Monday, November 19, 2012

The Work just keeps getting better and better!!

November 19, 2012
The Work just keeps getting better and better!!

Let me tell you, this week has been one jam-packed filled week. Last week I think I let you all know that we were having Elder Richards, one of the members of the 70, visiting us this week in Hungary for Zone Conference. Our Zone Conference was being held in Budapest on Wednesday at 9:30, but we had to leave the Tuesday before because it takes a 3 and a half hour train ride to get from Pécs to Budapest. So President Smith allowed us to come in the day before and spend the night at the AP's (short for Assistants to the President AKA missionaries who help the President) apartment in Budapest so that we wouldn't have to get up super early, take a train ride and feel dead during the conference. So we went up Tuesday with the other elders in Pécs, Elder Cox and Elder Smith, and enjoyed a nice train ride to Budapest. Elder Smith had just recently gotten the flu or something that morning and wasn't feeling to good. The next morning his sickness sky rocketed and he could barely move or do anything, so he and his companion had to stay at another elders apartment until our train left around 4, which also meant that they had to miss the conference, which was such a bummer because it was amazing! He is doing much better now, but it took a few days of long rest and recovery.

The Zone Conference was so awesome!! Elder Richards is so well versed in the scriptures and struck some really thought provoking questions and points that just blew my mind in some ways. One question he asked was 'Have any of you heard the Masters voice before?' I kind of thought it was a trick question or something and thought 'Well if you consider the voice of the Spirit and its promptings, then yeah, I have heard it.' Little did I know, that would be exactly what he said. I can't remember the scripture he quoted to support his point, but he said that every person who has received an answer in the form of a thought or prompting in the mind has heard the voice of the Savior. It is through the Holy Ghost that He can communicate to us and give us those thoughts and promptings and feelings, which still means that it is still Him when we receive them. I got goose-bumps when he said that. During the meeting I kind of thought to myself about this and how it relates to people getting answers when they read the Book of Mormon. This is just my theory, but according to Elder Richards answer I believe that this is true, that every person who has read the Book of Mormon and has prayed to know if it is true has heard the voice of the Master. Isn't that incredible that we can hear the voice of Christ?!?! All we need is to pray with a 'sincere heart' 'with real intent' and 'having faith in Christ' and we will be able to hear Him. There were other things that he told us that were great and inspirational, but this was the one big thing that struck me at the core and enlightened my paradigm of the matter.

One more thing that happened this week, well actually that happened yesterday, that I would like to share. A few weeks ago a family in the branch gave us a referral to the wife’s sister who isn't a member but really wants to investigate. Referrals are just one of those things as missionaries that we jump and down when we get because it's like a beautiful gift that we didn't have to get through a week's worth of tracting our streeting. Last week we met her with the family for the first time and taught her the Restoration. When we asked her to begin reading from the Book of Mormon and to pray about it, she said that she had already began reading it and prays on a occasion, but she will pray more about the Book of Mormon. So yesterday was or 2nd meeting and we felt prompted to challenge her to be baptized on the 15th of December. Before our program, we asked to see if she read from the Book of Mormon. She replied with 'Of course I do. I read from it every day.' She showed us that she was almost finished with the Book of Mosiah. Astounded, we asked 'Well, do you have any questions that you would like to ask us?' 'Oh, my sister and brother-in-law answer all my questions for me.' We thought our astonishment was over, until we asked her the next follow up question 'Did you pray about the Book of Mormon and did you receive an answer?' 'I sure did. I got this really great feeling that I am in the right place and that this is the right church.' Needless to say we were the happiest missionaries in the world. We then taught her the Plan of Salvation and afterwards invited her to be baptized. She smiled and saids 'I would really like that.' She also said that she will pray to know if that it is the right day for her. AHHHHH!!!! It's the most incredible feeling when you hear those words!! I just wanted to jump out of my seat and say 'Oh how the Lord will bless you!!!' Which I basically did, but I didn't jump out of my seat and say it with a booming voice, ha ha. But in all actuality, being in that room when someone accepts to be baptized is such a blessing, because I know that just by making that commitment, the Lord will bless her in ways she cannot comprehend. The work is moving forward here in Hungary and I am so blessed and honored to be a part of it here!

Before I end my letter I will answer some questions that some of ya'll have.  (He then tells the family some stuff…..) So, just a little update, this will mostly be a shock for my family than it will to others, but I have begun to LOVE sour cream!! Hungarians include it in a lot of their food and so I have acquired a good taste for it since I have been on my mission. Ha ha, I thought mom would really like that one. Alisha is in LA with the Shears?!?! That is so awesome!! That must be SOO much fun. For Thanksgiving one of the families in the branch here invited us over for dinner at their place. They are so kind! We don't expect it to be like an American Thanksgiving with a Turkey or Pumpkin Pie, we are just grateful and blessed to even have one. And for Ashleigh I will now begin my search for you. :)

Thank you for the emails and I hope that this week will be a great and blessing filled week for all of you!!

Sincerely,
Magda Elder

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