Heat, Helping, Happy Birthdays

July arrived with the full experience of Summer Heat. Even the flowers said it was a bit too warm. We visited with family, thru technology, as feasts of BBQ and fireworks were shared, celebrating the birth of a new nation. Here are two photos from our children's gathering for the 4th of July in Oklahoma, fancy desserts, and the grandchildren sharing their parachute army men that fell from the sky. One of the best parts of our Mission is watching our children gather. Here in Hungary, we gathered with the young missionaries for a fun day of volleyball, watermelon, chips and dip and card games at our apartment. We always enjoy being with the young missionaries. The left photo is Elder Ayres playing Volleyball. He still has skills!

We have also had some Birthdays in our family. Our first granddaughter Annie turned 8 on June 28. Junes Blog was finished before we received a photo, so here she is with her 7-layer rainbow cake. We are so proud of her. Center is Little Nicholas who continues to grow every month. Left is Clark (Little C) turned 10 on July 14. We are so grateful for technology that helps us feel a part of all the celebrations.

Back to work. This month we visited three summer programs that Humanitarian Aid supported. The first was in the town of Dunafoldvar. We partnered with the Hungarian Red Cross. This camp was for children who have experienced homelessness, have special medical needs, or were the children of blood donors. We brought the missionaries from the area to help with translation. The children and the missionaries sang and danced for us. We played games, visited, and had some delicious soup. One little boy who ate with us poured the last drops of his soup into his spoon to get every bit. These children experience food insecurity and are forced to move often. It was wonderful to see them just being children, with no worries for that day.

Next was a visit to Debrecen. This is a larger city where we are working with a center which is home to many with multiple and profound disabilities. Most will live their lives in this facility. The dog photo is from a dog therapy program they have. We enjoy the many animals we meet here in Hungary. On the right is lunch with our Missionaries who were our translators for the day, and on the left is a Love Lock Bridge. Too many secrets and locked loved.

This is the Invisible School Camp. It began as a project with Rotary and has evolved into a fantastic organization that matches mentors, usually college students, with children from families who are in temporary housing because of homelessness. The mentors work with the youth in school, and life skills. Previously only 40% of these youth stayed in school after 12 years old to now 80% of the youth participating stay in school. This camp is a reward for participation. The Theme was "Sustainability". The youth had workshops offered by BASF agriculture, the Medical School, Environment Resources, and Self Defense, taught by some local MMA fighters.

The left photo is a Bee Hotel to be hung in the trees to provide a safe resting place for busy bees. Center is Environment Resources, learning how to re-use and re-cycle. Left is the medical workshop where the youth were able to touch and use common medical equipment and learned about taking care of themself. All workshops were taught by volunteers.

Heading northeast to the village of Edeleny. We supported local organizations in purchasing home cleaning and personal hygiene supplies for 120 families in the poorest of villages. Living conditions are difficult and money for these luxury supplies does not exist. We were welcomed warmly. Spending the morning with the young ones was a highlight!

Our last camp support was Nem Adom Fel (Never Give UP) in the town of Szeged, the southeastern tip of Hungary. This organization works with youth and adults with all types of disabilities. We visited them for the day and enjoyed kindness and friendship from all. During the week the participants were able to express themselves. They did not see each other as disabled; they only saw friends.

It has been a beautiful summer. Very warm, but Oklahoma has been warmer, so we feel fortunate. We enjoy our International Ward Family and are now serving in the Nursery. We will keep our grandparenting skills fresh. We still enjoy our evening walks along the Danube River and were excited to watch video of Thomas's wife, Makayla completing Officer Training for the United States Air Force. 2nd Lieutenant Ayres, Grampa David would be very proud and so are we.

Have we mentioned that serving a mission is awesome? For Clarks birthday we were able to get tickets to go watch the practice sessions of the Hungary Grand Prix at Hungaroring racetrack.

The roar of the racing cars always brings a smile to Clark's face. It is a beautiful road track with SO many people. We saw F 3 - F 2 and F 1. The difference between the cars is amazing. It was fun and fast. Making the best memories.

August will be our 1 year on a mission. It has gone by fast, and 6 months does not seem like enough time to complete all we hoped to do. We are enjoying the people, the food, and the culture. Our testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ and his love for all of God's children has grown 100-fold. We are so grateful for the millions of people who donated to the Humanitarian Aid fund, that allow us to help lift and fill the gaps in needed area. We are gaining skills in listening to the spirit as we are guided to the organizations who are helping others. All is Well, With My Soul.....