this past Friday! It went pretty well :) I was surprised by how much I could say and sobered by how much I couldn't :P It is going to become a weekly thing for our district, so hopefully that will help with speaking Hungarian. One of the hardest parts of Hungarian for me is figuring out the grammar while I speak. It's pretty complicated so, right now, I speak pretty haltingly. I know it will get better as I practice, though!

We said goodbye to the ösi this past Sunday. They flew out to Hungary Monday morning and got there sometime yesterday, I think. Before they left, the elders loudly chanted this famous inspirational Hungarian speech (translated, something like: "Hungarians, on your feet!"), like a Hungarian haka (I don't think that is spelled right). Pretty sweet. And we all took a lot of pictures (which I still haven't sent because the photo machine here is perpetually broken!). It was weird to say goodbye to our mentor group. They've been such a big part of the MTC experience for me. But I know that they are all great missionaries and Hungary is lucky to have them. Plus, I know none of them wanted to stay one more day in the MTC. Twelve weeks is a long time!

If they had stayed one more day, though, they would've had a really cool experience! Guess who was our devotional speaker last night? I'll give you a hint: We all stood when he entered the room. He and one of my brothers share a name. He tells it like it is. That's right! Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Twelve Apostles, was our speaker! And it was SO COOL!!!!!! I literally took 8 pages of notes haha! Most of it was directed at missionaries, but it was so cool. Basically, he said be the best you can be always. I know that he is a true apostle of God. I know President Monson is our prophet. I know this because I have prayed about it and God had let me know it is true. Plus, they give the best advice EVER!

Hungarians are SO cool. We've been learning a little more about their culture and history here and there, and I am in love with the country and its people. I don't know how much of its history you all know, but basically, it's been beat up a lot for a long time. Most recently, they were under Communist rule for a long time. Sometime in the fifties, though, kids about missionary age (19-21) decided to take their country back (there are still people alive in Hungary who fought in the Revolution). Using homemade bombs, they actually took their country back! But none of the UN nations would back them and the Communists came back with tanks a couple of weeks later. About that same time, the Olympics were happening. Hungary was (and is) famous for their water polo team. They had to choose whether to compete or not, and decided to compete for their fallen families, friends, and country. They made it to the finals, where they faced the Soviet Union (!!). That game was later described as a war. The water was apparently red with blood. And, when they finally called the game due to violence, the Hungarians had destroyed the Soviet Union. They didn't even allow them to score one goal. The Hungarians are full of spirit, despite all of the oppression they've suffered. Their national anthem is actually a prayer (written when the Church was getting restored, ironically) that asks God to bless the Hungarian. I am so excited to serve such a strong and enduring people.

We are spreading a love of Hungarian to lots of other missionaries here! Kind of haha. Basically, everyone is really fascinated with us and our name tags (because our names are backwards) so we talk to a lot of other missionaries. We usually teach them how to say "Hi" in Hungarian, and, after that, we hear Hungarian greetings all around MTC campus. It is neat!

We had a fire alarm here on Monday night. Probably one of the crazier parts of my week :P (Yup, we know how to live it up at the MTC haha!) It was after we were in our residence hall for the night, and some girl burned something in the microwave or something. But we all had to evacuate the building (loudest, most piercing alarm noise ever!) and sit outside for forty minutes. Fuuun.

We have some characters in my district. One of them is Cox Elder. My teachers call him "Aranyos" or "baby adorable". Daybell Testver said he wouldn't call many men adorable, but Cox Elder is an exception. For instance, the other day, he went up to fill in a chart at the board and did a little dance. Every time he filled in a part of the chart correctly, he sang "Tokeletes" or perfect! My other teacher, Erickson Testver, who is usually very serious, cracked up and sang "Tokeletes" with him and at the completion of the chart, led the entire district in singing it haha. It's kind of a thing now! My district is so fun and we are like family here at the MTC.

Here is the tongue twister I couldn't remember last time: Jamaika a Jamiakaiaké. Pronounced Ya-ma-ee-ka a Ya-ma-ee-aa-ka-ee-aa--kay. Not that hard, right? We also learned the longest word in Hungarian. Get ready: megszentségtelenithetetlenségkedéseitekért. That is actually one real word. It's some Catholic term (not used very often) that means for all of your alls' unsanctifiableness.

Another fun thing we were able to do recently was recite the First Vision in Hungarian outside on a beautiful morning. It was such a special experience. I think that the First Vision is one of the most powerful scriptures ever, and it was a new experience for me to say it in Hungarian.

Some interesting notes about Hungarian that I learned. When we pray in Hungarian, we ask the Lord to bless us so that we SHOULD do something. I think that is a cool way to pray. The Lord definitely wants to bless us and help us. However, we should help ourselves to by doing the work necessary to recieve those blessings. I thought that was neat.

Another cool devotional that I wouldn't to share really quickly before I run out of time was one about inviting people unto Christ. The woman speaking cited 1 Nephi 10:18. There is a way prepared for ALL men to come unto Christ. Do we really understand that every person we meet is a choice child of God with a way prepared to receive the gospel? She talked about the importance of commitments. And I would just like to challenge you to invite someone to know a little more about your faith. Invite them to read your favorite chapter of the BOM, to come to church, to come to Family Home Evening, to come to dinner. Be bold and confident! You could change someone's life :)

Keep sending letters! Feel free to send me packages :P Or even better, stories and pictures about you and your life!

Love you!

Sister Kramer