Squiggly Arms.

  It's 

been 

      requested

 that 

I

        try

 to 

       improve 

my 

        spacing 

and

        paragraphing 

so

 I will do my best.

 I apologize. :) Love you dad. It was a really good week of running around and being super busy and not getting a lot of work done but all in all it was really good.  

    Tuesday was our super exchange. Fier one of the cities in our zone has been struggling lately so we decided to do a super exchange which means we both go into their area and work with them so Tuesday morning we went down there and we went on splits with the district leader and his companion. The District leader is the Hungarian. Sam served in his ward on his mission. But anyways so I was with him and my comp with his comp and we did that until about four then we did 3 trios with both companionship that are there. It was really good. Fier is a little bigger than Lushnje and the big city boy in me got excited. ha. But it was really good to see the problems that we have been hearing about and go in and assess the situation. We slept there and had a training in the morning and then rolled out and we hope it did something for them. The two aren't getting along very well right now so we had a little talk about that and hope the training will help them. I've been there and know how it feels and it just makes everything else harder especially when you have a struggling area. But we will see how they do in the future. 

     

       Thursday was mission conference/Thanksgiving! So we drove to Tirana and the whole mission comes together and we have a little training then we eat lunch and then perform our skits/talents. It was really good and our skit went really well. IT's always good to get together and it was catered by a place here that does american food so we got Turkey and stuffing and mashed potates and the whole shebang. It was great. Afterwards we had to go to the mission office because we found out we were getting new makine. So we went there and got it all figured out and then drove off in our brand new hyundai i30! Needless to say we were pretty excited. Heated seats, push start, and a little bit of driving too fast.... You tried mom but I haven't changed too much... haha but it was really good and we are really enjoying the new makine. We drive a lot because of the villages of lushnje and the exchanges we have to go on. Us and the sisters both got new ones. We are fighting over who gets the keys now.... and bartering for different drives. We are doing really well. I really love my comp and we are getting along very very well. We both have no idea what we are doing as zone leaders but we are making it work and we are having a good time doing it. 

   

        Saturday we found out that we were going to get to go on a little bit of a drive and that we had to drop some things off at the cities in our zone for the new initiative. So Saturday at 12 we took off and had to go to berat, fier and then Vlore and back to Lushnje. It was about a 4 hour drive all together. It was good but it eat up a lot of time. Got to love being a zone leader. So we got back and finished off the night working. So yet again we have another week of running around and driving to different places and being busy and not getting a lot done but we always say as long as our zone is doing good we're doing good because that is our area right now so it's all worth it. 

       

       This week we have MLC and zone training which means we have to drive to Tirana and Durres this week so it'll be another hit of not getting much done but it will be good. Our zone hasn't been doing great lately so it'll be good to have a training and get everyone excited again. Being a zone leader isn't my favorite thing in the world but i'm learning a lot and i'm grateful for the opportunity to serve and to try to bring this zone to excellence. We are trying to take it seriously and really make a difference here. I can't believe i've already been here three weeks and that December is here. The time is just flying by and gets faster and faster. If you didn't know the church has dropped another initiative and it's an amazing video like usual. Go check it out and spread the Christmas spirit. 

www.mormon.org/christmas

Merry Christmas everyone and have a Fantastic week. Read your scriptures, pray, and find out the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus Christ was born a Savior for you all. Love Elder Szabo 

Welcome to Being a Zone Leader.

Hey family we came to Berat to go the castle and practice our skit and then had to do some baptismal interviews here and have to do another one and six and the APs are going to call me any minute to do our weekly call in report. We just got to internet and I couldn't write this morning because I had to do numbers. So I will write until they call. This week flew by. It really felt like we didn't do anything because it's all just a blur. Bad news our six investigators super amazing family we taught.... We went back for the second lesson and at the end he told us that he was going to Italy for work and he'd call us when he got back so that was a little bit of a bummer....... Just got off the phone with Elder Greener. ha He called right after i wrote that sentence. We talk for about 30 minutes about the zone the numbers any problems we see. It's good. Interesting to see how God works through leadership in his church. It's a great system for assuring success and watching over people. God is all about accountability. But my week was pretty good. We have been working with a man and he just wasn't really understanding. He reads the scriptures and comes to church but didn't really understand the importance and the restoration. This week he really came a long way and doesn't understand fully but has a lot better understanding and actually progressed this week so that was really good. We are all about Sunday Night Miracles. Are first one was the 6 new investigators then this week it was Agron the man that wasn't understanding and a new investigator we got and he accepted a baptismal date. We had 3 first lessons set up and we were pretty confident about the first 2 but the last one we didn't think he would come so we went tracting for a little then went back to the church and called the first guy... Said he couldnt' make it talk next week then we called the other guy and he said he couldn't make it either so we decided none were coming so we went out again and started tracting and right at 6 we got a call from the 3rd lesson and he said he was waiting at the church. We were a little surprised and excited so we ran to our makine and hurried to the church and we had a really good lesson with him. The Lord works in mysterious ways. It was another good end to the week. We went to Agrons right after and he accepted a baptismal date as well. Then It was my turn this week to call all the district leaders and get numbers so that was good. We are doing pretty well as a zone and we are both learning as we go but I feel like we are doing really good. It's starting to get weird because i'm starting to become one of the older missionaries and It seems like I just got here. I'm the second oldest missionary in my district and it blows my mind. (oldest time wise not age wise.) This week we have a super exchange with Fier because they are really struggling. Super exchange means instead of one going into the area we are both going and switching around with the Elders there and spending a whole day in their area. Then we have mission conference/Thanksgiving Thursday. and a baptism Saturday... So it's another busy week but we are hoping we can still get some work done and the Fier thing is our work so we are really hoping it goes well. Elder Crandall and I are doing extremely well... We ask ourselves multiple times a day whose idea it was to put us together. We are a hoot. We just joke around all the time and we both have really deep voices and do a lot of different voices and just crack jokes. We are having a blast and trying to do something for this zone at the same time. I'm still not a huge fan of Lushnje. Tirana is my city but it's a great place and we are going to do great things here. Hold on tight because I got 6 more months of this!!! It's going to be really good. Despite not sleeping at all last night I am in a great mood and love being a missionary. I wouldn't trade this for anything. I love you all. Have a great week! Elder Szabo 

I thought I knew what I was doing....

FAMILY! It was a crazy week. First week as a ZL and it was a crazy first week and the first we did when we got here was learn how to rassle the portable font we have. We had to learn how to drain it the best way and it took us a bit which was good because we had to fill it and empty it again for a baptism from Berat. We just had a lot of stuff this week that made it seem like we did absolutely nothing and were just doing business stuff all week but at the end of the week we realized that we actually did some stuff and we had a really good end of the week. At the beginning of the week I was not excited about being here and about being zone leader. IT's just a lot different here and it's a smaller city and I got used to Tirana where there are people out all the time and we drive A LOT. and I hate it but by the end of the week I have come to love it and am excited to see what the future holds. My comp and I get along really really well. We just joke around all day and spend half of it saying we don't know how to do that and figure it out. I'm senior comp but he's senior zone leader so it's been interesting learning together. I"m excited for our time together and hope we can have an impact on this zone and on our area. Some fun thing about being zone leaders is that we have to call our district leaders every night and get a daily report everyday so when it's my phone day I don't really get to do anything at night. We have to make 4 calls every night. Good thing I learned from my mother to love talking on the phone. That just gets wiped away being a missionary and a leader. Honestly being a zone leader is not my favorite thing. I feel like I have good leadership qualities but being in charge of people gets tiring sometimes. I feel like my head is just in a thousand places all the time. Worrying about everything and everyone and thinking all the time about how we can help them and make this a great zone. This 6 months is going to fly by. I'm kind of bummed i'm ending my mission as leadership but I know this is where I need to be and I can help these people right now or else I'd be some where else. This week like I said we felt we were just running around the whole time and got nothing done and hadn't found any new investigators but saw a huge miracle at the end of the week. Literally the very end. We hadn't found any but I contacted a guy in the street and he said he lives in a village that neither of us had heard of so going out there was a gamble because we could waste 30 minutes just driving out there and he could not even have desire so we called multiple times to make sure we could come and he kept saying yes so last night at 7 we had our lesson planned so we drive out there and after making a couple wrong turns get out there and we found his house and we said hi and he seemed really cool so we were happy it was worth it then we go inside and we count 1 2 3 4 5 6 people in the house. There was Dritan the man I contacted his wife their daughter, his mother, his wifes sister and here daughter. So we get even more excited then have the lesson and it goes super well and they didn't understand everything fully but understood that they needed to read and pray and then come to the end and we try to set up a follow up appointment and..... TUESDAY AT SIX! They all said they would be there. 6 NEW INVESTIGATORS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 8 O CLOCK! So we end get in the makine start driving away and we both lost it and freaked out. First of all we were both raised in Shkoder so 6 new investigators in general is just amazing and then put them all into one lesson at the end of the week. We were excited. It was exactly what we needed to end our crazy week and it was such a great blessing to see. We are meeting with them tomorrow so you will hear all about them next week. I"m really excited to see what the next 6 months lay in store. I love my comp. I love the area and it seems like a lot of good things are going to happen. I'm excited and it seems like the time just gets faster and faster. I'm at that point where honestly life before the mission just seems like a weird dream and like I've been here my whole life. If you're served a mission you know what i'm talking about. this just feels like my normal and the time is flying. No wonder missionaries are so weird when they get home! I love this mission and wouldn't trade it for anything. It's changed my life and the path of my life. I'm firmly planted in the gospel and have gained a testimony. I hope you all have done the same and know what a blessing this gospel and church are. Try preaching it 24 7 and you'll get a feel for it's importance. I love you all. Have a fantastic week. Smile and laugh a little. Life is beautiful. Elder Szabo 

OH CANADA!!!

Hey we just found out we have to go talk to Ali's old pronari about his house so I don't have very much time. I apologize. Transfer calls rolled around again and SURPRISE not what I thought was going to happen at all. The picture I included shows my face when I got the call. I"m going to Lushnjë with Elder Crandall as..... South Zone Leader! Didn't see that coming. I'm super excited for it. Not for the zone leader part but elder Crandall is a stud. It's actually my first junior comp on the mission so it'll be an interesting next couple of months. I have never been in the South so it'll be a learning experience but there are 6 cities and 25 missionaries so I get to go on a lot of exchanges. 5 to be exact. Every transfer. I"m bummed I'm leaving especially because i'm leaving the big city but it's going to a really good transfer and I'm going learn a ton. My family line might die but we'll see what happens. Still a chance I might train. My father is dead!! He's leaving me all alone in this big world. Crazy to think about a year ago he was training me and now he's dead. Flew by. Honestly have no idea where the time went especially this last six weeks. We just kept asking each other how is it weekly planning already!! I'm also bummed because we actually have some work and we are going to have to leave them. Ali and Myslym and Lumturia are our main ones. It felt like I was teaching my grandparents and now I have to leave them. I'm sure they will get baptized over the next couple months. Hopefully the transition goes well. I will have a makine again in Lushnje. First time since 1 transfer. Oh and Elder Crandall and I were trained in the same place. Literally we slept in the same bed. and served in Shkoder for the same amount of time. It's going to be interesting but great! Elder Stewart is leaving me for Canada and not going to lie I've got a little Canadian pride now. I'm currently wearing a shirt that says Canada on it.... A gift from my dying comp. Never say never I guess... haha We've had an AMAZING time together. Honestly one of my best transfers and i'm going to miss him. On to bigger and better things I guess. Change is inevitable in the mission. I love you all! Have a great week and be excited to hear all about the move and being zone leader next week. Elder Szabo

Adriatic South Mission Conference - Oct 2015

WE GO BIG. OR WE GO HOME.

Hello! Greetings from the country of Albania. It just hit me that I live here and speak the language... To start since I forgot last week I'll tell you about the argument I had with the bishop.... So the bishop has required that before people get baptized they have an interview with him and we had a miscommunication with him and he thought they were getting baptized the following week not that week so when we told him to announce it in church he got angry and walked away and then came back to me and got mad because we didn't tell him and they hadn't been interviewed and he said fine they aren't getting baptized then and I said (I know I shouldn't' have but it's still true.) You don't have the authority to do that. Yes Elder Szabo that is the exact thing to say to your bishop.... So he got really mad and stormed off. So all through sacrament meeting I was just like great the bishop hates me it's going to get real hard to be a district leader and missionary here... But he talked to me after and we both apologized and figured it out then he invited us over for lunch that week so it was an interesting exchange. Those two that got announced that week finally got baptized and confirmed this weekend and it was  grate. It was a long process and stressful. It was good to finally get it over with. That sounds bad but you know what I mean. It was a really good week. I don't have a lot of time to write about it but we have some super solid investigators right now. Myslym and Lumturia came to Sacrament this week and  it was great. They couldn't stay but we have really high hopes for them. We have really solid lessons with them and they understand and super awesome. It's like teaching my grandparents. They are really funny. I hope this week they can accept baptism. Ali had another skype lesson yesterday and it went really good. We met with him Saturday night and he talked a lot about us helping him leave Albania we told him we couldn't and just sat there not knowing what to do then we kneeled and he prayed and we gave him a blessing and then started our fast with him so hopefully something happens. Speaking of using the priesthood. I got to baptize and confirm the sisters investigator. an 18 year old girl and her brother got baptized. I baptized her and a member baptized her brother then we confirmed them. I love getting to use my priesthood. We had FHE this week which has been very poorly attended the last month but this week we decided to carve pumpkins and we got about 10 people to come which isn't very good but it's better than last week. We had mission prep again and... 0 people came. Hopefully we can announce it better this week and get it started so a lot of people can come. It was a bummer because it's on the other side of the city so we wasted about an hour for nothing but what do you do. We had a really solid week. Had one lesson with our two families and they aren't on baptismal dates yet but they are all as my comp said "investigating" and are super close they just need to find out it's true. It's been a really good transfer. I've really enjoyed it especially after the last hard 6 months. Blessings have come. I get transfer calls this Saturday and my comp dies Tuesdayy... WEIRD! I'm sad to see him go but we all go home at some point. I've been giving him a super hard time about it so its alright. ha. I love you all have a fantastic week! 

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