Monday, September 24, 2012

Hungary Week 8

This week was most definitely one to remember.  It was my first full week with Bowen elder, my language is getting better by the second and we are just making so many great steps forward in the missionary work here.

Elder Bowen is probably one of the hardest workers I have ever met in my life.  He is just so genuine and truly wants to be the best missionary he can be.  It has only been one week, but I am already so impressed.  It has been an adjustment because he teaches and is so different from Knight elder.  This is also his first transfer as a Senior companion and that is a change in and of itself.  It has been rough some days, but I feel like we are meant to be companions.  I already love him to death and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.

Our investigators are increasing and our finding time is slowly getting lost because we are teaching so much.  It is truly a miracle.  We even challenged two people to baptism this week.  Bowen elder and I are really working as hard as we can and it is showing so much, it is so wonderful.  I feel just absolutely wonderful.  I am just so grateful I get to be associated with these amazing people.  There are so many wonderful people here I just don't know how it's possible.

The Lord is truly blessing me with this language as well.  In the beginning I just felt down and like I wasn't doing well enough, but as time has gone by, I have truly seen how much the Lord has blessed me.  I can understand when I need to and the Lord has put words in my mouth when I needed to speak.  I know the Lord has a plan for us and He is just so ready to pour out a blessing upon us.  I know anything is possible through the Lord.  I know this gospel is happiness.  I know I am here for a reason.

Sok szeretet,
Nelson elder

Monday, September 17, 2012

Hungary Week 7

This week has been crazy to say the least. A new companion, new steps in the area, and just more adventures once again.

So more about the new companion! Bowen elder is an exceptional lad from American Fork Utah. He is honestly one of the hardest workers I have ever encountered. I really feel like we are going to see some miracles happen together, I just can't wait. He is super young for a senior companion because he hasn't even been out for a year, but he is already spectacular at the language. He came here from serving with the only Hungarian in the mission, so I am pretty excited to learn from him. I guess we will see what happens.

My language is coming, just pretty slow. I am working hard and I am starting to understand more and more, but it is still a challenge. I can communicate, just not always grammatically correct. Most importantly, I am starting to be able to develop relationships with the people. I was stressing about the language in the MTC, but in all honesty, being the best speaker doesn't necessarily mean you will be the best missionary. I am just going to give it my best and work as hard as I can at the language, but I know that I may not ever be the best speaker in the mission. What matters to me is that I am giving it my all and giving it all to the Lord.

K is truly doing so great. She is already striving to be the best missionary she can be. Her husband hasn't heard much about what we believe and she is just so eager to find out how to share the gospel with him. Her baptism is still set for October 6th and it is wonderful to see her gigantic smile when we bring up the date. 

Last week was just crazy, picking up Bowen elder in Budapest, seeing Knight elder in the office, spending the beginning of the week with the other missionaries and doing the most csak Magyarul I have since MTC. I also hit my 4 month mark yesterday. My mission is going by too fast, I am already 1/6 done. This is the time I have been waiting for my whole life and it is going by way too fast. 

Never let a moment pass by though. I let too many by before my mission looking forward to the future. It is good to look forward, but don't forget to love the moments in which make up everyday. Love every moment and just don't stress. Life is truly what you make it, make it awesome.

Nelson elder

Monday, September 10, 2012

Hungary Week 6

Hey everyone!

The work here is picking up so fast!  We had so many programs last week that it was hard to find time to do finding.  We started meeting with a lot of the members this week and it made all the difference.  They all invited us in with open arms and it was awesome to be able to see the light they have.  The members are truly the best missionaries as well.  I mean who would you listen to first, your friend or a goofy American who already seems like an alien.  Either way, the moral of the story is that members are awesome.  Knight elder and I just wanted to make the most of what we believed to be our last week.  It turns out that we were right.  

We got an unexpected call from our mission president on Friday asking Knight elder to come to Budapest to be one of two secretaries for the mission.  So instead of being with Knight elder until Wednesday this week, I had to say goodbye to him yesterday.  My new companion is named Bowen elder.  I don't really know much about him considering I haven't met him yet, but what I do know is that he served with Knight elder a while back.  I will meet him on Wednesday in Budapest and bring him back to the greatest place in the world, Veszprém. 

For the next couple days I am in a threesome with the other two elders in the area, Bebel elder and Matthews elder.  It is so much fun to be able to be with them though, they are just two of the funniest and most relaxed people I have ever met.  They are basically the same person, so it is kind of funny that they are companions.  The only thing I wonder is how intimidating it is for people to have three big Americans wearing dark slacks and white shirts walking towards them.  

I got to go to my first handball game this week!  Apparently Veszprém are the European champions of handball.  It was so cool!  It was most definitely different though.  To me, it seemed like water polo without the water.  It was also super different from the big sport events in America too.  The stadium didn't even let us in until 45 minutes before the game started.  The stadium only held 5,000 and it wasn't even full.  It was weird and different, but it was so cool.  

It has been a great week and our investigators are just flourishing.  I am just so content with life right now.  The only thing the Lord asks for is for our best.  That is all I hope to give.  

Nelson elder

Monday, September 3, 2012

Hungary Week 5

I think this might possibly be one of the greatest weeks of my life.  Miracles have happened and I just can't stop smiling!  

First of all, I am in shock with one of our investigators.  She is this amazing woman we met through our English class.  I don't know if I mentioned before, but we teach a free English class to try to serve the people here more.  It is really fun and it really helps us because it helps people see that we aren't here to just force people to be baptized, but to help them as well.  A lot of people actually become interested in learning about the church because of it and this investigator, K, is one of them.  

We had our first meeting with her last week just for some personal tutoring in English.  At the end we offered her a Book of Mormon and she accepted it with excitement.  We met with her two days later and instead of English like we expected, we spent an hour answering her questions.  We told her that God has a plan for her and she said that she knew it.  She asked how she could return to Heavenly Father and we told her through actions.  She then asked if she could be baptized.  I just sat there in shock.  The Lord really does prepare his people and I know that this woman is one of them.

It was testimony meeting this last Sunday and K's first Sunday at church.  Our branch is small so it seems like there is usually a point in the middle where there is a lull of silence.  I just sat there and couldn't deny the feeling that I needed to bear my testimony.  It wasn't until I was standing in the front when I realized I don't really speak Hungarian.  I just stood there for a second and then words just came.  I testified of Christ and His love for the people here in Veszprém.  Of course I couldn't help but cry through it all, but it was amazing.  The most amazing part is that right after, K got up and bore her testimony.  She is going to be baptized on the 6th of October and I can't wait to see her smile on that day.  This will be the first baptism since January.

In other news, it is finally cooling down.  It was getting up to 112.  That really isn't that bad until your outside all day.  Here is the shocker, people are way more willing to stop when it isn't blazing hot.  The work here is picking up.  It is the best it has been for a long time.  I came here having about 3-4 programs a week, but this next week we are projected to have 12!  The Lord is working miracles and I couldn't be more grateful.  

For Knight elder and I, this might be our last week.  We better make it great!

Nelson elder