Elder Ammon Smith, Saturday, 19 Nov 2011
Hey family,
How is everyone doing this week? I received an e-mail from Nathan. It was really nice to hear from him. I'm so excited and happy for him. All these new things happening in his life!!
I had a good week, it's been busy but good. We have transfers coming up next week so we have had lots of work to do. We have also been getting ready for the new missionaries coming in. We are going to be having three Sisters and two Elder leaving at the end of this transfer and we are receiving 3 new sister missionaries this Tuesday.
This week we went on splits to a place called Nyiregyháza. I think I told you in my last letter that I was going to be going there this week. Well, we did and had a great time. We spent 2 days there because the area is hurting a little bit right now. The 2 days that we were there we almost gave out 100 Books of Mormons!! That's a lot! So we were really blessed while we were there. The people were willing to listen to us and to take a book and some even agreed to meet with the Elders another time.
This morning we went to play a game called squash. It's a game that they play here in Europe. Look it up online sometime. It's a really fun game! We go out with president Baughman about once a week and play with him. This morning he couldn't come with us because he was in Romania for a youth conference. So, we took krisztian with us. He is our investigator that is getting baptized next weekend. We had a fun time!!
That's really all that has happened this week. This weekend will be stake conference for us. So we have that to look forward to.
Have a great WEEK!!!!! Just think, in 4 and a half weeks we will be talking on the phone!!!!! I cant wait.
Elder Kovács (I have no idea why he signed off as "Elder Kovacs")
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Elder Daniel Smith, 7 November 2011
HE-loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo arizona!
well we had another fast and great week soooooooo busy. i have had barely any time do anything like write in my journal yikes! well we had a good halloween they put us away near night for protection since its a bad time to proselyte or teach. lol funny huh? were still teaching the same people. and mom that date this week was changed a while ago sorry. moved up to nov 19th. we did excellent on teaching lessons this week. we hit 16! we haven't done that many in a while. patience pays off. and the lord is directing us to people ready. about Lorena... we visited her but she wasn't there. yeah we think every day about her problem, gonna go see her tuesday or wednesday. Jose and Sonya have not gotten married yet. turns out Sonya didnt even know how to. haha. wer'e not sure if they even want to get married though. we're like a counsel group for them haah. allot of people are having family problems everywhere. satan is really attackng them. you cant even take the slightest chance to let that happen. don't make exceptions for things. have family home evening every monday! you think its over when the boys are all gone? no. its says to even have it with your spouse! satan is real as we know. so lets fight and not sit idle while he works. i realized how great of parents i had. in my patriarchal blessing i really was PRIVILEGED to choose my parents. what a blessing. i remember thinking when we were kids "our friends parents let them do that, why wont you!? its not a big deal" you fought and you won good job. know that your son is proud of you both! you both did your responsibilities as parents. i wont wait to say that. its true. and i thank you! you did your best, right? haha.
other than fighting satan, were lovin it all. the mission improves all the time. its filled with ups and downs. but as i improve it gets better. not sure what to write the days start blending together. haha. defiantly things happen everyday though. mom and dad dont doubt doing a mission together!!! let your spirit be stronger then your body. use your will power. ive learned that allot here. who cares if your sick and are gonna die. WORK! this is more important than your sickness.
Glad to hear everyone is doing good!
okay be back in 2013! bye ya'll
Elder Smith
HE-loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo arizona!
well we had another fast and great week soooooooo busy. i have had barely any time do anything like write in my journal yikes! well we had a good halloween they put us away near night for protection since its a bad time to proselyte or teach. lol funny huh? were still teaching the same people. and mom that date this week was changed a while ago sorry. moved up to nov 19th. we did excellent on teaching lessons this week. we hit 16! we haven't done that many in a while. patience pays off. and the lord is directing us to people ready. about Lorena... we visited her but she wasn't there. yeah we think every day about her problem, gonna go see her tuesday or wednesday. Jose and Sonya have not gotten married yet. turns out Sonya didnt even know how to. haha. wer'e not sure if they even want to get married though. we're like a counsel group for them haah. allot of people are having family problems everywhere. satan is really attackng them. you cant even take the slightest chance to let that happen. don't make exceptions for things. have family home evening every monday! you think its over when the boys are all gone? no. its says to even have it with your spouse! satan is real as we know. so lets fight and not sit idle while he works. i realized how great of parents i had. in my patriarchal blessing i really was PRIVILEGED to choose my parents. what a blessing. i remember thinking when we were kids "our friends parents let them do that, why wont you!? its not a big deal" you fought and you won good job. know that your son is proud of you both! you both did your responsibilities as parents. i wont wait to say that. its true. and i thank you! you did your best, right? haha.
other than fighting satan, were lovin it all. the mission improves all the time. its filled with ups and downs. but as i improve it gets better. not sure what to write the days start blending together. haha. defiantly things happen everyday though. mom and dad dont doubt doing a mission together!!! let your spirit be stronger then your body. use your will power. ive learned that allot here. who cares if your sick and are gonna die. WORK! this is more important than your sickness.
Glad to hear everyone is doing good!
okay be back in 2013! bye ya'll
Elder Smith
Elder Ammon Smith, Sat, 5 Nov 2011
Subject: Re: Elder Smith WRITE YOUR MOTHER
Hello,
Everything seems to go by so fast serving here in Budapest. This week has just been full of zone conferences. I don't know what to write about really because we have been inside most of the week. Now that is not true what you said about me not writing you, if I recall correctly we were writing back and forth during the week. I just didn't write you on Saturday. I'm sorry.
We have been working very hard in our area. The area is exploding. We have been meeting with so many people that have been prepared to hear the Gospel. We put a very nice man on baptismal date today. I'm so excited for him to be baptized. We met with him today and had a wonderful lesson. He gave the closing prayer and it was one of the most heart felt prayers i have ever heard. I began to cry during his prayer! The spirit was so strong and it was testifying to me that he is ready for baptism. I became so excited over that thought and began to cry ( I had to wipe my eyes before he ended the prayer so no one could see that I was crying). The most cherished moments on my mission are when an investigator has their first prayer/conversation with their Heavenly Father. What a wonderful moment for both of them. Even though this wasn't his first prayer it was special.
How do you like the book you are reading mom? I have only one chapter left in it. I'm so sad because I have enjoyed reading the book so much that I don't want it to be over. So i have been saving the last chapter for Sunday. What chapter are you on? Thank you for the website you gave me about the book it was very nice, looking though it I was able to learn a few good things as well.
How is the family doing? Nathan and his girl? Well I've got to get going now, I have a game of domino's to play with sister Smith and some of the Elders.
Love you all!
Elder Smith
Monday, October 31, 2011
Elder Daniel Smith, 31 Oct 2011
HOWDY DO DA DAY? and Happy Halloween!
Well its been another week Texas. Transfers are coming up in three weeks and were really pushing hard to get our investigators baptized by the 19th of November!!!!!
Today is halloween and prep day, so we have 1 hour to teach. Haha, at 7pm were not allowed to proselyte because its halloween. there's more to it idk. but to answer some questions real fast. No we do not get the Ensign we get the Liahona in Spanish. i loved the story about dad, and hearing from the family is nice! I hope nana and papa, grandma and grandpa are all doing dandy. No we did not get to meet coach mendanhall. our investigator couldnt come so we didnt either!
I'm still the whitest kid around, even in Texas people more look like me. blonde hair, white skin. then there's the opposite. the kind of people we teach. the dark skin dark hair people. : )
Here's a crazy story I had. This week we had this appointment with this lady named Lorena. As we were heading over to the apartment I got a prompting, I wasnt sure because i was confused why should i go over there. as we got to our appointment we both felt a feeling like there was an evil spirit around us. We questioned it and thought maybe we should go to another area. So we cancelled our appointment and headed in a direction we thought someone really needed us. We scavenged and looked around and found someone to talk to. We didn't get a return appointment; went home confused. The spirit will not confuse you!
So later we ran into Lorena because we wanted to see her, our past appointments fell through with her. We met with her and her dad was with her to. They had just got to their apartment and had some water to carry into their apartment, so I shouted "HEY DO YOU WANT ANY HELP?" in spanish of course. The father said YES, help me! I said "okay, with what?" He said "i'm sick!". So I said okay what happened? (he had a hospital wristband on his wrist). To make the story short (I'm going into much in detail) he said "4 nights ago after work some gay guy went up to me, grabbed me by the neck and squeezed me" and said something (I don't remember what it was but it wasn't spanish). He thinks the gay guy pulled witchcraft on him and the father has been possessed. Lorena said he is usually not like this. He was acting weird. We asked if we could pray for him or bless the house. Nooooooooo, he would not let us. Every time we would pray he would try to leave. At one time he said a prayer himself, he got on his knees and started reciting some prayer, "forgive me for this and that and for killing a dog?" idk, he lost it, so we just decided and said, "okay, lets pray". He kept butting in and was trying to leave, at the end of the prayer he just walked away and Lorena was crying the whole way through, she was so appalled because her father was never like this. we told her if she needs anything we're there for her. I think satan really doesn't want her to hear the message we have, he's attacked us and her family.
other than crazy stories our investigators are coming along. we really need to teach Lorena. write back Gueros.
me and my comp hit the top 8 companions for the month, number 8. out of the mission! wow. i feel honored. and its funny because we can work so much harder!
Elder Smith
HOWDY DO DA DAY? and Happy Halloween!
Well its been another week Texas. Transfers are coming up in three weeks and were really pushing hard to get our investigators baptized by the 19th of November!!!!!
Today is halloween and prep day, so we have 1 hour to teach. Haha, at 7pm were not allowed to proselyte because its halloween. there's more to it idk. but to answer some questions real fast. No we do not get the Ensign we get the Liahona in Spanish. i loved the story about dad, and hearing from the family is nice! I hope nana and papa, grandma and grandpa are all doing dandy. No we did not get to meet coach mendanhall. our investigator couldnt come so we didnt either!
I'm still the whitest kid around, even in Texas people more look like me. blonde hair, white skin. then there's the opposite. the kind of people we teach. the dark skin dark hair people. : )
Here's a crazy story I had. This week we had this appointment with this lady named Lorena. As we were heading over to the apartment I got a prompting, I wasnt sure because i was confused why should i go over there. as we got to our appointment we both felt a feeling like there was an evil spirit around us. We questioned it and thought maybe we should go to another area. So we cancelled our appointment and headed in a direction we thought someone really needed us. We scavenged and looked around and found someone to talk to. We didn't get a return appointment; went home confused. The spirit will not confuse you!
So later we ran into Lorena because we wanted to see her, our past appointments fell through with her. We met with her and her dad was with her to. They had just got to their apartment and had some water to carry into their apartment, so I shouted "HEY DO YOU WANT ANY HELP?" in spanish of course. The father said YES, help me! I said "okay, with what?" He said "i'm sick!". So I said okay what happened? (he had a hospital wristband on his wrist). To make the story short (I'm going into much in detail) he said "4 nights ago after work some gay guy went up to me, grabbed me by the neck and squeezed me" and said something (I don't remember what it was but it wasn't spanish). He thinks the gay guy pulled witchcraft on him and the father has been possessed. Lorena said he is usually not like this. He was acting weird. We asked if we could pray for him or bless the house. Nooooooooo, he would not let us. Every time we would pray he would try to leave. At one time he said a prayer himself, he got on his knees and started reciting some prayer, "forgive me for this and that and for killing a dog?" idk, he lost it, so we just decided and said, "okay, lets pray". He kept butting in and was trying to leave, at the end of the prayer he just walked away and Lorena was crying the whole way through, she was so appalled because her father was never like this. we told her if she needs anything we're there for her. I think satan really doesn't want her to hear the message we have, he's attacked us and her family.
other than crazy stories our investigators are coming along. we really need to teach Lorena. write back Gueros.
me and my comp hit the top 8 companions for the month, number 8. out of the mission! wow. i feel honored. and its funny because we can work so much harder!
Elder Smith
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Elder Ammon Smith, Sun, Oct 23, 2011
Goodmorning!(for me its morning)
Ok so I'm sorry that just now I am finding time to write you all. I have had a busy week learning all this new stuff! I love it here in Budapest! Almost a year and a half ago I was here and didn't really care for it to much; one because I didn't speak the language and two because I was just so excited to be on a mission and was learning all that I could so it felt like I just didn't have any time to really get to know the city or the people.
Being an AP is a lot different. I am enjoying it though. I have a good companion. He is also from phoenix AZ, He loves to skateboard. So we started talking about where we used to ride and it turns out we road at a lot of the same parks at home. We may have met before the mission but we just didn't know it. The church is very different here in Budapest its almost like a normal ward. There are so many people!
It sounds like Dan is having a great start to his mission. That's awesome that he is enjoying himself so much out there. He must be doing the right things and has a good companion. Tell him to keep up the good work and continue building a stronger love for the people and culture.
It was so sad to hear what happened to your parents mom (but a little funny at the same time). That's great that your family is all taking a part in helping them recover. So I know that mom has a calling in cub scouts but what about dad whats his calling? So Nathan starts his new job this week! That's GREAT! Tell him good luck for me.
That's it for this week. It will be fun to hear from everyone soon at christmas! I can't wait!
Have a great week. I love you all,
Elder Smith
P.S.
I'm always checking my mail now that I am in the mission office so much so feel free to write me at anytime and i might find some time to write you back during the week:)
Elder Daniel Smith, 16 October 2011
dear mom and dad, things are improving here. the Spanish, the teaching, finding, companionship. i have learned so much about the gospel!!! my eyes i thought were opened and there probably still not but i understand so much! something i thought i would share with you is how the gospel blesses families. maybe you already know what im going to tell you. Its all about the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for families to be united now and in eternity. The gospel unites families and allows them to be together for eternity. and when families live the principles of the gospel they can experience peace, joy and a sense of belonging and identity in this life. heres my favorite part. its a good reminder. family happiness is maintained by: FAITH, PRAYER, REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS, RESPECT, LOVE, COMPASSION, WORK, WHOLESOME RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, and my personal one UNITY. i've really been studying it to be able to explain it better. families are the best place to learn and experience the gospel and grow. families are ordained of GOD! you should read the family a proclamation to the world together as a family tonight and share thoughts, experiences, whatever. do it. well the mission has been a rush so far i will tell you that much. im turning brown and my hair is going black and i eat a lot of spanish food. i also speak another language.LOL
i've seen so many blessings and how much the lord really loves each and everyone of his children. i have seen how he prepares them. puts them in the path of the gospel. i have had so many answered prayers here. hows my facebook? all i want to know is if people wanted to write me or get a hold of me. hows my bank account how much money do i have in it?
okay bye bye now.
brb if you write back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)