Thursday 30 November 2017

Week 13 in Békéscsaba

Hi!

I have finished the equivalent of a sister’s mission! On November 25, I reached the one and a half year mark! :)

This week I travelled a lot, and was in Békéscsaba for only three full days.

On Monday we went to Szabadkígyós with the Howells where there is a beautiful castle in which a rich countess and a count lived. The fall colors were beautiful and the castle was very nice.

We were with the zone leaders in Szeged for splits. Elder Szuch and I were with Elder Smith. We tracted on the streets and met with a mission leader in Szeged and talked about the Light he World initiative, and what kind of service activities we can do during the 25 days leading to Christmas.

On Thursday we celebrated American Thanksgiving at the Howells. We ate chicken, stuffing, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and pie. It was delicious. We all took turns talking about what we were grateful for. It was a nice experience.

I was in Budapest for zone conference. We talked a lot about the church's Christmas initiative. Then I spent a day with the assistants because a mission presidency meeting was held for all the branch presidents the next day.  Elder Gentry, Elder Hughes, and I tracked on the streets, and we talked to everyone about the Light the World initiative. We also taught a lesson about the Word of Wisdom and another about Christmas. The next day we went to Pest to pick up a seventy, Elder Homer, from the hotel where he was staying, and took him to the meeting with the branch presidents. It seems that I was an AP for a day, haha. The meeting was very instructive. We talked about the church buildings, manuals, the growth in congregations, and we read from D&C 43: 8-9:

“And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.

And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me—”

On Saturday night we had a Meet the Mormons evening and it was a great success. Six investigators came! They liked the movie and we answered their questions about the church.

Sunday was a busy day. I taught about the Light the World initiative in the second hour and we visited a few inactive members. I also helped the Howells with their marriage enrichment class.

We often hear that the Book of Mormon can bring us closer to Christ than any other book (Joseph Smith quotation). But why? Why not the four gospels of the New Testament, for example? I found an answer to this question last week. In the Book of Mormon, Jesus appears in person only in 3 Nephi, but in the rest of the book there are a lot of writings about Him in many situations: when Lehi's family wanders in the desert, when the Nephites and the Lamanites fight, when Alma and his friends serve missions, when people build cities, when they obey or disobey the commandments, etc. If we see Jesus in the Book of Mormon at many different times (war, peace, wandering, missions, etc.), we will have the ability to see the Lord in our daily lives. It’s not common for someone to meet Jesus on the street, but the tiny, faith-building moments that happen every day when we are paying attention are very common. Let’s ask ourselves always, "Where have I seen God's hand today?" or “When did I feel the Holy Ghost?" or “When did I do something that Jesus would have done?” I know that every day we can find answers to these questions, only sometimes we have to stop and think about a minute or two, and then we’ll know. If we do this, we will be much stronger in spirit.

I'll finish this lengthy email with a scripture:

“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” (D&C 128:22)

I love you and remember to go forward, not backward.

Elder Gonzalez



In Szabadkígyós









Thanksgiving with our district

In Szeged

With Elder Gentry (AP)

With President Kovács of Nyíregyháza who knows Miguel

With Elder Leavitt

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