Super sorry you didn't get my
email last week. For some reason comcast decided to block my email, thats why Im
sending it to everyone this week. Don't be too mad at comcast though, because I
had to go to Budapest again last week for another doctors appointment (more on
that later in the letter) and so the email was really short, it pretty much just
said I was going to Budapest to get my stomach checked out.
So there were some concerns about my
stomach acting wierd as of last week. We had figured the stomach problems I had
during my kidney stone adventure were due to the anti-biotic. Well, last Sunday
I was still having problems so I called Sis. Smith (mission Pres. wife) and they
got me an appointment in Budapest. Sis. Smith called in with the results
on Monday night to Mom and Dad, and everything was normal with that, so that was
good and I went back to Eger. Then, Tuesday they got more results
in. I have/had Chlosridium Difficile! How exciting!
I really have no idea what that is and I
probably spelled it wrong, but the mission president told me the doctor said it
was a stomach thing and that it was infectious and so from Tuesday night until
the first session of conference we watched on Saturday night (more on that
later) we were confined to our appartment. Which, was honestly kind of lame
because we couldnt do our normal missionary work. But Elder Magda is awesome,
seriously we get along really well I think, and I think we kept a positive
attitude through it.
The zone leaders brought me by some
medicine on Wednesday, 2 pills after every meal. So, hopefully this sickness
what ever it is is going away. I have been feeling a lot better which is
awesome, so I think the pills are working. I was also instructed to keep a
special diet for 7-10 days. No dairy, nothing fatty, nothing spicy. Without
dairy or delicous spicy things, jellys and jams have been my crutch, jellies and
jams are soooo tasty! And, now that I have been on the pills for a few days
Elder Magda and myself have been able to get back to normal missionary work as
of yesterday (sunday).
I am going to talk about fields for a
little bit. Yes, I said fields, thats not a type-o. In Hungary, there are lots
of sunflower fields. Not really right now because its turning into winter, but
in summer there are lots of big sunflower fields which are very pretty. I still
remember sitting on the train on my second day in Hungary, on my way to Eger for
the first time. I remember looking out the window and seeing lots of awesome
sunflower fields. Hungary is amazing, and to top it off, beautiful. They have
sunflower fields because they make lots of sunflower oil, they use it instead of
vegtable oil I think.
In D+C 4:4 it talks about fields, many of you may be familiar with this or
similair scriptures. "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo,
he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that
he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;"
It says the fields are "white already to harvest" that means that there is
lots of work to do. Lots of good work that requires consious effort on our part,
but work that if done, brings many worthwhile rewards. Ammon talks about what
happens if we do our part in the field, Alma 26:5 "Behold the field was ripe,
and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your
might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your
sheaves!"
So what is the field though? Well you could generalize it, and I dont think
there is anything wrong with that, but I want to focus in on the individual
application. I would say the field is what work the Lord has given us to do. Its
the situation we have in our lives. In Washington, farmers fields require the
work of growing apple trees and collecting apples. In Hungary farmers grow
sunflowers and make sunflower oil. Just like that, we all have different fields.
For a working dad the field might consist of being an example and inviting to
Christ those he works with at work, as well as his family, those under his
church calling, and such. To someone older and with health concerns, the field
will probably be different, and potentially consist of just family and using the
power of prayer to pray for others. But despite the difference, everyones fields
are of the same importance to the Lord. He knows our stregths and our
situations. He doesnt require us to run faster than we can, but gives us a work
to do that is significant and worthy to Him.
We need to recognize our field is. Maybe pray for guidance in finding what
our field is. And then we need to work as hard as we can to care for our
field.
Now I have some exciting news, especially for Dad I think. Because I had
some extra time in our appartment I took some time to go over some of the family
history papers I brought with me, paying special attention to the ones from
Hungary. We have a great grandfather (Dads grandfather) named Janos Mezo, except
from what I have found, thats not really his name.
I was going over the papers and then I realized when I read His name I
didnt pronounce the last name how it was written. I though about it and realized
if pronounced in Hungarian as written, "Mezo" doesnt sound Hungarian. I realized
the way I read it was what seemed would be the Hungarian way to say it, the way
that just felt right and comfortable in Hungarian. Its not "Mezo" its "Mezö".
The difference is there is two dots above the "o" so its "ö". This makes a
different sound in Hungarian. So, I looked it up in the dictionary. In
Hungarian, Mezo doesnt mean anything, but "Mezö" means "field." Ahh, the
connection, now you all see why my thoughts above were about fields. Because,
our great grandfather, and thus, grandmother, was a "Mezö" and since theyre from
north west Hungary, maybe that even means that somewhere in our geniological
past potentially our ancestors raised sunflower fields.
This last week, my "field" was a lot
different than normal, because we were stuck in our appartment. But, we still
did work with what "field" we had to work in. There is something called an Area
Book. The Area Book contains records of all (ideally) investigators that past
companionships have taught. The records lists what lessons the people were
taught, how the lessons went, and a little information about them. If the people
stopped investigating, there is also an area where later missionaries can write
any contact they have with people. Sometimes people stop investigating because
they dont want to anymore but a lot of times the missionaries stop meeting with
the people because the are not "progressing."
So we had a lot of time to go through the area book and do a lot of work in
there, calling people and recontacting them. We found some success from this and
it was uplifting to be able to do the work that we could do.
I want to give a short thought on my sickness. I found an awesome quote in
Preach My Gospel by President Snow, page 12. I dont have it with me right now,
but I think it said something along the lives of, our Heavenly Father loves and
cares for the missionaries more than anyone else does. And this is specifically
to Mom right here, but also everyone, I know many of you have worried about my
health concerns I have had of recent and have prayed for me and such, which I
greatly appreciate. However, think about how much you care for me and wish me
the best, now multiply that by a billion times and think of how Heavenly Father
is caring for me. I am in Hungary, but God is watching over me and my health is
on the mend and on its way back to better than normal. It honestly feels so
great being a missionary, I love it so much.
Lili (with the baptism date) is doing awesome, and we are looking forward
to getting back to all of our other people we meet with and are teaching and
helping.
Conference was great. I listened in Hungarian with the ward members. I had
the option to listen in English in another room with our senior couple, but I
chose to be in with the ward members, so I honestly didnt understand too much.
But on Sunday mornings conference you could feel the spirit when the prophet
spoke. How did it work? We watched Saturday mornings live at 6-8 pm on Saturday,
and then watched Sat. evening on Sunday afternoon from 2-4, and then watched
music and the spoken work and then Sun. Morning conference from 5:30-8 pm on
Sunday. We will watch priesthood and sunday afternoon another time. One of my
MTC teachers was an emergency translator incase there was a problem with the
main translator, and a few of the talks on Sat. morning session I got to hear my
MTC teacher translate, way cool.
Im gonna try to send some pics in another
email, best wishes and much love to all of you! Again, I love hearnng from
people even if its just a sentence.
Sok szeretettel!
Elder Shoop
Me with my new, very European, Tisza bag. I'll be using this now instead of my
backpack. Cost like 60 bucks, expensive, but tons of missionaries have tisza
bags, their pretty popular and Ill use it a ton.
A picture of our room, with my
AMAZING companion, Elder Magda, sticking his face in. Im sorry mom, by bed is
not made, but as an example for all of you nieces and nephews, my companions bed
is.
Our desks (and for a comment for the tisza bag picture, yes, tisza bags are worn
like purses, but that's normal for men to have bags like that here). My desk is
on the left.
I can't tell exactly, but I think this is a really bad picture of sunflower
fields. But, this is my first day going to Eger that I talked about in the email
above, and I didnt have a better picture of it.
