Szervusztok kedves barátaim és BOLDOG KARÁCSONYT :)

First of all, i need to say what an amazing experience it is to be a missionary on Christmas day. Christmas in Hungary is A M A Z I N G. it is 3 days long. The 24th is "Szent Este" and families decorate their trees together and the Baby Jesus brings the kids presents. On the 25th and 26th everyone has  work off and it is basically a wasteland out in the streets because everyone is with family for both of those days.

It has been kinda a crazy two weeks. I don't know if I already said this but I am still serving in the beautiful city of Vesprém. I am training the perfect Sister Jensen. She is from North Salt Lake, Went to Woodscross high school, and we actually have a picture of us racing each other in Hurdles in 8th grade. haha small world right? Well she is just perfect and we are having tons of fun together. Veszprém is a super hard city work wise, so we have just been trying our best to find some investigators, and teach this amazing gospel that we have been so blessed to have in our lives. 

So i have been studying this talk called "the fourth missionary" which has completely changed my mission haha. I have to share with you guys this part from it that i feel like so perfectly depicts how we should act in not just our missions, but our lives back at home

"Just give it up. Surrender your will to Him. Unconditionally. Withhold nothing. Turn it all over to Him; all of your desires, wishes, dreams and hopes. Be true and faithful in your head and in your heart, not just in your behavior. Trust in Him. Trust Him who knows all things. Trust Him who has all power. Trust Him whose love for you is perfect. Trust Him, who alone suffered, paid and atoned for your sins, and for your weaknesses as well. Trust Him that He will make of you, immeasurably more, than what you will ever, ever, in all eternity, make of yourself. He will create of you a masterpiece. You will create of you only a smudge. You will create an ordinary man. He will create a God."

you guys, just give it up. It is honestly that simple. Give up your will to the lord. That is the difference between those that are doing good, but not happy in their lives, and those that are doing good, and are happy. They have just completely given up their wills to God. I KNOW that that is not exactly easy, quite frankly it is terrifying. but that is how i have found happiness out here on a mission. It is how I (hope) am changing, its how we CAN change, and how we can become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, every single day. which ultimately, isnt that our goal? 

Persze élet sem kőnyű, de istennel, Kónyúbb lesz 

Sok szeretettel, 

Swenson Nővér 

On Tue, Dec 27, 2016 at 2:47 PM, Lindsi Elizabeth Swenson <lindsi.swenson@myldsmail.net> wrote:

1.  How's was your Christmas dinner at your Branch President's house?Oh just incredible! they are amazing people. So so nice, so generous, and his wife makes the yummiest food i have eaten in hungary!! AlsoI got to skype with my adorable family so that was kind of okay ;) 

2.  When is your next time in Budapest?

It is on January ! for New missionary Training

3.  Did you do anything for Pday today?

shoppppinnng for warm clothes. Hungary is sooo cold holy cow. 

4.  What is the next Hungarian Holiday?

honestly.. i dont know haha 

5.  Are you writing down the hungarian Christmas traditions that you want to keep with your kiddos?well of course!!

6.  You need to think about a Birthday list now.  :)

haha how long do i have to thiink?!

7.  You said holidays were kind of two days in Hungary....what did they do on the second day of Christmas?

above in the email i think i answered that guy

8.  Do you have any dinner appointments with the branch this week?

No one in the branch, but we do with a memeber family and my amazing Investigator Ildiko!!!

9.  Do you have to be in early for New Years eve?

yeah we have to be in at 9!

10.  Did you know that you somehow managed to be even more beautiful when we saw you on Christmas than you were when we saw you on Mother's day?

Haha i adore you. thank you for sending me that incredible dress!

A hét tele van csodákkal!!

Kedd: We had a lesson with Aniko our bap date, and Teri her mother (shes a less active) We have been fasting and praying ENDLESSLY about this bap date because its kinda a weird little situation we are in, and we also asked the branch president to come with us to our lesson and to be a member present, and to help us try to figure out what to do with the situation. Our branch President was amazing, and Aniko is progressing so much. We made her this little "keresztelés" (baptism) calander with little things she can do every day to prepare for her baptism. When she came in she was so excited to tell us about all of the things she read in the BOM and all of the stories. Something that I thought was so cool, was that she said that she used to not be able to understand anything in the Book of Mormon, and it made her really frustrated, and she didn't like reading, but now she understands EVERYTHING and loves it. guyyyyyss people can change! it's incredible to watch her go through this change. I just feel way too blessed holy cow. 

Szerda:  Sister Evans and I planned to go visit this inactive member named Magdi Néni in this little falu called Hajmáskér. We had this picture with a letter on the back to give to her from one of the Elders that served in Veszprém. When we first got there, we went to ring her csengő, and no one was home, we were so bummed cause it's kinda a huge trip to go to Hajmáskér, but we decided to tract around in the little családi houses. On our way back to Veszprém, Sister Evans had this feeling like we should go check if she is home again. We csengőd her, and this time she answered, but was just SO rude to us. haha like so unbelievably rude. We had to literally beg to get in to just give her this gift that Heaps Elder gave us to give her! She finally agreed and let us in, and then EVERYTHING changed. When we got to the door she was just the nicest, cutest lady i have ever met.

We talked about God's love, and how the church is like a hospital, we are all sick, and we all need the church. No one is perfect. Not one member!! At the end of the lesson she fed us a meal, gave us milka bars, christmas candy, and literally took her christmas decorations off of her wall to give to us, and apologized profusely for being so wicked at first. The gospel softens peoples hearts, i will tell you that!!

Csütörtök: we had district meeting in Székesfehérvár, and I left my phone on a buss!!!!! ahhh typical Lindsi. but then literally got it back by a miracle.

Péntek: INTERVIEWS with President. I absolutely adore my mission president. interviews are the best. I had the opportunity to talk to him about the "perfectionist" thing I have really been studying a lot lately. his answer to me was "why?" why do i feel like i need to be perfect? Guys i didn't have an answer for him. WE do not have to be perfect. that was never in the plan. We simply just need to try. 

Vasárnap: Aniko came to church for Fast Sunday. The fast and testimony meeting was incredible. towards the end i had this really strong feeling to turn to aniko and tell her if she wanted to bear her testimony that she could. . She didn't know that she could bear her testimony if she wasn't a member! so i asked her and she said:

"but i dont have a testimony like these guys" and

 I said, 

"yes you do!! a testimony is just what you believe in, what makes you happy, things that you have learned" 

she looked right back at me and said "thats a testimony? okay then i want to tell them"

then she went and bore the sweetest testimony i have ever heard. PEOPLE CAN CHANGE YOU GUYS. I am watching it happen right in front of my eyes. 

I love being a missionary, I love this work, I love the Christmas season, I love you guys!!!! have the best week. dont forget to #LIGHTtheWORLD