Szia csalat es baratak!

Szia csalat es baratak!!

Well the first week at the MTC has been so wonderful!! Also very intense. Like I was told, as soon as I reached the classroom one of my teachers, Rupard Nover (Sister Rupard), began directing me where to go, what to do, etc. in Hungarian. Because Hungarian is a SUPER complex and strange language and there are virtually 0 English cognates, I of course didn't understand A THING. But that's MTC living for ya.

Soon after that I met Fuchs Elder (fooks), my companion that I will have for the next 9 weeks! He is from Hamburg, Germany and was also originally assigned to Yekaterinburg, Russia! Unfortunately, he was very jet-lagged and sick the first few days. His English is very good, but it can still be a bit of a barrier when we communicate, especially with missionary jargon. He's a really great guy though and we hit it off really well, which is really a blessing from above because I am with him 24/7 until December 13th!

That night, we went to a few orientation classes. The MTC teaching method utilizes full immersion from the get-go, and this doesn't just apply to language learning. Our first night, we (a big bunch of missionaries and my companion) taught three people about the gospel. Obviously we didn't know much about how we should teach them, but here they really stress learning by experience.

That night we also met our zone! A zone in the MTC is a group of 20 or so missionaries that typically are all preparing to serve in the same mission. Since there aren't that many Hungarian learning missionaries (there are 11 currently), our zone also includes the Berlin-bound Turkish learners, the Albania/Kosovo/Macedonia-bound Albanian learners, and the Netherlands/Belgium-bound Dutch learners. It's so amazing to walk down the halls in any of the 18 MTC buildings and to hear different languages everywhere! Sometimes Fuchs Elder likes to stroll by the German learners and to finally get a chance to speak some of the "celestial language", as he calls it .

The next day, I attended our first 4-hour Hungarian class (we usually have about two of these a day - one starts at 8 o'clock and the other ends at 9:30 pm). Rupard Nover and Dohm Nover  speak exclusively in Hungarian the ENTIRE time. Not a word of English. Not even if we have very essential questions. For instance, since Fuchs Elder has been so sick, we REALLY had to go to the hospital (we were actually shuttled there the first and third day) but she would only tell us how to get there in Hungarian.. so.. that made things just a teentsy bit difficult. Meanwhile Fuchs Elder is low-key DYING. Anyway, the classes make my brain hurt more than school ever did. Learning Hungarian by immersion sometimes feels like trying to rockclimb up a brick wall. Example: on Friday (our second full day), we taught someone interested in the Gospel in Hungarian...! Going into it, Fuchs Elder and I were pretty nervous because, you know, we don't understand or know how to speak Hungarian so that kind of makes things a little difficult.. But it actually went a lot better than expected! We were able to speak with the Spirit, which is the most important thing. We reflected on the gift of tongues, one of the gifts of the Spirit. Even the English speakers at the MTC still learn about the gift of tongues. I think that's because it includes knowing what to say in any language, even your own, when the Lord wants to work through you in serving His other children.

The MTC is also a super spiritual place. Everyone builds each other up; it's so cool. Each day I have a new spiritual awakening and realize how much God has done for me and how much more grateful I need to be to him. We watched a video the other day in class called "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these". It details Christ's sermon when he teaches that our actions toward others really reflect our thoughts and feelings about Him and His atonement. Tears came to my eyes as I put Christ in the place of others whom I have judged or belittled in the past. I want to treat everyone as if Christ were in their shoes, because ultimately He has been. That was one of the main purposes of the Atonement. And as I consider everyone with the love and charity that Christ has, I will become more Christlike. I think that that is such a beautiful truth.

Viszlat!

Elder Martin

Top Left: All of us Hungarians! They are all so rad

Bottom Left: My district - the four other Elderek that I have class with

Top Right: Me and Fuchs Elder during study time outside