March 19, 2012:
Our investigator and my companion have taught me about prayer
Ahoj moje draha rodina!
I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your mails. I was anxious to get them this week! Thank you! This week has been an interesting adjustment for me. The work here is so much slower than in Brno, but it'll keep me working hard, I think. It has been hard for me not to have investigators! But as Daddy always says, the less actives are very important as well. We had church yesterday, and while it's true that there are about 30 people at church, a whole lot of them are little kids. Which is FANTASTIC for the future, but as far as member lessons go not the best numbers. But I will work with what we have! Every member here has so much to offer. I am honestly amazed at the Saints here. They do so much for missionaries and are so involved. Many of them are willing to teach with the missionaries MULTIPLE times a week. That's insane, if you just stop and think about it. And so I am so grateful.
Our investigator is doing well. He's is so happy all the time. He's great. We gave him the General Conference Liahona [= Church magazine] last week, and the next lesson he'd brought it in with tons of markings. He'd practically read the whole thing! I was so happy about that. And he has taught me already how sincere prayers need to be. When he prays he really speaks with his Father in Heaven. Every time. It is beautiful. He came to church this week as well in a suit, and haha, oh my word, he is just great... He asked to see my pictures I carry with me, and when he saw me walking Peanut [the goat] he CRACKED up and couldn’t stop smiling and laughing about it for minutes, hahah, oh my gosh. Peanut.
We have some [lessons] on plan for next week, which I am excited about. The apartment is good. Really cold and old and grimy, but I am grateful for it. I bought a gallon of disinfectant at the store today and a dish brush and a toilet brush... I'm going to get to work. Daddy would walk in and say, "EAWWWW! GROSS CITY!" So with the remaining hour of Preparation Day I shall scrub it. I haven’t unpacked everything yet... but I set a goal to have it unpacked by Wednesday, hahaha.
Yesterday was Church. Really great, I tried to get to know as many people as possible. Before Church started the First Counselor asked me if I could speak in Sacrament [Meeting]. I said, “No problem” and sat down to find a scripture I could go off of. I opened up and started flipping and came across 1 Nephi 8: 11-12. Perfect. So I based my "talk" off that and how we are so blessed to have this fruit. And how I know it really is the best thing in the world. I told them I was here to serve them and to help them bring their friends and family to the gospel. It was really neat too, because before the talk I got really nervous. I hardly ever feel nervous, but I did, and I thought about how poor my Czech is. While I did so I felt a brain stump and no words were coming to my mind. So I prayed, and when I got up there and started talking, I was totally fine. Czech didn’t flow or anything, but I was able to get across what I needed to, and I know that God gives us gifts like that if we just ask for them. My mission is teaching me that all those little things you learn add up, and that all those little things people say are true. God does hear our prayers, and the Holy Ghost is the Comforter and the Calmer in some cases.
Jičín is indeed the fairytale city! I love that you guys look things up and care about me so much to see what my life is like. It has a fairytale involved that I hope to soon hear and understand. There is a big steel dragon in the middle of the city, and I will try and get a picture as soon as possible with it. Yesterday, I walked around with no coat on, and it felt wonderful. It means the warmth is coming! I can't wait to work in this cute little village with the sunshine. Unfortunately as a missionary you don’t notice the architecture so much, but I try to soak it all in. I'll just have to come back or something... :)
Bah. I apologize this mail is so lame. There isn’t a whole ton to update on. Hopefully this place will start building. It's hard talking to people out here sometimes, because they have either distanced themselves or become so distant to God. It's just "an energy" or they have their "own theories." So we try to use the Book of Mormon to answer questions etc. Sometimes they take it, sometimes they don’t. Oh cool story of the week actually. Sister Jorgenson and I were out on the town square, when I stopped this man who listened to us for a bit. We asked to sit on a bench. There was some ‘pivo’ or beer, on his breath, and the longer we talked about Christ the more he started covering his mouth and apologizing for the smell (it's great how Christ makes you want to be better. Plus I read this week in the Bible Dictionary about the Holy Ghost and how it gives you more of a conscience...) anyway, we had a good half hour lesson with him. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon, which was quite the commitment, and hopefully he'll let us meet with him again this week. Anyway, I had a really neat experience, because at the end of our conversation he said, "I don't think it's good what you're doing. You walk around trying to convince everyone your religion is right." and I said, "Well, what we do is we invite people to read the Book of Mormon, and to try what we say, and then see if it will make them better. It's an invitation from God." and he said, "Yeah and that's not good. It's evil." and then without even THINKING, I said, "But that's what Christ did." Silence followed. And then he said, "That was bad." Haha, so he didn’t really let the words touch him or sink in, but isn’t it great when the Holy Ghost puts words into your heart, mind, and mouth? I love those moments.
My companion is great. She is from Colorado and is excited and ready to work hard. She has already taught me the importance of praying for your companion. I love that she loves me enough to pray for me in every prayer! So it is something I have changed in my own prayers, and it makes a difference. I once heard that we can’t be mad at people or hold grudges against people whom we pray for. How brilliant and true. If we really and truly love someone and pray for them with our whole heart, we can’t hate them. We can't think poorly of them. It's not Christ-like, and prayer replaces our selfish desires with desires for others’ welfare, because it softens our hearts and keeps us humble.
Mother dear, I wanted to thank you for the praying angel from the company Willow Tree you gave me for Christmas. I can add it to my Nativity when I get back :) It's sitting on my desk here and is a reminder to keep Heavenly Father a part of this work. So thank you.
This mail was so lame. I'm so sorry. It's been slow, and I don't have many stories. I do know the work is true and good, however. I'm trying to look for more people and ways to serve. In the weekly planning section in “Preach My Gospel” it says to plan lessons and how we can serve. We always skip over that part, and I noticed it on Saturday and want to implement that. It's rough here because people don't trust strangers because of communism. But I hope the longer I am here the more people will trust me. The Holy Ghost touches our hearts... but hearts need to be soft in order for that to happen. I’ve made a goal to serve more this transfer. And to only speak Czech.
I love you all. Any questions for me? I'd love to answer them.
Oh Father dear, haha, you sent me that mail of funny translations, and you had that one from Prague where they served roasted fat lump steak with cranberry sauce or something, haha, yes actually next time you are [in Prague] you should get that. It's very Czech and really good in fact. So enjoy :).
Love you all!
Satu
Our investigator and my companion have taught me about prayer
Ahoj moje draha rodina!
I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your mails. I was anxious to get them this week! Thank you! This week has been an interesting adjustment for me. The work here is so much slower than in Brno, but it'll keep me working hard, I think. It has been hard for me not to have investigators! But as Daddy always says, the less actives are very important as well. We had church yesterday, and while it's true that there are about 30 people at church, a whole lot of them are little kids. Which is FANTASTIC for the future, but as far as member lessons go not the best numbers. But I will work with what we have! Every member here has so much to offer. I am honestly amazed at the Saints here. They do so much for missionaries and are so involved. Many of them are willing to teach with the missionaries MULTIPLE times a week. That's insane, if you just stop and think about it. And so I am so grateful.
Our investigator is doing well. He's is so happy all the time. He's great. We gave him the General Conference Liahona [= Church magazine] last week, and the next lesson he'd brought it in with tons of markings. He'd practically read the whole thing! I was so happy about that. And he has taught me already how sincere prayers need to be. When he prays he really speaks with his Father in Heaven. Every time. It is beautiful. He came to church this week as well in a suit, and haha, oh my word, he is just great... He asked to see my pictures I carry with me, and when he saw me walking Peanut [the goat] he CRACKED up and couldn’t stop smiling and laughing about it for minutes, hahah, oh my gosh. Peanut.
We have some [lessons] on plan for next week, which I am excited about. The apartment is good. Really cold and old and grimy, but I am grateful for it. I bought a gallon of disinfectant at the store today and a dish brush and a toilet brush... I'm going to get to work. Daddy would walk in and say, "EAWWWW! GROSS CITY!" So with the remaining hour of Preparation Day I shall scrub it. I haven’t unpacked everything yet... but I set a goal to have it unpacked by Wednesday, hahaha.
Yesterday was Church. Really great, I tried to get to know as many people as possible. Before Church started the First Counselor asked me if I could speak in Sacrament [Meeting]. I said, “No problem” and sat down to find a scripture I could go off of. I opened up and started flipping and came across 1 Nephi 8: 11-12. Perfect. So I based my "talk" off that and how we are so blessed to have this fruit. And how I know it really is the best thing in the world. I told them I was here to serve them and to help them bring their friends and family to the gospel. It was really neat too, because before the talk I got really nervous. I hardly ever feel nervous, but I did, and I thought about how poor my Czech is. While I did so I felt a brain stump and no words were coming to my mind. So I prayed, and when I got up there and started talking, I was totally fine. Czech didn’t flow or anything, but I was able to get across what I needed to, and I know that God gives us gifts like that if we just ask for them. My mission is teaching me that all those little things you learn add up, and that all those little things people say are true. God does hear our prayers, and the Holy Ghost is the Comforter and the Calmer in some cases.
Jičín is indeed the fairytale city! I love that you guys look things up and care about me so much to see what my life is like. It has a fairytale involved that I hope to soon hear and understand. There is a big steel dragon in the middle of the city, and I will try and get a picture as soon as possible with it. Yesterday, I walked around with no coat on, and it felt wonderful. It means the warmth is coming! I can't wait to work in this cute little village with the sunshine. Unfortunately as a missionary you don’t notice the architecture so much, but I try to soak it all in. I'll just have to come back or something... :)
Bah. I apologize this mail is so lame. There isn’t a whole ton to update on. Hopefully this place will start building. It's hard talking to people out here sometimes, because they have either distanced themselves or become so distant to God. It's just "an energy" or they have their "own theories." So we try to use the Book of Mormon to answer questions etc. Sometimes they take it, sometimes they don’t. Oh cool story of the week actually. Sister Jorgenson and I were out on the town square, when I stopped this man who listened to us for a bit. We asked to sit on a bench. There was some ‘pivo’ or beer, on his breath, and the longer we talked about Christ the more he started covering his mouth and apologizing for the smell (it's great how Christ makes you want to be better. Plus I read this week in the Bible Dictionary about the Holy Ghost and how it gives you more of a conscience...) anyway, we had a good half hour lesson with him. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon, which was quite the commitment, and hopefully he'll let us meet with him again this week. Anyway, I had a really neat experience, because at the end of our conversation he said, "I don't think it's good what you're doing. You walk around trying to convince everyone your religion is right." and I said, "Well, what we do is we invite people to read the Book of Mormon, and to try what we say, and then see if it will make them better. It's an invitation from God." and he said, "Yeah and that's not good. It's evil." and then without even THINKING, I said, "But that's what Christ did." Silence followed. And then he said, "That was bad." Haha, so he didn’t really let the words touch him or sink in, but isn’t it great when the Holy Ghost puts words into your heart, mind, and mouth? I love those moments.
My companion is great. She is from Colorado and is excited and ready to work hard. She has already taught me the importance of praying for your companion. I love that she loves me enough to pray for me in every prayer! So it is something I have changed in my own prayers, and it makes a difference. I once heard that we can’t be mad at people or hold grudges against people whom we pray for. How brilliant and true. If we really and truly love someone and pray for them with our whole heart, we can’t hate them. We can't think poorly of them. It's not Christ-like, and prayer replaces our selfish desires with desires for others’ welfare, because it softens our hearts and keeps us humble.
Mother dear, I wanted to thank you for the praying angel from the company Willow Tree you gave me for Christmas. I can add it to my Nativity when I get back :) It's sitting on my desk here and is a reminder to keep Heavenly Father a part of this work. So thank you.
This mail was so lame. I'm so sorry. It's been slow, and I don't have many stories. I do know the work is true and good, however. I'm trying to look for more people and ways to serve. In the weekly planning section in “Preach My Gospel” it says to plan lessons and how we can serve. We always skip over that part, and I noticed it on Saturday and want to implement that. It's rough here because people don't trust strangers because of communism. But I hope the longer I am here the more people will trust me. The Holy Ghost touches our hearts... but hearts need to be soft in order for that to happen. I’ve made a goal to serve more this transfer. And to only speak Czech.
I love you all. Any questions for me? I'd love to answer them.
Oh Father dear, haha, you sent me that mail of funny translations, and you had that one from Prague where they served roasted fat lump steak with cranberry sauce or something, haha, yes actually next time you are [in Prague] you should get that. It's very Czech and really good in fact. So enjoy :).
Love you all!
Satu