This week:

We got letters from Josh, he is now writing to us in Hungarian! He said the language is extremely difficult but he's getting it, he just wishes he was learning it as easily as he learned German. He said they are going from sunup to sundown there and it's really exhausting but also exhilirating. Yes, my boy used the word exhilirating and not "sick" or "cool" or "sweet"...He said he wishes they had just a bit more down time to feel a little more rested.

We should have pictures from him soon, he's going to mail his memory card to us and we'll post pictures as we get them.

He has gotten letters people emailed him through www.dearelder.com. Now that the excitement of getting there and getting started is wearing down, he's more and more anxious to get to Hungary. He misses the comfort of his family around him and especially his brothers. The other missionaries are really cool and they get along well but of course it's not the same as his brothers.

One of the guys in his room was sick...let's hope he's not one of the missionaries with the flu or swine flu. I hate to think of those young guys getting sick out there. I think Josh is feeling lonesome and would love to hear from everyone, especially his friends. Actually I think he NEEDS to hear from his friends. What he's doing is really difficult and takes all he's got, he needs lots of support.

It's really difficult to read his writing in Hungarian, partly because he wrote with a fine-tip marker on thin paper on both sides...and partly because I don't know Hungarian, I can't even try to figure things out. But here is some of what he wrote:

Jo napot.
Em Hosch Elder. Vagyok, es o Kubricky Elder. Hogy hivnak? Honnan Jottel misszionariusok vagyonk Jezus Krisztus Egyhazatol Szeretnink talalkozni reled es tobbet beszelni Jezus Krisztusrol, es eserelhetnunk telefonszamokat.
-Most jo? Vagy mas alkalomman?
Jobb a litvege vagy litkoznap?
Jobb dele-tt, dilutuu, vagy este?
Szeretenk talakozni_______ (insert day of the week)
Monday: Hetfon
Tuesday: Kedden
Wednesday: Szerdan
Thursday: csutortokey
Friday: penteken
Saturday: szombaton
Sunday: vasarnapon

Koszonom szepan.

So ok...WOW. And you guys should see all the dots and dashes and slashes, etc over the vowels...this is nuts! I probably typed some of this wrong so all you Hungarian experts out there can tell me how it's supposed to be, I'm sure he did it correctly and I'm the one who read it wrong. :)


The Missionary Training Center (MTC) experience is very different, for those of you who haven't gone or aren't members;

The MTC is simply a place of learning. It's pretty exciting, actually, there are over 50 languages being taught 24/7/365. At any given time there are an average of 2,000 missionaries in the training center where Josh is...but there are 17 MTCs around the world and an average of 10,000 missionaries go through the 17 MTCs a year. The church sends missionaries to over 140 countries around the world. Mission areas are organized geographically. There are over 350 different missions. Where Josh will be going, the entire country is encompassed by only one mission-some missions cross over national borders. {Ken went to the Germany-Munich mission and served part of his time in Austria.} Missions are mainly about teaching people about our church's beliefs, but it's also a time when these young men and women completely and totally forget themselves and devote their time and energy to others. If they are learning another language they spend 8-10 weeks in the MTC learning the language and culture of their mission area. Josh went in on May 20th and is supposed to go to Hungary on our about August 3. {If they are going to a mission where they don't need to learn a new language they are there for about 2 weeks.}
Because 8-10 weeks isn't that long to learn another language, the studying is intense and goes on 6 days a week. They get a day called "preparation day" or "P-day". That will continue throughout their mission and it's the day they take care of personal business; laundry, shopping, cooking, writing home, etc. Josh's p-day right now is on Wednesdays, which is why we get emails from him on Wednesdays, he usually emails while doing his laundry. He can write letters any time of the week during breaks or whatever. Today I got to email him from my cell phone while we sat in the MVD getting Jeremy's driver's license-and it was almost like texting because he was sitting at the computer in Provo answering me right away. It was great! He did tell me he got the package we sent of fudge and Vienna Sausages (what a combination) and some of the things he left behind, like his camera battery charger, etc.

So that's about it for this week. Because his p-days are on Wednesdays that's probably the days I'll be updating.