Week 55

Hellooooooooooooo!:)

How is everyone doing!? I know life in Hungary just got a little different! We just got our transfer calls and it turns out that Elder Watson is going to open a companionship in Szeged and I am getting one of the missionaries from his group, named Elder Bagley:) Apparently, he is just a load of fun and one of the funniest guys ever:) I cannot wait to meet him tomorrow, which means we are going to be going to Budapest to meet up and then come back together. So, long day tomorrow. This last week with Elder Watson was crazy! We worked so hard, and we set some really high goals at the beginning of the week. For example, we remembered how on the Best Two Years, the elders give out 62 Books of Mormon in one week. So, we set a super high goal too, of 40... Ya, I had no idea how we were supposed to get that when on average we give out like 2 or 3 a week. So, we went out and attacked it. We decided also, that if we work, every single second, in one week. We can hit a total of about 51 working hours. So, we set the goal of getting "51 for the Son". Ya, well, now let me tell you how our week went:)

Monday: We met with a member, her name is E:) She is super cool, and she even brought her little dog! He was the cutest little guy ever, and he was super obedient for just being 1 year and a half. Then we talked with her about member missionary work and how it can be hard sometimes, but it is definitely worth doing. Then we finished the program and went over to the store and bought some chocolate...:) Ya, I definitely got some with some Chips Ahoy in it:) Wow, chocolaty goodness:)

Tuesday: Woke up and went out and shot some baskets together for a little while. It is actually a form of exercise that I like:) Then we felt impression to go to this little corner out in the middle of nowhere and just start tracting it like crazy. So we went over there and started. And holy cow, we found so many cool people! We started talking to a bunch of old grandmas, and they totally loved it! They told us to come back with our messages and one of them, totally asked how much the Book of Mormon was. We told her free, and she said, no, I have to give you all something. Do you like snacks? So naturally, we nodded our heads and she brought a little bag of cooked snacks:) Nice woman. Then we went and met with a couple of our investigators. A women and her daughter. We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how this week we are trying the flood the city with Books of Mormon, and they accepted the challenge to give the Books to people who would read it and who would appreciate them:) Then at the end of the lesson, the woman gave the closing prayer, and when we looked up afterwards, she was broke out in tears. It was so powerful, I love how the Spirit can touch people's hearts, all we have to do is act. Once we act, then God is just waiting to bless us. Then, here is a fun story. We started tracting in our area again, and this 18 year old girl answers the door. Well, I told her we want to get to know the Hungarians better and stuff, and she was like... ok. Well, she stood at the door! So then I asked, "well, here at the gate or where?" hahaha, and she was like, come on in! So we got talking to her and gave her a Book of Mormon and she wanted to meet again and talk about it!:) it was super cool!

Wednesday: So, last night we did a small split and today I was with Elder Young in our apartment. Well, we both woke up and we felt sooooo sick. Ya, I definitely got a cold. So, we still went out and worked and did a bunch of look ups and stuff. After, we switched back and Watson and I went over to a member's home who skyped with the MTC. Just like last week, and we got to see a few more missionaries coming out! It was super cool. Then we went and played some basketball with the boys, and that was super good too!:) So, no big deal:)

Thursday: Wow, so today was super cool too. So we had some time again to go tracting, and we got rejected for a solid hour and a half. Like sometimes it is understandable how people say no, but for the most part you usually get someone to at least be nice about it. No, today everyone was just mean and did not want anything to do with us. So, we pushed on. We took a little breather, and took some fun pictures for like 10 minutes, and then pushed on further. Well, right after that break, a women came out and talked to us for a good 30 minutes all about the church, and then another man came out and talked to us too! Then, get this. We see this huge home!!! Like, the size of one in America. So, we looked at each other and said, "we have to do this." So, we went to the gate and there was 8 door bells. So, Watson rang all of them at the same time. No one came out. Then, we checked the gate, and it was OPEN!!!! So, we went in, and started walking down the super long driveway! We got to the front door and knocked. Man, we were soooooo scared. Then, a 28 year old woman answered the door and she happened to be really nice. We got talking and she even gave us some drinks since it was super hot outside. Then, I also noticed that they hunt! I saw a freakin Hippo head on the wall, and a European Elk mount next to it. So I brought up how I hunt, and that was a super good topic as well! So, she said that sometime she would have to invite us hunting and have us over! That was super cool, and get this, she was making Mushrooms with Deer!!! Like I have not heard of Deer since America... weird. hahahaha:)

Friday: Had district meeting today, and talked about setting SMART commitments. It was pretty good, hahaha. To go along with our super high goals, Watson and I right after the meeting went right back to work. We literally talked to everyone and their dog! We saw people on benches and talked to them, people outside on their porches on the 5th floor, and yelled at them our message!:) Literally, all the time:) Also, 3 boys in this ward came and met with us and we had them teach some of us just like we were role playing. It brought so many memories from the MTC. hahaha, It just bore testimony to me that if you want to be a good teacher, you have to study the word of God, you have to live it, and you have to pray for the Spirit. But these boys will be super good teachers, that is already sure:) Then Watson and I came home and we wanted to make Fajitas, but unfortunately we had no flours to make the tortillas... So, we ended up just eating them with rice:) it was still amazing like we thought it would be. It was so hot, that it was painful to keep shoving it down our throats! hahahaha, but it was soooooooo good!:)

Saturday: Once more, we went to Sport day and played more soccer. hahaha. But then when we got done, we met with all the boys again to help them with their teaching and mission preparation. And this time, they taught the other elders, and it was super good. They are coming along pretty good:) Well, then once more, we had time to go tracting, and since we want to meet our goals, we cannot afford to not go to the right area. So we prayed for guidance and felt to go in the same exact spot. Well, when we got there, it was like another jackpot!:) I cannot even describe this! Like, I have never had so much success on my mission ever. It is crazy!:) We talked to many people and talked about the Book of Mormon with all of them and they said to come back and talk more!!! Then, we went over to S''s house, and we taught her little sister, her, and then got haircuts from mom:) We also played some more go fish with the kids since we taught them that game last time:)

Sunday: hahaha, get this. All the investigators who came to church were under the age of 14. What!? Ya, we teach a bunch of youngins:) hahaha, but Watson and I had to teach sunday school, and we had no idea about it til late last night. So, we just decided to use Preach My Gospel, and we flipped open to Chirstlike Attributes and had everyone learn about those. It was a super good lesson, I hope it sticks with them all:) Oh yeah, it was the youth sunday school!:) then we went to a member's home, and they happened to live just outside of the main city in a little village. They cooked us some breaded chicken and pork and real mashed potatoes. It was like an American meal. It was soooooo good:) I was in heaven. then we went inside their home and they had a digital shower!! Like what!? Then we also tried out their "fat shaker"... That thing was ridiculous. I felt all my fat on my whole body just shaking real slow, and also real fast. It was so disgusting!:) Then we came home and finished out planning.

Monday: Well, we went out and met with P. She is super cool and went to the FSY camp, kinda like the EFY in America. She really loved it, but she had questions and stuff about the church. She came to us today and said she wants to go all in and do this, or just get out. And right now, she needs to make that choice. Well, we are praying for her. Then we met with a couple others. But, R is one of our highlights. She is the girl we tracted into on Tuesday who said to come back. She said to wait for her. So we waited at her door for 15 minutes. Well, she came out and it turns out that people stole her watch and it was her bday present. She just got it. But we talked to her and tried to help her cheer up. I think it went pretty well, we also had the chance to talk about eternal marriage and stuff, and how she does not believe in marriage. But, I hope that we can help:) Then we also went and met with a girl named D. She too, is young and wanting to learn english. We taught about the gospel at the end, and she had a lot of questions and stuff!!! I was thrilled to hear them! She is going to be a really good investigator!:)

Well, that was basically our week. We got our goals. We gave out 46 Books of Mormon and 51 working hours. We are sooooo exhausted. Both of us got sick and still are a little. But it was a good last go for the both of us together. We had a ton of fun this transfer and we look forward to the future when we can do a lot more together. I love Elder Watson. He really has changed me. I can't wait to email you next week again! Love you all tons.

Nichols Elder

Week 54

Hey friends and family of mine!

I hope that all is well at home, I know that everything is going super good in the mission. I would like to briefly talk about what is happening in the mission right now, and what kind of miracles and blessings we are seeing and witnessing right now. I can say this without a doubt in my mind, that Elder Watson and I were meant to serve together. We are bestest of friends. I consider myself very lucky to serve with him, especially since we have had the chance to serve together now going on 9 weeks. Next weeks email will be on Tuesday since it will be transfers. I am nervous, I am pretty sure we will be split up, but I know that it will be done according the Lord's will. Well, all I can say is bring it on! We are going to find, teach, and baptize. That is what we do, and that is what I am going to continue doing:)

Monday: We went to a member's home and played some games with the other elders. We had some good fun and got to know her and her situation better. Oh ya, and we also got dogged, twice. It was so dumb, but I know that everything happens for a reason, so I guess we keep pushing on with a smile:)

Tuesday: Happy Birthday to my mother!!! I love ya to death!!!!:):) So, today we woke up and talked about our transfer, and what we have seen, and what we would still like to see. There is tons!! So, we made some changes, set some new goals, and are striving to hit them!:) We then went to a program, and we got to her building, called her on the outdoor phone, and she let us in the building. Now, get this. She lives in a giant 11 story building. So, we get in and we head to the elevator. Well, at the elevator, a man sees us and starts questioning us!!! Hahaha, "who are you guys!? Oh wait, you're the Mormons!! Who let you in! Who let you in! Why are you in the building!!" hahaha, this guy was asking so many questions. So I told him, we are visiting someone, and he did not believe us! Then, I even showed him the Palacsinta stuff(Hungarian pancake). And he was like, "oh, sorry guys." Then he started walking away, and to top it all off, Watson asks in a super loud booming voice, "You okay!?" Ha, the guy turned around and said yes. hahaha, we got in the elevator and had a super good laugh about it:) Then we went to our program and made these Hungarian pancakes. She taught us some good tricks and how to make them without making a mess. It was super cool!:) We even got a video of Elder Watson flipping a pancake in the air, and failing miserably:) It was fun:) Then we went to English Class and taught the last lesson in the 10 week program. So, now we have to start over. Ugh:) then we met with Sz, our super cool 24 year old girl investigator. She came, and we invited her to stay and watch the broadcast from Germany which is for the women. She said ok and stayed and watched the whole thing with us! It was weird to hear Bednar and Ballard in Hungarian, but it was super good!:) Then we met with her for a quick moment at the end because it was getting late:)

Wednesday: Well, you know how my bike got stolen a couple weeks ago? Ya, well they called me and told me that I need to go in and do an interrogation. It was great. ha, we got there with the other elders, and then the policeman told me only I could go with him. So, I told him I brought the others because they speak better Hungarian, and he said, " you understand me though, know how to write, and can speak back right!?" I said yes, and off we went. So, the other 3 stayed in the lobby. I ended up talking about what happened that night and stuff and signing a bunch of paperwork. Then, he started asking me questions about why am I here, why do I hold a free English class. Why are we here basically. And I told him, planted a seed, left our number and left:) It was cool. Then we went tracting for a little while. While tracting, we tracted into this nice old woman who was nice enough to share her homemade raspberry syrup with us. It was super good:) Then we also ran into some girls coming back from Handball practice. So we told them how we hold a free English class and stuff and man, there was one of them that could not stop blushing and she was like dumbfounded! hahaha, her friends had to pull her away!:) It gave us a good laugh! Then we went over to one of our member's homes, and she was skyping the MTC, because apparently that is what they do now a days. They skype with real speakers and that is how they learn the language now. Cool, so we got to skype with her and talk to the new kids coming in in a week. Then we went and played basketball with a member and a bunch of his friends. We placed some Books of Mormon there too. It was super good:) Then we came back to the branch house and met with E, an inactive member. She is young too. So, we talked about good, better, and best. And how there is a good way to do things, but there is always a best way. And we need to find those ways and apply them into our lives.

Thursday: Year mark!:) Craziness!!!! We cleaned our apartment like for an hour or so because we got a phone last night that there would be cleaning checks. So, we hurried and cleaned, which it was already pretty clean. So, no big deal. Then we went to Zone Training, and we heard from our Zone Leaders about "How to begin teaching" and "making commitments" and then President was there too and he talked about doing the work of the Lord, "the Lord's way". It was super cool. Plus, our DVD players got taken away because people have been abusing them. But, President made a very good point. That in the US and in Western Europe and South America, they have Ipads and Iphones. Well, if we want those for our work too, then we need to prove that with our tools(the brick telephones), we are responsible and ready. Hahaha, but I completely agree with him:) Then we went out and tracted some more, and then came back to get ready for English class. We were super excited coming into this English class, because we were going to do something we have never done before. We wanted to help our English students start speaking and practice way more in class!!! So, that is what we did. We played games and talked a lot!:)

Friday: I have been reading a lot from Jesus the Christ, and I am finding so many good and powerful spiritual things in it. I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying reading from it. I love looking how the world hated him and loved him, and how much the world hates us and loves us. It is not extreme like it was then, but it still exists. And since we wear Christ's name on our shirts, we literally represent Him. We will be mocked by people. The world WILL not like us, but we will be strong, and push on:) Then we went out tracting and streeting and found a guy who has a Book of Mormon and reads from it occasionally, and we set up to meet with him. Then, right after, we streeted a girl, who was interested in meeting, but it got kinda sketchy when she said she liked our accents. All well, we will see what comes from this:) Then we went to Youth Night, and NO ONE came. It was so dumb! hahaha, so I fingered(terribly) "called to serve" on the piano and Elder Watson belted it!!! Oh, and we were on the phone with a member during all of this. We also said a prayer, gave a commitment, and then left:) It was funny:)

Saturday: Well, just like I said, we met with that girl that we met yesterday. Well, she brought her sister with her!! So, like a double date. Awkward. Well, we talked and stuff and got to know them. We told them why we are here and what our purpose is and stuff and they wanted to meet and learn more! It actually turned out to be a super good meeting!:) Except at the end, where we might have blown it. We said goodbye, and then gave them high fives, and what happened, they looked at us like we were crazy. They said, " we give puszi(the Hungarian kissing greeting) in Hungary". And then we looked at each other and said, " we have never done that. " Hahaha, so then we left. Ya, I hope that did not blow it. Oh... women. hahahahahahahahahahaha. Then we went and played some ball with a kid and we invited him to church, and he also said he had been reading from the Book of Mormon! Then we went and caught a bus and headed out to meet with one of our investigators. We took their dog on a walk, played some go fish, and then left them with a lesson on praying and reading as a family. It was super good. This investigator, is super cool! She really wants to do the right thing.

Sunday: We set some good goals for what we wanted to accomplish as a companionship this possibly "last" week together. We came up with a few goals. One, "51 for the Son". 51 working hours this week. That is a lot. Then, "We are W.A.N!" W.A.N(Watson and Nichols)." Ya, we are going to rock it this week:) I pray and hope for it.

Well, I love you all. I miss you. I pray for you. I love this mission. It bears testimony to me over and over again how important the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in our lives. I am proud of who I am, and I want to share it with EVERYONE! Well, see ya later!

Nichols Elder

Week 53

Wow, Week 53!!!!

Where is time flying!? I cannot believe this. I still remember the day I left home like it was yesterday. The memory is still engraved in my head. I have specific memories still in my head of my MTC days, first transfer in the country, second, third, all the way up to now! And besides me being terrible at my journal at the beginning of my mission, I have the memories written down. I hope that one day I will be able to share them all with you:) This week has been craziness. I hope that I am able to write all of it down. Well, here I go!

Monday: So we went over to our new converts home and visited with her and her granddaughter. Well, in a quick summary. They are doing... ok. The gma is having a hard time trying to help a young 12 year old girl grow up and the 12 year old girl is having a hard time with no parents. Both parents of the girl are not there for her at all. It is truly sad. After this program, and when we finally got home at night, I started saying prayers intensely for this situation to get better and for them to find something to help the situation get resolved.

Tuesday: So we went tracting out in the middle of nowhere basically, thinking that these homes have probably never been tracted before. Right, that is a good train of thought. So, we started knocking on these doors, and it was raining of course during the whole thing, and no one came to the door. So, we started walking back to the city center to meet with a new woman. Well, on the way there. It started pouring rain! Like hard!!! It was quite funny, because we both had umbrellas, but we still got really wet! Then we had this program with this woman, and she said she knew that everything we taught was true and stuff, and that she loved our church. But that she cannot come to church because she cannot leave her dog home alone. So, we are trying to figure out that situation... Ugh.  Then we went to the branch house and met with S, our 14 year old girl of awesomeness! We talked about the For Strength of Youth pamplet! It was a good overview, and then we even opened it up and read some:) Then we taught english class, and let me tell you. English class was crazy today! We had a ton of people show up, and they were all pretty loud too. Ugh, it was rough but fun:) Then we met with S, our 24 year old girl. She is super cool too. But in the lesson, she expressed to us how her best friend's husband just died in a car crash yesterday, and how the family and her best friend are really having a hard time with all of this. So, we talked about the plan of Salvation, and went into a little detail of where he would be going, and what is going to be happening. Then, at the end. She asked me if I would say the prayer, and after the prayer, I looked up, and she was definitely feeling something at the end of it. It was really powerful. We gave her Alma 40 to 42 to read. I hope that it helps. Then we went over to one of the member's homes here, and she has never cut hair before in her life. But, I told her I NEEDED a haircut, like ASAP. So, she looked up a couple youtube videos, and went for it. It turned out ok, if I do say so myself:)

Wednesday: We went tabling, and what do you know, it starts to pour again. I hate the rain. So, we waited it out, and then went back out. Well, Elder Watson and I split up a little bit on the street. We were not too far from each other, maybe like 20 meters or so. And then the next thing I know, I look over and he is next to the window of a van, and the guy in the van is yelling through the window at him! hahaha, I kept watching, and Elder watson put his ear to the window, kept trying to communicate, and the guy was doing signs and yelling the whole time. Well, Elder Watson comes back smiling, and tells me the guy would not roll down his window, and he was yelling through the window that he had a Book of Mormon already. Elder Watson said he tried to tell the man to open the door or the window, and he just kept going. hahha, I thought it was super funny to hear about! Then we went tracting, and we tracted into a super nice guy. He is a 20 year old who plays for the soccer team in Győr. He is super cool, the only difference is that he was not too terribly interested in the whole religion thing. More of the English was better to him. Then, I got a call that took us to the branch house. There was apparently a woman there that was asking for translating help from the missionaries. So I went in there and it turns out that this woman was filing for financial help from the Jews. All the stuff on the paperwork was in English and she needed me to translate it into Hungarian for her. It was rough. Ugh. hahahaha, i have never used some of those words before in my life in English neither! Then we went to hang out with a member and his 6 buddies. We played basketball with all of them and then talked to them about the church and why we are here. They are getting more and more interested in the whole thing. I am super happy about what will be happening with them in the weeks to come.

Thursday: So, we woke up in the morning and went and shot some baskets. Well the good news is that Watson helped me out a ton. He helped me with my shot, with some good moves to help make me better and stuff. He is a stud. I love him to death. Then we went streeting/tracting for like a couple of hours. Well in the midst of this, Watson led us to a part of the city, and then did not know what to do. So he asked me, and then I led us a little further and guess what! We were blessed with the chance to meet this super good guy who was watching his young boy play in the playground. Turns out the guy is a pizza chef and said he would give us a free pizza if we can help him with his English and talk more about the church. So, we are looking forward to that meeting sometime in this next week:) Then we met with S again. She is having a hard time. She is now starting to realize how hard it is to find good friends in this world. So, Watson paid for us to go out to dinner and stuff, it went well and she started feeling better too!:)

Friday: We went and shot some baskets again, and then we went to district meeting. Well, I taught a little about the Spirit, and how important it is to receive personal revelation on the mission to continue this work. Then we went out and told ourselves that we were "master streeters", and we stopped like everyone, even in the awkward times, and it worked really well:) Then we went and met with M, our convert. Now, if you remember from earlier in my email, last time we met with her was Monday. And I started praying super hard for them. Well, when we got there, it was incredible. Her husband and her just talked to us for like ever about how we are such good examples to their granddaughter and how they have seen a change in her. The husband started asking more questions about the Mormons, and he said many times, I like the Mormons:) I like them the best. So we are going to start trying to teach him in the future:) it was super cool!

Saturday: We had sport day like normal. And it was super funny. A couple of the brothers that come to sport day, were on one that day. They were like yelling at each other and stuff. It just made me realize how grateful I am for my brother, and our relationship. I hope it continues to grow and get better and better. Then we went over to S's home and made some muffins with her and her family, and also got haircuts. Well Watson got one, and then the mom looked at my hair and said, "we need to fix this..." so I got it even shorter!!! hahahaha, it was great. Then we shared a message and left:)

Sunday: It was a super good sunday. I do not have a lot to say about this, but I will say this. My companion Elder Watson got up and bore his testimony about how important missionary work is, and then right after him, one of the members who we meet with to help him prepare for a mission got up and did the same. And man, I was feeling the Spirit super strong, and to top it off, we sang "Tudom, hogy a Megváltom él."(I know that my redeemer lives) It just shot through me, and gave me shivers and made me smile the rest of the hour:) It was incredible!:)

So, that was my week. It was full of fun experiences, and I cannot wait to find more and more for this next week! I love you all, and I wish the best for you all!:)

Nichols Elder

Week 52

Hello friends and family!! Guess what, I am on Week 52... Scary. I cannot believe it. In one week will be my year mark out from home. That is scary to think about. Not because I am scared or something, but more of the knowledge that I am half way done. Of course I would love to come home and see the family and friends, but I do not want to give up this work that I have started. It is a whole different kind of satisfaction that words cannot describe. I hope all is well at home, and I hope that God is watching over all of you, as I know He is:)

Tuesday: After emailing and stuff, we went to English class and taught. It was a super good English class just like any other. We try and help our students learn while having fun. When we get a good laugh out of people, it is definitely worth it. We then had the privilege to go to the city hall building and take a tour. It was super cool because no one was in the building but us and the security guard. And!!!! He just gave us the keys and we were able to go up the tower and see rooms and stuff by ourselves! Well, we got to the top and I took a lot of pictures. So I will send a few:)

Wednesday: Ha, we decided to go tabling today and try to talk to some people on the street. It has been a long since we did this and that is why we chose to go out and do it today. Well, get this. I am out away from the table talking to people and stuff, and Watson was watching the table and talking to everyone there. Well, out of nowhere comes this man. He speaks like good English, and he seemed a little out of it. But he comes up, and says, "is this the Book of Mormon?" And Watson said yes. And the man said, "good, I need a good book to skim through right now." And so he sat down and Watson tried starting a conversation with him about the Book of Mormon and stuff. Well, apparently the man said that his writings have been around for 25,000 years, and that he is greater than God. He also said that we are crazy and that we are proclaiming false doctrine. Then he got up and left. Well, then he came back! He said, " I listen to my thoughts, and I thought I should leave. But now I feel I should come back." Ha, and he started all over again and left in a huff. Ha. The funny part was when I looked over and I see Watson just shaking his head no to the man. Ha, and then we left:) It was entertaining:) Then we streeted over towards the college here in Győr. Turns out, the basketball team was playing(well practicing) while we were there. But we did find a nice court that is free as long as no one is playing on it. So then we went home and I started calling people from the Area Book and potential investigators. Well, I set up with 3!! That was super cool! Others said to call back later!:) Then to end the night, Christensen shot me a call and we talked for a little while about how he is going home tomorrow and stuff. Man, I really love that man. I am going to miss him.

Thursday: So we woke up early in the morning and went and played some basketball against one another. It was super fun. It just let me know really how out of shape I am and how fat I have become. hahahahahaha:) Then we came home and got ready for the day. Then we went out and met with a man we tracted into last week. He was nice and super cool, just not big into religion. Well, as we were leaving, I look over and I see Watson trying to leave this man a Book of Mormon. The man would not accept. So the second he was not looking, Watson hid the book in a different stack of books. hahaha. Now, here is the funny part. We were talking about how one day he will read it and then maybe he will become curious. But out of nowhere, the man comes riding up with his bike and says, "Boys!! You forgot this!" Oh man... failed attempt. ha:) Then we went to the branch house to meet with S, our super cool young investigator. She did not look to happy today, which is totally understandable because she said her bag and her Book of Mormon and her church pamphlets all got stolen out of her car today while she was at Spar(the store like walmart here). That was super sad to hear about. Especially since she said she just started reading from the Book from the beginning. Ugh!!! So, we took her out to dinner(a cheap dinner of course) and bought her an ice cream cone:) And then hooked her up with all the books and stuff again:)

Friday: Today in personal study, I hit a very good subject. I read about relying on the Spirit. This section really hit me today. I noticed that sometimes I really on my talents, and I think about how I can help these people. Then, it hit me, that if we rely on the Spirit, even forget our talents, and rely on him, then it will work out. Then he will use our talents where they are needed. It was cool:) Then we met with a few people and then went to the youth night. The game we played was like Apples to Apples, but instead of words, you play with pictures. It was interesting. And I definitely lost. Oops;)

Saturday: I read about Abinadi this morning, and how he sealed his words with his blood. That is deep. And the same thing happened with Joseph and Hyrum Smith. These men all gave their lives, and put them down on the line for this. It made me stop and think about the hardships, the trials, the pain and the sufferings that these men went through. Then we went to sport day. There, we actually tried to play Ultimate Frisbee. Ya, big fail. Ha, pretty sure my brother Nate would be very disappointed in it;) Then we went and got a snack before we started tracting, to give us some energy you know. And while there, an Italian man comes in and asks if we speak English. So, we turned around and said,"a little bit." Ha. And then we led this young kid to the change shop so he could exchange his money. Then we went tracting, and while tracting we got 4 referrals from someone! Talk about the jackpot! Then we tried to get into another building. And the first doorbell that Watson rings, the conversation went like this, well, in Hungarian. "We came to talk to people." the other woman on the talker machine thingy, "what!?" "we came to talk to people." "are you sure?" "uh... yeah, we are sure!" "I don't believe you." and watson was like "but how do you know!?" then she says, "because you are not Hungarian!!" beep. That was it. Ha, I was laughing so hard that I could barely stand up! ha, I have never heard a conversation like that before. Ha, so we decided maybe we should street instead:) ha. We went out streeting and met a bunch of cool foreigners and they all spoke English! They were asking us if we could teach them Hungarian. That would be sweet! Then we went and played some basketball with one of our investigators. Then we taught him a little. Ha the funniest thing. While playing ball, a couple couples sat on the benches around the court like where the crowd would sit, and started to watch us. No pressure right. But then they all started to make out!!! Ugh, Hungarians and public display;) Then we were walking home and Watson turned to me and said "dude!!" really loud, and he scared some Hungarian boys. ha, we apologized for the loud noise and how we did not want to scare them, and then we continued on. Well, Watson told me, "we need to turn back." So we did, and we ended up setting up with them:) then we went to dinner with the other elders, and while at dinner, we saw this dude who looked like a basketball player. So Watson got up from the today and started talking to him. Turns out, he is from Florida and he played college ball. He has been playing Europe Ball for 5 years. And he invited us to go play with him sometime with his buds. But, it is in Slovakia. Lame. Then we also met that Italian boy who I talked about earlier in the restaurant too! We got his number and all is good:)

Sunday: I translated for a man from Portugal, and that was exhausting. Ha. Then we went to the youth classes for church since the 2 investigators we had show up to church were 14 and 12 year old girls. Ha. So we learned about marriage and families. It was good:)

Well, that was my week. It was long, it was exhausting, but it was super great!:) Right now it is pouring rain and it is ceasing to stop. So, I have my trusty umbrella and I am conquering it:) I love you all, and I know that our Heavenly Father does too. He knows each and every single one of us perfectly. Just think about that, perfectly. I love the sound of that:) Miss ya

Nichols Elder

Week 51

Hey everyone!

So, good news! I am staying with Elder Watson another 4 weeks here in Győr! I am super happy about this call because we both love serving together(or so he says;) and we have a lot more work to do! I hope that the work continues to move forward and that we will continue to complete the Lord's work. I can tell you right now, this last has been a crazy one! So, I will start sharing it with you all!

Monday: So after our little hour of emailing, we went and taught our bap date who is planned for getting baptism on this coming Saturday:) She is doing really good and reading through the Book of Mormon like it is nothing. She is just soaking it up! We are literally her guides on this journey. She is doing all of it! Ha. Then we came to the branch house and met with L. He is a super cool guy who has been meeting with the missionaries for a while. He mostly focuses on English and has already been taught all the lessons multiple times. We went in there and bore super strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and a member helped us out. She bore strong testimony and she really brought in the Spirit. It was so strong in the lesson that you could just feel it, and you could tell that he did too. Then the other elders, the 2 elders from a close by city(on splits with the zone leaders) and our sweet member friend B had a "cheese night!!!" We deep fried cheese and ate it all. Oh man, that was sooo much cheese it was a joke. Ha:)

Tuesday: We held a mini sport day and played some good soccer. It was super fun! So, then we took one of our other member friends to every single one of our programs today. She was a super big help, I mean it does help that she served in Utah as a missionary and totally knows what she is doing in programs. Today, we taught our bap date about the commandments, and she says she drinks coffee 3 times a day! We told her about why it is important to keep the commandments and what kind of blessings we can receive if we do. She said she would try to keep it! She is doing super good and we are looking forward to this Saturday.

Wednesday: We met the other elders and went and played basketball with them and then it turned into a little 1 on 1 with Watson:) Let me just say, he is super good. Ha:) Then we came to the branch house and played a little monopoly:) Ya, I totally was the one to win that game. What can I say, I rock;) Ha, then we ordered a huge pizza and some fruit soups to go with it:) Then we went and walked around the city and talked and got to know each other. And then with the other elders, we went over to one of our investigator's homes and held a talent show, ate a ton of sweets and talked:) It was a super fun day! Oh, and for those who do not know, this is like the biggest Hungarian Holiday. August 20 is a huge deal here, so we had the day off:)

Thursday: So we had programs all over the city! So we did a lot of walking. Then, we saw some tourists and we thought maybe we should help them, but as we were walking Elder Watson just walked straight into a pole!!!!!! It was so funny! He bent the thing right over:) Oh it was priceless. I could not stop laughing for the longest time. Our bap date passed the interview given by the zone leaders, so we are looking like the baptism is going to go through on Saturday. Then we went back to the branch house to hold English class, and while at English class, one of the members came up to me and said, "dude, your bike was stolen!!!" I was like laughing and totally thought he was playing a prank on me. So, I went outside to look and sure enough, the bike lock was snapped with big loppers and left there on the ground and my bike was gone and Elder Watson's remained. So.. The members called the police and I had to wait for like an hour and a half for them to take my info and stuff and ask me a million questions. Then when they finally finished. They said they would call me later to set up a time when I can go into the police station to get interrogated... Lovely... right. Ha:)

Friday: We had district meeting, and then right after since it was Elder Hansen's birthday, we went over to a members and had lunch. So, then we took our 14 year old investigator girl to all of our programs today. Mainly because we were meeting with a lot of youth. So, that went super well. Like really! The lesson we shared on prayer was soooooo good! And she made them all feel welcome to come and participate in activities with us and to do fun stuff with us:) I was super happy about how it turned out:) Then we went to a member's house and talked about missionary work, and then she fed us Hungarian pancakes, with chocolate sauce stuffed in them:)

Saturday: We had the real sport day today, and man it was packed with people!:) After the sport day, we went home and got all ready for the baptism that was going to take place. Ya mom, my baptism pants still fit, somehow;) And so we took a lot of pictures and then started the program. It was super good, and I had the privilege to baptize her. It was super great. We had a super great musical number by Elder Hansen right before we walked into the font. And it really brought in the Spirit. As we were walking to the font, she turned to me and said"I really can feel something in my heart." Then I baptized her, and when she came out, she was shining:) She turned to me and said, " you didn't even get wet!" Hahahaha, it was super good:) Then we ran into a woman who served here 4 years ago, and she and her husband were here on vacation! So they bought us dinner! It was super great to talk to them and stuff:) Then we had a little time to attend the Tom Jones concert in Győr. It was super fun too:)

Sunday: Elder Watson confirmed our baptism and she was shining afterwards and tearing up a little. It was really good. Then I had to translate for our Americans that stayed during the priesthood hour:) It went really good though because the other elders were the ones teaching so it was totally understandable:)

Monday: We made matching shirts at the mall and I will send pics of that soon:) Then we met with a few people. It was super good, but the highlight of the day was when we were in a program with a 24 year old girl, and she said, "See, but you two were born in this church. Is there anyone in this church that is not born into it?" And that is why we brought a member. That member started sharing her story and stuff, and the girl really soaked it up. The strength of members in programs, love it:) Then we went and had all you can eat Chinese since it was our last night of all of us being together. Transfer calls are tomorrow. 

So, that is my week. We got the calls, I already told you the news. These next 4 weeks are going to be great, I can already tell:) I hope that all is going well at home and stuff like that. Miss you all!

Nichols Elder 

Week 50

So, crazy right. I am at week 50. I do not really know if I like the sound of that. It is really weird how fast this whole mission thing has flown. I am very happy to say though, that I still have 54 or so more weeks here!!!! I am truly loving it here. This email is going to be a little shorter today, because I have like no time to email. Our p day is actually not today since August 20 is a huge holiday here in Hungary, that will be our P day. So, President gave us an hour today to email. So here I go!

This week has been crazy good! Instead of writing this week out day by day I think I am just going to include some of the most important things that have happened and my thoughts about them. 

First, TN: She is the coolest woman ever. So we started out last week by starting to teach her granddaughter English because she has a big test on the 27th of this month. Well, we are trying to help her get that far. But turns out, the grandmother(Tn) has already read the Book of Mormon. She got it from a couple of missionaries back in the day, but never was interested. She said, when we started coming over again she picked it up again and started reading from it. She said "it sparked something in me, and now I think is my time." So... with both of us(my comp and I), sitting there in awe, we decided to give her a bap date. But here is the funny and cool news. Originally her bap date was for September. Then it got moved all the way to this Saturday! President gave us special permission to do it this Saturday if she is completely ready! So we have been teaching her like crazy and making sure she is getting it and understanding why it is important too. She is progressing really well, but this week is going to be the test. The week right before the baptism. I hope, I pray that she continues to push on through her trials and continue on with this path. Yesterday, we even went and picked her up at her place and walked with her to and from church. So:) She is doing good!

Zone conference!: This was a super good day. We had zone training here in Győr with 4 other cities. They all came here and we met and had a 2 hour meeting. It was super good, and I wanna talk and brag about my companion real quick. Elder Watson is so awesome! He knows when to have fun and when to be reverent and listen to the spirit. In the conference, there were missionaries who were not fully there, but my companion was. And I am super super super grateful for him and his desire and drive to serve the Lord.

Oh, and I forgot! So, with TN. We offered to give her a priesthood blessing because she was hurting really bad one day. And she accepted. Well, Elder Watson anointed and I gave the blessing. After it was all done, she looked up at Elder Watson, and said, "as soon as you first laid your hands on my head, I felt a warm feeling shoot through my body." It was one of the coolest things ever!:) Ya, what a spiritual experience!

So, for the most part, this was my week. It was a lot of hard working in between all of this and stuff. But really you can tell. I have a great companion and I love him to death. And The Lord is blessing us, I do not know why, but He is. And we are super grateful to Him for that.

I love you all. I hope you have a nice week!

Nichols Elder

Week 49

Hello family and friends!!!

This week has been an absolute party! I cannot begin to tell you how much I am already loving this transfer. I know it sounds like I am having maybe too much fun, but Elder Watson and I are really doing good and we are striving to get good work done. And it is working!! So, let me share what has happened this last week!!:)

Tuesday: We went and met with a couple new converts, and they are a couple little kids. Like 9 and 12. So. We met with them and tried to teach them the lessons again. But wow, can I just say how hard it is to teach little kids! It is definitely teaching me a whole new meaning of patience. And I would like to give props to my parents who had to deal with me when I was younger. That would have been craziness. To all parents who read this, this is craziness. hahahaha. I love you all!:) Then we went and played a little squash with our investigator K, and after we talked about going to church and how important it is. Then we went to the branch house and taught A. She knows the church is true and she likes and accepts the Book of Mormon, but will not get baptized because she has a grudge against the Bishop for something that happened a LONG time ago... So, we are trying to help with that. Then comes the hardest time of the week. English class. Now this is usually the best time of the week, but then this week I had to teach Continuous time to the class. Now for all of you out there who does not know, Hungarian does not have continuous. Does not exist. So teaching them how to use it? Easy. When to use it? Super hard!!!!! I ended that English class with the biggest headache in my life!!! Hahahaha.

Wednesday: Then we met with M, our new 12 year old investigator. She is super cool, and she likes to play basketball!! Her grandma called us and wants us to help her prepare for a test she has for school on the 27th of this month. So we are reviewing English and teaching lots, and then of course, we talk about how we can do this all with God's help. So things are going good with her. Then we took a bus to the middle of nowhere it felt like, to a little village, and met with an investigator who cut our hair for free! She also fed us, and asked us to teach her 7 year old daughter a lesson or two before he baptism which is scheduled in October. So we tried, and once more. Teaching small children is hard. So instead, we started acting out Book of Mormon stories out of the Book of Mormon picture book! Ha, that was exhausting.

Thursday: Met with a super cool inactive family. But it turns out they are inactive because they are super sick and it is hard for them to come to church. Well, they fed us on surprise and we talked about them and their conversion and offered to give them priesthood blessings. We will call them today sometime and set up for when we can go back and do that. Then we met with A, and that was way intense. It is super frustrating, when you think something is so clear and that the person would understand it, and then they say no. Ugh!!! But, we push on and try new things and try to follow the Spirit who knows what to say and when.

Friday: We had district meeting and I taught about how important it is to work with your companion and get to know him, and his heart. Then we went on splits with the Zone Leaders. I was lucky enough to go with the Elder Hansen from St. George Utah. He is super cool and he goes home in November. He has a lot of experience and it was nice to be in a car driving around the city with AC:) Then we tracted, and during tracting we had a lot more success than like ever!!! It was so cool! 2 let ins and 3 people said to come back like all in a couple hours!! Miracle!!!!:) Then we went out to dinner that night with the other elders too and that was fun. Then Elder Hansen and I went home and got to know each other better at night.

Saturday: We split back, and then Watson and I went to teach the H family again. Went, just mom and the daughter were there, and so we started. It was also another frustrating lesson. I felt like we were trying our best to make it clear, and it was to us, but she could not connect. The member we brought also tried and the woman could not grasp the concept. But then, the member said the closing prayer, and at the end, when we all looked up, she was in tears. The woman. And that is when she turned to us and said, "now that touched my heart." It was sooo powerful. One prayer. The prayer was not like all powerful. But a prayer, a simple prayer, brought the Spirit in and that is what touched her heart. We also met with an old lady on the street who told us to try a "sister" that lives in a big house. So... we got there, and the house was a roman catholic boarding house. And the "sister", we found out when we knocked, was a nun. So, we had a super good and fun conversation with a nun for a while:) Turns out, we are going back there again to talk more about our beliefs and the Book of Mormon. Score:)

So, that was basically my week. It was super fun and super powerful. I know that the Book of Mormon can change lives. All we have to do it give the person the chance to read it. I know that the year is coming to an end, but my challenge to all of you right now, is to give away a Book of Mormon to someone, by Christmas. I would love to hear what happens. And also, giving the missionaries referrals are sooooo useful and good! You can ask the missionaries to try the person that comes to your head and just have the missionaries go tract over there and not say your name! Like, if the members did this, than missionary work would explode!!!:) I love you all, and I am grateful for your love and prayers.
Nichols Elder