Christmas in Georgia

"Me eating a giant rice crispy treat..."

"Elder D and Elder H (elders in our district) in their Christmas best"

"Yes, that stop sign says, 'Stop. Hammer time.'"

"We gave the elders christmas ties. From left to right: Elder H's is a child's clip on tie. Elder G's plays music. And Elder C's has dancing reindeer playing musical instruments on it. Good Will is full of treasures."

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas... and Sister Waddoups and Sister Szilagyi were terrified because they had three Christmas dinners scheduled. THREE. You'll all be glad to hear that we didn't explode, but it was a close call. It could have gone either way. This Christmas was a bit different than normal, but absolutely wonderful. Caroling was my favorite part of the season, without a doubt. Raise your hand if you wish you could sing at everyone's door all year long? Me, I just raised my hand. Anyway, we had some wonderful caroling experiences such as knocking on the door of a Presbyterian Christmas party, where they gathered all of their guests around the door and made us sing multiple songs. One adorable little old lady gave me hug and said that we had just made her night. It was magical. And we did some mini-celebrating as a district as well. We did a white elephant exchange, and I ended up with a men's XL christmas t-shirt with reindeer on it, who are drinking... root beer? Yeah, the elders didn't catch that one. It was hilarious. Fun times were had by all.

This week I was a bit of a sicko. I think they call it "The Black Plague". Just kidding, but I was slightly under the weather. However, I am on the mend now so no need to fear. Many miracles happened around this beautiful time of year and here are a few of them:

We went to visit a woman that had been visited by previous missionaries, but there was no answer. We began to walk back to the car, when I felt like we should knock on her neighbor's door. I almost ignored the feeling, but as I looked at his front door, I felt a little happy feeling in my heart, so I told Sis. Waddoups that we should knock on it. We went over, and right inside his house, sat T fixing his radio. He's a 60-something year old man, and he was sitting there behind his screen door, just working away. We knocked and as he looked up, Sis. Waddoups asked him what he was doing. That simple question was all it took for him to open up, and we spent the next 20 minutes talking about religion, his beliefs, and ours. We found out that he had visited our church with his son in the past, and we're headed back to his place this week.

Another experience happened later that evening as were trying to find streets to knock. It was about 8:00 PM and Sister Waddoups and I were plum tuckered out. We were both starting to feel sick, and knocking on random doors did not seem like our most fun activity at the moment. We drove down several streets, and finally found one that had a couple of lit houses. We stopped in front of one that was adorably decorated with a beautiful red M on the door. I said a little prayer to give me strength, and Sis. Waddoups and I approached the door. What subsequently followed was probably the best door experience that I've had. A lovely young couple answered the door and talked to us for a good while about faith, and we they told us that they were Methodist. We eventually gave them a card, with our phone number, and left. After knocking on the rest of the lit homes in the neighborhood, we were in our car, about to leave, when the man (who had made up one half of the lovely couple) came running out of his house towards us. He asked if we had some time, and could we come in and talk to them for a while? We were able to talk to them for a good long while, and hope to see them again soon.

A couple days later, we were visiting a woman from church, and as we drove into her apartment complex, we waved at a woman who was walking from her car. She waved back very excitedly and Sis Waddoups and I both looked at each other in surprise. No one waves at us that happily, it just doesn't happen. We got out of our car and she said, "Y'all from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? I love y'all!' And then slammed her door. We were rather perplexed. So after knocking on the woman's door who we came to see, and getting no answer, we knocked on the happy waver's door. Her son answered the door and invited us right in. We were quickly introduced to N, who we found out used to attend our church. Things that N said before we left: "I cannot believe that they are sending girls out here! Ooooheeee, I just can't believe it!" And "If I find our y'all are riding bikes, I'll run down to that church with a pitchfork!" As well as "Gurl, who has been feedin' you? You need a cheeseburger." She is a wonderful soul. And she gives out candy to all of the neighborhood children. As we were leaving, we noticed that we had about 8 kids crowded around the back of our car. I told them that, "Y'all better back up, cause I want you to live!" And one little boy looked at me and said, "I know you want us to live, y'all are the Jesus Christ people!" And one boy, who looked about 5 told me that I had "pretty hur." Which was just adorable. Man, those kids plum broke my heart. They just wanted some lovin'.

As we're headed into the new year, I have been thinking about how much my own life has changed in this past year.

This Sunday, I was reminded that instead of coming up with resolutions, I should come up with real solutions. I am so grateful for this gospel for providing me with real solutions to a life that provides us with real questions and real difficulties. I love my Savior, and I love His work.

If you have a moment, I strongly suggest watching this puppy.

It's a wonderful New Year's video. You should watch it.

I love you all.
Sister Szilagyi

Our Infinite Potential

Merry Christmas from Southern Georgia!

Going Christmas caroling may feel ridiculous when it is 75 degrees outside, but if it keeps people from slamming the door on you, I'm all for it! This week, we've been Christmas caroling almost every day with the other sisters and elders and let me tell you, I'm having the time of my life. If I could sing on every door step, I would. So much better than talking, even though y'all know that I like that too.

All in all, this week has been an extremely merry one. Maybe it's the Christmas spirit, but we've been able to talk to so many amazing people this week.

Wonderful moments from this week:

-We were invited to a Christmas party at my very favorite house in Valdosta (I was so happy. We had knocked there once before and I remember thinking: "This is my dream house." And we actually got to go inside and meet so many kind people.)

-After teaching one lesson with A's cousin, B, she told us that she wanted to be baptized! We're so excited for B. And it'll be on Jan 1st, on her Grandpa's birthday. Can't think of a better way to start the new year.

-We were caroling this week at M's home (one of the member's who has had a stroke) and as we were outside, a few people passed us on the street and we didn't think much of it. Later that afternoon, as we were visiting some people, we stopped by a ladies' house who wasn't home. As we were getting out of the car, we noticed a woman walking out of her house. We almost didn't talk to her, but we decided to take the opportunity to speak with her. By the way, we call these encounters referrals from the Lord :) Anyway, we said hello and she recognized us. She had been one of the people that had passed us as were singing at M's. She said that she had locked herself out of her house, and was walking to a friend's when she passed us. As she walked by, she wondered why we had never stopped at her place and she hoped that she would. And there we were, standing in her front yard, and she was so happy to see us. We told her what church we were from and she told us her daughter is Mormon. She invited us inside and we found out that she had been to church with her daughter multiple times, and when we asked her if she had enjoyed it, she looked at me and said, "Did I enjoy it?? Did I ever!" She then asked us what time we were stopping by next to come study with her, and as we were about to leave, asked us to say a prayer with her. For all of those unaware, she basically walked us through every single step that we as missionaries try to include in a lesson. She's amazing. And the Lord perfectly prepared her, as well as us. When we covenant with the Lord that we will be at a certain place at a certain time, He is able to place people into our paths that we are supposed to meet. How grateful I am for His power in orchestrating His kingdom. This theme of meeting people at the perfect time happened again and again this week. We went to multiple people's houses looking for them, and instead met people that we were able to share the gospel with.

-One of my favorite moments from this week happened when we went over to the C's. I can't remember if I've mentioned them before, but they are an amazing family from Guatemala. The gang includes: Bro and Sis C, E (21), S (12), A (10), and Leo (24 in human years). Leo is an adorable basset hound. Their niece, E.D., was taught all of the lessons with previous missionaries, but she only speaks Spanish and she did not understand most of what they taught. So we decided to start from the beginning, and have Bro C translate. Never have I ever wanted to speak Spanish more than that lesson (I'm still bitter at you Mom and Dad who both speak Spanish!). Anywho, we taught the restoration and it went perfectly. At the end, I felt inspired to ask E.D. if she has already prayed about what we had been teaching her and she nodded and said, "Si." I asked her if she had received an answer to her prayers, and she told us that she had. It was when her new baby boy had been blessed. She said that in that moment, she knew that this was Christ's true church and the Book of Mormon was true. She is going to be baptized on the 11th of January. During our lesson, Sister C came and sat at the table. When we were talking about baptism, she told us her conversion story. It was beautiful. She was raised Catholic, and had known that her religion was the truth. However, she explained that she had never felt the Spirit, and didn't know what people were talking about when they said that they were "feeling" something at church. It wasn't until she went to her cousin's baptism that she felt something. As her cousin was getting into the water, she said she felt very warm and she began to cry. She said it scared her, and she didn't know what was going on. She kept crying, and finally gained enough composure to call the missionaries. When they answered, she asked if she could be baptized the next day. Their family is so wonderful. The spirit was so strong sitting at that dinner table that day.

As Christmas is approaching, I am continually reminded of the beauty of His atonement. And the beauty of seeing our brothers and sisters through His eyes. Through faith in Him and through accessing His atonement, we can accomplish anything. We can become better mothers, better fathers, better sisters, better brothers, better daughters, and better sons. Our Heavenly Father sees our infinite potential. And through faith in Him and His son, we can live up to that potential.

I'll leave you with a final thought that I had about faith this week: Why do we believe and accept the principle of gravity so readily, and not faith? We cannot see gravity, we see it's effects. We cannot see faith, we see it's effects. Why, then, does one principle or law carry more validity than the other? I urge y'all this week to look for the effects of faith this week. Look for the beautiful moments and beautiful people that God has placed into our lives. And notice how He is perfectly aware of your needs, your wants, and your heart. Take a moment to explore your own faith. And if you want to take a moment and explore mine, please visit www.mormon.org. And please don't hesitate to write to me and ask me any questions you have.

I love my Savior. And I love His gospel. Thank y'all for all of the good that you do, and the faith you possess. My prayers are with you always.

-Sister Szilagyi

So Very Very Sweet

Well, it's official. I am finally old enough that I actually forgot my own birthday. I never understood how people could just "forget" their birthdays, but now I get it. It wasn't until Sister W told me "Happy Birthday!" in the morning, that I actually remembered. And for most of the day, I kept forgetting. I've felt so loved this week though. Sister W made me delicious mint brownies, Sister R (the ward relief society president) gave me a beautiful basket full of goodies, and Elder H and Elder C baked me brownies and gave me a wonderful apple cinnamon candle with a bow tied around (courtesy of Elder H). In his words: "It was just so pretty!" I love those guys. They are just the best.

A super special thank you to all of the amazing people that sent me cards/packages: the Tryon's: Thank you so much for thinking of me! And thank you for your letters! The Burnham's: I love you two so much, and I'm waiting until Christmas to look inside the stocking. The Shield's: I loved your package so much. And my companion is making me wait until Christmas to look up the scriptures and open the presents, you guys are so wonderful! THANK YOU THANK YOU

This week was plum full of excitement. I have been praying for more opportunities to meet/talk to people. And for all of you who are unaware, be careful what you pray for, because Heavenly Father answers your prayers. I was able to experience many mighty miracles this week. On the way home from a baptism, a man was parked just inside the church parking lot because his car had broken down. The elders stopped to help him, and after talking with him for approximately 2 minutes, he wanted to be baptized. 2 minutes. Broken down in the church parking lot. Baptism. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Some of the excitement includes: our car battery dying, which caused us to meet a lovely older man in his truck who gave us a jump. Locking our keys inside of the apartment with no phone, no bags, nothing, which caused us to meet the less active members who live above the elders and who lovingly gave us a ride to the church. And having our phone fall into a smoothie. Let me explain. We were driving, and I had set the phone on top of the middle arm rest. The car in front of us did some erratic movement, and Sis Waddoups made a sudden stop. Well that brand new phone slid right off into a cup of smoothie that was our breakfast. Just perfectly, plop. Struggles. It stopped working for a while, but after being put in rice and numerous prayers, it was fixed! A true Christmas miracle! And we are known as "the Smoothie Sisters." Yepp...

We've also been going Christmas caroling with the other elders and sisters... Have I mentioned how much I love dollar stores? That is where we acquired our festive accessories. And everyone loves a group of people singing them happy Christmas songs!

On Thursday, we were teaching the at the R's and E (A's younger sister) was there as well. As we were reviewing the Restoration lesson that E had missed, one of her cousins (who is 7, who had been at the first lesson asked if she could teach help teach. She had been pretty quiet and reserved when we were first teaching her, and I hadn't been sure how much she was understanding. However, during the lesson, she turned to me and said, "Remember how you told me that all of the people I meet are my brothers and sisters? Well I told that to my friends at school. I told them that we were all brothers and sisters." And throughout the lesson, she kept chiming in and repeating things I had said in that first lesson, word for word. I was struck by how much our simple lesson had affected her. And E wants to get baptized. How wonderful is that? Sitting at that kitchen table, surrounded by 5 young girls and Grandma R, all paying close attention to our words, I felt so amazingly blessed for the opportunity to teach simple truths and to be a missionary. There is no greater feeling than that, I assure you. Sweet is the work. So very very sweet.

And for a final thought: On Sunday, one of our lessons was all about Christ and the timeline of His life. Sometimes I feel a bit discouraged and upset with my own performance/success as a missionary. And I was struck with an overwhelming thought. Christ, the perfect teacher, faced an enormous amount of persecution and rejection. Who am I to believe that I deserve any better than He? Who am I to assume that the same wouldn't happen to me, one so much more inferior in every aspect. Even with His perfection, people have their agency. And what a difficult and beautiful part of the plan it is.

In the words of M. Russell Ballard: "Trust the Lord. He is the good shepherd. He knows His sheep. And His sheep know His voice." I love you all. Have a blessed and happy holiday season.

First Taste of Georgia

"Sister Kendall and I, driving to SLC airport, and I was carrying my alarm clock in my pocket. Cause I'm cool like that."

"Beauty"

"For the Burnhams"

"Beautiful dirt road"

"The poor Elders got bed bugs hahahaha"

"Sister Waddoups and I"

"SO close to Florida!"

"A true southern wreath- made of cotton plants"

"We just had to creepily take a picture of this through a window. It doesn't even need a caption."

Life is Beautiful

When you think of December, what comes to mind? Snow, caroling, hot chocolate, and warm blankets? How about shirtless men mowing their front lawns? Or turning on your air conditioning because you wake up sweating? No? Well that's Christmas time in Georgia folks. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. It's wonderful.

This week has been a bit of a challenge. Sis Waddoups and I spent a lottttt of time knocking on doors. And let me tell you, southern people are just so polite when they slam the door in your face. It's lovely. Pretty much all of our appointments cancelled on us this week. But that's okay, because we are not discouraged! Just getting plenty of exercise. Which is much needed around this time of the year. To put things into perspective, the highlight of the week was when Sister Waddoups and I both stepped in dog poop one night. BOTH of us. We were laughing until we were crying.

Despite the few setbacks, there were many wonderful moments. This week, Sister Waddoups and I were chosen to attend a special leadership training meeting in Macon. It was wonderful and much needed. What a morale boost. We felt very thankful and blessed that we were chosen to attend. The speaker was Bro Donaldson (who is from the missionary department, and who was the mission president over the missionaries in The District 2). He completely shook up how we are supposed to teach. Essentially, his message is that as missionaries we work too hard, talk way too much, and try to cram every bit of gospel knowledge that we have ever received into our poor investigators heads. Great stuff. And at this meeting/conference we able to attain our long lost box! A cell phone! Hallelujah! It was like Christmas day.

Oh, I have to tell y'all (yeah, I say y'all now) about the R’s. This family. Oh goodness, they are fantastic. Grandma R has a beautiful home outside of town, and most of her children and grandchildren live in the adjacent homes. None of her children attend church, but two of her grandchildren were just baptized. A and K. A is a rockstar. She has been out with the missionaries over 30 times, been going to church with her grandma for years, was the first kid in her family to be baptized, and she's only 16 years old. She is amazing. K is hilarious. She's 9 years old, super talkative, and spunky with a capital S. They both hug us whenever they see us. So much love. Grandma R buys food for us missionaries, and feeds us, and loves to come out and teach with us. A drives us around when we're low on miles and teaches with us as well. Their cousin sat in on the one lesson that we had this week and said she wants to be baptized. She's only 7, but turns 8 in March. We gave her her own Book of Mormon and she was so excited. What a wonderful moment. I just loving teaching kids, they are so open and willing to learn. And nice. And loving. Just an awesome family all around.

And as I read on one of the 6 million church reader boards here in Georgia: "Plan ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." Go out and talk to someone today. Make someone smile. Go tell a little girl that she is a princess.

The Valdosta wards combined together and had a 3 night nativity exhibit at the church this week. Oh my lanta, did those ladies out do themselves. I mean the gym was absolutely stunning. It is already the most beautiful LDS church building I have ever seen, but wow was it amazing. 215 nativities in total, dozens of lit and decorated Christmas trees, just magical. And we had many people attend. One guy the elders have been teaching agreed on a baptism date at the event! SO wonderful.

Us four sisters and A in the middle at the Christmas nativity exhibit!

There are so many kind and supportive people in our ward, we are just so blessed. The bishop's wife is making us come up with a list of items that we need/want for our apartment, and giving us a huge box for Christmas. And we already know that we are going to be fed both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Happy happy joy joy.

I love you all so much. Don't forget, you are a son or daughter of God. A son or daughter of a king. That makes you a prince or princess. We live in a real life fairy tale people. Life is beautiful.

Sister Szilagyi

Arrival in Valdosta

President Cottle, Sister Cottle, and Sister Szilagyi

Deep South

Hello from Valdosta, GA!

I am in the deep south folks. And I mean deeeeeeep. You can see Florida from my house. Just kidding, you can't. And I live in an apartment.

Sitting in Macon, waiting for my face to pop up next to a random sister missionary who will be my trainer and companion for at least the next six weeks was just a tad bit nerve-wrecking. But then I met Sister Waddoups. And let me tell you friends, she is a gem. And I'm not just saying that. She's wonderful. And we're the exact same person, it's terrifying, And awesome. She's from Concord, Mass, but her family is currently living in Australia, so she technically got called to a foreign mission haha. We live in an apartment with another pair of sister missionaries, including Sister J who was in my district in the MTC! So in total, it's 2 pairs of sisters missionaries, and 2 pairs of elders in our area. One set per ward. Anyway, we are loving it here. Sister Waddoups and I opened up a brand new area, so we both have no idea where anything is, don't know anyone, and have no clue what we're doing. So we're really relying on the Spirit. It's wonderful. We have actually had a variety of struggles this first week, including letting an elder, who was trying to be really helpful, carry one of our boxes to our truck. When we got to Valdosta, we realized that the box (which contained our cell phone, pamphlets, videos, everything important) was not there and was actually in Augusta. Which is on the opposite side of the mission. Of course. So we've been sharing a phone with the other sisters. He was really trying to be helpful, he was.

It's been actually surprisingly chilly here so far, like seeing your breath in the day time chilly, and Georgians were freaking out. The only reason people have been letting us in is because they think we're getting hypothermia. But that works for me. However, it is supposed to be 80 this week so.... yupp.

Our mission president and his wife are lovely. One of the first things he said to us was, "We're a singing district." I am so happy. 

Our area ranges from extremely large, beautiful homes, to trailers, so we have quite the demographic. The first night we went tracting, we got let into an apartment where we met D and her best friend C. D is absolutely hilarious. And is in charge of the "dance ministry" at her Baptist church. We asked her what that was and she thought for a moment, and eventually said, "something like bootleg ballet". Hahaha we were dying. C is a bit quieter, but they are both wonderful. They invited us to thanksgiving dinner at her grandma's house and we ended up stopping by for pie. Thanksgiving in Georgia. What a hoot. Let me tell you, a pair of little white missionary sisters have never been more out of place. Everyone there was just staring at us like,"Who invited these skinny white girls to our thanksgiving dinner?" I loved every second of it. And just for the record, sweet potato pie is simply scrumptious.

We actually had Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at Mama M's house. She is a slightly terrifying, mostly sassy, and all wonderful Columbian lady. So we obviously got along fabulously. She fed 6 missionaries plus her family, it was so nice of her. We've met so many wonderful people here. On one of our first days here, we were trying to find a place that could copy and enlarge a map of Valdosta for us that we could use to hang on our wall for planning. We eventually ended up at a very abandoned looking shop. There we met the wonderful D.A.. He blew up our map for us and then told us that it was on the house. We introduced ourselves and asked if he had ever met with the missionaries. He said, "No, but I ought to." I'll keep you updated on him. And I have to tell you about A. We found her in our area book and decided to pay a visit. She is a bit of an eccentric redneck crazy cat lady who has no upper teeth and loves Jesus. Crosses on every wall. And she snorts when she laughs. She's hilarious. And can't sit still even if her life depended on it. She's totally open and is reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. She's also trying to stop smoking, so we brought over grapefruit juice and cinnamon disks, which evidently taste awful mixed with cigarettes. She's coming to church this Sunday, I can't wait. We love her so much.

There is great need here and suchhhh great potential. I cannot wait for all of the amazing things that are going to happen in Valdosta. The Lord knows us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. His gospel can provide hope and peace that nothing else can provide. As the holiday season is upon us, I can't wait to focus all of my energy on Christ. And we get to Christmas carol! How wonderful is that?

I love you all, thank you for being a part of my life.
3 Nephi 5:13

Sister Szilagyi

Love Eliminates Fear

Where to start? At the end of your first week at the MTC, you feel as though you've been here for months. At the end of your second, it feels like it's been a day. It is quite the phenomenon, but every missionary experiences it. My love for my district continues to grow. We got a new batch of missionaries on Wednesday and they all kept saying, "I can't believe you guys have only known each other for week!" It really is remarkable how close we've gotten. The hardest thing in the world is not being able to hug all the elders. Which sounds bad, but if one of your new best friends just committed an investigator to baptism, you'd wanna hug him too! But, life goes on. The first time our district had personal exercise time all together, I challenged everyone to a wall-sit contest. And guess who won? This girl. That's right. The MTC's been good to me hahah.

I want to take a moment and talk about Elder S and Elder V again. I don't know if I mentioned this last time, but they are our new Zone Leaders, and they could not be any sweeter. I have never seen love like those two share. I'm serious. I don't know what they're going to do apart, but their companionship is a better love story than... anything. LOVE, ladies and gentlemen, true love.

Once again, I am the mama bear. I comfort girls who are crying their eyes out, fold down elder’s collars, make sure we're all on time, and make sure the Elders eat their veggies. Somebody has to. Elder V drinks 3 separate glasses of chocolate milk with each meal, for crying out loud. With that being said, I think the most difficult thing that I've been facing at the MTC is my need for control. In all aspects. The thing is, when it comes to working with/for the Lord, you have no control. He has all the control. And I'm trying to remember that/get better at accepting that every day. He's the boss, not me. As a missionary (and in life in general), I am to turn to the Lord first. Pray first. Ask Him first. Do nothing without first consulting Him. And it's difficult, but we all have areas in which we can improve.

I am one tired bugger. The MTC has been amazing experience, and absolutely emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. But so worth it. Sunday was probably the busiest Sunday of my life. Sacrament meeting was at 7:30 (no more complaining about 9:00 AM church ever again!), and we were able to watch “Music and the Spoken Word” (a Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast), and have Relief Society with every sister missionary on campus. The caliber of speakers that we are privileged to hear from at the MTC is out of this world. The Sunday night devotional featured Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds, an absolute hoot of a woman. She made me laugh so hard, my sides hurt, and cry until my eyes hurt. It was wonderful. And sitting in one auditorium with all those missionaries? There is not another feeling like it. It is impossible not to feel overwhelmed by a sense of hope when sitting in that company. The movie we watched that night was entitled "The Character of Christ". It was actually a taped MTC devotional given by David A. Bednar. I highly recommend it. If you can find it somehow. 

Monday was probably my most difficult day at the MTC. I was feeling mighty discouraged after hearing everyone's amazing experiences with their new TRC (teacher resource center) investigators. Especially since our lesson was just okay. I talked too much, thought too critically, and didn't teach with the spirit. And I was very upset with myself. Because I did everything that I knew I wasn't supposed to do. When we got back to our room, I talked to one of the sisters in our district who is going through some insecurities/doubts with her testimony, and I was able to share my "why I'm on a mission story", and I felt a lot better. Helping people helps me.

This week, I learned how to actually read the Book of Mormon (I've been doing it wrong my whole life). And this is probably going to sound silly, and you're going to think really? Really? That is the most obvious thing to do in the entire world, but it changed my perspective. So, here it goes. One of our angels, I mean teachers, Sis Card, had us write down questions that we wanted answers to. Questions for God. And one of mine was, "Why can't I feel the spirit more? Why can't I really hear you?" We then, slowly, and carefully, began reading from 3 Nephi 11, and straight up revelation occurred, people. From Nephi 11:4-7, I learned that maybe when I think that He's not speaking, He's already spoken 2 or even 3 times, and my ears were just not open. It was such a simple, but beautiful, example of one the most basic principles that we are teaching our investigators. That they will receive direct answers to their prayers by reading the Book of Mormon. We also had another scripture reading experience in the late afternoon, where I was in charge of leading the group/asking thought-provoking questions, and that was one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. We were just reading in 1 Nephi Chapter 1, and even though we only got through 16 verses, the insight and revelations we received were incredible. During the discussion, I made the comment that because God is perfect, His every action is perfect. Therefore, every single thing He does has purpose. God has no "throw-away" moments. Can you imagine how we would be different if we, as humans, had no more throw-away moments? Brings a whole new level of understanding to work and using our time wisely. It truly is a holy principle. And our goal is to become like Him. Good stuff man. I love this gospel. God never wastes time, why should we?

One of my favorite experiences at the MTC occurred on Tuesday, when I performed in the choir for the Tuesday night devotional. Singing in a choir with hundreds of other missionaries, singing about Christ? Heaven.

And remember how downtrodden I was on Monday about our new investigator's appointment? Well on Wednesday, we had a complete 180. Sister Kendall and I had the most wonderful lesson with Melissa. And I mean, THE MOST WONDERFUL. It could not have gone any better. That morning, I was in the shower, and I wasn't even thinking about Melissa and then all of a sudden, I had a thought that we need to ask Melissa about her relationship with Christ, and teach her about the plan of salvation. And, oh boy, did that work out. The entire lesson was an open dialogue inspired by Heavenly Father. Every question she had led directly to our next topic perfectly, and those questions were deep and pertinent. And the answers and analogies I gave? They were not from my brain, I can tell guarantee that. She kept saying, "Wow, that's amazing", and "That makes so much sense!" It was amazing. After the lesson, much heel-clicking and hugging ensued between Sis Kendall and I. I cannot even begin to imagine how much joy I will feel when I am teaching a real investigator.

Some final, scattered, random thoughts: Love eliminates fear, the two cannot exist at the same time.

And miracles are the natural result of the correct application of true principles. (D&C 130:20-21)

How awesome is that last one? Awesome.

Thank you for the packages/letters this last week. I love you all. 

Sister Szilagyi 

A Single Purpose

Sister Natasha Szilagyi's first email from the MTC! Names have been abbreviated for privacy:

Hello all! It has officially been a whopping 2 and a half days at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). My first day, so many missionaries kept asking me if I was tired and I had no idea what they were talking about. Today, I know. This short period of time has felt like a week. But my time here so far has been remarkable. My companion is Sister Shannon Kendall. She is a funny, spunky girl from Gilbert, Arizona. We have 9 people in our district and 18 in our zone. And we are all going to Macon, Georgia. Just in case you guys don't know how much of a big deal that is, well... it is. It hardly ever happens. But we're special. I already absolutely love them all. I didn't realize that it was humanly possible to love people so quickly. The MTC is truly sacred ground. Oh, and everyone in my district is musical. Sis Kendall plays the piano, flute, and piccolo. Before we leave, my district is going to perform a musical number, I will make sure of it. 

People I now love: Sis O. She's is from Ghana and absolutely hilarious. Her laugh is infectious and she truly shines with the light of Christ. When she speaks about the gospel, it sounds like scripture. We sing together all the time. Our most difficult thing at the MTC is not singing every song that comes into our heads whenever someone speaks. It is very difficult to control ourselves, so we just give each other a look, and we both know. Her father was one of the first Mormon missionaries in Africa. Oh and she's wonderfully sassy and sarcastic. Did I mention we get along well? Sis W. She's 23 and was my very first friend at the MTC. She's wonderfully sweet and silly and is from Utah. Elder V. He is the biggest hambone + teddy bear in the world. I mean, truly hilarious. He's 18 and a goofball, but I've already seen him cry multiple times here. Many elders cry here. It's a marvelous thing. His companion is Elder S. He is also 18, fresh outta high school and as he likes to say, "used to be a bit of a punk, because I thought being angry was cool". But he is an absolute sweetheart, a true gentleman. And those two lovely Elders are our new Zone Leaders. When it was announced, the look of shock on both their faces was priceless. Elder H is a total hipster from Tampa, Florida, but tries his best to control himself. And a musical theater major at BYU. Oh, and he's a 6'4" bean pole with an angelic tenor voice. Elder C is his companion, a soft-spoken, nerdy type from Montana with a sweet spirit. Wonderful people all around. I am so blessed.

My favorite part of the MTC so far is the singing. I am in Heaven. Or at least, I hope Heaven is like this. At our first devotional, the girl sitting next to me said I had a beautiful voice and I almost shed a tear because she had one of the most wonderful voices I'd ever heard. There. Are. So. Many. Mormons. Here. I don't know if you guys were aware, but missionaries are Mormon and there are a lot of those guys walking around, and I'm just not used to that. But I'm trying to adjust. On a serious note, the fact that we're all here with a single purpose is like nothing I've ever felt.

A brief interruption: I knew that people were going to have a hard time with my last name. But it's hard to make friends at the MTC when everyone looks at your name tag with fear/confusion on their face. Tis a struggle.

Yesterday, the other sisters and I decided that our theme for the day was "small and simple" things. These girls are angels. Their sweet spirits and laughter keep me buoyed. We participated in a workshop entitled: "People and Your Purpose". We were able to watching short videos of nonmembers from New York who were all inspiring and Christ-like. We are here to teach people, not lessons. And when we, as missionaries, knock on someone's door, that is not the first instance of God entering their life. I am continuously reminded of the good of so many children of God around the world, no matter what their religion. It fills me with hope. And just as our experiences of gaining testimonies and conversion were made up of just that, experiences, so too must be the experience of the investigator. "Everything in the conversion process must happen to you before it happens to them." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. If a professor was teaching me science and had never completed an experience of his own, I would not trust a word he said.

I have already experienced so many small, tender acts of mercy. I know that God knows me and loves me. He has paired me with Sister Kendall for a reason, and I can't wait for what we will accomplish together.

All I want is for people to feel the love and peace that only the Savior can bring. It is like no other feeling on this earth. His way is the only way. I am a missionary. I know it. I live it. I love it.

And remember: the prize is worth the price.

Farewell Talk

Here is the talk that Sister Szilagyi gave on Nov. 10th for her Missionary Farewell:

Good morning everyone. I’ve given quite a few talks from this pulpit, but this is one talk that I have been greatly anticipating for some time.

Our theme for today is faith.

The main obstacle that I faced when writing my talk for today was condensing my thoughts into a few short minutes. If it takes a lifetime to understand and build your individual faith, giving someone 12 minutes to talk about it seems a bit unfair, but I will do my best.

Today I am going to give you a step by step guide for how to attain your own individual faith. 5 easy steps. Everyone have their pencils ready?  Step 1 is: There isn’t a step by step guide of how to find faith. Wouldn’t that be nice? Steps 1-5 and then you have it all figured out. No need for doubt, discouragement or confusion. But I can’t give that to you. In the church, we are given many tips on how to strengthen and nurture faith (and you have all heard them a hundred times: read your scriptures, go to church, pray, serve others…), and we sometimes assume that that is it. Once we complete this list, we will find faith. And if that doesn’t happen, we did something wrong. Or that there is something wrong with us. As a child growing up in this church, I heard “Sunday school” answers every Sunday. And I did those things. I followed the rules. But something was missing. No one had really addressed the fact that even if you do all those wonderful things that you had been told your entire life, and they are wonderful, sometimes you can still feel lost. Or confused. Or alone. Or doubtful.

Now some of you may be a little confused. You may be thinking, well, it sounds like you didn’t have a lot of confidence in your faith Natasha and now you are leaving on a mission to teach people about finding faith for 18 months… that doesn’t really add up.  I can understand your confusion. But hopefully over the next few minutes, I can make things a little more clear.

I cannot give you step by step guide for you to find your faith. Faith is an extremely personal thing. It is something that we talk about openly, all the time, but when it comes down to it, your faith is yours. And that is precisely why I can’t tell you how to exactly find yours, but I CAN tell you a few things that really helped me to find mine.

Let’s begin with the idea of doubt. We have all had doubt at one time or another in our lives. For some of us, it is fleeting, for others, consuming. I want to make something very clear. Having doubt is not wrong, doing nothing about it is. Our church was restored by a boy who had some very important questions, who had doubt. However, Joseph Smith did not sit in his room and stew about how his parents didn’t have all of the answers, or that multiple people were telling him multiple things. He did something about it. He used his resources. He read and searched his Bible and came upon the verse James 1:5: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” And then Joseph prayed.

In my search for personal faith, I had many questions. I had topics that I didn’t feel comfortable discussing with friends. I had issues that had to do with doctrine and church history that just didn’t sit right with me. So I wrote down my questions. And for every question, I used my resources. I used the Bible Dictionary and Topical Guide and looked up scriptures about every subject. I went to church teachers and people that I trusted and asked for their assistance. I went on LDS.org and researched every topic that I had a question about and read what the leaders of our church had said on the matter. I looked up general conference talks, devotionals, any material that I could find from gospel sources, until I found an answer that made sense to ME. And then I would move on to my next question. I have found an answer to every question I have ever had. As President Uchtdorf so beautifully stated in this last general conference, “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” Doubt is not wrong, doing nothing about that doubt is.

Now, we have established that it is okay to have doubts, but what are we to do about finding or strengthening our faith? That brings us to action. Faith is not passive. Faith is about movement, about aid, about change, about action. Miracles are performed using faith, we walk by faith, we fight the good fight of faith… All of these phrases inspire or promote action. As James 2:22 reads: “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

It was never intended for us to sit and hope that faith finds us. If I find my faith wavering, or if I am having doubts, I act. And if you have never had the experience of feeling overcome with faith through action, do not give up. Try something new. A different activity, a different act of service. As President Uchtdorf has said, “Believing in God is commendable, but most people want to do more than listen to inspirational sermons or dream of their mansions above. They want to put their faith into practice. They want to roll up their sleeves and become engaged in this great cause.”  When you push yourself in service, sometimes you force yourself to rely on a higher being or on others that the Lord has put in your path. You unintentionally create opportunities to gain faith. Putting ourselves in situations of service allows for us to not only receive the blessings that come from it, but to experience these faith-promoting events. 

When I moved away from home for my first year of college, I felt as though my faith began to weaken. I tried to put my finger on why I was feeling the way I was, and I finally realized that I was not serving. I had not recognized that by being an active Mormon youth, I had been willingly serving my community and my fellow man for the majority of my life. Whether it had been through youth activities, like planting trees or cleaning parks, baking cookies and visiting a friend in need, or serving as a secretary or first counselor in young women’s; I had been surrounded by opportunities to serve. When I came to this conclusion, I vowed to become more involved. I began volunteering in local schools because I knew that I loved being around children, and I eventually served on the Institute Council in Bellingham, which proved to be extremely rewarding. But I had to LOOK for these opportunities to serve. They did not just appear in my lap. I had to act.

So, how do you know if this faith you have or are experiencing is real? The answer is not going to be the same for everyone, but for me, that answer was found in one simple word: peace. We live in a noisy world. One that is filled with headlines telling us how to be happiest and what gadget will bring us the most joy. We are indoctrinated to never settle, never back down, and never be content. There is always something better, brighter, shinier, newer…  that will make us more happy than we were before. We can’t eat dinner without the tv on, we can’t study without our headphones in, we can’t sit wait in line without checking our facebook. We are terrified of quiet.

In the Topical Guide under the word peace, it says: see also: silence. Some of us, even if we make the effort to turn off the devices, we take a moment to breathe, or we lay down in our beds at night, we still cannot find silence. Our minds continue to whir, sometimes even louder than that tv set or that last song. And we cannot find peace.

As human beings we trick those around us every day. “How are you?” “Great!” You do not feel even remotely great. “You’re always smiling!” Inside, I’m really not. Or we even trick ourselves. Tricking our minds to feel happy while watching a movie or scared from hearing a scary story. In my life, I feel like I’ve been a pretty good actor. I’ve made people believe that I’m happy when I wasn’t. And I’m particularly good at tricking myself. “You’re fine, you can start that paper in another hour.”

I can fake many emotions. But there is one emotion that I cannot fake. That is peace. And there is a reason why I know I cannot fake it. If I could fake peace, I would have done that a long time ago.

There is someone who goes by many names: Redeemer, the son of God, the Prince of Peace. Christ brings me peace. He brings me peace through reading about His life and His ministry. He brings me peace when I am forgiven from the sin that he, himself, atoned for. He brings me peace when I am following His teachings and example by serving others, by taking the sacrament, and by singing hymns in His praise. Mark 4:39 reads: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” If Christ could bring peace to the sea, don’t you think that he could bring peace to one of his brothers or sisters that he sacrificed his life for? He can. And He does.

I am a chronic doubter. I would more often like to sit and think, rather than go out and act. And finding peace has never been easy for me. And yet today, I can stand before you and say, without a shadow of doubt, that I know that this gospel is true. I know it is true and good because I could not accomplish all of the things that I have mentioned today without my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. And that is the amazing thing about faith. It is your journey. It is your experience. And it should be just that: yours.

In the words of Richard C. Edgley: “Because of the conflicts and challenges we face in today’s world, I wish to suggest a single choice—a choice of peace and protection and a choice that is appropriate for all. That choice is faith. Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They are choices. So I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.”

I am choosing to spend the next 18 months of my life dedicated to helping others on their individual paths to find faith. I know that the Lord can change lives, because He has changed mine. I know that the Lord can change minds, because He has changed mine. And I know that the Lord can change hearts, because above all else, He has changed mine.

I know that we have a father in Heaven who loves us beyond anything any of us could possibly comprehend. I know that He has restored His gospel to the earth today in order to give us all the chance to live the happiest, most fulfilling lives that we can. I love the Lord and I love His teachings. And for this knowledge I am eternally grateful. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

MTC

On November 13th, Sister Natasha Szilagyi entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) to prepare to serve in the Georgia Macon mission!

Cindy (aunt), Natasha, and Malachi (cousin)

Sophie (sister) and Natasha

Chuck (uncle), Cathy (aunt), and Natasha