2/9/2015
FAMILY!
HAPPY VALINTINES WEEK TO ALL! Happy
love week! It kind of really sucks being away from your loved ones around these
types of holidays.. because that’s what it’s all about! being around your loved
ones! I hope that mom is still doing her traditional valentines dinner! That
was always a fun time :) I hope that everyone has snatched their "valentine"
for this week! :) ( if anyone was interested, Hannah ROSE IS MINE!:) I got the
best.. sorry :)... ) BUT watch out for max.. he might have a secret one! ,)
jarom, Luke, your too young. but what I did when I was your age was: I wouldn’t
take valentines candy or gifts to school.. then I would get one from everyone
else and it was great :) free chocolate!:) ha-ha I suggest that route. ,)
This week we are going to have zone
conference on Friday! which means we won’t have a district meeting.. so last
week we had district meeting and it was really good :) It was all about LOVE!
:) we had some great discussions going on. I made everyone share their love
stories. ha then I made them all go around and tell us of a person or people
and an example, of how someone else’s love.. effected their life. There was a
lot of cool stories shared and actually a lot of tears shed too. It was a very
spiritual meeting. We talked a lot about charity, and the love of Christ.
A lot of surprises happened this
week. The first one happened and started on Monday! Each Monday we have this
thing called Csaladi Este. ( family home evening. ) ( and yes dad, I welcome
everyone to "csaladi Este" ha :) But anyway, we were there and this
random guy just showed up and no one knew who he was. So, I went up to him and
started talking to him and he was like yea.. I just came! I don’t know anyone. I
came once 5 years ago and I just thought I would come again and see what it’s
like. So I was thinking,... well cool! so I asked him to meet with us and he
agreed. He lived out in gyula. so we went with the smiths later in the week out
to gyula to visit this man. As we got there we walked into his house and he had
TONS of hunting stuff. it was really cool. he had all the bones from the animals
that he had shot. he had stuffed animals ( real ones ) and then tons of fur and
stuff. it was really cool. As we sat down we gave us some drinks and some suti.
The drinks looked like they were water, so I didn’t think anything of it. But I
was really thirsty and took a big drink and as it went into my mouth and down
my throat.. it freaked me out! it surprised me. it wasn’t water that’s for sure!
it was really bubbly and it had a really good taste it. But then right before
the smiths started to drink it I was like " hey! don’t drink that
yet." I swore it was some kind of alcohol. Elder smith didn’t hear
me and he drank it and he was just as surprised as I was. ha-ha it was actually
really funny. he made a great face. ha :) but anyway. then I asked him if it
was and he was like nem! citrus!. I was like.. okay? still confused. sooo I
might have tasted alcohol! idk! anyway. as we got to talk to him I guess he met
with the missionaries 5 years ago and he didn’t get baptized because he felt
like he should study more and read more before he did. so he stopped meeting with
the missionaries for 5 years and now he says he has come to find out that this
church is the true church. he has read the whole book of Mormon, he knows
EVERYTHING about our church history. he would say things like " in
18...something. Jesus appeared to joseph smith in the kirkland temple! and I
was like.. YEAh! he told us everything he knew. and he knew everything! and he
said that he is ready to get baptized! most prepared guy I’ve met here in
békéscsaba. So he is getting baptized in march! :) super excited!
So that was the first surprise.
second surprise I got a email from the church telling me that I pressed a wrong
number on the keyboard while I was doing mls. then I got an email from dad
about that. kind of embarrassing but nem bi! :) got it fixed!
This week we also met with this
really cool family that we found and we taught them the full restoration. They
loved it.. they asked so many good questions and they were all there intently
listening. They accepted a book of Mormon and they committed to read it and to
learn more. they have a little boy and a 12 year old girl. It’s really cool to
have them gathered around and to teach them the restoration. the spirit is
really strong as you teach the restoration, especially to an entire family. it
was a cool moment, because in Hungary.. you don’t teach full families very
often. it’s a rare occasion.
We got fed some sketchy food from
some investigators this week.. and luckily we didn’t get any kind of disease..
ha I was literally so close to sneaking it in my bag or throwing it out the
window while they weren’t looking. but I didn’t. I should’ve though.
Anyway. lately we have been giving
tons... of blessings to people. we had the great opportunity to give out 5 more
blessings this week to members who needed them. It’s a very rewarding
experience.
Then another surprise happened. so a
while back, since we are the branch presidency.. this member called me and said
that she would like to go to the temple and that I needed to register her to go
on this temple trip ( so quickly I will explain how it works here. So the
closest temple isn’t very close. and Hungarian is a very.... not popular
language so not very many people speak it. so they could go to the temple at any
time.. just the endowment sessions wouldn’t be in Hungarian all the time. so
they have things called "Hungarian weeks" at the temple. where
everything, for a whole week, is in Hungarian and everyone in the temple is Hungarian.
so for these weeks I guess we have to register everyone and do all the planning
for that. ) but before I found out about it I didn’t know about it. she wanted
to go with some other ladies from szeged to the temple on this temple trip. so I
told her to contact the szeged president because he would know how to do that.
Then I told her that we can only give the temple recommend interview and we didn’t
know how to do the registering. Amway.. a couple days later she called me and
said that the szeged pres. said that I must do it. so I called pres. smith ( because
our branch is under the mission.. not under the stake.) and he told me that we aren’t
supposed to do that. so then I called her back and told her that and I told her
to contact the stake president. well.. anyway. long story short.. he couldn’t
do it either so what I had to do.. was call the patriarch for the eastern Europe
region and he had to walk me through of how to do it. I guess we was the administrator
for these types of things. It was kind of cool to talk to him though. he isn’t Hungarian,
he’s German. and he learned Hungarian too because of his wife. ha so we were
both speaking our second languages to each other. because he didn’t speak very
good English. it was really funny. I’m surprised we got it all worked out. so
on Thursday.. we spent a good 3 hours trying to figure it out because there was
so many problems. but we finally got them registered and ready to go. know if
anyone else wants to go.. I know how to do it real quick! :) ha It was kind of
a fun adventure on the computer. ha
Then on Saturday we got a call from
the people who were supposed to speak in church telling us that they were all
sick and that they couldn’t this week. so I called elder smith and told him and
he asked us to fill their spots. ha "great.............." I was
thinking in my mind at the time. because here church is only 2 hours. sacrament
and then Sunday school or another class. and we already had to teach Sunday
school as well. ha so Sunday was a realllllly busy day for us. we ended up
having to give half hour talks each because the sacrament literally takes
like.. 3 minutes to do since there isn’t as many people. I decided to talk on
the gospel of Jesus Christ. but I focused on the parts that I wanted to focus
on and then I made those parts really personal for the people there in church,
since I know everyone and everyone’s situation. I ended up saying little of
what I had planned because I ended up going off tangents that I felt were
needed. But the talk went well and the spirit helped me speak Hungarian well
and helped me speak period. It was a cool experience. ha how many get to say
" yeah.. on my mission.. I was in this tiny town called békéscsaba.. and I
conducted the meeting. then I blessed the sacrament, then gave a talk, and then
taught the Sunday school. ha " it was really fun for us :)
anyway! so that was the week for us
this week! including last night when our power went out and we tried to fix it
but it didn’t work so we have to contact our land lord.. but she hasn’t
answered yet.. so we are out of electricity for right now !
mom- food and money supply is doing
really good. :) weather is still freezing. snowed once last week. I’m jealous
that its getting warm for you guys. you’re in for a hot summer!:)
dad- I got the videos you sent of you
and the fam.. but the problem is that I have a crappy computer right now and
they won’t let me watch them :( sooooo I will save them and when I get a better
computer I will watch them. Just so you know!
This week for my spiritual thought I
want to say what I said to our little branch here in békéscsaba and I told them
that this message isn’t coming from me.. or from my comp. or from elder smith..
or from pres smith.. this message and ( talk) is coming from God.
In D&C 64- 9-11 it reads : 9 Wherefore, I say unto
you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he
that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned
before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
11 And ye ought to say in
your hearts—let God judge between me and thee,
and reward thee according to thy deeds
Hungary isn’t an easy place to live in. you
are constantly being attacked by Satan and his tools. You are truly on the
front lines. The members are fresh here. the church is fresh here. there is a
lot of people who persecute the church. And the members, especially at school
or in work places get made fun of a lot. and, just like in any ward.. there is
always some drama going on.
But just like this scripture says.. and the
commandment to love one another is so vitally important in our lives today. We aren’t
perfect. We won’t be perfect. we will make mistakes. we will sin. it’s so
important that sin is condemned and that mistakes are addressed. But it’s even
more important to show an increased amount of love after they are condemned or
addressed. Love is the essence of the gospel. it is the gospel.
This was my message to the branch this week
and to you as well! make and extra effort this week, and every week, to show
and express more love to those you love. to your family members. forgive them
if you need to forgive them. get over yourself if your need to get over
yourself. say the phrase "I LOVE YOU." people need to hear that. they
need that even if you don’t think they do. they need to know someone cares. you
never know what people are going through. and as members of this church, that
is our sacred calling. is to LOVE. You can be the best basketball player, the
best baseball player. the fastest man on the court, the smartest person in
school, the most popular, etc. you could have the most gifts and talents than
anyone else.. but without charity you are absolutely nothing. we teach in part,
we prophesy in part, we learn in part, we have the gift of tongues in part, we receive
revelation in part, and to all these things there will be an end. But charity
truly never fails. it’s easier said than done. But make it more a part of your
lives this week! and make it more of a staple in your lives! because therein
happiness is found and achieved.
I love you all! I hope you know that. you are
all in my prayers constantly.
sok szeretettel,
Watson Elder.
2/16/2015
Hey my awesome family!
Yes! Spring has finally shown itself
here in békéscsaba! Last week it got up to 53 degrees and it felt soooooo good.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining bright! :) It really affects
your mood each day. And this week is supposed to be the same! It supposed to
just keep getting warmer and warmer! :) I love it! That means summer is almost
here!
I enjoyed all of your guy’s emails
this week. It looks like everyone had a fun, busy week. It’s so crazy to me
that Basketball is almost over. Max, make the better of every second! And once
the season is over, after your last game, I would suggest to you to take a
piece of paper and write down all of your thoughts about that season and about
what you liked, and didn’t like. About what you did well, what you struggled
with. What you wish you would’ve done better. And then take that piece of paper
with you into the auu season and work on those things. Because you will get a
rush of mixed feelings at the end of each season. Make sure you make the best
of them.
Hope you all had a great valentine’s
day. We had a pretty good valentine’s day here although I was missing my valentine
back home! We had zone conference on Friday and then all day Saturday we had a
district finding activities and then a party at the church that night. My
district just consists of us, the sisters, and the smiths. So in the morning on
Saturday the sisters and the smiths went in their car and "heart
attacked" people. We went with ricsi and did some less actives around
békéscsaba.. and well.. I made one mistake that actually turned out to be
really cool. But I will talk about that in two seconds.
Then we had lunch, and then we had a
district tabling session. during the week we cut out and made tons of hearts
that we could hand out to people on the streets. And on Saturday around 1
everyone was outside in the main square walking. It worked out perfectly! We
set up the table and then we all spread out and talked to everyone that passes
by and told them happy valentine’s day and gave them a heart. Then if we could
we would try and talk to them about the book of Mormon and stuff. We got a
couple of new investigators out of it and we also made a lot of people smile
and laugh. We had a really fun time doing it as well. It made a lot of peoples
day.
Then that night we had the party
where most of the branch members came and a lot of our investigators came. But
get this! at the end of the party 2 crazy things happened. 1- a 9 year old girl
accidently broke the glass on one of the doors in the church. ha I was right
next to her as it happened. She just tripped and her butt accidently hit the
window really hard and broke it! ha but since I was right there and I didn’t
want her to start crying or feel bad I started laughing and smiling and gave
her a high five and told her it was alright and everything. guess what! she didn’t
cry! ha she almost did, but I stopped her! Then the 2nd thing, was that towards
the end, a random couple showed up. we had no idea who they were. Well.. come
to find out we accidently "heart attacked" the wrong house on one
house. ha-ha and it turned out to be this guy’s house.. and when his girlfriend
came over and saw all the hearts that said " we love you!" "
come to our party tonight!" and "we miss you!" ha-ha she got a
little mad. So they came to the party to figure out who did it. and once she
saw it was us she chilled out and was really cool with it. ha The guy thought
it was awesome and we got a selfi with him. ha-- we ended up talking to them
for a good 30 min. about us. and about why we are here and about our church. He
really liked us and we really clicked. accident
that turned into a miracle!:) got two new investigators out of it! :)
That was my valentine’s day. Then
president Lázar came down on Sunday to visit us. ( he is the 2nd councilor in
the mission presidency. ) It was cool to visit him and to hear him talk
in church.
Also on Sunday, we finally had our
first real priesthood meeting and next week we are going to organize our first
priesthood quorums here in békéscsaba! It’s so cool to be a part of. it’s so
cool to be serving in a place where the church is still super new and the
branches are small. It’s so cool to be able to teach and direct the future Hungarian
church leaders. Elder sterri and I taught the first lesson to them and
conducted the first priesthood meeting. Historical moment in békéscsaba!
a lot of other things took place this
week. such as:
I fixed our electricity in our
apartment! turns out there are 3 separate breaker switches here in Hungary! ha
and this one that I needed to flip was clear outside.
We got new phones! which means... I
had to change all of our numbers over to the new one.. yes.. that was painful a
little bit. ha.
I finally got my papers into the Bank
and got my name on the church’s account here in békéscsaba, so now I can clear things
that go through békéscsaba on online banking.
We got bikes! :) it’s starting to be
nice weather and not too cold to ride bikes so we got some! now we are cruising
all around the city! :) it’s a lot more effective!:)
I gave ricsi a haircut.. and ha-ha
believe it or not.. I’ve given tons of haircuts on the mission. So it turned
out pretty good! ha
We did tons of tracting this week and
had a lot of success. We taught quite a few of lessons and we got a lot of let
ins. thank goodness. it’s rare to have weeks like this.
Another one of my investigators in
Győr called me this week and told me he was getting baptized and that he really
wanted me there!!!!! ( but it’s too far :( ) his name is Ádam. I’ll tell you
what.. it’s very satisfying to see those you found and taught.. to progress and
to get baptized. Then you look back on the whole story.. ( since I was
able to see the whole thing) and you get to see the miracles that you didn’t
notice while you were in the moment. It’s a very rewarding thing.
yesterday I was invited by an
investigator from the sister’s companionship to go play basketball with the
békéscsaba basketball team. ha-ha They heard that I am going to college to play
and they were like freaking out and they want me to come play with them during
a practice. That’ll be next Monday at 730 at night. I’m super pumped. I haven’t
shot or touched a basketball in 4 months.. but.. I promise you that they will
be dominated. ha-ha. I just need to watch out for my eye. ha
anyway, that was my week! coming up
on 11 months down on the mission, months are flying. I’m stepping into my 12th
month in the service of the Lord here in Hungary. The feeling, the experiences,
the spirit that I have felt and that I am feeling is indescribable. You truly
feel like you on the wings of angles as you are out here. Some days you look
back on the day, or some days you take a pause and think about what is really
happening right then... and you truly feel like you aren’t yourself. you’re not
in your shoes. you aren’t living your life right then. You feel like you’re walking
in someone else’s greater, larger shoes. You feel like you are being carried by
your lord and savior. I’ve had many talks with my companions about this very
thing and they confirm to me that they feel the same. You learn to make
sacrifices. you learn to be obedient. you learn to love. you come to learn what
life is really all about. You learn to feel the spirit more than you ever have
before in your life. and you learn to follow the promptings of the spirit. you
learn to smile. you learn to enjoy life in the moment. you learn to be patient,
even though it is really hard sometimes. you learn to wait for things. You
truly learn how much you loved your love ones. you truly understand the
definition of FAMILY. You learn to give yourself to the lord.
I just want all of you to know,
Family mom, dad, bros, extended family, Hannah, Holgate’s, friends, That I know
that Christ lives! And that the divinity of missionary work is real. And all
those things that I just described are the blessings that are promised to those
who FAITHFULLY and humbly SERVE THE LORD. I love you all. I miss you all! 1
year left!
love you!
Watson Elder.
2/23/2015
Dear Family,
This week was one of the best weeks,
as far as the work goes, that I have had on the mission. We were packed with
meeting with people that we have found from 10 in the morning to 930 at night.
What a wonderful experience it is to meet with these people in Hungary. You
truly gain a pure love for them that only comes through the Christ. As you
humbly and faithfully serve the lord with all your heart, might, and mind.. you
truly BECOME a true disciple of Christ. It is a becoming process and I am
learning more about that each day. I am so grateful for all of your support
that you all give me. I want you all to know that I feel your prayers and they
make a great difference here in Hungary. A mission is truly an affair for all
that are involved. And the blessings are for all in involved. Of course it’s
hard at times, and it will be hard at times. But the Lord knew that we could
get through those hard times and that, in the end, they would all workout for
our good and experience. GLORY IN TRIBULATION! for tribulation worketh
patience, and patience worketh experience, and experience worketh hope. Always
remember that as you go about your life. Go about doing good. Do all things
cheerfully that are layed in your reach. and then stand with the up-most
assurance to see the salvation of Gods hand. God loves each one of us. We are
children of a Devine God, and we each have a divine nature and destination.
When times of trial hits, keep pressing forward. Look to serve others. Because
you are truly happier when you are serving others than when you are serving
yourself. Keep the commandments, re.-arrange your priorities if needed, read
from the book of Mormon every day. support, lift, and love everyone that is in
your life and everyone that you come in contact with. You might not know what
is going on in their life. And everyone needs an uplifting, loving, encouraging
hand in their life. Don’t judge. Be loving. be charitable. Do all things with a
Form of godliness. Love God with all your heart and all your mind and with all
your soul.
These are just some of the things
that we get to teach people everyday. these are some of the things that we get
to practice in our lives every day. And it would be good for all of us to
continually revise, review, and change our lives. Exercise and experience the
joy that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has in store for each and every one of
us.
Like I said, we got to meet with many
people this week. It was a rollercoaster as we tried to serve them with the
love of Christ. You truly feel the saviors love for them. You are given the
gift of discernment to feel what they are going through in their lives. You
rejoice with them, you sorrow with them, you cry with them, you share the warm
amazing feelings of the spirit with them. Your testimony grows as theirs
grows.
We were able to move up our bap date
to march 7th! so next week we will be having a baptism is everything falls
through, which it should :)
We are meeting with 3 families right
now and it is so cool to see the effects of the spirit that it has in their
lives. What a miracle it is to see that change occur in their lives.
We were able to give several
blessings this week of comfort and of sickness. It seems like everyone is
getting sick this week. My companion and I, during our course together here in
békéescsaba have given probably upwards of 15 blessings each. Miracles are
happening in Békéscsaba.
We finally connected to our
investigator that we didn’t know to do with.. and guess what! it was family
search that go to him! We are starting to do his Family history with him and he
loves it. The spirit of Lord is touching his heart.
We were able to teach Sunday school
this week again about john the Baptist and about repentance. A lot of us take
the Atonement of Jesus Christ for granted. I would strongly encourage everyone,
as they teach, as they hold family home evening, as they take part in
councils.. to tie everything back to the atonement of Jesus Christ.. "that
our children my know to what source they can find a remission of their
sins."
The Weather is becoming more like
spring weather. Probably the best time to be in Hungary out of all the other
seasons.
I love you all. Be good. Be virtuous.
Be valiant in the Testimony of Jesus Christ. " Let every man learn his
duty, and act in all diligence in that office." Each one of us has a great
responsibility in life. Let us control to the best of our ability everything
that lays in our power to control. And then let the lord take care of the
rest.
sok Szeretettel,
Watson Elder
3/2/2105
Dear Family,
We are officially stepping into the
12th month mark of my mission! Each day I realize more and more how quickly the
mission goes. But then again, how slow it goes. I wouldn’t say the mission goes
slowly or fast, I would say it just GOES. Time just keeps on ticking from one
second to the next. But I begin to realize how short this mission really is.
Each day I come to understand better the short amount of time that we have,
right now, to be ordained servants in the Lords hands. The minutes that you are
given are so precious.
I loved all of your emails from back
at home. And I am happy that everyone is doing well and everyone is happy. I
got a world update from dad and it seems to be the same old world. Except
possibly Russia could invade Hungary next, or ISIS will come up through Rome
from the south. The more we read the scriptures and the more we look at the
signs of the times... the more we realize that the second coming is truly on
our door steps.
This week in Békéscsaba went pretty
good once again! I don’t know if you guys have heard about this, or saw it on
KSL. But I knew about it a long time ago, and just never remembered to tell you
guys, so I guess I will tell you now! Hungary’s new mission president is going
to be Hungarian! It will be the first Hungarian mission president. Everyone is
pretty excited and it just shows that the work in Hungary is increasing. We
will be getting a new mission president in July. And since he is Hungarian... (
he does speak a little bit of English) but all of the interviews, zone
conferences, etc. will be held in Hungarian. It will be a big change and it
will stretch our language skills. But it will be a great blessing to all of the
missionaries that come to Hungary.
Another history making moment took
place in békéscsaba this weekend. Elder Smith, my companion, and I were able to
organize the very first priesthood quorums EVER here in békéscsaba. We set
apart 2 priests as assistants and then we set apart a deacons president. It was
a very amazing, special moment for all of us.
A couple people got really sick on
our branch this week. One of them got cancer and the others got this influenza
that has been going around. We had the opportunity to give several blessings of
healing and of comfort. It’s really cool to think that there are only 3 people
that hold the priesthood power of god for a good 20,000- 30,000 people. The
members here really rely on us. It is a good reminder constantly to us that we
must keep ourselves clean, and pure and spiritually tuned at all times so that
we may be ready to act in the Lords place.
We went up to Budapest earlier this
week for interviews with president. They went really well and it was nice to
sit down with president for a little bit and talk.
We met with a lot of people this week
but I want to tell you guys about two people that we met with and what happened
with them.
First we met with this couple who we
tracked into a week before. They let us in and they fed us some homemade
kólbász and this weird cheese and bread. ( total Hungarian meal) It wasn’t bad
though. Then we were able to teach them a really good lesson on the
restoration. But during the end of the lesson the couple made some pretty
interesting comments. The wife said " hundreds of missionaries like you,
from all sorts of faiths, have knocked on our door this is the first time my
husband has let someone in like this. " then the husband said " did
you guys feel that feeling as you knocked on the door and we were standing
there at the door talking and you were telling me about this (restoration) Joseph
smith? did you feel that feeling that we were like... good people and that you
needed to talk with us? because that’s what I felt. " In short.. this man
is a very.. hardy man if I was trying to describe him. And he was trying to describe,
in his own words, the spirit that he felt as we were teaching him about the
restoration of the fullness of the gospel right there as his door. Sometimes as
missionaries you are so used to having and feeling the spirit that sometimes
you don’t recognize that the spirit is going through you to those people you
are teaching. It was an eye opener to me that truly, as you teach the
restoration in the very first meeting with someone, wither it be at their door,
on the street, or at any other place, that the spirit powerfully works through
you and it testifies unto them.
Then we met with this man named
Karóly. He actually found us. He walked into the buildings English class last
week and he wanted to meet and talk with us. As we met and talked he explained
his story about how he is a x priest at a reformist church. He said he quit because
everyone was hypocrites and he felt this emptiness inside of him. He remembered
seeing us on the street and wanting to talk to us. So he came to find us at our
building. We met with him twice this week. In both of the lessons miracles took
place. in the first meeting with him, we taught him the restoration. And about
how every church has truth to it.. but that the fullness of the truth is found
here in the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. We went on to explain
to him how there was a great apostasy and how there was a need of a full
restoration. As we taught him about joseph smith and about the priesthood. Then
about the book of Mormon and the role of the book of Mormon... He opened up to
us and he started crying telling us that he knows that this is true because he didn’t
feel empty anymore, he felt the spirit testifying to him. Long story short, it
was the 3rd ever program.. on my mission where all of us were eventually
crying. The spirit was so strong. We invited him to pray with us to ask God to
see if these things that we taught him were true or not. We all knelt down
together in a circle in the room where we were meeting and he offered a very
heart felt prayer. He struggled through his tears finishing it. We sat there
and I asked him how he felt and he said " I know it’s true. " We
asked him to be baptized and he accepted. right now we have 2 baptisms planned
for march 21. ( since the zone leaders have to come in and interview him
since I am the district leader and cant interview my own investigators. )
We met with several people this week
and those were some of the better more spiritual ones.
All in all, miracles are happening in
Hungary and more and more people are coming to the knowledge of the truth. And
it is a great honor to be able to be a part of it. And to see people change
their hearts and come unto Christ. You learn very quickly as a missionary that
you aren’t living your life and the words that you are saying aren’t your
words. ( or at least that’s how it should be)
As your investigators testimonies
grow.. yours grows. as your investigators change, you change. Although missions
are not easy, and my seem long at times... When you are in the baptismal
font and you put your arm to the square and say " having been commissioned
of Jesus Christ.." It is something that is not only meant to change that
person you are baptizing forever, but it is meant to change you forever as
well. It’s supposed to change you into a more devoted, faithful, loyal disciple
of Jesus Christ for the rest of your life.
This is something great for all of us
to understand, put greatly by Elder Holland,
The first and great commandment is to
love your God with all your heart, might, mind and strength. And the crowning
characteristic of love has been and always will be Loyalty.
In what ways can we be more loyal to
our loved ones? In what ways can we be more loyal to our loving savior Jesus
Christ?
I love you all! 12 months left!
Watson Elder.
3/9/2015
My Dear Family,
I really enjoyed reading all of your
emails that you sent me this week. I look forward to them each week. I’m glad
that you guys had a lot of fun and a lot of cool experiences happen to you this
last week. And I’m also glad that it snowed back there!
This week in Békéscsaba it was sunny
and felt like spring all week :) Couldn’t ask for better weather. I’ll tell ya
what! Weather has a huge effect on your attitude, especially during missionary
work. It also has an effect on the people, they are naturally nicer and are
willing to talk/listen to us! A couple of unexpected things happened this week.
1- We were able to visit 2 different high schools this week over here in this area.
On Tuesday of last week we were invited to go over to a high school to visit
the different English classes. It was a really cool experience for all of us.
We finally got to see what a Hungarian high school is like. And let me tell you
this, you are way... lucky to go to the high schools / middle schools that you
go to. this example should sum up what I am talking about: We met the teacher
and she took us to her class room, it was in between the bells so kids were
walking everywhere. And then the tardy bell rung, and a student wasn’t there.
The teacher asked where the student was, and another student said " Oh, he’s
out taking a smoke." Then the teacher leaned over to us and said "
oh, he’s just out taking a smoke, he will be here in a few." I
was like, wow. in America it’s illegal to smoke on school grounds, and here it
is like.. encouraged almost. And these kids were like 14- 18 year old kids! As
we sat there in front of all the classes we got some weird looks. They all
asked a lot of questions about America. We got to stand and introduce
ourselves.. it was a good time. They all wanted to play me in basketball. I was
like.. "bring it!" ha :) We got along with all of the kids. Then once
they noticed that we were normal.. kind of cool American guys they opened up
more. Everyone is scared of that name tag ya know... ha
Then we were unexpectedly called this
week by another English teacher who needed us to come be judges for this
regional English speaking competition at another school. Where kids from all of
the schools in the region came and competed. It was a lot of fun and we felt
like we were famous. All the kids were like. AH!!!!! Americans! ha they were
all excited and they all wanted pictures with us. This age’s group was from
12-16 or something like that. I sent you guys a lot of pictures of it. We had
to judge, then we went to an award banquet where we had to give out the awards
and give like a little speech to the kids. It was a lot of fun, and we got a
lot of good pictures :) And it was a good view for the church. All the kids’
parents were there as well and they got to see us missionaries. So I hope when
we go tracting now.. someone will have seen us and they will let us in :)
ha
Our work is going great. We have a
huge pool of investigators. We are working harder and more efficient than we
ever have in BOTH of our missions. We had a total of 35 programs all together
this week, with 7 investigators in church! Zoltán is getting baptized next
week, then we have 2 more baptism coming up in the next few weeks including (
Karcsi, and Alexandra. ) It’s a great privilege to have to be over here and to
work with these great people. We have seen their lives totally change, some
turned completely upside down, and go from that darkness to that light. It’s
amazing what the gospel can do :)
We went on splits with the Zone
leaders this week. They came here. Honestly, splits kind of like. Through a
rock into the week. You’re just never as efficient as you are when they come.
But all in all, it was a good split. They spent the night over at our house and
we ordered pizza for them.
Yesterday was a pretty big holiday
here in Hungary. It was Nő NAP!!!!!! which means.. Woman’s day! It’s a big
thing here. and the tradition is that on woman’s day.. they usually go around
to all the woman that they know, spray them with water, and then give them
chocolate and flowers. it’s very similar to mother’s day. I suggested to my
district that since its Hungarians mother’s day.. we needed to skype our
families. They liked the idea.. ha :) so.. to all the woman in my life..
( mom, Hannah, grandmas, aunts, cousins) HAPPY WOMANS DAY! in church we got
flowers for all the woman and had the men go around and give them all flowers..
like we would do back in America.
Other than that.. it was a good week!
full of programs.. sometimes we were in the branch house from 2 pm- 930 pm
full with program after program. It’s much better than tracting 8 hours a day
:) ha
Weeks are flying, transfers is coming
up once again on the first of April. Only a couple weeks away. this week a 70
is coming on a mission tour. We have to go to Buda on Thursday for
that. this guy spoke in general conference in 2010. his name is President
Patrick Kearon . and he gave the talk “Come unto Me with Full
Purpose of Heart, and I Shall Heal You,” found in the October 2010 Session of
General Conference. So we are looking forward to that. We also... have
found a golf course that is only 500 ft to go! so.. one pday we might have to
go try that out :).. we will see!
I love you all and miss you all. You
are all in my prayers every day.
As a missionary you see things, hear
things, and experience things that are incredible. You hear of the most
horrific life stories... you hear the saddest words. You see evils surrounding
people everywhere. You see people’s lives torn to shreds. You experience
the sweetest joys, and also the loneliest lows. But through all of it your
testimony of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father grows tremendously. You see
the lord’s hand in everything you do. you learn to work with the lord. You are
called and expected to grow spiritually faster than anyone else, and more than
any other point of your life. And as you humbly, and faithfully serve the lord,
this takes place. But the opposite can take place as well if you are not
careful.
I know that Christ lives, and he is
in each one of our lives. We will get to that glorious day of the first resurrection..
and I think we will all be surprised at just how familiar... Christ’s face and
our heavenly Fathers face looks to us. He knows us, He’s taught us, He has
spent time with each one of us individually. like it says in 1st nephi : Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;
thy walls are continually before me.
I know that this is true.
Watson Elder
