Hungary

Hungary is wonderful. The city is beautiful and there is a lot to see and do. The first night here I went caving. I was very impressed. In scouts we went caving, and this one was just as if not more difficult than the ones that we would do. It enjoyed being able to do something active and adventurous. Yesterday I went one a bike tour of the city. I took a river tour that cruised up and down the Danube. They call this the Paris of the east. The buildings were all lit up and they looked great.

It is hard to believe, but I leave tomorrow for home. The time has flown and I have loved my experience. If anyone wants some advice about where to go I would be happy to give it and I strongly encourage everyone to travel. Not only is it fun to see new places, but I have gained a greater appreciation of other cultures and places. As for the fate of my blog. I don't know if I will keep posting. I have always been kind of anti-blog pro-telephone. We will see...

Italy

I have been in Italy all week and I have loved it. I started in the North and then I went to the South, and now I am on my way out. I have seen a lot of new places that I didn't see while I was on my mission. I went to Milano. There really isn't too much to see, but the Duomo was incredible and I was with friends from the mission. After that I went to Cinque Terre. That was so beautiful. There are five cities that are all along the coast and there is a path that connects them all. I spent most of the day walking between the cities, enjoying the beautiful view. At the end of the path I rewarded myself with a gelato and a swim in the sea. In the south I visited three cities that I served in. It was so great to see old friends. I was very encouraged by the progress of some, and discouraged by the digression of others. Hopefully my visits were helpful. Being back in the south really made me miss the mission. On Saturday I came back up to the North for the wedding of two missionaries that I served with. It was fun to see them and other missionaries that I served with. I was able to stop by Pisa for an hour, and I spent this evening in Florence. I love Italy so much and can't wait to come back. Italians are very hospitable and I haven't had to do a thing since I have been here. I can't believe that I only have three days left. It has been a wonderful trip so far.

Interlaken

Saturday morning I woke up and rented a mountain bike. I rode up the most gorgeous trail in the world. I got to a place where there are 10 waterfalls that all cut through the inside of the mountain. That was really beautiful. Round trip my ride was almost 4 hours and I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, I didn't have my padded shorts so my butt is already feeling it. When I got back I left to go canyoning. That was so much fun. For this we had to get dressed in wetsuits, life vests, and helmets. We pretty much just climbed down this river. In doing that, we rappeled, swam, and jumped. I loved jumping off of the rocks. It was also really cool to let the current just carry you along. The river was moving very fast. I am so glad that I did it and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

The Temple

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Friday was absolutely amazing. I got to Bern around 9.30 and I just walked around for a little bit. I then came over to the temple. I missed the last session that the district of Catania was doing, but I was able to see everyone after in the temple hostel. I served in three branches in that district, so I knew a lot of people. There were so many people here. I was amazed. There were some people that I was definitely not expecting to see. Today has just been a blessing for me. There were three people here that I taught. None of them were ever baptized while I was there, but they all were after. Baptizing some one is great, but seeing them at the temple is beyond description. It literally brought tears to my eyes. Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. I really love it here. I walked around Bern for a little bit and I think that my mouth was in awe the whole time. It is actually cold here and it has been drizzling off and on the whole time.

The next adventure

I have absolutely loved it here. I am so sad to leave and will forever cherish everything that I have learned here and above all the spirit that I have felt here. I will now be in Europe for two weeks. My posts might be a little more sporatic, but I hope to be able to document my adventures. My plans are VERY open but I think I will be visiting Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I am excited and hope that all goes well.

The Bells

One of the service couples here goes over to the YMCA every week to play the bells in the bell tower. They mentioned to me that I would be able to go with them one time if I wanted. I jumped at the opportunity and went with them. They said that I could play them but I didn't think that they were really serious. Sure enough, when we got there they handed me some music and I practiced it once on the practice carillon. After that, another girl and I hopped on the real bells and played "Reverently and Quietly" for all of West Jerusalem. I was so nervous and I messed up a few times but it was awesome. We can't procelyte here, but I was able to play some church music for all to enjoy. The other girls that went with me played "I Am a Child of God". After we played our songs we got to ring the bells 12 times to mark noon. It was so awesome.

Triclinium

Tonight's fireside rivals the one in the Shepherds field for one of the best spiritual experiences that I have had here. We went to the upper auditorium and we reenacted the last supper. There we had the tables set us just as how they would have been. 13 of us reclined while one of our professors talked about the last supper and how it all went down. After that people talked about the last supper and its significance. People then bore their testimonies about Christ. A group sang "This is The Christ". I love that song, it is so powerful. For the closing hymn we sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives". That has always been one of my favorite hymns, but tonight it meant something even more. The Spirit, in a very powerful way, confirmed to me that the words that I was singing were true. I do know that my Redeemer lives. I am so grateful for the wonderful experiences that I have had here.