Monday, June 24, 2013

Finished the MTC- On to Sopron, Hungary!

Moody Nover and Levi another amazing teachers.
He also had Lefevre Nover and Runnells Testver.
Finished the MTC!!
Leaving the MTC
Grossen Testver , Neely Elder one of his awesome teacher at the MTC
Sziasztok!
     HOLY FRUIT JUICE I AM IN HUNGARY!!!!
     Okay, my companion is Mullen Elder. He is great and he is from Payson. I can understand a little of what the say...but it is really hard...a lot...LOL, but I am perservering. Hungary is absolutely AMAZING!!  Every part of it.
     The plane ride was a special form of hell.  It was one of the worst things that has happened to me. Sorry that I did not get to call Dad. We had to RUN between ALL of our flights. We barely made it to the one from London to Budapest.
     I am stationed in a city called Sopron. IT IS GORGEOUS! Seriously, so beautiful.  The only downside is that it is so dang HOT. It is humid and hot. I think I have lost five pounds in the last few days, just because I am sweating so much!
     My new companion is awesome. He is helping me learn a lot about how things work and about the language and the people. It is crazy cool.
     My first day in the country, we went streeting. That was so absolutely terrifying, but it was great to start spreading the gospel. We even got a phone number and gave out a Book of Mormon(We being GiacaloneElder, Godderidge Elder and I. The Noverek(Sisters) got five numbers and handed out 3+ Book of Mormons and probably baptized a small city. They were on fire).
     The train ride to here was weird and we got super delayed with the flooding that happened recently.  It took forever! Travel here takes a really long time. However, it provides a great opportunity to talk to people! I talked to this one guy for the entire train ride from Sopron to a city called Szombathely that is about an hour away. It was great! I gave him a referral card. We will see what happens.
      The branch members are super nice.
      I had my first Hungarian meal! The food here is RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. I will gain weight and I so not care;)
      It is definitely difficult and real and crazy and beautiful, but I am so excited! I love you all!
      Sok szeretettel,
            Neely Elder
Sopron

Sopron
Hiro Square

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

He has ARRIVED in Hungary!!

The District 
Levi with President and Sister Smith

What a SAD day!!

On Tuesday June 11, 2013 Lois Lee Hulme passed away. Sister Hulme is a HUGE part of our lives. It is all still too tender for me to write about, but I wanted to share his response to the news of her passing.

     When I heard of her passing I was very calm, and I knew it would be alright. I am going to miss her very much. That woman means the world to me. There are very few people in this world that are like Sister Hulme. What an example of the Savior she is. Never once did I hear her complain or moan or gripe. She always turned outward when she could have turned in. So much so that even her last letter was focused on how she could help me. Not once did she mention her hardship or her difficulties. She always helped others. Always. Without fail. She brought people up. Even when the worst of circumstances were there, she saw the good in people. She had patience that was unbreakable. Her smile was constant. I keep talking in past tense and that is ridiculous, because those things continue. She is who she is. I am so blessed to know that. I am so blessed to be able to take that knowledge to others! That live continues! That God lives! That we can live again! That our family bonds, our loved ones, will be together again. They can be together for eternity.
      Today, I got to go to the Temple for the last time for two years. That is a holy place. It is a house of beauty, love, peace, and happiness. It is the house of the Lord. If you have not entered into His Holy House and have the means to do so, then do it! Become clean and enter into His House. He awaits you and beckons you to come unto Him.
     I invite all that are reading this: Come unto Him who promises joy, love, peace and salvation. Come unto Him who died for you and who willingly and patiently waits for your with open arms. Come unto the Savior of the world. Come unto Jesus Christ.
     He lives. He is the bringer of joy and happiness. Through Him we can be made clean. No matter how dirty we are. We can be made whole. No matter how broken we are. We can find solace. No matter how difficult, how sad, how angry,upset, or miserable we are.
     This last week I was having a particularly rough day. In our classroom we have a picture of the Savior. Usually there is a picture of the Temple right next to it. The picture of the Temple was moved and it revealed something that someone had written a while ago. Next to the Savior stood the quote, "Minden jo!" Which in Hungarian translates to "All is well!" With Him all is well.
     My thoughts and prayers are with Brother Hulme. Please take care of him and please let him know I love him. I love Sister Hulme so much. I owe her so much. That woman gave me so much and she taught me so many important things. I will forever be in debt to her and her amazing example.
     I love you all so much. So much. I miss you all a lot. But I know that the work I am doing is important. I know someone in Hungary is waiting for the message I can share. I get to go and find them in just five short days. I am so excited.
     Thank you for your prayers and your support. I love you all so much.

         Sok szeretettel,
                  Neely Elder


                                                Lois Hulme, Levi, Phil Hulme


Wednesday, June 12, 2013


MTC overflows with LDS missionaries, moves devotionals to Marriott Center

Published: Tuesday, June 11 2013 10:40 p.m. MDT
Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News) Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
No marathon was scheduled for that day, but on June 11 the march of thousands of missionaries from the Provo Missionary Training Center to the Marriott Center resembled a race.
The trek to another location for the usual Tuesday night devotional is seen as a symbol of the increased numbers of missionaries following the age change announcement in the October 2012 general conference.
“It’s (especially powerful) since this is the first time we’ve needed to come to the Marriott Center,” said Nicholle Peng, a missionary from Bountiful, Utah, who will serve in Taiwan.
The stream of missionaries curled around the Marriott Center parking lot, the path marked with orange construction cones. A few well-prepared missionaries even brought water bottles. A smiling senior couple wearing orange vests brought up the rear, hand-in-hand.
Missionaries sing the opening hymn during a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News) Missionaries sing the opening hymn during a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
However, the end of this race was marked not by cheering fans but by the hymn “Behold a Royal Army,” played by a senior missionary on the organ. Also lacking was a spirit of competition. A historic 2,788 missionaries, 140 coming from an overflow campus at Wyview Park, filed into the Marriott Center with one purpose and spirit.
“It’s really amazing to have so many people in one place with all the same intent,” said Levi Neely, a missionary from St. George bound for Budapest, Hungary.
The missionaries recognized the historic nature of the trek to the Marriott Center. “You’re walking down the hall (of the MTC) and everyone’s so excited to be here,” said Joe Giacalone, Neely’s companion from Syracuse, Utah. “We can feel that we are part of a historic thing, and it’s really cool.”
Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News) Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
This unprecedented wave has pushed the number of full-time missionaries serving from 58,000 to roughly 69,000 currently, and the number is expected to reach 85,000 during fall 2013. The MTC held roughly 2,000 missionaries this time last summer, but on July 10, 2013, the number should be 3,611.
“There’s a little more energy at the MTC right now,” said Alicia Eliason, a sister from Bountiful, Utah, who will serve in Taiwan. “I just feel lucky to be a part of it.”
Peng watched the stream of her fellow missionaries continue to file into the Marriott Center. “They just keeping coming,” she said.
Missionaries are expected to keep coming to the MTC, Marriott Center and around the world for the rest of the summer as they run “with patience” the race.
Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News) Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
Lucy Schouten is an Arizona native studying journalism and Middle Eastern studies at Brigham Young University. Contact her atlucy@deseretnews.com.

Copyright 2013, Deseret News Publishing Company

Daily Herald Provo Newspaper

PROVO -- It's not every day that residents of Provo can see nearly 3,000 missionaries converging on the Marriott Center, but through August every Tuesday around 6 p.m. be prepared for the army of young men and women moving en masse to their weekly devotional. They will also be joined by their fellow missionaries of nearly 200 coming from the west MTC area at the Wyview/Raintree location.
According to Spencer Christensen, manager of operations at the Missionary Training Center, as the swell of incoming missionaries has begun, Tuesday evening devotionals have been held in the regular MTC multi-purpose room, but has also had to be simulcast to other areas of the campus.
On Tuesday for the first time all of the missionaries will be able to experience hearing the general authority devotional together in the same location.
This is just one of the accommodations and changes the MTC and its missionaries are experiencing. According to Elder Joe Giacalone, 19, and Elder Levi Neeley, 19, the whole experience has been wonderful.
Giacalone and Neeley are companions at the MTC. They are both going to Budapest, Hungary. As a companionship, they have had the opportunity to not only live in the main MTC for 6 1/2 weeks, but they got their first transfer notice and were sent to the west campus and now live at Wyview and attend classes at Raintree.
"The morale is great, everyone is enthusiastic," Neeley said. "It's just wonderful to be a part of the MTC." He added it doesn't matter which campus you're at.
Both missionaries already had plans to serve missions at age 19 before the age change to 18 announcement was made. In fact, Neeley said he has a couple of 18 year-old friends that will be entering the MTC in the next few weeks.
Those 18-year-olds could end up being part of the largest group yet to come in one week, and will most likely be in the MTC at what is anticipated to be the peak of the biggest influx of missionaries.
"July 10 is projected to be the peak," Christensen said. "It's difficult to predict with the number of Spanish speaking missionaries going to the Mexico MTC."
According to Christensen the largest group ever to enter the MTC in one week came in last week with 944 missionaries. On Wednesday 820 more will join them.
While the numbers are smaller at the west campus, the spirit is just as strong, Neeley said.
Giacalone added, "There's not as many missionaries here, but it still has that feeling. It's awesome."
For this companionship the time spent in the MTC is also shorter. It used to be that missionaries learning foreign languages stayed 12 weeks. That has been reduced to nine weeks. However, with the way classes are taught and technology used, these missionaries are going out more prepared.
Describing the teaching areas at the former Raintree apartments, Neeley said, "We have classes in the living room, in room B there are couches where we hold mock discussions. There is a wall between the living room and the dining room where computers are set up."
Giacalone noted, "we use a computer program called TALL. One hour a day we go to the computers. It's a program that has native speakers that teach phrases and their words."
Giacalone added that with the computerized help on natural expressions and understanding of common phrases, missionaries not only learn how to use LDS teaching words and phrases or church words, but they are learning the language that can help them with speaking generally.
Missionaries study 10 to 12 hours a day; they have gym class and enough time to eat as well. Neeley and Giacalone are in a district of nine people, all going to Hungary. They have four to five main teachers every day to help them learn the language and LDS principles in Hungarian.
"We love our teachers. We've grown close to them. They have helped us learn to love the people before we ever get there," Giacalone said.
Neeley added, "Our teachers are fantastic. They help us learn about the gospel. The MTC has been a wonderful experience."
According to Christensen for the meantime operations will consist of missionaries living at Wyview and studying at Raintree. As more missionaries come in they will also use Raintree for housing purposes.
When Giacalone and Neeley leave the MTC in five days, they may be taking the FrontRunner in downtown Provo, transfer to TRAX in Salt Lake City and ride all the way to terminal A at the airport.
Christensen noted that FrontRunner has worked nicely but there are some missionaries that still need to be transported to the airport because their flights are too early to catch the train. Over all the changes and growing pains haven't been as painful as first thought.
"It's really been great to experience both sides of the MTC. We feel really blessed," Neeley said. He added they are looking forward to finishing up and getting out to their assigned areas in Budapest.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

The time is coming near!

Sziasztok Mindenki!
     How is everyone doing? I am doing fantastically. This week has been crazy, but really good. Today has been especially crazy(which is why it has taken me so long to get to doing this).
     Here is a couple of things from this week that you might want to know about:

       1. There are ducks on this campus. I have no idea why,but there are two ducks that just roam around on campus. They let you get pretty close. They just sit around. Giacalone Elder and I figured they were an old married couple that just liked to sit and quack at each other.

       2. Today (as of when we got out of the Temple) is the beginning of our Consecration Week. We only speak Hungarian. It is a week where we sacrifice good things for better things. Ergo we sacrifice speaking English for speaking Hungarian. I am also sacrificing soda and Giacalone and I are trying to be more obedient and on time. We are sacrificing as much as we can so that the Lord can help us as much as He can.

       3. We get our travel plans soon. As in like a couple of hours soon. Or they might come tomorrow. We're not sure. BUT THEY ARE COMING! Holy cow. This has all gone by in a blur. A tenth of my mission has gone by so fast. It is incredible.

       4. Yesterday, Giacalone Elder and I got to go over to the East MTC campus and participate in Teaching Experience. When I was a new missionary, they took us all into a room, introduced us to an investigator and then had some missionaries come and begin teaching the investigator. This time we got to be the missionaries. It was a really cool experience. We felt like we had gone full circle. Also, we realized that we have done almost every single thing both MTCs have been able to offer. We are truly blessed to have had so many wonderful experiences.

       5. Brighams Landing is like the best thing ever. Today I got to eat at Great Harvest and have a Jamba Juice Smoothie. It was fantastic. I also am just so excited to be able to go and teach people. It will be great!

     So that's about it for exciting things. This week has been a crazy roller coaster, but so exciting. I am so glad to be out here and I am itching to get to Hungary. Oh my goodness how I want to meet and speak with those people. It is going to be great.
     I hop all is well with everyone and that everything is going okay. I love you all so much and am so thrilled to be a missionary for this Gospel and to be a representative of Jesus Christ. I will always try to live up to His name.
         Sok szeretettel,
            Neely Elder

P.S. Sorry this is so short. This day has been crazy and we don't have a lot of time.
P.P.S. I only took one picture this week, crazy I know.
P.P.S.S. I love you so much!