Happy Thanksgiving

November 21, 2011

Wow, what a fun day this is! I open up my email inbox and I have messages from all the people I love! I truly am grateful for you!

 

So sorry I forgot to let you know about the P-day switch - we actually didn't even know until after I sent last weeks email haha - but I sure am happy to be emailing you now! So sorry about the email debauccle...but know that I LOVED version 2 haha.

 

How much fun Landon's party sounded!!! Wow - that was so fun to read about. He is a special little boy! That's so great that you got to be a part of that even from so far away - technology truly is an amazing gift. But unfortunately, as much as I'd like to, setting up a skype camera on our lessons probably wouldn't go over very well haha. So I guess you'll just have to be a fly reading an email instead of a fly on the wall haha.

 

I bought a new coat on Monday that looks great and is nice and warm - I think you'd like it. It's a gray peacoat I bought out at a store near Tesco. Thanks so much!!!

 

Now for a couple stories of the week! We had a leadership training in Brno and, since my entire district is either zone leaders or district leader, I got to go along too haha. While they had their conference, I went with a bunch of other missionaries and  did a singing display in Brno. I've described the one we did in Prague a while back, but this was great. We sang songs and contacted people about the Gospel - doesn't get much better. I ended up getting 2 phone numbers from some cool people who I talked with also, which was great to be able to pass on the Brno elders. They were very grateful, and I pray that they will be willing to meet with those elders.

 

We are making awesome progress with one of our investigators. We have taught her all of the doctrine from the first three lessons (and some) and she has accepted it all. And, last lesson, we focused on faith and how we can grow it. She told us that she sees our faith as like a huge tree, and hers (in her words) is like a flower right now. But it's a flower! She still had been avoiding prayer, saying she was waiting until her faith was stronger before praying to our Heavenly Father. We used an analogy to address her concern by saying that was kind of similar to waiting for a plant to grow before you water it. She laughed and said that "was logical" - that's one of her favorite lines. "That's logical." Then she smiles and laughs. She told us she always just feels so good around us and in the church building, and she knows it is the Holy Ghost. She still sees baptism as a long ways away, but is just learning and soaking in everything we tell her. She's awesome.

 

We have also been continuing to work with another investigator. He has accepted a baptismal date, which is awesome, but missed church last Sunday because he made an emergency trip to Germany. So that was kind of a bummer...but we're getting back in contact at the end of this week, which I'm excited for. I think that what he needs now is just immersion into the Gospel. Last week we had a couple lessons, one with the Branch President, and he came to FHE game night and played pingpong with us too. Please pray for him to be willing to just jump into the Gospel of Jesus Christ - I know he'll be blessed as he does.

 

One of our other investigators is doing great also, but he is still having a big problem getting to church. He accepts every doctrine we teach him, reads in the Book of Mormon on his own, prays multiple times daily, and feels the spirit way strong. But he will never be fully immersed in the Gospel until he starts coming to church. I have a testimony that that is true. What he needs now is a way to make it to the building at 9:00 am on Sunday - just not quite sure how that'll happen when work conflicts so often and he has a wife and children back in Slovakia to provide for. So please pray for him, too.

 

One last experience teaching last week - we have been teaching this man, who is what we call an "eternal investigator". He comes to church most weeks and loves meeting, but just can't bring himself to commit to live all the commandments and get baptized. So on Monday we decided we were going to have kind of an ultimatum lesson with him - either be willing to change, or we can't meet anymore. I was nervous for it, because it's always hard to drop an investigator. The lesson started well, but it was quickly going downhill. Contention was creeping its way into the lesson. And when contention enters, the Spirit exits. So about halfway through the lesson I actually excused myself for a bit to grab a whiteboard marker from the other room and said a prayer to be led by the spirit to what we should say that would help him to have the desire to change. Prayer works. I came back in and just started talking about what needs to happen. I testified that because we love him we are here to warn him that the "happiness" he gets from his lifestyle now will not and cannot last. I caught a different perspective of missionary work - that we are here to both comfort and to teach - but that both are done out of the deepest love for these people. His coutenance changed, both physically and spiritually, as the Spirit of the Lord humbled him. I could feel the spirit guiding me as to what to say. I don't even remember everything I said. But he left the lesson with a lot to think about. After the lesson, I was exhausted - it was a special experience for me. We told him we would give him a call later this week to see if he's willing to move forward. I pray he will. But what I know now is that we have done our part. The Lord has done His. Now it's all on him.

Know that I love you and am grateful for you all. Today we are going over the Erbovi and Sister Erbova (the senior couple) is making our district thanksgiving dinner. And she is going all out - turkey, potatoes, homemade pumpkin pie (we'll see how it compares to costco's haha), and all the trimmings. I'm super excited - it will be a great thanksgiving, although just a little far away from you all. But know that my prayers and thoughts will be with you all in Utah as you also celebrate this season of thanks.

 

Life is good.

 

I'm grateful for you,

I'm thinking of you,

and I love you.

 

S laskou,

Starsi Mullen

 

As parents we want to express our gratitude for Joseph's service and for all those who serve and in particular to the Erbs, the senior couple, who took these boys in as their own on Thanksgiving Day.  We will be ever grateful!!