Happy Easter Wherever You Are!!

March 27, 2013

 Hello, family!

So sorry about the lack of email yesterday, no office here in Jihlava for us to conveniently email at haha. But I am so excited and happy to be here. My new companion who I am training is amazing and I have so much love and respect for him already. He is a work horse and is so willing to just jump in with both feet into this experience. Unfortunately the library where we usually email is also closed, so I can't email in full today, we're just sending a short email today from a little cafe with only one computer haha and will write in full tomorrow. We are already seeing miracles here and it is exciting to be back out in the field. I'll send the email in another message for the elder's family - please tell her how much I appreciate her son and all he's done to prepare to be here. It is a privilege being his companion and feel as though I'm learning from him as much, if not more, than I am teaching him. I love you so much and will send a longer email with the details tomorrow. I love missionary work!

S laskou,
Starsi Mullen

Ahoj! So good to be writing you. Now we are in the library and it's open and we're excited to email and fill you in on all the juicy details! I am here in Jihlava and love it. As I wrote in my short email yesterday, my companion is Elder P and he's amazing! I really enjoy working with him and we have had a wonderful first week. My how that week flew by! It's exciting to be out in the field "on the front lines" again.

I loved your emails and hearing about all the happenings at home! How exciting for Libby to go to Africa! What an adventure that'll be. Please continue to send my love and best wishes to all the family. I sure do love you all!

The class schedule looks wonderful and how great that I'll even have MComm with Darren. I loved the picture and seeing that Darren is still Darren, just older and wiser and changed by his mission as all of us have been. I love my friends and feel so blessed to have each of them in my life. I think back to it and realize how much of a wonderful influence each of them had on me. Thanks be to God for good family and good friends!

I'm also continuing to pray for Jenna and the baby! Everyone who I show our picture to just rave about how cute Landon is and when I tell them that Jenna's expecting a baby girl in the next couple weeks, they just love it.

So here are my answers to your questions!

1)  So tell us about this transfer week and what you did with the new missionaries to make them feel excited. - We had a wonderful week of transfers! We picked up the new missionaries and took them on the Prague Walk as usual, and it was a blast. The new missionaries are amazing! We got them metro contacting from the beginning and had a wonderful day with them. It was fun, too, because we didn't tell anyone that I was training, so it was a surprise on Wednesday when President called my name to pair up with my new companion. There is such life and faith that comes into the mission with a new group of missionaries. The work continues to move forward!

2)  Who is the new AP....he will have big pointy shoes to fill for sure!!  We assume that Starsi Gabrielsen stayed on to train the new AP - Yes, Elder Gabrielsen will be AP along with Starsi Osterloh! He was trained by Elder Egger as soon as I left in Plzen and he'll do an amazing job. He's a fantastic missionary and everybody loves him. So I'm super excited for him and Elder Gabrielsen to have a fantastic transfer together.

3)  Tell us about your new companion.  We think he's one lucky elder to have you!! - Ah, I could spend the rest of the email talking about him! He's from Utah, Lindon area I think, and is the oldest of 4 boys. He has a great go-get-em attitude and will have an amazing 2 years here. As I said in the last email, he's a work horse and does everything I encourage him to do. We'll be on a bus and I'll say "Elder, that lady looks like she needs the gospel" and he'll go talk to her with me or even by himself while I speak with someone else or listen in (ready to jump in if he needs any help with the language.) It's not easy coming into a foreign land like this with a language like this one doing all the things we're doing (contacting, tracting, phone calls in czech, extra studies for the 12-week program, etc.), but he's doing a great job. I'm learning so much from him as I hope he learns some things from me. We serve each other like there's no tomorrow (it's a battle to be able to iron one of our own shirts before the other one gets to it haha) and it brings a great spirit into our companionship. I'm so looking forward to these upcoming months serving and learning with him.

4)  Where are some of your other MTC brethren assigned? - Well, Elder S went back to Brno, Elder M is a Zone Leader in Olomouc still, Elder G is an assistant, Elder S is in Ostrava, Elder S in Liberec, and Elder H is in Trebic in my district! How exciting is that!? So we get to bookend our missions together.

5)  Any surprises this transfer?  Who besides Elder Coleman has the BIG transfer? - So 5 Elders had the big transfer -  No incredible surprises, just lots of inspired moves! I got a very nice email from Brother Coleman - please thank him for me and let him know how much I appreciate him and how much I loved the 2 transfers we served together. I look forward to catching up with him more in the future.

6)  Did you decide to send your painting home or will you hand carry it when you come? - I sent the painting home packed up with some other things in a big box. So keep an eye out for it coming. Thanks!

7)  When is p day for you?  We assume it's back to Monday beginning next week. - Yup, P-days will be on Mondays from now on. This week was an exception because of Easter, but from now on it'll be on Monday.

8)  What were the sweetest moments and memories of your final Sunday in Praha?  Are you okay? - Yup, I'm great. In Praha it didn't really even register that it was my last Sunday there. I've spent so many Sundays there that I didn't even realize that there would be a last one! But it was a sweet Sunday. Bratr C had the other missionaries stand up who were leaving and when he had me stand up he said how long I've been here and how much they've appreciated my work there - he then announced that I was going home that week (mixed me up with Elder Coleman haha), to which I quickly corrected "Ne, za dva mesice! Jeste mam dva mesice" haha. It was a wonderful Sunday, though. I love that branch and those people so much.

So I must end now because of time, sorry I can't write more! We are seeing miracles here in Jihlava. It is a small, lovely branch. On Sunday I was reminded of my first Sunday in Plzen. There were 9 members, the senior couple, and us. I got to play the piano, which was a blessing (nobody in the branch knows how, so when a missionary doesn't know how to play they have to sing a capella or to a hymn CD), and the people are amazing. We have a wonderful branch mission leader who is a returned missionary. He served in Wisconsin and wants to study at BYU next year, so we might see each other around often! I love these people already and they are so on board with missionary work! Just between yesterday and today we had 5 lessons with investigators, and all 5 were attended by one of those faithful members. They are huge examples to me. I love these people. I love my companion. This work is true and continues to go on. We've seen what the Lord has done in Plzen in the last 2 years - I'm thrilled to see what'll happen in Jihlava.

I love you all.

S laskou,

Starsi Mullen