Spring Cleaning Week in Budapest

Sister Bagozzi  (pictured bottom left) and her husband are here for their third mission as the office couple in the Mission Home.  They told us that the first time they were here the stacks of "junk" were as high as the second story windows.  I guess this system must be working because the stacks of junk are getting smaller!

Pro Cserehát Project - Ároktő

On the right is the mayor of Ároktő; on the left in the
center is Melinda Kassai, our partner on this project

Today, we visited Ároktő. This is a small village in northern Hungary with a population of about 1100 people with over 50% unemployment.  The mayor of the city in partnership with Melinda Kassai (founder of the Pro Cserehát Organization) are trying to help those who are unemployed to improve their lives through working and cooperating with other members of the community.  They work together in a very large community garden.  After our meeting, we toured the village and the plot of land where they will be doing their gardens.  We were impressed and amazed at how large their gardens will be. We were expecting small backyard gardens, but instead we were shown acres of land.  This organization, in addition to teaching farming, also provides counseling and community activities for the families that are chosen for this project.  We will be joining them about once a week to assist the families and engage them in arts and craft and sewing activities. 

Crossing the river to get
to the farmland

Elder Moser and Melinda Kassai looking at
plot of land where herbs will be grown.

This project was started by the couple that was here before us, the Lunds. The project here in Ároktő is in its second year.  Another village will soon be chosen for another project in addition to this one.

Leaving Aróktő

SOS Children's Village, Menedék, Youth Conference

I'm so far behind with all the things that we have been doing, I'm trying to just write a brief summary of some of the things until I get caught up.

On March 1st, we met with a couple of our potential partners to visit the projects that they would like LDS Charities to involved with.

SOS Children's Village:  For the financially challenged, they have a program where they provide chickens as well as training on how to raise chickens.  The families work together and can use the chickens and/or eggs to feed their families and eventually sell the chickens and the eggs.

SOS also provides homes where foster children live.  We visited a home in Oroshaza where 7 children live with a foster mother. The foster "mother" has 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren of her own.  She wanted to do more with her life and decided to become a foster mother.  SOS has several homes similar to the one that we visited.  Most of the children that live in these homes come from homes where they have either been abused or the parents give away the children because they cannot financially support them.  SOS provides a home as well as counseling for both the children and their natural parents in hopes to be able to reunite the families. We were extremely impressed at how clean and neat the house was and how well mannered the children were.   It is obvious that this foster "mother" is a loving and caring "mother" to these children.

Our final visit in Oroshaza was to a home of woman with 4 children.  This home was in very poor condition.  This woman's husband has left her for another woman and provides no financial support for his children.  Two of the children have chronic illnesses which prevent her from being able to work as much as she needs to.  SOS provides support and counseling to families such as this one. It is not easy to enter the home of someone who lives in such poor conditions.  It about tears out your heart to see what poor conditions these people live in.  And I'm certain that this was not even close to being one of the worst.

Our final visit that day was to a home in Szeged, a large city with a big university.  This home houses about 10 -12 young adults (18-23 years old) who are too old to be in the foster home system, but are too young to turn out on their own.  SOS provides housing, counseling, and career and financial guidance to them.  This is a very nice house.  Again - the home "mother" was very nice and it was very obvious that she truly cares about the young adults under her charge.  We were again very impressed at how clean this home was.  The fact that our visit was a surprise visit made us even more impressed.

The next day we visited a home/school in Fót, a small village just outside of Budapest.  This is a home to just 6 young refugees (unaccompanied minors). (Sometimes they have up to 20 refugee children - a couple years ago they had 300 children in the home that set up for only about 25-30)  Here Menedek (our NGO partner) houses, counsels, and teaches these children to prepare them for life in Hungary.  They teach Hungarian and English, as well as other skills necessary for incorporating into Hungarian society.  We spent about an hour with them learning Hungarian.  It was a great experience to be with and learn with these young men.

The week after this visit to Fót, we spoke at a Youth Conference for the entire country.  There were about 100 youth in attendance.  We spoke about what we do as Humanitarian missionaries and what the LDS Charities do.  We gave special emphasis to the refugees and specifically talked about the facility in Fót.  At the end of each presentation (we did this with 3 different groups) we had the youth write letters to these young men to welcome them to the country of Hungary.  We told them they could write in either Hungarian or English.  We were surprized at how many wrote their letters in English!  We hope to be able to deliver these letters this week.  We are also trying to arrange for activities where the young men are invited to participate.

The LDS Youth of Hungary

Elder Moser's Letter to Bishop Jorgensen

Dear Bishop,

            It has been just over 2 months on our mission.  Things started out very cold in Utah.  We looked at the weather map and discovered that Budapest, Hungary was about 15 degrees warmer.  We thought this was our answers to our prayers about making a very nice transition from Scottsdale to a cold climate.

            Our first day in the city of Miskolc, where we have been assigned, was an eye opener.  Our water pipes had frozen.  At 9:30 pm we got a phone call from the landlord, the water pipes were now working, but the water heater was broken, but we could use her home’s bathroom to take a shower!  So our first night in Miskolc was in a hotel with heated bathroom floors!

            A couple of weeks later it got down to -25 below!  But Jane’s Eddie Bauer thermal  coat kept her warm.  Did I mention, I didn’t have a thermal coat?

            Two days later it snowed almost 24 inches!  The comforting statement given by all people, “This is the coldest and snowiest it has been in 10 years!”  Thanks, why not the warmest?

            We love the people.  We love the work.  Every other Sunday we travel about 1 ½ hours to a town called Eger to help with the church in that city.  The good news is that Eger is called the most beautiful place in Hungary.  The bad news, we can’t see it due to the fog that has been there every time we visit!  But spring is upon us and next Sunday we go again and hope for views!

            We have made it to Budapest (2 ½ hours away) almost every week for either church meetings or meetings with NGOs that are our partners.  We traveled to the south end of Hungary last week to a city called Szeged.  It is about 5 miles north of Serbia and the “fence”, which keeps the refugees out of Hungary.  We learned about a project where families will raise chickens which gives them food and money if they sell the eggs.  We saw two sites for abused children.  Poverty and alcohol are very deadly for children.

            We then visited a school where 7 teenagers lived. They are from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Gambia, and Egypt. Here without parents and family, trying to learn Hungarian so that they can stay.  All left their countries for fear of being killed.  It is humbling to see poverty, abuse, scared children and know that our grandchildren are not being subjected to these trials.  We thank the Lord for the opportunity he has given us to lend what little help two untrained people can do to give comfort and aid.  If we do this for the least of his children, we hope that our grandchildren will have others to help in their time of needs.

            Hungary, compared to Romania, Serbia, Albania, Slovakia is a first-class country.  We are blessed to be in Hungary.  The LDS couples in those countries have greater poverty and humanitarian needs that they are dealing with.  Our prayers go out to them nightly.

            About 40% of our time is spent on helping reach out to the inactive members of the church.  Miskolc back in 1987/1990’s was one of the hot spots for conversions.  They have a very nice beautiful church building.  But due to inactivity, we average about 50 to 55 members a week.  We have a very young 28-year branch president who joined the church about 4 years ago.  I am his only counselor.  Being on time and showing up for appointments is my biggest challenge with him.  But his heart is in the right place and I must go slow in teaching the proper leadership skills.  “Free agency and how to enforce it” is an often thought that I must push to the back of my mind!

            I wish I could say that we miss Scottsdale, but truthfully, we are too busy to think much about life as it used to be.  After the first three weeks of culture (or temperature) shock, and finally being moved into a new house that does not have black mold from the frozen water pipes and scolding/ice cold showers, life is wonderful.  (Thank you, Ikea, - Budapest!!!!) (Ate Swedish meatball there.)

            The message I would like you to tell the older members of the church (55 or older) is this:

The church is in dire need of senior missionary couples.  We had no idea how much the growth of the church has been stymied due to lack of missionary couples.  Going on a mission for us was a fulfillment of a promise and a desire to go on one as a goal just after we got married (for me, but Jane agreed after 40 years of begging.).  So what I am saying is not “Hey look at us, we are great.”  We may have come for reasons other than what all “senior couples” should consider.  In other words, we look at each other and count it as luck that we asked the right question in prayer, “Should we go on a mission?”

            In countries, such as the Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the need of senior missionaries is great.  The need for the knowledge of the language is minimal.  But leadership knowledge is extremely needed.  Branch Presidents, young adult advisors, MLS (work in reactivation efforts) is greatly needed.  The growth of the church is being held back simply because we have very few senior missionaries.  One couple, the mission home office couple are here for the third time.  A majority of the couples we have met in the MTC and since are on at least their second mission.  Once they see the need for experienced High Priests and experienced Relief Society, Primary and Young Women teachers/advisor, they realize as Jane and I are coming to the realization that staying home after retirement and living the good life, may become a hindrance to our eternal progression.

            I shudder to think how I would answer the Savior to the question, “Jon, what did you do to expand the church after you were so greatly bless in your occupation and then retired?”  I had no clue as to what bullet Jane and I dodged in coming on a mission.  I exhort all couples who are in reasonable health to reflect on the promises you make in the temple and consider committing just 18 short months to the Lord to help expand his kingdom here on earth.  It will take less than two weeks to be humbled when you realize how much the Lord needs you and the thought comes to you how close you came to not answering the call to feed his sheep.  Then you will get on your knees and thank him for opening up the opportunity to serve him as a senior missionary couple.

            I hope this doesn’t come across as a “Hey, look how great we are!” letter.  I have written it humbly after awakening to the fact, once out here, how much the Savior needs senior couples and how close we came to not listening to his plea for help.  We hope that through this letter, all couples in the ward and the stake can reconsider going on missions and being able to harken to the plea for needed help by all mission presidents.  If you don’t believe me, write and ask President Rizley if he needs senior couples!

            We testify that Jesus Christ is the head of this Church.  We testify that the Church is going forth throughout all nations and that the elect of God are listening for his messengers.  We testify that if we remain actively involved in His work, that we and our families will be blessed while we are doing His work, we so testify in his Holy name.

Moser Elder and Moser Növér