The City is Ours!!!

How is it going everybody!  It was a good week this last week!  We were able to go on splits a couple times this last week, one time with the assistants and the other time with the Elders from Tatabánya!  They went super great and I am always able to learn so much from exchanges, they are the best!  When we were on splits with the assistants, president called one of them and Elder Smith called us and we were informed that the Győr sisters were getting immediately transferred!  A sister had some health issues and had to go home and one of our sisters had to go be the companion to the other sister and the other sister got put in a trio in another city.  So basically, the point is, THE WHOLE CITY IS OURS!!  The sisters also had like 3 or 4 male investigators that we will now be able to meet with (we are pretty excited).  

We were able to have both of our baptismal dates in church this week and they are doing well. We are going to have both of their baptisms on the 8th of April just to ensure that they are fully ready.  Both of their interviews are going to be this Friday and both seem like they are going to be ready.  Our first commitment is doing very well and has been reading and praying about the Book of Mormon.  We were able to discuss the feelings that he feels when he reads the Book of Mormon and when we meet with him.  We were able to discuss how the good feelings are those of the spirit and how the spirit testifies of truth.  He is doing great on commitments and I really have the faith that he can receive his full answer very quickly.  Our next commitment is also doing well and is following through on his commitments.  He has been reading from The Book of Mormon and has been praying to know that it is true.  He believes it all and is willing to live according to all of the commandments.  He is doing great and is very excited for his baptism in the next couple of weeks. 

We were able to also go on exchanges in Tatabánya and those also went really great! I was with Elder North (new missionary) and the split went really amazing.  It was pouring rain but that did not stop us, haha, we went out and did some good old fashioned streeting.  The Lord honored us big time as we were able to get 6 phone numbers while we were outside, it was pretty miraculous (we also preached at a bus stop which was fun).  Then we came back and yesterday we got honored with a new investigator and got a potential from offering to carry his trash bags ( he at first did not accept but then I grabbed them from his hands and he thought we were cool and said we could share a message!).  

I was just thinking about James 1:5 yesterday as we were watching the restoration film, it goes through verse five and then it says” but ask in faith nothing wavering”.  It is so interesting to think about because our Heavenly Father says to those that ask it will be given, however, first we need the faith and if we have faith then we come to accept God's will and as we come to accept God's will (or as it says our will is swallowed up in the will of the Father, in regards to the scripture talking about Christ and his submission in regards to the atonement) then our will literally becomes God's will and we do the things and ask for the things that God would have us do and ask for.  That is why I really believe that goals and everything we shoot for should have God first and forefront because he knows what we want more that we do and he will always give to those that ask in faith. 

Good week ahead of us, love you all tons!!!!! 

Good and busy week!

What is up my awesome family!  Sorry for the break up in the emails it was a crazy day.  So first of all my bike was broken and we had to go and get it fixed today.  What happened was is that my wheel was super wobbly and it would constantly rub against my kickstand and also against the other part of my axel so it was literally like I was riding uphill and through mud this whole week (It was the hardest I have worked my legs for months, haha).  Elder Smith's bike was also broken (his brakes would not work) and our first night together he crashed into me, haha, and I think that is when all of the problems started, haha.  Anyway, we got those fixed and then we had a teaching at 12 today (it was actually a referral that President Szabadkai gave us).  It went super great and we were able to set up with him for next week and he is going to bring his son and his girlfriend (thank you President!). Then we had Langos (look it up on google, so amazing) and cleaned our apartment #toiletsbaby! 

It was a really good and busy week!  We went on splits this week in Sopron and I was able to serve with Elder Jensen who swims for BYU and is currently the branch president in Sopron.  He is a really good guy and is a super hard worker.  I look up to him a lot and I really want to hang out with him after the mission.  My last 3 transfers, I have been able to go on splits with him quite a bit because he has always been in my zone and my favorite part is just talking about the life of an athlete at BYU and all that stuff (it gets me so pumped up!).  This week was a holiday called women’s day so me and Elder Jensen got flowers and gave them to a bunch of old ladies on the street (his idea, haha) and it was actually super fun! 

Then we came back from splits and we lost one of our bap dates :(.  It was super weird and sad because we called him and another person answered and told us that he sold his phone so we went over there and we walk up stairs ( it is like a weird apartment house type building) and he is sitting in the kitchen and just says "viszlat" which is like, see ya later.  We were like, what happened to you man, and he just kept saying viszlat and told us that he wants nothing to do with us anymore.  He then stormed out of the house and called the landlord and he came and kicked us out (while we were teaching another guy in the house #findconstantly haha).  It was sad but what can you do!  But on the bright side we have two super legit bap dates that are progressing sooooo well.  They were both in church yesterday along with another one of our investigators (we had 3 in church, it was pretty amazing).  Our first investigator we taught about the word of wisdom this week and he told us that he drinks coffee but from now on he is going to live the word of wisdom (whoop whoop)!  The other is also progressing well and is going to be ready. Hhe is reading the Book of Mormon consistently and praying ( he is doing it).  He is a good guy with a good heart.  

We were able to do a lot of tracting and streeting this week and only got one new investigator (a drunk man that we were able to set up with for this next week so we will see, hahaha) but a lot of potentials!  We also got let in to it with an older lady that is a Jehovah’s Witness (that was super frustrating and hilarious) and we also got streeted by a JW couple this last week, so frustrating but so funny at the same time (their religion makes no sense and is a testimony builder that what we have is true). We have a super big week ahead of us and I am pumped!

Love you all so much!!!

Langos! Yummy!!!

The Lord honored us... What more can I say

Well like the title says it was an absolutely incredible week this week.  It started off with a really great p-day last Monday as we were able to go to a really cool tower that looks over all of Győr (it is called püspök vár I think) and then that was followed up by a really great zone training on Tuesday (it was on chapter 8 and effectively using our time) and then it just got better and better!

I think I saw the hand of the Lord more this week than I have ever seen in my life.  We were able to go on exchanges this week with the Elders from Tatabánya and I was able to work with Elder North (a new missionary).  I just had a really good feeling about the split and had the faith that we were going to be seeing a lot of miracles.  Before the exchange started, Elder Smith and I had a little bit of time to work together.  We felt like we needed to go and tract and as we came to a particular building I told Elder Smith that someone was for sure going to be letting us in.  Sure enough a very nice lady let us in and we were able to discuss the Book of Mormon, the Restoration and were able to set up a return appointment.  Then after that we started our exchange.  I was able to work with Elder North and he is a really great missionary.  He has a lot of really great faith and he has the faith that miracles can happen and that if we work hard then we can see the hand of the Lord in our work.  We were able to work on specifically having effective studies and then praying to have the spirit.  We said a prayer then we got to work.  

Our first teaching was with one of our investigators named Barnabás and it went amazing.  We were able to speak about the Plan of Salvation and he loved it and is very excited to learn more.  We are hoping to get him on a baptismal date this upcoming week.  Then after that we had some time to go and street some people.  We talked to some absolutely incredible people one of which is actually from Cuba and has been looking for a church to go to and another one who absolutely loved what we had to say and set up with us to come to his home the next day and bring him a Book of Mormon (his name is János and I will talk about him more in just a little bit).  Then we had a little bit of time left to tract and I knew that someone else was about to let us in.  Sure enough a young man named Balint let us in and we were able to have an great teaching with him.  He is agnostic and has lots of questions of the soul that he would like answered.  He is super excited to read from the Book of Mormon and we set up to meet with him this next Thursday. 

 Then the miracles just kept happening...  Elder Smith and Elder Leavitt were also able to find a husband and a wife that they were able to give service to and teach about the Book of Mormon ( we are going to go back on Friday).  Then the person named János (that we met with on the street) was able to meet with us the next day and it went so amazing (we were able to discuss the Book of Mormon and the Restoration and invited him to church but something came up and he was not able to make it).  Then after that we had two great teachings with our two other progressing investigators Richard and David.  We were able to discuss the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Richard and were able to confirm his baptismal date of April the 1st that we gave him earlier on in the week.  He is progressing so well and is really growing in his faith of the Savior.  Then we were also able to meet with David and were able to really emphasize with him that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth again and that the priesthood is on the earth again.  We asked him if he would be baptized on April 8 and he was able to accept the date.  

Then after that we finished the split with the Tatabánya Elders but the miracles just kept happening.  After that we were able to meet with one of our new investigators who is actually from Nigeria, his name is Nason.  It went so amazing and he is such an amazing person.  He is Christian and has not really been practicing much lately but really wants to start now.  We were able to discuss about the Restoration and were able to teach him about the Book of Mormon and the power that is in it.  He said that he would read it and at the end of the lesson he prayed and it was one of the most powerful prayers I have ever heard in my entire life!  We are going to meet with him again this Saturday and are really hoping that he can come to church!

Then the next day was also incredible!  We were able to have a couple of investigators in church (David and Richard) and were hoping for more but were really happy to see them.  After church we were able to do some tracting and I knew that we were going to be getting let in.  Sure enough we were able to get let in right away to this very sweet Néni that recently lost her husband, her younger brother, and her cousin.  We were able to testify of the Plan of Salvation and were able to testify of temple work and the miracle of Jesus Christ and the Atonement.  It went great and we were able to set up for next Thursday.  Then after that we were able to meet with János again (the person that we spoke to on the street a couple days before).  We were able to speak about the Plan of Salvation and it went really well.  We were able to ask him if he wanted to be baptized on April 1st and he responded with an enthusiastic "Persze!"  The only problem is that he might move so I am praying that he will be able to stay!  Then after that we were able to do a little more tracting and I knew that we were going to be let in again.  Sure enough we were able to be let in to a young man named Martin with whom we were able to discuss the Book of Mormon and why we are here as missionaries (we set up to go back to him on Tuesday).  

The Lord will honor those that do their best to honor him.  It is not always easy and sometimes it is hard to see the why of why we do some things but when we do our best to serve the Lord he will honor us more than we can imagine.  I have a strong testimony that with faith ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE and that when we believe in the Lord and remain diligent and obedient then we can see absolutely incredible things!  I am also a believer that faith without works is dead and that first we need to have faith but then we need to work!  That is the perfect combination, faith and work!  I love the Lord and I am so glad that I get to serve him on a daily basis here in Hungary.  

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

Gentry Elder 

4th Transfer Baby!!! February 27th email

WHAT IS UP EVERYBODY!!!  It was a good week of the first transfer.  The 1st week is always so crazy but is always super good as well.  I got Elder Smith last Wednesday and he is a stud ( I really like him  a lot and keep getting such stud companions, my goal is to go my whole mission with just getting stud companions, haha).  He is from Maryland and he is an NFL junky (like I mean crazy junky).  He would love to be an NFL scout or NFL news reporter and within 10 minutes of getting back to the apartment was already asking about my dimensions, haha.  He is so cool and he is stud missionary.  We are going to work as effectively as we can and I am super excited to continue to see the hand of the Lord in our work here in Győr.  

This last week we had our MLC meeting and it went super well.  It was up in Budapest on Friday.  We are really making a big country-wide push for more active home teaching efforts like Elder Holland talked about in the Priesthood session of conference.  We also talked a lot about effective planning and wisely using our agency with regards to the new schedule.  With this new schedule (I am not sure how much you have heard) and with the new key indicators we are able to use our time a lot more according to our desires.  I really love it thought because it makes it so as missionaries we are more accountable to the Lord than ever before and we do missionary work according to the way the spirt directs us and the inspiration that we receive.  Elder Smith and I are going to be giving our training on effective planning and how to wisely use our time (good thing I have a really great mom who taught me how to plan out my days when I was just a little boy and had me keep a really neat planner when I was in High School). 

The work in Győr continues to move forward. One thing that Elder Smith and I really want to do this transfer is to continue to bring the missionary work and the ward closer together. The ward is helping us a lot and our investigators seem to be progressing well. We were able to have 2 in church yesterday and hope to have more there next week. We met one of the investigators at church yesterday on the street and he wanted a Book of Mormon. We set up a time to meet with him and we were able to have a really great discussion with him about the Restoration of the Gospel. When he came to church a couple of days later, he said that he had already read around 50 pages in the Book of Mormon and that he said he liked it. He said that he really loved church and that he is going to come next week as well. We are meeting with him tonight and are hoping to get him on a baptismal date tonight. Another investigator that we met recently has also been reading a lot from the Book of Mormon and really likes it. The thing that is hard with him is that we can only meet with him once a week, but he is still really progressing. We are going to get him on a baptismal date this week as well. Many of our other investigators are new and are really doing well. We are meeting with a lot of people right now and are doing are best to get all of these people progressing and coming to church. I am really excited to see what happens this transfer and am so excited to continuously see the Hand of the Lord in our work. President Benson said something to the effect of, "I am so thoroughly convinced that the secret to missionary work is work" and I believe that with all of my heart. I love to work and I know that the Lord honors those that diligently honor him. I love this gospel and I love serving in Hungary.

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all of you and for your amazing examples to me!!!! 

ward activity

Gentry Elder and Smith Elder