December
3, 2012
Dear Family and Friends,
I can't believe the storm you all
just had!! That is so intense!! I can already picture in my mind how the
neighborhood must have looked like as you drove through it. I remember one year
a while back that our area was flooded and our scout troop helped in placing
sandbags around stuff to prevent from flooding. But it sounds like this year was WAY bigger
and more intense. For weather updates here, yesterday was my first day of snow
in the country!! It was so awesome! We were headed to one of our programs when
it began to rain and I said to Elder Christensen 'You know, I think it may just
snow today.' Well, right after our program, one of the kids in the house that
we were teaching in jumped out of his seat and said 'Hey everyone, it's snowing
outside!'
Winter in Pécs |
I felt like a little kid because I quickly turned my head to look out
the window and saw all this snow fall and my face lit up with excitement.
Living in Citrus Heights for my entire life, snowfall was very very rare and
the only time it did snow was just slush, so it would never stick to the
ground. That's why, for me, it is really exciting to see snowfall like it did
yesterday. Of course it was super cold, but I enjoyed and embraced it. I
probably won't in the next couple of weeks if it continues for a long time and
I'll be wrapped in all of my clothes as I walk out and look up at the sky while
I'm streeting or something and say 'STOP SNOWING!!!! I'M FREEZING DOWN HERE!!
CUT THE ELDERS A BREAK WHY DON'T YA?!?!' Ha ha, but I'm looking forward to it
anyways.
Some news from the top!! We have
received our transfer calls and information. Elder Christensen will be leaving
Pécs and will be going to..........PEST!!! That's right, he is going to the
city I just got out of and replacing my old companion's spot AND serving with
his greenie. Isn't that just way cool!! ALSO, Elder Headrick, who is now
leaving Pest, is going to be serving with my trainer, Elder Abram, in Miskolc
as Zone Leader!!! Isn't that just so awesome?! It's like a little circle of
life going on here. Now, about the part that's happening to me. I will be
staying in Pécs and going Senior with Elder Becker who is from the group right
below me! A few things are going through my mind right now. 1, I'm going senior
in my 5th transfer!!!! WhhhaaaaaAAAAAaaaAaAaAttttt??!! I feel way to young in
the mission to be going senior. 2, how am I going to do this?!?! I'm not a pro
at the language; I'm still only amateur, or maybe even lower than that. And
Elder Becker is only one transfer below me and I'm afraid that I won't be able
to help him like a senior should. I've learned so much from my senior and they
have all been significantly older than me, the youngest being Elder Christensen
and he was in his 7th while I was in my 4th. There's only a one transfer
difference between Elder Becker and I, which is SUPER young. I know I sound
like an anxiety bomb that's going to go off, but between getting the call and
now, I have been feeling more confident that this companionship is going to be
really good, at least in the learning perspective.
Pécs, Hungary |
I think Elder Becker and I
are going to learn a lot because of how young we are in the mission,
language-wise, teaching-wise, basically everything-wise. And the most important
part is that as we put our faith in Heavenly Father, we will be able to learn
what we need to learn and grow into what he wants us to become and the work
will come. The scripture mastery Proverbs 3:5-6, saying 'Trust in the Lord with
all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding' has been in my brain
for a few weeks now for many reasons and I think it's going to be with me for a
little bit longer with this upcoming transfer. It's going to be an adventure
for sure and I am excited to see what will be in store.
Magda Elder and Christensen Elder |
Here are some other things that are
happening where I am, transfer wise and investigator wise—Elder Cox and Elder
Smith will be splitting up unfortunately this next transfer, but in a way we
didn't think would happen. We assumed that Elder Cox would be training a
greenie and Elder Smith would be going to a new area. Well, or assumptions were
wrong. Instead, Elder Cox will be going Zone Leader in Györ with another elder
and Elder Smith will be staying here for a 4th transfer with Elder Wright, who
is an AWESOME elder. Elder Wright was one of the secretaries in the mission
office in Buda when I came to Pest and because Buda and Pest are so close to
each other, so are the elders and I saw and hung out with him and his companion
during P-Days a lot and he is such a fun elder. I'm really sad to see Elder Cox
go because I've basically been in the same area as him for these 4 transfers
and he is definitely one of my best friends in the mission along with my
companions, but I am also excited to hear what he will be doing and I know it
will be a great work and a lot of fun. But I am also glad that Elder Smith will
be staying. Because he was in the group right below me, I knew him a little bit
in the MTC before the field and it has been great serving around each other in the
field and I know it will be a lot of fun with this upcoming transfer.
Teaching in Pécs |
The program that I mentioned
earlier, with the kid jumping up and saying that it was snowing, was with the
20 year old girl that we have set up for baptism. We actually had to move the
bap date for them, and the other two young girls that we have on bap date, for
the 22nd of December because it was better timing for the younger girls and the
pool that we have to reserve for the baptism. Because the branch house here
doesn't have a baptismal font, we have to reserve a pool here in Pécs for us to
do the baptism, so according to the scheduling of the pool we could only do it
on the 22nd instead of the 15th. But, going back to the program, we taught our
investigator the 10 Commandments and the Word of Wisdom. When we taught her the
Word of Wisdom and went over what was a part of the commandment, we asked her
if she had any thoughts about it. Without fail, she astonished us with her
answer by saying: ' Actually, when I was younger, I used to go out and party
with some of my friends and we normally would drink too. But I soon found that
I really didn't like it and then my brother in law introduced me to the Word of
Wisdom and said how it blesses people’s lives. Now I have been keeping it for
some time and I really agree with it and don't drink with my friends and even
encourage them not to. But I have already been keeping this commandment for a
while.' Every time we teach her we ask 'Why haven’t you been baptized
already?!?!' She is so awesome and she will be an awesome member to the branch
here.
Thank you for the pictures that you
sent. Ha ha, I definitely laughed when I saw that picture of Ashleigh in her
work outfit. But it looks like she can make a mean cup of yogurt. Oh, I forgot
to tell you last week, here in Hungary, Dr. Pepper is in a very low demand and
is rarely sold here and when it is it is very expensive. But, last week while
we were shopping, we found 2 liter Dr. Peppers on an amazing sale. All of us
dropped our baskets and screamed for joy because we both agree that it's the
best soda ever. We bought several because we didn't know when the sale would
end. Ha ha, thought you all would have liked that story.
I am also glad to hear Alisha's
worldview. Ha ha, that is so awesome!! All 3 of us have defended something
different: Communism, Socialism and Biblical Christianity. I'm sure Alisha will
have a lot of fun with it. I know I sure did, even if I was defending something
that I absolutely despised. It is the one of my greatest memories and
experiences, going through that program and, in particular, the world views.
Speaking of TJYC, I actually translated the Mission Statement in Hungarian this
week and I wanted to end this week's letter with it at the end. It isn't
exactly the same because the exact translation in Hungarian doesn't make sense
(I asked someone and he helped me in making the right translation). But the
concept is still the same and, in general, the wording is still the same.
Ráébredünk
személyes célunkra
Feltüzeljük
magunkat,
hogy a
végsőkig kitartsunk
és
növeljük erkölcsi hatalmunkat,
hogy az
kihasson a legszélesebb körökre
tiszta
tudáson keresztül képmutatás nélkül
továbbá víve
a szabadság lobogóját
We
are:
Awakening
our sense of
Personal
Mission,
Igniting
our Passion to Pay the Price,
And,
Increasing
our Moral Power to Affect
Forms—through
pure knowledge and
Without
hypocrisy;
Carrying forth the Banner of Liberty!
I got goose bumps when I translated
it. But, no matter what language this statement is in, it is still the same and
it should ring true to all of our hearts, especially to those who took TJYC. We
should not, no, we cannot, forget the calling we have as TJYCers and continue
to carry forth the Banner of Liberty.
Continue to press forward in faith
this week and hope for miracles and blessings.
Sincerely,
Magda Elder
P.S Tell Tara that I am excited for
her call to Moscow. That will be such a fun mission as I have heard from
several Hungarians who have served there.
Ok, Now it's time for Mom, "The Blog Keeper." In Elder Magda's Halloween post, he mentioned that he and his companion carved some funny shaped gourds for the holiday. The next day, November 1st was the national holiday, "All Soul's Day" where Hungarians honored those who have died. Elder Magda just happened upon a grave marker with his same last name! Here are the photos.
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