Hello beautiful people!
Drum roll please.......... and the church sign of the week is:
"Without the bread of life, we are toast"
Always a treat. I know that y'all wait with baited breath for those every week. I'm glad I can be of service.
How are things?? Things are pretty wonderful down here in good ol' Grovetown. Speaking of toast, I would say that I am turning into a piece, however it's more like a piece of toast dunked in water. Yesterday, Sister Walker and I were walking to visit some people with B (who is going to be a senior next year), and I looked up at the sky and said, "A storm's a comin!" And come it did. We didn't just get rained on, we got poured on haha. Poor Miss B was probably thinking, I'm never coming out with these crazy missionary girls ever again. But when the rain does come, it really isn't all that bad because it is so wonderfully warm. And it helps relieve some of the humidity.
We have been able to see some wonderful progress in this area in just the last week. Every missionary companionship (all three) were able to have at least one investigator at church yesterday, and we were blessed to have three people come that want to learn more! Two of those lovely people are T and C, who I can't remember if I've talked about yet or not. But they are just the sweetest, most beautiful young married couple, both 20, and T is due to have a baby girl next month. So excited to see where they are headed.
We also had a wonderful zone conference, where our mission president showed us a clip from LDS.org about the amazing growth of the church and missionary work in Brazil. I get to hear about specifics myself from my good friend, Alex Burt, who is currently serving there. And I have often felt just slightly jealous of the experiences he tells me. After the video, our mission president wrote these two questions on a black board: "Why not here? Why not now?" We spent the next hour or so discussing the unbelievable potential that the south has, and how it is our time to help the people here, with just as much success and Brazil has been experiencing. I know that we can do it. It was very inspiring.
This week I was also able to go on exchanges with Sister Smith in Harlem. Harlem, GA. Man, look that place up. It's the best. I would like to give you a small taste of my mission really quickly. A quote from a woman that we talked to who was sitting in her a rocking chair on the front porch of her trailer: "This is the South. We cut our teeth on cornbread and Jesus." I love this place. Also, selling pink-eyed peas and watering a garden as the sun goes down on Georgia farmland, the horses, fields, and crickets? Nothing can beat that. Totally worth the mosquito bites.
I love you all so much. Smile, this world is a beautiful place.
Sister Szilagyi
P.S. Yesterday I asked a boy, "Where your shoes at?" Yeah... that's a problem...
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Seed of Faith
Hello wonderful people!
So this week's letter might be a little different than usual. It's probably going to be rather short. And I don't really have any stories to tell, or funny things to describe. I just wanted to take a moment and talk about faith. On Sunday, a man spoke in church and gave this quote: "Faith is the choice of the nobler hypothesis." And wow, did I love that. With every person who says,"Prove to me that God exists," there is the counterpoint: "Prove to me that He doesn't." If we have only the smallest seed of faith, or even a desire for that faith to be something more, to be true or real or have meaning, we can build upon that. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that explains this concept so beautifully:
"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." -Alma 32:27
How beautiful is that? That scripture filled me with hope when I felt as though I would never be certain. That I COULD never be certain. That I could never KNOW if this was it. But God did not leave us here to be uncertain and full of doubt and confusion. He has given us answers and a plan. And the next verse in the chapter gives us even more hope:
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me." -Alma 32:28
The Lord has outlined an experiment for us to try. And it's up to us to decide whether that experiment is worth it. And to me, it has been. It has been the most important thing that I have ever done in my entire life. Because, in this experiment, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I love you all very much. I know that although I will continue to have questions, I can always to turn to my scriptures for the answers.
As Robert D. Hales said: “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures.”
Don't give up on faith, it is so very worth it.
Love,
Sister Szilagyi
So this week's letter might be a little different than usual. It's probably going to be rather short. And I don't really have any stories to tell, or funny things to describe. I just wanted to take a moment and talk about faith. On Sunday, a man spoke in church and gave this quote: "Faith is the choice of the nobler hypothesis." And wow, did I love that. With every person who says,"Prove to me that God exists," there is the counterpoint: "Prove to me that He doesn't." If we have only the smallest seed of faith, or even a desire for that faith to be something more, to be true or real or have meaning, we can build upon that. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that explains this concept so beautifully:
"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." -Alma 32:27
How beautiful is that? That scripture filled me with hope when I felt as though I would never be certain. That I COULD never be certain. That I could never KNOW if this was it. But God did not leave us here to be uncertain and full of doubt and confusion. He has given us answers and a plan. And the next verse in the chapter gives us even more hope:
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me." -Alma 32:28
The Lord has outlined an experiment for us to try. And it's up to us to decide whether that experiment is worth it. And to me, it has been. It has been the most important thing that I have ever done in my entire life. Because, in this experiment, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I love you all very much. I know that although I will continue to have questions, I can always to turn to my scriptures for the answers.
As Robert D. Hales said: “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures.”
Don't give up on faith, it is so very worth it.
Love,
Sister Szilagyi
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Happy Joy and the 4th of July
"Sister Walker, R, Me, and Elder Stilson. Happy happy joy joy."
"The crew minus Sister Walker. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a float this year... maybe next year?"
Suga Baby
Hello dearest family and friends!
Why don't we have a few church signs to start things off?
"Hell is hot and sin ain't cool"
"No Jesus No Freedom, Know Jesus Know Freedom"
Hahah which brings me to... Happy late 4th of July! I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th!
This week was a pretty wonderful one. I'll try to write quickly so that I have time to attach pictures.
#1: Remember R? The one who was moving, and then he wasn't? Well then he was again so instead of getting baptized on the 12th, he got baptized on the 5th! And it was wonderful!! Sister Walker and Sister Griffin (her last companion) found R while they were knocking on doors, and he now has such a strong testimony of the gospel. It was a beautiful baptism, even though I filled the font just a tad bit too high, and may or may not have accidentally sort of fallen in... don't worry about it haha. He shared his testimony right after his baptism and after it was all over, couldn't stop talking about how good he felt and how he wanted to be a missionary :) He's a rockstar. And also moving to North Carolina tomorrow, so we're getting him in touch with his new bishop there so that he will be all set to go. Can't wait for the amazing things he's going to do.
#2: 4th of July as a missionary was pretty great. I love holidays because for whatever reason, people are just so much friendlier and willing to talk to you when they think there is a good reason. Like our country's independence, I suppose. Small little adorable Grovetown held a town BBQ in the park, and they gave everyone free food! Which is super great when you're a poor missionary. And even better because there were so many people there to talk to! Charie: Thank you very much for the package, I wore my 4th of July lei all day long and received many compliments :) And I felt right at home when girls got up and started doing the hula at the BBQ. We had a lock down at 6:00 pm that night (which means we had to be in our apartments) and ended catching a firework show from our balcony. Talk about a tender mercy!
#3: I wanted to give y'all an idea of where I live. Grovetown is a military town. Almost everyone here is in the military because we have Fort Gordon. That being said, the majority of our congregation is made up of young military families, and I've never been in a louder sacrament meeting because of all of the children. But the members are wonderful, and very excited about missionary work. The town has many brand new housing developments to accommodate these new young families, but the town itself is pretty small. John Burt sent me a letter asking me about the downtown area. Well John, there isn't a downtown haha. It doesn't exist. But like I mentioned before, lots of trees and hills, and the people are lovely. We actually spend most of our time in parts of Augusta and Martinez because we have three sets of missionaries in our ward, including a set of elders on bikes, and they have been assigned most of Grovetown itself. There is nothing sadder than passing those poor elders biking up a hill in 98 degree heat and 18000% humidity. Or when it just starts pouring cats and dogs, and all you can do is wave as you pass them by. Props to them. We aren't allowed to ride bikes, but I would trade them if I could. Just so they could have some air conditioning for a bit. Anyway, I'm slowly starting to understand the area a bit better and I'm very excited for the amazing people we are currently working with. We are blessed to have wonderful leaders and willing people to help us with this great work, and that's all a missionary can really ask for.
I love you all so very much.
P.S. I don't know if you've ever had a born-and-raised elderly Southern belle ever call you a "suga baby", but if you haven't, let me tell you, you are surely missing out.
Love, peace, and chicken grease,
Sister Szilagyi
Why don't we have a few church signs to start things off?
"Hell is hot and sin ain't cool"
"No Jesus No Freedom, Know Jesus Know Freedom"
Hahah which brings me to... Happy late 4th of July! I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th!
This week was a pretty wonderful one. I'll try to write quickly so that I have time to attach pictures.
#1: Remember R? The one who was moving, and then he wasn't? Well then he was again so instead of getting baptized on the 12th, he got baptized on the 5th! And it was wonderful!! Sister Walker and Sister Griffin (her last companion) found R while they were knocking on doors, and he now has such a strong testimony of the gospel. It was a beautiful baptism, even though I filled the font just a tad bit too high, and may or may not have accidentally sort of fallen in... don't worry about it haha. He shared his testimony right after his baptism and after it was all over, couldn't stop talking about how good he felt and how he wanted to be a missionary :) He's a rockstar. And also moving to North Carolina tomorrow, so we're getting him in touch with his new bishop there so that he will be all set to go. Can't wait for the amazing things he's going to do.
#2: 4th of July as a missionary was pretty great. I love holidays because for whatever reason, people are just so much friendlier and willing to talk to you when they think there is a good reason. Like our country's independence, I suppose. Small little adorable Grovetown held a town BBQ in the park, and they gave everyone free food! Which is super great when you're a poor missionary. And even better because there were so many people there to talk to! Charie: Thank you very much for the package, I wore my 4th of July lei all day long and received many compliments :) And I felt right at home when girls got up and started doing the hula at the BBQ. We had a lock down at 6:00 pm that night (which means we had to be in our apartments) and ended catching a firework show from our balcony. Talk about a tender mercy!
#3: I wanted to give y'all an idea of where I live. Grovetown is a military town. Almost everyone here is in the military because we have Fort Gordon. That being said, the majority of our congregation is made up of young military families, and I've never been in a louder sacrament meeting because of all of the children. But the members are wonderful, and very excited about missionary work. The town has many brand new housing developments to accommodate these new young families, but the town itself is pretty small. John Burt sent me a letter asking me about the downtown area. Well John, there isn't a downtown haha. It doesn't exist. But like I mentioned before, lots of trees and hills, and the people are lovely. We actually spend most of our time in parts of Augusta and Martinez because we have three sets of missionaries in our ward, including a set of elders on bikes, and they have been assigned most of Grovetown itself. There is nothing sadder than passing those poor elders biking up a hill in 98 degree heat and 18000% humidity. Or when it just starts pouring cats and dogs, and all you can do is wave as you pass them by. Props to them. We aren't allowed to ride bikes, but I would trade them if I could. Just so they could have some air conditioning for a bit. Anyway, I'm slowly starting to understand the area a bit better and I'm very excited for the amazing people we are currently working with. We are blessed to have wonderful leaders and willing people to help us with this great work, and that's all a missionary can really ask for.
I love you all so very much.
P.S. I don't know if you've ever had a born-and-raised elderly Southern belle ever call you a "suga baby", but if you haven't, let me tell you, you are surely missing out.
Love, peace, and chicken grease,
Sister Szilagyi
Sunday, July 6, 2014
This Lovely Little Green City
A big hello from the wonderful city of Grovetown, GA! Yepp, that's where this crazy missionary of yours now lives! I went from being right near Florida, to right near South Carolina. Almost a 5 hour drive away. But it is beautiful here, I really love it. The south is so interesting. Little pockets/towns are completely different from each other, and Grovetown could not be more different from Valdosta. There are actual hills here! I hadn't realized how flat Valdosta really is until I came here. But I realized that I hadn't seen above the tree line in about 7 months. And that has all changed. The people are different too, but that's harder to explain haha. The weather has been...Georgia weather. It is so hot and humid every day, and then when you least expect it, the flood gates open, and it's NUTS. I have never experienced rain like this in my life. You walk in it for half a second, and it's like you have walked through a waterfall, or were splashed by Shamu, the whale, at SeaWorld. You all know how much I like thunderstorms and lightning though, and these are the best ones I've seen. The other day, we were inside teaching a lesson, and thunder boomed so loudly and so nearby, that all of the car alarms on the street went off. It was awesome.
My companion's name is Sister Walker, and she is from Mt. Pleasant, Utah. She's 20, super sweet, and very loving. I'm excited to learn how to be more patient and loving from her. I know that she has a lot to teach me!
And I'm serving with some of the missionaries that I came out with: Sister Jeppson, Sister Curtis, and Elder Porschatis! It's pretty wonderful, just a big MTC reunion!
The ward members and leaders that I have met so far are wonderful, and very focused on missionary work, which is such a blessing. Members that assist in the work is the only that we as full-time missionaries can really do our job effectively and with the most success. Members make all of the difference!
And holy moly, there are SO MANY prepared people in Grovetown! It's unreal! I'd like to tell you about a few of them:
R: Age 19. The sisters had been working with him for a while, and he'd been coming to church, and even had a baptismal date set, but he wasn't really fully committed to change. Plus, he was moving. Well... guess who actually isn't moving yet and is getting baptized on July 12th?? R is! He has lived a pretty difficult life up to this point and absolutely loves the gospel & the way it makes him feel. He's very excited, and we're excited for him! There is definitely a reason why he's not leaving Grovetown just yet!
J: Age 70. Oh man. Sometimes, in the world of missionaries, people will talk about these unbelievable, totally prepared, would-have-joined-the-church-if-somebody-had-told-them-about-it-earlier, "Golden Investigators." Well folks, I finally have the privilege of teaching one. And her name is J. She is the sweetest, most loving lady on planet earth, and absolutely loves everything she hears about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our church. She has a very strong faith in God and Christ, and everything we teach her, she just tells us that that was what she always thought, but no church had ever taught that doctrine. Except we do! I have never seen someone so excited and anxious to read the Book of Mormon. And every question she asks perfectly leads us to the next lesson we were planning on teaching. She's so wonderful. And how was she introduced to the church? By a life-long friend, who has been an amazing example of Christ-like service and love, who, one day, had the courage to invite her to church. So wonderful.
I am so excited to be here in this lovely little green city, full of trees and hills, and children of God. I cannot wait for the miracles that I know are just around the corner, and I am so blessed to be a part of them! But my message this week, if I have one, is to love everyone. I mean it. Just love every single person you meet. Because life is so much more beautiful and happy if you do that. Plus, that's what Christ did, and he's a pretty awesome example. A perfect one actually.
Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to the wonderful, radiant, determined, and brave Christie! For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting her, she is my youngest sister's friend, and was able to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost this week! And I am so proud of her! She is a wonderful example to me and to my family.
I love y'all so much!
Sister Szilagyi
New address:
4913 Sterlington Dr.
Grovetown, GA 30813
Write me letters if you feel so inclined, or if you haven't yet... you know who you are! ;)
My companion's name is Sister Walker, and she is from Mt. Pleasant, Utah. She's 20, super sweet, and very loving. I'm excited to learn how to be more patient and loving from her. I know that she has a lot to teach me!
And I'm serving with some of the missionaries that I came out with: Sister Jeppson, Sister Curtis, and Elder Porschatis! It's pretty wonderful, just a big MTC reunion!
The ward members and leaders that I have met so far are wonderful, and very focused on missionary work, which is such a blessing. Members that assist in the work is the only that we as full-time missionaries can really do our job effectively and with the most success. Members make all of the difference!
And holy moly, there are SO MANY prepared people in Grovetown! It's unreal! I'd like to tell you about a few of them:
R: Age 19. The sisters had been working with him for a while, and he'd been coming to church, and even had a baptismal date set, but he wasn't really fully committed to change. Plus, he was moving. Well... guess who actually isn't moving yet and is getting baptized on July 12th?? R is! He has lived a pretty difficult life up to this point and absolutely loves the gospel & the way it makes him feel. He's very excited, and we're excited for him! There is definitely a reason why he's not leaving Grovetown just yet!
J: Age 70. Oh man. Sometimes, in the world of missionaries, people will talk about these unbelievable, totally prepared, would-have-joined-the-church-if-somebody-had-told-them-about-it-earlier, "Golden Investigators." Well folks, I finally have the privilege of teaching one. And her name is J. She is the sweetest, most loving lady on planet earth, and absolutely loves everything she hears about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our church. She has a very strong faith in God and Christ, and everything we teach her, she just tells us that that was what she always thought, but no church had ever taught that doctrine. Except we do! I have never seen someone so excited and anxious to read the Book of Mormon. And every question she asks perfectly leads us to the next lesson we were planning on teaching. She's so wonderful. And how was she introduced to the church? By a life-long friend, who has been an amazing example of Christ-like service and love, who, one day, had the courage to invite her to church. So wonderful.
I am so excited to be here in this lovely little green city, full of trees and hills, and children of God. I cannot wait for the miracles that I know are just around the corner, and I am so blessed to be a part of them! But my message this week, if I have one, is to love everyone. I mean it. Just love every single person you meet. Because life is so much more beautiful and happy if you do that. Plus, that's what Christ did, and he's a pretty awesome example. A perfect one actually.
Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to the wonderful, radiant, determined, and brave Christie! For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting her, she is my youngest sister's friend, and was able to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost this week! And I am so proud of her! She is a wonderful example to me and to my family.
I love y'all so much!
Sister Szilagyi
New address:
4913 Sterlington Dr.
Grovetown, GA 30813
Write me letters if you feel so inclined, or if you haven't yet... you know who you are! ;)
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