If I could save time in a bottle!

Our days are shorter now, with winter approaching. Darkness comes about 4:30 in the evening. Even with the extra hour of daylight savings, time is going by too fast. We are keeping busy with finishing up projects, creating new projects and preparing for 2024 to welcome our replacements who arrive at the end of February. Our days are numbered.

October was a busy month traveling. We began by visiting the City of Debrecen to celebrate 30 years of operation for a facility that cares for many disabled men, women, children, and infants. This simple project of tables and chairs for the resident wings provided a seat for everyone, and the opportunity to engage in socializing. The love in the facility can be felt by everyone who visits.

Debrecen Disability community rooms with new tables and chairs and a seat for everyone.

Next, we visited some Hungary Red Cross family and single person homeless shelters in Csepel. This project was furniture, beds, cabinets for the families privacy fencing and front door at the single persons shelter. The furniture was needed to accommodate more family members and the fencing will help protect the residents. Imagine your family living in one room with bunk beds and a closet. Food prep is done in a community kitchen, T.V or games are in the community room. Life is challenging for this population, but many have jobs, and are working to better their situation.

A family's room at the shelter New fencing at the singles shelter New door at shelter

The Church continues to support the Ukraine school in Budapest to help the children who have been through so much with Covid and the war. They are thrilled to have classes that are taught in their native tongue and consider it a privilege to attend school. We visited the school the first week of classes and returned one month later. The faces of the children have transformed into smiling, engaged, happy students. We are grateful for the difference the school is making for these children. They are working hard to expand the school to reach more of the thousands of Ukraine children in Hungary.

We finished up our project with the school for the visually impaired. The church supplied some interactive screens for the classrooms that the children are enjoying, and some desktop computers for the computer lab. We played games with the children and sang songs in their English class.

Low Vision School Interactive boards A gift we give our Partners.

We drove north to visit three projects. Tatabanya, a wonderful project with a social service support center. Through them we were able to help the elderly, the disabled, children and families. It is a beautiful city, with great leadership. Gyor, where the church is helping with some kitchen and bathroom renovations for a single mother shelter for Ukraine women. Then to Mosonmagyarovary to see the progress at a shelter for those people and families effected by human trafficking. The church's support has allowed them to remodel for some rooms for more residents and improve the facility overall. They do a great work.

Streets of Gyor Play area at the shelter

Shelter at Mosonmagyarovary New door New shelter rooms

A highlight of October was the visit of Callie Ayres and her best friend Bethany Shaw. David Ayres, stayed home with their four little boys and Bethany's husband did the same with their three little ones. Callie and Bethany had a whirlwind 6-day European trip. They arrived on Friday, and we saw the beautiful sights of Budapest. Saturday, we walked 6 miles as the tour stops continued. We loved having them here with us. Sunday, after church the two girls flew to Rome, Italy for two more days of touring in that beautiful city. Oh, to be young and have that energy. We had a wonderful time, and the girls took some beautiful photos of the trip.

Castle Hill Church on Sunday Off for adventures in Rome

Next, we had our area managers from Frankfurt, Germany come to visit for three days. We love the support and directions we receive for the staff and missionaries serving in Germany. We showed them five of our projects in three days. The low-vision school, the Sure Safe house in Edeleny, the Borosdi Elementary School, The Ukraine School and the open house of a new wing of the Physically Disabled School.

Low Vison School Sure Safe children House with Roma Families in Edeleny

Borosdi Elementary school supplies for the underserved children

At this physically disabled school the church heled supply equipment for four therapy rooms for the students. Music, sensory, water, and audio therapy rooms. The children in this new wing are severely disabled but they know joy, they have thoughts and feelings. We met a young girl who has learned to use her eyes with a device to speak. The work this school does is amazing. We were honored to be a part of the work they do.

Open House and therapy rooms for the new wing of the Physically Disabled School

We finished up the month with a wonderful General Conference for our church, that strengthens our faith, and love for our Savior Jesus Christ. Then the open house of a Red Cross shelter that the church supplied 9 extra wide doors for disabled access, to allow this shelter to open an elderly care wing. The population of the homeless in Hungary is growing at an alarming rate among the elderly. This is a great need.

Last of the fall flowers on the street. View from a river cruise In the rain with our Area group

We keep thinking our projects will begin to slow down, with the year end approaching, but it appears the Lord has other things in mind, with recent contacts from three project partners we have been trying to meet with all year. We could not do this work without the generous donations that millions of people donate to the Humanitarian Aid funds. We see it making a difference in many of the central European countries and around the world. Your donations allow us to follow our Savior Jesus Christ, to serve where he would serve, to love as he loves. We are grateful for you and your support everyday. We wish many of you a fun fill Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating the day with some friends from the American Embassy, and our Relief Society planned a thanksgiving dinner for the sisters. We Love You All!