Monthly Archives: February 2015

February 23, 2015

Hello family and friends!

On Saturday I hit my half way mark and I am amazed by how fast my mission has gone by. I have met the most amazing people, I’m allowed the privilege to speak Hungarian and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to serve and be a part of the Lords work.

Many miracles happened over the course of this week. We have been teaching a girl named Fani who is in her early 20′s. She is darling and is searching for the truth. We taught her about Gods plan and at the end she said, “Well that is really happy! I love it!” She is determined and willing to pray.

An investigator invited us over to teach her some English and we ended up getting free mustache waxes in return. Later in the week she taught us how to make Hungarian styled donuts called “Fánk”. It’s dough cooked in oil, rolled in powdered sugar and served with jam. Let’s just say they are nothing like American donuts and eating one will most likely give you heart attack.

This Sunday was quite a miracle! Our investigator, Annamaria has been having a hard time coming to church this past year. We had a wonderful lesson with her this week and the spirit was so strong. We asked if we could walk with her to church on Sunday and she said YES! That was a miracle. Sunday morning we walked together to church and once we got there, to our surprise…. 11 less active members were at church! Including a less active family we met with over the last 2 weeks. “We want to change, we are ready to come back!” they said. Talk about miracles!!

God has a plan for ever one of us. I wish I could describe to you how much I LOVE this gospel. It has blessed my life in so many ways. I know that if we live our life the way we should, we will be happy and that’s what God has promised to us. I know that if we really want to know if something is true, you can pray to a loving Heavenly Father who knows you perfectly! We are nothing without Him. We really need Him.

Thank you all for everything! I love you all so much!!

All my love, Whittaker Nővér

February 16, 2015

Another successful and busy week here in Nyiregyhaza. On Tuesday we woke up at 4am, hopped on a train and headed to Buda for interviews with the President. We had a wonderful talk with President and his wife. We saw some old friends in Buda and even bought ourselves a delicious, Mexican burrito (very rare to find in Hungary). Hopped back on the train and headed home after a long day.

We had quite the scary experience on Wednesday trying to find an investigator we had contacted and set an appointment with. We found the street, got on a bus and crossed our fingers it would take us to the place we need to go. At the last bus stop we walked off and were completely lost in this unknown city and we were the only white people. A man walks off the bus to come help us. His name was Mario. He spoke very poor English, and had the biggest smile you’d ever seen. Together we walked up and down the dirt roads in search of this family. We find a neighbor that knows the family and points over to an abandon apartment building that looked over 300 years old, completely run down. Sister Nybo and I were in complete denial that anyone would live there, but to our surprise, that’s where the family lived. As we walk in, there was garbage and plaster everywhere. The living conditions were horrible. Mario is still leading the way and we feel a strong urge to leave. We knew we had to get out. Mario stayed with us the whole time, but we sadly had to tell the family we had to go and schedule another time with them. I know God sent us Mario at that time to protect us and get us home. God is always watching out for us.

We met with many less active families this week. The spirit was so strong and each one of them said they would come back.

I love this gospel with all my heart. I know it is true and that we all have a purpose here in this life. I have come to realize on my mission that no matter how many times we mess up, God is still there with open arms ready to welcome us back.

I hope you all had a wonderful valentines day this week. Thank you for all your love!

All my love, Whittaker Nővér

February 9, 2015

Hello friends and family!

Started the week right by going to “English club” held in a popular pub where all Hungarians can come and just speak English. We ended up being taught Hungarian and getting laughed at by our vowel pronunciation.

We sprinted to all most all of our buses this week. We planned programs on programs so we stayed busy. This week we had a lesson with a woman named Piroska. She is in her 70′s, lives alone, with noisy neighbors and is positive that “Satan is living up there” – words of Piroska. Piroska started talking about her older brother she misses very much who died a few years ago. He was her “best friend” she said and she hopes she will get the chance to see him after this life. We told her our knowledge of Gods plan and not only will she be able to see him, but be with him forever. Tears just came to her eyes. She said she felt a comfort and peace in her heart.

We had a big party last Saturday celebrating “Farsang”, a holiday where everyone dresses up in costumes, eats food and holds big parties. It is a lot like Halloween in America. Heni, a member here in Nyiregyhaza is also leaving on her mission to the Alpine, German speaking mission this week so we made it a goodbye party for her as well. We played games, ate all kinds of Hungarian food and sang some karaoke. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The weather has been quite chilly, but that doesn’t stop us from working hard. We saw many miracles this week. The spirit really works through you when you need it, at that specific time, when we open our mouths, God will direct us of what we need to say. We can’t ever be afraid!

I love you all. Thank you for all your love and support. God bless!

All my love, Whittaker Nővér

February 2, 2015

Hello friends and family!

This week I was transferred to a new area with a new companion. Sister Nybo is from Lindon, Utah, graduated from the U in Architecture and is the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. We are serving in Nyiregyhaza, a small city on the east side of the country.

It was a four hour train ride from Buda to Nyiregyhaza but luckily we had our awesome elders, Gonzalez Elder and Priest Elder to keep us company. After a long day, we settled in, got milkshakes at the local burger pub and anxiously waited for the next day.

There have been miracles after miracles this week. We taught many programs and we saw the spirit work through us. Sister Nybo has only been here for about 2 months and so neither of us know the language all too well. Even if there are language barriers, people will never forget how you made them feel. We had a lesson this week with an older couple who met the missionaries only once. As we began to teach there was a warm spirit that filled the room. We were able to understand and answer all their questions. It almost felt like someone was speaking for me and the words would flow out beautifully. We set up another lesson and meet with them again this week.  God called us to be successful, not to fail. He never did say it would be easy, but so worth it in the end.

I want to thank my ward members from home for thinking of me!   I loved the poster they signed, it made my whole week!  I love you all!

We had quite the snow storm on Saturday. Luckily, our feet stayed on the ground and we made it safely to the church. It was wonderful to meet all the strong members in the ward on Sunday and to hear them bear testimony. No matter where we are in the world, the church will always stay the same. I know this church is true.

I learned this week that not only is the language important but the spirit is what changes hearts. God calls the weak and humble, not the qualified but he qualifies the called. Don’t ever be afraid, just be patient and give it your all. I know our Father in heaven loves us more than we could ever comprehend. We will always have big mountains to climb and the wind keeps pulling us down but keep on climbing and never let your faith become weak.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Pay it forward and God bless.

All my love, Whittaker Nővér