Sister Emma Rae Francis: The Giver

Sziasztok!

I hope you're all doing well and starting to catch the Christmas spirit! A fun thing about Hungary is that since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas time has been in full swing ever since I arrived. Seeing decorations, Christmas markets, and old snowy streets reminds me of Elder Holland talk from the Oct 2019 General Conference. I hope we always remember the meaning behind the hustle and bustle. This is such a special time to celebrate that sacred night. The prophecies were true! The Christ Child really was born and God really had provided a Savior for the whole world.

Légy a világ villágossága is also in full swing! There are so many unique ways to share information about Light The World. This week we tried a few different approaches and they all turned out so well. For our családi este (family night) activity with the ward we made gift bags with Milka bars, gloves, and Légy a világ villágossága card. The best part was that the Sebők family came! They hadn't been to church in a while and were such a wonderful addition to our night of service.

Before the Friday night activity, a group of missionaries went to the Sál Kálmán Tér square with hot chocolate and gift bags with chocolate, gloves, candy, and a Light the World card. For about 2 hours we invited people to enjoy free forró csoki (hot chocolate), learn about Light the World, and take a small gift. It was so much fun especially doing it with so many missionaries! At one point I turned around in a circle and saw missionaries all over the square talking to people of all ages. It was inspiring, uplifting, and just plain fun! We ended the evening with some caroling which brought smiles to many passersby.

Every Thursday we help teach Angol Óra (English class). Kellmer nővér and I teach the Profi class with the help of a Aubrey, a YSA from California living in Hungary. Last week we invited them to bring pictures and be prepared to explain them. We went around the room and heard about everything from Christmas traditions to favorite vacationing spots in Hungary. Apparently there is a town with lavendar fields! I brought a family picture to share and everyone about fell off their chair when they saw it :) It was a fun evening and a good success. We ended by handing out Light the World calenders!

We had a lesson with the Nagy család this week and invited one of our investigators. At these Light the World Family Home Evenings, we start by asking every person to focus on one character while we watch The Christ Child video. These lessons are one of my favorite things about being a missionary. The Spirit touches every person's heart, whether they are a member or an investigator.

We had a similar lesson with Linh and the Brown family (an American family). Before this lesson we read The Living Christ with Linh and have been trying to teach her about the Savior. After our lesson at the Brown's, she said that being with their family helped her believe more in Christ. It has been a meaningful experience trying to help her find Christ, and walking this path with her has brought me closer to my Savior as well. I didn't think my first investigator would be such a sweet girl from Vietnam, but I have a feeling that I will be forever grateful for her and the opportunity I have to witness this miracle taking place.

This week I heard this phrase: "People make room for gifts but not the Giver." May we make room for the Giver by serving others and sharing His light!

Love you all!

Emma Rae

Francis nővér

Preparation day adventures!

Mikulás came leaving treats in our boots 😊

We passed this picturesque ice rink during our morning exercise one day so we had to come back for pictures! The castle has 3 layers of architecture history.

Dinner with Linh and the Millets serving as a senior couple in Budapest