Ball Pythons and Overwhelming Cuteness

"Ball python, anyone?"

"The Harlem sisters had a baptism on Saturday and K & H came!"

"The cuteness is overwhelming. The little one on the right? At the baptism, she told her mom that she wanted to be baptized too, and her mother responded that she had to wait till she was 8 years old. She paused with a little frown on her face and then said: 'I AM 8!' To which her mom said, 'No, you're 3.' She paused again and then exclaimed with a big grin on her face and her hands in the air: 'I made myself 8!'"

Puddles and Pouring Rain

"Sorry folks, this is only in Augusta, GA. I'm not sure what this means, but we're going."

"Right before this picture was taken, Sis McElroy stepped in a puddle that went past her ankles... nothing gets this girl down."

"When it rains, it pours!"

Live in Thanksgiving Daily

Happy Thanksgiving to all you turkeys out there! Pie and stuffing is just around the corner, and I can't believe it! Hope y'all aren't freezing wherever you are. We had some pretty cold days this week, and then today it's 70 degrees... so that's confusing.

A few comments about the south:

-There are beautiful Christmas lights adorning every street light in "downtown" Grovetown and it's adorable. Also, no one has to worry about anyone calling the city and complaining about being offended. Which is refreshing.

-The ice cream trucks are playing Christmas music. Seriously. I'm not kidding.

More comments will surely come as the holiday season progresses...

Most of my email this week is pictures, I apologize. Please know that I love y'all so much and I am so thankful to be a missionary. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for all that He has done for me. I am thankful for this gospel, which is no longer part of my life, but which is my life.

I'd like to share a few words from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

"Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.

We can be grateful!
It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding.

Brothers and sisters, have we not reason to be filled with gratitude, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves?

Do we need any greater reason to let our hearts “be full of thanks unto God”?

“Have we not great reason to rejoice?”

How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.

The Lord has given us His promise that those “who [receive] all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto [them], even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

May we “live in thanksgiving daily”—especially during the seemingly unexplainable endings that are part of mortality. May we allow our souls to expand in thankfulness toward our merciful Heavenly Father. May we ever and constantly raise our voices and show by word and deed our gratitude to our Father in Heaven and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ."

I am grateful for you!
Much love,
Sister Szilagyi

Shower Curtains and Helping Hands

"We bought this shower curtain. No regrets. At all."

"Mormon helping hands activity last Saturday!"

"Sometimes we try to help people with their cars. Sometimes the cops show up."

Being Part of the Crew and Special Appearances

"R got baptized!!!!"

"Part of the crew"

"Sister Arrieta was able to make a special appearance! Skype is the best."

Raining Cats and Dogs

Hello beautiful souls!

Another lovely day in Grovetown, GA! Well actually, it's raining cats and dogs, and pretty grey. But you know what? Nothing can get this girl down! Would you like to know why? Because R was baptized! Whoo hooooo! And I love my companion! Yeahh! And the ward is awesome! Yayy! And the people we're teaching are feeling the Spirit and changing! *cheers erupt from the back*

Safe to say, things are pretty grand over here, and I'm loving every second of it. Heavenly Father has been so wonderful to us, and nothing feels better than being spiritually fed and uplifted and edified 24/7. I highly recommend it.

Highlights from the week:

-R's baptism and confirmation. Of course. He was so happy. And I will never forget the moment that I peeked open my eyes during his confirmation to watch him, and I saw his lips curve up into a smile as he received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a beautiful and tender moment.

-Saturday for sisters! Saturday we had an activity at the church for all of the women, and there was a nutrition class, and an apple pie making class (yes, I thought that was funny too...) and we made these cute little chalkboard signs, and ate delicious soup and pie. It was splendid.

-We had an awesome lesson/discussion with Mr. Fix It. "Mr. Fix It" is the man who fixes all of the things in our apartment complex and is a bit of a jokester and always asks us for food and is super nice. Well this week, he came to change the air filter in our apartment and I offered him some banana bread. This led to him asking us a few questions and one thing led to another and.... we had a 45 minute uplifting discussion about our different beliefs. And that is the story of how a Jehovah's Witness knocked on our door and we ended up teaching him a lesson. The end. P.S. He says that people always ask him where his bike is. I laughed. It's nice to know that it goes both ways.

-I turned one year old. I don't want to talk about it.

I love you all very very much! Thank you for the prayers and the packages. The letters and the love. Thank you for impacting me in more ways than you know.

Sister Szilagyi

It Only Needed to Be One

Hello wonderful and beautiful children of God!

So... I've been doing a lot of thinking this week. I usually do quite a bit of thinking, I think, but this week I wanted to share a few of my thoughts.

First of all, some of you may be familiar with the phrase, "The Best Two Years". Now for those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, missionaries serve for a period of a year and a half to two years, and there was a movie produced a few years back with that title all about Mormon missionaries. It followed their ups and downs and experiences as a missionary. And it is a pretty accurate movie. Although, I haven't seen it a very long while, so I can't be terribly sure. Anywho, I have heard this phrase repeated again and again on my mission, by missionaries. That this is the best two years, that here on a mission, is where you will have the most spiritual experiences in your life. That it ends after those two years. That you go home, and you've "done your time". I would like to take a moment and express my feelings on the subject. Quickly, and briefly:

This is NOT the best two years (or year and a half) of your life. If it is, you did it WRONG. Absolutely wrong.
Tell me it doesn't get better AFTER your mission. Tell me you don't have deeper and more powerful spiritual experiences when you get home. Tell that to... oh I don't know.... tell that to ELDER HOLLAND. (For reference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is a member of our church who served a mission that he absolutely loved and is now one of the 12 apostles.) For Pete's sake people, use your heads.
Sorry. Can you tell that this is something that I feel passionate about? A mission should prepare, instruct, enlighten, assist. It should be a springboard to your spirituality and to everything else. That is why it is so wonderful. But it is not, and should not be, the BEST. Yepp.

And another thought:
I've been thinking about the power of a single individual. I have been contemplating what a single person can accomplish. How they can influence, inspire, and literally change their circumstances, their surroundings, and the lives of all those that they have met. Think, for a moment, about someone who has changed you for the better. It may be your mother or father, it may be your friends' older sister that you always admired and looked up to. It may be a favorite athlete who stood up for the right and held their ground. It may be that person that can change the feeling of any room they walk into. That person you use as a model. You know, that person that you think about when you're not sure how to act. "How would so-and-so act in this situation?" "What would they say or do?" Think about the impact one person can have on you and countless others.
Think about the power of one. And now think about Jesus Christ. It only needed to be one. It only needs to be one. One person to change everyone and everything.
As you think about this. Think about the impact that YOU can have as that one person in YOUR sphere of influence. YOU can be someone's mentor, the person they think about whenever times are rough. And YOU can be a more powerful version of you when you model YOUR actions after Him, after Jesus Christ.
Hopefully that made sense. It does in my head.

"19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
-2 Nephi 31:19-20

I love you all. This week, be the best version of you.

Sister Szilagyi

Lives are Changing

Happy November my wonderful friends!

Are you filled with gratitude? Are you happy as a clam? Is your soul brimming with joy?
Well I hope so, because mine certainly is!!!

The first reason why I am so happy is that I have an AMAZING new companion. Her name is Sister McElroy and she is from Colorado. Her family currently lives in St. George, and she goes home in one transfer. So I have the privilege of "killing her off" as we say in missionary lingo. That just means that I will be her final companion. I cannot fully express how grateful I am to have her. She has been, and is, an answer to my every prayer. Everything that I have been struggling with or praying for? She has the abilities and the skills to help me. She pushes me to be better than I am. And I am so grateful for her.

The miracles that have occurred this week are out of this world! R is on date to be baptized on November 15th!!! Yayyy! K came to church with us this Sunday, even though he had his own church at the same time, and absolutely loved it. He is awesome. B (A's dad) told us that he wants to start having lessons with us! T wants to be baptized! Less active members we've been working with are receiving answers to prayers and progressing! People's lives are changing and I get to be part of it!

It is unbelievable to me sometimes how Heavenly Father has blessed me so richly. I get to talk about Jesus Christ, and study about Him and His gospel, and help people find joy, and serve, and smile, and cry, and laugh, every hour of every day. How very blessed I am. Nothing makes me happier than the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all so very much,

SMILE
Sister Szilagyi

Trunk or Treat

"Trunk or Treat!!!"

"Just some people that I love..."

"R :)"

Families and Fabulous Costumes

"The wonderful M family minus A!"

"I know, we're fabulous."

"I think the city knew we were going to walk by... P.S. "STL" = Sister Training Leader"

Something Inside of Me

Where to begin, where to begin..... Well, transfer call happened on Saturday, and the verdict is....... I'm staying in Grovetown! You're talking to the girl who has been out for quite a while now and has only been transferred once her entire mission. Yepp. Quite the feat. Anywho, I'm very glad I'm staying because there is so much to do here! My time is not yet up! However, the sad little grey cloud in this situation is that I am losing my wonderful companion. Wednesday, she gets on an airplane and flies back to Temple Square, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sadness. I cannot believe it, but it is true. I'll let y'all know who my new companion is next week!

SO many miracles happened this week, people. I mean, it's unreal. To quickly name a few:

-R has decided that he wants to be baptized!! Whoo Hoo!!! We are so happy for him! This week, we had an awesome lesson with him where we were talking and all of a sudden, he leaned forward and just started smiling. And then chuckled to himself. So we asked him what was going on and he told us that he would tell us in a second. While we waited, I watched him, and I could see his shoulders, his face, his whole body just relax. And then he told us that he wanted to be baptized. That the Spirit had just told him that this was right. He kept looking down at his arms and telling us that he felt so different. In his words: "I'm so happy. I feel warm and cold at the same time. It feels like something inside of me, right here (pointing to his chest), just burst." Every time we have seen him since, he has been glowing. We are so excited for him.

-7 of our investigators were able to make it to Trunk or Treat (the Halloween party that the church put on)! SEVEN! It was fantastic. They all had a wonderful time and were able to get to know the members better and enjoy delicious food.

-3 investigators came on Sunday! C and her kids (who all participated in the Primary Program) came! The Primary Program is where the children of the church ages 4-12 put on the service. They give their testimonies, read parts they memorized, sing songs... it's pretty much my favorite Sunday. And I was so happy to see her kids up there :) Also in attendance were two families that we've been working with. One whose children are not baptized and this was her first time coming to church with her kids in 5 years! And the other, a family that is super wonderful and the youngest girl is not yet baptized either. It was wonderful.

-An investigator who we had lost contact with called us out of the blue, and we are going to start teaching her and her daughter again!

The list just goes on and on. We have been so blessed. I am the happiest of campers.

I love y'all bunches. Like honey bunches of oats kind of bunches.

Until next week,
Sister Szilagyi

Dinner and Football Injuries

"Dinner at the N's house. Love their family. Poor Elder Nelson hurt his shoulder playing football... Also, Elder Burgess and Elder Porschatis are being transferred! :("