My Beautiful City

I am SO happy right now. You guys are so hilarious. MERRY 2nd day of December!!! I have so much I want to tell you all right now! 

WALLY????? HAhahahahahahahaha! I showed my district all of the pictures and they said he is the fattest dog ever. What do they know. I accept ya Wally. I am making a rather large space in my heart for you right now. 

MY GOODNESS! Let me explain to you what Kecskemét looks like right now!

 So there is a main square with 3 HUGE cathedrals on each corner and then the pink Város (city) house in the middle. Yesterday when we were streeting we saw tons of people heading there and so of course we followed.

There is a main walk lined with trees and they were all filled with lights! Dozens of light strings dangling off of everything! They had laid down a skating rink around the city's biggest sculpture and there is a little wooden fence that people lean on and drink hot chocolate. AND THE SMELLS!!!

They have huge grills with all kinds of meat on them and people dressed like Russian soldiers serving the food. Then the walk is lined with wooden huts filled with Christmas trinkets: Pottery, sheep skins, bull whips, pig fats, wheel breads ( breads they roll onto a stick and then toast over a fire and dip with butter and sugar), and beautiful wine bottles. Then to top it off there is a little square where the gypsy bands come and play.

Everyone is rushing around smoking, laughing, and giving each other kisses. It is BEAUTIFUL. I want you all to see this SO badly. I am going to go to a Catholic mass in the huge temple, and it is going to be INCREDIBLE. I feel like I am in a different world. I am so in love with this city. I am going to cry my eyes out when I have to leave. I decided the other day that I am literally scared to go back to the country. HAHAHAHA???!! Who just said that? Oh, yeah. Adley Ray Fowers!

Alright, I am also so grateful that you are all safe! God is so good.

Thanksgiving. Oh man. 

So thanksgiving day we actually had a 3 hour long missionary meeting and so we weren't planning on doing anything super special. But we got a call from D. ( American member here, confined to bed because her back is degenerating) and she asked if we could go celebrate it with her because she would be alone and this is the time of year her husband died. Well I was super stoked because that means I get to make a mess in the kitchen :)))))))))

When I went to the store there were no turkeys! So I had to buy five small hens....Stupidest thing I have ever done. I had to rip the heart out of each of those little birds and I just about died! My companion was on the phone and I was in the sink being a wimp and pulling out organs. I just about threw up. Really. I should be a vegetarian. Then because they had feathers on them still, I sat there for a good while singeing off feathers one by one. ( Just had a box of matches.)

Now,  please remember this is all after daily planning. I made stuffing, sweet potatoes and gravy. Who's a BEAST? Me. I had to set the alarm five times though during the night to check on those chicks. Then I couldn't even eat them at D's,  BUT I did make the whole district and D. say something they were grateful for before we started to eat. It was the best Thanksgiving I have ever had in Hungary. 

We were streeting yesterday, and I set up with a Satanist. We'll see how that goes tomorrow! 

Actually it was pretty interesting how it happened. I saw this man dressed in all black and half of his head was shaved a he had so many piercings, he was smoking, and wearing inch long spikes on his wrist. I grabbed my companion and was like: " Sister, get him!" So we went over and talked to him and it was VERY interesting. He talked about how he went to a Christian school and that because he was studying to be an artist his final was a depiction of Christ. I don't actually know if he was " In it" when we talked because I don't think he was just smoking a regular cigarette, but you could just tell he was looking for something.

He talked about the crusades, and how many bad things people had done in the name of God. And you could just see an emptiness in him. And that is how it is with Satan. He hollows us out, and throws us away. I don't really know if he will be willing to change but I am so grateful for the light of Christ. I can feel God's love for us so strongly in December! He's just reemphasizing his love for all his kids and it is so tangible now. Love him.

Yep. Sure are a lot of hard things in this world. Sure are a lot of people hurting, and wanting. Sure are a lot of things that are dark and sick. Something I was thinking about this week is our fear of man. Now what does that stem from? Well, there is a need in everyone of us to be loved. Cliché to say, but true.  We can turn to anyone for love, we can do all we can to earn the love of someone, and win a friendship or two. But at what cost to ourselves? What piece of ourselves are we willing to sell to buy that? When we look back at all we have accomplished will it matter what we have built, when we can't stand on our own?

I've been thinking that what we are searching for is an infinite source of love. A pure source of acceptance. And yeah we all know who that comes from. I am perfect for him. Isn't that great? I don't have to persuade, change, or question. I am a daughter of God. And when we understand our relationship to him we receive a perfect love which, in the words of Moroni means all fears are cast out. We don't fear men. We fear God, and by fear I mean the reason for our fears are dissolved. He takes care of it ALL.  Last night, I was sitting on my bed, after my companion had gone to bed, and I just told my Father in Heaven that I loved him. And He told me he loved me too.  And I see it in the work I do, the people I visit, the ones I love, and in every one of his creations. Don't worry. Be happy. Somebody loves us!

I forgot to say......

PETER HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want you to know on your birthday I sculpted your perfect running legs out of old toothpaste. I hope that makes you feel loved. Ok. Just kidding! But wouldn't that have been great????

Peter I think you are great. You puff up your feathers like you're a rooster, but you're the smallest hen in the box. (Beep box solo insert here, remember that rap you and Jaaron composed?)

You run like a champ, you know the names to all your chickens ( which I have told to every single one of our investigators...they think you are hilarious), you like pickles, and I took you down in like 5 seconds the last time we wrestled.....You'll get better. You draw disturbing pictures of my companions, and you always make sure to say sarcastic things about the way I cook, and you laugh when I yell at you for beating up Nathan, BUT the point here is there is a little part of my heart that beats imperfectly without you. So I just wanted to tell you thanks Bro. Big old nasty fish. 

Alright....I wonder if that was it. Probably. I LOVE MY MISSION. Adrienne I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! I don't have much longer left. Time to sprint. Love ya guys. Rub Wally's tummy for me. 

Love Sis. Fowers

P.S.I found my replacement missionary out here. Her name is R. She is ADORABLE. She has cancer but she is so excited to learn more about the gospel. Man. I. Love. My. Job.

P.S.S. H. is our composer less active and he wrote a song about a scripture I shared with him ( it's an opera song!) and we practiced it before church and we were just belting and it was great.....Lame description but I gotta go!

LOVE LOVE LOVE you all!

Danielle:  (Sometimes I like to include a letter from the family.  I thought I would include this one from Rob.)

Okay, so I'm not the greatest writer.

Hey, so you probably heard- Mom got a baby!  He's fat, smells, and sleeps a LOT.  Anyway, not sure how it happened but in very Adleyesque fashion, she got this indoor dog bee in her bonnet. At first, she wanted to get a Chihuahua.  Oh, man!  I was not about to endure a tiny yappy dog who tore up everything.  Finally, she hits on this bulldog puppy she sees on the internet.  It's pretty cheap and still available.  (What he doesn't mention here is all the crying, begging, promises....)

What the heck.  We go meet the peeps to buy/look at this dog. When we get to this truck stop, we find this tobacco reeking lady holding a monster of a dog with huge lolling eyes- this is NO puppy!  Okay, it's 2 years old and has a bad hip apparently (explains the discount).  But, it isn't hyper, doesn't jump up on stuff, is house broken, doesn't make a sound and is completely content to lay around and sleep all day and have his ears rubbed.  Perfect!  I have to hand it to Dani Girl, she got a pretty cool dog.  His name is Wally (short for Walrus and he is the spitting image of one!)  He's hilarious and you simply cannot pass by without rubbing his humongous, pathetic look on his face, head.

So, Apocalypse Christmas advances!  We set up the tent in the orchard yesterday and it is so cool.  Large, green, heavy, and spacious.  It's supposed to take 4 soldiers 27 minutes to set up.  I'd say it took one old soldier and 4 cantankerous teens about 4 hours to set up and it looks pretty good actually.  I can hardly wait to set things up inside and start test running this puppy.  Mom's stoked, your bros/sis are, well, okay....  That's an improvement as they were formerly enraged and distraught.  They're warming up to the idea and it should be very interesting.  We're going to take a bunch of footage and interview the kids like a documentary...

"So, what does Apocalypse Christmas mean to you?"

It's going to be good!  This year's theme is, "Base Camp".  Next year is "The Evacuation".  The boys are suggesting Phase III be "Attack of the Zombies".

We'll see!  :)

I'm trying to be a better member missionary.  It's interesting because I hear so many people who are not members of the church, who read your blog.  You're having quite an impact on a huge group of people- both member and non alike.  Very inspiring and frankly, Adley, you have a gift with writing.  Don't let it go to your head but it is quite amusing and inspiring.

Thrive my little Red.  Continue with Honor!

Love,

Dad