Pictures of Josh

This was an email that we received this week:

Dear Missionary Parents,

Today we were visiting the Debrecen Hungary Branch for the baptism of our grandson.  Our son-in-law has a temporary work assignment there so we traveled to Hungary for Evan Sheen’s Baptism.  At the baptism, we met your missionary and as the parents of 2 returned missionaries, we thought that you would like some photos to show how they are doing.  I spoke at my grandson’s baptism and Elder Haroldsen did a marvelous job of translating.  Elder Ballard played the piano and Sisters Adams and Wester greeted us warmly, took family photos and helped with the refreshments.  You all should be very proud.  We included a photo of our family and a photo of the Branch.

We are grateful for your missionaries and for your support of their service.

Thank-you and we hope you enjoy the photos.

Tom

Arriving in Hungary

Wow!

The past couple of days have been so insane for me! Unfortunately I wasn't able to write last week because of the plane but I had a great last week at the MTC and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow and feel the spirit that was there!

On Monday at 11:50 we left the MTC and had a 10 hour flight to Amsterdam! It was so insane for my first flight! Then right after, we flew from Amsterdam to Budapest! We met up with the mission president, his wife, and the assistants. They took us to the mission home and we had our interviews there and had dinner there as well. During the wait I had my first street contacting experience! People speak the language here so fast so that's something I am going to have to get used to. Then we took a tour of the Buda castle that looked across all of Buda and Pest! It was so beautiful! Being completely exhausted, all of us got to go and stay in a hotel for the night and got to sleep in to get used to the time areas.

The next morning was a bit of a culture shock because we got to have breakfast at the hotel and it turns out people here drink carbonated water so that was interesting haha. Then we got assigned to our trainers! I have an awesome trainer! His name is Elder Haroldsen and he is from Idaho and this is his last transfer so he is super solid in the language! We were assigned to Debrecen which is on the southeast part of Hungary near the border of Romania! Public transportation at Debrecen is so awesome because all we do to get places around the city is either take the villámós (TRAM) or a bus.

Most of the days consist of tracting or street contacting but it's so interesting because everyone lives in apartments. Everything is like several hundred years old so some apartments look kind of sketch like downtown Detroit kind of sketch lol but we still do our job! We have had some good success in tracting the past couple of days and we are following up on the people we have met this week! 

August 20th was the anniversary of modern Hungary's independence so we got to go to a parade in the morning and see some fireworks that night which was super cool! Yesterday was Sunday and everything was in complete Hungarian but everyone seemed so nice! It was Branch conference so my mission president came down and we got to say hi!

I'll send some pictures of my apartment next week but I can honestly say that America is so blessed! Most of the living situations here consist of maybe one or two rooms. Yet despite their living situations people here are still happy. That's so humbling for me to see and experience. I will not take for granted what I have and I'm so grateful for all the things the Lord has blessed in my life! May the Lord bless you all this week!

Szeretek titeket,

Elder Ballard

Leaving for Hungary Today!!!

Hello everyone!

We report to the travel office at 11:50 AM MST and our flight leaves at 4:50 MST! I should be able to talk to you all around 1:00-2:00 PM MST. That's around the window I'll be able to talk to you all. I'll give you the details on what happened this week it was difficult but incredible! I can't wait to talk to you all about this week and my experience at the MTC overall! I'll try calling the home phone number first if that works and then cell if you don't answer! I hope that works thank you!!

Elder Ballard

Note from mom: On the Hungary, Budapest Mission Facebook page I came across a comment from Chris Dial who volunteered his time to act like an investigator for the missionaries. He was on Skype with Joshua and his companion, Elder Fisher. He said their language skills were very good for being in the MTC (more conversational than when he was there in 1996). They talked about faith, read some scriptures, and shared some stories. They started and ended with a prayer.

My whole class and the teachers too!

I was asked to do the closing prayer for the Tuesday devotional which was broadcast in all MTC's throughout the world.

When we got out of our last session for 2 years there was a magnificent sunset!

Hungary Bound

What's up!

So I'm officially Hungary bound! We got our flight plans on Friday and we are heading out a week from today from the Salt Lake Airport to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Budapest!! Our layover in Amsterdam will only be about 50 minutes but it will still be kinda cool to stay in the Netherlands for a bit. I'm super excited!!

As for this week I'm taking a new approach at how I teach investigators and it has worked miraculously. Previously I have been trying to stick to the plan to what we teach but I've began to notice that that doesn't always bring in the spirit. Instead I've focused on focusing on meeting the needs of the people I teach. That has worked so much better and I have felt the spirit so much in those lessons more! 

On Tuesday we had Bishop Waddell, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric come and talk to us and I think having him speak really helped me recommit to turning outward. I was pretty sick this week but I think focusing outward really helped me have a positive outlook throughout it all. I'm just happy I'll be better by the time I leave.

Also on Friday, we had another Skype TRC lesson with a member from Hungary! He is the only member in his family but he has a great knowledge of this gospel after only being baptized three years ago! We taught him about prayer and helping him increase his testimony on prayer and how it is the only true way to communicate with God! 

Yesterday was outstanding! Sunday was my last fast Sunday here at the MTC but I bore my testimony regarding the Savior's love and how I have felt it many times here at the MTC! On fast Sundays at the MTC, we have this thing called a mission conference where all the missionaries gather in the gym and have a devotional where the MTC presidency speaks to us. Me and Fisher Elder got to sit up on the stand because Fisher Elder got to say the closing prayer! It was super cool! I'll be giving the closing prayer during the Tuesday devotional which will be fun! 

At the evening devotional last night I got to usher which was fun and we had the fantastic opportunity of hearing Elder Holland's son, President Holland who is president of UVU, come and speak to us. It turns out his son entered the Mexico MTC on Wednesday so he and his wife were tearing up just looking at us. He gave a fantastic talk about Joseph Smith and his story before he became the prophet. During the talk we got to sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." Throughout the song I felt in my heart that Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. Then the choir, which consisted of about 1,400 missionaries largest in history, all sang "Praise to the Man." There was so much power in the room, when they sang that song, that I cannot put it into words. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I love being a missionary and I look forward to giving it my all for this last week in the MTC!

Love you all,

Elder Ballard 

A Trip Into The Outside World

Sziasztok!

So this week was kind of crazy! Good thing is that I am now know enough Hungarian where I can hold conversations without having to check notes or anything like that. We set a goal as a companionship to learn 20 vocab words a day and it is paying off! We had an Emeritus Seventy on our Tuesday devotional and we got to sing one of my favorite songs "Where can I Turn for Peace?" I never truly realized that that song is the question investigators are asking. "Where can we turn for peace?" The message I'm bringing is to answer that question. We can all turn to Jesus Christ to feel peace. I know that to be true!

I cannot believe we are getting our flight plans this Friday! These past couple of weeks flew by but I am so grateful for the MTC and all the things I have learned from it! Only two more weeks!

On Wednesday we had the new Albanians come in and me and Fisher Elder helped them with orientation and such. It turns our one of the the elders was in my EFY group four years ago!!! It was so insane seeing him again and catching up on things!! Unfortunately, it's a little more difficult growing close to them because they are in a different building and there are so many missionaries at the MTC right now. I think the MTC is reaching it's max this Wednesday so that will be interesting to see haha. 

Yesterday for our Sunday devotional we had Stephen Allen, an official who works for the general authorities, come and speak to us about being like Christ and trying to love our companions which is something I have been trying to work on especially this past week. Also yesterday I was released as zone leader and honestly it was so fun being in that position and welcoming all the new missionaries! It was super fun getting to help and serve the new missionaries in my zone and all the things I learned from being in that position will definitely help me in the field. 

So regarding the title, my tooth hasn't completely healed from a couple of weeks ago when I got hit playing basketball so I got to go to one of the dental offices here in Provo to get it checked out. It was kind of weird actually leaving the MTC. Sometimes being in the MTC for so many weeks kind makes you think that the world is the MTC. It turns out that my tooth will be okay. The dentists took some x-rays of it and they said one of the bones is broken around my tooth but that it will heal just fine. One of the dentists at the dental office went to Hungary for his mission and we were able to talk to him in Hungarian which was pretty cool. 

A fun thing that will be happening this week is that four new Turk missionaries will arrive on Wednesday. My misisonary friends in Turkey are in Germany right now because of the stuff going on in Turkey right now but I hope that things normalize there. I love and miss you all and have a fantasztikus week!

Szeretetek,

Elder Ballard