Hungary Week 82

EPIC WEEK!

We saw so many miracles.  The Lord really knows what we need.  We just need to trust in Him and His will.  Coming to Érd was a little confusing for me, but I know that there are people here that I need to help.

When I came here on Wednesday, I was informed that we had 2 progressing investigators.  Well, those 2 amazing people were baptized this last weekend!  B and P were just glowing as they were baptized.  Although I never even had a program with B, she asked if I would confirm her on Sunday.  I still can't help but smile thinking about them and our experience.  It was so special!

So, with those 2 investigators being baptized, we had the work here reset!  Wednesday, I heard about the situation and Elder Zwingli and I got out and got to work.  We just drove ourselves into the ground working overtime with our hearts full of prayer and with a little fast thrown in.  In 4 days, we found 13 new investigators!  The Lord heard our prayers.

We brought our progress record to church on Sunday and the branch lit up with joy and we could see their excitement!  They were all raving that this is the time they had been praying for.  They were excited about MISSIONARY WORK.  I couldn't help but smile and know that the Lord put me here for a reason.  The Lord really does answer prayers and knows best.   We just need to learn to trust a little more in His almighty hand.

My email is short this week, but it is because there is too much to do!  My time is running out as a missionary and I need to seize the moment.  I just can't wait to share the miracles we see next week. 

Smile this week everyone!  Make a miracle and be a miracle in someone else s life.  

Sok szeretettel,

Elder Jake Nelson

Hungary Week 81

WOW,

I was blindsided again by transfers!  I am leaving Dunaújváros and moving to a smaller city right outside of Budapest called Érd.  I am going there to get to know the area for a month, so I can get a new mission in mid March.  The only hard thing is that this is just like when I left Szeged, we went from pretty slow work, to 12 baptismal dates and I left right before many baptisms.  Here, as of the weekend, we have 13 baptismal dates and we are planning on having 4-6 baptisms on the 15th of March.  It is just hard to leave right before seeing their miracle of baptism and the results of all the hard work.  I am sure the Lord has a plan for me though.

This last week, we had stellar experiences.  Our days were full of adventure, plannings for zone training, zone trainings in Székesfehérvár and Pécs, a lot of programs, baptismal dates, miracles and joy.

In our zone trainings, we were able to focus mainly on two points:
1. What a successful missionary is
2. How to invite people to make one of the biggest changes in their lives, BAPTISM

We were able to use the experiences of all the people I have been able to split within the past couple weeks because with Elders Ralph, McCurdy and Brown, we set someone on baptismal date!  Elder Ralph just found the person who is on baptismal date, but we were challenging baptism the whole time we were together.  It was awesome to get the missionaries involved and have them share their experiences changing the lives of those they teach.  They all just seemed to glow!

At the end of the training, we challenged two things:
1. Watch the German baptismal challenge everyday for a week (a little clip from the Preach My Gospel DVDs)
2. To follow the 1-2-3 steps to conversion (1st program-contact the person and get to know them, 2nd program-soft baptismal challenge, 3rd program-baptismal date (Latest))

Miracles will come from this!

I also split with Elder McCurdy, the district leader in Pécs.  We were able to talk about EVERYTHING (goals, dreams, challenges, life, etc.).  It was just amazing because we were able to be EXTREMELY effective, set a baptismal date, have a bunch of programs and find some amazing people.

We met this HILARIOUS woman while tracting.  I told her that we brought some questions to ask everyone and asked a couple.  We talked about her religious background and what makes her happy and then she saw our name tags.  She flipped out and asked if we weren't Hungarian.  I broke into to English and asked, "Do you speak English?"  She just started flipping out with excitement, then went off on how she lived in Canada.  She asked if we could help her practice English and then she said, "There isn't much difference between Canadian and American English right?"  I then said, "Not too big of a difference, eh (Like a Canadian)."  She then laughed and said, "YEAH! F**king eh!"  Elder McCurdy and I couldn't help but burst out in laughter.  I haven't heard someone properly pronounce an English cuss word in a LONG TIME.  She was amazing though and we are going back to meet her family soon!

The work is just going fantastically.  People are excited to get baptized and we are seeing miracles on top of miracles.  I am going to miss Dunaújváros, but I know that it is going to be a great last weekend for Elder Jones.  His last weekend as a missionary will be a weekend full of baptisms and miracles; I hope I can come back for it.

I LOVE MY MISSION

Elder Jake Nelson

Hungary Week 80

OH MY GOSH!

This was a legendary week and one of the most blessed weeks of my mission and my life.  Our fasting and prayers were answered MULTIPLE times, we set many new baptismal dates with the future youth of this branch, I was able to make miracles with missionaries from our zone on splits and I am just floating on cloud 9 just thinking about all that is waiting for us in the not too distant future!  This truly is the time of the harvest and we are going to rock the city and zone before this transfer ends!  It is just hard to express my joy in words right now!

To start, I had an amazing split experience with Elder R, a missionary serving in my first area, Veszprém.  He is just a great young missionary in our zone.  He reminded me of myself when we went tracting here in Duna as he just sat on the edge of his seat ready to jump in and testify of the divinity of our message.  I started the split with the classic question, "What do you want to get out of our split?"  He looked at me and said, "I want to become a bolder missionary when meeting new people to teach."  Well, we did it!

We started the day with a 2 hour tracting block and found an amazing woman.  She opened the door with a smile and let us right in.  We went in and shared with her the restoration and our conversion stories.  She then accepted a return appointment so we could give her a copy of the Book of Mormon.  2 days later, when we went back, Elder Jones and I put her on baptismal date for April 5th.  I called Elder R right after and I could just hear the joy in his voice. He went into district meeting right after talking to me on the phone and was able to share his experience with his district.  I still get goose bumps thinking about it!

Another cool thing happened in result of splits, except this one is in regards to my splits with Elder Brown two weeks ago!  This weekend, Elder Jones and I were able to put R and L, two awesome girls around the age of 20, on baptismal date for March 15 along with I, the woman Elder Brown and I put on baptismal date.  When I was on splits with Elder Brown, we prayed about where to go at the late hour of 7:30 and we were prompted to go streeting.  When I parked, I saw R and L in the distance.  We were able to walk them home and teach them about the standards of the church (The Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity).  They were so excited to hear this!  To finish, we were able to offer a prayer for R's sick grandmother.  Long story short, these two girls continued in prayer and the grandmother was released this last weekend from the hospital!  

Well, we heard all of this on Saturday!  They came to our branch Farsang party (similar to Halloween) and we were able have a bunch of fun.  I was dressed up as a nerd and Elder Jones was dressed up as an archer.  After spending a little time playing the games with the branch, we pulled a member and the girls aside and were able to have an amazing program with them.  We talked about the power of prayer, the changes repentance can bring and the gift of baptism.  We gave them a baptismal date and L her own copy of the Book of Mormon.  We left with huge smiles that only got bigger when we saw them holding the Book of Mormon praying with gratitude in the parking lot.

I called Elder Brown and he was just so excited to hear.  I then encouraged him to help É, one of his baptismal dates, get ready for March 15 as well so he can come back for some baptismal interviews with the people we helped come closer to Christ on splits.  I can hardly wait!

I don't have much time, but I have an AMAZING last experience to share about M, an awesome 18 year old girl we meet with.  We met with her family a couple weeks ago and gave her a Book of Mormon and shared the promise in it.  Since then, it has been hard to get a hold of her, but a week ago, from today, she called!  We were able to meet her while she was here in Duna.  We met her at a small restaurant and she poured out all the miracles she had experienced since we met!  

She tried the promise and with the biggest smile, she looked at us and said, "I got the peace and happiness you were talking about!"  Elder Jones and I couldn't help but freak out in joy.  She then said, "This weekend I had a dream and I was baptized while wearing white." 

Elder Jones and I dropped our jaws, not only because that is an AMAZING experience, but because we began a fast on SATURDAY NIGHT.  We put her on baptismal date on spot for March 15.  My heart is just so full of gratitude!

Miracles happen I tell you!  All it takes is a little faith!

Have a great week everyone!  Make a miracle!

Sok szeretettel,

Elder Jake Nelson

Hungary Week 79

MIRACLES!  

I am so happy right now.  Time flies too fast on the mission, but all you can do is love each and every moment.  We had an epic week though!  It was full of adventure, miracles and new baptismal dates!

To start, I was able to go on splits with my old companion from Szombathely, Elder Brown.  It was so awesome to see him again.  He is district leader down in Kaposvár, so he came up to Dunaújváros with his companion to experience the miracles of Duna!  It was nice to catch up on life and everything.  It was so crazy to hear him speak because he was just a young missionary when I saw him last.  Now, he is almost in his 11th transfer! 

We had a day packed of programs.  The pinnacle of the day was meeting with an amazing woman named I.  She is about 65 and one of the most open women I have ever met.  Elder Jones and I tracted into her on Thursday and she pulled out her Book of Mormon that she received 10-20 years ago.  Her receiving of the Book of Mormon inspired her to buy one of her first Bibles as well. 

After meeting on Thursday, we asked to come back the next day.  Elder Brown and I taught the Restoration to I and she was just so accepting.  The spirit filled the room and after breaking down some scriptures, we invited her to be baptized on March 15 and she graciously accepted.  It was amazing to see her smile radiating the room.  After accepting, she asked us if she could come to church!  Elder Brown and I just looked at her with our jaws dropped.  AMAZING program.  

After our splits, Elder Jones and I kept going in boldness and challenged a couple we met a week and a half ago to join I on March 15th and be baptized.  They accepted with huge smiles.  

Elder Jones and I also just saw miracles on miracles finding new people and meeting with current investigators this last week.  We were literally hurrying from program to program. 

We were very excited as Sunday rolled around because many people were set on coming to church, but Dunaújváros was then hit with a HUGE ice storm.  We woke up in the morning and our car was covered in ice.  We spent the first part of our day chipping away at the windshield.  After getting in the car, I rolled down the windows revealing an ICE WINDOW!  It was so cool to look at!  We just poked it and it shattered everywhere.  

We showed up for our mission meeting at 7:30, but no one was there.  The branch president was thinking about cancelling church, but the Lord came through for us and a few of the members were able to make it out.  Our 10 investigators planning on coming slowly dropped call by call.  In the end, one of our 65 year old investigators got up the bravery to make it out along with that amazing couple we put on baptismal date this last week.  The Sisters had 2 investigators as well, making the investigator to member ratio very split.  It was definitely a miracle Sunday!

Miracles on miracles.  I am just so grateful for my mission.  I am sure that these last couple months will hold so many memories.  I am so grateful to be here.  I feel like I have finally come to terms with my mission coming to an end and I have found a good balance.  I recognize that the Lord has great things in store from me after my mission, but I want to live these last months even better than the first.  I want to make miracles and I am just living and loving the moment I am in now.  It is a good even keeled balance and trust in the Lord's eternal plan for me.  

Smile this week everyone!  Miracles are coming our way!

Sok szeretettel,
Elder Jake Nelson