Monday, 10
September
Transfer calls came today and surprised all of us.
I am the last man standing in Szombathely. The other three Elders are all
leaving. Elder Alldredge is going to Sopron with Elder Abrok, Elder
Bullock is going to Gyor, and Elder Haws to Buda. Because Elder Alldredge
will be in Sopron, he will still be in my District so I will see him each week
at District Meeting and be able to go on splits with him. On the arriving side, I will be receiving
Elder Nabrotzky. He is Elder Reese’s greenie who I mothered; is starting
his 4th transfer, and has only served in the Buda companionship
which Elder Reese and I opened. Elder Masters and Elder Jones will be
whitewashing the other companionship. Also, Elder Carlsen became the new
assistant.
In the evening we had a program with K and ate
sandwiches. K’s cat took a leak on Elder Alldredge’s backpack causing it
to reek. My miracle today is Elder Alldredge. It was great to get
to serve with him. While I’m sad we won’t get a second transfer together,
I am glad he’s still in my district and I’ll get to see what happens to him and
how he likes serving with a Hungarian.
Tuesday, 11
September
This morning I gave Elder Alldredge plenty of time to
pack. We went and found some good ant-killer to get rid of all the ones
in our apartment. We also met with A, talked about the Atonement, and
finally started talking to B. We hope to meet with her in the
future. We finished our day with Angolora, in which I read “The Family: A
Proclamation to the World.” Transfers are tomorrow. My miracle
today is an experience from three years ago.
Wednesday, 12
September
Transfers were today. We got up at 4:30 to make
sure that we’d catch our train in time. Hauling baggage (especially up
and down stairs) is always so much fun. Upon arriving in Budapest, Elder
Nabrotzky quickly joined us; and he, Elder Alldredge, Elder Haws, and I set
off. We first went and found Elder Alldredge a ukulele, which he plans on
playing a lot this coming transfer. I then took the three of them to Vaci
utca and Fuvamter (the two main souvenir places in the country). I bought
a couple of things, including 3-Player Chess.
The four of us then went back to the Mission Home and saw most of the
other Missionaries. In the late afternoon we caught our train-ride
back. We made it back with only 10 minutes to run to Spar before it
closed to buy some essential food. My miracle today is that I’m in double
digits: Transfer #10! So fast…
Thursday, 13
September
Today was my first day with Elder Nabrotzky. We
went shopping this morning and met with the other Elders for about an hour so I
could tell them about the Branch and the city and the work here. Today I
also got several programs in Z set up for tomorrow. In the evening we had our only program with D,
who Elder Nabrotzky and I both taught while in Buda. He has attended Church
a couple times, one baptism, still reads and prays weekly (not daily), and
recognizes answers and promptings to his prayers. One time he prayed due
to loneliness and then felt like God was there. My miracle for today is
that when I asked him about the baptism, he said, “Woah! This is a power
that could destroy the world in a second,” as a way to describe his feelings.
He said he’ll call us again the next time he comes up to Szombathely to visit
his parents. It was fun to get to see him yet again.
Friday, 14
September
We went to Zala today with Z. Our first program was
with Z. She read out of the Book of Mormon, but said that even after
re-reading a few sections it was still sometimes hard to understand. We
talked about prayer and how she can pray for help before and after to
understand what she reads. She also asked about what differences there
are between our Church and other churches. So we read through all 13
Articles of Faith together, talking about each one. The program went
very, very well and at the end she committed to come to Church. We then met with the A family. They had
met with Missionaries in the past. Within the first three minutes the
wife said they are willing to talk and visit with us, but, as they have told Missionaries
in the past, they have no interest in being baptized or in joining the
Church. The husband seemed like he would’ve been a lot more open if the
wife wasn’t there. In the end we only shared a spiritual thought before
leaving. After their family we met with Z.
We assisted Z in sharing a Home Teaching message. I also anointed Z, and
Z gave him a blessing at the end of our program. Today’s miracle is that
we barely caught the train. The ticket checker saw us running out of the
station and across the platforms and waited just after we got on before
shutting the door. If we had missed it, we wouldn’t have gotten back
until 11:30. Also, two other notes: Elder Nabrotzky had some very funny
mistakes while trying to speak Hunglish today; and I learned I have the same
birthday as Z.
Saturday 15
September (15 Months on Mission)
District Meeting was this morning. We have a District
that’s good at singing, and I finally found someone out here that can sing
lower than I. During the meeting, I led a training on the Book of
Mormon. It was fun to already see and talk to Elder Alldredge
again. We met with K. Her husband was there this time and we had
lunch again. She once again started saying there weren’t any differences
between our two religions, so, like with Z, we started reading the Articles of
Faith. Now she admits there are differences, just not important ones
according to her. Unfortunately, she didn’t read the Book of Mormon or
the pamphlet we gave her, and rejected our invitation to come to Church. After her program we had one cancellation and
one dog, both by members. In the evening Z called and said she can’t come
tomorrow, but will come next week for sure. At Fiatal Est we played
American Football and Capture the Flag. My miracle today is that it is
time to write about my companion, Elder Brandon Nabrotzky. He is from
Ontario, Canada, is half French, and also of some Polish decent (“Nabrotzky” is
a Polish name). He’s in his fourth transfer, having served his first
three in Buda. He is the oldest of six children, having three younger
brothers and two sisters. He’s studied German, French, the clarinet,
flute, and piano; and wants to be a music or language teacher in the
future. I’m tired and that’s about all I can think of for now.
Sunday, 16
September
Today two of the less-actives I contacted in Zalaegerszeg
came to Church. The secretaries asked me to collect addresses and contact
information for 9 members, which was crazy to try to receive before any of them
left after Church. Today’s miracle is that I was able to take the
Sacrament.
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