Elder Jake Hough, 10.30.18--week 14

SYIAAAAAAAAAA Aggies! Its been a little bit since we dont usually ever have time to get to this email, but today there is! Whooop!

A bit from last week, We fulifélled a bit of prophecy from the Book of Mormon bec ause we were going to go to a city but jumped randomly off of the train in the middle of no where out of the spirit prompting us to, and we ended up going to the same city that peery Elder had gone to in his last transfer through the BACK WAY, just like Alma did when he was rejected in Amonihah (see Alma 8). Really cool feeling to be doing exactly what Alma did haha! 

Also, this week has been P90X bike addition (see this Studio C clip), because the bike I have is a bit too small for me, the gears are not working, and the wind is blowing 100 mph every time in our faces, so by the time I get off a bike I am drenched in sweat and my legs burn, but gotta get fit and its P90X: " I hate it, but i love it". 

Also big news, we have recieved our first baptism date from an investigaotr set for January 19 (the first baptism in a while for Tatabanya)!! So exciting , and this man is prepared and has such a sincere desire to be clean and repent. Such a homie and so cool. Well see what comes from him we are praying for him daily because we know that the Lord will answer our prayers if we believe in it. I have started to see tha powerful principle of believing in the miracle to come and expecting it to come and it comes. Try it out. Pray for something you need in your life, and if you believe with sincere desire, be it the Lords will itll happen. And jsut continue in faith. I have been much happier that way than any other way.

Love yall!! Maybe next week Ill kówrite but who knows haha!

Hough Elder

(To the parents...)

Elder cook (one of the twelve apostles) was phgenomemal, he truly is a representative of Christ, he radiated that persona and it was paelpable, sooooo pwerful his wwitness of Christ. He was so kind and Elder Saben was dope too, they said so many good things spiritually and house keeping on how to be better miisionaries. But also, I didnt know this until I got there, but I was called to LEAD the music for that meeting, and I was lke OK HAHA and when Elder cook arrived I literally had no idea whether the music should keep going or not anmd he looked at me and said very wrmly please keep playing and singing....so we did! And we shook hands cause there are only 60 missionaries right now and he didnt try to pronounce ourt last name which I really respect because he cared enough not to butcher t. Truly, a man of God. I also got to see alll my sisters for the first time in a while which was really really nice. Cant get used to uit though!

the computer set up in Hungary is kinda dumb, and I still cant figure out how to send or even upload my pics, but I am taking them for sure, and youll see them eventually! Next area perhaps will work better. 

Elder Jake Hough, 10.22.18--week 13

(There was not a general email sent by Jake this week. I waited all day just to make sure. I heard it was a holiday in Hungary yesterday and Elder Cook, one of the twelve apostles, is visiting today. Perhaps those were contributing factors. But here are his letters to me and Jared.)

Ok. First off, I am a piano teacher! that is because I am teaching a very willing Companion who is so diligent and wants to learn to play hymns to bless others, and he is so good. He doesnt see how good but he is good. And it was fun because we do it every Pday (preparation day) and I get to be the "Trainer" and he is the "greenine", (greenie is the term for a brand new missionary) its really fun haha! I still play in church every sunday so that is so fun! Also, Peery Elder is SUUUPER sick. I am doing everything to not get what he has, and our apartment feels like a sick hous haha!

I was walking in town one day and I look into a bar and there it was: The Broncos playing football! I never in my life thought that europeans liked american football....I was tripping like what the heck this is like Im home AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! HAHAHAHA! Not really though, no. Just shocked me is all!

Another story was when I messed up in the language as I do every day. Remember that hús is meat and has is stomach. I was at a members house and we were eating dinner and he said eat more and I said ok, a húsom végtelen! and they laughed so hard! Because I said "My meat is endless", not "my STOMACH is endless".....so bad but so funny! that is stuff you have to look forward to for sure. Language mistakes are such great stories later on in life.  

I would encourage you to go back and print or look up on your phone Campfire of Faith by (Elder) Gong, and really study that talk and how faith helps us in our lives, it is so important and everything builds on it. I really recommend it. I love it and study it often to see how strong my campfire of faith is.

I heard in some areas in hungary on p-days we can go fishing, and they have walleye out here believe it or not! Gonna do that at some point, and Dad will get a pic of me with a monster walleye and he'll be like that is MY BOY! Ill make you proud pa haha!

We found 8 new investigators this week, which is un heard of, because for the month so far we have found almost thirty new people and the entire mission found 150. so we found a 5th in the smallest and some say hardest area, but its never hard with the lord!!

If you havent found one already get a familys guide to temple and family history work, we had one in our apartment and I waas studying it in english to translate into magyar for a lesson over FH (family history) with one of the 2 families in our branch (super small congregation) and it is amaying it has so many good FH activities and things to do with our family and ourselves now to make FH easier for future generations, and help wioth the finding names in general. Look into for sure. 

So it is ACTUALLY getting kinda cold here now haha! We have been feeling it pretty good here, and the days are so short, we only have light until 6 pm and then everyone is inside and we have 3 more hours of finding ha! Hard but the work goes on!

One day, friday i think, we were walking to the branch house cause no bikes yet, we got them at the ZC (Zone Conference in Budapest), and it started POURING rain on us haha it was horrible too bec ause I did not have my rain proof jacket or more bag that is rain proof and we were carrying our stuff for exchanges in Gyor where sister parker served. Gorgeous city and so big compared to ours, we were indeed on splits when you got that picture (see below) Huber Elder (Zone leader) is leaving in a few weeks to go home, so I was with the seasoned vet, but I like our city more tbh (to be honest) haha! But we got soaked and it was a real "Wow, Im a missionary now" moment!

I get to play the piano every sunday and the branch president who is awesome gave me the resposibility to pőick the hymns every week that we are to sing, so that is my unofficial calling in the branch haha! It is really fun to play though I love it, I have my prelude chains grandma gave me 5 years ezelőtt and that is awesome for before sacrament meeting. I also found my groove, and I am just slowing and steadily improving things that I want to work on personally and improve to become a better individual in general.

Cool story to finish and a cool idea as well. We had Evangélium Beszélgetés (??) on thursday night (talk in a groupő aboput scriptures and gospel topics and talks) and we decided to put some awesome effort into this one. we bought poster board to have the members and investigators draw the plan of Salvation with us, and at each part we would share a scripture and discuss that part of the plan and facilitate the discussion. It was a huge success, the Spirit was so strong that night and we had more people there than we have seen in the chapel in a long time it was truly an awesome experience to be a part of. our investigators loved it and so many members were there it was a special thing and I highly encourage yall for a family night to draw the plan of salvation step by step and talk about a scripture with each one, it is so testimony building and would help the kids learn about such a fundamental part of the gospel.

Love you sooooooooo much, I am currently trying to upload pics, I learned only 32 GB cards work on these computers, and they do NOT take 64 gig, which stinks so soon I will have actual pictures to send! Keep on keeping on! Love you!!

Az Első Fiad a vadonban,

Hough Elder

Picture sent by a senior missionary couple. Jake and Huber Elder enjoying a Saturday lunch break.

Elder Jake Hough, 10.15.18--week 12

SZIAAAAAA AGIIES WHOOOOOP! 

it has been a while but " It feels good to be back!"

Not much to say, but I have been working hard, and here are a couple stories from this week that I thought were funny, and then a final thought about the gospel. 

Tatabánya is a smaller town in Hungary, about 80000 people so about CS, and has a moutnain with a cool bird staute on it and a cave we will go to next week probably, The food here is amaying you think american gyros are good and ice cream is good just come here and try their 45 cent ice cream, it is divine. ANd the gyros blow everything out of the water sooooo goooood!

We Went to a smll village called vertesszőlős just outside tatabánya and it looks like a third world country but european edition. These people are poor temporaly and spiritully, nad we have that answer. Very humbling, but I made my first joke to someone in this area. He asked if we believed in coffee and Peery says no. Then I quickly added "but we believein Water!" REally funny haha Peery (Elder) loved it. And we were surrounded by a gang there or a group of people there that were big a burly and we just stoppped and talked to them about the gospel and one said THESE MEN ARE OF GOD! and afterwards at home I realized huh, we coulda been beaten up real bad, but we werent. Very blessed. Kinda a take no thought for yourself moment. But I wasnt even thinking that at the moment so it is all good! 

Pretty sunset from Vertesszolos.

BIIIG Paprika home grown peppers...mi csoda!

I have been learning some things about coming closer to christ and how we do that better. We come closer to christ through faith and hope and acting in faith and those are all necessary and important, but we truly come closer to chrst by doing what he would do, serving as he would serve, and caring for others as he would. And that is all we do on this mission is teach serve and testify. And it is not easy but it is very rewarding, and I encourage yall to serve someone this week, make the effort to, whether that be listening to someone or helping them with something, do it and I promise you will feel closer to the savior. 

I love yall, this is an awesome experience and I cant wait to get more! Til next week!

Sok sok szerettel!

Hough Elder

I almost got booted off a train in the middle of nowhere in Hungary this last week. We needed to be in Györ for district meeting, and we missed the first train, and so we were reushed to get out hte door to get the next train and I bought a ticket. Well there is start klub receipt or card you have that gets the tickets for half off, so I naturally used that since I had the receipt to verify, well I didnt when the conductor came by to check, and 1) I couzldnt understand him and 2) he was yelling and I had no idea what to do but pray, Peery Elder helped where he could, and I finally found I could pay the extra 3000 forint to stay on the train which took forever, and that hűwhole tme I was praying. Thanking HF (Heavenly Father) for everything I had in my life and that I was able to stay on the train. very intense but very good, I learned that lesson the hard way haha!

I have been running and playing the piano more. We run almost every morning before the nippy era settles in, cause it will here pretty quick but we have fake out fall too. Super nice weather. But I m the branch pianist now and played "considert the lilies" in sacrament meeting yesterday, for 5 members. Its brutal here man, this is the smallest area and most struggling area in the mission that is opened according to Peery Elder who has been her for 4 months now. But like, we have had an average of 7 mew investigators every week, but 90 percent dog us every time, really tough to take and trying to help the branch. Really sad, we are expending every eűffort to keeop this failing branch of members from crumblng., life is just so hard here in europe, no one can swithc job tmes, it is far from their homes, and it is a really tough life and really strais your faith. REally eye opening and we are trying our best to help them every day we talk about it and brainstorm ideas but it is hard to build their testimonies in Jesus Christ when we have no investoigators to bring them to teach. Really hard. Any advice would be appreciated, we are drilling into our skills and capacties to solve this problem and to build the kingdom of God in Tatabáanya. 

yeah it has been harder walking everywhere without stolen bikes (so apparently Jake got a coat last week, but neglected to tell either me or Jared--yet told his brother--that their bikes were stolen--chained up and all!) but we are gettting new ones on wednesday when we go to Budapest for ZONE CONFERENCE!! Whooh I am hype for that, and next week we have Quinten L Cook coming to speak to us, it is crazy!!

*Luke, our foreign exchange student son from Brazil, just found out this week that his friend from back home got his mission call to Hungary/Romania. Before Jake left on his mission he had a dream that his first companion was Japanese and neither one of them could speak the others' language or Hungarian so it was pretty wild! We chuckled that maybe this friend of Luke's would be his "Japanese" companion! Jake replied that would definitely force them to (SYL) Speak Your Language. J

Elder Jake Hough, 10.8.18--week 11

SZIA!!

Have like, one minute, but conference was awesome, pray to know that what you listened to was true and if you havent watched I encourage you to do so, it was pwerful and straight from our loving Father in Heaven. Look to Him in every thought, doubt not and fear not. (Link to Oct. 2018 General Conference). I love this work and this Gospel that continues to bless my life and the life of these Hugnarians, no time but I love yall and will hopelfully have more next week! 

Szia!

Hough Elder

(From Jake's letter to the family...)

Thank zyou for your words, they really helped me and I am honestly doing SOOOO much better. I really am grateful to see that love God has for me, and yeah, the life of a missionary is still hard. It is. But I feel I can get through it much easier now that I have gained a bit of Hope and Real Faith as Elder Ballard suggested last conference.

Also, let me enlighten zou to the life of a missionary in the good old town of Tatabánya (did you find it on the big map??) and heres what it is like:We sleep on a 2 inch foam pad, 2 thin blankets, and yeah. Iáll attach pics for sure. (Didn't get the pictures :) then we move to the bathroom. Oh the bathroom how I love it....hehe not really no. It has no shower from the wall, and you have to stand very carefully so as to not flood the bathroom when you shower, becuase no curtains, and I did that a couple times. Luckily we have a mop haha! And the toilet is great! Except there is not flush so you use a pot to flush poop or the shower head itself. So that is fun. We drink our bought juice out of cartons we marked that are ours (HAHA I HAVE BEEN WAINTNG FOR THIS DAY) and we eat some awesome Hungarian granole and cereal for breakfast, eggs the usz. And you would be proud, I made Europaniyed lemon oryo salad (Jake took his favorite recipes from home with him) and Peery Elder loved it!! So good.

I had an expereince after my first email where Peery Elder said I follow you on where we street, so I on my bike 5 days in starting going not knowing where the heck to go, I took an left, then a right, thaen striaght for a bit, and said hmm that 10 story looks good. Well we ran into two people who gave us return appointments back to back, and one is still an investigaotr, and we never made it to said 10 story, but I was for sure guided by the spirit, there is no other way that would happen! So cool.

I have also this week through prayer and study, decided to make Meekness the center of my growth in the Mission, based of (Elder) Bednars talk, but it isnát just meekness it is everything associated with meekness, fiath, hope, charity, self restraint, and foresight. So I will be continuously studying these and applying the principles I learn into my liufe for sure.

peery elder doesnt run but I had him ride his bike and I run one morning and that was fun haha! Coops Hung Beanies and all (Cooper crocheted Jake a hat in the colors of the Hungarian flag--red white, and green and sent it to him before he left the MTC. There was an extra one so maybe Peery Elder got it?)!

I lvoe this gospel and am definitely better, have stopped worrying about how good I speak and more on how good I share and just trying my best knowing that is all I am asked to do. It was a hard shift, but I am good. But I have also missed yall like crazy, I cried in a lesson when I showed them the pic I have of us and I said I know families are forever, and that I love yall a ton, I started to tear because I felt that was true. I miss yall so much and am here for the lord these people and yall!

Sok Sok Syerettel!!

Hough Elder

Elder Jake Hough, 10.1.18--week 10

PRESS. FORWARD. WITH A STEADFASTNESS IN CHRIST. HAVING A PERFECT BRIGHTNESS OF HOPE. WITH A LOVE OF GOD AND OF ALL MEN.

Never before has this scripture found in the 31st chapter of 2nd Nephi meant more to me than right now. I got here to Hungary last monday, and I was loving it!! I was on cloud nine, not sure what to think, and the next day I was with my comp, Peery Elder, such a STUD I lvoe him so much. We Get along great, but we are the youngest companionship out, he is just 10 weeks in and I am literaly 1 in. So we have a challenge ahead but Pres Hettuinger said that he trusts us and the Lord trusts us to kill it in our area, and we will! 

We are in a small city called Tatabánya, (northwest of Buda) and it reminds me of college station, but it is really small, and the houses are sma,l and run down, more than I thought, and it is a humbling sight to be here each and every day. But I will be honest to everyone, I was doing great getting  by not understanding everyone we talked to on the streests and taught and the members and all that unitl Sunday morning, it hit me. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING. I am in Europe, speaking one of the Hardest languages in the world, with a persoin I just met, and in a place where I dont know if the people I tak to are saying you are nice or I want to kill you haha. It was a moment of complete overwhelming stress, and I literally starting to freak out internally, because I only want to serve and do good to this people, and I cannot do that without knowing the language, so I got on my knees, and I prayed, and I cried. I did. I cried of frustration and despair becuase I have no idea what I should be doing, All I can do is smile say hi, and bear testimony. And After that I had a good talk with my comp and from then until now I have been really leaning if not laying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ to carry me through this, and I heard two things come to me as I was thinking the last couple days. "God breaks us down, to build us up 100 times stronger", and from Elder Anderson of the 12 (Apostles) "You may not know everything, but you know enough", and a quute from my mom "I asked God why are you taking me through such deep waters? He said, "because your enemies cannot swim.""

I Amstruggling, but I am thriving on the spirit of missionary wrok. I know everything I am experiencing is for my good, and I need it, and I will grow from this. I am already doing better but it is a process. I love you all, and encourage you to plead with all the energy of soul to Father in Heaven for things you need, and he will support you. 

Love yall!!

Hough elder

(Some other interesting tidbits from his quick letters to me and Jared this week).

I literally only get 1-2 hours most to respnd and read emails in this area and the best place to do it is in győr, an hour train ride from my first city, tatabánya. (Even still...) the computer shuts off, its in Hungarian! I had a hard time getting onto this computer to email cause I had no idea what the librarian was saying, but I got through it with help. I do not like how helpless I am and vulnerable when people talk to me, but I am really trying to trust that the language will come. (Because of Jake's limited time to read and reply to emails--the Mission President wants them super focused--there are a few pictures, but no captions. But I'm grateful for pictures!)

Where we are we have 12 members in church, I obviously play piano in sacrament and they love it, and we have one progressing investigator who is struggling to overcome sins, and we teach her the plan of happiness today. 

I learned though that though there are 5000 memebers in Hungary, only 800 are actively attending. That is a daungting amount of inactivity.

It is pretty cold. Winter is coming and I dont have a coat, but the thermal [underwear] has saved my BUTT. For real they have, and we are getting a coat if we can today, a scarf and gloves. (Jake had a really nice multilayered coat that we bought for him that he took to the MTC. But there was a German elder who needed it more than he did, so Jake sold it to him for very, very little. And consequently went to Hungary without anything to keep him warm. Kind of reminds me of this clip that has always been a family favorite. How can we be mad at him for helping another? Yay for thermal underwear, but this mama will feel much better once he has a coat again!)

I love tatabánya, it has some really poor areas, most of it is poor, and the buildings are shambles and it is honestly a 3rd world european country, very humbling, but there are people that need this gospel, and I am here for them not for me.