FIRST WEEK IN TOWN

We arrived on Tuesday evening and Elder Gudgell was abel to give the return directions to Elder Bagozzi to get us back to Budapest. We went to the mission office and then to dinner at a wonderful little restaurant just around the corner. We have spent the rest of the week shopping for groceries and other household items, though the Moons had equipped the apartment pretty well. There is always something else.... Brent has remembered his way around Budapest and out to Tesco, etc very well. Getting to our apartment is just a little harder, but so far we have always made it home. We keep trying different methods of getting here....numerous routes are possible. We have a garage that come with the apartment and it has automatic openers which is very nice. A security gate and a security door before we get to our six lock door. We have a security system that we have to get to before it goes off. We have a deck with a table and chairs, which I am sure we will use as it gets just a little warmer. The first night we froze. I am sure we were so tired that we couldn't figure out how to turn the heat up. Now we know how, and I think we are a little more awake. Still sleeping is being turned around slowly. I wake up a time during our night when we would normally be awake at home. That should change some time. Yesterday we putzed here for a while and then ran to the mission office to use a phone that would give us a long distance line out to call the Czech Republic about some area business. We stumbled in at the right moment as they were celebrating Elder Bagozzi's birthday. The mission assistants are ones that arrived just before we left, so we had "trained" them in the missionary finance stuff. Some stuff had changed in the office, and lots had not. It felt good. I also found out the Microsoft thinks my e-mail is being hacked because I am in Hungary sending e-mails. I have been trying to contact them and they are now silent since they took my email away. I am sick about it because I have so many things stored there that I need, including some new information about what we are to be doing. It makes me sick. If you are reading this and need to get in touch with me, please contact me at brentgudgell@gmail.com. Be sure to say that he needs to let me see it. We have another week here before leaving for training in the area office. I hope then we will be able to do something besides shop, eat, and read. Our apartment is nice and bright, which is good for someone working from home. The smaller bedroom is really quite spacious and is good for what is intended for us to do and still have room for someone to sleep in here, when we have company. Today the weather is really nice and it will be about 60, but it goes downhill from here for a few days of moisture and coolness. The trees and plants are all blooming, or getting ready to bloom, and there is absolutely a feel of spring in the air. Since I wrote this I have a new e-mail address: ngudgell@hotmail.com please use that rather than the other one. Later... both emails are now up and running so you can use whichever one you want. We decided to check out our neighborhood. Wow! there is a little tiny store down on the corner with sort of fresh fruits and vegies and other things at an inflated price, but close by. We have a bus that stops right on our corner and takes us to Moskva Ter (Moskow Square) not a long walk from the mission office and the church (the same building). That will be nice. As we kept walking we found some great views of the city; some beautiful condos, apartments, and homes. We also found the Algerian Democratic Embassy. This is a really nice neighborhood. We love having the garage right below our apartment. I will try to add somel pictures soon to this. lI have a video of our apartment, but can't seem to locate where I put it. When I find it I will send it. Saturday afternoon we went to a baptism at the church for a young girl in the Buda Ward. It was nice to see some of the people we know. After we went on the vilamos to go have dinner. Can you be the first one to guess which restaurant that was? IF so you win an opportunity to go there with us.

Last Day Home and the First Day of Our New Adventure.

We were set apart as missionaries yesterday morning. Then we spoke in Church. Follow that we went to Liz and Brians to have pictures taken. The weather held and we used the backdrop of some beautiful pines. After a delicious dinner. Then the enivitable....we had to say good bye to most of our children and grandchildren. We do the rest of the goodbyes this afternoon. It is so hard to leave them behind.

This is a picture of our most wonderful children; all ten of them. Later you may be treated to a picture of the grandchildren.

We are looking forward to leaving on the jet plane and heading off into the Wild Blue Danube area and working hard to accomplish what we have been asked to do.

Before we board the plane, we have to finish up at our house.

Farewell for a time.

Quick Trip

Just returned from a quick trip to visit Brent's mother and to celebrate her 91st birthday. We had a nice time, but low key.

On the way home we stopped by the McFaddens to visit with their family. Linda and Frank were there and we all had a nice visit. Today we had church and had some visitors after. Some of them had a nice suprise for us. More about that at a later date.

This week feels like it will be busy, but we will get to it tomorrow. We do have to prepare a talk for church next week. One more thing to accomplish. By Saturday night we will be ready to go to the Sullengers until we leave. Can this all really be happening???? I think it will.

Busy Day

this morning the doorbell rang. There was the postman holding a big envelope. He said "this looks like a mission call." I told him it was and did the Johnny Carson thing by holding it to my head and saying lets see where we are going. It was so nice of him to hand deliver it.

The letter contained the information we were expecting. After sending out a few e-mails and taking care of a few things, we packed up the car and drove to St. George to be with Brent's mother for her birthday tomorrow. Then back home to finish up and we will leave in a week and have lots to do to be ready.

We are really excited about this all and plan to enjoy the next week and a half before we leave.
It is now past my bedtime, and so I shall go to sleep.

Got the Travel Arrangements

The Area Office managed today to get our date moved up and we received the ticked by computer this morning. We will leave two weeks from today. We are now trying to check off all of the things on our lists. We will make it on time, I am sure. Got to do a big project a day!

It is Coming

We heard that we went to committee on Friday and by Wednesday we should know. Actually we really do know but it will official. So glad to be this far. Emily just updated our Blog. We will need to get a new picture of us in Hungary or Germany, but that will have to come later. I don't know how to do it. We have a huge list of things that we have to take care of and that will come very soon. Got a new carry on, that will meet the standards. Most of our stuff is gone or put away. I think that eating will be a challenge from here on out. Brent is being really good about watching what he eats. He continues to have low blood sugar. That is good.

We are gettin' closer......

Tuesday Brent was cleared medically to head out by his doctor. Wednesday he was cleared by the Church doctor who sent the papers on. Last night we were told that they should go to "committee" on friday so we should hear officially by Wednesday. It is fortunate that through all of this we have continued to pack and get things done. I am sure that we will feel very overwhelmed for the next week or two. It is nice to feel so much more positive about this now. Now we will really move fast!!!