"If I weren't a Mormon, I would totally be a Hungarian 7th Day Adventist!"

I love being a missionary!!!! We get to have so many awesome, amazing, crazy, and incredible experiences that we honestly probably would never have otherwise. This week we went to a Hungarian 7th Day Adventist Baptism. It was quite the experience! So our landlady is hungarian and invited us to her sons baptism and said how she would be so honored if we came. [She is so adorable] We invited her to the Gladys Knight Fireside and her and her husband loved it! There were a few similarities as well as a lot of differences. They baptize by immersion, they like music [a lot! a majority of the 2 hour program was music], and they have Come, Come Ye Saints in their hymnals! [that one was a shock]. I think for me the most interesting part was just the difference in how I felt. It was such a huge testimony builder to me. It helped me to better understand how our investigators feel coming to our church for the first time and feeling the change in the spirit there. Almost all of it was in Hungarian but thankfully there was a translator there. Are you all planning our trip to Budapest next summer cause I am ready to go back!!  Of course we weren't proselyting there, but our name tags do more proselyting than we ever could. We met so many nice people there that were so welcoming. Also, tons of people came up to us and told us their different connections with the church. It was awesome!! 

Zone Conference!! I love conferences so much as a missionary. We got to watch Meet the Mormons again! Have you all seen it yet? If not, stop reading this email and go see it. Right now. Seriously. It is SO SPECTACULAR!!! New favorite movie. [Whoa! Beat out The Restoration and The Testaments!] But really though it is so well done. 

Hmm...honestly I think that is about it for this week. I'm all out of stuff to write! Y'all should ask more questions so I can answer those in my email home. Things out here really are going great. I love this area and especially this ward SO MUCH!! Transfers are coming up next week [so next week Preparation day will be on Tuesday] and I keep having this knot in my stomach that makes me think I am leaving :( It breaks my heart, but just as with the Lorain Ward and the North Olmsted Ward, I know I will love my next ward just as much. 

Everyone should go read 1 Nephi 18. I love that chapter so much. We were reading the Book of Mormon with Sister Kane this past week and that was the chapter she was on. For some reason it really stood out to me this time. My favorite was in the first verse how he says, " the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work". Sometimes I feel like I need the Lord's direction and guidance in EVERY little decision I make.  Especially here on my mission. Am I the only one guilty of this? Heavenly Father wants to help us through our missions, educations, jobs, relationships, etc., but He also gave us our agency for a reason; to use it! He will give us direction "from time to time", but we also must do our part. I love the scripture so much. So there's your little spiritual nugget from Ohio for this week!

Ohio is making us fat....

West Side Market crepes this morning!!

MACAROONS!!!!

We also had like 7 contacts there this morning. It was sweet!

Meep, meep!

The weeks just keep going faster and faster. Maybe because Sister Maddox goes home so soon which somehow gets me into the thought process that I am going home soon too. Thankfully that's not true though. I still have tooooooooons of time...right? RIGHT?! I'm sure it will go by in a flash. I mean I can't believe that it is already the holidays coming up! Crazy! Tomorrow is my 11th month mark....Yikes.

Hmm...this week this week this week...What did we even do this week? We actually had a ton of super awesome and spiritual lessons this past week. We have been so blessed!! My teaching has improved so much since I have been Sister Maddox's companion. It's great! 

We had exchanges with the other North Olmsted sisters and so I got to go to my old area!!! My favorite part? Seeing the wonderful Tryons again!!!! Brother Tryon opens the door before we even get out of the car and as he sees me walk up he gets so excited and happy and goes, "Hi sweetheart!!!" Ooh I just love them to pieces!!!! We also did a bit more raking this week as well. I love it!! It is so much fun!! Why can't we have real Fall out in Arizona??

Okay, so you know how I have told you about that little boy that has Cystic Fibrosis in my ward here? So his Mom came up to me after Sacrament Meeting yesterday and hands me a bunch of lined paper that has some writing on it and explains how he has a whole bunch of questions for me but didn't know how he could ask me them. [Since we can't be around each other] And so he wrote them all down on paper and wants me to respond to them and give them back. How cute is that?!?! He is so precious!! He wants to serve a mission so badly!! My favorite question on there was "Do you ever have to wear your vest while you are meeting with investigators?" hahaha the image in my head of me teaching while doing my vest was priceless!! I was cracking up. He is too great!!

Man, sorry this email this week is such a bummer. I feel like a ton more happened, I just can't think of it now. It all just mushes together over time. 

Here is my favorite scripture this week: 2 Timothy 2:3

[Don't worry. That's not some secretive way of trying to say that things are actually really hard out here, cause they aren't right now. Things are great!!] I just really love it! We truly are all soldiers in this war with Satan. So we might as well be a good soldier! Am I right?? 

Loves and Hugs!!

The wonderful Boulters :) They work in the mission office and are so fun and so wonderful!! I am so sad that they go home so soon. Oh Dad! This is your future doppleganger that I was telling you about!! He seriously looks so much like you but then also acts JUST like you! It's freaky...

Our cute little Halloween dinner we had over at the Schroth's! They're so wonderful. 

We may or may not have found mold in our apartment this week....

The Mormon world is so small.

Okay so last night we went to the Stake Youth Missionary Fireside and Sister Hinckley had just gotten home from her mission this past Thursday. They had invited her to come and talk to the youth a little bit about preparing to go on their missions. We came in late and so I didn't hear the first part of her talk, but then they had her come back up later and bare her testimony in Hungarian......What?! So I caught her afterwards and asked if she was in Budapest and she was!! So of course we were freaking out over that for a while and then I was like, "Oh wait! You probably know Elder Anderson then huh??" And she did! But then it gets better. I got so excited and was told her how he is one of my best friends back home! And she goes, "So you're from Gilbert then??" Yes....BROTHER BOWLER BAPTIZED HER PARENTS!!!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!? I love being a Mormon!! The world is so small!!! We were so excited!!! He baptized them back when they lived here in Cleveland! How awesome is that?? It was so much fun. Oh and the other kid is her brother.