Fantastic garden our investigator took us to today.
April 30, 2012:
Having family in the Church really is such a blessing
Dobry den zase!
I hope you are all doing well. Today has been quite the Preparation Day. Our investigator from Australia asked us if we wanted him to walk us around Jičín on Preparation Day and show us what he knows. So we went on an hour and a half walk, and Jičín has quite the history! I'm not going to write it, since you all can just look it up and enjoy that etc. But it made me really appreciate Jičín more. I don’t wanna leave! Haha, Sister Jorgensen wants to stay, too, so we'll see who goes and who stays come transfer time in two weeks. Boy, has this transfer flown. Everyone always says your fourth is the longest... wait, is this my fourth or fifth? Uh... fourth. Anyway, and it's flown! Crazy, but I guess we still have two weeks here, so that's grand. The work was better this week than last week lesson wise, which is always a blessing, and the SUN came out this week! Boy, is it HOT! Man.
Having family in the Church really is such a blessing
Dobry den zase!
I hope you are all doing well. Today has been quite the Preparation Day. Our investigator from Australia asked us if we wanted him to walk us around Jičín on Preparation Day and show us what he knows. So we went on an hour and a half walk, and Jičín has quite the history! I'm not going to write it, since you all can just look it up and enjoy that etc. But it made me really appreciate Jičín more. I don’t wanna leave! Haha, Sister Jorgensen wants to stay, too, so we'll see who goes and who stays come transfer time in two weeks. Boy, has this transfer flown. Everyone always says your fourth is the longest... wait, is this my fourth or fifth? Uh... fourth. Anyway, and it's flown! Crazy, but I guess we still have two weeks here, so that's grand. The work was better this week than last week lesson wise, which is always a blessing, and the SUN came out this week! Boy, is it HOT! Man.
Jičín at night.
I am excited though. [Talking to people] is SO much better when it is warm! And yesterday we went [to talk to people] at night, and it was warm and happy, and I loved it. Summer nights are one of my absolute favorite things in the entire world. Going on walks on summer nights has also always been something I've just loved. That or just talking history outside with Daddy while shooting hoops :). That's something I'll miss this summer, but it is also fantastic walking around talking to people about the gospel on summer nights. Love it!
A historical house our investigator took us to today.
This week the Branch had a party. It was to be held on Friday at a member’s house out in the countryside. Anyway, the Czechs have their Halloween right now. Except it's another pagan holiday thing where they burn witches on the square, and all run around screaming and dress up. Hahah, I haven’t been able to quite figure out what on earth is happening, but they are burning witches tonight. Oh the joys. Seriously though this is fantastic, but sometimes I just DIE wanting to know what's going ON around here! You're so clueless as a missionary. So, if anyone wants to do me a favor and send me a history of Jičín or what on earth this witch burning holiday is about that'd be greatly appreciated, haha.
Branch party in the countryside.
So anyway, we had a party, and we really wanted our investigators to come, so we tried to find seats for everyone. [One investigator] is the only one that ended up coming, but Roman and Ales also came. It just melted my heart watching [those boys] that night. The Branch just sucked them in like family, and I was sitting there roasting my sausage on a stick watching [one of them] kick a ball. He was smiling and was so happy, and they were all eating, and it was beautiful. Just a few weeks ago he was homeless and without food. But here he was, and his cares were gone. Anyway, so it was really wonderful watching him lose his sorrows and his cares at this Branch activity. But then he sat down, because the soles of his shoes fell off. Sigh. We're trying to get the chapel in Prague to send some stuff down for him from the basement.
Me and Sister Tmejova at the Branch activity.
Anyway... the party was great, and I was so happy and felt so at peace, and we were all roasting the sausages around the fire, and there was a moment where I said something funny in Czech, and EVERYONE was laughing, even the adult men, and it just felt so right and so good and so happy. I belong here, and this week I had a realization hit me one day of how I really am in the right mission for me. I always secretly wanted to go to South America for some reason, but I know I'm here because this is the mission Heavenly Father has always wanted for me. And that makes me so happy.
Our apartment in Jičín.
We had cleaning checks this week, so one night we planned a little early during our dinner hour so that we could clean the place. While Sister Jorgensen was doing the dishes, I tore apart the whole living room and rearranged it, hahahah, but boy, does it look SO much better! It's homey now. And I took the drapes down which were mismatched, and washed and ironed them and rehung them. Mother, you should be proud. I'm known here for being obsessed with being clean. Never thought the day would come, did you? :) So we passed with flying colors even though Elder Curtis (Senior) took the oven out from the wall and said, “Sister Izatt, you missed some grease!” Oh, give me a BREAK! Hahaha, we had a good laugh. So that's what those pictures are from, although they don’t have the newly washed drapes in them.
This week we focused a lot on finding [people], because we really need new investigators! We [talked to people] like crazy, and there was one day where LITERALLY everyone we talked to said no or said something rude. Man, I was like come on... But we just kept going. And usually you see a miracle at the end or something, but this time no, haha, except then we bought ice cream at the end, and ice cream has always been my miracle. It's like Finland here, everyone eats ice cream from booths; it's great. I love being the Senior Companion though; you just get up and go! So off we went. Then Sister Jorgensen and Ales [whom we saw and invited to come with us] found an interesting drunkish man on the ‘namesti’ who wanted a Church tour so off we went, and on the way we picked up Roman's little brother, and then while we were walking to the Church, I saw the man Roman and I had taught on the bench up ahead of us, so I ran up to him and was like, “We are going to go look at the Church; you should come!” And then Roman caught up and in Czech was like, “Oh, it's just five minutes!” Haha, but he did it in a really chill wonderful way, and so we had an unplanned Church tour with five men. So great! Totally made our week. And it made me so happy to see how when the members are not only involved in the teaching but also the FINDING, they care that much more. So fun! Mission work is the best, and it's SO MUCH better when we get everyone involved. One big spiritual party.
So Roman's brother was meeting with the missionaries 3 or 4 years ago but stopped. He said that he had gotten really confused with the past missionaries, so that’s why he had stopped meeting. So that was really good for us to know so that we'll keep it simple. And I told him that now he has family already in the Branch. And he said he knew and that was good for him. So keep him in your prayers :). I hope he keeps investigating. Having family in the Church really is such a blessing!
I love you all! The Church is true. Invite a less active this week. It's very rewarding.
Love,
Satu
I love you all! The Church is true. Invite a less active this week. It's very rewarding.
Love,
Satu