Mike

There is actually a falu (village) named Mike!



Welcome to Mike, Hungary!



A field of grain in Mike.



A crop of trees just outside of Mike.

Back to Slavo's House

We are at Slavo's house again for Rozsa's second lesson.

Slavo is speaking in Serbian with Sister Vasica while Sister Mason is speaking in Hungarian with Rozsa, while Elder Peterson and I are sitting there bewildered.

Slavo takes Elder Peterson and I for a walk during the lesson.

Slavo's German friend is selling this house.  It is gorgeous.  Slavo showed it to us--just in case we were interested.  It is beautiful.  Well, we didn't go inside.  But check out the backyard.

This is the back of the house.

This is the pond behind the house.  There are hundreds of fish in there.  It's a man made pond.

See the frog on the lilypad?  Just like in the cartoons!  They really do sit on them!!!!

In about a week or so, Hungary is going to be filled with sunflowers like these.  This is just the beginning. . .

Back to Kisbajom to see Evi and Zsuzsi

Zsuzsi's life is about to change as she delivers twin girls!  She is holding up quite well!



Nagymama Evi is very kind and good to her grandchildren.



Oliver looks older with his new haircut!



Evi is reading from the Book of Mormon as Sister Gordon watches.



This is the stove/oven that they have in the yard for those hot summer days.



This is an older picture of Jazmin.  She was inside asleep on the day we came.  She wasn't feeling well.



This is also from our second visit.  Sister Gordon couldn't resist playing with the pigs.  This last visit, the pigs were in the back behind the fence.  Evi does not like the messes they make in the yard, so the days of the wandering pigs are over.  It was fun while it lasted.

Transfer Time

We lost Elder Fitzgerald and Sister Gordon and gained Elder Lister from Fort Collins, Colorado and Sister Mason from Laguna Beach, CA.  Elder Szerdi stayed, and so did Sister Vasica, who is not in this picture.



Sister Mason, Elder Szerdi, and Elder Lister.  Elder Lister is a greenie.  Sister Mason came out with us.  All terrific.

A Visit to Slavo in Csokonyavisonta

Slavo is a member of the church who is from Serbia.  Actually, when he was born, it was called Yugoslavia.  He speaks Serbian, German (he worked in Germany for many years), English, and a smattering of other languages.  He just doesn't speak Hungarian.  He is a very unique and talented man.  This is his house.  We went there for the sisters to do two teachings.  Both of the investigators are his neighbors.  He did not need to speak Hungarian to invite them!  He says all you need is enthusiasm!!!  Slavo's house and yard are very interesting.  He has worked hard to make them beautiful.



Meet Slavo:  born in Serbia when it was Yugoslavia, worked in Germany for 40 years and retired here in Hungary.  A genuine polyglot who does not speak Hungarian.



Meet Sister Mason from Laguna Beach area and remember Sister Vasica from Serbia, our sister missionaries.



Slavo showed us his backyard, which is huge and beautiful.



This is the fig tree he brought back from the dead.  His neighbor was throwing it away, and Slavo saved it.



This is a great bench Slavo made.



Some of his trees in the yard.



Slavo built this swing.  It's great!



This is his outdoor workout area.



This is the indoor workout area



Indoor workout area part 2



Entertainment room.



Nice bathroom--one of three.



The kitchen.  Very nice.



And this is why we came.  Sister Vasica is teaching Jozsef about the Book of Mormon.



And Sister Mason is teaching Rozsa about the Book of Mormon.

Wedding Anniversary

We took a day off and went to Budapest to spend the day with Mary and Paul Richards.  We go way, way back to the good old days at BYU! They were about to embark on an extraordinary Viking cruise on the Danube River, or as we Hungarians call it, the Duna.



The view from this picture is the Pest side of the Danube River.



We are looking at Buda from the Pest side of the Danube.  This is from our hotel balcony.



This is the hotel room.  Study time!

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Out the window, looking at one of many bridges that go across the Danube.



We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant next to the Danube.  This little group did a great medley of Fiddler on the Roof songs.  Honest, we were there.



The next morning we met up with Mary and Paul.  We are so GLAD that they gave us one of their vacation days!  This outdoor cafe was near the Jewish Synagogue we toured.



Mary and Paul treated us to a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Budapest.  It was a very, very pleasant day and we found seats on the top.



This is a very ornate synagogue that also serves as a memorial to the many thousands of Jews who lost their lives in 1944-1945 near the end of WW II.



It is also gorgeous on the inside.  After being severely damaged during the war, the government helped survivors to restore the synagogue.



This is a group of mass burial plots where perhaps thousands of people who died in the ghetto during WWII are buried.  Actually, I'm not sure how many are buried here.  Some of them are known, but many of them are not known.  Some froze to death, others starved to death.  It's a huge blot on the good Christians of Budapest.



This tree looks like a weeping willow tree. Each "leaf" represents a person who died.  Some leaves have names on them and others don't.  Since each leaf represents a person, it is very thought provoking to look at them.  You get a perspective of the hugeness of the tragedy.