OK, so just to start off, you were right in saying that nothing much could have topped last week. I'm sure it will be topped soon, but this week was definitely a "keep me humble" week haha.
Last P-day was super fun - we went as a district to Karlovy Vary, along with the Elders from Liberec (including Starsi Story!). It was a way fun experience. there are springs that run under the ground of Karlovy Vary, and there are little fountains all over the city for people to drink the spring water at varying pockets. All of them tasted pretty bad...haha...but I had a taste of water from every single spring fountain thingy we could find! We also got to a cool lookout point to see the entire city. It's way pretty. So yeah, fun little experience last week!
K, so now for the kind of smutny news (sad)...3 of our 4 investigators with baptismal dates were dropped this week. The one I talked about last week who was so excited to get baptised and finish the Book of Mormon, came to our first lesson saying that ever since then she has felt no peace and doesn't want anything to do with the church now. She gave us back the Book of Mormon (with the bookmark in 3 Nephi 13), and told us she doesn't want to meet us anymore. I was shocked and incredibly sad. Satan must have been working really hard on her. We kind of suspect that the family she is living with talked her down, but we're just not sure. But way sad. It's so hard to watch people see the light and turn away from it.
A second investigator cancelled our meeting for work - she hasn't dropped us, but always has some reason to end up not meeting, usually work. I hope that she will turn around a bit, too, and have the desire to really start meeting and talking and progressing. I know that if she does, she'll find greater happiness than she's ever felt before.
A third investigator unfortunately also dropped us, but in a very nice way. She told us that she wants to get baptised, but she has a problem with just one doctrine of the church, and that's keeping her back. She said that maybe one day she will, but it just doesn't make sense to continue meeting until she's really thought it through and has had time. We continue to text with her, and I really believe that one day she will get baptised, but that day just isn't going to be while I'm here to see it. Continue to pray for her.
So yeah, kind of a smutny week on that wise...but now for the good stuff! (glad I got that out of the way haha)
So yeah! First off, our fourth investigator continues to progress and is totally awesome. We taught him the Word of Wisdom this week, and he accepted it and committed to live according to it from now on! He was a little sad he couldn't drink tea, because he likes it a lot, but he said that he would stop to live according to God's commandments. How cool is that! We had another lesson with him 2 days later and he said that he'd only been drinking fruit tea and told his friends at work that he doesn't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea anymore. He is awesome. Thank goodness we still have him!
Also, we've gotten to know another awesome young member here this week. She is such a cool girl. We talked with her a couple times this week, and she is so awesome - her testimony is so strong, despite feeling so alone in a city with very few young believers, let alone Latter-day Saints. We got to talk a lot at a fun outdoor branch activity on Sat, and I got to sit next to her at Church yesterday. I hope I don't leave Plzen this transfer so I can keep getting to know her better!
And, along those lines, I have been praying "mightily" (as it says in the scriptures) to find a cool, younger investigator. I so badly want to get at least 1 friend in the church for our young adult member (and for the investigator too haha). So I have made a concentrated effort on contacting younger people, which can be exciting and scary. Younger people here are wild cards - they are either super open or super closed. Most will at least talk with me, but sometimes they're very forward in telling you what they think haha. But I put aside my fear and have really pushed to contact younger people. And the Lord has truly blessed us for it. In the past 4 or 5 days, we have gotten either an address or usually a phone number, for 19 people under the age of 24 or so. Cool, huh? The next step now is to teach! Please pray for our potentials (I won't type the names - too many haha - it's a good problem to have) - I really want at least one more of them to progress in the church.
Keep up the awesome missionary work! That sounds like an awesome ward activity to read chapter 9 (might steal that one haha!) - and keep up the good missionary work! Don't get discouraged if people don't take passalong cards, Marmee - the important thing is that you asked. What I've really discovered from experience here is that everyone has their free agency to choose, and what they decide to do with your offer is their decision alone - not even our loving Heavenly Father would force them to take it. What's important is that we GIVE them that choice. The Lord does not and cannot expect more from us than this. So keep it up!
I have been thinking about a quote from (of all things) the Princess Diaries lately - haha, I'm so weird - but anyway, the quote goes something like "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather is the realization that something else is more important than fear." That is the point where I'm at now. The language is coming along fine, but I still often don't understand what people say, and it can be intimidating and scary sometimes to talk to people about the Gospel. But it's OK to be a little scared. I know that the Gospel brings happiness, and people need to hear about it. And that's so much more important than being scared of a language barrier or of rejection (which, yes, I do get a lot haha).
This work truly is wonderful. And, despite it's lows, I love it.
I love you all,
Starsi Mullen
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