Week 49 Blombergova and that tram ride

There were many highlights of this week. I made a goal to talk to at least one person on every transportation. Including the train ride. It was so much fun! We met a man who traded frogs, we met 2 girls from Brno that cross country ski, we met a man with long curly hair and a dog (I always love a good session of dog petting. It reminds me of Lexi who I miss)

BUT the real highlight was when Sestra Schaerrer and I were on a tram. We were going from one part of Ostrava to another part. 30ish minute tram ride.  I contacted a lady on that tram. She was coming back from the hospital where her sick baby was. I then asked if she was a believer and she responded "I pray but that's about it. I don't really know what is there but I believe praying can help". It was perfect because I KNOW praying works. I told her that all will be okay and I told her that God loves her and knows her situation. That was a different and special spirit I wish I could always feel in every contact.I could tell she felt it too. Then an old couple got on. The man sat by me and the woman sat by Sestra Schaerrer right behind me. I was talking with the old man. I asked him if he was having a good day. He said "Of course, I have a wonderful wife, I am always good" He was so sweet. The funny part was that I couldn't understand him well because he was so old and he couldn't hear me because his ears were also aged. I repeated myself a lot as I spoke to him and smiled when I couldn't understand him. --come to find out, his wife and Sestra Schaerrer were laughing a ton because his wife said "Your friend can't understand my husband, and he cannot hear her". It was so nice and when they got off they both stood there and waved to us :) THEN a man came on and I said hello to him. His face immediately lit up. He was a jolly man. He laughed a ton and said he wished pretty girls like us taught english in Olomouc where he was from. Awkwardly I told him he could be taught by the Elders there and he should just imagine them with long hair and skirts. We all laughed and he was so nice. 

All in all, I love tram/train contacting. It's always an adventure.

The other highlight was Sestra Blombergova's house. All 6 missionaries at this woman's house. She loves having us over because she loves cooking for us and she is an empty nester. She is the cutest and funniest woman. She made us homemade svičkova!!! I have 6 knedliky (dumplings) There is a record for the most knedliky. It is 24 and I pray I will never have the ability to reach that. Czech food is SO heavy. Especially this plate. Anyways, after that Starsi Lanham whipped out his guitar and we sang a few songs for her. Then he did a few solos, then we literally ran to catch a tram to our next appointment.

P.S. It has been cold all week but there were only a few times I was BITTERLY cold. I'm only a desert rat. Once it snowed, all was fine. but below freezing is where we are at nowadays. I'm accustomed to it. (I don't know how to translate the word zvyknout into english but I know its something like "getting used to something") 

Anyway, that is all from Sestra Hale.

I still love this area and my comp Sestra Schaerrer. She is a hoot and we love it here. Over and out

Bitter, bitter cold and still loving it.

 The best hot juice I have ever had.

 This is the main station in Ostrava. We are always there.

We spotted a snow turtle! They're a rare species and are extinct in the summer. 

Week 48 busy busy busy busy

Every night when we went to bed, Sestra Schaerrer and I were wiped out. There were even times when I got up in the morning and my feet stung cause we were literally running all over the place throughout the day! 

Highlights: 

We played badminton for sports night. Bratr Kubala, Karolina, and Tomas came. It was super expensive but other than that I think Bratr Kubala and I bonded on losing a game together. 

A less active texted us saying she couldn't come to an activity we invited her to. Later I was replying to a ton of people in our phone and re-read her text. She invited us over! Sestra Schaerrer hadn't even met her. So instead of weekly planning in Frydek, we went far out to Zabreh in Ostrava to find her house and visit her. The second she opens her door she embraces us each with a hug, a mother-like hug. She is so nice! She has a very old sick dog that she is always taking care of, She works at the library, and has twin granddaughters that she calls monkeys. We are going to meet the monkeys this next Saturday when we visit again! It was a really beautiful miracle to meet her and now we will work with her and find a way that she can have her dog taken care of AND she can come to church. 

Sestra Schaerrer and I have been consistent in our transportation contacting. We have met really cool people on the buses/trams/trains and have been hit on more than once. All part of the job..

We are going to help prepare 2 people to go to the temple. I am SO excited for this course for these 2 members! I wish we could always teach temple preparation! 

We met with a girl who is almost 22.  She is darling and is on date for 27 February! Its really nice because she lives in Frydek. Yesterday she met us early and we all went to church together. Her favorite part was Gospel Principles when we discussed Charity. She shared a few thoughts and stories. She sounded like a member! 

The members here are so great and the people around these towns are also so great. We have been seeing the light of Christ in strangers more and more as we open up conversations and allow the spirit to touch their hearts. Sestra Schaerrer and I are on a roll and are having a ton of fun. In the last 48 hours we have managed to talk to each other ONLY in a red neck accent. We even have red neck names. I am Sally and she is LuAnn. 

MÁM VÁS RÁDA!!!!

S láskou, 

Sestra Hale

The train station 

We went to a mirror maze with the Elders today. 

The perfect on sale treat after a long long day.

Typical on-the-go lunch from the nearest Albert (grocery store).

Week 47 Frydek Mistek Facts

This week we contacted a TON due to not a lot of lessons/service so I will tell you fun facts about what I found out this week about my area:

-This branch here is known to be the YSA (Young Single Adults) branch. We have a ton of YSA and when we are all at an activity like ping pong or family home evening, it is a party for ALL.

-We live and serve in Frydek Mistek but are often in Ostrava which is a 30 minute train ride away. We are always on trains here it seems. 

-Whenever we are with the Elders we somehow always have to run to places because we are late or trying to find places, etc. But today we literally sprinted for a trolleybus and we were all dying. 

-We are in Ostrava a lot but only around the leaders in our district for activities during the week, district meeting (we had district meeting at our apartment this last week then all of us did a singing display together for 3 hours. It was so cold and fun. I literally ran after a family mid song because no one contacted them)

-Activities throughout the week are Family Home Evening, Sestra Schaerrer teaches German ( I can now count to 10 and say that I am 21 in German) We teach English, and we have a game night. This past week was ping pong. This coming week is badminton

-This is a big branch. There were 7 women in Relief Society on Sunday.

-the missionaries here switch who teaches Gospel Principles. This week we taught about the Law of Health and it went very well! That's a fun class to teach

I don't mean to end on a bad note but J dropped us. He will not be getting baptized on Saturday but he is doing well and we are still on good terms. I think he will one day accept and understand everything in this, Christ's church. 

As you all know, I love you all and I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of this new year :)

-Sestra Hale

 Ping Pong Night

 Our Chapel

The Namesti in Mistek (the city square) 

Week 46 Frýdek Mistek Round 1

I forgot how foggy I am when going to a new area. We are a tiny sister city to Ostrava and are always traveling by train all around to have meetings and teach people and do district finding, etc. 

Fun story, Sometime this week I sat by a man dressed like a cool hippie on the train. We talked for the 25 minute ride and he ended up getting off at our stop to give me a bag of his fresh brussel sprouts because he wanted to give me something. I love the people here. You talk to them, teach them, uplift them, and they want to give you something in return. Even some random food they have, haha. 

We are teaching a man named J and he is getting baptized on the 16th of this month so we are teaching him the final details and planning his baptism. Yesterday he bore his testimony in church and expressed his gratitude in meeting the missionaries. He said it was like a whole new life. His humor is alike to mine so I feel like I am always laughing when we teach him. I love how honest he is in his feelings and concerns. There is nothing more that a missionary loves than when people are honest with them. 

NEW YEARS: We were to be home by 7:30. S. Schaerrer and I were so excited because that meant we could FINALLY catch up on sleep. It turns out we actually retired to bed then had pillow talk about religions until 11 or so. We woke up at midnight to witness the fireworks around us. It sounded like a civil war in our neighborhood. Everyone had fireworks. Not just sparklers or roman candles but the literally BOOM fire works. One man lit one in our courtyard-our cameras were recording-2 beautiful fireworks in the sky then BOOM one exploded right next to our window then the next 2 shot OVER a car and exploded on the building across the street from us! We have the Funniest videos from this moment. We have been quoting our reaction in the videos since the 1st haaha I love my companion. She is so funny and we are similar in our thinking process and we are both comfortable in teaching..does that make sense? We both teach the same way and we teach boldly. 

I love the members here. I haven't met everyone yet but I already like the feeling of everyone. They have a good vibe and I can tell we are going to have a fun time. 

Lastly. one day we woke up early to catch a train to district meeting. I think it was 8 in the morning but it was -9 degrees celcius. That is 15 degrees Farenheit! I wear 2 socks, (one is the fuzzy kind) I wear fleece tights and leggings over it, and as many layers on top as I can get away with without looking like a marshmallow. Craziness. Its also very majestic because you can see the humidity freezing in the air. It looks like glitter falling from the sky.So magical but devishly cold. And the humidity gets us to our bones.But it is my best day when that happens. 
. 
s láskou, 

Sestra Hale

A Czech Christmas tradition. This is the carp fish.  You are to take a scale out, and put it in your wallet to always have a full wallet. So far it is working for me!

Another Czech Christmas tradition -- cut an apple horizontally. If you see a star -- good luck for the year.We did it!

 Me and my new companion. 

Our area is pronounced Free-deck Mees-teck.  In this town, one side of the river is Frydek and the other is Mistek. We live technically in Mistek.