Dear friends,

We have met some wonderful people here in Hungary and continue to be amazed at their industriousness, perseverance, and cheerfulness when faced with difficult circumstances. Many of the folks we meet live in large concrete apartment houses that were built by the Russians - very small spaces - and work odd shifts at factories. The factories are old, cramped and not air-conditioned. Those who have been educated as teachers, engineers, etc. still often seek factory jobs because the pay is better there than in their field. One elderly woman lives on the 9th floor and has no elevator so she cannot make it to church but has a strong testimony and enjoys our visits.  Another single mom here just completed her high school requirements in night school while raising 3 teenage boys and cleaning homes for a living. One woman told us that when she was a young mother, her husband was an alcoholic.  She was working as a seamstress supporting them but life was very difficult.  With no religious background, she began to pray for help.  She was not surprised when she returned home from work one day and the Elders were waiting for her, led by the Spirit. Her three sons served missions. One son is now the branch Elder's Quorum President.  Although there is great strength among the youth, we know many examples of young people who have embraced the gospel and been totally rejected by their families. They try to give each other moral support, but many struggle to get by and set goals because of their limited resources. One sister just returned from her mission in England, but family members reject the church and suffer from alcoholism. John has been assigned to audit the District records.  He is also preparing to train some members to begin a pilot Addiction Recovery program at the branch. We continue to visit branch members, locate the less active, plan Young Single Adult Family Home Evening and activities and anything else the branch president (who is 26 years old and has been a member for 2 years!) asks us to do. We feel the Lord's hand in this work and are working hard to learn the language.

LTL - Love the Lord,

Carol V.