#6 Kecskemét: Light the World with Sait Mikulás
Sziasztok Mindenki! (Hi Everybody!)
This week was very busy. Last Monday we went to the Hivatal which is where you go to register for legal residency, and it is like the DMV, so supper fun. After drama, paperwork, and calls to the mission office secretaries I am now a legal resident of Hungary.
On Tuesday the Zone leaders (Elder Smith and Elder Garrett) came to do splits with us. (explanation needed)
We also went to visit a less active member of the church out in Nagykőrös this week. Nagykőrös is fun because it is a little town with a 1940's feel, and smells like burning coal. It is a great place to pet dogs, because they are all over the place. We met with Istvan and read Alma 32 with him (a powerful sermon on faith in the Book of Mormon. Follow the link and read it!) We taught him that with faith we take in the words of Christ and see if they are true by how they make us feel and how they change our lives when we act on them.
Here is my favorite part:
"If ye will awake... even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."
"But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow."
While we were there Istvan offered us iced tea. Apparently there is some misunderstandings about iced tea among members here.
***Members of our church believe that the Word of Wisdom (that is the title we give to a revelation from Christ given to us through the prophet Joseph Smith that gives us specific guidance on what we should and should not eat or take into our bodies. A code of heath given as a commandment to members of the church) asks us not to drink green or black tea. Herbal and fruit teas are generally considered OK by many in the church.***
Istvan told us that it was pear tea, but we were suspicious that it might contain tea because the bottle "iced tea" in english but said Körte (pear in Hungarian). We didn't want to offend him or get into a fight with him about it so we left it alone. It was a good discussion and then he gave us 20 packages of Ramen Noodles for Christmas, so it was good.
It was a good week. Christmas is in the air and it is nice and cold. we got to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional this week (follow the link and watch it! It is wonderful, no matter what religion you are). President Uchtdorf (a member of the Presidency of the church) said the following, "We may not be able to develop a fullness of divine love in this life, but we should never stop trying. If there is a season of the year when we get a little bit closer than any other, it might be Christmastime, when our hearts and thoughts turn to the birth of the living manifestation of divine love, even the Savior Jesus Christ."
I love you all and hope that you can find ways to light the world this Christmas Season and throughout the year!
Sok Szeretettel (Lots of Love),
This week was very busy. Last Monday we went to the Hivatal which is where you go to register for legal residency, and it is like the DMV, so supper fun. After drama, paperwork, and calls to the mission office secretaries I am now a legal resident of Hungary.
On Tuesday the Zone leaders (Elder Smith and Elder Garrett) came to do splits with us. (explanation needed)
*** Zone leaders are missionaries that have responsibility over a regional group of missionaries called a Zone. Our mission has 5 such zones. Our zone is the southeast one and has about 16 missionaries spread out over Kecskemét, Szolnok, Békéscsaba, and Szeged. Once a month or so the zone leaders will go to an area and help train and work with the missionaries in that area for 24 hours. So for 24 hours I had Elder Smith as my companion, that's why we call it "splits," because my regular companionship is split up and our zone leaders are our companions for the day.***
Elder Smith is from western Maryland and his 2 year mission will be done after Christmas, so he's on his way out. We did a lot of knocking doors and streeting. He helped me make some language learning goals for the coming year. We will be doing splits with them in a week or so, but we will be going to Szeged where they live.
Wednesday was Sait Mikulás day, when Sait Mikulás (Saint Nicolas) comes and puts candy in your shoes if you are good, and some twigs if you are bad, it was fun. We celebrated it with the Zone leaders and with a member who we eat lunch with on p-days (Monday's are preparation days, p-days), she had Elder Martin dress up as Mikulás, it was funny.
One of the bigger pieces of news from this week is that our progressing investigator János will be having his baptism on December 30th and his confirmation as a member of the church on New Years Eve! Pretty exciting!
We also went to visit a less active member of the church out in Nagykőrös this week. Nagykőrös is fun because it is a little town with a 1940's feel, and smells like burning coal. It is a great place to pet dogs, because they are all over the place. We met with Istvan and read Alma 32 with him (a powerful sermon on faith in the Book of Mormon. Follow the link and read it!) We taught him that with faith we take in the words of Christ and see if they are true by how they make us feel and how they change our lives when we act on them.
Here is my favorite part:
"If ye will awake... even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."
"But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow."
While we were there Istvan offered us iced tea. Apparently there is some misunderstandings about iced tea among members here.
***Members of our church believe that the Word of Wisdom (that is the title we give to a revelation from Christ given to us through the prophet Joseph Smith that gives us specific guidance on what we should and should not eat or take into our bodies. A code of heath given as a commandment to members of the church) asks us not to drink green or black tea. Herbal and fruit teas are generally considered OK by many in the church.***
Istvan told us that it was pear tea, but we were suspicious that it might contain tea because the bottle "iced tea" in english but said Körte (pear in Hungarian). We didn't want to offend him or get into a fight with him about it so we left it alone. It was a good discussion and then he gave us 20 packages of Ramen Noodles for Christmas, so it was good.
It was a good week. Christmas is in the air and it is nice and cold. we got to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional this week (follow the link and watch it! It is wonderful, no matter what religion you are). President Uchtdorf (a member of the Presidency of the church) said the following, "We may not be able to develop a fullness of divine love in this life, but we should never stop trying. If there is a season of the year when we get a little bit closer than any other, it might be Christmastime, when our hearts and thoughts turn to the birth of the living manifestation of divine love, even the Savior Jesus Christ." I love you all and hope that you can find ways to light the world this Christmas Season and throughout the year!
Sok Szeretettel (Lots of Love),
Morgan Elder
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