Oh what an incredible, wonderful week it has been here in beautiful Győr. It is simply breathtaking! Pictures don’t do it justice. It is literally the prettiest place I have ever seen and it feels like we are in the middle of a movie and I LOVE my companion!
We made it safely here with the help of our elders and settled in quite nicely. Our apartment is in the middle of town just in the center of all the Christmas fun that is happening. Cobblestone roads, Christmas decorations and markets, hot chocolate stands and beautiful architecture. We feel so blessed. As I walk out every morning and I am just amazed. I don’t feel worthy to be serving in such an incredible place with such an incredible companion.
Our first night in Győr was quite the adventure. The elders invited us for yoga at the branch house so we changed quick into our clothes and ran out the door. Once we made it out we realized we didn’t even know where the branch house was. We ended up asking people on the streets if they knew where the church was and it ended up being a great opportunity to teach people about the gospel. Unfortunately we didn’t ever find the branch house but we did plant a few seeds.
Thanksgiving day we were anxious and ready to find some people to teach this week. We enjoyed our walks through the town and received a few numbers along the way. The Elders invited us for a big feast at a popular place called the “Hajo” Where you eat on the Danube in a boat. We ordered two big Mississippi platters and weren’t even able to finish the first platter. We took more home then we ate that day.
This week was the big Christmas event they do every year before the month of December. Everyone gets hot chocolate, (or hot wine which is everywhere around here) and waits for all the Christmas lights to turn on. It was a cold night, but so perfect.
Our apartment is nice but gets so cold! We only had 2 blankets, one for me and one for my companion, and I would just wake up freezing in the night, but so much cold air was seeping through our windows and so we thought, “what would our dads do? They would come up with something to stop the air” so we stuffed all our blankets in the windows, taped all the seams and my companion stuffed her shoes in the top. It is so funny, but now it’s warm! Well the day we stuffed our blankets in the window, I used mine so I didn’t have a blanket to sleep with and all the shops were closed so Sister Schnoor secretly gave me hers and slept with towels and coats on top of her. I just love her!
On our first day here we went on a little adventure while we were finding and ended up at a Catholic church. It was a beautiful church and we heard singing, so we decided to go in and see what we would find. There was a choir festival going on and many people were there. We weren’t able to preach but we would ask people questions and that would lead into deeper conversations. There was a sweet women we stopped and started talking to. We asked her about the Catholic Church and their beliefs. At the end she wanted a card and said she would call us. It was truly a blessing to have met her. As I walked out of the church that night, I felt such a deep desire to spread the gospel more than ever before. These people have no idea what they are missing out on. The gospel of Jesus Christ. They have no idea the joy they can have in their lives. God is truly there. We also have 8 new investigators!!
I feel so blessed to be here in Győr. I feel there is no better place to be. I love the gospel. I love being a missionary. I thank you all for all your kind words of advice and prayers to all the missionaries out in the field.
I hope you all have a great week. Be safe and God bless.
All my love, Whittaker Nővér
