2nd Summer in Hungary

6/8/2015

My beautiful Family! 

I hope that each one of you had a fantastic last week of school this week! :) I had a good time looking through all the pictures mom sent me of dad on his mission! It literally about knocked me off my chair! It was so weird! He hasn’t changed much! :) ha He should’ve been sent to Europe!  But I really had a lot of fun looking through all of them! Mom! you need to send me more! -- Also I got really jealous when you sent me those videos of dad catching all those fish last week! Can’t wait to join ya again! 

This week for me has been really crazy, and so much is going on. 2 investigators got baptized. When I moved from kis pest to duna.. I called president to get permission to be able to go back and baptize my investigator but he denied it. BUT he still got baptized by the bishop and he was also confirmed by the bishop there!  Then Zoltan, alexandras boyfriend also got baptized this weekend! It was really fun to hear about how they went! 

My first day in duna was on Wednesday! It’s actually a really pretty town..  but the landscape is very pretty. I love it. there are a lot of hills.. it’s very green.. tons of trees.. super nice areas.. I love it! Our apartment isn’t that bad! it’s better than my last two and by bed is actually soft!:) The true summer has come this week. it’s really hot and literally every day.. I’m sweating like crazy! Yesterday we went tracting and the next thing I know.. I look down where my bag strap is and I got a huge sweat line. it was really gross. But here comes the second and LAST summer in Hungary! :) 

We were really busy this week with all the programs we had, getting to know the new zone.. talking about goals.. talking with the other leaders and stuff. We went to a funeral.. my first one in Hungary.. it’s really.. depressing.. ha I got free protein and shake stuff and daily vitamins from a really cool youth kid in our branch that gets tons of it for free! I was really happy about that:) that was probably the best part of my week! ha :) jk:) 

BUT it gets even better! get this! we went and looked up this referral and it was this guy who had lived in Washington for 30 years.. but because of money he and his wife had to come back to Hungary. their kids are still over in America and one is in the army. these people are  like 60 years old or so. BUT!!!! he was a really hard egg to crack. and he was like.. making fun of us a lot and telling us to stop trying to convert him, even though we were saying nothing! so I slowed down.. started to ask him about his hobbies.. and he LOVES fishing. and my eyes lit up and I said " HEY ME TOO!!!!" and he was like " are you serious?? I go all the time! do you want to come with me? I can introduce you to all of my friends! " I was like. " YES!!! We would love to!" and then he said " okay! we will go in the morning for a couple hours and then we can talk about what you have to say." SOOOOOO 1, we got into his heart! haha 2, my one goal on my mission is coming true! I’m going fishing in Hungary! ha I will be sure to take a lot of pictures! don’t worry about that:) 

on Sunday, I got to participate in a baby blessing, my first one in Hungary, and then I introduced myself to the branch. It was good, the branch seems really nice. it’ll be a good couple months here, or however long I stay here. 

anyway! dad! could you  send me more pics and stories of your mission and how everything went and how you felt when you were where I’m at? ha it was super fun seeing all that. love ya! 

I love all of you guys! have a great first week of summer! 

Watson Elder

6/15/2015

Sziasztok! 

Hey everyone!:) I absolutely LOVED reading all of your emails that you guys sent me. I love getting updates from home. It sounds like everything is doing great and that everyone is staying busy and having tons of fun. I’m really jealous of all the trips that you are all taking and all of the trips that you are going to take, like fishing and stuff. ha But I’m glad that you are all doing great! 

This week in Duna was one crazy one that’s for sure. I don’t even know where to start with this week. It might have been one of the most crazy, busy, random weeks that I have had on my mission. We spent 11 hours on a train this week, we didn’t have 1 normal morning, we never woke up at 630- always earlier- on Saturday it was at 4 in the morning, because we had so much to do and we had to travel to so many places. And so many cool, fun things happened this week! 

On Tuesday morning Frank invited us to go fishing with him at this place. We woke up early and went with him. We had to drive 30 Kilometers. It reminded me of being home taking fishing trips and having to wake up early and drive to the place. He stopped and bought us a breakfast and then we got to the fishing spot and he introduced us to his friends and then we spent a couple hours fishing and talking about life and the gospel. We were successful in both of the kinds of  "fishing". We caught a lot of pretty big fish, and we had great talks about the gospel. It was so hot though, we came home exhausted, but we had so many programs that day that we didn’t have any time to rest or to do anything else. 

Every day this week has been so hot. I’m starting to get some serious sweat lines on my shirt from my bag. We sweat literally all day every day. even in the morning doing studies. 

On Wednesday we went up to Budapest for the mission leadership meeting. Pres. szabadkai was there:) it was really cool to see him and talk to him and get to know him. This week he and his wife flew out to Provo to the mtc. It was a very spiritual meeting. He stood up at the start of the meeting to introduce himself to us and he was speaking English because pres. smith and sis. smith don’t speak Hungarian. He speaks okay English. it’s still hard for him and it’s not perfect. He stood up and started getting really emotional and he expressed his thanks to us for sieving his people and how excited he is to serve his people. He is a very humble man and he said that he hopes that as he gets set apart the lord will give him strength to speak better English because he is struggling with that right now. It was really emotional and spiritual for all of us in the room. I’m really excited for him to come in. He will officially be in July 1. We are all excited! 

On Friday morning we were invited to go play tennis with one of our investigators. It was the first time I’ve played in my life and I actually didn’t do too bad.. Ashlee would be proud of me! ha But! I do want to go play with you Ashlee when I get home! ha. You gotta teach me some tricks. I actually enjoyed it. 

We searched and purchased bikes this week. So we don’t have to walk everywhere anymore. But, with our luck, 30 min after we bought them and started using them.. my comps tire popped.. so... we went back to the service place and they are fixing it right now and we will get it back today. So we are happy about that:) ha -- and don’t worry mom and Hannah and grandma! we got all the safety gear as well! 

on Saturday we woke up at 4, to get on a train at 530, to spend a 3 hour train ride to kaposvár to conduct a baptismal interview with someone who is getting abptized this Saturday. We had to switch trains 3 different times.. it was really complicated. ha in the picture I sent you, my comp got a pic of my pointing at the time and where we are supposed to be going. ha. it was a lot of fun though. on the train I was able to read 50 pages out of the Hungarian book of Mormon! It was a good language study time that we missed the whole rest of the week. Then we got the interview done, met with the other missionaries, and then we headed back. But then we accidently got on the wrong train.. and it started going in the opposite direction so we were like.. " what the?" so we asked someone.. and we were headed to győr. ha so we got off at the first stop.. we had to call the senior couple who was positioned in that area to come and pick us up and take us back to kaposvár so we could make the next train. we had to wait 2 hours for the next train so we went and placed a couple books and talked to some people. Then we had a 3 hour train ride back.  we got back around 430, and then we had a ward party here in duna. They ha a big dinner, they call it a bogrács. It was tons of fun. there was a lot of people there, we played basketball with the members and kids.. and we had soccer.. and other games. we got 2 new investigators from it. It was a lot of fun. One of the new investigators is a guy my age and we really clicked.. at the time when I first met him I didn’t know he wasn’t a member, so I got to know him. and asked him to see if he was coming to church tomorrow and he was like '" oh! is there going to be another program like this tomorrow??" that’s when I realized he wasn’t a member. so I like.. played along with it and I was like yea! but we are just going to meet in that one room and we can sit down, listen to people talk, and we can talk some more. Then he realized it was church but he was happy and he was like " YEAH! I’ll come! " really excitedly. And he came on Sunday! and he stayed and learned and he liked it! and we have become really good friends really quick. I’m really excited about him. his name is akos. 

So overall.... the work here in duna is really good. And it’s just getting better. It’s really fun being zone leader.. We are so busy though, but it’s making time just fly. 

Next week we have zone conference and we are in charge of that, then we gotta get ready for more splits and for president coming in. 

I love you guys! keep having fun and be safe! time is flying! sometimes it really hits me how fast it’s going and how real it is that I’ll be home soon. 

I love you! 

Watson Elder

6/22/2015

Family! 

Once again it looks like you all had another fantastic week. I’m really jealous of all the awesome things that you are all doing back at home. It’s really fun for me to look at all the pictures that you guys send me. I love you guys and miss you guys! 

Congrats to Zach for getting married! I’m sad that I wasn’t able to be there but form the pictures that my mom sent me it looks like it was a beautiful wedding! I’m happy for you my brotha.

This week for us in Duna was a pretty busy one. It really flew, I feel like it was just yesterday that it was pday. We had tons of programs all week and then we had Zone Conference and District meeting. 

Before I get to the zone conference and district meeting one exciting thing happened this week that was out of the norm. One of our investigators, Elvira, accepted to get baptized! She will be baptized on July 4! A great way to celebrate the 4th:) ha 

Last Saturday at a ward party we met this really cool kid named akos. He is my age with red hair. We became really good friends right off the bat, and I invited him to church and he came to church last Sunday! Then this week I wrote a little message to him in a book of Mormon and when we met I gave it to him and we talked a little bit about the book of Mormon. He was really open and accepting to all of it. He is one of our newest, more legit investigators that we are really excited about :) 

For our weekly mission ward correlation meeting thingy ( whatever you call it in English) we usually did it at the branch house because we don’t have cars and the member lives far out there. but this week they invited us to come over to their house for dinner and for the meeting and for like a family home evening thing. It was a lot of fun to be out there. and it was nice to finally be out of the city and to see the beautiful Hungarian hills. 

Outside of that, I’m sorry if to this point it was really boring.. but literally nothing cool or out of the ordinary happened! 

SO! Zone conference. It was probably one of the last zone conferences that we will have up in Budapest (because pres. szabadkai is going to change some stuff) . It was also President Smith’s final zone conference with all of us. It’s really weird thinking that after that day, I would never see president smith again. (although he did say that he was going to come down to Hawaii and watch me play ball then take me out for dinner when I get home. ha ) but here on the mission I wouldn’t see him. It was a weird feeling. But It was a great zone conference. We held a training and conducted. Our trainings and teachings and everything went really well and there was a great spirit to all of it. Everyone loved it. It’s been really cool for me to be able to work with the missionaries on a more personal level. each night we get to call one city out of our 5 and talk to them and see how they are doing with the work and everything. And we also get to visit them every once in a while. It’s a lot of fun for me. I love it. 

In district meeting, to give a shout out to dad, I used your famous American, German war story that you would always use on me. Towards the end of district meeting I felt like I needed to share that story. So I told them the story and I drew it up on the board and then left it up to them to get all the principles and doctrines out of it. And I allowed them to apply it to their own lives and their own situation. They all really liked it and it was really powerful. So I guess I should thank you for telling me it so many times. :) ha I also told them that it was "from my dad and that he told me this story probably like 20 times in my lifetime." ha :) 

Anyway! I love you guys! if you’re all curious what the story is about, I will refer you to Greg D Watson. ha. 

I love you guys! have another great week! be safe!

Watson Elder

6/29/2015

Sziasztok! 

Well I can't believe how fast time is flying! I'm 20 years old, I’m on a mission in Hungary, I have a beautiful family, I have a beautiful girl, and I’m in dunaujvaros...  I think the Lord is treating me pretty well! It’s weird to me to think that 2015 is already half way over. I feel like I was just in békéscsaba yesterday or something. I quickly wanted to thank all of you for your loving support and your encouragement. I love each and every one of you! And you are all in my prayers every single day. I love you guys and I miss you guys more than you know! I can’t wait to give each one of you a big hug in the airport! 

This week in the Hungary Budapest mission is a history making one! We are receiving the first ever Hungarian mission president. He starts on Tuesday! My Birthday!  It’ll be really cool and interesting to see what kind of changes he has to make. We are all really excited. 

This week as far as my life went, it was a busy one as well. On Monday night we had a family home evening with a couple members at their houses. It was a really good experience. Then, later we had a conference call with president concerning the statues of our zone. It’s interesting and cool to see and talk with a mission president who is shortly going home.  President Smith has done a great job out here. I only have great things to say about him. 

This whole week was a rainy one. It’s really abnormal. Usually it’s blazing hot, but lately it’s been so nice and cool because of the rain. Its missionaries dream weather!  

On Thursday and Friday we went on splits with the elders in székesfejérvár! They call it the city of the kings. Because before Budapest became the big city, székes was Hungary’s capital. All of the ancient kings lived in székes and they are all buried here. It was really cool to go and see the city and all the cool parts. They have a beautiful downtown. it really makes you feel like you are in Hungary. We took an hour and a half bus to get there. The elders there are doing really good. We had a really good day together. I went with Elder Murdock. He and I have become really good friends. His family recently just moved to the Ogden area. We had a couple programs in the morning, then during 2 hours of finding we got out 20 books of Mormon with 2 lessons and 2 new investigators. Then we were invited to go play basketball with a bunch of guys. And it came on a perfect day because I was there! :) So we went and played ball with them, I recked em. We gave them some books of Mormon. Then we ended our day with dinner with some members and all the missionaries in székes so we could say hi to them and tell them some information. It was a really good day. 

Work is really exploding in our zone lately. Just this week we, as a zone got 6 new bap dates. And 2 of those are from our companionship. 

2 miracles happened this week. 1 of them happened when we got home from splits and after district meeting. We were walking down by the duna river searching for people. we locked up our bikes and the first person that I talked to was this younger guy. I was like " hey, do you speak English? " . in Hungarian. and he was like " not really, but one second I’m really thirsty then we can go somewhere and talk." so he went and got a drink real quick from a fountain then he came back to us. As we were walking down towards the river I started to get to know him. His name is Imre. He is 29 years old. He has been homeless for 10 years because he had no respect for his parents and he got into bad stuff so he left his house and had never returned for 10 years. His teeth were really messed up, obviously from drinking, not brushing, and not taking care of himself. But within these past couple years he has really changed his attitude. He has realized that the things he was doing and getting into wasn’t good so he stopped. But he has still been homeless and trying to get a job somewhere.-- we found a bench to sit down on, and in that moment we really felt this power come into our hearts. It’s a very interesting feeling. I really felt the power of my calling and this doesn’t happen very often because we are constantly doing the same things over and over again and we are constantly feeling the spirit so it’s kind of like.. being wet all the time and then having a water balloon thrown at you. you don’t recognize that it made you wet because you are already soaked. Anyway. I asked him " who do you think that we are? " and he went on and told us what he thought. then I went on to tell him that we were representatives of Jesus Christ and He has sent us to you tonight to share with you a very special message that will change your life. And he accepted it and listened. We continued to promise him blessings if he would do the things we asked him to do. and He agreed to do them. we set up to meet with him again the next morning in the same spot. We go back there Saturday morning and we start with a prayer and he goes on to tell us that after he met with us and read out of the book of Mormon he got enough courage to return home and apologize to his dad and to move back in with him. His dad forgave him and now he isn’t homeless after 10 years. Then, before we met with him, he was offered a small job by some old people to go and help them in their house and farm and stuff. It was amazing. it was a miracle. that morning we taught him the plan of salvation, starting with where we came from, then to Adam, then to the fall, and then we focused on Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice. Then we taught about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and a really cool thing happened. This is definitely a first on my mission. He is the first person I have met that has cried out of joy that we are not in an apostasy anymore, but the church and the truth has been restored. He literally started crying as we told him that. He, then by himself realized that he needed to be baptized again and he is on schedule to be baptized on July 18. He is so humble. willing. nice. he is super smart. and he is super prepared. The whole time I was thinking that this is what it must've been like to be alma baptizing and teaching all those humble poor people. It was as if we were teaching one of them. 

The second one is that we met with this older lady names Elvira. After drinking coffee for 50 years she has finally got off the habit of drinking coffee. She has some health problems and she requested a blessing to help stabilize her health so that she can get baptized. We gave her a blessing and she is scheduled to be baptized July 25. 

It’s just another testimony to me that there are people out there being prepared by the lord to receive his gospel. We just gotta do our part, be where we are supposed to be and do what we are supposed to be doing. stay worthy of the companionship of the holy Ghost. and literally God will cause miracles to happen with you being the instrument in his hands. 

I’m grateful for all the Lord has done for me in my life! Like I said! He has treated me very well. I have everything I want! My family, Hannah, I’m on a mission, I’m healthy, and the lords work is moving forward! And the fruits are the most amazing thing to see! 

I love all of you! have a great 4th of July weekend! be safe and smart! IM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!

Watson Elder

7/7/2015

Family! 

Another transfer has past and another one has come! I successfully spent my 2nd Fourth of July on my mission in Hungary. I brought the famous American S’more to the Hungarians in Duna. They loved it. And I "killed" my second companion in the field. Elder Zwingly is going back home to Washington. 

Allot of historical, cool things took place this week! I’ll start off with the transfer call that I received this morning while I was in the store shopping. President Szabkai called and told me that I will be staying in Duna! And get this! I will be receiving Elder Cannon as the new zone leader! He continued to tell me that I need to train him to be a good zone leader and he wants us to be really successful. Elder cannon will be my new companion! And as some of you know.. Elder cannon is from the great old lands of Brigham city.. I went to high school with him when he was a senior and I was a sophomore. We were with each other in the MTC. And now we will have the opportunity to serve with each other for up to 15 weeks! The Brigham city boys are getting back together! I was really surprised when I got the call! He is a great guy and I think we are going to get along super well. I’m really excited to get him. So I will most likely be with him until October. That is when the next transfer happens when zone leaders go home. so that’ll be the next change. He will be one of my longest companions.. along with Elder Sterri. 

So that’s the big news this week! besides that.. some other cool things happened. 

One Tuesday president szabadkai came and he called us and told us that he wants to see us and he wants to see our zone together the next day. So we had to call everyone, then we had to look up everyone’s train/ bus times to duna.  Then we all met with szabadkai for the first time Wednesday. The mini zone conference was all in Hungarian! Everyone loved it!  IT was for sure different! It took a minute to get used to it. But I really felt bad for the new missionaries.. they didn’t understand very much.. ha as far as my understanding.. I’m lucky.. I’ve been here for a while.. almost a year and a half.. and I understood everything. he has brought a lot of changes with him as well. it’s really cool to see. He is a very humble, calm, but powerful and "to the point" kind of mission president. He has power behind his words. during the conference he layed down his expectations of what he wants us to do.. and how he expects us to work. and he especially made emphasis on working out in the morning and smiling a lot and being happy. He wants us to be the happiest mission in the world. It was really cool to meet with him and be able to speak with him a little bit. His wife is also amazing and normal.. and has a young spirit in her that is going to do wonders to the mission. -- so that.. and then when pres. called me this morning it took me a minute to adjust.. I’ve never received a transfer call in Hungarian before! ha pres and I had a good 5 min convo on the phone about the new call and about elder cannon and what he would like me to do. It was really cool to be able to speak to my mission president in Hungarian. 

So, really, that.. and then on Saturday, the fourth of July parties that we had with the ward were probably the most exciting things that happened this week. the rest of this week has been burning hot.. it’s been in the 40s. which is like.. 100s. and we are constantly in it.. we kind of have to be careful. because we have no ac, no one does, and we are just sweating all day every day. like right now, I’m in a library.. and it feels like I’m in a sauna. I’m sweating like crazy. but hopefully it’s like a climax.. and then we will get some rainstorms.. and it’ll cool everything down and hopefully fall will come quickly. ha 

other than Wednesday and Saturday we had programs with people literally all day. for example yesterday.. everyone wants to say goodbye to zwingly.. so we were fed 5 times. I thought I was going to explode. ha.  

But on Saturday we had a big Aaronic priesthood activity.. where we went and shot a bow and arrow.. and we whipped wips. I learned how to crack a wip! I picked up on it really quick and they are so much fun. ha I got that wip to crack so hard.. it was so loud. it was really cool. it was like a gun shot and it echoed throughout the hills. Then we had a big Hungarian bbq. Then that lasted till 300. then we threw an American party down by the duna river after that at 6. we had 10 investigators come and like 12 members. it was tons of fun. we had ultimate Frisbee. then we cooked hot dogs.. made s’mores.. had a football... played cards.. etc. as we gathered to say the prayer over the hot dogs.. it reminded me of that Mormon message.. when the guy said " and they blessed the hot dogs..." haha I almost started laughing. But it was a really good time. 

Sunday was my comps last Sunday. we both bore out testimonies of Jesus Christ and of the reality of him. Both of our investigators who are going to get baptized where there. we have both of them scheduled for July 25. They are looking really good. 

Anyway! then today I woke up, worked out a little, went shopping, got a call from pres. now we are emailing at the library.. and after this I’m not sure what we are going to do. my comp needs to finish packing and stuff. So we will probably do that.. then we have English class and a feeding program tonight.  

I love you guys! I’m so glad that all of you had a blast this last weekend! I hope you all had a great fourth and I hope that we all got an opportunity to thank God in our prayers for the amazing land that we have to live in. America is truly the promised land. and we are so lucky and blessed to be able to live there and grow up there. 

As alma said to his son Helaman:  13 O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land. " 

I know that this is 100% true. sometimes in our lives we have to do a self-evaluation to make sure that we are on the straight and narrow path. Because Satan can lo us into thinking that we are okay, when really we are stumbling slowly off the path. we truly need to ponder the course of our steps. where are they leading us to?  

as alma said :  but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

And I would like to suggest that this also can work in the inverse. By small and simple things Satan trips and traps a lot of people. 

 2 For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.

If not, he would cease to be God. His paths are strict and straight as well. and there is only one path to become like him And it is strict, straight, and narrow. And There shall be few who find it. We have found it! We must stay on it and keep moving forward and on the way bring others to the path as well. 

for a man filled with the love of god isn't content with blessing his family only, but is anxious,  wanting to bless all the nations of the earth. 

 I love you guys! have a great safe week! 

 Watson Elder

7/13/2015

Dear family and loved ones:) 

The Lord finally answered all the missionaries’ prayers here in Hungary and sent Rain!!! Talking about little things being enjoyed.. For missionaries the heat is deadly. especially when you are in a mission where you track, street, and you are outside 90% of every single day. And.. when you are in a Country that does not use AC! Honestly.. they think it will make you sick. #Hungarians. 

The night that I received Elder Cannon a huge thunderstorm came in and it was pounding all night long. And it's been raining on and off since then. It’s so refreshing. 

Elder Cannon and I are getting along great! Probably too well. Time is already starting to fly and usually the first week with a new companion is the longest because you are trying to adjust and find a harmony. ha But we found it really quick and time is just a flying. We are expected to stay together for another 12 weeks. It’ll be a fast 12 weeks that’s for sure. That'll put us in October with only 4 more months to go! I think the closer you come to the end of the mission experience.. the more intense the mixed feelings become. There is a very interesting, peculiar power that is in missionary work; especially for the full time missionaries. As I have reflected on this journey up to this point.. I have realized that the second I was a set apart to be a missionary a power and force came into my life that I have never experienced before. It was like a huge mantle that came over my shoulders that was too big for me, but then there was this power that its sole purpose was to help me fill that mantle. Family, Loved ones, Friends, administering angles, Church leaders, companions, God Jesus Christ and the Spirit themselves have continually helped me to fill that mantle. 

Through this whole experience I have learned so many lessons. One of them being the importance of Family. One of love, another of daily scriptures study and prayer. One of faith. one of endurance, of sacrifice, of diligence, of hope.   of Those things that matter most and many others. But one of the greatest lessons that has been taught to me over and over again is that of God.. and how He is a God of LOVE. He is LOVE. He is our father. We are HIS children. He has done and created everything for us. He wants us to be happy and successful in this life ( that doesn't mean with money or job occupation.) And this is the lesson that I has been taught to me several times.. : HE IS ALWAYS THERE! Listening, waiting, anxiously standing by ready to help us the moment we call out for help. The condition is on Us.  Not on Him. It’s our choice if we desire to access the Power and Companionship of God in our lives. He has, and never will give us a trial too large, he will never abandon us ( although sometimes we abandon him.. ) He will never give us a calling too high and too overbearing. He will never command us to do something that he has not FIRST made a way for us to accomplish that thing which he commanded us to do. And He will never leave us on our own. He loves us. We are his Children. He is perfect. His character is perfect. His perfections are perfect.. and his attributes are perfect. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is the beginning and the End. ( alpha and Omega)  He is everlasting without beginning of days or end of years. And the miracle of all this is.. is that he loves us so much that he wants us to become like him! And he has prepared a perfect... plan for each and every one of us to be "successful" in this life. And not to mention.. He sacrificed his only Begotten son in the flesh so that we can accomplish this. That’s how much he loves us. He will never leave us powerless.  Time and time again here in Hungary.. I’ve been challenged with this wonderful language of Hungarian. Known as the second hardest language in the world. I’ve been put in situations where I’m  "on the spot" representing the most perfect being in the universe. Or I’ve been asked to do something that with human power alone, is impossible.  And time and time again I have learned the lesson that : those who put their trust in the living almighty God, those who turn to him in time of trial and need, those who strive to be like His son, those who love HIM, Those who humble themselves before him, Those who are willing to sacrifice everything they possess.. sometimes even including family, friends, wives, children, reputations, scholarships, security, wealth... and those willing to sacrifice even their own lives... Can exercise enough FAITH ( not merely a belief.. but a KNOWLEDGE ) unto receiving salvation to their souls and receiving Eternal life with the Father and the Son. And those people can draw from the powers of heaven with their faith in time of need. God will always support those who serve him and love him. It’s amazing. in some moments when I’m " put on the spot", for example.. talks.. talking to certain people on the street... giving blessings.. etc. I Speak the most perfect Hungarian I’ve ever spoke and I just feel it flowing through me! But then at times when I’m at home practicing.. not " on the spot" .. I struggle. coincidence? I don’t think so. God has said " in the VERY MOMENT" he will give us the power and the words to say. Christ has said with his apostles:  20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

As we exercise our faith. As we trust. As we not merely act on belief but on knowledge... Our "spoiled goods " our trials, our hard times, our heart breaks, our problems and challenges we can handle with a smile on our face and joy in our hearts. Having total and complete trust in that being who created us. hoping knowing that if we stay true.. we will receive a better world and all our wrongs will be made right. 

Again, it’s all on a condition of OUR individual actions. God is a God of Cause and Effect. He will respect our free agency. He has given us the power to help. And Christ has given us the power to be one and have access to all the father has. And US, as Latter-day saints.. just like the Former day saints.. have those gifts, tools, powers, priesthoods, and keys to enable us to be one with the father and the son. Be ye therefore one, and if ye are not one, ye are not mine. 

I love you guys! 

 Watson Elder

ps. this week I wrote my first letter to president in Hungarian! it was so weird! 

pss. we just did a lot of finding this week and we to a couple new investigators that are really cool. 

 psss. our bap. dates are still on for the 25th! :) 

 pssss. this next week will be crazy! we got splits to pécs, we gotta be in Budapest all day on Wednesday for MLC. then we got to prepare for a zone conference coming up next week! :) 

 pssssssss... HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK DAD! I LOVE YOU! YOU’RE THE BEST DAD ON THE PLANET!!!! ENJOY YOURSELF IN YELLLERSTONE!4:)  

7/20/2015

Dear Family and Loved Ones, 

This week was extremely busy, and this upcoming week is the exact same! Here in Duna it has been upwards of 40 degrees.. which is up in the hundreds range.. It’s been killer! Our apartment is burning up, the streets are melting ( literally.) , and there isn’t a cloud in the sky! The Hungarians say that this is one of the most un normal summers that they have ever had. BUT! It’s been a good experiences just dealing with it:) ha I’m sure excited for fall though. 

It was a lot of fun watching all the videos that you guys sent me over email. It looks like everyone is still growing.. and everyone is doing well down in Végas. Way to keep ballin max! This experience in your life will come quick, might seem long, but will disappear really fast if you are not careful. So make sure you live every second! 

For me, Tuesday was a normal day for us here in duna. Then Wednesday we got up early and went to Budapest for the Mission Leadership Conference with president szabadkai. It was all in Hungarian and it was a really good experience. We talked about leadership towards the end and I talked about how we can better motivate the mission and how we can motivate those missionaries that don’t have that motivation. and I said sometimes we, as leaders, just need to light a fire under people’s bottoms.. and how then afterwards be friends and show them that you love them. And how we need to be the leaders who never change. who are constant. and be that kind of person that people can trust in. I related it to a QB on a football team. I had to describe what that is to szabadkai.. but everyone else got it. ha  Yeah, it was interesting for me to translate all of that in Hungarian.. but it worked! szabadkai liked it! he quoted " fire" a lot after that :) lol.  So that lasted from 9 to 2. we had lunch and stuff there. Then after that we jumped on a train and had a 3 hour train ride to Pécs! That night we met with the missionaries there and we walked around the city and we had a dinner / little district meeting  where we could explain our visions and make sure that they were all doing okay physically and spiritually. I had the opportunity to give a blessing to one of the sisters that requested one. Then I slept on the floor that night in a very.. stuffy room. ha It made me grateful for the bed that I did have in duna. The next day we went finding and a ton of miracles happened. I was able to teach the younger missionaries a lot too. It’s so weird.. I am currently the oldest ( as far as mission life goes ) in my zone. it’s cool, but weird. all in all we gave out 4 books and got 3 new investigators for them! and we taught several lessons. It was a successful day! Late Thursday night we got on another 3 hour bus back to duna. 

As we got back to duna the unexpected happened.. and I just started to laugh.. but get this! My bike got stolen again! idk why they always go for mine! mine is always the crappiest one! that’s the second time on the mission! ha It was chained up with a thick chain too.. they just cut it and boom. gone. So we will see what we can do about that.. as for now.. we are walking everywhere again.. Yes it kind of sucks. 

We have been busy with our own investigators as well here.. everyone is progressing great. the baptisms are going to go through next week. They are solid. So we are happy about that. we talk with usually one city in our zone every night to see how they are doing and just check up on them.. that’s been fun. But literally.. we are just going going.. from 6 am. ( we have to wake up earlier to get everything done ) to about 11 at night. can hardly think by the end of the day. But all of our hard work is starting to pay off. you can feel and see the fruits of it. 

This upcoming week is another busy one. tonight we are traveling to veszprém.. another gorgeous city in Hungary ( luckily they are all in our zone :) ) on the request of president szabadkai. Then we have our zone training this Thursday..and after that we are going to kaposvár on splits.. till Friday night.. then Saturday afternoon we have a couple baptisms!!!!:) so this next week is full of traveling..and we have stacked the days when we are going to be at home with program after program. So that’s that! 

Just remember back home that " Without hard work.. nothing grows but weeds. " 

I hope everyone is doing wonderfully! pray for rain.. or at least clouds! ha 

I love each and every one of you! You are always in my prayers! 

Love, 

Watson Elder