The first big news of the week - our investigator in Plzen was baptized and confirmed this week! They had the baptismal service Saturday and apparently it went really well. The spirit was really strong, Starsi Egger said. They did it in the river that runs through Plzen, and he said there were swans all swimming up and down the river. I'll forward a pic starsi Egger sent me. Starsi Egger's greenie, Starsi Osterloh, was the one who baptized him, and President Holub confirmed him yesterday at Church. What a wonderful feeling! I have to admit I was a little sad that I couldn't be there to see it. I would have loved that. But I just laid in my bed on Saturday night thinking "This is what it's all about." I look forward to the day when I can return and shake his hand as fellow brothers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am just so happy for him. I think back to when I first contacted him on the tram...I often think "What if I hadn't talked to him? What if I got scared or shy or something?" It motivates me to talk to everyone. This word is so important. So SO important. And I am so happy to see him coming unto Christ by making sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. It's the best.
So that was WAY exciting! Good stuff going on in Plzen, even though I wasn't there to see it.
And there's good stuff going on in Olomouc, too!
This week was the most successful week teaching-wise of my mission. We ended up teaching about 21 lessons, and picking up 5 new investigators, which is awesome! A couple cool stories to share from the lessons:
We picked up 2 new investigators in one lesson last week when we started teaching investigators we had contacted before. They're way cool. They're both in their 30-40s I'm pretty sure, and actually contacted us! It was way cool - we were in the building doing weekly planning (we don't always do that, but that morning we both agreed that we should do it in the building that day), and were about to leave, and just as we walked out the door we ran into some of our investigators! They had a little time, so we went back into the church building and started teaching them a lesson. And as we were teaching, we heard a knock on the door - not usual to hear. So Starsi Ingalls goes to answer it as I continue the lesson, and there stood a guy who was wondering if he could learn English from us and maybe, if it was possible, bring a friend along to learn English and maybe talk about God. ANO, PROSIM! Haha so we set up a meeting for last Monday and it went so great. We taught them English for a bit, then started teaching lesson 1 with an emphasis on prayer. It was great - we have another meeting with them tonight, which I'm way excited for.
We are also continuing to work with two other investigators. We had 2 way cool lessons with them this week, one of which I wasn't there for (I had exchanges last Wednesday with Starsi Peterson). At the first, we taught them about the Restoration again, mainly because he is a lot newer of an investigator than his friend. It was so cool - we had given them a Slovak restoration pamphlet, and they loved it. He was basically teaching his friend all about the apostasy, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon. It was way cool to see. Then, on Wednesday, Starsi Rhodes and Ingalls had an AWESOME lesson with him, in which they got them back on track for baptism. They both had a concern with baptism, because they have been baptised before. But they used pictures of baptism by immersion and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost to explain that this is something totally new for them. Apparently a light turned on in their heads and they just got it. One of them apparently said "What do I have to do to be able to do that?" Way, way cool. We're rescheduling their baptismal dates at our meeting on Wednesday when they return from Slovakia, and I'm super excited for them.
We are also starting to work with the girl who I had a bench lesson with from last week! We taught her on Tuesday and it went really well. She is such a happy person and is so willing to try new things. We focused the lesson on how God is our loving heavenly father, the gospel blesses families, and the importance of prayer. It went really well, and she even said the prayer at the end! We have another appointment set up for tomorrow, and we are praying that she will really feel the spirit as we teach of the restoration of the gospel.These next couple lessons will be crucial for helping her move to really progressing in the Gospel. Please pray for her!
So all is going well here in Olomouc, and it sounds like you're having lots of fun on the East coast, too! What a fun trip you are having! Be sure to give that little boy (and his parents too) a big hug from his favorite stryc! haha
I have gotten the packages from everyone and am currently in the process of getting letters sent in reply! But until I get those mailed, thank you everyone for your love and support and other goodies haha. I love you all, and pray all is well. Know that your Starsi is safe and happy in sharing the message that makes people the happiest!
S laskou,
Starsi Mullen
Starsi Mullen
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