March 2, 2015

Hello friends and family!

It has been a wonderful week here in Nyiregyháza. Dark clouds have rolled over but that doesn’t keep us from working hard. We had quite the miracle this week with one of our less actives. They have been inactive for about 10 years and have had nothing to do with the church. This week we went to go see them and they announced they were going to get MARRIED and they wanted to go through the temple with their daughter, who is serving a mission in Germany. They promised her when she left they would come to church once a month but they have come every Sunday since she left.

It’s also a huge miracle when we are teaching people, and getting our message across in broken Hungarian. The people are incredibly patient and willing to listen. You know that the spirit is speaking right through you.

I absolutely love it here! The mission has completely changed my life! I have come to know my loving Heavenly Father like never before. The mission is HARD, but in every single moment you learn something new. It’s crazy how fast time flies, but I’ve learned you need to enjoy every single moment. I love this gospel. I know prayer is real and we can pray to Him always. I am so grateful for all of you and for all your support. Thank you for everything!!

All my love, Whittaker Nővér

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