Ahoj from Hradec Kralova,
I have left beloved little cbud and am follow up training Sister Rozenvall. According to her parents we are related through the Moultons not sure who they are but they are related to Hickens I guess. Not to mention that there is an Elder Baylie here that I saw at our mission conference that was like what the, my mom is a Hicken, we must be related! He is from Perry. What a small world it is out here in the mission field. ha ha
I know that the Lord loves me for many reasons but today mostly because He has once again answered my prayers. I don't know why He always answers them in really trying ways but He does answer them and help me out a lot. I think that my Czech is about to take a few huge leaps forward. I sure hope so at least.
Mission conference, I am sure this is what you all want to hear about. Basically it was amazing! It kind of made me think of girls camp personal time out in the woods times 10. It was glorious. We went to karelstien and hiked to the spot where our mission was dedicated. It was dedicated July 24, 1929 by Elder Woodstoe. We were able to recreate the event and it was really an amazing spiritual experience. I wish I had time to explain it. President shared blessings that were promised on our mission from the original dedication, that the spirit of Elijah would work on the people as their ancestors before them had searched so diligently for the truth and couldn't find it and then that the opening and work of this mission would be a light and path for all other slavik missions and Hungary was mentioned in that. :) It was so neat. Then President shared the story of Christ inviting Peter James and John to follow him and become fishers of men. President then said that he was giving us his all for the next 3 years and challenged us to leave everything behind and do the same whether we have 1 week, 2 months or a couple years left. It was so powerful and then he invited us to come with him and Christ. He said as we come to them, they will lead us and teach us how to be fishers of men, it was SO GREAT! Words can't describe it.
The people here are so prepared, it is so neat to see the Lord's work moving forward. Our sweet Michal is coming to church and this week he asked about the second hour. I told him that he would love it and testified of the importance and explained that it is basically teaching each other about the Book of Mormon. He is loving reading and learning from the Book of Mormon and is striving so hard to understand it. It threw him for a loop when the answers to one of his questions made him realize that the book is set in the Americas not in Asia. I don't know how that one slipped by but we got that straightened out and he is ready to learn.
Angela is a miracle. We were out doing building tours last we and she had walked by in the middle of a huge group of people. I didn't contact her and then as I finished contacting someone else she came up to me and asked if she could have one of the contacting cards in my hand, it had a picture of Christ on it that she liked. I then mentioned that we were doing building tours if she would like to see the building. She was up for it. We took her in and she started looking at the pictures and asking questions, we didn't have much to say or do as she was doing the tour for her self, it was really neat. She talked of the peace she felt in the building. We asked if she'd like to meet a different day and she was kind of I don't have time and that she had met with missionaries before. We felt like we should continue and we eventually got her number with little effort and set up. We had a meeting at her house this week and it was amazing! She talked about how meeting us was an answer to her prayers. She talked of how she is catholic and that she doesn't do what other people tell her to but what feels right between her heart and mind. She is so amazing. She talked about the importance of family prayer and how it brings you together as a family. There were many other amazing things too. We planned to share with her 3 Nephi 18:21 and opened to it and said 21, who would have known that chapter 17 also had a 21 on those pages so she read 17:21 instead and oddly enough it fit perfectly into the lesson and what I had introduced it as. She obviously needed to hear that. So neat. When I shared the first vision she mentioned many times how she had the chills and how neat of an experience that was. She understands that everyone has different experiences and it isn't the same for everyone. She had lots of questions about Joseph Smith and wanted to get something that he had written if there was a book or something. She loved that we have a prophet and wants a picture. She also prayed at the end for us, her first prayer that wasn't the Lords prayer. We love her and she is so prepared!
We also were going through the 2007 potentials and found a Michal that was a referral from church headquarters that was never taught. So we called and he didn't answer. But we had the address and who would have known, it is right around the corner from the church so we planned to visit the next day. Initially we thought before dinner. Then we thought, he might not be home lets do it later. Well come dinner time we run into the elders and they tell us about this amazing building tour and who was it but the Michal we had planned to go visit. He wouldn't have been home if we went when we had initially planned. The Lord's hand is so in this work. It is neat to see how things work out. Sounds like he wasn't really that interested in the gospel but Starsi Hansen mentioned something about family history and that caught his attention. The work is progressing! The spirit of Elijah is alive in these people!
We taught Olina a lesson on the importance of sacrament meeting. In planning I had some thoughts of things that I should say that I was kind of afraid to say because I felt they were really bold and wasn't sure how she would take it. But we did it anyway. It is amazing how when the spirit is there and you follow promptings something that seems so bold really isn't. Basically we told her that if she doesn't go to church she won't have the spirit because you need to be clean to have the spirit and that only happens through the sacrament. With lots of testifying and talking of the importance of having the spirit. I then shared that if she would have been coming to church, she would have been warned by the spirit about the kid who stole from her. We invited her to church and she was excited and had the desire to come, she had no excuses and just said yes. (Unfortunately she didn't make it, her son took her somewhere instead. :( )
Finally Ctibor came to church again! Yeah!!! That is two weeks in a row. After sacrament meeting I asked if he was staying he said no and after a little talking he said next week. When I told him it was my last week, he said he'd stay. But hey he is planning on coming to church next week too! Yeah!! Wow so much progress in this little nook of the Lord's vineyard, it is so awesome! I am sad to be leaving all this, but I have work elsewhere and I am leaving it in good hands. The Lord is in charge and all will be well.
So I will send you off with a few funnies of the week.
We were teaching Constantin about the importance of being a good example to his family. We had Gita there who is the only member in her family and her husband is kind of anti. As Gita testified, Constantin made a connection and basically said, Gita, my wife isn't a member and your husband isn't a member, we should just switch! It was hilarious to see Gita kind of freak out and Constantin just laugh. Man that guy is a character!
I was riding the bus and I forgot my bus pass and the ticket checkers happened to be on the bus. So I got my first ticket in my life. He was kind to me. He must have felt bad I couldn't really speak. But instead of paying him I had to go and find the bus station. We found the street and were looking for the number 40. we saw 39 across the street and headed off. Little did we realize that 40 would be across the street from 17. At least Czechs do chronological order and odds and evens on opposite sides of the street. They just need to get both sides of the street in sync.
I threw something in the microwave and because they are so old you can't really set a time and I walked away and forgot about it busily doing something else and I got the fire alarm to go off! That was exciting.
So I realized just how oblivious I am to the ways of the world as a missionary. The elders had invited a young man to come to language study. Afterwards he was walking with us to our houses. He had offered me a smoke and I declined. He then began to question what I do to relax if I don't smoke. He asked about beer and all sorts of things. I was like yeah teaching the word of wisdom. No I don't drink beer or vodka or... nope not even coffee or tea. I drink fruit tea. He then said with water and I was like yeah. He then asked about boys. I told him i am a missionary and I don't need them. Not until after my mission. He went on and on. All the while sister Cooper is on the phone and the elders are in front of us. Then I noticed the beautiful sunset as I crossed the bridge and the pretty colors. Not thinking a thing of it I said look that is so pretty! He then looked at me and said no that is romantic, do you want to go for a walk? I was so thrown for a loop I didn't know what to do. I said no I am a missionary and I have to be with my companion and home at 9 in like 10 minutes and then sister cooper grabbed me and we left and the elders took over. I was so excited that I was teaching him about the word of wisdom and the role of a missionary that I had no idea he was hitting on me! That was the farthest thing from my mind. Wow... ha ha so that was interesting...
Anyway, I know that the Lord lives and that He loves me. He answers my prayers and strengthens me to do hard things. I love this gospel and know that all things are possible through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Love you Sestra Hicken
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