I read in 2 Nephi chapter 9 this
last week and came across a scripture that I thought was very neat, verse 14,
but focus on the second half of the verse: "Wherefore,
we shall have a aperfect bknowledge of
all our cguilt,
and our duncleanness,
and our enakedness;
and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and
theirfrighteousness,
being gclothed with hpurity,
yea, even with theirobe of
righteousness." I love how the end states that the righteous will have a
"perfect knowledge of ...their righteousness". I think sometimes in church we
hear people say (not that its a bad thing), how would we feel infront of God
knowing all of our sins. That thought is slightly depressing I think, only to
think about all the bad things we have done. Yes, we need to repent of our sins
through Jesus Christ. But think about it, think of all of the good things you
have ever done. Think of them! Its incredible, I know all of you and all of you
have done so many awesome, righteous things. Think about how you will feel
standing before God knowing all of the the good things you have done, and not
needing to worry about the bad things because you had faith in Jesus Christ and
repented. What an awesome feeling, how powerful! Standing before God knowing all
of the righteous things we ever did. That thought I think, is encouragement to
be better, to do better. And I love it because its true, its
scripture.
I
had a neat experience this last week. Well, I had many neat experiences, but Im
going to focus on 1 of them. We were at one of our potential investigators
houses (not potential any more) and we introduced the Book of Mormon to her. She
asked us if we chose to be here or if we were here becaues our families were
Mormon and we had to. We were able to tell her that we chose to be here, it was
our decision and that we wanted to be. She, holding the Book of Mormon, then
looked at me and asked me if I really believed it was true. I am so greatful,
that I was able to look back at her and tell her, that I did believe it. I told
her I had prayed about it and felt the peace and answer that it was true. I also
think I told her how my life and my families life had been blessed by it. I was
so greatful that I could tell her that truthfully, that I did believe the Book
of Mormon.
I
do believe the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. I have read from it much, and
a little bit in Hungarian, and I have pondered its words. I have prayed about
it. I have truly seen in my life how it has answered questions, questions that
so many people out in this world wonder about. It has given me strength and
peace during hard times. I have really seen it bless my life and others. I have
felt the peace, the hope, and the power it offers as I read about it. And I have
prayed about it, in English and Hungarian, and felt the Spirit testify to
me.
I
love getting questions, feel free to send many, Im going to try to answer alot
of them, briefly here, Im super sorry if I miss some:
- How many roomates- Just my companion
- Where do I live- Our appartment is actually in the downtown area of Eger very near the main downtown area with shops and resturaunts and stuff. The main downtown area is primarily walking only, too, which is fun.
- Where do I shop? There is a big shopping center call the Tesco where we shop every Monday. The Tesco very similair to a large Walmart except basically everything is in Hungarian and the food is a bit different.
- How do I cook- The kitchen in our apartment has a lot of the essentials. My comp knows a lot about cooking which is super useful. No crock pot but basically every thing else.
- What do I eat for the different meals- Breakfast: Generally just a bowl of cereal. One interesting cereal here which is actually pretty cheap is called Pillows. Its a crunchy chocolate crust covering over some sort of filling, chocolate hazelnut, strawberry, vanilla, coconut, are different fillings. Those are good but theres also a cheaper cereal, small cornflakes that are cheaper. Also a roll with jam is good. Lunch: I generally do some soft of sandwich, be it cheese, lettuce, and meat on a roll or jam or chocolate hazelnut spread (cheaper nutell). But also just eating leftovers from dinner is good. Dinner, I explain the dish I had last week, it was super good and after my comp made it for me I made it again myself. This week Im trying stuffed peppers, which no offence Mom, are better in Hungary, different peppers and such.
- Whats my address- Im not sure, sorry, maybe next week. But I hear its best to send packages to the mission home which is probably the best bet anyways.
- Am I settled in- Pretty much I think. I think Im finally getting used to the in-field routine and that I have finally pretty well adjusted to the timezone and new culture. Good question!
- Is the language easier- Well, Im sure Im getting better everyday but I think its a slow process. The important part is that Im improving.
- Do I dream in Hungarian yet- I dont think so, but one night I might have a little. One day!
- Dan made a comment that there is more than 1 way of learning going on. This is a very very good point. Its so intresting to be learning the language, the gospel, the culture, different peoples lives, a new way of living and eating and cooking, how to help the Branch (missinoaries play a big part in a branch where theres only 30 or so members at church every week and the branch president is a senior missionary who doesnt really speak much Hungarian.)
- Do they live like us- Actually, yes. That is one thing that has been a bit of a shock to me. How normal it all is compared to what Im used to. Slightly different but I think very similair.
- Do they live in houses or apartments? Like in America, both. Me and my companion have been focussing on apartments recently though.
- Do they have toys like barbies- Im not sure if I have seen any barbies, but yes they have toys that they like to play with Im sure. It seems that a lot of people here have less money than I think we are used to though, so they might not have as many toys.
- Can I understand the language when people talk- That is the really hard part. If they are talking about something in a missionary lesson then I think I can usually follow it kind of because that is what I have learned the most. Out side of that understanding people is very hard.
Sorry if I missed any questions. Thank
you all so much for your support, love, prayers, and testimonies. I say it every
week, but I really do mean it because it helps me so much through hard times. I
wish you all the best, miss you, and love you all.
- Elder Shoop
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