A little about Dunaújváros

From Wikipedia:




(Danube River)

Country: Hungary
County: Fejér
Area
- Total 52.66 km2 (20.3 sq mi)
Population (2008)
- Total 49,183
- Density 935/km2 (2,421.6/sq mi)


Dunaújváros is one of the newest cities in Hungary. It was built in the 1950s along the Danube River next to an already existing village, Dunapentele, during the Industrial Revolution. It was to be the site of the largest iron and steel plants in the country. It was originally named Sztálinváros after the Soviet leader Stalin. In 1956, construction was slowed by an earthquake, a flood, and late in the year, the Hungarian Revolution. On November 26, 1961, after Stalin's death, the city's name was changed to Dunaújváros, or "New City upon Danube". Today, the city is one of Hungary's boomtowns.

Christmas

So if you don't know, when a young man or young woman goes on a mission, their calls home are pretty limited. I'm not all-together sure why that is, to tell the truth. I've always known it and it's just the way it is. But they call on Christmas and Mother's Day for sure. So Friday morning we got to talk to Josh for a while and it was great! He's with Elder Wilcox and they're doing well together. They had a baptism scheduled for the day after Christmas and hopefully that went really well. He's not far from Budapest now, he's in a town whose name I gave up trying to pronounce--Dunaujvaros. The name means 'a new town on the side of the river' (Danube). It's a steel town that was built in the 1950s so it's not as old as some of the other parts of the country. He also explained something-in his past emails sometimes he'd write that they'd gone to "Pest", which I assumed was short for Budapest. But he said there are different parts to Budapest, one is Buda, the other Pest. So it wasn't a nickname but an actual part of the city.

He shared with us some of Hungary's history and some stories he's been told by some of the people there. He said they had a very cold snap, -15 celcius (or close to 0 in Farenheit), the other week, but it was warmer again now. They actually don't get a ton of snow, historically. He likes cooler weather so he's loving it. His two areas so far have been in the southwestern part of the country, there's so much of it he hasn't seen yet. He said for their Christmas zone conference the mission President and his wife asked everyone to bring some of their favorite photos of the country to share and Josh said he saw some AMAZINGLY beautiful pictures of places he hopes to go.

He said his sneakers that he took have a hole in the one sole so he needs a new pair, but we can't really mail him a pair of sneakers. They would get stolen! He said some people mail one shoe at a time to try to prevent that from happening. I'm wondering who is doing the stealing? Given that fact and the high cost of mailing packages from the States, we told him to go shopping for shoes but he wears a 14, hopefully he can find some there!

He did receive the two Christmas packages we'd sent, which included a bunch of notes from friends and neighbors. We also sent him Pringles, which I heard weren't available over there but I guess they are now but they are really expensive. We sent Oreos and peanut butter, a long-sleeved SUNS t-shirt, and some other things. I forget what all we sent. Anyway, it was good to know he did get his packages.

One thing he said they do over there is "whip". There is a man who hand makes and sells whips and the missionaries all buy one and they learn how to crack it and do all kinds of things with them. He said the most fun is to swing it over your head and then all of the sudden jerk it the opposite way and it makes the loudest sound ever.

He occasionally forgot an English word for something he was trying to share with us. That's usually a sign he's immersed in his new language. He said he had a 45 minute conversation with an investigator from the Pecs area and when he hung up he realized he'd just spoken Hungarian the whole time without a problem. WOW!! So he's getting much better at the language and it's really sinking in.

Since it was Christmas Day there were some families who had them over. For breakfast a family cooked them what are basically crepes with a Nutella sauce. Mmm! After we talked with him they were heading out to another dinner appointment. I'm so grateful to those who take them into their homes and share what they have.

We're happy for him and hope he continues to be safe and have a positive experience. He always enjoys hearing from people and tries hard to write those who have written him, although sometimes they get pretty busy. He appreciates everyone's love and support, words of encouragement, and sends his love!

Today's email:

First off my new address is
2400 Dunaújváros
Lajos Király Kör
13/2/3

The move was a pain in the butt. I lugged my life basically in a few bags about a mile to the train station at like 6 in the morning and then had a nice 3 hour train ride up to Budapest, but after that was fine. I'm one of the first ZLAs (Zone Leader Assistants), just the lack of missionaries in this mission is making things a little harder here and there. But the ZLs get cars and both get phones and so I get all the benefits of being a ZL. I get my own phone, which I will use to call you guys at around 10 am on Christmas if that's good, just because any later there will be later here and we can only talk for 1 1/2 hours.
I also get to spend the winter season in a car for the most part except for streeting, but I get to serve with a ZL who I went on splits with back in October and then it turned into another one of those we became friends and were both like, hey I wonder if we will ever serve together, but then we were both like, ahh probably not, he's a year and a half out and I'm just barely over a 1/4 so we never thought it would happen but then it did. He's a hard worker so it's making me work harder and so I'm already getting into a good habit as a younger missionary.

Before I forget later, what is Roland's email? I want to email him too.

Ya I'm pretty spoiled with the first apartment I got. The one I have now is a lot smaller and not as good. Everything still works, but just with how big I am and how used I am to lots of room it makes things a little more difficult because I have to work so much more for such a simple task. It's not thats it's hard, just annoying.

Ya I got an e mail from Dieter talking about Elder Baumgartl, and so I called him and asked him if he remembers Dennis and he said ya, I told him that he's gotten to meet a relative that I don't ever think I've been able to meet and that it IS a small world that he already knew my family before we even met on our missions.

I saw the blog briefly too because some members here wanted to see some pics of you guys and I didn't have the book (Costco photobook of the first 20 years of our family) on hand so they brought out their lap top and I looked on there and the only pic I could find was the one where we were all crying right before I left. I almost started crying right there. It's so sad to see people crying, but when it's me and my family and I can remember exactly why and how hard it was, it just makes it hard not to get teary-eyed for me.
The little boy in the pic is Hunor. (who-nor) he is in the Pécs branch, but that pic was takin just outside the Dunaújváros branch house becuse of the multi-branch conference that was held there a while ago. So it's wierd that I've been up to Duna a few times and then now I serve here. Duna is the Danube river, but thats what it's called here. But he is one of the coolest little kids I've met here and we are pretty good buds. I miss that branch down there. It's almost like leaving family all over again every time there is a transfer and either a comp leaves or I go somewhere else.

And yes I got my new contacts and that will be cool to get some mail from the Primary, it's happened a few times like one from Rachel's in Utah, then one from Sister Detemple, the class that I taught a few times on the 5th sunday. But the card got here just fine. I got it and will try to see how I will send my almost full one . The pics I put up just scratched the surface of all the cool pics I got and the videos are funny too. Can't wait to you guys plug it to the tv and then get to watch them. It will be good that way. Then to hear your reaction. It will be my Christmas present to you but I want to get a flash drive and back them up before I send them just in case...you know.

Sweet I can't wait to go to college and see some hotties and well of course learn again. I feel so retarded, I am losing some English pertaining to the spelling of some words and the meaning of the bigger words, and then on top of it it still feels like I'll never understand this language.

Well about Elder Wilcox. He's funny. So we get along well and I already wrote that he's a hard worker and a lot of people think we are the jokes/goofs of the mission because lots of missionaries already know I'm a goofball and then they all know that Wilcox is too. But not in a bad way. We just have fun while we are doing the work. He's going to be a big help to me. I do miss elder Cheney though. We were like best friends out here and I miss being able to chill with him in the big apartment we had and just having fun on P days together. Once agian I'm in a city with only 2 missionaries, one of them being me, but this time we don't have the luxury of going to another city to spend p days with other missionaries, but what ever. Wilcox is from Kaysville, Utah. He's the 6th of 9 kids.

I think the guitars are banned here but I have gone to the guitar shop in Pécs a few times on P days and played there. It wasnt too fun though because the amp they test on is the size of my little fender amp, but lower quality. I sure miss my heavy metal though. Just going in my room and rocking out to Metallica or Avenged Sevenfold and stuff. But I'm ok. I just hope that I don't stink when I get home. Especially at basketball, ugh I miss that the most.

With the calling I'm not sure what will happen exactly but if it's cheaper than me calling you, then I can get to talk to you longer too. And that would be sweet. They limit the time due to cost, but if it's no cost to them then I can talk longer I hope.
Well I hope that this is a pretty good e mail.
Love you guys and I will TALK to you soon! Love, Joshy

Moving on

It's been several weeks since we've heard more than a quick hello from Josh so I didn't feel like we had enough information for a new post. I'll fill everyone in on the last month or so from Hungary, plus I'm posting some of the pictures he's sent over. He sure looks grown up!

In the end of October, Josh and his companion, Elder Christensen, were involved in the baptism of one of their investigators. (See post about baptism) Shortly after that, Josh's companion went home. His name is Devin Christensen and he is from Wyoming. He was very kind to send us an email when he got home to say hello. He is working, going to school, and adjusting to "normal" life. Josh's new companion is Elder Cheney. I've asked some questions about him but the short emails we've gotten haven't included that information yet. I did hear that he and Josh are a good match for a companionship. They are allowed to exercise together for a certain amount of time each day and put together a workout routine they are both apparently happy about. We received this fun bit of information a few weeks back:

(11/16)

Well to start off this week I'm now the new Pécs Branch Ping Pong champion. Boo-ya. I was told that Hungarians are really good ping pong players but I got to learn from Mr Ken Hosch himself, so I killed them with the slices and smashes. lol. I got a trophy from the branch president which I need pics with.

I'm serving in the same district as a missionary from Hamburg I think. I am trying to use some of my german while I talk with him but it usually stops after guten tag. wie gehts du denn? Then he answers and we go to English.
You'll have to get me Caseys address when he gets it so that I can send him some letters. I miss that guy. He and i were really great friends. Tell him I say hi and good luck if you get the chance before I get too.
Love you guys. Can you believe that I will be able to call you guys in about a month, I cant wait. I also still need my other contacts. Just cause this pair is getting kind of old and i need a good pair to not screw up my eyes for lasik surgery when I get home.
Well Love you lots.
Love Elder Hosch
AKA Joshy

Then 11/23, the Monday before Thanksgiving, he wrote just a quick email saying it wasn't a normal p-day because they were having a super p-day on Thursday (Thanksgiving) and he'd write more later.

11/30
We asked Josh if he'd gotten mail forwarded from the mission office in Budapest in case some people sent mail there. He said he hadn't gotten anything from us that we'd sent there, I don't know if he's gotten mail others might have sent there. If you sent mail to the mission office address and haven't gotten anything back yet, that may be why. I'll be sure to post his actual address from now on. Josh did say that he is getting the language and his struggle now is with the lingo but that will come, too. He also said that homesickness isn't as bad as it was at first, that is easing up, as well. Yeah! His super p-day wasn't in Budapest because that is just too far away, it was in Pécs. They watched Monsters vs. Aliens (remember they can watch a cartoon movie each transfer) and they played squash. Here's his email about super p-day:

Ya for super P-day we went to Pécs and played some squash, its really similar to raquetball. We all decided to do that because I'm serving in the same district as a German and he wanted to play. His name is Baumgartl Elder. Well then after playing squash we made some food like some type of Hungarian soup with all kinds of stuff in it but then we watched Monsters vs Aliens. That movie was so funny. WHAT THE FLAGNARD. Translated its MI A BRUTTYÓ, but I have no idea where the translation came from cause that's not really even a word.
Funny story with the sqaush that I just remembered. We got two courts and in one while playing I got a ball wedged up somehow in between the beams so I used the other ball to get it down and that somehow got stuck right next to it then I was real smart and started throwing up my shoe and it also got stuck up there. I went to try my other one but the others stopped me and we got the front desk and they told us there is a pole that is near there. So we used that and got down all the stuff. What a day.
I miss putting up christmas stuff around this time of year.

Well on Dec 9th I have my next transfer and I'm not sure that I will be staying in komlo although I would like to just to keep serving with this district and especially my comp right now. I hope I get to go to Budapest so that I can play some basketball.
We dont know when the next zone conference will be cause we don't find out until the transfers.
Man it's so hard to go every day without my music and guitar and basketball--all of that was so much of my life that I feel like a part of me is missing now that I am restricted to use it or be in accordance with any of them.
But anywho things are going pretty good. I'm trying to learn this dang lingo.. I had to give a lesson yeserday in church. That was fun. It was not hard in the sense that I was scared to give it just felt dumb cause I still cant speak very well. Love you daddy thanks for writing. TTY next week. and call you in a few.
Love Joshy

This week he sent another really quick email:

Nothing really new is going on that would take much to write or seem to be of any importance, but I am moving to Dunaújvaros on Wednesday and will be serving with Elder Wilcox. I went on splits with him up in that city and he is our zone leader. What they are doing is putting only one zone leader (ZL) to a zone and I get to serve with them, but what's cool is that the ZLs go on splits with every companionship in his zone and so I'll get to go on splits a lot and we also have a car and so I might get a license. I don't know for sure what all it will entail while serving with a zone leader but I kind of get the benefits while not being one myself so I think it will be a good transfer. Too bad I won't be able to keep serving with Elder Cheney. We are really great friends and I think it's cool but then also sucks. That's mostly because he's being moved to Pécs and Komló is getting shut down. The problem the mission has is that more missionaries are going out than coming in so some areas that aren't very big or the most productive are closing, so it sucks.
But the members don't feed us that often and the only thing that I have eaten that is pretty wierd is this like liver soup. I didn't realize what it was until I ate like half of it because I failed to ask what it was but it was ok, nothing I'll ever go out of my way to eat again. It's hard to turn down food without ever being mean. But I dont know the word for allergic. lol. Other than that I don't really know what else to say, I love you and I'll write you and let you know whats going on in my new city.
Love you, Bye
Love Josh

BUDAPEST FROM THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE CITY: This is the view from the place Josh and the other missionaries were taken the night they arrived in Budapest. Just beautiful.