missionary melanizzle

missionary melanizzle

Monday, August 31, 2015

Week 28 -- Week 1 in Liberec

There was a random festival in the namesti this week. We were told about it and invited by one of the people who was in charge. We went and there were shacks of all the different minorities living in the Czech Republic with FOOD from their native lands! Dinner hour was spent well. We had Egyptian food, Jordan food, Ukrainian food, and more but we honestly have no idea because the countries were written in Czech so we just trusted the food was safe and continued onward. A funny experience there was at the last shack we wanted to know what country they were representing and then they spoke to us in English. Sestra Bailey goes 'what country is this?' the girl replies 'The Czech Republic' We are just SO grateful that we finally know where we are. This European business can get so confusing sometimes! hahah

We went to Prague to do my 2nd visa work. It took forever and it was once again nice to see Starsi Smith and the Holts from the MTC. While there, we set up with a lady named H who just recently moved to Prague from Liberec. Apparently she is homeless in Prague. She moved there to be homeless. In my opinion that is taking the homeless life to the limit! I'd love to wander those streets. Anyway she was cute and we had a good time.

Yesterday we had a 'maybe' lesson and then contacting for many hours on end. We found the house of a man who doesn't go to church anymore and met him and his wife but they were too busy so we are going back next week. Then we walked to -not even kidding- the opposite side of the world over by the zoo and contacted all the way there. Liberec got way prettier and fancier. It was a nice Sunday stroll :) It reminded me of Central Ave except prettier and there were tram tracks in the street. Once we made it to the top of the hill by the zoo we looked at our watches and said 'woof' its only 5:30. Lets keep going! So we continued on, talking to everyone, then a man was walking by this open window inside his house so fearless Sestra Bailey yells up to him and guess what......he tells us to give him company while he painted the eave on his home. Sure? Why not. Turns out he is way cool, from Slovakia, is a surgeon, wants 2 children of his own and wants to adpot one, and has seen miracles in his life. Probably the coolest man ever. Sure he didn't have a shirt on but we didn't mind, he was a better looking man. ANYWAY it was way cool and he thinks my future job is way cool. Once he understood what exactly I want to do he laughed and said woah, thats cool! So we will see him again and he wants us to throw a garden party at his house.  Sure!

Liberec is so fun. We have random friends all around this town. Alena at the ice cream shop, Mariola (Polish woman) from the mattress store, Filip (Vietnamese man) from the nail shop, and Marek from the wine shop. We love visiting them all at work-when its not busy of course.

Okay lastly, today for P-Day we went up to Ještěd. It's a hotel and observation tower at the top of the highest mountain around. We walked up some of it, took a ski lift (that thing flew 15 miles per hour I swear) then walked a mile to the top! It was a cool, nice view. THEN we rented those Dr. Seuss type Scooter-Bikes and rode down the mountain! I had a Styx song stuck in my head the whole way down. "Flash! duh duhhh" It was so cool and random. 
Mám vás rada! Pamatujte že jste dětí Boží a on vas miluje. Pokračujte ve víře během tohoto tydnu.
s laskou,
Sestra Hale



This is Ještěd ! Why the shape? We don't know.

And we rode these crazy scooters all the way down the mountain. 

Monday, August 24, 2015

Week 27 TRANSFERS!!

I love my mission so far. It's so simple. I started in Mlada Boleslav BAM, directly down the map I was in České Budejovice BAM, now I am back straight up north in Liberec!!!  It's really exciting because this place was only opened up by sisters 4 months ago. Time for some Sister Power! Out of the time I have been here I have noticed there are hills everywhere and I have a feeling I will have some nice legs by the end of this transfer. I am also serving with Sestra Bailey who is THE COOLEST. Every training we would talk and hang out and hope to serve together. She is only one transfer behind me so we are both freshish and ready to make a difference. I also hear she thinks she is black so my ghetto side might be released once again. This transfer will be so much fun, we are going to laugh a ton!

As of the last week of my time in České Budejovice was phenomenal. We had a crazy crazy busy week but those are the best right? Monday we filled up to the brim with lessons and work because we weren't taking our P Day then. Tuesday we had training in Prague and it was so delicious. The APs talked about the language barrier in the work and how to get on that deeper level with people who you can't understand, Sister McConkie spoke about prayer and put us in the shoes of parents/children as she taught, President McConkie spoke about our visions and how visions worked. It was cool because instead of teaching a principle from his mind he taught us about the Czech culture and how one man had a vision and carried it out through the hard times and finally ended up making a huge difference for the Czechs. I can't explain it now nor do I have the time to do so but I cried as he was showing these pictures and telling these stories. I loooove Czechs. All Czechs are good.

We had a successful BBQ again. Listen to my voice recording for more details.
Tha'ts all, I guess. I am in love with this mission. Bring it on Liberec with Sestra Bailey! I'm super excited to go to work here and to tell you all about it.
Enjoy your week! Mam vas rada!
-Sestra Hale

Monday, August 17, 2015

Week 26 It's already Monday again

Surprise Surprise! We are having the time of our lives. We promised with each other to talk to everyone this last week. What did we do? We were crossing the street left and right talking to everyone. We were consistently trying to contact referrals, we did not just 'set up a trap' for people on a bus, but we attacked and bus contacted! What are the results? MIRACLES EVERYWHERE. In all aspects of the work too! We got through 2 complete lessons with 2 people who always talk about who knows what during our lessons, we now have 3 new people to visit and teach, and we are happier as missionaries and are enjoying the work. We both said "so THIS is what a mission is supposed to be like. I feel like a true missionary!" Its super rewarding. What can we learn from this? If life is boring and just puttering along, let's kick it up a notch and work harder or fulfill our callings more, let's all turn outward and help others. That's the most rewarding work.
oh! fun fact. My 1st companion from the MTC who was going to Macedonia emailed me this morning! She is currently serving in ALBANIA and loving it! She is in an actual ward with a primary. They asked her to help them teach music. She is looooving it over there.
Weeeeeeee have been teaching this lady named V. She is SO normal and we always teach her at her home. Which is rare most of the time. After watching the restoration film we were answering her many good questions then the time felt right. I suggested a baptismal date---the thing is that I remember giving her the date but I don't remember how. I remember feeling very calm and then the Czech came out. Fast forward to the next day. Sestra Daugirda said that baptismal invitation was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. I don't remember what I said but I guess it was perfect czech....Speechless and grateful.
The weather is SO nice. We surprisingly got a storm the other night and it hasn't stopped raining today! It's cold and wet. I've been warned that it will only get colder from here except for a week and then the bitter humid winter starts. Yay!
Bahahahahahahah we just came from a lesson with 94 year old Sestra C. She collects a ton of random things in her house. One of them is straws. Used or not...So Sestra Daugirda got this 4th of July package with American straws. When sister C opened her eyes to our surprise...she squeeled and then we took pictures! IT WAS SO FUNNY AND CUTE. This lady will be in my memory for eternity. The cutest fragile and most solid member in the church. She said "I am grateful everyday that I can read and that I am strong enough to go to church. I will go until I physically can't go anymore".  I'm not complaining but if the world were full of Sestra C's...we would be the best humans ever!
Mam vas rada a doufam ze mate hezky tyden! 
-Sestra Hale



Monday, August 10, 2015

Week 25 Už je to lepší (It's better)

Thank goodness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sestra Daugirda and I had an anniversary this week of when we went through the worst moments of our missions together last week. Thanks to the hard work we have been doing, and for the consistency of the work that is needed, we have had a better week. Non of our investigators were in town due to free time off work BUT that is good because it allowed Sestra Daugirda and I to get creative with our finding.
The voice recordings will tell you all about the crazy/funny experiences this week BUT I want to tell about a spiritual experience sister Daugirda and I shared. Right before one of our lessons, we were both mad and weren't focused and were angry at each other to the point of silence. Then walks in our wonderful A (picture attached) During that lesson I realized HOW to apply Jesus Christ into my life. I realized that as we are given weaknesses or battling our inner natural man, we were given the example of Jesus Christ to look up to and become like. During that lesson and throughout testifying of the book of mormon and weaknesses, I choked up during the lesson and felt an immediate sense of peace. Sestra Daugirda had the same kind of experience. We both learned from each other and from the Spirit and from our investigator. That entire lesson was not previously prepared. It was all by direction of the spirit and I will never forget it.
This is the BEST time of my life. Even though we are constantly dying in the heat with no escape, I am learning about Jesus the man and how I can become like him. I know it now more than ever. 
Mam vas rada! 
-Sestra Hale
  Our AMAZING investigator A! She is always so cute. We usually feel so frumpy next to her cause she is so super cute. And very honest and genuine about what we teach. Shes basically perfect


 Thoughts while taking this picture:  (This is the Hluboka Castle taken last week on P Day)
Ha....I serve here?
THIS is what P Days are?
Where are we? 
Who does this??
My family has GOT to see this in real life. 
*speechless* 


We did service for E this week. Well...Sestra Daugirda and I 
did a whole 2 minutes of cutting up 5 rolls of bread for her goats. 


V surpsise went trakting with us for a few hours. Since when did V become all nice and willing to be out in the sun with us to go trakting!?! He actually did very well. He didn't talk much but he did ring the bells to people's houses several times at once.


 Today's adventure: This is what we came for. Yes this is a huge slide out in the middle of the forest. 
The best 14 seconds of anyone's life.

Fun ádrenaline' activities on the way up. We could stand on moving pieces of wood or a wire. And look in the background-we were at the very tops of these trees in the forest! So High!

Our lunch. The train station ended up being further than we thought so we had no time for lunch. Good thing Terezka was there though! She whipped out these mint/candy things...yay lunch!

At the top! Somewhere in that direction behind us is America..or Sweden. 
I honestly don't know which way West was up there.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Week 24 THE ADVERSARY WILL NOT WIN

You know how you grow up your while life hearing about crazy hard times on a mission and don't think much about it because you don't know what everyone is talking about? WE HAVE SURVIVED A WEEKEND OF THE WORST! All I know is that we press on in the work of the Lord. BrInG iT oN.
It started on Friday when the M came to game night and by the end the children were going nuts! We tried to have a spiritual thought to end the night but it just did not work. I won't go into details but what are the symptoms for ulcers? we were so stressed. Then we went to a lesson with V. Our usual spot was full of rave music and some kind of convention so we awkwardly went to sit on a nearby tree with him and try to have a lesson that we felt so good about when we prepared it. Then BAM! The elders had an emergency with someone fainting at the building and they were there alone which is  'no no' with a woman and missionaries. So they kept constantly calling asking what they should do. Sister Daugirda was on the phone the whole time and I continued teaching V on the go including reading a scripture and testifying. It was so bad. and the fainted woman randomly just got up and left to go home and we were just so stressed and had no idea what to do. After a call to Prez. McConkie all was well. It still took about a half hour before we didn't feel nauseated from stress and overwhelming responsibility and worriedness. We prayed long and hard that night. All was well.
Saturday morning. Our new favorite and baptismal date investigator drops us over text.
Sunday. There were 7 members at church. The members that were absent didn't tell anyone they would be absent so here are the responsibilities we had to do as missionaries:
Starsi Needham. He is the 1st counselor in the branch presidency. He conducted, presided, and played piano. Literally so funny to see him announce everything then slide to the piano then back up to preside. 
Sestra Hale. That's me: I taught Relief Society to the 2 members and one visitor from Plzn. 
Sestra Daugirda: She taught primary with Terezka (recent convert) to the 2 visiting children. 
Starsi Lanham: He found some old freezer burnt bread from the freezer, warmed it up, and prepared and set up sacrament.
WE FASTED all Sunday to have a great prepared spiritual lesson with V. We felt so spiritually pumped. We fasted for this woman. We go to her house, catch up for 5 minutes. We are about to pray then BOOM. The adversary plays a move and her ex boyfriend comes over and ruins all our plans so we ended up sitting there just getting to know them. Nothing taught but us telling him we don't drink alkohol.
When all falls through, we are convinced that is evidence of a miracle about to happen. BRING IT.
To end on a good note: V (the punk who was baptized recently) wore a white shirt, slacks, black shoes, and a tie to church! He came and it wasn't tucked in then right before sacrament meeting he tucked in his shirt and looked SOOOO handsome. THEN HE PASSED THE SACRAMENT! I was literally in tears from happiness and gratitude. That was a sweet tender mercy. I don't know if he has passed the sacrament before and we have been suggesting to him to wear the right clothes to pass the sacrament for a long time. 

mám tě rada a doufám že máte štěstí během tohoto tydnu. 
s laskou, 
Sestra Hale

 This is after all the missionaries ran in a Huge group to the train at Karlstejn!

  I'm in a dream. literally.
 All I wanted was to take a picture at Karlstejn. Then my elders saw my actions and reacted accordingly. We all love our reunions! MTC GROUP! 
For about 3 minutes we were all walking together and laughing and saying how cool it was to be together again. We said things like this: 
'THE GANG IS ALL HERE"' 
Then someone remembered our Slovak friend.
where the Cahoon?.....
*silence* 
awkward. 
 While tracting: this house looks like a boat.


 He's from Arizona! He is the one that came here to do research, started a 2 year long 
process, and might be co writer for a fancy science article. Going to U of A! Also-taught with 
us once and helped our english classs. The coolest guy!

This is sister Hamblin that I am related to thanks to the love of Ben and Kelsee! (my cousin and her cousin got married this year!)  She is so cool. I wouldn't mind serving with her. We would laugh all the time. and work Hard.

We walked her to church yesterday. She is the most precious thing ever !