Greetings from Mlada Boleslav!

I have been transferred to a new area! It has been a LONG time since missionaries were actually in this city. Obviously I am opening up the area, it is really exciting. There are lots of less actives that we are going to have to opportunity to work with and we have a really nice apartment. I am really excited to work here, especially since I have had an inkling that I would be opening an area for the past three or so weeks. Love how the Lord prepares you. I am working with Sister Schoen. She is in her third transfer and is a young one. She is from Texas and has 2 sisters and a brother. She is really happy and hilarious. Our personalities seem to be quite similar so it will be fun an interesting change. We have a huge place to live and we have to go shopping to get everything. Like bedding and what not, might be important. While I am in a new area, i am still in the same zone. I have a 40 minute travel to get to church on Sundays but it will be wonderful!

So many awesome things have happened this past week and I fear I wont be able to write the half of it. Basically we had the most fun activity ever! We threw a thanksgiving party where we explained what it was, why we have it and traditions we have. Then we had a spiritual thought and finally we gathered to talk and write on sticky notes what we are grateful for. Of course we also had mini pumpkin pies for everyone to eat. It was a really good thing. We only had a few members but they brought friends, our English class came, and lots of potentials and investigators. We had 25+ people there that aren't members, it was awesome! They all stayed for a long time too because they just loved how they felt and they mentioned a few times that we should have this every week! So that was really neat.

I called Radim to invite him to this event and he talked for awhile and as I was trying to get to the point that I could say goodbye, he says, oh and I have been reading in the Book of Mormon and I really like the power and strength that is in the book. WHAT!!!! This is Radim who hated the Book of Mormon who said it made him feel horrible and he hated reading it because it was all about fighting! What is happening. He continued to talk about how when he is pushed to do something he has no desire but now that no one has been telling him to do so, he has wanted to and so now he has been reading in it and he really likes it. He then went on to say, I don't want you to be mad or anything but I have been thinking a lot about baptism. I think that I want to be baptised. But I know that it is a big step and I just want to make sure I am ready, do you think we could talk about it? I talked to him about how we are here as missionaries to help people prepare for baptism and that we could meet and help him more and that there is an interview to make sure you know what you are doing and.... so yeah! That was a really exciting phone call. Not something I had expected at all! So neat! Then Kat'ka is on date to be baptized on the 14 of December. That is super exciting! She is doing wonderful and is well on her way!

Man I must say that I hate goodbyes! It is not fun! I just love these people too much it is so hard to say goodbye! But Within all of the goodbyes, I was talking with sister Vokalova and she started to thank me for teaching her how to pray. It was really odd because I couldn't for the life of me remember teaching her how to pray, I mean this is a member of many years who teaches with us all the time! But she talked to me about how she sees answers to her prayers now and that she feels like her prayers are so much more meaningful now. It was really neat to hear that from her. It really just goes to show that we truly have no idea the effect we make on people and what we teaching them by example or explaining something. It was such a blessing to me to know that I had been an instrument in the Lords hands to help her. She talked about how she now prays for missionary opportunities and how she just loves prayer.

SO NEAT! LOVE THIS WORK! I know that this is where I am supposed to be, that this is where the Lord needs me and that this is His work! I know he prepares us and those around us to be ready for what we need to do. He also helps us bless others even when we don't realize it. LOVE THIS WORK! :) Love you all!

Love Sestra Hicken