Week 41 may šarka rest in peace

Dearest readers,

This week we pulled off Thanksgiving. I don't think I have said anything about it before but it has been in the minds of the branch and in the works since last year's success. Last year an elder wanted to show the Czechs how we Thanksgiving so he pulled this feast together. He made a lot of the food himself and delegated out recipes to those who were able to buy the ingredients and make these American delicacies. Now, let me just say that the second annual Liberec Thanksgiving was a huge success again! From the pictures of last year and the outcome of this year, we had more people. That's awesome. Members prepared food (some had to ask how to serve it. I've never been asked before how to serve corn bread "you just make it and serve it?...") SO Tuesday we had training in Prague so that took out a day for food preparation. Monday we made the plans to bake rolls at certain times, to buy the turkeys with Prezident Hanzal at a certain time, and to boil the eggs for the deviled eggs, etc. Wednesday to Friday is honestly a blur. Wednesday and Thursday were full of missionary work with clever ways of multitasking baking in the kitchen and making sure things weren't burnt. Then came the turkey on Thursday afternoon. We walked to a classic Czech butcher not too far from the church building and picked up two 16 lbs. turkeys! SIXTEEN POUNDS EACH! Sestra Stokes and I could not stop giggling as we carried these toddler-sized birds in our arms to the church building. Friday was the celebration  (not the real day for thanksgiving but it was a day of convenience here). We took the day as our P-Day and good thing too. We had to baste the turkey every 45 minutes, we made the deviled eggs, cleaned the church a little, and just prepared for a legendary meal. p.s. Sestra Stokes and I have NEVER cooked a turkey before. We wanted to make it fun instead of stressful so we named her Šarka (in English you say that as shark-ah) She did so well! It was perfect. When the feast begun, Prezident Hanzal explained how to eat the food (so funny and needed apparently) and it was delicious. We had people from our English class there, our investigator P and his girlfriend came, and more! Needless to say, we slept like the dead that night.

Back to the Tuesday training, it was great. Our zone leaders trained on teaching with members and how valuable that is to the conversion of those we teach and then the sister training leaders testified of hard work then BAM! We got a transfer call right there! We were all given a letter with a place in Prague and a new companion. We were to be back in 40 minutes. GO! I went on a metro with Sestra Angerhoffer. It was one metro stop away and we were there for 10 minutes then came back. Can you imagine? 15 pairs of missionaries on adrenaline in one city with all the same contacting cards. Lucky Prague Elders are about to get some investigators! It was so fun. Then Prezident McConkie's spiritual thought wrapped the whole training up. He talked about Christ having the title of the "Good Shepherd" and how we are also good shepherds bringing the lost sheep back into the fold with His help. What a beautiful thought.

I was reading in Alma this week and came upon a phrase that have stuck with me. "Část about your eyes". I first turned to Sestra Stokes and asked her to define that. She initially made a funny face up to the sky and we laughed...but really to část our eyes about sounds to me like we are wandering. It is as if someone would get bored of their lifestyle then wander and get lost until they ended up in the wrong place. The next day I read the phrase "Look to God and live". How many times do we wander around and make the wrong decisions because we are not relying on our Heavenly Father?  No matter where or who you are, you can turn to God, our Heavenly Father, and live through Him. Live by the means of God and enjoy this life thanks to His son Jesus Christ.

I dont know if that makes sense, I feel like I said some things like a czech in translation but cool thought huh? Also, I love reading the Book of Mormon. 

On another note, we saw our first snowfall this week. It's been bitter cold and also raining off and on. Hellooooo Christmas weather! I love living in the snow. I honestly feel like the snow is giving me power to get up and go.

víte co?......MÁM VÁS RÁDA!!!!!!

S laskou,

Sestra Hale​