Week 68 -- A Happy Week

Here we are in Prague and Mlada Boleslav and we have had yet another amazingly happy week. In a leadership meeting called Mission Leadership Council we talked a lot about those special converting moments when we change from doing the work out of duty to doing the work out of love...we honestly are feeling this every. single. day. I hit that a while ago and Sestra Fred too and I think it's also rubbing off onSestra Cade so much that her personality is coming out more and more and it's so awesome! We are constantly in contact with our investigators, we are running around and are being SO amazingly blessed with the people we meet. We are having a ton of opportunities to teach and gather the Czechs to the Gospel. We are mostly excited about our member lesson in Stare Boleslav with Sestra Marsikova. That is a miracle in and of itself. Stare Boleslav is between MB and Prague and sweet Sestra Marsikova was willing to drive out to teach a lesson with us. He was originally a referral from someone being taught in Slovakia. He has 2 kids. I have only met one daughter and have already created the plan to steal her because she is SO darling! (Plus she has a sweet cowlick that makes her hair stick up and I think we can bond over that) Ivan is kind of hard to read but he wants to be baptized and is getting used to prayer. He says he doesn't ever know what to say but when he prays its so sincere and the Spirit is evident. 

Another reason we are so happy is our straight up MIRACLE man in Mlada Boleslav! Last week we were on exchanges and met Z on the street. NOTE: The Zone Leaders texted us a challenge to put someone on date in a street contact. This came to pass with Z and he is 200% proof that God prepares the souls here. He has had past experiences that have lead him to ponder the doctrine we are teaching, he loves that we can live forever with our families and understands that when he is in the Celestial Kingdom he will be able to visit his family in the other kingdoms, etc. We have met with him 3 times and every. single. time. we leave with HUGE grins because it's literally hard to believe he exists. He sent us his favorite scriptures in the BoM, he is already in 1 Nefi 17, he asks 'golden' questions that we have the simple doctrine to answer with, etc.  Z will be baptized in the next 4 weeks. We are praying that he will also feel ready sooner for his date on July 2nd. 

Oh my gosh I cannot even describe the joy we are feeling. This companionship is united, the work is always moving in the right direction, and we are on top of soooo many things and enjoying the crazy ride the entire time. We are working hard and playing hard. 

Something else this week was a small but spiritual moment for me. We met with a less active whose brother recently passed away and she said it caused her to wonder if what she believed to be true, was actually true. According to her studies, it's confirmed that the life after death is true but she asked "Where is my brother right now" So I whipped out my little pictures that I used a lot with Sestra Stokes and took out the Duchovni Svet (spirit world) And in one sentence I told her "he is being taught in the Spirit world about our Savior Jesus Christ and is being given a chance to accept Him". It was so small and the conversation moved on but I have No Doubts about the Gospel. If we are ever stumped on the street by an anti Christ or angry person, I enjoy studying it out in my mind and heart using sources like scriptures and talks to find the truth and to reconfirm my testimony. 

There are times when we question our religion. I can say that it all starts with faith and as we move on and act on our faith we have experiences that give us knowledge of what we hoped to be true. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. He loves us, he established his church for us, he died for us, and he continues to give us revelation through our Prophet Thomas S Monson. We are a perfect church full of imperfect people, isn't that so great? 

-Sestra Hale

P.S. if you want a laugh here it is. Yesterday  we were teaching someone on a tram and I lost my balance for a second because I was getting a pamphlet out of my bag. The tram jolted or braked..I honestly don't know, and I caught my balance on the pole which a innocent bystander man was already holding so if you can imagine this with me: I quickly and firmly held a man's hand on the tram for probably the longest 2.5 seconds of my life.  The air felt so awkward  and we could tell he tried to escape our presence but couldn't because the tram was so packed. That's me. Sestra Trapná (Sister Embarassing)

 Lunch with the Jicin Elders in the Mexican Dungeon -- never again!

the Zoo Zamek (the Zoo Chateau)