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! ;)