czech her out!: Week 5 Swan Lake, Prague and a Pocket Knife

Ahoj!

So this last week was full of various events.

Sister Clark had to do some VISA work in Prague so while she was doing that with her MTC district, all the leftover companions went to a place in Prague to do a singing display. It was fun getting to know other missionaries. When it was my turn to contact, I talked to a Vietnamese couple and got their number to be contacted later on, I also was yelled at by a man who said the following in mostly Czech and partly English. *there was no order in when he switched languages*

"I speak English, I speak Russian, I am fluent in Russian!.......Freedom! All we want is freedom! My work, my work is organized, what is organization?!.........communism!..........Am I a believer?!........" The whole 6 minute we was yelling at me he was very close to me and waving his hands a bunch. He wasn't mad mad but I don't know what to take from it, so from what I heard I said "I know the truth because I have prayed to God" and "So you like organized things? Awesome! Our church is organized!" When he walked away I could not stop smiling. I just love talking to crazies. Also-it is so funny to see all the different things people try to do in order to not make contact with an approaching missionary. I just can't wipe the smile from off my face.

Another thing that happened was training. MAN! President McConkie is inspiried and wants us to teach teach teach! He stomped his foot a few times to get the point across and even his wife was wide eyed and smiling. I love how passionate he is about this work. He and Sister McConkie just love this Gospel and you can feel it in every testimony they share of the truths of it.

We had a lesson with a woman, E, who has a son. I had a cool Valentines pencil from the MTC with gangster Dinosaurs on it. I gave it to him at the beginning of the lesson then later he came back with a knife and wanted me to shave or sharpen the pencil. So the lesson paused as everyone saw me whip out my own Cutco pocket knife and start to sharpen this pencil. It was awesome! Then after a minute and much progress his mother said "wait!" then got a real pencil sharpener. That was fun.

We have one Culture Night here in this mission. It's one night or thing to do besides on a P Day to understand the culture better. We bought tickets for a Russian Ballet a while back. So we saw Swan Lake! It was phenomenal. I don't know how ballerinas do it. Their calves are STEEL I bet! Also-I never thought I would be fancy enough to go to a professional ballet before. I guess I AM becoming European!

Okay 2 quick last things.

J is one of our investigators who is strongly Catholic and has been meeting with us for 2 months and has been making and keeping all commitments EXCEPT coming to church because he thought it was denying his faith to go to another church. Also- he hasn't been realizing he knows the truth of the Book of Mormon. So we planned a lesson about service with him but it turned out to be 1 complete hour of realizing the truth. Once we read the classic Ezekiel scripture, he looked up and smiled as he was smiling through defeat. He just kept smiling and covering his face! SO HE SAID YES TO COMING TO CHURCH! He came to church and when we met him at the bus stop we didn't even recognize him! He was wearing a suit and cut his long hair! When he came to church he was actively involved in the lessons and said he felt the spirit! Honestly- he fit right in.

Lastly Lastly. I have wanted a QUAD scripture pack for a long time. It finally came thank you to my wonderful family and their efforts and I AM SO HAPPY! I have been using a sweet tool called Holy Tabbs and marking up all my favorite scriptures. It's like a candy addiction. I don't want to stop coloring and reading them. Each page is so fragile. I just love love love it! Thank you again for the scriptures.

Mám vás rada!

-Sestra Hale

(Melanie took an old set of scriptures with her- all marked up from Sunday School classes and Seminary as a youth, but then realized she needed a better set. We tried sending her a set while she was still up in Utah, but wrong size, finally had to ship her a set across the ocean. Long ordeal of shipping scriptures back and forth, but she finally has a "grown up" set of scriptures.)