Family Letter

Dear Family,

The traffic light system in Hungary reminds me of certain aspects in life.  We have previously posted on Facebook pictures that show a red light, a green arrow light, both next to a red stop sign.  Which one gives the proper traffic signal?

  Lehi, in his farewell talk to his son Jacob states, there must be opposition in all things, if not, righteousness could not be brought to pass.  Then Lehi says that all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. 2 Nephi 2.  Life, like these traffic lights, give us oppositional directions.

We are here on earth to learn wisdom.  Not wisdom of the world, but of God.  The world puts up street lights with red lights, green arrows lights and stop signs in almost every aspect of life.  There is no instruction on what to do when all three conflict with each other.  In too many situations there is not a clear “good v bad” option.  That is one of the major conflicts of life; what is correct by societal opinion, what is correct by traditional opinion and then what is correct by God’s commandments. 

At night after 9:00 pm (21:00 Hungarian time), the red lights become flashing yellow lights on all four sides of the intersection.  Only what they don’t tell you is that one direction has the right of way and the “right side” is not always the one with the right of way.  How do you learn this rule per street?  Almost get into a couple of collisions until you learn to not care about the blaring horns being honked when you slow down and enter the intersection slowly! 

Again, another aspect of the world.  Flashing lights warning people, but what is the warning light for?  No one likes it when you want to slow down to make sure the decision you are making is the proper decision.  The opioid drug problem is bad, but marijuana and alcohol is cool, but let’s not allow smoking of tobacco!  Which is good, which is bad?  The world has to rely on society to tell them, because if not, they might offend some group when they continue to believe in a position that has not changed for 4,000 years.

The one traffic light that has me wishing it was used in the U.S. is the yellow light prior to the red light turning green.  The U.S. uses only the yellow light to warn about stopping. Europe uses the yellow light to warn people that the red light is about to change to green.  The opposite street light has a delayed system built in so that cars are out of the intersection before the yellow light appears.  The U.S. uses this system in all types of races, “On your mark, get set, go!”  

Won’t the world be better off if there was a caution light that would appear, just before we started something good or bad?  Stop and ask yourself, is this the right course?  Will my efforts be positive?  However, we have warning as to hurricanes and tornados, but how many people elect not to heed the warnings and lose their lives?  How many people ignore the flashing signs about not entering in to a dip in the road during flooding and lose their lives?  So, does warning really help a society that doesn’t want to face reality?

We have most the prophets in the Old & New Testament and in the Book of Mormon giving us the yellow light of Christ’s second coming.  These signs are now being fulfilled.  But are we missing the signals because we are looking too much at our cell phones or what others would think of us attempt follow God’s commandments?

I hope that we learn what Satan correctly told Eve about eating of the forbidden fruit, “You will be like the Gods, knowing good from evil.”  But just like the world and the flashy yellow lights at night, they lie about who has the right of way.  Satan, lied to Eve when in the same statement about knowing good from evil, he told her that she would not die from her actions.  Let’s be careful, the world with all of its signals give too many false signals.

Opposition to all things was planned before we came to earth.  It is there to allow us to learn wisdom.  When we mess up and make the wrong choice, we have Christ’s atonement that negates our mess-ups.  But in so doing, we learn wisdom.  We learn the difference between good and evil.  What Satan told Eve was a half-truth.  What he didn’t realize was his choice to tempt Adam and Eve lead to humanity coming to earth.  He needed a flashing yellow light before he tempted Eve, but like a lot of people, he ignored the warning and messed up his attempt to stop God’s plan.  In this case, Satan’s cunning was no match for God’s knowledge of the past, the present and the future.  My point is that the same thing will happen at Christ’s coming; Satan’s cunningness will fail.  Let’s make sure we are heeding the right signals and are on the same road as Christ.

All of my love,

Dad

Family Letter

The Parliment Building

Morning fog over the Danube

My dear family and friends,

We have been in Budapest for the past three days meeting with two projects, 1) the head of the garden project to introduce her to the missionary couple from Slovakia and with the Red Cross’s family shelter.  We had about 15 children surround us Friday night for a special evening of sharing Hungarian breaded desserts and Grandma Moser’s chocolate zucchini bread!  They are so excited about getting a new playground.

In addition, we had two senior missionary couples here from Romania and Slovakia to spend time with them; discussing projects, the good and the bad and how to find new projects.  It was good to meet and spend time with them.  For the first time on our mission, we were able to spend a full day sightseeing and visiting the tourists’ attractions of Budapest!  Found places for the family to see next year!

Yesterday, we went to a museum called the “House of Terror”.  Sadly, it was not a Halloween theme museum.  It was about how children of God start to focus on “me” and it builds to great proportions in which the once small minority becomes the voice and control of society.  The results: over 6,000,000 Jews and millions of non-Jews being killed in World War II.  Over 25,000,000 Russian and non-Russians murdered through starvation and hard concentration camp work details (gulags) with Stalin’s reign of terror throughout eastern Europe.

Each movement began as a small splitter group screaming for “rights”.  We all know what was the result.  “Rights” that were always there, but Satan knows how to create conflicts.  How “caring” people allow the small vocal groups take control.  Being PC is more important than being a human.  Saying “No” in raising a family is important.  Saying “No” in society is just as important.  But in today’s world (including 1930's forward), the world views the Church as evil for not throwing out moral standards that have been around since Adam, all because such stands are now politically incorrect.  But in whose eyes are they not correct?  Not Gods!

Paul, while under house arrest in Rome wrote to the small branch in a town called Philippi, which is situated in the country of Macedonia, which is not too far from Hungary.  In his letter he states, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:5.  It should be noted that also included in this small part of the letter from Paul (chapter 4) is the basis of the Article of Faith 13, which is the standard on how we should act in public and toward all people.

“Moderation in all things.”  Be careful in today’s world.  We are in a situation where Europe was in the mid-1930's.  Small little groups being organized demanding rights, demanding that the majority of the people make room for their cause.  A small group in Austria became a world evil called the Nazis in a very short period of time.  Here in Hungary, as Germany was months away from defeat, Hungarians assisted the Germans in a rush to send 500,000 Jews off to Auschwitz in just two months to be put into the gas chambers.  Their payment for such crimes?  Millions of Hungarians were taken to Russian to work and never returned, all due a small group of intellectuals preaching communism from Switzerland when they hadn’t lived in Russia for over 10 years.  We are still feeling that evil Marxism through this part of the world.

Satan has plans, but most of the time he goes back to the same plan that has worked.  The phrase, “history repeats itself” is simply Satan reusing the plan over and over again and it works!

Lehi’s dream of the Great and Spacious Building was a forewarning as to what was to come prior to Christ’s second coming.  When people start to become focused on the “cause of the day” and allow it to become the focal point of their daily thinking, that is when society becomes corrupt.  Here in Hungary, neighbors turned on neighbors knowing that so doing would result in the death of the neighbor.  Why, because the cause of the day became so politically correct people actually were “forced” by societal demands to accept the dictates of the cause of the day, or worry that if they didn’t turn someone in that they themselves would be taken and killed for not accepting what is now the “popular” cause.

We hear a little about the scandal in Hollywood right now.  It is my opinion that what is not being reported is what the majority of America is thinking, “We all knew that young men and women were choosing to throw away their morals in exchange for a promise of becoming a movie start.  So why all the “surprise” and denial by the “stars” of Hollywood that such things are and were happening?”  Being PC in the entertainment world if you, like the Hungarians, want to succeed, is to shut your mouth and ignore the evil taking place.  The same can be said about America today dealing with all the “rights” movements.

I am not going to list all the “rights” movements that are currently in American news.  I will simply say, follow the example of Lehi, Sarah, Sam and Nephi.  Partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life, keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ.  Serve him by teaching your children and grandchildren the same.  Each week do something for your neighbor, for the poor and the needy.  Let people see by your actions that you have the image of Christ in your countenance.

Remember, regardless of the political party, regardless of what “appears” to be a good cause, when our daily lives are overtaken by a “cause” we have committed what Paul warned, not having “moderation.”  Even inside the church, if our sole church experience is center on one cause, we lose focus of Jesus Christ.  We partake of the fruit, then cast our eyes and look at that spacious building-the world, and its’ mocking of us.  If we are not careful, we will become embarrassed to stand for what we have been taught, for what we know to be true and we lose grip of the Iron Rod and fall into the filthy water as seen by Nephi.  We become just like that Hungarian neighbor who abandoned years of friendship and turned in the Jewish family for deportation.  We become filthy just by association.  Please, “let your light so shine for the world to see.”

Seeing the cruelty of society was not a warm and fuzzy experience.  But seeing society today marching straight into the same pattern is even more unsettling.  However, with all the foreboding of the revelations by John, Nephi, Jacob, Isaiah, et al, they all stated one mitigating fact, “Faith in and adherence to Jesus Christ’s teachings will give us the blessings of Eternal Life and “all that My Father hath”.  Mom and I are here to help relieve some of the pain and suffering.  Christ said that we will always have the poor among us.  It is up to us individually how we personally treat the poor and the needy. Government plans will always fail to “fix” the problems of the poor.

I believe in Jesus Christ.  I know that he is the creator of this earth.  I know that he is in charge.  I know that all mankind, especially those that are desirous to combine all their efforts to stop Christ’s plan for this earth, will fail.  We must make sure that we hold on to that rod of iron, the Word of God.  We must make sure that we teach our children and teach our neighbors (by example) that in Christ, we shall find eternal happiness.  No one in the world can ever offer that.

These are my thoughts of the day.  Mom and I love you dearly.  We miss you, but know that we are where we are supposed to be at this point in our life.  We know that we are making a difference in the lives of many of the poor and needy here in Hungary.  We thank our Heavenly Father daily for allowing us the privilege of so doing this work.

All of our love,

Mom and Dad

Red Cross Temporary Family Shelter Visit

On October 20, we went to the Red Cross Temporary Family Shelter for our first cooking class.  We expected to be teaching or at least observing a cooking demonstration, but that was not the case.  When we entered, we were proudly escorted to the “community room” where the tables were neatly set, complete with decorations and several plates of confections which had been prepared by the children, the mothers, and the staff.  What a pleasant surprise!

The children had set the tables and had already had a "manner class."  They had been given a role play card to either demonstrate “good manners” or a “bad manners.”  We were so impressed by all the children’s manners, that we had to ask which ones were the supposed to be demonstrating the bad manners.  Of course they had chosen the girls that were always very polite.  We suspected they might be the ones that were supposed to be the "bad examples" but I don't think they could quite pull off the "bad manners."  

One boy showed up with a nicely ironed shirt and behaved like a real gentleman.   We were super impressed at how clean and well prepared all the children were. 

We were also entertained by one of the mothers who sang a few gospel songs to us in English.  She did a very good job and the children were all very quiet and respectful as she sang.  She does not speak English, but you would never know it from her singing.  She sang one song in Hungarian and had the director translate it for us.  It was very touching for her to make this effort.  We suggested to the director that she teach the children to sing several songs for our closing dinner.  She liked the idea, so we will see where that leads. 

 

Elder Moser even entertained the children with his “dumb” magic tricks. 

 

Victor, who introduced himself as Spider-Man, surprised me with a gift as we were leaving.  He gave me a fan, glow in the dark stars and planets and a notebook.  I was overwhelmed at his generosity.  I was a little afraid that he might change his mind after we left so we asked him to keep the notebook and draw some pictures for me for next time.  We’ll see if he does. 

 
 I asked if they had group dinners like this very often.  Erika, the director, said no, but thought it was so successful that they felt they should do this more often.

Even though this was not quite what we had expected, we were thrilled with the results.  It was so nice to see this group come together in a common cause and to see all the efforts that they made.  We could tell they were proud of what they had accomplished, and we hope to be able to continue to see more positive results. We are looking forward to returning.  

Family Letter

           

This past week we have been on the road.  Saturday was in Budapest picking up the “water specialist” from SLC, back to Miskolc that night.  Monday and Tuesday, we were in Slovakia reviewing a potential water project in a small Roma village.  Then back to Miskolc to review a proposed water project just outside of Miskolc.  Then early Wednesday back to Budapest to the airport to drop off the water specialist and his wife.  Back to Miskolc that night.  Thursday morning off to a small village south of Miskolc for the “final” celebration of the gardening projects for our NGO partner and all the people involved.

beets and macaroni and pumpkin
chicken noodle swiss chard

Some of the food was really good.  However, the best part of the day was to see some men cut down a large tree.  As they began to cut the tall trunk into small blocks of trunk, bees began to appear.  Then a lot of bees began to appear.  Luckily, the men cutting the tree had special spray for the bees.  The center of the tree was gone.  In its place was a very large amount of honey combs.  For the first time in my life, I was able to connect Winnie the Pooh and a tree full of honey!  And they say going on missions have no benefits! 

Regardless of what is happening in the world.  Listen to the conference talks again.  Focus on what the apostles told us to do.  Focus on making sure that you are helping those in need. Focus on how you can make your personal life better by providing service to those you come in contact with.  They don’t have to be homeless.  I am reminded of the story of an acquaintance in the hospital cafeteria sitting next to a young man who was staring at his food.  My friend started to complain about the cost of the hospital bill for his son’s broken arm.  He then asked the young man what he was doing in the hospital.  He looked up at my friend with tears in his eyes and said, “I am just trying to find the way to tell my two children that their mother has just died!”  Others’ trials put our stepping stones into perspective.

The world is a mess.  It will get worse.  No political party, no special interest group, no government will be able to make anything better.  This condition has been foretold since Adam. Around 700 BC, Isaiah was prophesying in detail about our time.  It is here.  Do we need another Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton or any politician?  Do we need another earthquake, hurricane, volcano eruption, etc.  Whether it is global warming, global freezing, fracking, water pollution, etc. it really doesn’t matter.  We have been told that in the last days all of nature will be in a state of turmoil.  And regardless of what all the movie stars and politicians think, man cannot change the earth’s climate nor conditions.  God is in control.  Man can’t even dress the “lilies of the field”, let alone affect the climate of the earth.

I leave you my testimony this week that I know that God is in control of everything.  I know that Jesus is the Christ.  That he created this earth and worlds without number.  I know that man has no power.  If we will understand who is really in control, our lives will become much simpler.  I bear you my testimony that if we follow the prophet’s wish of reading the Book of Mormon daily, our lives will improve.  Our families will be happier.  And we will make a positive influence upon those around us.

Dad 

Visit from the Water Specialist

Last week we had a visit from Elder and Sister Merkley, water specialists for LDS Charities.  We picked them up at the airport and then spent the rest of Saturday sightseeing in Budapest.  This was a first for us.  In all our trips to Budapest, we had never had a chance to be "tourists." 

Heroes Square

After church on Sunday, we were joined by the Humanitarian Missionary couple from Slovakia, Elder and Sister Schultz.  We traveled up to Lillafüred to see the fall colors.  We were not disappointed!  

Monday, we visited the Lyuko Valley, a community on the outskirts of Miskolc.  We are working on a potential project for this community as well as trying to help improve their water situation.  I will post a PowerPoint that we prepared about our potential project which has a lot of information about this community. 

One of only about 6-8 water pumps in this community of 

4,000 people.  People walk up to 1 km several times a day

to fill their containers with water.  The steep "roads" are often

muddy and icy.  

In spite of not having running water in their homes, most

have electricity and satellite dishes.  

A common occurrence several times a day.  

This time only to find that the water pump was not working.  

Beautiful location.  This used to be a summer retreat for the 

residents of Miskolc.  Now it is one of the largest and poorest

Roma communities.

Elder Merkley (at the pump) is a water specialist from Utah. 
He is looking into the possibility of LDS Charities put in
more water pumps into this area.  Elder Schultz, a
humanitarian  missionary in Slovakia, is looking on.

Monday afternoon, we drove about 2 hours to Presov, Slovakia, where the Schultzes live.  We went to this quaint restaurant for a light dinner.

Elder Schultz leading us into a restaurant in Presov, Slovakia.

Dinner in Presov, Slovakia

In 2013, LDS Charities did a water project for this community.  

Our visit was to look at the possibility of adding to 

this project to expand the supply of water. 

All over the community were group of women sweeping the streets

This row of homes is the result of a project supported by 

Habitat for Humanity.  The family must save 2,000 Euros 

and then they are given a grant for 8,000 Euros and taught 

how to build their own home.  They pay back the 8,000 Euros 

over time.  So far, about 12 homes have been built in this 

community.  LDS charities is looking into supplying a water 

source to these new homes. 

Tuesday afternoon, we drove back to Miskolc for a meeting with The Order of Malta, the NGO working with us in the Lyuko Valley.  

So glad we had this sign to show us which way to go.

We would not have wanted to end up here!

Wednesday morning, we were up bright and early to drive the Merkleys back to Budapest for their flight to Romania.  Then to an afternoon doctor's appointment, dinner with the Bagozzis and the Bradshaws and home again to Miskolc--arriving home at about 10:30.  Just in time to get some sleep to be ready for the next day's activities - District Meeting and an all day program and lunch in Hejokersztur for our gardening project groups.  Of course, our Chocolate Zucchini Bread was a very welcome contribution to the meal.