Week 18 - July 5, 2010 - Tatabanya, Hungary

Dear Family,

A full fledged ward in Tatabánya... Hmm... i don`t think they`re ready for that, but a branch would be good. I think they`re going to have to get a new meeting house soon. We`re outgrowing our little Régi Pékség. (Old bakery)

When we tell people we`re from America they usually seem impressed that we would come to Hungary and especially that we would come to Tatabánya. We haven`t had any problems yet though. Except for this one kid who said 'You`re Stupid!!' as we rode by on the bikes, but I think he was just practicing English.

The Hungarian mail system is pretty stable, things just disappear from packages sometimes. The changes are in the mission. That`s why I suggested to wait. Probably wait one more week before sending anything, but I`ll let you know for sure next week.

I`m glad to hear they`re finally making some progress with your job. Hopefully this girl will pass the background and drug tests.

That`s exciting and terrifying that Cami passed her road test. Good luck on getting her license and everything, and I hope she has a fun time in Tennessee too. Oh and good luck to Kevin and Tanja.

That`s good that you got to go down to your reunion. I actually met a girl here from Delta. She`s a foreign exchange student or a study abroad student, I can`t remember which, but she was definitely from Delta.

It sounds like you had an exciting 4th of July. About as exciting as mine anyways. Painting and sanding for you and streeting and tracting for me. You didn`t go to the parade though? Disappointing. I wanted to ask how the marching band is doing, or if they even have one this year. At least you got to watch the fireworks though. I was thinking about Fireworks the other day. Oh well, at least you are making progress on the big project. The house will be legit when I get home, if you finish it by that time anyways. Just kidding.

I`m still doing well. I can understand more everyday. I still don`t speak very well. The food is pretty good. I get a legit Hungarian meal at least once a week with Roz and Ferenc. I do have a Hungarian cookbook, but it`s written in Hungarian, so maybe I`ll translate and you can cook the food. Sound fair?

I`m glad Simba is slowly growing fur again. If his back end doesn`t pick it up we`ll have to make him a kitty-combover, and then he would never forgive you.

I`m glad you still stay in touch with Larissa. I think she would really appreciate a visit and the pictures. Maybe you could go to the Bluebird while shes working. That would be fun.

Nothing really new from me this week. We got the word about transfers this morning. Elder Cheney is going to Miskolc to be Zone leader and I am staying here in Tatabánya. I`m going to be in a threesome. Again. that`ll be weird. But I think it`ll be good. One of the Elders is Elder Hommes who was in the group ahead of me in the MTC, so that`ll be fun to see him again. He was my favorite. I`ve been rearranging my stuff all morning to make room for them. The changes take effect on Wednesday, though, so I still have some time.

This week was kind of strange. Elder Cheney got his Ingrown toenail cut on Thursday, so on Friday we had to rest for the entire day. I read pretty much all day. I`m running out of things to read, which might sound strange, but I`m serious. I finished Jesus the Christ in one transfer, so now I`ve read the entire Missionary library and I finished the Book of Mormon this morning. I guess I`ll just read them all over again.

That`s about all the news from me. Things are going good. One transfer down, 13 or 14 more to go. I love you all. have a good week. Be safe and happy.

Crouch Elder

Week 17 - June 28, 2010 - Tatabanya, Hungary

Dear Family,

Thank you for the 16th week wishes. There are times when it feels like its going so fast, but other times when time seems to be dragging. But that's normal.

Yeah the baptism was really awesome, and we actually had another one last Saturday too. Now there are 17 members here. Woot. And I have been really good about writing in my journal. I've only missed 2 days and one was because I was on a plane.

I was thinking about Founders Day too. We had a big festival here around the same time. It was pretty cool. I got to see a famous Hungarian singer. I don't think I wrote about this last time. After she sang, Elder Kennedy and I went up to get her autograph, but when they heard we were Americans, they let us go talk to her and I got a picture with her. She's pretty famous. Her picture is on billboards all over the place here.

I guess I'm not so jealous about the dust and the mess of remodeling. That would be pretty annoying and I would be helping. Yeah, Ill stay here with the heat and crazy people.

I'm glad my memory card got there safely. I'm trying to take lots of pictures. Just this morning Elder Cheney and I went up to the bird statue again and then to a cave nearby. It was pretty awesome. I got some pictures with Jimmy. And I got to whip in the cave. We took some video. It was so loud.

As for sending it back, I was going to ask you to wait for a while. In fact, there might be some changes happening soon, so anyone who receives this email take notice, It might be best to hold off sending any letters or packages until further notice. If they've already been sent, they should be fine, but after today, it would be best to wait.

That's really cool that Amos is heading out soon. I'm sure he`ll love the England MTC. Elder Szvoboda (one of the APs) went there because he already speaks Hungarian, and he said it was awesome. .

That's good that Cami passed range. Good luck on the road test, and have fun in Tennessee.

I'm sorry you are still working so much, mom. It seems like they've really been jerking you around at that job. I hope your Private Talk goes well.

The humidity hasn't been as bad this week, but today is pretty hot. It's been raining a lot, which is nice. Ive never seen it rain like this before. I love it. You get soaked instantly.

Speaking of humidity and suits, I don't have the suits in plastic and I make sure that they get aired out and everything. I think they'll be fine.

I hope you all have a good week. Be safe and be good. Kick the cat for me.

Szeretek Beneteket,

Elder Crouch

Week 16, June 21, 2010 - Tatabanya, Hungary

Hey family,

The floor looks awesome. I`m kind of jealous. As soon as I leave you put down nice floors and start fixing up the house. And now I`m in crappy apartments where the carpet and walls are so gross you can still see where things used to sit and hang. It`s gross. I`m sorry the dishwasher is broken. I`ve been missing it since we have to hand wash all of our dishes too.

I`ve been missing canyoneering lately, but I`m glad Kevin has been able to go a lot. That would be really cool if you could take Larissa on a trip. She`s been getting into climbing a little.

I hope Cami can get her licence soon too. Good luck on the tests. They`re pretty easy.

Yeah I remember that baby and the double barrel blast to the leg. That was fun.

So this week has been kind of crazy. This whole transfer has been kind of weird though, but I don`t know the difference. Saturday was the baptism in the Duna (Danube, but it`s not blue. More brown). It was really great. Róz`s husband Ferenc was baptized in the same place so that`s why she chose there. I`m so happy for her though. It`s awesome. She went to the temple with Ferenc a few months ago. She didn`t go in, but she said the feeling of the temple was what made her want to quit smoking and everything else. I`m so excited for them to go to the temple in a year. We confirmed Róz yesterday. I got to stand in the circle. It was such an awesome feeling.

Yesterday sort of took a weird turn though. After sacrament we went to meet an investigator at his garden cottage thing. Lets just say it was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. I wrote five pages in my journal about it, so It would be kind of hard to write about, but I`ll never forget it, so remind me when i get home and I`ll tell you about it. I`ll just say that Laszló is one of the craziest old guys I`ve ever met and we decided to never meet with him again after that experience.

We`ve been tracting and streeting a lot. This area is the newest in the whole country so we`re still sort of lacking on solid investigators. The good news is there is another baptism next week for two of the other elders` investigators.

That`s my exciting news for the week. I sent the picture card last week, but you might want to hold off on sending it back for a while. The mail here is kind of bad. Things get stolen out of packages sometimes, so just be careful about that. I still have plenty of room on my other card so don`t worry.

I love you all and thank you for keeping me updated on everyone`s life. I looked at your blog today too. There were some really funny stories on there like the streaking boys. wow. Anyways, have a good week.

Crouch Elder

Week 15 - June 14, 2010, Tatabanya, Hungary

Dear Family,

So far this p-day has been really good. We went to Esztergom this morning which is one of the largest churches in the world. I took a bunch of pictures, and I'm sending another card home today. It doesn't have the Esztergom pictures but there are a lot on this one too.

That's really cool about the Barlows. That would be crazy to go on a mission the same time as Dani. Good thing she`s married.

I`m sorry the calls were so expensive. I just really wanted to talk to you all and the phones(and everything) in France were really stupid. France was really stupid. The good news is we get plenty of money every month and food and pretty much everything else is really cheap. And we get an hour and a half free to call on Christmas and Mothers Day. Our mission president is awesome.

That's really exciting that weŕe getting hard wood floors and new carpet and everything. I still think about that carpet sometimes because the carpet in our apartment is really nasty. Wait till you see some of the pictures.

Oh the accordion concert. One of the members, Edina, has a daughter named Zsofi who plays the accordion. She invited us to her accordion recital last week. It was really funny to watch all of these little kids making concentration faces while they were playing. They were actually really good too. I just never thought I would go to an accordion concert in Hungary.

My knees are doing okay. We walk a lot though. The good news is we have bikes. The bad news is the bikes are pretty crappy. I took pictures. You`ll see.

I am getting along really well with my companion. We have tons of fun but we still work way hard. Cheney Elder is really good about not wasting time but not going over the top either. He knows how to schedule little things that are fun for us, but still are worthwhile. Like whipping. Hungarian whips are so fun. I have to get one while I`m here. I`m getting so good at it. It`s amazing how loud you can get it. But even while we`re whipping we`re still finding. Old guys will come up while we`re whipping and talk to us and will want to try it, so we let them and they give us tips and then we can talk about the church. It`s really cool.

I`ve seen a ton of weird things. Kind of disturbing things. It`s really hot and humid so the ˝Cats are losing their fur˝ as Ferenc puts it. Everyone is losing their clothes. I´ve see old guys in speedos and thongs and other nasty things and it makes tracting an adventure. I`ve also eaten some weird things. I don`t think I want to talk about that though. We have a baptism this Saturday in the Duna (that`s the Danube). It`s pretty exciting.

The time is passing so fast now that I`m out of the MTC. I can`t believe I`ve been in the country 3 weeks already. I can already understand everyone better and I can speak a little. I just wish it wasn´t so hot and humid. It gets really miserable. Especially when we`re doing service. We do a ton of service. We can`t in the winter so we make up for it in the summer. I don`t mind service, but these things get pretty bad sometimes. I feel like people are abusing us. Oh well. I do it and I try to be happy about it. It just makes me appreciate the dry heat of Utah and the work we do in the yard.

That`s about all my news. Just lots of work and sweaty sweat. I hope you all are happy. Have fun living in the torn apart house for a week. Let me know how it turns out. You should try attaching pictures again. I know that myldsmail accounts can get pictures. I don`t know why it didn`t work last time you tried. Anyways. I love you all.

Kraucs Elder
Hungarian is awesome.

Week 14 - June 8, 2010 - Tatabanya, Hungary

Hey Family,

Sorry I didn't write yesterday, but I had to go to Budapest to get my residency permit. This past week has been pretty good. Really busy and hot and humid but good. I hadn't heard of a unit either until I got here. Yes, Tatabanya is a really small city. There's hardly anything here. I'd say Hinkley is maybe a little bigger and a little more exciting, but it is so good.

We're not running at all right now because Cheney Elder has really bad ingrown toenails. He usually runs when he doesn't have feet problems though, so I'm kind of worried. My knees have been killing me lately, and they get a little bit worse everyday. I've talked to the Mission president's wife about it though, so she's trying to help.

I thought about Dani and Kelly on Sunday. Tell them Happy anniversary from me too. That is pretty crazy that they've been married a year already.

I'm sorry everyone has allergies. Just be glad you're not here. There are cottonwood trees everywhere. It keeps getting in my eyes and stuff. Luckily I don't get allergies, or else I'd be miserable.

That's pretty cool that Larissa wants to do the ILP thing. She hasn't written to me about that yet, but I haven't gotten a single letter here so... That would be pretty legit if she came to Hungary though. Then maybe she would learn some Hungarian.

I'm pretty excited to see the new carpet and Hardwood floor. We definitely needed it though. That old carpet was pretty nasty.

Oh dang, I missed the annual garage cleaning?! Darn! I'm sorry it's not staying clean with two poopy cats and a furry bird, but I hope the birds get out soon. It's always annoying when Birds come in and won't leave. I think Dani would be freaking out if she was there. Everytime I see stupid pigeons around, I think about Dani freaking out about the birds. There are pigeons EVERYWHERE here. They're really annoying.

I've been missing the fresh vegetables like crazy. I was dying for a good tomato a few days ago.

Nothing has really been new with me. And we have to go to a program soon. I'll write a better letter next week I promise. And if you remind me about the accordion concert I went to, I'll tell you about it.

I love you all,
Crouch Elder

Week 13 - May 31, 2010 - Tatabanya, Hungary

Dear Family,

Hungary is good. I still can't believe that I am here. It doesn't seem real. My companion is great. His name is Cheney Elder. He's from Georgia. We are in a town called Tatabánya. (you might want to install the Hungarian Language add on for your computer because I will probably be sending words that have Hungarian characters). Tatabánya is about an hour northwest of Budapest. Its kind of a smaller town, but its been great so far. There are 10 or 12 members here in the "Unit". We meet in a tiny little branch house that used to be a bakery, but I guess they want to turn us into a branch. Cheney Elder is the Unit leader, so we were at the meeting house forever yesterday with all of the meetings about making a branch.

When I was on the plane from France, I kind of got those same pangs of missing you all, even though Ive been away for 3 months already.

That's so crazy that Cami is done with her sophomore year already. I`m glad you are keeping her busy though. It sounds like she is going to have a fun summer. It sounds like you will too with no job.

Yeah, those Nerf guns are different ones. I left the ones that Larissa gave me at home, but someone gave those ones to me at the MTC and I thought it was time they got out of that building so they won't tempt anyone else. So now I have 4 of them. Yay!!

Jimmy went in my carry on because I needed a picture of him in France. You can't really tell it's France from the picture, but it is.

That's pretty exciting that you are writing a book. I'm sure its going to be awesome. Keep me updated with what is happening there. I'm going to start telling people my mom is an author now.

I hope DJ Niebergall enjoys dad as a companion, just tell dad that if he wants DJ to teach the lesson, to give him more notice than "You know you're teaching, right?" as he rings the doorbell.

So this week has been pretty crazy. Getting all settled in and everything. When we got in on Tuesday, we went to the mission home and had dinner and then we went to a big square in Budapest called hero square. It has statues of all the kings of Hungary. It was pretty awesome, but we had to leave when this HUGE stretch hummer thing covered with lights pulled up and all of these drunk teenagers started yelling at us. (I took pictures of all of these things.) After that we went to Gelért Hegy which is a "Mountain" (there are no mountains here. I miss real mountains a lot) inside of Budapest. There is a big fort on top that the Hapsburgs built and now its a monument to the freedom from communism. There's a few big statues, the best of which is a naked guy punching a dragon. Awesome. I took a couple of pictures of Budapest and of the statues.

We slept at the secretaries' apartment that night and got up the next day at 6 because the APs wanted to go running. So we ran for an hour. I wanted to die. But then we got to shower(finally) and went and had breakfast at the Mission Home. Then we went streeting. That was interesting, not speaking the language or anything. After that we got our trainers and headed out. We were able to get a ride with another companionship heading to Győr. I had some time to unpack and then we went streeting. In the time between then and now, we've gone streeting and tracting (I had my first door slammed in my face) and did some teaching. We don't have many investigators right now, so most of the time is spent looking. That's about all that we've done.

On Saturday, I did get to go to a festival called A Tatai Pataran. It was like a Renaissance fair, except it was cool. It was all around this old castle and was actually a celebration of when a Hungarian force took the castle (the one we were at) from a force of Turks. The had a reenactment of the battle, and a bunch of stalls to buy random crap. It was legit.

That was my week. I hope you all have a good week. I love you all. I'll be sending home pictures soon. Be safe and be good. Especially Cami and Simba.

Crouch Elder

Week 12 - May 27, 2010 - IN HUNGARY!

Dear Parents of Elder Crouch,

It was our great pleasure to welcome your son, Elder Crouch, to the Hungary Budapest Mission last evening. He has the spirit and bearing of an excellent missionary and is full of energy and enthusiasm for the Lord's work here. We are very happy he is joining us in the mission field at this exciting time in the history of the Church in Hungary.

Attached are a couple photos of your missionary with his new trainer, as well as a photo of him with President and Sister Baughman. We are taking good care of Elder Crouch, and would like you to know that you can contact us at any time if questions or concerns arise. May God's helping hand be with your family as your son faithfully serves in this great work.

With love,
Elder Recksiek
Office Secretary

--
Hungary Budapest Mission
1122 Budapest
Hajnóczy József utca 14
36-1-488-0660
Fax: 36-1-488-0661
hunbud@gmail.com

Week 10 - May 19, 2010

Dear Family,

I get that same feeling when I wake up in the morning. I'm getting really excited to get onto Magyarorszag(Hungary) and get out of the MTC forever. I did enjoy my time here overall, 12 weeks is just a long time. Ask Kevin, he knows.

I'm thinking Jimmy is getting pretty stoked to go. I need to get some pictures with him here at the MTC before we leave.

It's been nice to talk to some people I know. I guess Greece has been all crazy though, because almost every Greek missionary's visa got flat-out denied. Tom is actually in Chicago now. I feel kind of bad for him. But it was great to talk to Gideon. It felt a little like home. And no, I haven't been missing video games too much.

I'm glad Simba is doing better. Tell him hi from me. I am starting to get used to my hair, but that's because I have to get another haircut today. In a few minutes actually. The glasses are a pair of 3D glasses that elder Asquith gave to us when he left.

I did get your last letter. I'm glad to hear you won't be moving anytime soon. I wasn't looking forward to that. I could maybe use some more ties if you find some good looking ones, and maybe a few more garments. Just the small cotton tops and whatever kind of bottoms you got last time, smalls also.

We did get our flight plans last Thursday. We leave the MTC at 1:30p.m. and the plane leaves at 5:00p.m. so I'll probably call sometime in there and we also have a 4 hour layover in Paris, France, so I'll try to call there too, but I don't know what time that will be because our plans only give local times. My entire district of 7 is going together so I won't be alone or anything.

I haven't talked much about Hansen Elder because he doesn't really pass the Bryan Test. Sorry Cami.

Consecration week went well. It was a little different for me because I'm zone leader so I had to speak often to my English districts, but it did help a lot.

Tell dad thank you for the letter. I really enjoyed it. I do remember doing Elephant Butte. Did you use the same beta as last time? I still remember that too. I hope you enjoy your trip with the doctors.

Tell Cami thanks for the letter too. I love hearing from all of you. and tell her good luck on her summer goals. Just remember: "When progress is measured, Improvement increases. When Progress is measured and reported, improvement increases even more." (PMG) So I want to hear how you are doing.

I keep forgetting to talk about Sister Hottie or Hottie Nover (Sister Roderick). she was the one that Kevin found in the paper. She is really nice and a really talented singer, but she's kind of crazy. The kind of crazy you have to be to go on a mission though, so it's all good. I'll put in a good word for Kevin.

New Zone leaders got called this week, so we're doing "training". It's pretty fun and I'm looking forward to handing the Zone Leader Binder down.

So I was thinking, if you want to hear what Hungarian is supposed to sound like, you can listen to conference talks on LDS.org. I do that sometimes during MDT to get a feel for it. You go to LDS.org, go to the library menu, go to general conference, on the language page click "Magyar" click the link that says "180" in it, and then pick any talk. It's pretty ridiculous. hopefully I can talk like that someday.

Anyways, that's about it for me. I'm looking forward to talking to you all on Monday. I'll make sure I call your cell phone. Have a good week and be safe, everyone. I love you all.

Crouch Elder

Week 9 - May 12, 2010

Dear Family,

I'm glad my memory card got there safely, and I'm really excited to get that package. I do have a cord for my iPod. Don't worry. We can't film the sisters because... I don't know. I think it's just not allowed here at the MTC. And I think technically we're not supposed to take videos here, but I couldn't record it any other way. I'm glad you enjoyed our singing though.

I'm not too fond of my haircut, but I'm glad you like it.

The glow stick party was really fun. None of us had seizures. The light saber thing... I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you. It's a ZL secret...just kidding. We have these colored pencil lead things that we just hold right in front of the lens and when the camera flashes it makes it look like they are glowing. Cool huh? I'll see about getting some matrix pictures too.

Yeah I heard Chris's departure date got pushed back. I've talked to him a few times. It's kind of cool to see people I know. I see Tom Lipert on a daily basis and I finally saw Gideon today at the temple. I hardly even recognized him. It was great to see him though.

I haven't gotten the package yet, but Smith Elder and I are going to go check the mail again after we finish laundry.

That's so scary about Simba getting squished under the garage door. I think I would die if anything happened to him. I wonder how he got stuck though. The door isn't supposed to stay down if something is underneath it, is it? Something like a cat? Even if he doesn't block the laser thing it should have gone back up. Maybe you should have that looked at so it doesn't happen again.

So about the only news from me is yesterday Jeffrey R. Holland came and talked to us. It was legit! He is such a powerful speaker. He gave a talk similar to his "The Miracle of a Mission" which is crazy powerful. It was really awesome.

Oh also, we started consecration week today. I'm only speaking Hungarian all this week. It's kind of hard, but fun at the same time. It's going to help a ton though.

We haven't gotten our flight plans yet, but by next p-day (our last) we should have them so I'll know when and where our layovers are and how long I'll be able to talk and everything. It's kind of crazy how soon we are leaving. I still don't feel like I know this language very well at all, but it'll be exciting to go. Speaking of going to Hungary, I just thought this was interesting. In Hungarian, you don't go 'to' Hungary, you go 'onto' Hungary. You go into every other country and even Heaven, but not Hungary, that's how awesome it is.

So I just thought I'd share this story real fast. I got to be a Bishop a few days ago in one of the sisters lessons. It was fun. Everyone was calling me Bishop Crouch and stuff. I just thought it was funny.

That's about it. Oh, is my cell phone number reserved? Am I going to be able to use that when I get back, or will I have to get a new one? It would be really nice if there was some way to reserve it, but if not, that's okay. Sorry. I just thought about that the other day and was wondering what happened with that.

Anyways, I love you all. I hope you all have a good week. Stay safe. Especially Simba.

Bryan

Week 8 - May 5, 2010

Hi family,

Happy Mothers Day and anniversary by the way. I meant to say something about your anniversary a few weeks ago, but I forgot. Sorry. Oh and I'm supposed to tell you that I won't be calling on Mothers Day, but I don't think that is much of a surprise.

I did get your letter. It made my day. I'm pretty excited to start taking pictures with Jimmy. The only other thing I can think of for the package is some jolly ranchers. They help me stay awake in class. And maybe my old vans. I need some slipper-type of shoes sometimes for wearing around the residence hall. I know that my call said no canvas shoes, but I can just use them in the building. And a calling card would be nice. When I get my flight plans next week I should be able to tell you what day and time I will be calling and everything. I think I do have Cami's iPod cord and I will send that with my next memory card, which I should be sending soon.

That's kind of sad that you are wanting to quit your job. I understand, it's just sad that you are so stressed.

I'm glad that the van is still getting some use. Smith Elder used to drive a van too, so we've been reminiscing about them and it kind of made me miss the van. Well, not so much the van as actually being able to go places and move. The farthest away I've been from the MTC in the last 2 months is the Rite Aide about 3 blocks away. sad. But I'm glad dad and Kevin had fun canyoneering. Tell dad I'm looking forward to the full description of the trip, including beta for the canyons.

I loved the pictures of the cat. He looks hilarious. I can't believe I'm not there to make fun of him. Poor Simba. I know how he feels though. I got all of my hair cut off too. It's sad. Be nice to him.

Tennessee is flooded? Crazy. That's really sad. I hope it doesn't destroy all the history and stuff. I'm glad you weren't there when that happened. This year has been crazy for weather though. It's snowed pretty much every day this week. IT'S MAY!!! Time for no more snow.

I'm glad you can go help Larissa. I was a little worried about her moving and everything working out okay. Her appartment sounds really legit though.

This week has been pretty boring. Just like every other week. The only interesting thing is Tom Lippert, who I worked with at Weber came in last Wednesday and his class is right across the hall from mine. I've talked to him a few times. It's good to see a familiar face. Oh and today, My friend Giddeon is coming in. I'm pretty excited.

So I'm pretty sure I've told you about my teachers, but if not, here it is. We had Brother Petty and Brother Petersen at the begining of our time here. Brother Petty is awesome. He's really kind and caring and just knows how to teach us really well. Brother Petersen is awesome too. He's huge on planning, so he's starting a good habit for us right off the bat. A few weeks ago, at the end of the semester at BYU, the teachers rotated, so now we have Brother Petty and Brother Lefevre and Brother Petersen is in the TE. Brother Lefevre is fantastic; He's only been home from Hungary for 9 months. He's told us all sorts of really awesome things about Hungary. It makes me so excited to get out of here. He's actually from Bountiful and he went to high school with Tyler Hawks.(that's really crazy that he's getting married now too. Speaking of which, brother Lefevre is getting married in August.) But anyways, that's about it. I'll make sure I get pictures of all of my teachers before I leave. That's about all of the news for me.

I love you all. Keep writing letters and being good all of you.

Bryan

Week 7 - April 28, 2010

Dear Family,

I did get the package and the letters. That was wonderful. Thank you so much for the pictures...Jimmy is hilarious. Maybe you'll send him to me so I can get some pictures of him in Hungary?

Larissa told me she went to see you. That's good. I'm glad she still feels comfortable around you all.

So this week has been a ton better. I knew that my attitude last week was not a very good one, and so I started praying for help, and now Smith Elder and I have been getting along great. I really do love him as a companion. It's been awesome. This week has been so much better.I have been working really hard to teach by the spirit. We had an "investigator" in the TE who is now a teacher for the English elders in our zone. He was talking about Smith Elder and I to them and said that we were one of the very few that actually got him to "baptism". It was pretty awesome.

That's crazy that the van wouldn't pass inspection because of all of those things. It has been like that for ages. At least since I've had it. The washer fluid does spray. you just have to hold it for a little bit. Anyways, I'm sorry about that. I love that van though.

I'm sorry that my credit cards have been giving you trouble. I hope things will work out with those. I'll email this Ryan guy and give him what for. I'll be sure to mention that I'm going to Hungary soon too.

I'm sorry your job has been so hard lately. I hope things level out for you. I'll be praying for you too this week.

I hope you can go see Mark too, but no burning things. Well not entire buildings anyways. Maybe just some smaller fires. i don't know. You just can't get arrested.

Tell dad thanks for the letter. it really helped me. He writes really well, and I love getting letters from all of you.

I love you all and I'm thinking about you constantly. Not too constantly though. I have to focus.

Love,
Bryan

Week 6 - April 21, 2010

Hey family,

I haven't received that package of photos yet, but now I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad you got my photo memory card and that you enjoyed them. I'm still taking pictures and keeping track of who everyone is. Yes Elder Gamblin is very tall. It's crazy. I'm really glad I have the Lego's some days. Usually it's pretty busy, but every once in a while on P-Day I need to unwind and just play with Lego's. The huge Hungarian flag is in our classroom on the wall. Well actually it's in our little babies' room right now, but on Monday, when we clean their room, we steal it back. It's a tradition. Cami would think Hansen Elder is cute. I won't tell him that though. He is single.

I'm really glad Larissa still comes around sometimes, and I'm glad you welcome her.

The carbon monoxide alarm looks like it should be fine. I'll be sure I keep the batteries fresh and new. I have no intention of getting poisoned on my mission.

I have heard about the volcanoes in Iceland. There was supposed to be an Elder from Estonia coming in yesterday, but he got delayed because of the ash and stuff. That's pretty crazy about the snow cement though. That would be terrible.

I haven't used the fluoride drops yet, but it might be good to get a few refills before I leave. I was planning on starting when i get to Hungary.

I'm looking forward to getting dad's letter now. I always love getting letters and emails from all of you. I kind of have to do the same thing while I'm typing because there is the flashing counter up in the corner constantly reminding me of how little time I have. But your emails are always wonderful I love having this little chunk of time to hear about home.

So the only exciting news this week is the new Hungarians and the new Albanians. I've met most of them now, and they all seem pretty cool. It's pretty crazy being an 'ancient' already. I feel like our class is really far behind because my companion Smith Elder does not understand practically anything, and yet when I offer to help he just says he wants to study vocab. It's starting to really bother me and I don't know what to do. Our teachers have started railing on us on a daily basis because "we" are not progressing and "we" are not living up to our full potential. I try to help him but he refuses to be helped and I can't spoon feed him anymore.

Sorry about the rant but it's really been weighing on my this week and I don't know what to do anymore. I have had some really hard days the past few weeks because of this and he simply won't listen to me.

That's really the only news. I love you all and I hope you are all doing well and I hope Cami is still behaving herself.

love,
Bryan

Week 5 - April 14, 2010

Hey Family,

My week has been pretty good. The older Hungarians left on Monday and one of the English districts left yesterday morning. As of right now there are 15 in my zone while there are usually 40-50. Next week will be the same way. We get another English district of 8 today and next Tuesday the other English district leaves. There will be 8 elders and 7 sisters. so weird. our floor is so empty. But next Wednesday we get new Hungarians (The new little babies. I'm going to be an ancient, how exciting.) and new Albanians and I think maybe another English district.

I did get the package. Thank you so much. I love the ties. I did take off most of my music from my iPod. I only left on good stuff, and I am nothing but a good example!! As for pictures, I just want a few wallet sized family pictures and whatever else you want to send. Especially pictures of the shaved cat. That sound hilarious. He's going to hate you forever for that. And the pictures of Jimmy's travels. (I'm glad he has a place to rest and that my bed is getting good use) i do have a picture book so if you'll just send pictures I'll put them in.

By the way, I can't get on any blogs in the MTC, but I might be able to out in the field. They keep us locked in pretty well. Except for last week. I told Larissa about this in my letter to her because it happened after I emailed and while I was writing her. I think I told you that Elder Asquith got moved into our district because of his medical problems for a few days. He left last Thursday, but before he could leave he had to get a prescription and his temporary companions had to go with him. I got to leave the MTC! Never before have I been so excited to go to a Rite-Aid, but it was awesome. I forgot what people looked like. It was a nice break. That was about the most exciting thing that happened all week.

I sent out a card with 40-something pictures on Monday. I did include a list of what the pictures are. I hope that gets to you soon.

Wow-wee only 99 weeks left? time sure is flying.

I got letters from Kevin, Mom, and Aunt Tanja this past week. It was pretty awesome. I love getting letters. Tell Kevin and dad I'm jealous that they got to watch the first episode of Pacific. I'll be excited to watch that when I get home.

I think that's everything. MTC life is boring, but hopefully it'll get more exciting in a few weeks when I finally get to leave. I love you all.

Bryan

Week 4 - April 7, 2010

Hey family,

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Baltimore and Tenessee and everything. I'm also glad you got home safely. I wish I had been able to go, but I get to go to Hungary so I guess we're even. I did get all of your postcards. Or at least 4 of them, I think that's probably all of them. That's so funny that Jimmy stowed away for the trip. I want to see those pictures.

So being zone leader is okay. We have to show the newbies the ropes and stuff, so it is some extra work and meetings, but it's okay. I have been keeping up pretty well with Hungarian, but it is really hard. I guess it is in the top 3 hardest languages in the world. It is, however, very powerful. There are certain words for "perfect" that are reserved only for deity and things like that, but with that power there is a dark side. Our teacher Petty Testver (means "Brother") said that the curses in Hungarian are so terrible and vile that they make his soul hurt. pretty crazy. I don't know if I've talked about my teachers yet, but they are both really awesome. Petty and Petersen are their names and we are getting another one in a few weeks that is replacing Petersen named LeFevre. He's really awesome too. I feel really blessed to have them as teachers.

With General Conference, we just went to the auditorium to watch all of the sessions. I was hoping we would get to go someplace else, but there are too many of us. The talks all were really awesome and I did enjoy it.

This week, the Albanians left, except for elder Asquith. (I'll send pictures home soon with a few of him) They're not sure if his medication exists in Albania so they're making him wait a few weeks until they can find out. until then he has been assigned to Smith Elder and me to be his companion. He is hilarious and super laid back though, so it'll be fun.

A package would be awesome. Especially with my iPod and the speakers. I guess the Hungarian mail system does have a few problems with stuff diappearing. The only other thing I could think of that I might need would be some ties. Oh and i guess they want us to get carbon Monoxide alarms, because a few elders died in a neighboring country from a leaking heater and we have similar heaters in Hungary. They said there is one that is approved by the church. It is model KN-COPP-BL5 and it can be ordered by calling 800-433-5331. If you find another one, preferably battery powered due to the different power, that you think will work, that'd be awesome.

Other than that, nothing has changed here. The days are still long and busy. I still miss you all a ton. make sure you forward this to Grandma Rosie. She sent me a card that really brightened my day and i really appreciated it. I'm sorry my emails are kind of lame, but there's not really too much to talk about. I love you all and I'm looking forward to talking to you at the airport when we are on our way to Hungary. (The older hungarians' flight plans say they have a 4 hour layover in Paris, france and ours will most likely be the same.) Be safe and happy all of you.

Bryan

Week 3 - March 31, 2010

Dear Family,

That's so cool that you got a new fancy phone. you're so lucky. I've been missing my phone a ton and I've even felt the "Phantom Vibrate" as it's called here a few times. I got a letter from Dani and Kelly earlier this week. It was so good to hear from them. I hope you all have fun on your trip and send me pictures and stuff. Speaking of pictures, I need a few wallet sized family pictures. The Hungarians love seeing pictures of our families. Or so I've been told.

So when I first got here I was given a few cards. One of them was my mailing address here. It has my estimated departure date. That date is 5/24. That's what the 0524 after HUN-BUD in the address means. I just thought that was cool. The other thing was the end of my last transfer. It ends on the 29th of March 2012. I'll probably be getting on a plane to head home that day. crazy huh? I just thought you might like to know that.

So on to the real news. For the past few weeks, 2 of the Albanians have been our zone leaders. They are leaving on the 6th, so we've been speculating on who was going to be the new zone leaders. It came as a surprise this Sunday when the Branch president pulled me out and asked me and Smith Elder to be the new Zone Leaders. We've been getting trained and receiving advice ever since. It's kind of crazy though.

The language is still coming along. I'm still pretty happy. I get enough food and almost enough sleep so I'm doing alright that way. I did catch a cold that's been bothering me. I went to the doctor on Monday to make sure it wasn't something else, because I had a sore throat and was afraid i was getting strep. I'm feeling better now though. Do you think you could maybe send me some more ties? I've kind of been feeling a need for some variety. And maybe you could send me my iPod and the speakers. We can listen to them quietly at night and I've been missing it. If that won't work though it's okay.

So is Cami enjoying having a new phone? A not broken phone at least? Have you moved my boxes around or anything? The foot locker is really heavy so be careful moving it.

I got a letter from aunt Tanja about a week ago. I just thought of that when you said you were going to see them. Tell them hi for me. Be careful and have fun for the rest of your trip. I love you all. Don't stop writing me. I love getting letters.

Love,
Bryan

Week 2 - March 24, 2010

Dear Family

Thank you so much for the package. I really appreciate the watch and the qtips. The only other thing I think I'll need is the extra deoderant from under my sink.

In other news, the threesome got split up because Saxton Elder (not from the threesome) decided the language was too hard and got transferred to West Virgina. He left on Tuesday morning. so now I'm just in a regular companionship with Smith Elder. And now there are 4 of us in one room.

I guess Ben j. left this morning at 3 so I guess he's there now.

When we met with Bro. Brame (aka Kevin Anderson) this Monday, he said that you had facebook'd his mom. That was funny.

Speaking of Rapid City, SD, the kid that was companions with Saxton Elder and is now with Hansen Elder, his name is Christensen Elder. Anyways, his dad served in Rapid City SD from 77-79 I believe so we were wondering if our dads ever met. His dad's name is Mark Christensen. They live in Idaho. just let me know because that would be pretty cool if they knew each other.

So the keyboard on this computer is pretty terrible. The spacebar doesn't work very well, so if there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. It's in the laundry room so a lot of people have used it.

How is Cami adjusting to being an only child? Is she going to make it? I got a letter from Chris's mom today that was saying Amanda was having a hard time and to talk to our sisters. It was a bulk message to me, Ben, Chris, and Ben's sister. Anyways, I hope you don't gang up on Cami too bad and i hope she is behaving.

My schedule is crazy, but I'm getting the language pretty well. In fact, one of my teachers, Petersen Testver, wants me to teach about -nni verbs tomorrow.

I think that's all that's been going on. Don't forget to keep writing letters and stuff because i only have 30 minutes to read and write emails. Today's was great, but If I start getting too many I won't be able to reply as well. I love you all and I miss you all. tell Cami to be good. Thanks again for the package.

Love,
Crouch Bryan Elder
(the Hungarians take pride in their last names, that's why it comes first)

P.S. i very remember when you wondered what was wrong with the hamster's face. That was hilarious.

Week 1 - March 17, 2010

Dear family,
I only have half an hour but I can send and receive email at the MTC.
thank you so much for writing me. You have no idea how much comfort news can bring. I am alive and well by the way. The first few days were so hard, but now, I am starting to get used to it.

I'm glad that you saw Larissa. I'm going to be writing her a letter today as well. tell dad I hope he enjoys the new hat. Tell Cami thanks for writing too. Even though I have email, I hope you will keep writing me letters as well. Letters during the week, not just on p-day is a huge help.

I went to the temple today. It was really nice. We actually just got back.
A whole bunch of new missionaries were coming in as we were walking back. It was so weird to think that that was me a week ago. I didn't see Chris Gibson. I have seen Ben Johnson a few times throughout the week. He actually lives in the same building on the same floor as me.

On Monday a bunch of English elders from our branch left including a few that were going to Rapid City South Dakota. One of them received a bunch of Dr Pepper so he handed them out as going-away presents to the rest of us. I got 2 cans and a bottle so I haven't had withdrawals too bad yet.

That's really about it for news. Every day is basically the same. We have devotionals on Sundays and Tuesdays. Yesterday Elder Quentin L Cook spoke to us. The rest of them time we just have classes and meals. The food is pretty good but I don't think I'll be gaining too much weight. It's not as good as yours, mom.

Hungarian is pretty crazy. We are on a 12 week schedule but we leave in 10 and a half, which is the 24 of May I believe.

I got a package from Larissa yesterday with food and some other things in it. It was so awesome. It pretty much made my week.

The other missionaries in my group are named Hansen, Smith, Saxton, and Christensen Elderek (Elders in Hungarian) and Feller, Roderick, and Walker Noverek (sisters in Hungarian, there are some accents, but I can't do those on the keyboard)
My companions are Smith and Hansen Elderek. I get along really well with Hansen and pretty well with Smith. The older Hungarians have 11 missionaries in their district and are all really awesome. We actually have a pretty close group. The ZL's for our zone are really awesome too. Elders Johnson (not Ben) and Asquith. Elder Johnson is like the Prime example of a missionary and Elder Asquith is like a Mormon Jack black. He is hilarious.

I am really learning a lot of both Hungarian and the gospel. my testimony has probably grown tenfold since coming here.

We have simulation investigators, the first of which we taught on Monday. His name is brother Brame, and guess what. It's the same Brame that served in Ogden, and who's mom roomed with you, mom. He actually recognized me. It was pretty awesome. We start our other continuing simulation investigator tomorrow.

I really think that's about it. The only other thing I can think of is that i might need a watch. Just pick something you think I would like. Some fancy stuff like altimeters might be nice, but are definitely not necessary. I love you guys and please don't stop sending letters and now emails. sorry if there are a lot of errors in this email. I am writing fast and the shift key doesn't work very well.

Love,
Bryan

P.S. I do remember when we watched the "whale". That made me laugh.