Couple's s Conference in Budapest

 We left Sopron Wednesday morning and arrived in Budapest early enough to get the tires on our car changed, along with the other couples who have cars.  We had to take about 5 or 6 cars down to get the tires changed.  While we were at the place where they changed the tires, Elder Bailey and I were asked  to drive two of the cars back that were finished.  I would guess we were about a mile from the office.  When we were driving out of the shop, Elder Bailey, who was leading out, turned the corner, just as the light changed and I didn't make it through.  Miraculously I found my way back.  But that is faith promoting story for another time. 

President and Sister Baughman provided the training.  They are such cute couple and very inspired in how they run the mission. Listening to him conduct and run a meeting is inspiring. The couple in front of him is Elder and Sister Gudgell, who we stayed the night with.

  

After the training we headed into Budapest, to a very nice Hungarian  Restaurant.  The atmosphere was incredible with  a group of six men who played music, three violinists, a bass player, xylophone player and a clarinet player.  The company wasn't bad either.  The meal took about two to three hours from start to end.

The Gudgells  ordered a four-meat platter.  It really looked good.  And the french fries were excellent. The platter cost 3700 forinths which is around $17.  

Then we headed back to the mission home for some games.  The only one we played was a game called "Vampires."  A lot of you have probably played it before.  it was a lot of fun, but you can guess who was the first one out during the second game.  (I just can't figure that out!) The fellow on the right with his legs out towards the middle of the room, is seriously visually impaired, having had a stroke in both eyes.  He was once a surgeon.  When you watch people like that take the challenge to serve, it kind of takes away a lot of the crutches we all use.  PLUS, they are serving for two years, unlike the rest of us who are serving for 18 months.  

 

These pictures above are both views of Budapest from the Gudgill's yard.  The bottom one you can see a prominent building in the middle.  That building is not far from the mission home.  Elder Gudgill said the church should buy it and make it the temple in Hungary.  It really is pretty.  I took these the morning after our night there.  They, the Gudgills, even left a chocolate bar on our pillow when we got there.  (There is a subtle hint there for the more perceptive of you.)  
 On Friday morning Elder Gudgell and I went to the hivetal to get my residency card. Now we are both in Hungary leagally but it wasn't easy. We then met at the mission home and went to the second largest Jewish Synagogue in the world.  Below are some pictures of it.

It is impossible to get a picture of the entire front.  Imagine the tile worker putting this together. 

After going through a metal detector, each man was given one of these to wear if he didn't have a hat.   

Wow, look at the size of this chapel in the video below!

These are random pictures of the inside.

They had a memorial to the holocaust victims.  The ladies who talked to us were  very passionate about what happened at that time, certainly with justification.

Next we went into a museum of old artifacts.  Above is a hand written copy of the Talmud, the Jewish scriptures.  They are part of our Old Testament. 

The guides quoted familiar stories.  It was a very interesting tour and certainly plucked at my heart strings, as I have read a lot about the way the Jews were treated during the Second World War.

We then went to an outdoor restaurant and had lunch.  Look at the wheels of the bike suspended above the diners.  The wind was blowing seeds off the trees above and it made it interesting tying to keep our food clean. We think the name of this restaurant is called The Bike In The Air  but we just have made that up since we still don't translate all that well!

  

After lunch, we all went our separate ways.  Below are some random pictures we took of Budapest.  You can perhaps see why some say it is the sixth most beautiful city in the world. 

 This was in the museum at the Synagogue.  It was cut out of a single piece of paper. (talk about patience.)

The thing I enjoy most is the intricate sculptures on these buildings.  Here are a few beautiful examples.

 

 These little girls  were so cute dresses in their traditional costumes. They must have been dancing somewhere around the Parliament Building

The American doctor for the Embassy works here and is in the ward here in Budapest from Price, Utah.

A new buddy that Shauna stood by to help her look thin, is it working? 

This is the statue of Ronald Reagan, which we posed for back in February. Notice, no coats!  Behind it is the Parliament Building.

This is the escalator that took us to the subway.  Notice how people stand to the right side so people can pass them if they want to.  It is considered a common courtesy.

 Notice how these two people are blocking the left side, Stupid Americans!

This is the American Embassy Building with the American flag flying. It was nice to see a reminder of the USA.

We just wanted to quit with a picture of God's handiwork. This is a picture of the hill just above our home taken when we were almost there.  We sure love you all.