Week 9 -Week One of C-Bud (České Budejovíce)

Melanie - I got your e-mail last Monday morning and I was surprised to hear from you and that you had transferred !!  I thought I would only hear from you if you DIDN'T move. So here are my questions: 

1.  How did you get packed, get by car to Prague, travel by train, bus and then train again to get to your new area and still have time to write a wonderful letter home? 
ANSWER: All the traveling from Mlada to C-Bud took a total of 5 hours. Maybe a little less. Then the rest of the day was P Day! so of course I wrote a great letter home. And it is easy to pack in three total hours over 2 days when you keep your things organized. 

2.  Is it weird that some of your MTC district just barely got to the country 3 weeks ago and it's already transfer week? Have you heard from any of them since they got there? have you seen them? Was their language training affected by being assigned in the states for over a month after the MTC? 
ANSWER: All I know is where a couple of them are by word of mouth. BUT! Our entire MTC group will have progressive training on the 5th in Brno with the new group of missionaries. (its funny because progressive training is something that you are supposed to have the 2nd or 3rd week in the field. I could probably teach them about the progression they will make in the coming weeks!)

3.  Did you travel alone from Prague to České Budejovíce?  If so, was that weird? (if it was me, I'd count that as a tender mercy to have a teensy bit of time to myself) 
ANSWER: Yes I traveled alone but made a friend that spoke English and talked to me the entire way. It didn't feel like I was ever alone but I haven't been bothered by that yet :) I love being around people. It's not overbearing because in the morning we have at least 3 hours where we don't technically have to talk to each other so its like our own quiet time with the scriptures. Works for me!

4. This isn't a question, but I loved the picture of you in the Elder's car sitting under their guitar. Good times. 
ANSWER:  Mom, that car was stuffed. I rolled down the window to get air half way to Prague. I felt like we were a road show band!

Ahoj! 

SO I just want to clarify something...The internet does not have a truth filter. If you want to know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or ''The Mormons'' DON'T WIKIPEDIA YOUR INFORMATION. The same rules apply when you do a research project for school. Don't read crap on the internet. Ask an active member, or a mormon that goes to church regularly! Forreal. It is like every other week someone drops us because they read crap on the web. Hello? You are able to form your own opinion? Read the Book of Mormon for yourself rather than reading what so and so said about it on their blog. Good-Ness.

WELL! This area is different than Mlada. I never thought the work could be different in different areas but C-Bud has proved me wrong. The branch members here are so great.  I'm excited to know and work with these members this transfer.  It's such an interesting place. AND! I counted the people yesterday. Minus the missionaries (me and my comp, the Elders, and the couple here) 15 people at church..

Brady- Do you know any Sister Zmolek from your mission? She served there about the same time as you. Well, her parents are the couple serving here with us. Its cool they are in their 60's and learned quite a bit of Czech. I don't think I'll have that motivation when I'm in my 60's.

The weather is beautiful The spring has arrived! On Thursday we had a bench lesson with David (from Florida) He loved being able to speak English with someone. We taught him about the Book of Mormon on a bench in the middle of the naměstí!  RIGHT NOW-google the naměstí (center, square, middle) or Ceske Budejovice! It was so great. I really feel like I am in Europe in this area. Also there are flowers everywhere. Everyone has flowers planted in their tiny walkways to their homes and the parks have little flowers all over them. Even the weeds on the side of the road are pretty here. They are green and sometimes even have flowers too!

Get this--we met with a recent convert who is 17 from Ukraine, his parents are divorced but both found the church on their own and told him to find the church here while he is here in the C.R. He found the missionaries and was baptized not too long ago while learning Czech. We are always using his translator on his phone to teach him. Its crazy that we are both communicating in our second languages!

We have sports day here. We went to a park and asked people to play with us. No one was saying yes then Starsi Davis said ''if these kids say no we can just go play ping pong at the church'' He asked these 4 kids and they said yes! I have never loved soccer so much before. These kids were so cute and one of them, it was her first time playing! She would run after the ball and stop it with her hands before kicking it in some direction. They also asked where we were from and thought it was SO cool to play futbol with Americans! p.s. they were ages 8-10. I'll send a picture next week. CUTE! 

This transfer is 10 weeks long! It will be exciting and full of growth. I can already tell.

Lastly, our apartment. It cracks me up. In Mlada we had wood floors, a nice couch, nice wooden cupboards, it was clean and simple. The apartment we have now is in the same building as another family, so first off sometimes what goes through their pipes seeps into our toilet and our pipes, there are some cupboards that don't close all the way in the kitchen, the floor creaks like mad in every step you take on it, the couch is Hideous, there are 2 huge hideous rugs in 2 of the rooms, the shower is so small I always smack the water off or burning hot while grabbing my shampoo or something, the water heater is sensitive and lasts short periods of time, I am in a constant battle with the temperature of water while taking a shower or doing dishes, My bed...get this...my mattress is stacked on 4 parts of a couch. The color is that of a sick baby's green poop, and my pillow case doesn't fit the pillow and I am basically 4 feet off the floor when I sleep. I have mastered the prayer in bed in the mornings. It's too much a a risk to fall on the floor in the morning to pray. 

That is C-Bud! 

I love my companion, she is down-to-earth and is so good at teaching me the area so I can teach the next sister that comes here next transfer. She also says I am very good in language for my second transfer. She also has a great voice and we often sing Disney songs while making dinner. Last night was Mulan with multiple kickings in the air.

-Sestra Hale

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! 

Love you all! 

mejte se hezký tzden! pomatuejte...jestli máte otazku o cirkví Ježíše Krista, zepte se jenom aktinví člen!

miluji vám!