October 7th

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.