It Snowed!

Well howdy everybody!  How is it going?  It was a really great week this week full of travel, lessons, and snow!  Monday, we met with these really cool people (older couple) that we tracted into last week.  The member we brought did a really good job with them and the lesson went pretty well.  I really hope we can keep meeting with them on a consistent basis and that we can see them going somewhere!  Then on Tuesday we were able to go to the old folks home again and do some more service for them.  They are some of the nicest people and we talked with this super nice man that has been sick all of his life (I know super sad) he has been alone for literally almost his whole life and it was really cool seeing him light up when we talked to him!  It is seriously such good language practice talking to these people because they speak so crazy it is not even funny, haha.  Then on Wednesday we had missionary leadership council in Budapest!  It was so good and it is so true that we as missionaries are truly here to teach repentance and baptize converts because that is the only way that we can make it back to live with our Heavenly Father again!  Then on Wednesday night, when we came back we did some tracting (almost got the cops called on us again, would have been like two or three weeks in a row, haha) we decided to look up an investigator that was from my first transfer.  He got a new job and is never home but we decided to look him up any way.  He was just getting home from a run and we were able to meet with him and his family!  Not only that but they also fed us dinner, haha, which was super super cool.  We were able to talk about the gospel and about the Book of Mormon and he promised us that he would read from it on a daily basis.  He speaks some English but not super incredible, and when we were leaving he said in English "you look, what is the word, weaker, since the last time that I saw you,"  totally roasts me, haha.  It was so funny and he was just trying to say that I had lost weight but it sounded so funny, hey what can I do, the life of a missionary right, haha.  Thursday was super good, we were able to teach our English class (talked about New Year’s resolutions) and we were also able to meet with one of our new investigators that we got last week. He is super cool and is going through a hard time, but he wants to meet more and knows the Book of Mormon surprisingly well (I think he had read it before).  Then on Friday and Saturday we were on splits in Tatabanya with Elder Leavitt and Elder Willis.  I was with Elder Willis from California who is a 2nd transfer.  The split went well and it even snowed while we there (it made me miss snow so stinking much).  It was so funny, I feel bad but whatever, I totally jacked up one of the Tatabanya Elder's bikes.  I kicked off the kick stand and hit two big bumps (almost died, JK, haha) and totally jacked up the wheel (oops, what can you do, I am a big man).  Then when we got home from splits we had an amazing last couple of days.  We had 4 member present lessons and were able to bring a member to two RCLA lessons.  I was able to give blessing at church on Sunday (ironically to the same one I gave one to my 1st transfer) and Roland came to church with the bishop which was good and can hopefully be a weekly thing from now on so that the kid does not have to ride his scooter like 3 miles every Sunday!  

I love you all so much and keep being the best family in the world!!!!!!!

Gentry Elder 

We have a baptismal date!

So I have like no time but it was a really good week and I will try to include the highlights. Roland is on for baptism and we are super-excited!  He's such a great kid.  So we were actually able to get a little bit of snow this last week.  It was not anything close to CO status but it was still super good!  It was so stinking cold this last week and the wind chill just makes it 10 times colder.  We are on bikes right now and it was pretty darn flipping cold.  Our tires are super flat and last transfer, when the assistants were here on splits, one of them was using our pump as a sword and broke it, I know right.  So we have been riding on flat tires in negative weather every day, good times good times.  

So we were able to do some really cool service in an old person home this last week!  One of the pushes from President Szabadkai is to be doing service every single day and it has been a lot of fun.  We had been trying to do our best to find locations where we could serve but many of them were closed or not super interested from what it looked like.  Then one of the coolest members in the ward that helps us out so much, told us that he worked at an old person home and that we could come whenever we wanted.  It is super cool to see these old people's faces light up when we start to talk to them and it is cool that we were literally making their day.  It is also some super good language practice, haha, because older people here speak totally different from the young people here.  

We were also able to get 7 member present lessons this week which was really good for us.  The members here are really willing to help us and support us and it is cool to see. We were not able to go on any splits this last week because two companionships had to cancel which stunk, but we have one this week so that should be super fun. 

Recently, our mission president shared a quote from Elder Bednar about doing the little things right.  Elder Ure and I have been focusing on this principle and we have seen how the wants to give us so many amazing blessings and so much of the time we just have to go a little bit further and work just a little bit harder and then the Lord will give us these amazing blessings.  Much of the time it is really easy to do the big things right but sometimes it is harder to always be doing the little things right as well.  I know that I am so far from perfect, but that is why I am grateful for the atonement and for the opportunity that I have to work on the things I need to everyday and become a better man and a better servant of the Lord.  I truly love being a missionary and I love this work! 

I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!

Boldog Új Évet!!! (Happy New Years)

What is up my awesome family!  The title of the email is Happy New Years btw.  I am so excited for the upcoming year and can't wait to give it all to the Lord (it is pretty awesome to think about huh?!).  Anyway, so it was a good week this last week.  We were able to go on splits with the Elders from Tatabanya and I was with the one and only Canadian legend Elder Leavitt.  It was so fun being able to be back with him and doing some legit missionary work (not just the mtc stuff, but that was still good practice).  We were able to teach Roland and the lesson went pretty darn well (we have each improved quite a bit from the good old mtc days, haha).  We did some look ups and I kind of got us lost but eventually found the way back.  Elder Leavitt is a stud and I really would love to serve with him in the future!  

New Years Eve was crazy, like I am talking out of control.  People just shooting mortars off of their apartment buildings constantly, kids setting off these bomb things in the street, little kids throwing the most powerful poppers that I have ever seen at each other, and lots and lots of alcohol ( I am very glad for the word of wisdom).  I had this super good chinese food on New Year’s Eve that was very similar to panda express but only like 3 dollars.  Elder Ure did not have any (I will be honest it was a bit sketchy) but despite them warming my meal up in the microwave I was so impressed! It literally sounded like a stinking war outside and needless to say I did not sleep much that night especially because some homeless drunk dude was screaming at the top of his lungs from 2:30-5:30, good times (but I was in bed at 10:30 which is the most important part).  

The work this week was still a bit slow due to the holidays but we were still able to have some really good teachings with people.  We were able to meet with Roland a few times this last week and the lessons went really well.  He is really growing in his love of the gospel and has been reading from the kid Book of Mormon by himself.  He is really coming to understand the doctrine and for an 11 kid his testimony is getting pretty strong.   He has been coming to church mostly every week and most of the time he rides his little scooter for like 3 miles to get there (so cool).  The kid is incredible and is so stinking funny. In one of our last lessons, we were talking about prophets and he asked me and Elder Ure which one was our favorite.  We said that we did not have a favorite but he kept on insisting so finally I told him that my favorite was President Benson and he asked why and I told him and he totally flipped out.  Needless to say President Benson is his new favorite prophet, haha.  We were also able to meet with this older lady that I tracted into my very first day in country.  She is super legit and is super nice.  We taught her the plan of salvation and it went really well.  She said that she is coming to church this week and we are going to try to get her on bap date this week.  

 

I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week!  2017 is going to be an awesome year! 

 Biking in the freezing cold!

Ward Family