#5 Pest: The Gathering in Hungary
This week just blew by!
We had another really good lesson with a woman in Felsőgöd on Tuesday and she will be coming this next week to church, she loves the Book of Mormon and the church, she just needed a little faith push to come all the way for sacrament meeting. I know that the spirit was there when we talked with her about the doctrine of Christ.
We met with our new investigators who we looked up (from people the sisters had found), and this time they fed us dinner. He is an inactive member, and a famous musician, and she is not a member and the daughter of a very high profile Hungarian general. They spent the whole time telling us all their concerns and we were able to have a very productive conversation. It was really cool. Usually when you try to figure out people’s concerns Hungarians just don’t tell you, but when we said we heard from the sisters that they were thinking about getting baptized but that they had some concerns, they just laid it all out for us, which was really great because now that we know all their concerns we know exactly how to help them, and we know exactly what to do. It was really nice. We thought of ways we can include the ward and bring members with us. We are hoping we can bring Him back to church and baptize her.
In the field:
The front end of this week had an appointment with an older woman we had a lesson with three weeks ago, our first lesson was when she let us in when we were tracking. At the time she told us to come back in three weeks, so we went back, and we had a second lesson. We had a good lesson and Elder Fales taught her about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Fales invited her to set a baptism date and she said yes. We have a lot to teach her still, but we hope it will lead to her baptism.
We had another really cool let-in while we were tracting this week. I didn’t have my papers on me which is risky because if someone calls the police on you and you don’t have your papers it could be a problem. We were yelled at two building managers as we were tracting, and this made me really nervous, but we tried to avoid them. During one of these episodes, and while the building manager was yelling at us, we knocked on a door and a 4-year-old boy answered, he was very precocious, and the we asked the 4 year old if we could talk to his parents and he said, “I’d love for you to talk to my parents,” and he went and got his dad. All the time we were being yelled at. The father came to the door and we told him we were missionaries sharing a message about families and asked if we could come in and the guy said, “Yeah, you guys can come in.” Maybe it was because he saw that we were being yelled at… that’s a good reason to let someone in your house if their being yelled at by someone really mean... whatever the reason it was a really good thing we were let in and the building manger didn't call the police on us.
So, we went inside and talked about who we are and the 4 year old said, “I want you to come see your LEGO’s,” and we said, “Yeah, we’ll come play with your LEGO’s” And then at some point he brought out a board game and said, “Play a board game with me.” So, we played a board game with him, but all the time we talked to his dad about the church and he had questions about the church. Then his mom comes home and the whole seen made her super confused and weirded out to see these two missionaries playing with her son, but after we were introduced and started talking with her she relaxed, and we were able to talk to her too. She spoke really good English and we talked about her history. She was raised Christian, but she isn’t a member of any particular church. We shared the Book of Mormon with them, and she wasn’t sure, but her partner (the father and mother aren’t married) encouraged her to read the book and told her that it could make her happy. Then she protested a little more talking about more questions she has, and her partner said, “Well, just read the book, the answers are probably in there; right guys?” and we were like, “Yeah! You’re right.” She took the book, she was hesitant, but hopefully something comes of it. We got their numbers and we are going to go back.
We had another really cool let-in while we were tracting this week. I didn’t have my papers on me which is risky because if someone calls the police on you and you don’t have your papers it could be a problem. We were yelled at two building managers as we were tracting, and this made me really nervous, but we tried to avoid them. During one of these episodes, and while the building manager was yelling at us, we knocked on a door and a 4-year-old boy answered, he was very precocious, and the we asked the 4 year old if we could talk to his parents and he said, “I’d love for you to talk to my parents,” and he went and got his dad. All the time we were being yelled at. The father came to the door and we told him we were missionaries sharing a message about families and asked if we could come in and the guy said, “Yeah, you guys can come in.” Maybe it was because he saw that we were being yelled at… that’s a good reason to let someone in your house if their being yelled at by someone really mean... whatever the reason it was a really good thing we were let in and the building manger didn't call the police on us.
So, we went inside and talked about who we are and the 4 year old said, “I want you to come see your LEGO’s,” and we said, “Yeah, we’ll come play with your LEGO’s” And then at some point he brought out a board game and said, “Play a board game with me.” So, we played a board game with him, but all the time we talked to his dad about the church and he had questions about the church. Then his mom comes home and the whole seen made her super confused and weirded out to see these two missionaries playing with her son, but after we were introduced and started talking with her she relaxed, and we were able to talk to her too. She spoke really good English and we talked about her history. She was raised Christian, but she isn’t a member of any particular church. We shared the Book of Mormon with them, and she wasn’t sure, but her partner (the father and mother aren’t married) encouraged her to read the book and told her that it could make her happy. Then she protested a little more talking about more questions she has, and her partner said, “Well, just read the book, the answers are probably in there; right guys?” and we were like, “Yeah! You’re right.” She took the book, she was hesitant, but hopefully something comes of it. We got their numbers and we are going to go back.
We had another really good lesson with a woman in Felsőgöd on Tuesday and she will be coming this next week to church, she loves the Book of Mormon and the church, she just needed a little faith push to come all the way for sacrament meeting. I know that the spirit was there when we talked with her about the doctrine of Christ.
We met with our new investigators who we looked up (from people the sisters had found), and this time they fed us dinner. He is an inactive member, and a famous musician, and she is not a member and the daughter of a very high profile Hungarian general. They spent the whole time telling us all their concerns and we were able to have a very productive conversation. It was really cool. Usually when you try to figure out people’s concerns Hungarians just don’t tell you, but when we said we heard from the sisters that they were thinking about getting baptized but that they had some concerns, they just laid it all out for us, which was really great because now that we know all their concerns we know exactly how to help them, and we know exactly what to do. It was really nice. We thought of ways we can include the ward and bring members with us. We are hoping we can bring Him back to church and baptize her.
Saturday night we had a supper last minute lesson with this new investigator and she has such a strong desire to change her life, there were some concerns but she came to church with us the next morning which for people in Hungary is a really big deal We are excited to see where it goes.
So we've had lots of good teaching this week!! That's what it's all about.
In training:
I also read this talk this week from last general conference, I love it. (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/am-i-a-child-of-god?lang=eng)
"I invite each of us to seek God and His Beloved Son. “Nowhere,” President Nelson directed, “are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon.”27 Open its pages and learn that God does “all things for [our] welfare and happiness”;28 that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness”;29 and that “all are alike unto [Him].”30 When you feel hurt, lost, scared, upset, sad, hungry, or hopelessly abandoned in life’s extremities31—open the Book of Mormon, and you will come to know that “[God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so].”32
I love the God of my fathers,34 “the Lord God Almighty,”35 who weeps with us in our sorrows, patiently chastens our unrighteousness, and rejoices when we seek to “give away all [our] sins to know [Him].”36 I worship Him, who is ever “a father of the fatherless”37 and a companion to the companionless. Gratefully, I testify that I have come to know God, my Father, and bear witness of the perfections, attributes, and “excellency of [His] character.”38
That every one of us might truly understand and cherish our “noble birthright”39 as a child of God in coming to know Him, “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] hast sent”40 is my fervent prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." I know Our father loves his children.
I'm glad to hear that all is well back home, I think it is awesome that you got to spend time with the Wilsonék. Have fun on your trip, can't wait to hear form you next week. I love you all.
We had a zone conference this week. In preparation for a new mission president he wanted to teach us to better work
with members. A challenge the stake has here in Hungary is that it’s huge
geographically and is maxed out on it’s number of units but it doesn’t have
enough priesthood and the church is getting smaller because people are going
inactive. The leadership within the units in the stake look at missionaries as
two priesthood holders they can rely upon to provide regular functions within
the ward, because of this Pres. Szabadkai’s
policies were designed to help the ward be more self-sufficient by restricting
the ward from using the missionaries to talk in sacrament meeting, teach lesson
at church in regular classes, work with less-active members, or do other things
that members should do. The wards and branches struggle to retain new converts,
and then missionaries leave, and people go inactive. So, Pres. Szabadkai’s policy was designed to help the church
grow and be self-sufficient, but some members weren’t very happy about the
policies and want the missionaries to work more with members. I think that Pres. Szabadkai is anticipating that the new
mission president may do things differently and so we did a training to help
prepare us for possible changes related to how we work with ward members. -- That's why I think we covered this topic, but it's just my opinion -- It will probably be my last time I will see President and Sister Szabadkai for the rest of my mission unless I serve in Pécs or something. I love them so much and learned so much, I'm so grateful that I had 9 months to learn from them.
In my personal study:
I've read a little of President Nelsons devotional talk, it is fantastic. I definitely have a testimony about the importance of gathering Israel.
I've read a little of President Nelsons devotional talk, it is fantastic. I definitely have a testimony about the importance of gathering Israel.
I also read this talk this week from last general conference, I love it. (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/am-i-a-child-of-god?lang=eng)
"I invite each of us to seek God and His Beloved Son. “Nowhere,” President Nelson directed, “are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon.”27 Open its pages and learn that God does “all things for [our] welfare and happiness”;28 that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness”;29 and that “all are alike unto [Him].”30 When you feel hurt, lost, scared, upset, sad, hungry, or hopelessly abandoned in life’s extremities31—open the Book of Mormon, and you will come to know that “[God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so].”32
I love the God of my fathers,34 “the Lord God Almighty,”35 who weeps with us in our sorrows, patiently chastens our unrighteousness, and rejoices when we seek to “give away all [our] sins to know [Him].”36 I worship Him, who is ever “a father of the fatherless”37 and a companion to the companionless. Gratefully, I testify that I have come to know God, my Father, and bear witness of the perfections, attributes, and “excellency of [His] character.”38
That every one of us might truly understand and cherish our “noble birthright”39 as a child of God in coming to know Him, “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] hast sent”40 is my fervent prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." I know Our father loves his children.
I'm glad to hear that all is well back home, I think it is awesome that you got to spend time with the Wilsonék. Have fun on your trip, can't wait to hear form you next week. I love you all.
Elder Morgan
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