I was in denial, so God had to hit me over the head with a two by four.
My final church sign:
Monday, May 18, 2015
Reason to Stand Tall
Something something something...... In the merry merry month of May....
Does anyone else know that song? It just popped into my head...
Hello beautiful friends, family, wonderful souls,
This morning was a time of reflection for me. Today was the start of my very last week as a young, full-time missionary. I really don't know how to adequately express my thoughts, so I decided that I wanted to make a non-inclusive list of things I will miss about the South (and my mission):
-"Have a blessed day!"
-Spanish moss
-Hush puppies and fried creamed corn and real BBQ
-Restaurants where everybody knows everybody and the owner runs the cash register
-Tumble"weaves"
-Random tractors on the side of the road
-How everybody's uncle is a pastor
-Knocking in hundreds of trailer parks and "sketchy" areas where you feel WAY safer than in any fancy neighborhood. True fear comes when knocking on mansions
-Burlap
-Reliable sunshine
-How most people actually wave back
-Cars that pull over and ask if you're okay
-When you come home and wash your hands and the water is black from all of the doors you knocked, hands you shook, and doorknobs you turned to walk out of a home
-The relief of sitting in a car
-The relief of the air conditioning in that same blessed car
-The miracle of complete strangers telling you their most personal thoughts and concerns
-Pouring warm rainstorms where you can't even see the white line on the side of the road
-Not having to deal with the stress of social media
-The joy of seeing someone you love walk into the waters of baptism
-The light that comes into the eyes of someone you're teaching when they "get it" for the first time
-Being the only white person in the store/church/etc.
-Listening to lovely old ladies pray for your safety and protection and "the angels to carry you"
-That Southern drawl:
Does anyone else know that song? It just popped into my head...
Hello beautiful friends, family, wonderful souls,
This morning was a time of reflection for me. Today was the start of my very last week as a young, full-time missionary. I really don't know how to adequately express my thoughts, so I decided that I wanted to make a non-inclusive list of things I will miss about the South (and my mission):
-"Have a blessed day!"
-Spanish moss
-Hush puppies and fried creamed corn and real BBQ
-Restaurants where everybody knows everybody and the owner runs the cash register
-Tumble"weaves"
-Random tractors on the side of the road
-How everybody's uncle is a pastor
-Knocking in hundreds of trailer parks and "sketchy" areas where you feel WAY safer than in any fancy neighborhood. True fear comes when knocking on mansions
-Burlap
-Reliable sunshine
-How most people actually wave back
-Cars that pull over and ask if you're okay
-When you come home and wash your hands and the water is black from all of the doors you knocked, hands you shook, and doorknobs you turned to walk out of a home
-The relief of sitting in a car
-The relief of the air conditioning in that same blessed car
-The miracle of complete strangers telling you their most personal thoughts and concerns
-Pouring warm rainstorms where you can't even see the white line on the side of the road
-Not having to deal with the stress of social media
-The joy of seeing someone you love walk into the waters of baptism
-The light that comes into the eyes of someone you're teaching when they "get it" for the first time
-Being the only white person in the store/church/etc.
-Listening to lovely old ladies pray for your safety and protection and "the angels to carry you"
-That Southern drawl:
"I was in the hospital, and I was doin' kindly poorly"
"You have momicked me to death!"
"I've had to DO for him and DO for him..."
"Look at this girl, she done tore up this house!"
"Boy, youse is so bad!"
"Now don't you go makin' yourself sick or nothin'."
"These youngin's are gittin' on my last nerve."
"Can we cut these lights on? I darn can't well see a thing."
"I'm fixin' to ride down to the store, y'all want a ride?"
"Well come on then..."
-Being ecstatic when the person you invited to church actually comes!
-Being devastated when they don't
-Having your whole emotional self be whole-hardheartedly attached to people that you barely know, that don't even know how much you love them
-Praying for people that you've met once, 6 times a day
-Holding hands in a million and one prayer circles
-Having to turn down sweet tea every day when summer rolls around
-How you always smell like cigarettes even though you've never smoked in your life
-Laughing with strangers, and crying with them, and realizing that there are no strangers
-Using your brain rather than using Google
-Loving those precious moments in the morning where you get to feast upon the word. And that hour is the fastest hour of your life...
-Learning to rely on the Lord in all you do, because you realize that's all you CAN do
-Random children that run up to you and hug you for no apparent reason at all
-Walking along empty streets, praying that someone chooses that moment to check their mail
-Feeling more tired than you've ever felt, and more happy than you've ever felt. All at once
-Giving everything you have, everything you desire, and everything you are completely to Him.
I am a daughter. A sister. A friend. I make a lot of mistakes. I still talk too much, and over-analyze, and maybe have much-too-high expectations. But I know that the Lord can make my weak things become strong. I haven't met anyone that I couldn't have a conversation with, I focus on the needs of those we teach, and I work hard.
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." -Ether 12:27
I cannot express how I feel about missionary work any better than this man, who I admire greatly:
"I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not an easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.
When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Calling yourself a Christian brings with it the duty and the privilege of a lifetime of service. And when we do it His way, it is a joy. That is why I am here. That is why I am a missionary. And that is why I will never stop being a missionary. I'm not at the end; I'm in the middle. I love this work. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Savior with all of my heart. I love my mission.
Sister Szilagyi
"You have momicked me to death!"
"I've had to DO for him and DO for him..."
"Look at this girl, she done tore up this house!"
"Boy, youse is so bad!"
"Now don't you go makin' yourself sick or nothin'."
"These youngin's are gittin' on my last nerve."
"Can we cut these lights on? I darn can't well see a thing."
"I'm fixin' to ride down to the store, y'all want a ride?"
"Well come on then..."
-Being ecstatic when the person you invited to church actually comes!
-Being devastated when they don't
-Having your whole emotional self be whole-hardheartedly attached to people that you barely know, that don't even know how much you love them
-Praying for people that you've met once, 6 times a day
-Holding hands in a million and one prayer circles
-Having to turn down sweet tea every day when summer rolls around
-How you always smell like cigarettes even though you've never smoked in your life
-Laughing with strangers, and crying with them, and realizing that there are no strangers
-Using your brain rather than using Google
-Loving those precious moments in the morning where you get to feast upon the word. And that hour is the fastest hour of your life...
-Learning to rely on the Lord in all you do, because you realize that's all you CAN do
-Random children that run up to you and hug you for no apparent reason at all
-Walking along empty streets, praying that someone chooses that moment to check their mail
-Feeling more tired than you've ever felt, and more happy than you've ever felt. All at once
-Giving everything you have, everything you desire, and everything you are completely to Him.
I am a daughter. A sister. A friend. I make a lot of mistakes. I still talk too much, and over-analyze, and maybe have much-too-high expectations. But I know that the Lord can make my weak things become strong. I haven't met anyone that I couldn't have a conversation with, I focus on the needs of those we teach, and I work hard.
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." -Ether 12:27
I cannot express how I feel about missionary work any better than this man, who I admire greatly:
"I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not an easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.
When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Calling yourself a Christian brings with it the duty and the privilege of a lifetime of service. And when we do it His way, it is a joy. That is why I am here. That is why I am a missionary. And that is why I will never stop being a missionary. I'm not at the end; I'm in the middle. I love this work. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Savior with all of my heart. I love my mission.
Sister Szilagyi
Monday, May 11, 2015
Breaking in and Beach Discoveries
"Soooo happy by the water :)"
"Found this guy trying to break in..."
"No idea what this is. But I found it. All by myself."
"I love this place"
"My lovely Sister de St. Jeor!"
"My duet partner-in-crime. He's got a couple inches on me, I know..."
"I love this place"
Birthday Dinners and Beautiful Rainbows
"Sister Woodard's birthday dinner at L and G's!"
"We didn't find any gold... But the sky has been full of these!"
"She loves me, I promise. Presenting: Grumpy A in her kimono!"
Lyrics and Locks
"Tell me these aren't the best song lyrics you've ever read...
And that says: "whistling" at the beginning, by the way. I love kids so much."
"Look at her hair. Look at it. SO BEAUTIFUL.
And she has a twin brother with the exact same hair."
"Fun at recruit graduation!"
A Righteous Mother
Happy Mother's Day to you wonderful people!
I promise that this week, there were miracles. There was happiness and joy. There were rainstorms and rainbows. There were people that came to church and people that told us that they wanted to get baptized. There were little children who hugged us, and even some people that bugged us... and oh no, this is turning into a Dr. Seuss book. Just know that this was a happy week. And I have no time to write any more. But I sent some pictures to make up for it!
This is one of my favorite quotes about motherhood:
“One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.”—President Thomas S. Monson
I have been blessed beyond measure with a righteous mother. I learned who God was, and that He loved me, through my mother. And that has made all the difference.
Love,
Sister Szilagyi
I promise that this week, there were miracles. There was happiness and joy. There were rainstorms and rainbows. There were people that came to church and people that told us that they wanted to get baptized. There were little children who hugged us, and even some people that bugged us... and oh no, this is turning into a Dr. Seuss book. Just know that this was a happy week. And I have no time to write any more. But I sent some pictures to make up for it!
This is one of my favorite quotes about motherhood:
“One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.”—President Thomas S. Monson
I have been blessed beyond measure with a righteous mother. I learned who God was, and that He loved me, through my mother. And that has made all the difference.
Love,
Sister Szilagyi
Books on Bookshelves
"After playing in the mud :)"
"Random shelves in an apartment building we were knocking... wait, what's that..??"
"The Book of Mormon! Whoo hoo! So cool!"
Monday, May 4, 2015
Grateful for Vision
Hello lovely people!
Some exciting things happened this week, and some not so happy things:
So Elder Zwick (of the first quorum of the 70) and his wife came for a mission tour, and we were able to have a special Mission Leadership Council with them as well as a Zone Conference with half of the mission. The night before the MLC, Sister Woodard and I drove to Statesboro to sleepover at the sisters' place there so that we wouldn't have to get up as early/drive as far the next morning. I was so happy to able to talk to Sister de St. Jeor. She is just so wonderful and I have missed her so. You get pretty attached to your "only child". :) So here comes the not so fun part: getting zero sleep on the pull out couch made of stone. And Sister Woodard was already not feeling super great, so the next morning she woke up feeling even worse. MLC was great until I felt a small tug on my hair. I thought that I had caught my hair on the chair, but then I felt it again. I turned around to see Sister Woodard's face which was as white as a sheet with a slightly greenish tinge. She whispered: "I'm going to pass out... or throw up." And we booked it out of that room in the middle of Elder Zwick talking. And that's the story of how my poor little companion threw up in the church bathroom in the middle of MLC. And how she spent the next few days pretty miserable.
Zone Conference was a struggle for her as well, and I was actually feeling kind of squeamish myself, but for a different reason. The AP's had asked me to come up with a musical number for the conference, and I had been downing vitamin C and praying that I wouldn't get sick so that I could sing. And singing in front of that many people plus a general authority was a little stressful. I had been feeling a tickle in my throat for a few days, and I knew that it could hit me at any time. However, the morning of the conference, my throat felt totally fine, and felt that way until the drive home, when it started hurting again. Thank you Heavenly Father!! :) The song was a bittersweet moment for me. Elder Hunsicker and I sang "Because He Lives", which was the same duet that my mom and I sang at my farewell. And it was probably my last time singing at a meeting in the mission field :(
The Conference was wonderful, and we learned a lot. One of my favorite stories that Sister Zwick shared was about perspective. She told the story of one of their friends who is pretty well off, and wanted to "give back". Evidently, there is a group of people (Native American I think), that live on the bottom of the Grand Canyon. And they relied solely on the tourist trade to survive. Well, he wanted to help these people be more self-sufficient, so he took his helicopter and transported hundreds of seeds and seedlings to plant in their fertile soil. He also taught them how to plant and harvest, and pretty soon they had flourishing fruit orchards. One day, the man was sitting on a bench, and one of the old squaws sat down next to him. She softly asked, "Are you man who bring fruit trees?" "Yes," he responded. She looked over at him and said, "We are grateful for fruit trees, but we are more grateful for vision."
I am so grateful for the vision that my mission has given me. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the vision that the gospel of Jesus Christ has given me. It has changed everything for me. It can change everything for anyone.
Until next week,
Sister Szilagyi
Some exciting things happened this week, and some not so happy things:
So Elder Zwick (of the first quorum of the 70) and his wife came for a mission tour, and we were able to have a special Mission Leadership Council with them as well as a Zone Conference with half of the mission. The night before the MLC, Sister Woodard and I drove to Statesboro to sleepover at the sisters' place there so that we wouldn't have to get up as early/drive as far the next morning. I was so happy to able to talk to Sister de St. Jeor. She is just so wonderful and I have missed her so. You get pretty attached to your "only child". :) So here comes the not so fun part: getting zero sleep on the pull out couch made of stone. And Sister Woodard was already not feeling super great, so the next morning she woke up feeling even worse. MLC was great until I felt a small tug on my hair. I thought that I had caught my hair on the chair, but then I felt it again. I turned around to see Sister Woodard's face which was as white as a sheet with a slightly greenish tinge. She whispered: "I'm going to pass out... or throw up." And we booked it out of that room in the middle of Elder Zwick talking. And that's the story of how my poor little companion threw up in the church bathroom in the middle of MLC. And how she spent the next few days pretty miserable.
Zone Conference was a struggle for her as well, and I was actually feeling kind of squeamish myself, but for a different reason. The AP's had asked me to come up with a musical number for the conference, and I had been downing vitamin C and praying that I wouldn't get sick so that I could sing. And singing in front of that many people plus a general authority was a little stressful. I had been feeling a tickle in my throat for a few days, and I knew that it could hit me at any time. However, the morning of the conference, my throat felt totally fine, and felt that way until the drive home, when it started hurting again. Thank you Heavenly Father!! :) The song was a bittersweet moment for me. Elder Hunsicker and I sang "Because He Lives", which was the same duet that my mom and I sang at my farewell. And it was probably my last time singing at a meeting in the mission field :(
The Conference was wonderful, and we learned a lot. One of my favorite stories that Sister Zwick shared was about perspective. She told the story of one of their friends who is pretty well off, and wanted to "give back". Evidently, there is a group of people (Native American I think), that live on the bottom of the Grand Canyon. And they relied solely on the tourist trade to survive. Well, he wanted to help these people be more self-sufficient, so he took his helicopter and transported hundreds of seeds and seedlings to plant in their fertile soil. He also taught them how to plant and harvest, and pretty soon they had flourishing fruit orchards. One day, the man was sitting on a bench, and one of the old squaws sat down next to him. She softly asked, "Are you man who bring fruit trees?" "Yes," he responded. She looked over at him and said, "We are grateful for fruit trees, but we are more grateful for vision."
I am so grateful for the vision that my mission has given me. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the vision that the gospel of Jesus Christ has given me. It has changed everything for me. It can change everything for anyone.
Until next week,
Sister Szilagyi
Monday, April 27, 2015
A Beautiful Act of Faith
Happy Monday from Beaufort! Where it reached 90 degrees yesterday, and there is supposed to be a "cold front" coming where we're in the 70's. The weather's pretty rough out here guys. Feel free to send me some of your winter scarves.
This week was a bit of a rough one, but sometimes that happens. Onward and upward!
There were some wonderful moments and crazy moments, of course, so I wanted to give you some "snapshots" from my brain again:
-The elders calling us one night and asking if we had broken into their apartment. We were told them obviously not, and we were hurt that they would even assume so haha. But this is why they asked: Someone broke into their apartment and melted off one of Elder Duran's bike pedals. I'm serious. MELTED OFF. And that's it. Nothing stolen, nothing else vandalized. Just two giant burn holes with melted plastic in the carpet. How creepy/bizarre is that??
-Sitting on Sisters W's couch, shaking a spider off my arm and looking though her old missionary scrapbook. That little, 4'11'' woman served a mission in Atlanta, Georgia in 1953. Her sweet, strong testimony of the gospel and her conviction stayed with me long after we left. As did her joy for the gospel. And I won't forget how her eyes filled with tears as she told us how much she loved and missed her mission.
-Fixing up an old man's lawn because he can't do it himself anymore. And having it start to rain, then pour, on us... so we decided to have some fun at the end. Mud fight and puddle jumping.
-Sitting in the trailer of R and D. R: sincere and spiritually "in tune", showing us the jewelry he's making with old 22 shells and asking us questions about the apostasy from the pamphlet he read.
-Sitting around the kitchen table of the A family. In that little green trailer, Brother A translates the testimonies of the missionaries for his wife, who speaks Spanish. And although it's burning hot in there, all I feel is the warmth in my heart from the tangible spirit in that room, and how grateful I am to be serving a mission. Nothing that feels that good comes from anywhere else but God.
-Driving on base to have dinner at the N's house, and the marine at the gate stopping us and asking, "So where's my pamphlet? It's Sunday, so I figured I'd get one today. My work doesn't let me go to church on Sundays, so could I have one?" We had met him once before and he had asked us if we were the ones that handed out pamphlets. :)
And one last little tender moment/story:
We found out that an adorable recent convert in our ward (in her 60's), had recently gotten a new job and had to work on Sundays. We hadn't seen her in a couple weeks, and were excited to see her at the Relief Society activity on Tuesday. I asked her about her new job, and little tears came into her eyes. She said: "I did get a new job. But I have to work every Sunday. I asked for Sundays off, but they said no... So I turned in my resignation. God wouldn't want me to miss church." It was such a beautiful act of faith to me. She said that she knew something else would come along that would be even better. We were so proud of her, and my heart just swelled within me. So I gave her a big hug. One little hard decision that I'm sure she will look back on and be so grateful that she made.
This work is true. I love being a missionary.
Love, Sister Szilagyi
This week was a bit of a rough one, but sometimes that happens. Onward and upward!
There were some wonderful moments and crazy moments, of course, so I wanted to give you some "snapshots" from my brain again:
-The elders calling us one night and asking if we had broken into their apartment. We were told them obviously not, and we were hurt that they would even assume so haha. But this is why they asked: Someone broke into their apartment and melted off one of Elder Duran's bike pedals. I'm serious. MELTED OFF. And that's it. Nothing stolen, nothing else vandalized. Just two giant burn holes with melted plastic in the carpet. How creepy/bizarre is that??
-Sitting on Sisters W's couch, shaking a spider off my arm and looking though her old missionary scrapbook. That little, 4'11'' woman served a mission in Atlanta, Georgia in 1953. Her sweet, strong testimony of the gospel and her conviction stayed with me long after we left. As did her joy for the gospel. And I won't forget how her eyes filled with tears as she told us how much she loved and missed her mission.
-Fixing up an old man's lawn because he can't do it himself anymore. And having it start to rain, then pour, on us... so we decided to have some fun at the end. Mud fight and puddle jumping.
-Sitting in the trailer of R and D. R: sincere and spiritually "in tune", showing us the jewelry he's making with old 22 shells and asking us questions about the apostasy from the pamphlet he read.
-Sitting around the kitchen table of the A family. In that little green trailer, Brother A translates the testimonies of the missionaries for his wife, who speaks Spanish. And although it's burning hot in there, all I feel is the warmth in my heart from the tangible spirit in that room, and how grateful I am to be serving a mission. Nothing that feels that good comes from anywhere else but God.
-Driving on base to have dinner at the N's house, and the marine at the gate stopping us and asking, "So where's my pamphlet? It's Sunday, so I figured I'd get one today. My work doesn't let me go to church on Sundays, so could I have one?" We had met him once before and he had asked us if we were the ones that handed out pamphlets. :)
And one last little tender moment/story:
We found out that an adorable recent convert in our ward (in her 60's), had recently gotten a new job and had to work on Sundays. We hadn't seen her in a couple weeks, and were excited to see her at the Relief Society activity on Tuesday. I asked her about her new job, and little tears came into her eyes. She said: "I did get a new job. But I have to work every Sunday. I asked for Sundays off, but they said no... So I turned in my resignation. God wouldn't want me to miss church." It was such a beautiful act of faith to me. She said that she knew something else would come along that would be even better. We were so proud of her, and my heart just swelled within me. So I gave her a big hug. One little hard decision that I'm sure she will look back on and be so grateful that she made.
This work is true. I love being a missionary.
Love, Sister Szilagyi
Monday, April 20, 2015
Cookin' with Crisco
Hello wonderful people!
How are you? I'm grand. However, this week went by even faster than last week, so that's concerning...
Some highlights from my week:
-Sometimes, all of your things run out at once. These things may or may not include: dish soap, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, dryer sheets, toilet paper, toothpaste, any semblance of food..... you get the idea. (Side note: this happens more often when your metabolism is ridiculous and you are hungry every two seconds.) And when this happens, you and your companion may have no more money, and you are only half way through the month. Yikes. That is when you are so thankful for little old ladies in your ward that load you up with food when they hear that you are starving to death. Bless those old ladies.
-We met this lovely lady named R and she was raised in the Gullah community here on the sea island of St. Helena. Such an interesting culture, and she has such an interesting story. She told us that her parents were slaves, and racism has been a huge part of her life. She talked about going to a segregated high school, and how she still knows people personally that are members of the KKK. Crazy. My favorite quote from our conversation? "I hate when people say their alarms clock wake them up. The alarm clock don't wake you up, Jesus wake you up!" :)
-On Wednesday, I accidentally said skreet instead of street. Yupp. It finally happened.
-We had an AWESOME lesson with R and C, and their two boys. Their family is the most prepared, amazing family ever. It's unreal. Their comments and questions, and desire? Dream investigators to teach. Please pray for them!
-I had two batteries that we were given at a meeting to put into our fire alarm, and I set them in my jewelry basket. I was choosing a necklace for the day, and all of a sudden, I notice that there are white lines of something in the air. Spiderweb? Nope, my hand goes right through them... Smoke? SMOKE! I had inadvertently created a circuit with a metal chain and MY NECKLACE WAS ON FIRE. Yeah, not good. So, a little life advice: Never store your jewelry and batteries together.
-We taught T again, and she came to Book of Mormon class again, and mannnnn I love her so much. She told everyone there how she had waited for us for 3 hours on Monday, because she thought we were coming at 3:00, but we were really coming at 6:00. So she sat and read her Book of Mormon until we got there. Seriously. And when she got to the part where Nephi is told to kill Laban, she said..."Whaaaa? What about thou shalt not kill?? I don't know about this..." And put it down. So when we got there, she immediately asked us about it and in her words, then we were "Cookin' with Crisco!" And it all made sense. Another great comment: "Everyone keeps telling me that y'all are a cult, but there ain't no sheets on the windows, and there are pictures of Jesus everywhere, so I just told them that they don't know what they talkin' about." She kills me.
-Seeing H, J, and M all together at church as a happy family since J is done with cycle? Yayyyy! Eternal family, here we come! And L and D came to church!! Whoo hoo!
-We get called a lot of different names as missionaries, and the especially unique ones come from children. We got a new one this week, one that I'd never heard before: "Dad! The dictionaries are here!!" I'll take it.
Finally, I've been reading through the New Testament in personal study, and a particular verse stuck out to me this morning. It is describing the mission of John the Baptist, but for me, it perfectly represents why I am here. Why I chose to spend a year and a half of my life here, in the beautiful south:
"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." -Luke 1:79
That is the mission of Jesus Christ. That is His gospel.
May we be aware of those that sit in darkness this week, and give them light. I love you all.
Sister Szilagyi
How are you? I'm grand. However, this week went by even faster than last week, so that's concerning...
Some highlights from my week:
-Sometimes, all of your things run out at once. These things may or may not include: dish soap, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, dryer sheets, toilet paper, toothpaste, any semblance of food..... you get the idea. (Side note: this happens more often when your metabolism is ridiculous and you are hungry every two seconds.) And when this happens, you and your companion may have no more money, and you are only half way through the month. Yikes. That is when you are so thankful for little old ladies in your ward that load you up with food when they hear that you are starving to death. Bless those old ladies.
-We met this lovely lady named R and she was raised in the Gullah community here on the sea island of St. Helena. Such an interesting culture, and she has such an interesting story. She told us that her parents were slaves, and racism has been a huge part of her life. She talked about going to a segregated high school, and how she still knows people personally that are members of the KKK. Crazy. My favorite quote from our conversation? "I hate when people say their alarms clock wake them up. The alarm clock don't wake you up, Jesus wake you up!" :)
-On Wednesday, I accidentally said skreet instead of street. Yupp. It finally happened.
-We had an AWESOME lesson with R and C, and their two boys. Their family is the most prepared, amazing family ever. It's unreal. Their comments and questions, and desire? Dream investigators to teach. Please pray for them!
-I had two batteries that we were given at a meeting to put into our fire alarm, and I set them in my jewelry basket. I was choosing a necklace for the day, and all of a sudden, I notice that there are white lines of something in the air. Spiderweb? Nope, my hand goes right through them... Smoke? SMOKE! I had inadvertently created a circuit with a metal chain and MY NECKLACE WAS ON FIRE. Yeah, not good. So, a little life advice: Never store your jewelry and batteries together.
-We taught T again, and she came to Book of Mormon class again, and mannnnn I love her so much. She told everyone there how she had waited for us for 3 hours on Monday, because she thought we were coming at 3:00, but we were really coming at 6:00. So she sat and read her Book of Mormon until we got there. Seriously. And when she got to the part where Nephi is told to kill Laban, she said..."Whaaaa? What about thou shalt not kill?? I don't know about this..." And put it down. So when we got there, she immediately asked us about it and in her words, then we were "Cookin' with Crisco!" And it all made sense. Another great comment: "Everyone keeps telling me that y'all are a cult, but there ain't no sheets on the windows, and there are pictures of Jesus everywhere, so I just told them that they don't know what they talkin' about." She kills me.
-Seeing H, J, and M all together at church as a happy family since J is done with cycle? Yayyyy! Eternal family, here we come! And L and D came to church!! Whoo hoo!
-We get called a lot of different names as missionaries, and the especially unique ones come from children. We got a new one this week, one that I'd never heard before: "Dad! The dictionaries are here!!" I'll take it.
Finally, I've been reading through the New Testament in personal study, and a particular verse stuck out to me this morning. It is describing the mission of John the Baptist, but for me, it perfectly represents why I am here. Why I chose to spend a year and a half of my life here, in the beautiful south:
"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." -Luke 1:79
That is the mission of Jesus Christ. That is His gospel.
May we be aware of those that sit in darkness this week, and give them light. I love you all.
Sister Szilagyi
Monday, April 13, 2015
Fishing Piers and Fantastic Views
"On the fishing pier"
"Casual fishing pier yoga"
"The beautiful world"
Beaches and Boardwalks
"The district plus the Ridgeland elders"
"Hunting Beach on Hunting Island"
"The lighthouse that you have to pay to walk up..."
"On the marsh boardwalk"
"Yupp. REMEMBER: A fed gator is a dead gator"
Hear the Music
Hello hello hello!
Church sign of the week:
"Spread the gospel, not gossip"
Truth.
Well, transfer calls were on Saturday night, and we got the news that Sister Woodard and I are both staying in Beaufort, and I am a happy camper!
This week was a wonderful one, but one of those weeks that I can hardly remember. So here are some pictures from the week (well, mostly P-day).
And I wanted to share one of my favorite stories from last weekend's general conference:
Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, “How can I help you?” The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. “I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,” he said. “Tell me why you have come to the hospital.”
The old man then looked at him and said, “Do you dance?” As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication.
“No,” said the doctor, “I don’t dance. Do you dance?” The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, “Could you teach me to dance?”
The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. “I can teach you to dance,” he said, “but you have to hear the music.” - Elder Wilford W. Andersen
May we all take a moment this week to pause and hear the music.
Much love, Sister Szilagyi
Church sign of the week:
"Spread the gospel, not gossip"
Truth.
Well, transfer calls were on Saturday night, and we got the news that Sister Woodard and I are both staying in Beaufort, and I am a happy camper!
This week was a wonderful one, but one of those weeks that I can hardly remember. So here are some pictures from the week (well, mostly P-day).
And I wanted to share one of my favorite stories from last weekend's general conference:
Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, “How can I help you?” The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. “I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,” he said. “Tell me why you have come to the hospital.”
The old man then looked at him and said, “Do you dance?” As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication.
“No,” said the doctor, “I don’t dance. Do you dance?” The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, “Could you teach me to dance?”
The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. “I can teach you to dance,” he said, “but you have to hear the music.” - Elder Wilford W. Andersen
May we all take a moment this week to pause and hear the music.
Much love, Sister Szilagyi
Monday, April 6, 2015
Easter and Egg Hunts
"The adorable counter is the one on the right :)"
"Yes, that's a kilt."
"Jesus fish! Best Easter gift ever."
9 out of 9
Happy Belated Easter my fabulous friends and family members!
I am going to set a new record for fastest typing because I have soooooo many things that I have to tell y'all about!!!
So, remember how our mission president set up his new goal-accountability thing for our mission and new "standards of excellence"? Well, at the beginning of the week, Sister Woodard and I looked at each other and said, "This is the week where we are going to achieve 9 out of 9 goals, and exceed all of the standards of excellence." We almost always achieve or exceed the standards of excellence, but unless you get a baptism that week, you cannot achieve 9 out of 9 goals. And since he has implemented the new program, only two other companionships in the mission have achieved 9 out of 9 goals. So...... we worked hard all week to achieve these goals. What follows is how Heavenly Father provides a way for us to achieve our goals when we try OUR very hardest, and moments from one of the best weeks of my entire mission:
Monday:
-Y'all already know about the registering for classes struggle, but everything improved Monday night when we were able to teach H (who is married to a recently active member and drill instructor on Parris Island). And she is just sooo wonderful, and decided she wanted to get baptized this week! We set up her baptismal interview for Wednesday night, and were excited to help her prepare.
Tuesday:
-That awkward moment when a cop comes and finds you in the Chinese restaurant you are eating lunch at and tells you a "really old lady" just ran into your car. Darn it. We were slightly terrified when he initially asked us if the gray Toyota Corolla belonged to us and if we were with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sister Woodard, although lovable, isn't the bestttt driver and I was sure that we were being ticketed for some traffic violation. Instead, we met the adorable 79 year old T, who told us that "we were the sweetest girls that she had ever met" and then invited us over for dinner.
-That evening, as we were visiting some potentials, we happened to run into a referral that we have been attempting to contact for weeks! And there he was, just standing on the sidewalk, and we have an appointment with him tonight. Thanks Heavenly Father!
Wednesday:
-That second awkward moment when you walk up to knock on someone's trailer and an old lady is lying there tanning on her front porch with no top on...... "Oh dear! We're so sorry ma'am! Didn't mean to disturb you... Bad time?" At least it wasn't the elders.
-That evening, H totally aced her baptismal interview and then asked us,"So.... J gets tomorrow off, and it's our anniversary... do you think I could get baptized tomorrow?" Um. Let's go ask the bishop! After an enthusiastic yes, we proceeded to quickly plan a baptism that would take place in less than 24 hours. During this process, we were showing H the baptismal font and inside was a lovely dead cockroach. Yum. We assured her that we would clean it out before the next day, and as we were leaving the font, M (H's 3 year old) yells, "Bye Bug!". Thank you M.
-K came to Book of Mormon class again and told us that ever since she met us, her life has been getting better and better! :)
Thursday
-Thursday was spent planning..... pretty much the whole day. We had decided to weekly plan this day anyway, because we had MLC the next day, which worked out perfectly because we kind of had a whole baptism to plan. Now normally, as a missionary, when you text/call people for assistance, it takes a while for anybody to respond (and that is IF they respond.) However, Heavenly Father was helping us BIG time, because in a matter of a few hours, we had a pianist, talks assigned, the amazing Sister Morgan creating our programs, Bishop conducting, and multiple people saying they could come and support. And it ended up being just wonderful. On April 2nd 2015, H was baptized by her husband J, so that in exactly one year, they can be sealed in the temple on their wedding anniversary. It doesn't get any better than that. I was the happiest of clams.
Friday
-Sister Woodard and I had MLC (missionary leadership council) in Macon at 10:00am. We woke up at 5:00, and had a lovely 3 and a half hour drive, with the company of friends= Sister de St. Jeor and Sister Miller! Although it was a long time spent in the car on Friday, it was wonderful to spend time with my trainee and the meeting was wonderful!
Saturday
-The bishopric had planned a "sunrise breakfast", with egg hunt and Easter video to boot! It was very fun and probably my favorite moment came from the 4 year old son of one of my favorite families, the N's. As he stood there counting his eggs with his twin brother, I overheard these words: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..... I GOT ONE!!!" The cuteness. Please.
-General Conference (which occurs every six months, and is where leaders of our church talk about gospel topics, and we get listen to beautiful music) was absolutely WONDERFUL. I'm really not sure if conference keeps getting better and better or if I just appreciate it more and more, but it was over MUCH too quickly.
-In between conference sessions, we were able to teach T, and set a baptismal date for May 16th!
-L and D came to the afternoon session of conference and watched it with us. I love those two.
Sunday
-EASTER!
-So by Sunday morning, we had quite a bit left to do...
-We had a goal of 7 people at church for the week. On Sunday morning, we still needed 4 more people to attend church/conference for us to meet our goal. At Parris Island, 4 recruits came with their friends and asked us to teach them during the second hour of church. We had 4 more investigators at church.
-It normally takes us many attempts for us to contact referrals that we receive, and on Sunday we still needed to contact 2 more. As we stopped by to contact these two people, one trailer had all of their dogs inside the house (when they normally are outside and ready to eat us), and the other man was outside his house blowing leaves when we drove up. We had 2 more contacts.
-We had a lovely Easter lunch at Bishop Morgan's house with his family (I LOVE THEIR FAMILY). We went back to the church for the second session of general conference at church afterwards, and then visited the B family and taught a lesson about the resurrection using objects hidden inside of Easter eggs.
-At this point, all we needed to achieve our goals was one more person on date. Just one. It was 7:45pm. We had an hour and 15 minutes to find someone that wanted to be baptized. We needed a miracle. And so we prayed for one. We pleaded with Heavenly Father to give us a miracle, and to provide us with a way to accomplish our goals. And then we knocked on R's door. R was a potential investigator who I had never met, and that we had tried several times to contact. He answered the door, invited us inside, and we listened to the trials of R and his wife, C. We taught them the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and testified that this message would strengthen and bless their family. And we invited them to be baptized. Both R and C accepted the invitation to be baptized on May 16th. And they want us to come back and teach their whole family on Wednesday. And as we were leaving, C asked us if they had any "homework." A beautiful, golden family. Ready for change. Ready for the gospel.
-And that is the story of how Sister Woodard and I achieved 9 out of our 9 goals this week.
I love this gospel. I love my brother, Jesus Christ. And, particularly today, I am so grateful for the time that we were able to spend reflecting on His sacrifice for us this week. I know that He lives, and because He lives, I know that we ALL will live again.
I love you all SO much!
Sister Szilagyi
I am going to set a new record for fastest typing because I have soooooo many things that I have to tell y'all about!!!
So, remember how our mission president set up his new goal-accountability thing for our mission and new "standards of excellence"? Well, at the beginning of the week, Sister Woodard and I looked at each other and said, "This is the week where we are going to achieve 9 out of 9 goals, and exceed all of the standards of excellence." We almost always achieve or exceed the standards of excellence, but unless you get a baptism that week, you cannot achieve 9 out of 9 goals. And since he has implemented the new program, only two other companionships in the mission have achieved 9 out of 9 goals. So...... we worked hard all week to achieve these goals. What follows is how Heavenly Father provides a way for us to achieve our goals when we try OUR very hardest, and moments from one of the best weeks of my entire mission:
Monday:
-Y'all already know about the registering for classes struggle, but everything improved Monday night when we were able to teach H (who is married to a recently active member and drill instructor on Parris Island). And she is just sooo wonderful, and decided she wanted to get baptized this week! We set up her baptismal interview for Wednesday night, and were excited to help her prepare.
Tuesday:
-That awkward moment when a cop comes and finds you in the Chinese restaurant you are eating lunch at and tells you a "really old lady" just ran into your car. Darn it. We were slightly terrified when he initially asked us if the gray Toyota Corolla belonged to us and if we were with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sister Woodard, although lovable, isn't the bestttt driver and I was sure that we were being ticketed for some traffic violation. Instead, we met the adorable 79 year old T, who told us that "we were the sweetest girls that she had ever met" and then invited us over for dinner.
-That evening, as we were visiting some potentials, we happened to run into a referral that we have been attempting to contact for weeks! And there he was, just standing on the sidewalk, and we have an appointment with him tonight. Thanks Heavenly Father!
Wednesday:
-That second awkward moment when you walk up to knock on someone's trailer and an old lady is lying there tanning on her front porch with no top on...... "Oh dear! We're so sorry ma'am! Didn't mean to disturb you... Bad time?" At least it wasn't the elders.
-That evening, H totally aced her baptismal interview and then asked us,"So.... J gets tomorrow off, and it's our anniversary... do you think I could get baptized tomorrow?" Um. Let's go ask the bishop! After an enthusiastic yes, we proceeded to quickly plan a baptism that would take place in less than 24 hours. During this process, we were showing H the baptismal font and inside was a lovely dead cockroach. Yum. We assured her that we would clean it out before the next day, and as we were leaving the font, M (H's 3 year old) yells, "Bye Bug!". Thank you M.
-K came to Book of Mormon class again and told us that ever since she met us, her life has been getting better and better! :)
Thursday
-Thursday was spent planning..... pretty much the whole day. We had decided to weekly plan this day anyway, because we had MLC the next day, which worked out perfectly because we kind of had a whole baptism to plan. Now normally, as a missionary, when you text/call people for assistance, it takes a while for anybody to respond (and that is IF they respond.) However, Heavenly Father was helping us BIG time, because in a matter of a few hours, we had a pianist, talks assigned, the amazing Sister Morgan creating our programs, Bishop conducting, and multiple people saying they could come and support. And it ended up being just wonderful. On April 2nd 2015, H was baptized by her husband J, so that in exactly one year, they can be sealed in the temple on their wedding anniversary. It doesn't get any better than that. I was the happiest of clams.
Friday
-Sister Woodard and I had MLC (missionary leadership council) in Macon at 10:00am. We woke up at 5:00, and had a lovely 3 and a half hour drive, with the company of friends= Sister de St. Jeor and Sister Miller! Although it was a long time spent in the car on Friday, it was wonderful to spend time with my trainee and the meeting was wonderful!
Saturday
-The bishopric had planned a "sunrise breakfast", with egg hunt and Easter video to boot! It was very fun and probably my favorite moment came from the 4 year old son of one of my favorite families, the N's. As he stood there counting his eggs with his twin brother, I overheard these words: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..... I GOT ONE!!!" The cuteness. Please.
-General Conference (which occurs every six months, and is where leaders of our church talk about gospel topics, and we get listen to beautiful music) was absolutely WONDERFUL. I'm really not sure if conference keeps getting better and better or if I just appreciate it more and more, but it was over MUCH too quickly.
-In between conference sessions, we were able to teach T, and set a baptismal date for May 16th!
-L and D came to the afternoon session of conference and watched it with us. I love those two.
Sunday
-EASTER!
-So by Sunday morning, we had quite a bit left to do...
-We had a goal of 7 people at church for the week. On Sunday morning, we still needed 4 more people to attend church/conference for us to meet our goal. At Parris Island, 4 recruits came with their friends and asked us to teach them during the second hour of church. We had 4 more investigators at church.
-It normally takes us many attempts for us to contact referrals that we receive, and on Sunday we still needed to contact 2 more. As we stopped by to contact these two people, one trailer had all of their dogs inside the house (when they normally are outside and ready to eat us), and the other man was outside his house blowing leaves when we drove up. We had 2 more contacts.
-We had a lovely Easter lunch at Bishop Morgan's house with his family (I LOVE THEIR FAMILY). We went back to the church for the second session of general conference at church afterwards, and then visited the B family and taught a lesson about the resurrection using objects hidden inside of Easter eggs.
-At this point, all we needed to achieve our goals was one more person on date. Just one. It was 7:45pm. We had an hour and 15 minutes to find someone that wanted to be baptized. We needed a miracle. And so we prayed for one. We pleaded with Heavenly Father to give us a miracle, and to provide us with a way to accomplish our goals. And then we knocked on R's door. R was a potential investigator who I had never met, and that we had tried several times to contact. He answered the door, invited us inside, and we listened to the trials of R and his wife, C. We taught them the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and testified that this message would strengthen and bless their family. And we invited them to be baptized. Both R and C accepted the invitation to be baptized on May 16th. And they want us to come back and teach their whole family on Wednesday. And as we were leaving, C asked us if they had any "homework." A beautiful, golden family. Ready for change. Ready for the gospel.
-And that is the story of how Sister Woodard and I achieved 9 out of our 9 goals this week.
I love this gospel. I love my brother, Jesus Christ. And, particularly today, I am so grateful for the time that we were able to spend reflecting on His sacrifice for us this week. I know that He lives, and because He lives, I know that we ALL will live again.
I love you all SO much!
Sister Szilagyi
Monday, March 30, 2015
A Position to Serve and Comfort
Hello wonderful world!
Well this week was a wonderful one! (All except when I got a little sick, but I'm fine now!)
One of the biggest happy moments/miracles of the week was Book of Mormon class on Wednesday night. So this was our first one, and we had invited everyone we could think of. And T and K both came! T participated the entire time and really enjoyed herself. Everyone there fell in love with her. And remember K? Well she is actually a member of the RLDS church (now known as the Community of Christ). She absolutely loved it and sat there with tears streaming down her face. At the end of the class, she looked at us and said: "It feels the same. What IS the difference?" We told her that we didn't know. And we spent another hour as she read off doctrinal points of the RLDS church and we talked about our beliefs. We all learned so much. Then, on Friday, we received a text from her saying that she didn't want to be at home and that she needed someone to talk to. (She has been going through marital problems.) We told her that we would meet her at the church and we ended up having a wonderful lesson about trials and faith. We gave her the "grand tour" of the church building, and she'll be back for Book of Mormon class this week. As we were walking around, she told us that she had been so alone, and that the day we knocked on her door was "a miracle" and that we were "her angels." I love her so much. And I am grateful to be in a position to serve and comfort at a moment's notice. What a wonderful blessing on missionary service.
The timing of K texting us was quite interesting. Sister Westbrook had just called us and had informed me that my registration date for school was in three days. Um. What. Total panic mode ensued for this sister missionary who thought that she could wait until home to think about real life and now had three days to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Stressful. Because I got my equivalent of an associates' degree before I left, I have to decide my major, pretty much, now. And so I felt slightly overwhelmed at the choice I had to make. Well, after meeting with K, and testifying that the Lord has a plan for each of us, and that He is in charge, I felt a renewed sense of strength and peace. I have decided on a path of study (which is subject to change) and I am finishing registering for classes as I type. Never a dull moment! But enough of that...
Another great moment was being able to attend the General Women's Broadcast and bring L and D along with us! It was a great meeting and they loved it. Something that really stuck out to me was: The Lord's plan should always be OUR plan. There is something so calming about that. And when life gets over-confusing, it is helpful to remember. He has a plan for each of us, and it is up to us to execute it to the best of our ability. We are happier when we are obedient and are close to Him. I love you all! Have a joyful week!
Sister Szilagyi
P.S. H wants to get baptized this weekend, so please pray for her and that everything will go well!!! =)
Well this week was a wonderful one! (All except when I got a little sick, but I'm fine now!)
One of the biggest happy moments/miracles of the week was Book of Mormon class on Wednesday night. So this was our first one, and we had invited everyone we could think of. And T and K both came! T participated the entire time and really enjoyed herself. Everyone there fell in love with her. And remember K? Well she is actually a member of the RLDS church (now known as the Community of Christ). She absolutely loved it and sat there with tears streaming down her face. At the end of the class, she looked at us and said: "It feels the same. What IS the difference?" We told her that we didn't know. And we spent another hour as she read off doctrinal points of the RLDS church and we talked about our beliefs. We all learned so much. Then, on Friday, we received a text from her saying that she didn't want to be at home and that she needed someone to talk to. (She has been going through marital problems.) We told her that we would meet her at the church and we ended up having a wonderful lesson about trials and faith. We gave her the "grand tour" of the church building, and she'll be back for Book of Mormon class this week. As we were walking around, she told us that she had been so alone, and that the day we knocked on her door was "a miracle" and that we were "her angels." I love her so much. And I am grateful to be in a position to serve and comfort at a moment's notice. What a wonderful blessing on missionary service.
The timing of K texting us was quite interesting. Sister Westbrook had just called us and had informed me that my registration date for school was in three days. Um. What. Total panic mode ensued for this sister missionary who thought that she could wait until home to think about real life and now had three days to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Stressful. Because I got my equivalent of an associates' degree before I left, I have to decide my major, pretty much, now. And so I felt slightly overwhelmed at the choice I had to make. Well, after meeting with K, and testifying that the Lord has a plan for each of us, and that He is in charge, I felt a renewed sense of strength and peace. I have decided on a path of study (which is subject to change) and I am finishing registering for classes as I type. Never a dull moment! But enough of that...
Another great moment was being able to attend the General Women's Broadcast and bring L and D along with us! It was a great meeting and they loved it. Something that really stuck out to me was: The Lord's plan should always be OUR plan. There is something so calming about that. And when life gets over-confusing, it is helpful to remember. He has a plan for each of us, and it is up to us to execute it to the best of our ability. We are happier when we are obedient and are close to Him. I love you all! Have a joyful week!
Sister Szilagyi
P.S. H wants to get baptized this weekend, so please pray for her and that everything will go well!!! =)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Pollen and Pioneer Outfits
"So. Much. Pollen."
"Yes. Our clothes, styled and paired the right way, can easily turn into
pioneer outfits. Or sister-wife outfits... Awkward."
"Home sweet home! Smiling faces, beautiful places!"
Gators and Golf Courses
"GATORS! On the golf course!"
"Reunited with my beloved Sister de St. Jeor! Happy St. Patrick's Day!"
Monday, March 23, 2015
One Thousand Mosquito Bites
Hello hello hello from this Beaufort, South Carolina sister missionary!
What shall I talk about this week? Well to begin, our mission president established a new way for us to set goals and account for them in our mission, and we have REALLY seen the miracles come from that this week! We were able to teach over 30 lessons this week! Back on track! :)
It's so wonderful to be able to follow someone that I know is doing the will of the Lord.
Some exciting events from the week:
-We went gator hunting on P-day and found three of them on the Parris Island golf course! I've been in the south this long, and still had never seen a gator, let alone three of them! It was quite the treat. Elder Saurey almost got munched because he got too close, but he survived. Elders...
-We had a wonderful zone conference in Savannah. Pollen season is upon yet again and I included pictures of our car. We had washed our car that morning before the meeting, and then 5 hours later.....? P.S. Sand fleas? Biting gnats? Whoo hoo. So fun. Poor Sister Woodard had bites all over her head and ears.
-On Tuesday, we celebrated the 173rd "birthday" of the Relief Society! (Relief Society is the women's organization of the church, and the largest in the world!) Our adorable Relief Society President planned the cutest activity, and asked us to be a part of the program. They had a pioneer dinner, a beehive piñata, and pioneer crafts. It was a great time!
-On Wednesday-Thursday, we went on exchanges with the Hilton Head Island sisters, and I was with Sister Walker again! Sister Walker and I keep following each other around to all of the same areas :) Oh yeah, I may have forgot to mention that Sister Woodard and I are Sister Training Leaders again, so much fun! The sisters in our zone are all rockstars! Anyway... we had some crazy miracles occur. Like visiting L in the hospital, and teaching the Word of Wisdom. L: "THIS is definitely wisdom! I don't know if I'm going to be perfect, but I'm going to TRY!" Have you ever taught a lesson while wearing a hospital gown and gloves? It's pretty great. I highly recommend it.
-And teaching a great lesson with A. The first thing he asked when we go to his house: "So, tell me about this Book of Mormon that I keep hearing about..." "Well A, that is exactly what we wanted to teach you about. Can we start at the beginning?" Even though he was really tired from work, the spirit was really strong and we set a baptismal date for April 18th!
-That same day, while trying to contact some referrals, we found the most AMAZING lady, named K. She is a member of the FLDS church (which has many of the same beliefs we do, but many key differences as well.) Neither Sister Walker or I had ever met an FLDS member before, and we were really excited to talk to her. At first, she wasn't having it, but by the end of the conversation, we were hugging and she's coming to the Book of Mormon class that we're having at the church. There isn't an FLDS church near where we live, so she hasn't been able to attend church, so she's really excited for the class
-We also met the most wonderful lady, P, who is suffering from early leukemia, and she just found out that the chemo that she has been enduring for the last 2 years has stopped working. But she is SO positive, and during her latest stay in the hospital, started a "blessings journal" where she began writing how God has blessed her throughout her life. Isn't she an angel?? How we met her was divine intervention. We had gotten out of the car to try knocking on her house, and her two dogs had ran out and started barking like crazy. Well, we are used to that, but as we got closer and closer, I started getting a little worried that they may attack. We walked on, and they backed off. At the door, her son said she wasn't home, and didn't know when she'd be back. Just then, P comes driving up the driveway. This whole "will this dog eat me or not?" episode caused us to pause long enough for her to come home. A great reminder to me that sometime events that seem negative at the beginning, are really the means of Heavenly Father executing His divine plan. And P, who doesn't attend church, is now praying about baptism. :)
-Another miracle this week occurred on Thursday. We had met T about a week and a half ago and she had not been happy to see us at her door. Well we went back and she let us in, and we were able to teach her one of the most spiritual Restoration lessons that I have ever been a part of. She had been taught her whole life that she wasn't supposed to "question God" or ask Him things, and that God punished you when you did. When we told her that He wants us to do that, and that is how we learn, I watched the tension and worry leave her body. We asked her, "If your son came to you and asked you a question about something that he sincerely wanted to know, would you be mad at him?" She told us, of course not. As she made the connection in her head that just as she is a parent, God is our loving Heavenly Father, tears filled her eyes. She kept telling us how happy and light she felt and pleaded with us to come back. I already love her SO MUCH!
-There are so many more things that I wish I had time to write, but the last person I will talk about is E. We were visiting potentials, and had a name and an address, and when we arrived, we soon realized that we had neither parts of our information matched where we were. We were talking with the man who lived there, when his friend (who had quickly started pulling out of the driveway when we had approached), yelled out of the car: "Y'all Jehovah's Witnesses?" This is a question we get quite often, by the way. We told him no, and explained who we were. What ended up happening, is that his friend went into his house, and E talked to us from his car for about an hour. And we got one thousand mosquito bites. He is studying to be a deacon in his church. We have an appointment with him this week. He's great.
I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have answers to people's questions and concerns. I know that this knowledge only comes from God, and I am blessed to be able to share that every single day. I love you all! Talk to ya next week!
Sister Szilagyi
What shall I talk about this week? Well to begin, our mission president established a new way for us to set goals and account for them in our mission, and we have REALLY seen the miracles come from that this week! We were able to teach over 30 lessons this week! Back on track! :)
It's so wonderful to be able to follow someone that I know is doing the will of the Lord.
Some exciting events from the week:
-We went gator hunting on P-day and found three of them on the Parris Island golf course! I've been in the south this long, and still had never seen a gator, let alone three of them! It was quite the treat. Elder Saurey almost got munched because he got too close, but he survived. Elders...
-We had a wonderful zone conference in Savannah. Pollen season is upon yet again and I included pictures of our car. We had washed our car that morning before the meeting, and then 5 hours later.....? P.S. Sand fleas? Biting gnats? Whoo hoo. So fun. Poor Sister Woodard had bites all over her head and ears.
-On Tuesday, we celebrated the 173rd "birthday" of the Relief Society! (Relief Society is the women's organization of the church, and the largest in the world!) Our adorable Relief Society President planned the cutest activity, and asked us to be a part of the program. They had a pioneer dinner, a beehive piñata, and pioneer crafts. It was a great time!
-On Wednesday-Thursday, we went on exchanges with the Hilton Head Island sisters, and I was with Sister Walker again! Sister Walker and I keep following each other around to all of the same areas :) Oh yeah, I may have forgot to mention that Sister Woodard and I are Sister Training Leaders again, so much fun! The sisters in our zone are all rockstars! Anyway... we had some crazy miracles occur. Like visiting L in the hospital, and teaching the Word of Wisdom. L: "THIS is definitely wisdom! I don't know if I'm going to be perfect, but I'm going to TRY!" Have you ever taught a lesson while wearing a hospital gown and gloves? It's pretty great. I highly recommend it.
-And teaching a great lesson with A. The first thing he asked when we go to his house: "So, tell me about this Book of Mormon that I keep hearing about..." "Well A, that is exactly what we wanted to teach you about. Can we start at the beginning?" Even though he was really tired from work, the spirit was really strong and we set a baptismal date for April 18th!
-That same day, while trying to contact some referrals, we found the most AMAZING lady, named K. She is a member of the FLDS church (which has many of the same beliefs we do, but many key differences as well.) Neither Sister Walker or I had ever met an FLDS member before, and we were really excited to talk to her. At first, she wasn't having it, but by the end of the conversation, we were hugging and she's coming to the Book of Mormon class that we're having at the church. There isn't an FLDS church near where we live, so she hasn't been able to attend church, so she's really excited for the class
-We also met the most wonderful lady, P, who is suffering from early leukemia, and she just found out that the chemo that she has been enduring for the last 2 years has stopped working. But she is SO positive, and during her latest stay in the hospital, started a "blessings journal" where she began writing how God has blessed her throughout her life. Isn't she an angel?? How we met her was divine intervention. We had gotten out of the car to try knocking on her house, and her two dogs had ran out and started barking like crazy. Well, we are used to that, but as we got closer and closer, I started getting a little worried that they may attack. We walked on, and they backed off. At the door, her son said she wasn't home, and didn't know when she'd be back. Just then, P comes driving up the driveway. This whole "will this dog eat me or not?" episode caused us to pause long enough for her to come home. A great reminder to me that sometime events that seem negative at the beginning, are really the means of Heavenly Father executing His divine plan. And P, who doesn't attend church, is now praying about baptism. :)
-Another miracle this week occurred on Thursday. We had met T about a week and a half ago and she had not been happy to see us at her door. Well we went back and she let us in, and we were able to teach her one of the most spiritual Restoration lessons that I have ever been a part of. She had been taught her whole life that she wasn't supposed to "question God" or ask Him things, and that God punished you when you did. When we told her that He wants us to do that, and that is how we learn, I watched the tension and worry leave her body. We asked her, "If your son came to you and asked you a question about something that he sincerely wanted to know, would you be mad at him?" She told us, of course not. As she made the connection in her head that just as she is a parent, God is our loving Heavenly Father, tears filled her eyes. She kept telling us how happy and light she felt and pleaded with us to come back. I already love her SO MUCH!
-There are so many more things that I wish I had time to write, but the last person I will talk about is E. We were visiting potentials, and had a name and an address, and when we arrived, we soon realized that we had neither parts of our information matched where we were. We were talking with the man who lived there, when his friend (who had quickly started pulling out of the driveway when we had approached), yelled out of the car: "Y'all Jehovah's Witnesses?" This is a question we get quite often, by the way. We told him no, and explained who we were. What ended up happening, is that his friend went into his house, and E talked to us from his car for about an hour. And we got one thousand mosquito bites. He is studying to be a deacon in his church. We have an appointment with him this week. He's great.
I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have answers to people's questions and concerns. I know that this knowledge only comes from God, and I am blessed to be able to share that every single day. I love you all! Talk to ya next week!
Sister Szilagyi
Thursday, March 19, 2015
In Love with the Houses, In Love with the South
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"Everywhere we drive, I fall in love with the houses.
And I'm always thinking, 'Mom would love these!'"
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"I. Love. The. South."
Recruit Graduation
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"Pictures from recruit graduation!"
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"Blurry, but imagine watching this while a very professional-sounding man's voice
plays over a loud speaker, giving you a play by play of every action. And the drill
instructors are just yelling their heads off at these guys."
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