Si thoni "I'm going to Shqiperi"

It's amazing how much I've grown in the last two months. I thought I had a testimony and knew this gospel before I came in here but you don't know this gospel until you have to study and teach it everyday. It isn't easy and there are ups and downs but it's worth it. OH. before I forget WE GOT ANOTHER APOSTLE!!! and because I told everyone what they had already heard before if anyone reading this heard a talk from M. Russell Ballard in the last week you can skip this section! He started off by saying I haven't really prepared a written talk but wish to talk to you as a grandparent would talk to his grandkids... Ya you can say that's awesome! Have you ever watched an apostle go by the spirit for an hour because it's pretty great. He basically just gave us advice for our missions (well obviously what else would he talk about...) but it was really just things he'd learned from his mission and that we should do. Stuff like goal setting, taking time to interview yourself and see if you're doing all you can, and always being in a position where the Lord can use you. Just cool stuff like that. Being 50 feet away from an apostle I realized they are actually real people. That sounds dumb of course they're real people but we get too used to them being on our tvs twice a year or reading a couple of their ensign messages. We have real men guiding this church. This church is so real. Those men carry such a special witness of Christ and if you take conference for granted you're doing life wrong. You have the opportunity to listen to PROPHETS and APOSTLES speak to YOU! Go read some of Pauls words or Nephi's and then realize you can listen to the words of modern day prophets. Goodness it's exciting stuff. Oh and you can listen to conference in English so go sing count your many blessings and realize how lucky you are. The first Sunday there I get to struggle through listening to the talks in a language i don't know at all. It will be cool to see in 6 months how far I've come with this language when we get to listen to conference again. I hope you all realize how amazing it is that we have prophets on the earth today and you're not just supposed to listen to their words for two days and then say Oh boy was that good I can't wait to hear them again in 6 months. What! Ah! NO! Go reread those talks everyday ponder study cherish them with all your hearts! That is revelation for you! in this day. Alright I'll stop ranting now and tell you what's going on. Sorry little ol missionary me got the spirit in him. I don't think i'll have a problem telling the Albanians how important this gospel is... yikes. 

    Mom i'm going to need you to make sure you're sitting down for this next part and have an ambulance on the way..... Alright. I wish I would have played the piano more before I came. When all the moms reading this get up off the floor from their heart attacks i'll keep going......... You learn to appreciate music here when  only have it one day a week and all we get is motab. I've never loved singing more in my life. We sing three prelude hymns and then start the meeting with a hymn. Yep you read that right be glad you only have three in sacrament meeting. Music is such a strong way to bring the spirit and I'm glad I have the ability to play the piano and need to more when I get home. 

    For all of you who don't know I leave the MTC in 5 days F I V E D A Y S. It's been a long two months but i wouldn't trade it for anything. Being away from your family,learning a language that seems impossible, giving up everything you knew and dedicating yourself to this gospel for 2 years. Why in the world would a 18 year old kid do that? I honestly didn't know before I came out here. but I know now. I can testify that we have the truth and this gospel blesses your life more than anything in the world. It's so true. SOOOOO TRUE. My little mustard seed testimony is a small tree now and is still growing but i have been prepared to go preach this gospel. Predikoni Ungjillin Tim. 

   Anyways I mention leaving in five days to tell you that I we leave Tuesday at 3:30.... AM. Yep then we have a little journey of about 30 hours total until we get to good ol Shqiperi. We fly to Chicago with a four hour lay over and then  to Austria! Yep that's about a ten hour flight then little (Two hour) jump to Tirane. It's going to be a long two days but I am so pumped!!! I love fake teaching but teaching real people and getting doors slammed in my face and not understanding a word of Shqip is going to be so amazing. Such an amazing experience. hmm keep me in your prayers and Go to the temple for me because I went to it today for the last time in Two years. It might be the greatest place on earth. Disney land is a close second but it wins. Another thing Elder Ballard counseled us to do was stay close to your family. Let them be on your mission with you and strengthen them as you are. So I am going to be writing every detail of my week with you guys! I will probably leave out most of the bad but I will write about everything. I love you all keep up the hard work where ever you are and Stay close to this gospel. 

Benson Gunther goes to the MTC on Thursdays to act like an investigator.  Benson went to the same mission that Drew is going to, and he reported to me when I spoke with Benson last week that Drew is picking up the language really well.  

With Albanian, it's not expected to be conversational by the time they leave the MTC, but Benson said he is doing better than many others. - Scott

Brother Szabo

I got to spend to spend some time with Elder Szabo in the MTC tonight. He is doing very well in all regards. I got him the letter you put together. I am very excited for him to serve in the Adriatic South Mission! I told him that you and your family love him very much, and gave him a big hug from y'all. Here's a picture: 

CITIZENS!!! 

   We got an apostle this week!!! We waited for 7 long weeks but we finally got one. Elder Richard G. Scott came on Tuesday and talked about prayer. He started about by saying don't just have a good mission have a blast on your mission and that all good things in his life are from serving a mission. He then said I wish I could sit down with each one of you and have an interview for an hour but that would be unpractical and near impossible but there is someone far greater than he who we can have a long talk with. Our Heavenly Father. We all get so excited for apostles to come but we forget that we can talk to God whenever we want! The big man upstairs the one in charge of this! We can talk to him whenever we want and he's always willing to listen. His whole talk was on gaining a relationship with YOUR father in Heaven. Don't rush through prayers or just pray to pray. He is a real person and he's your father so pour out your heart to him in sincere prayer whenever you can. It was an amazing experience and those 15 men really do carry a special witness of Jesus Christ and God. Since i'm a missionary I'm extending a commitment to any readying this. We all know any good missionary always leaves a commitment. That's week 1 stuff psh us veterans know that. Anyways anyone reading this I Challenge you to gain a personal... PERSONAL.... PERSONAL!!!! I don't know if i remembered to say personal but personal. Relationship with God. Get on your knees tonight and talk to him don't recite some things you remember to be grateful for just so have some words to say. Open up your hearts and pour them out to God. He is there and he will listen. Answers will come if you are doing what you are supposed to. I'm already disappointed in anyone who doesn't go through with that commitment. I can feel the tears coming. You made a missionary cry.....

    I only have 12 days until i'm off to Shqiperi (Albania) Go get a map and find Albania! I'm going to that place. Isn't that crazy? Who goes there! I do... I don't know if it's a real place yet we talk about it a lot and are learning this weird language but I've been here for a long time... I guess they are trying to teach me hope and faith... I don't know. I hope it's real! We get our flight plans TOMORROW. We never thought this day would come. But it's getting so close. We only have one more p-day in the MTC. I don't know about you outside people but the time is flying by. The language is coming along. I feel really good about it until I remember I'm going to be useless for a couple months. That will be fun!! A magical land where people speak a language I think i know but can't understand at all. Hazzah! The day is mine!! 

   It has been a long couple of weeks. I have had some sickness and ear pain at night for a couple nights and my ear has been clogged for a week. It's like half my head is under water. Plug one of your ears and try to talk. That's how i feel all the time. I'm healthy again my ear problem is almost gone and my sleep is getting better. It's amazing how amazing you feel when you actually get some sleep for the first time in 4 years. I hope it continues to improve so I can serve God with all my strength. All is well and I am extremely happy even with the troubles. 

    I love you all. You're in my prayers and thoughts. ( but not enough to distract me from being a missionary don't worry) Go to the temple, Pray, and read your scriptures. People in Albania don't have a temple some don't know who God is and some don't know what the Book of Mormon is. Don't take what you have for granted because others don't even know it exist. Much love You're Favorite missionary in  a couple months. -Elder Szabo

 We got caught in that huge rain storm playing shoes and had to sprint back from the field. We got a little wet... Still look good 

C'kemi Familjen 

   Not much to report this week. Kind of in the MTC groove and the days are just counting down until we can get out of here and to the country. The food is getting pretty old too. What i'd do to be able to make whatever I want. Mom I'd cook every night of the week if I could! We only have 3 weeks left. 3 WEEKS! I can't believe I've been here that long. The language is good but I remember daily how much I still have to learn. They conjugate everything. Nouns and verbs. Nouns conjugate depending on first whether its masculine or feminine then if it's Nominative, accusative, or Genitive/Ablative/Dative. All of that only decides which line of conjugation you have to use. After all that it depends on whether its definite or indefinite singular or plural. So for the word Tempull it goes tempull tempulli tempullin tempullin. Then for nouns most of them are OJ verbs which means they end in oj so they have conjugations for i, you, he/she/it, we, you all, and they. oj, on, on, ojme, oni, ojne. Harroj, harron, harron, harrojme, harroni, harrojne. And that is just for present there is conjugations for simple past and imperfect past. So there's a little preview into why we're here for 9 weeks in case you were wondering. I know you all thought Albanian was a breeze but it's pretty tough. They do a lot of crazy stuff and say stuff different so if you say I Like that girl in Albanian you use the verb to please and say that girl pleases me. All sorts of fun stuff! My brain is just on Shqip mode all the time and is trying to collect as much as it can. I can't wait to get over there and be able to understand literally nothing! They talk so fast it's crazy. I love the language though. You guys are going to be amazed at how good I can speak in December! 

   Really not much going on here just the same old daily grind. The Hungarians started consecration week today which means they can only speak their language and have to translate for each other. They get their flight plans tomorrow and we start all of that next week. We'll all be out of here so soon it's crazy to think the old Finns left a couple of weeks ago. This place is such a time warp. I know what day and month it is but it doesn't really mean anything. I mark the days by Tuesdays, P-days, and Sundays. I think I have a family that reads these letters.... I love you all. Keep me in your prayers. You are in mine. Your favorite missionary in the mtc. Elder Szabo

 ​the two finns we used to shoe with

 ​Elder Greener

 Greener searching for some sisters. It's been too long.

My companion and our old zone leader. 

GOOD MORNING NEVERLAND! 

   Sam will probably be the only one to get that reference but oh well. This week has been long but good. After a month of this place you're in the groove and feel like you've been here your whole life but it starts to get old after awhile. I spend 80% of my time in my classroom. I love that place and my little desk but I could go for a nice walk in Albania right now. Maybe see the beach in Durres or be in the big city! I know I need to be here for the language but Albania sounds better and better everyday. Instead of counting the days until I get out I'll start teaching REAL investigators. There's people out there that I get to teach the gospel to! Real crazy Albanians waiting for me! You probably can't tell how excited I am to get out there. The language is coming and I don't feel completely useless anymore but there is so much more to learn and at a certain point you just need to be thrown in the deep end and almost die for a little. It is going to be hard not understanding anything for a couple weeks but it will be good to be there. My first weekend out there will be General Conference which is awesome! but we found out they won't have it in English so that will be exciting to not understand anything they're saying. I will feel the spirit so strong though. I don't know if you guys knew this but the gospel is more true in Albanian! Don't ask me how it's possible but it's just the truth. There is something about learning another language and testifying in it that strengthens your testimony. My testimony has grown so much the month I've been here. That little little mustard seed I had when I got here has grown into a medium sized tree. That's a lot for a month! Do you know how slow normal trees grow!? This place is crazy and I literally never stop feeling the spirit. I guess when you're on dedicated ground 24/7 it's hard not too but There is a special spirit here. At the Devotional on Tuesday the spirit testified so strongly my heart actually hurt. It felt like it was going to burst. I have grown to love my Ati Qiellor and Libri i Mormonit here. The scriptures contain so much goodness and knowledge. If you're not studying them daily you're doing it wrong. 

     I talked about my branch presidency last week but I'm going to talk about them again because they have forever changed my mission experience and my mtc experience. There's this thing called exact obedience that is really important for missionaries and for me personally I don't understand how you can't strive to be exactly obedient. My branch president set a president when we first got here that exact obedience should not be on our minds because it should come so naturally to us we shouldn't be worrying about it. I have already seen the blessings of it and don't understand when we see missionaries around us not doing the little or big things they have been asked to. That little white hand book isn't a suggestion it's a requirement and some elders have yet to realize that. You remember some of these kids are 18 sometimes and they haven't really become missionaries yet. It's sad to see because they won't listen to you and they will have to learn from their mistakes. The point I'm trying to make is that him telling us that exact obedience is something that just happens has changed my experience here and will change my mission. Exact obedience is a missionary is such an important principle and has to followed. This doesn't mean be a robot to the rules but the rules your mission president sets or the white hand book are straight from God and are there for a reason. Anyways Just thought you should know that I've learned that lesson and it's been a blessing and will continue to be. 

   I know they put little pieces of my talk in the newsletter and if you could ask them to put this next part in there and ask the bishop to read it in quorum it would be much appreciated...     A mission is not easy and a mission is not for yourself. If you come into a mission because you think it will make your parents happy or because your bishop wants you to don't you dare step into this mtc. This mission is all about Christ and sharing his word and his love. If you don't come out here because you know the truth of this gospel and want to share what you know with others a mission is not for you. Just because you can come at 18 doesn't mean you have to come at 18. Council with the Lord when you should come out and when you feel ready too. If you plan on coming on a mission you need to come for yourself not for your parents or your girlfriend or your bishop. Christ needs all of you he doesn't need  your parents or your bishop. Come to serve him and give everything you have. Get ready and get out here for you and the Lord. If you plan on coming on a mission and are ready to serve then you better be on your knees twice a day and reading the Book of Mormon. You can't do this without God and the Book of Mormon and you need a relationship with both to make it out here. Gain your own testimony and don't come for other people. This church is true and Christ lives. Peace be with you. 

    I love you all and you are in my prayers. Elder Szabo. 1 down 1 to go before I'm the favorite missionary

123

GOOD MORNING NEVERLAND!
   Sam will probably be the only one to get that reference but oh well. This week has been long but good. After a month of this place you're in the groove and feel like you've been here your whole life but it starts to get old after awhile. I spend 80% of my time in my classroom. I love that place and my little desk but I could go for a nice walk in Albania right now. Maybe see the beach in Durres or be in the big city! I know I need to be here for the language but Albania sounds better and better everyday. Instead of counting the days until I get out i'll start teaching REAL investigators. There's people out there that I get to teach the gospel to! Real crazy Albanians waiting for me! You probably can't tell how excited I am to get out there. The language is coming and I don't feel completely useless anymore but there is so much more to learn and at a certain point you just need to be thrown in the deep end and almost die for a little. It is going to be hard not understanding anything for a couple weeks but it will be good to be there. My first weekend out there will be General Conference which is awesome! but we found out they won't have it in english so that will be exciting to not understand anything they're saying. I will feel the spirit so strong though. I don't know if you guys knew this but the gospel is more true in Albanian! Don't ask me how it's possible but it's just the truth. There is something about learning another language and testifying in it that strengthens your testimony. My testimony has grown so much the month i've been here. That little little mustard seed I had when I got here has grown into a medium sized tree. That's a lot for a month! Do you know how slow normal trees grow!? This place is crazy and I literally never stop feeling the spirit. I guess when you're on dedicated ground 24/7 it's hard not too but There is a special spirit here. At the Devotional on Tuesday the spirit testified so strongly my heart actually hurt. It felt like it was going to burst. I have grown to love my Ati Qiellor and Libri i Mormonit here. The scriptures contain so much goodness and knowledge. If you're not studying them daily you're doing it wrong.

     I talked about my branch presidency last week but I'm going to talk about them again because they have forever changed my mission experience and my mtc experience. There's this thing called exact obedience that is really important for missionaries and for me personally I don't understand how you can't strive to be exactly obedient. My branch president set a precedence when we first got here that exact obedience should not be on our minds because it should come so naturally to us we shouldn't be worrying about it. I have already seen the blessings of it and don't understand when we see missionaries around us not doing the little or big things they have been asked to. That little white hand book isn't a suggestion it's a requirement and some elders have yet to realize that. You remember some of these kids are 18 sometimes and they haven't really become missionaries yet. It's sad to see because they won't listen to you and they will have to learn from their mistakes. The point i'm trying to make is that him telling us that exact obedience is something that just happens has changed my experience here and will change my mission. Exact obedience is a missionary is such an important principle and has to followed. This doesn't mean be a robot to the rules but the rules your mission president sets or the white hand book are straight from God and are there for a reason. Anyways Just thought you should know that i've learned that lesson and it's been a blessing and will continue to be.

   I know they put little pieces of my talk in the newsletter and if you could ask them to put this next part in there and ask the bishop to read it in quorum it would be much appreciated...     A mission is not easy and a mission is not for yourself. If you come into a mission because you think it will make your parents happy or because your bishop wants you to don't you dare step into this mtc. This mission is all about Christ and sharing his word and his love. If you don't come out here because you know the truth of this gospel and want to share what you know with others a mission is not for you. Just because you can come at 18 doesn't mean you have to come at 18. Council with the Lord when you should come out and when you feel ready too. If you plan on coming on a mission you need to come for yourself not for your parents or your girlfriend or your bishop. Christ needs all of you he doesn't need  your parents or your bishop. Come to serve him and give everything you have. Get ready and get out here for you and the Lord. If you plan on coming on a mission and are ready to serve then you better be on your knees twice a day and reading the book of mormon. You can't do this without God and the book of mormon and you need a relationship with both to make it out here. Gain your own testimony and don't come for other people. This church is true and Christ lives. Peace be with you.

    I love you all and you are in my prayers. Elder Szabo. 1 down 1 to go before i'm the favorite missionary.