I used the turkey you sent to tell Elder Williams happy birthday.
December 5, 2011:
In a nutshell, this week was fantastic!
Hi everyone! Here I am AGAIN! Good gracious weeks here fly by! This week was absolutely full of miracles, and so hold on tight, because here we go!!!
The days here go by so fast, and much happens, but a few things always really stick out in comparison to everything else. Friday was one of those days where Heavenly Father just PILED on the blessings. First of all, we had a fabulous lesson with our investigator from Syria. He walked into the church building BEAMING. We asked how he was and how his family was doing, and he said that his uncle was released that morning, and it was a miracle, because Fridays in Syria are the most unrestful, and usually no one gets set free on Fridays, but his uncle was. He told us that he was so grateful for our prayers, because he knew that they had helped. And now, [Mother,] after skimming your letter about asking the whole home ward to pray for him, I can see how faith leads to miracles. Thank you for keeping the people I love in your prayers. Miracles happen. God still exists and is aware of our situations. So [our investigator’s] family is back together for now, and he is meeting with us again next week.
In a nutshell, this week was fantastic!
Hi everyone! Here I am AGAIN! Good gracious weeks here fly by! This week was absolutely full of miracles, and so hold on tight, because here we go!!!
The days here go by so fast, and much happens, but a few things always really stick out in comparison to everything else. Friday was one of those days where Heavenly Father just PILED on the blessings. First of all, we had a fabulous lesson with our investigator from Syria. He walked into the church building BEAMING. We asked how he was and how his family was doing, and he said that his uncle was released that morning, and it was a miracle, because Fridays in Syria are the most unrestful, and usually no one gets set free on Fridays, but his uncle was. He told us that he was so grateful for our prayers, because he knew that they had helped. And now, [Mother,] after skimming your letter about asking the whole home ward to pray for him, I can see how faith leads to miracles. Thank you for keeping the people I love in your prayers. Miracles happen. God still exists and is aware of our situations. So [our investigator’s] family is back together for now, and he is meeting with us again next week.
Christmas markets are open!
After [his] lesson we walked up to the tram stop and were waiting for the tram at the top of the hill where we usually wait. The tram pulled up, and I just had a weird urge to run and get on the very back cabin thing whatever they are called... for no reason. So Sister Brimhall ran after me, and we got on right as the doors were closing. We just sat there studying Czech when I looked up as the doors opened and saw.... [ONE OF OUR INVESTIGATORS]! [His] phone stopped working two weeks ago, and so we weren’t able to ever get a hold of him or contact him at all. Funny thing was earlier that day I was thinking about how nice it would be to just run into [our investigator] on the tram... and there he was! Right in front of me. I was so shocked I just yelled [his name]! And he JUMPED and was happy to see us! It was fabulous. He said he's been very sick lately, and he kind of looked it to be honest. We tried to figure out the phone situation, and then we got off while telling him to call us. Walking home from the tram stop I just couldn’t stop smiling, because I realized right then that God was working through me. I was astounded at how small of a whispering the Holy Ghost can be sometimes... so small it feels like a fleeting thought. But God knew we needed to be on that tram, sitting by that door, in order for us to see His son who needed our help. Later telling that story to some of the Elders in the District, Elder Meiling said, "You keep running into him everywhere!" And it's true. Whenever we lose contact for whatever reason GOD plops [this investigator] into our path. I feel so strongly that [this investigator] is a big part of why I am in Brno. Isn't that such a wonderful experience? It meant so much to me, because in “Preach My Gospel” on page 10 it explains what makes a successful missionary, since areas and countries are different. One of the things is that you can feel and see God working through you. So, on Friday I was a successful missionary :).
Sister Brimhall thought I looked funny studying in my leggings and my sweaters... It's cold!
Relating this story just makes me burst with joy. I can’t describe the love I feel for these people! And the love I feel just spouting out of my heart, because I can feel God's love for me so strongly every day. Missions are so fantastic, and this week I really grew to love mine. To be honest at times I would look ahead and think, “Oh goodness how many more months of this do I have to go through” (ok don't worry, I'm not dying out here, it just gets draining sometimes), and one night I had this dream about having to go home from my mission and how sad I was. I woke up feeling that emotion, and it just killed me. I realized that time here is SO PRECIOUS, and when the time comes for me to go home I will have to have worked my hardest so that I will be able to be ok with going home! So that's what I've been doing. Working my hardest. I come home in about a year. AAAAAH where does time go? Seriously. It is killing me!
Oh P.S. about that... guess who gets to call me in two weeks?! YOU DO! [= immediate family] So President has decided that each missionary gets 45 minutes for the phone call. You guys are going to be in Finland right? So the time difference will only be an hour. Anyway 45 minutes goes SO fast, so what I heard some people do was everyone who was going to be on the phone call would write down a question, and then I'll also have questions prepared so that we don’t waste any time and that no one feels left out. So start thinking! Because we get to talk in a few days here! Fabulous!
Back to the miracles.... Saturday we taught [another investigator], the man who built the church [building here], and he is doing so well. He loves the gospel. We were teaching the Word of Wisdom [= health law], and he had a hard time understanding [some of its purpose], because he understood everything else. Since I swear my Czech is getting worse, bore SIMPLE, broken testimony about how I know that sometimes I don’t understand things completely, but because I know that this Church is true, and I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I can have faith that those things that the Church teaches are what God wants for me to be the happiest. It was silent for a second, and then I was WITNESSING someone's heart turn to God, and I was witnessing how someone was finding this truth they had just been LONGING for. After that we asked him if he would live by the Word of Wisdom and he said, "I promise I will." GOODNESS, isn't that just so beautiful?! Miracles people! PLUS my word of the day I decided to learn on Friday was the word for miracle. “Zazrak.” ZAZRAKS left and right people! It was SOOO Great.
Back to the miracles.... Saturday we taught [another investigator], the man who built the church [building here], and he is doing so well. He loves the gospel. We were teaching the Word of Wisdom [= health law], and he had a hard time understanding [some of its purpose], because he understood everything else. Since I swear my Czech is getting worse, bore SIMPLE, broken testimony about how I know that sometimes I don’t understand things completely, but because I know that this Church is true, and I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I can have faith that those things that the Church teaches are what God wants for me to be the happiest. It was silent for a second, and then I was WITNESSING someone's heart turn to God, and I was witnessing how someone was finding this truth they had just been LONGING for. After that we asked him if he would live by the Word of Wisdom and he said, "I promise I will." GOODNESS, isn't that just so beautiful?! Miracles people! PLUS my word of the day I decided to learn on Friday was the word for miracle. “Zazrak.” ZAZRAKS left and right people! It was SOOO Great.
I jumped on the couch and scared Sister Francis.
Also, this week something way sad happened, but the Francis couple had to go home early, because Elder Francis needs another stent in his heart. MOTHER, you should somehow get a hold of Sister Francis, because they only live thirty minutes away from us, and she would LOVE to tell you a million stories and plus they have hoards of pictures of us, so you can see what the work is like. I bet that would make Sister Francis sooo happy. I will write her with your phone number or something. It would be so worth it. Anyway, during District meeting on Tuesday the Elders gave them both blessings, and I just bawled, because I was so sad that they were leaving, but I was so happy that the Elders could give them such beautiful blessings.
Sister and Elder Francis with me.
Life is so good with the gospel, it helps everything. So, now we got some canned tuna from their cupboards and some candles, because for some reason Sister Brimhall and I are obsessed with candles. We play with the wax while we talk about the ward hahhaa. Anyway..... they are going to be greatly missed, but they will get to be home for Christmas, and Elder Francis will start feeling better very soon. They were so fun to be with and to live so close to, but friendships and love doesn’t die just because bodies aren't close! Thank heavens for that.
Here they don't believe Santa delivers gifts... they think baby Jesus does. Here I am sending a letter to baby Jesus (Ježíšek)... Hilarious.
Mother, your decorations came this week as did the backpack! Thank you so much!!! The apartment looks so cute now!
This week I was studying how to best get the trust of the members since many of my blessings spoke of this. And I decided that before the lessons we invite members to that we should sit down with the members or call them and really explain what we are going to teach so that they aren’t as thrown into the dark, and to get their input and ask them for personal experiences that we could incorporate. This will help them learn to care about the investigators more [and] learn to trust us, because we respect them enough to work with them. I threw the idea at Sister Brimhall, and of course she was a doll and listened to everything I said. She is a doll, and we get along so well together.
This week I was studying how to best get the trust of the members since many of my blessings spoke of this. And I decided that before the lessons we invite members to that we should sit down with the members or call them and really explain what we are going to teach so that they aren’t as thrown into the dark, and to get their input and ask them for personal experiences that we could incorporate. This will help them learn to care about the investigators more [and] learn to trust us, because we respect them enough to work with them. I threw the idea at Sister Brimhall, and of course she was a doll and listened to everything I said. She is a doll, and we get along so well together.
Side note about Sister Brimhall... she is just like me in the fact that she wants to make the world a better place. She has talked to me about some clubs she was involved in at BYU [= Brigham Young University] and stuff, and they were things I didn’t even know existed! I don't really get how to get INTO stuff at BYU, but with her help and with the info she's given me, I am going to be much more involved with school when I get home. There are some things I have always wanted to do but haven’t known where to turn to. Anyway, we are both going home around the same time, so maybe we'll room together or something (I'm hoping), because she is great, and we have a lot of the same dreams. I already told her that she is going to meet all of you, haha, so hope that's cool. Everyone here goes to BYU, so we will be hanging out much at home. But enough of talking about the future... back to the mission!!
Mummi sent me a cheese slicer--THANK YOU!
So in a nutshell, this week was fantastic. I love the work, I love the gospel, I see myself changing and growing, and I am getting a clearer picture of myself and how I work and what I need. I love it here. I love love love being a missionary. Keep praying for me. I need your faith and your prayers!
Love you all,
Sister Izatt
Love you all,
Sister Izatt