I want to clear some things up from the last email. Remember how it was a joke last week for the elders to say "2 year mark"? well it is true. It is their 2 year mark since our mission is one month longer than the usual. So they basically have 2 years to go! And I have... well, I don't know. This MTC is like a time warp. The idea of time is insane. The days go by slow, the weeks go by fast. You go into teaching an investigator thinking it is a 20 minute lesson then once you leave, you realize you just taught a 45 minute lesson!
WELL This last week was phenomenal.
The Funnies:
I don't know if I have mentioned this but in the Czech room we have these 2 rubber balls with words written on them. One with verbs and one with nouns. Their purpose is to practice conjugating and casing the words when tossed gently into the hands of a learning missionary. What our class has come to discover is they are a form of stress relief and painful laughter. During our prestavka's (breaks) we either kick the ball, hit it, rebound it off the wall, use our heads, or try to throw both as fast as possible in an organized manor. IT NEVER GETS OLD! I swear, there have been times where we have a good break of mic (ball) time, and I feel light headed from laughing so hard for at least an hour after the break is over and throughout my studies. hahahah I love the starsi in my district.
We have one teacher Bratr Knapp who is really fun to tease. We learned a little about his love life and for the last 2 weeks have not stopped giving him beef. (we as in all the elders. I am there for moral support and to calm them all down) ...(that's why they called a sister to the mission at this time. Those elders would be chaotic without a sister in the room) hahah. SO it's always fun when he teaches because we give him beef about his love life AND his handwriting. Seriously sometimes we are all lost on what kind of arabic font he writes in. Turns out it's Czech or english!
The Good Stuff:
I memorized the 1st vision in Czech as one of my language studies. Once I learned it, I was teaching the Restoration to one of my investigators. It was awesome that I could recite that and the spirit I felt. I don't know if he felt it but I was like 'AHHHHHHH YEAHHHH' in my head cause the spirit was for sure in the room if it wasn't before.
On Saturday, my exact half way mark, something happened. I think one of the kick starts to that beautiful day was a quick lesson. -sometimes your lessons as a missionary aren't full-on sit down lessons. some are only 10 minutes or even 5-but this one was 10-SO I knew Wendula was ready for baptism. I taught her about baptism a little and explained we believe it is baptism by immersion representing a new life and how we are promised the companionship of the Holy Ghost-then BAM I invited her to be baptized and she knew it was right and I knew it and I felt the spirit and I could tell she did too! It was awesome. Not that I got a baptism but because she felt converted by the Spirit. THEN on Saturday night, I was in an interview with my Sister Training Leader (also one of my companions). Interviews happen all the time just to make sure you are well. She asked me a few questions then once she asked me about my family I just started bawling because I know you-my immediate family for sure- is supporting me and your prayers and influences have gone further than I thought possible. I just felt so loved it was crazy. Then I came out of the interview and my whole zone was in a room singing hymns. The lst one I caught with them was "I Need Thee Every Hour". I couldn't even sing half the time cause I was thinking "THIS CHURCH IS SO TRUE, THE SPIRIT HAS TESTIFIED IT TO ME, I LOVE MY FAMILY BAHHHHH" (I wish there were emoji's on this email. I'd put the crying one right here. It was so awesome. I love the spirit!
Wow, are my emails too long? I just feel like speedy gonzales on this keyboard. I promise who ever is reading this that reading to the end is worth it!
ON TUESDAY-M. Russell Ballard spoke to us. I almost feel like royalty with all these church celebrities coming to share their wisdom with us. He gave a wonderful talk. After devotionals we get together with our district and another district to share what stuck out to us most in the devotional. His talk was definitely directed by the Spirit because it was what a lot of people needed to hear at that time. The choir also sang the song "Lead Kindly Light" Do you know what that song is about? And what the circumstances were when the original poem was written? I wont tell you. You will have to look it up but I'll give you some hints to entice you to search it for yourself: ship, vomit, humble.
Lastly one new cool thing we are doing in class is being investigators. We thought of someone back home that we know well to act as so other missionaries in class could teach them. For example I am teaching Starsi Smith, and he is acting as his friend Preston. It's fun to teach this way. I hear next week we start to skype people in the Czech Republic and teaching them....HELLO NERVES!
Totila ("that is all" in Polish)
You know, I can understand Polish if it is spoken to me. Not fluently of course but the other day when I memorized the 1st vision I ran to my companions to officially quiz me and a Elder Cowley of the Polish district was in there and randomly fidgeted in joy because he could understand what I was saying. I did the same when he recited the 1st vision in Polish to me! Its so cool to understand these languages. Same goes for Bulgarian. I bet Katie and Holden from the ward could pick up on some things I say.
-Sestra Hale
miluji se učit o tento evangelia. vím že bez Duch Svatý a darem jazyků nemůžu mluvit českzy. Cirkev Ježíše Krista je pravdivá. miluji být misionařka!
Pictures:
In my new Czech Republic Shirt. Wearing it with obvious pride. LONG LOVE THE CZECH REPUBLIC!
THIS IS THE SHELF OF NO RETURN IN OUR RESIDENCE. I swear if Sister Olsen gets one more package full of sweets and happy birthday cards, I will gain more weight than a woman when pregnant! #sweetsforDAYYYYYYYS
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