Greetings from Kecskemét!

This is my MTC district at the map.

Well family and friends, I made it to Hungary.  I am currently serving in Kecskemét. In other news, the only word that hasn't been "mispelled" is Kecskemét, so I think this is the real deal.

It has been awhile since I have written, so I will try to catch everyone up in the best way that I can.  The MTC was fantastic.  I absolutely loved it.  Getting all packed and leaving was a lot less stressful than I thought it would be.  I packed everything that I wanted, and I made it under weight!  Only by a couple of pounds, but it was still a victory.  Did Tom get my packages?  Hopefully you understand what to do with all of the odds and ends I sent home.  Oh, and Mom, please forward this email onto those people I listed in that package.  I met so many great people in the MTC and I want to keep them involved with my új life. 

Jakey Jake at the airport.  He is moving to London.

The airport was good.  The phone cards weren't all that helpful.  I called Mom, and then I called Rachel while Dad drove home, and then I went to call Matthew and it said I was out of time...  So that was really quite dreadful.  Luckily, Elder Miller had purchased another card and he let me have it, so I could call the parents again and talk to both of them.  I am sorry I didn't get everyone called.  Please know that I love you, and that I desperately wanted to talk to all of you.  Hopefully you know there is someone in Hungary that loves you.  Oh!  But, I did see Jake Hillyard in the airport.  That probably means nothing to my family, but to my friends from Logan that might be of some interest.  I will send the picture we took. 

We landed!  I felt so sick.  Just nauseated and motion sick.  But the mission president and his wife told me to just lay down and rest and the Carpenter's (They are the awesome couple from Perry) got me some ginger ale.  It was delicious and I felt a lot better.  My first meal in Hungary was taco salad.  My second meal in Hungary was cold cereal, and my third meal in Hungary was a burrito from some Mexican food place.  (Don't worry, the Elder's did make a Hungarian meal for my companion and I on Saturday, so I have had one Hungarian meal.  Ha.)

Anyways, my companion is Jeppson nővér.  She grew up in Maryland, went to SVU, and her family is now living in Colorado.  She has been on her mission for a year.  She's really nice and reminds me a lot of Jami Butler.  We've taught a handful of programs already to so many different people.  Old people, young people, less actives.  It has been pretty cool.  Jeppson nővér is really cool at letting me say a couple of things every lesson, and then after our program we will talk about what was said, and thus far I have kind of understand the general theme of it all.  Ha... she did tell me all of the things one of our investigator had said, and I honestly had no idea any of that had happened... so that was funny.

Oh!  So, on Friday we went to teach a part member family.  We were really excited to go and we knew they lived in a little town that we would travel to by bus, and we were so excited to street and tract after our lesson.  We wanted to contact people that were less likely to see us everyday.  The daughter we were teaching met us at the bus station, and it was so cool.  She was so happy!  People here think it is the strangest thing when I smile and wish them a good day, and so when I saw this girl just smiling and waving I got so excited!  The gospel really makes people happy.  It is the best.  Anyway, we got on the bus and we headed out to Szentkirály.  We got off the bus.  We were literally standing in the midst of fields.  And then we walked a dirt path, road, thing for 5 minutes or so.  We realized we probably weren't going to have much success tracting or streeting... Their house was the only one that we saw the whole time.  I learned a lot of words for animals while we were out there.  They had goats, dogs, cats, chickens, a goose, and a bird that I thought was maybe a turkey, but my companion and I aren't really sure on that one.

We went tracting on Saturday.  We got into a classy 10 story!  At least, that is what my companion called it.  It took us a long time to have someone let us into a building, but a man I had given a free English flyer to just opened the door when he saw us walk up the steps.  Tracting is way fun!  I definitely can see how people get depressed.  No one let us in, and only 3/30 apartments listened at all...  That is actually super depressing when I put it like that... but I loved it!  One large man opened his door and he was only wearing his boxers.  He saw who we were and just said, thanks, and closed the door.  Not an uncommon thing come to find out.  My favorite thing that happened.  We rang the bell and were just waiting outside of this apartment.  We can hear people talking, and there was some sort of bird or something and we wanted to see what it was, so we were just waiting for them to open the door.  My companion whispered to me, they think we're the Jehovah's Witnesses.  They didn't come to the door, so we rang again.  He let out this big ol, jaj!!  He never came to the door... but his sigh of despair was just what I wanted to hear.

Church was really great.  The ward here is phenominal.  I sat next to Istvan, a recent convert, and when we sang the hymns he used his finger to help me follow along.  I was asked to bear my testimony, and I was terrified, but I said what I could, and I cried.  So, I sat down, and a little boy came up to me and showed me his collection of buses and trains he has made out of paper, and then a lady gave me a tissue.  The language is really hard.  But, I have never really felt hopeless or alone.  It has been pretty nice.  I am so grateful for my companion, she helps me out a lot, and the people in the ward were very patient with me.  Some people I understand pretty well, but some people sound like they have a marshmallow in their mouth.  One day... I will understand them!

So.  That is most of my letter I think.  Feel free to give me suggestions on what I should write about.  I am sure once things aren't so "new" I will write my letters a little bit differently, but for now this is what you get.  Leah!  Thanks for the great email.  It was really fun to read.  I really like having a physical letter, but we only check mail at the mission home at every transfer, and I don't have the address to our apartment, so I can't give you that either.  Best of luck with all of your stake choir stuff.  Exciting.  I sang in the choir yesterday.  That was fun.  My P-Day is on Monday.  Grandma, I loved your email too.  Thanks for the love and encouragement.  Parents.  You both wrote basically the same letter, which was funny to me.  Sounds like you are keeping the ol BC safe for me.  Good.  I hope everyone enjoyed a nice peach this weekend (or whenever Peach Days was) for me.  I had some peach juice, which was delicious.

The church is true!!  I love it with all of my heart, and I am so grateful to serve the Lord, literally, everyday.

Szeretlek,

Kennedy nővér 

Pictures?!  Cool.  

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My very first tordulrodni.  YUM.

These are pictures at the main square

Perkins nővér and I at Gellérthegy.