May 21, 2012:
I love life
Well hello! I feel like I was just doing this, haha. I hope all is well. It's crazy I already talked to you over a week ago.
We had just finished a "party lesson" (I call them parties when all the investigators we have pile into [one] apartment, haha), and we had just gotten into our apartment to start planning. I called President [about some good news about an investigator] and told him all about it. Haha, I love calling President. He always answers and says, "SISTAR IZATT." (That is his English accent), and then I say, "Hi President, how are you?!" and he says, "All the better for hearing your voice Sister Izatt." Hahah, I love him. Anyway, he was grateful we called. So that was that, and then we kept on teaching [our investigators] this week. We're teaching the Plan of Salvation and trying to help them tonight to realize the role Christ has in the plan and why it is we need Him.
On Saturday the Branch had this service thing at a handicapped place, and our investigators had been invited and were all excited about serving. I didn't have faith that they'd actually go, but they did! Even though it was at the crack of dawn. It was only for the men, so we didn’t go, but on Sunday when we had our meeting with the Branch Mission Leader he thanked us and said, "Only ten people came to the service project, and four of them were thanks to you." Aaah yay. That made me happy. Unfortunately [our investigators] didn’t come to Church. Sigh. But alas, the work goes forward and hopefully next week.
I love life
Well hello! I feel like I was just doing this, haha. I hope all is well. It's crazy I already talked to you over a week ago.
We had just finished a "party lesson" (I call them parties when all the investigators we have pile into [one] apartment, haha), and we had just gotten into our apartment to start planning. I called President [about some good news about an investigator] and told him all about it. Haha, I love calling President. He always answers and says, "SISTAR IZATT." (That is his English accent), and then I say, "Hi President, how are you?!" and he says, "All the better for hearing your voice Sister Izatt." Hahah, I love him. Anyway, he was grateful we called. So that was that, and then we kept on teaching [our investigators] this week. We're teaching the Plan of Salvation and trying to help them tonight to realize the role Christ has in the plan and why it is we need Him.
On Saturday the Branch had this service thing at a handicapped place, and our investigators had been invited and were all excited about serving. I didn't have faith that they'd actually go, but they did! Even though it was at the crack of dawn. It was only for the men, so we didn’t go, but on Sunday when we had our meeting with the Branch Mission Leader he thanked us and said, "Only ten people came to the service project, and four of them were thanks to you." Aaah yay. That made me happy. Unfortunately [our investigators] didn’t come to Church. Sigh. But alas, the work goes forward and hopefully next week.
The festival in Jičín; knights ran around the whole city all day. It was hilarious.
On Friday and Saturday there was a big celebration here called Valstein’s Day or something. Anyway, I'm terrible, I can’t remember his name, but it was this guy who wanted to make Jičín the capital city, so he built all this stuff and had this great vision and layout, but then he got tricked into going to Italy or something as some honored guest, and they stabbed him when he got there. Oh goody. So anyway, now Jičín celebrates his day, because he is the one to thank for Jičín being the size it is, even though it's rather tiny. But it is quite lovely. So, on Friday there were a bunch of knights wandering around on horses, hahahah, oh my gosh, I was dying. And anyway, on Saturday we spent both our lunch and dinner hours at the festival market thing, and they had this dish we bought that is potato noodles, smoked meat, sheep’s cheese, cabbage, and onions. It was SO GOOD. I loved it. But it's heavy, just like every other Czech dish. Although that dish is actually Slovak. They had girls sword dancing, which was odd, and then old music from the time period, and yeah, it was great. We finished dinner and went out [talking to people] on the streets, and hahah, I kept telling Sister Dolinar, "Let's go get that knight." Unfortunately, none of the knights we [talked to] had any interest. Skoda, because that would have been hilarious. They had the coolest garb. Really legit stuff, and there were even people in armor. And the horses were all fancy. Quite the sight to see.
Sorry I'm so tired today! Man. I already took a power nap during lunch, but I'm just worn out! Let's see what else can I talk about... We already have set up a Family Home Evening for tonight, and then we are moving bricks out of a member’s lawn tomorrow, and then we are cleaning at the Tmejs after she corrects my talk... yeah, I have a talk this Sunday! In Czech. 10 minutes. I don’t know when on earth I'm going to have time to write that baby! But hey, I'm pro at bearing testimony now, so that'll help, hahah. Pray for me to do well! I want to gain trust! So anyway, that's the plan, and Sister Dolinar is excited. And we need to keep studying and improving obviously and being humble. The Holy Ghost can only touch soft hearts. I'm praying for service opportunities!
Sorry I'm so tired today! Man. I already took a power nap during lunch, but I'm just worn out! Let's see what else can I talk about... We already have set up a Family Home Evening for tonight, and then we are moving bricks out of a member’s lawn tomorrow, and then we are cleaning at the Tmejs after she corrects my talk... yeah, I have a talk this Sunday! In Czech. 10 minutes. I don’t know when on earth I'm going to have time to write that baby! But hey, I'm pro at bearing testimony now, so that'll help, hahah. Pray for me to do well! I want to gain trust! So anyway, that's the plan, and Sister Dolinar is excited. And we need to keep studying and improving obviously and being humble. The Holy Ghost can only touch soft hearts. I'm praying for service opportunities!
Me and my new companion Sister Dolinar!
One day I saw an old lady trying to reach underneath a car since she'd dropped something, so I ran up, and I was in jeans, because we'd been cutting trees at the Church, and so I asked her if I could help and made her laugh by saying my body is really long. So she stepped aside, and I got under the car and picked up her goat cheese. She was so grateful. And I was so happy to be wearing my tag! I love my tag. I might never take it off (I guess I can’t with my baptismal covenant and all!) And then on Saturday we were [talking to people] on the ‘namesti,’ and since the Tmejs live there, while we were [there] I saw him pull his van up and start taking stuff from the back, and the man we were [talking to] walked off, so I ran over to brother Tmej and said, "Brother Tmej, please let us SERVE YOU!" Hahah, he laughed, because I'm always harassing him about serving him, and he let us. And then Sister Dolinar was able to meet sister Tmejova who is my favorite person out here; she is incredible, and then we made them laugh and helped them load their car with stuff, and tonight we have Family Home Evening with them. Yay. I love life.
Random miracle. So we are working with a less active gypsy family. Gypsies here are known as the "Roma," and [the old stereotype is that] they are known for being thieves, not working hard, and not being true to their word, but we've been blessed with a really wonderful gypsy member. Her husband and nephew also joined [the Church]. We have visited a few times, and this week I asked if we could come over and give them our old vacuum (the Mission bought us a new one, but the old one still somewhat works) and anyway, we sat them all down again for a lesson and committed them all to come to Church again. And THEY CAME! OH, I was so happy. And not just that, but another less active came for her second week in a row this Sunday! It was so great, because sister Podlipna is her Visiting Teacher, and I'd asked her if she could go over and ask this [sister] to come to Church, and she totally did, and it made all the difference. I'm telling you, members are KEY!! Also, while at [a member’s] home, I had a thought to make a prayer and reading chart. I had a calendar outline on the back of the Freiberg Temple picture, and so I started writing Scriptures and boxes for prayer on the back, and they are using it, and ah, I love the Holy Ghost.
I fear that I am starting to fit the cookie cutter Sister Missionary mold, where all I talk about is the gospel, but hey whatever, I guess that's my whole life, but please tell me what else you all want me to talk about!!
Also, while President was down, he told the Branch Council that once we start getting 50 members actively coming to our Branch, we qualify for a new building. I don’t know if I told you this already, but it is quite exciting, since our average is 46. So President said he's asked some architect or something to fly down in June and look at the building, since if the Church buys a building, they start remodeling it as soon as possible, but if they buy land, it takes a few years to start building, since you go to the bottom of the list. So President is rooting for this building. As am I. There is still an attic and a basement that they could redo, and it would be GREAT. It's so cute and yellow and happy--I just love our building. Plus it's in a great location. So yeah, that's the plan! Keep this Jičín Branch in your prayers!
And it was neat, because at Branch Council we told them all who we've been visiting, and I really pushed to get some Home Teachers for this family that's less active. And this week the Branch President and Brother Tmej went around to visit all the families we've been visiting, and the [Branch] Mission Leader thanked us, because he said our work got the ball rolling. Love it!! The work goes forward, and we must always work our hardest!!! We are doing a great work, and we cannot come down ;).
Love you all so so much! I'm so grateful families can be together forever. The Celestial Kingdom is going to be a riot.
-Satu
Random miracle. So we are working with a less active gypsy family. Gypsies here are known as the "Roma," and [the old stereotype is that] they are known for being thieves, not working hard, and not being true to their word, but we've been blessed with a really wonderful gypsy member. Her husband and nephew also joined [the Church]. We have visited a few times, and this week I asked if we could come over and give them our old vacuum (the Mission bought us a new one, but the old one still somewhat works) and anyway, we sat them all down again for a lesson and committed them all to come to Church again. And THEY CAME! OH, I was so happy. And not just that, but another less active came for her second week in a row this Sunday! It was so great, because sister Podlipna is her Visiting Teacher, and I'd asked her if she could go over and ask this [sister] to come to Church, and she totally did, and it made all the difference. I'm telling you, members are KEY!! Also, while at [a member’s] home, I had a thought to make a prayer and reading chart. I had a calendar outline on the back of the Freiberg Temple picture, and so I started writing Scriptures and boxes for prayer on the back, and they are using it, and ah, I love the Holy Ghost.
I fear that I am starting to fit the cookie cutter Sister Missionary mold, where all I talk about is the gospel, but hey whatever, I guess that's my whole life, but please tell me what else you all want me to talk about!!
Also, while President was down, he told the Branch Council that once we start getting 50 members actively coming to our Branch, we qualify for a new building. I don’t know if I told you this already, but it is quite exciting, since our average is 46. So President said he's asked some architect or something to fly down in June and look at the building, since if the Church buys a building, they start remodeling it as soon as possible, but if they buy land, it takes a few years to start building, since you go to the bottom of the list. So President is rooting for this building. As am I. There is still an attic and a basement that they could redo, and it would be GREAT. It's so cute and yellow and happy--I just love our building. Plus it's in a great location. So yeah, that's the plan! Keep this Jičín Branch in your prayers!
And it was neat, because at Branch Council we told them all who we've been visiting, and I really pushed to get some Home Teachers for this family that's less active. And this week the Branch President and Brother Tmej went around to visit all the families we've been visiting, and the [Branch] Mission Leader thanked us, because he said our work got the ball rolling. Love it!! The work goes forward, and we must always work our hardest!!! We are doing a great work, and we cannot come down ;).
Love you all so so much! I'm so grateful families can be together forever. The Celestial Kingdom is going to be a riot.
-Satu