Moving and bogracs’:

Home sweet home, yesterday we finally had a chance to properly un-pack and set up our new pad. We had moved in earlier in the week but were too busy to do anything but eat and sleep here. Our place is only about a 10 minute drive from the old, closer to the town center but further from the team office, but we are really liking it. Plus a new pool will be opening right across the street from our place. And speaking of streets, ours will soon be paved, well apparently they will be, we will see. A big step up in the world of Erd for us! And we even have a proper flush toilet here….anyone who visited us knows what we had before, it was more of a trickle of water (plus the assist of a bucket full of water helped!) Yah for modern technologies! Thursday and Friday we spent helping in Ofalu and Erchi. The local Christian high school had their service days so we were flooded with 40 teens. Half the group painted and worked on the ministry center in Ofalu and the other half we took to Erchi to work on the house project,(which is now at roof stage!) Part of the team in Erchi (the girls) painted a different house down the road, the girls all came back covered in bubble gum pink paint, apparently a popular colour here! We also did kids programs and finished the days off with a bogracs in Ofalu. Now your probably saying “that sounds interesting what’s that?” Well let me fill you in on a Hungarian tradition handed down from ancestor to ancestor and now to us Canadians! Basically a bogracs is a Hungarian cook out, and also the name of what you cook your meal in. If you look at the picture you will see Lynnette stirring the meal (goulash soup), for 80 people you need one big pot! Goulash is filled with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, meat, parsnip (or white carrot as they like to call it here), a whole lot of paprika, and a goulash paste. Well hopefully we got it right with the little Hungarian help we had, our team of Canadians, Brazilians and Americans did our best and it seemed to turn out, no complaints at least. We will have to try it out on you guys at home sometime when we get back!
Here are some pictures of our new pad, amazing how a new place can even make mopping exciting, hey Lynnette!?! And also a picture from outside… notice our wheels out front too, ok not our own wheels but a team mate, (Jill from England) has very generously lent us her car for the winter as she is going home on furlough. It will be so nice to have especially during the cold winter months. Thanks again so much Jill! We are having her over for Canadian thanksgiving on Tuesday so we will have so pictures to introduce her to u all! We will enjoy a Canadian tradition together, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes and even some “stove top” stuffing sent from home! (thanks mom!) We figured since Canada is a commonwealth country of England then who better to enjoy thanksgiving with!