The Most Southern I've Ever Felt

Yesterday was President's Day, so y'all get my weekly email on Tuesday!
This week was jam-packed with excitement! Where to begin?

Monday:
-We went out teaching with President and Sister Cottle. There is something so special about teaching with your mission president and his wife. The spirit they bring to each lesson is palpable. The very first time I went teaching with them, I admit I was a bit nervous, but I actually feel overwhelmingly confident when they are with us! The Spirit is the best teacher. We met an awesome guy named R a few weeks back, can't remember if I told you about him... but we taught the first lesson with him and it went SO WELL! He wasn't able to come to church this Sunday, but he's coming next Sunday! And he is so excited to read the Book of Mormon. His two friends were there as well, and it just seemed as though they are all so prepared. They sat on the edge of the couch, listening intently and asking very thoughtful questions. At the end of the lesson, R's roommate C (who just lost his grandmother) asked, "You know how we were talking about how God talks to us? Can he talk to us through the death of someone else?" They are both so ready for this message of love and hope and being able to be with our families forever :)

-We also went to the W's for a family home evening. Bro W is a member who is now active again (he gave a wonderful talk on Sunday), and Sis W was baptized at the end of last year, and is absolutely amazing. We taught the 10 commandments, using hand signals, and I think President really got a kick out of it.

Tuesday:
-A few weeks back, a girl in our ward who attends Wesleyan College (an all girls college here in Macon), asked us missionaries to present a 45 minute presentation on campus on "Misconceptions of the Mormon Church" and include a question and answer session afterwards. The LDS church had never been represented before, and we were all VERY excited for this opportunity and we were all anxious to make this the best presentation the school had ever seen ;) So we had been working overtime to make this thing perfect, and Tuesday was the big day. It ended up being SUCH an amazing experience. Different members came (including our stake president who is a professor at Wesleyan), and many students and faculty members. We addressed concerns/misconceptions, watched videos, tried to make them laugh, and included our testimonies throughout. It was wonderful. During the Q & A, a lady who was in charge of the religious studies at Wesleyan raised her hand. I had been convinced throughout the presentation that she wasn't our biggest fan, but this is the comment/question she gave: "When I was living in Florida, our church was planning a humanitarian trip to Guatemala. One of our members contacted Salt Lake City and asked if the LDS church could donate supplies for our trip. Box after box arrived on our front step, absolutely free, the church paid the shipping and everything, no questions asked. I have always been very impressed by the generosity of your church... and my question for you is....... How do you have such conviction? What makes you do things like that?" *Silence* How's that for the best question ever?? Man, it was just the best.

-We had an awesome day contacting MANY people and finding new investigators, and even managed to wash a car that afternoon with sweet G!

-The cherry on top of an incredible day, was having dinner at the swamp with Bro P. Now, if you don't know P, then you just don't know anybody. He is the kind of man that knows everyone, and everyone knows him. And he has property wayyy out in the middle of nowhere which he has dubbed, "the swamp." Please picture this, if you can, Bro P, who looks exactly like Santa Clause, dressed in his denim overalls, standing on the edge of the river, roaring fire before him, GIGANTIC motor-home off to the side (which includes a full size kitchen, queen size bed, and various tv's, one placed on the OUTSIDE OF THE MOTOR-HOME)... Bro P's grandson on the grill, little Christmas lights strung from the motor-home to the big ol' swamp tree, which bares the sign, riddled with bullet holes: "Trespassers will be shot." We sat around that campfire and taught the elders' investigator, A, all about the Plan of Salvation, and then ate BBQ while watching the Restoration, which was playing on the tv stuck to the outside of the motor-home. I think that was the most Southern I've ever felt on my mission folks.

Wednesday:
-We met a less-active member the other week and she was really nice, but when we went back and saw her on Wednesday, she didn't want anything to do with us. We asked questions and tried to understand what had changed, and I could tell that there were certain aspects and habits in her life that she knew she was going to have to change if she wanted to to be an active member of the church again. And that was too overwhelming to her. And so she was immediately defensive and angry. Normally we would have asked if there was anything we could do for her, and then leave, but the Spirit told me to stay. We expressed our love for her, and told her we cared about her and her situation, and then I asked if she had a copy of the Book of Mormon. She said that in her last move, she had lost many of her belongings, including her Book of Mormon. I asked if it would be okay if we could bring on to her, and her whole demeanor changed. She responded that she would love that. At the end of our visit on her porch, she hugged both of us and said, "You know what? Y'all might make me change my mind... not makin' any promises now, but y'all can come back and visit with me, I think that would be okay..." :)

Skip to Friday:

-Friday was Ms. M's 84th birthday! Ms. M has been an investigator for pretty much 84 years... okay maybe not, but everyone knows Ms. M, and she's just a hoot and a half. She says that she's 48, and is so frustrated when she can't mop her floors and clean her house like she wants to. Well, we brought her two b-day cards and a balloon, and she was just as happy as a clam.

-That night, Sister Bell and I started making valentines to pass out for Saturday, and I ended up cutting out over 200 hearts to decorate valentines.

Saturday:

-Valentine's Day! And do you know what the best way to celebrate Valentine's Day is? Pass out valentines to all of the single ladies in your ward, decorate their doors, AND go to a wedding!

Yepp, you heard that right. Many months ago, my friend Alivia Burnham wrote about attending a wedding on her mission, and about how awkward it was.... well I now totally understand. I just didn't know how to feel. As a missionary, we don't think about lovey-dovey things and I just didn't know what to do.... what do I do with my face? what do I do with my hands? Struggles.... but can we talk about the cuteness of those little boys passing out the programs with their matching bow-ties?

Sunday:

-This was a miracle day as well! Just one story from the day will have to be B. Sis Bell and I were walking down a street, when we saw B and his cousin standing in a driveway. We went over to say hello and B, who is a 50-something white guy with a sharp sense of humor, a laugh, and a hand tattoo, started telling us about how he talked to two white boys with name tags just the other week and how he scared them off. He told us all about how he grew up Southern Baptist, but how he no longer believes in God, because how could a loving father allow such horrible things happen in this world? Well, we talked to B for about an hour in his driveway, and by the end of our conversation, he had a Book of Mormon in his hand, a return appointment, and him and his cousin told us, "You know, I've learned more in the 45 minutes of us standing here, and you've made more sense, than in 20 years of attending my church." Some day, B is going to be Bishop B. And I am so excited.

I love you all soooooooo much. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Miracles occur. Happiness exists. People love each other. Strangers do kind things. I love my mission.

Love, Sister Szilagyi

P.S. Pictures to come next week!