HOUGH HAPPENINS: Elder Jake Hough, 8.29.18--week 5

SZIA AGGIELAND!! WHOOOOOOP!

Football is starting soon for BYU which means A and M is starting soon, so GIG EM!

Aniother fantastic week at the MTC, though long some days, it has flown by, and the days are feeling like days and the weeks are feeling like days, it is slowly accelerating to the end of my stay. in two weeks I receive my flight plans, and then that is my last week. Whoa. It is so strange that time flies here yet it never feels like it does, and then all of a sudden I'm writing home and I think "Wow, that was a fast week. Cool!" Not a ton has happened this week to me persay, just persevering through hard things like language struggles, and learning much more grammar principles such as command form and hogy clauses, don't worry about it, jsut know they are pretty advanced grammar principles but they use them ALL THE TIME in Hungary, so they are pretty necessary. I'll have a pic of the Imperative command grammar stuff so you can see what it kinda does.

This was a great week because we got to spend time with all our German brothers and sisters one last time before they flew out to continue their missions in Germany, Frankfurt and Berlin and Alpine, which is interesting because that means I would have been in Reagan, Riley, and Colton's zone (friends of Jake's from CS) if I had gone at the same time, kinda cool, because that also means I know the same branch president, President Hendersen. But I was up late on Sunday night til about 11:15 helping the Germans in my room and on the floor pack and finish getting prepped to leave, and then I was up at 5:20 since they were up showering and vaccumuming the floors before they left. So I already knew monday would be long which it was. But I got pics with my room Companions, Elder Saunders and Elder Wood, who are both going to BYU! So I'll see them there after the mission which I was really happy about since they are so cool. We helped them get their bags to the outside and as they walked around the residence corner after final hugs and good lucks, one of the Zone Leaders choking back tears, cupped his hands t o his mouth and yelled "HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!" to the leaving elders, and they stopped, visibly wiped some tears and yelled "HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!" back. It was a very tender moment for everyone, since we have all become so close in relationship and perpose. But as I walked in from that experienced I realized something: The pre earth life was jsut like the MTC. Almost a perfect reflection of it. Because The MTC you can only progress so far in language and teaching skills, and the same went in THe pre earth life. We also had family and friends that we loved and had become close to in the pre earth life and for those of us that are kids to our parents, we had to say goodbye for a time as we watched them go down to earth to gain experience and to grow and to become as our Heavenly Father is. And that is the same with the mission. We gain all of the experience for life and the growth in the mission fields we serve in, and though it is sad to see people go from the MTC, I felt more joy for them that they are able to fulfill their purpose and to go do the greatest work there is in existence, bringing souls to their Savior, Redeemer and Master Jesus Christ. It was a really cool realization I had and helped to ease the pain of the Germans leaving.

This week was also my half way mark through the MTC by days, yet I am halfway through my 6th MTC week of 9, so it's a little funky but it feels good to be getting prepared to leave. I'm ready but I have more language to learn. But on top of the Germans leaving, we gained 5 albanian elders, 3 turkish elders and 4 bulgarian elders! And I had to move from my room with the Germans to room with the Turkish elders who are AMAZING too, they are so fun to be around and I love them jsut as much as the Germans before them. And today after I finish writing these we gain 46 NEW GERMAN MISSIONARIES. That is a TON. But it will be really good too to have a full floor filled, we'll just have to set the examples of obedience for them since that was a big help to me and will be for them as well.

One thing I have also noticed, is that the Sisters in my district are very emotional. Much more so than I am. I don't have any clue why but maybe cause they are sisters. Anyway, they took the germans leaving really hard, and so the day they flew out we were taking a break in our afternoon class, and I look out the window and couldn't believe what I saw: The MTC puts up country falgs every day, and there in the front center of them, was the GERMAN AND HUNGARIAN flag next to each other. That had never happened in the 6 weeks we had been there. It gave me chills just seeing it, because I knew there were 50 plus country flags they cycle through every day and there are like 20 flag poles so not every flag is up every day. That was of great comfort for the Noverek to see, and it really was a testament to us that God knows each of His children individually, and that He knows exactly how to help us in our times of need. It is true and that was proof of that. Such a cool experience.

Alright, That was it for this week, but my challenge to y'all is to go through the Book of Mormon, and underline every time that Christ says "I will". You will be surprised by what you find. And ask yourselves this week this question or ponder it: "How will I be the one?" Another phrase that is almost exactly the same we all know is "Here am I, send me."

Szeretek Titeket! WHHHHOOOOOOOP! This gospel is so true and I cannot deny the knowledge I have of it!

Hough Elder

Also for those of you who took a guess at the drink, it was POMEGRANATE BLUEBERRY....yeah.That isn't scary at all haha!

(Here's a picture of the mystery beverage in case you missed last week!)

The Trifecta Companionship! Elder Wood, Jake and Elder Saunders the night before the German missionaries left the country.

The German and Hungarian Flags flying together!

The Hungarian District in front of the flags (I bought each of the sister missionaries a silver Hungarian necklace has a "halfway to Hungary" gift. It looks like they might be wearing them in this picture. They got them the day the German missionaries left when they were all so sad. I received two personal emails today from the sisters telling me that the necklaces and notes made them all cry because they were such a wonderful surprise on an otherwise difficult day. Just another amazing manifestation of God's love for each of us individually and of His divine timing. That package was actually "late" based on mailing/travel standards. But the Lord knew exactly when it needed to be there.)