Ahoj, moje rodino!

March 10, 2012

Ahoj, moje rodino!

This was and will be an awesome week, so here it goes!

First of all, what a week you had, too! It sounds like your keeping busy in doing good things. How cool you read about the Czech Republic! The Vojkůvkovi live in Brno, so I don't know them, but I've heard a lot about them. Like I said, the saints here are so strong. I love each one of them!

It sounds like you're staying busy, too, Mr. Christer and fam! I still remember when you came for the recruiting thing when I was at BYU - I felt so official strutting around the Marriott Building with my bro haha. I hope you have a wonderful trip - sure do love you all!

The crescents sound delicious - but I sure do love Czech food! They know how to cook here. Just one more thing to love!

To answer your question we have a mission area doctor in Germany who takes care of serious things, and Sister Irwin is kind of our first contact with health things. She's wonderful!

Now for the questions!

1 -What, if any, will be your involvement with the visiting authorities?  So this question prompts the first cool story of the week! Elder Christofferson, President Irwin, and Elder Caussé all arrived with their wives yesterday evening by plane from Frankfurt, where they had just had a mission president's conference. I had an awesome opportunity last night to travel to the airport with the Assistants to pick them up - so here's the deal, the new assistant for next transfer is already here in Prague - his name is Elder Nichol and is coming here from Slovakia. He's an awesome elder and is really funny, so he is being trained right now by Elders Meiling and Shumway. Elder Dietrich played piano at the baptism of an investigator last night, so he couldn't come, so I went with the 3 APs so we could drive 2 cars to pick them up. We got there and were waiting for them at the gate and all of us had butterflies. They came around the corner and we all warmly greeted them. It just struck me how I could feel he was a man of God. It was just such a wonderful experience to have that little extra interaction with them. The only other meetings that we as missionaries will be attending will be the general session tomorrow from 11-1 and the missionary training conference from 2:30-4:30. I'm so excited to be spiritually filled. 

2 - Anything else you would like for Easter?  Not that I can think of...maybe some clues hahaha...but yeah, just the CD, not much else I can think of. 

3 - Were you able to talk to your contact?  We actually couldn't go over on Tuesday because he got pretty sick - so we'll try for next week!

We are starting to teach more, which is wonderful! One of our investigators is doing well - we've taught him all the basic doctrines and are moving on to the commandments - but he's excited for baptism. We showed him the baptismal font in out last lesson and he liked it a lot. He should be coming to the conference tomorrow, too, which is awesome. 

So now for the highlight of my week! K, so last week we went finding as a district to the center of Prague and, after talking to a lot of people, ended up getting only one phone number for a girl. It was great to talk with her and we told her about FHE (The curtisovi make dinner and we have a spiritual thought every monday evening for YSA aged people). She said that she'd maybe come - so on Monday, our lesson before FHE fell through, so I called and reminded her about FHE - after explaining it and what we'd do there (basically sing, pray, eat, learn, sing, pray), she decided to come. She is so cool - she's about 29 and speaks English wonderfully and we had a wonderful time with her at FHE. She asked some golden questions about why we were in the church and what we've felt it's added to our lives. That opened the door for us to testify of the truthfulness of the gospel and how much we truly are grateful for it. She said that at first she was really nervous but ended up really liking it - so we set up to meet with her last night. So then last night, an awesome investigator of Sisters Bean and Dolinar got baptized and our investigator came to the baptism! (unfortunately I couldn't make the baptism because we picked up everybody from the airport). But I got back right at the end and we had a lesson with her and S_____, a member studying here from San Diego. Oh my, it was one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission. We talked about the spirit and God and she told us that she felt very confused - she said that she felt something like a swelling inside of her and pointed to her heart and said that she doesn't know what it is. We testified of the spirit and read in the book of mormon with her - at least 4 times in the lesson she told us "I feel it now". She told us that she started feeling it every once in a while about 10 months ago while she was living in Canada, and she was confused by it and went to a therapist. She told us that when she described it to the therapist, they thought (and she thought) she was crazy. We testified to her that she was NOT crazy and that the feelings of the spirit tell us when we do something that is right. S____ was so good and testified that a couple months before she met the missionaries she felt the same thing. Our investigator just looked at us in unbelief as we described how we felt the spirit and said that that is exactly how she feels and that we were the first people who understood her and what she was talking about. We also testified of prayer and the power we can receive from it. She said her first kneeling prayer with us at the end of the lesson and it was so beautiful and sincere. We asked her what one question she had was and she said "co je pravda?" (what is truth?). It was just such an amazing experience to share those feelings of the spirit so strong with her. She is coming with us to the Conference tomorrow, and we are so excited. Please, please pray for her to act upon these feelings of the spirit. I am so excited to continue to meet and get to know and teach her about these things that bring me, all of you, and millions of others indescribable happiness.

I love you all and pray for you often. This work is true - the feelings of the spirit are real - I can feel it now typing my testimony. How grateful I am for my Savior Jesus Christ. I love this work and I love all of you.

S láskou,

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