Week of Learning

Hello! 

So it has been quite the week of learning! Tuesday we had an amazing training in Prague from President McConkie and our other leaders. They are always so inspiring. President really wants us to be getting out of our apartments earlier and using those earlier hours of the day because you will be getting to know and meet people that you wouldn't at other times of the day. So taking that advice to heart we went out earlier. (Sometimes we can be stuck in the house for a long time with all the studies. hour of personal, hour of comp, hour of language and if you are training or follow up training an additional hour of comp and then it is time for lunch!) We were out contacting and there weren't many people really wanting to listen to us. Then we turned down a road that we hadn't been on before and it was completely empty. So as we are coming to the end a guy showed up and we talked to him and he wanted to meet right then and have a lesson! SO we did. MIRACLE! It was really awesome. Talk about blessings for obediance or an inspired mission president. I love this work! 

Alright you are all probably wondering about the Stanislav situation, so Tuesday afternoon, after 5 days of no contact, we got a text message from an unknown number saying that Stanislav was in the hospital in Jicin. That was a huge relief! {Side note- another huge blessing was the fact that Sister Schoen lost her wallet the week before so we ended up being at the bus station at the same time Stanislav was so that we go to see him and talk to him before he went missing for 5 days. This helped affirm to us even more that he wasn't just flaking out or getting scared to be baptized because he had talked about it so much and was so excited and was headed to go get a suit for the baptism...blessings! They come in disguise many times} We finally knew where he was and so we went and visited him that night after training. I don't know who was more excited and relieved, us or him! ha ha He told us all about what happened. On friday night he was riding in the car with his son. They saw some people on the side of the road working on a car, so being the good semaritains that they are, they stopped to help them out. Well instead of getting to help they got beaten up and mugged and they stole their car. He went on to talk about how he had wanted to get ahold of us but they had taken everything from him and he didn't know our number. He just knew the last 3 digits. So he kept trying to think and figure out how he could get ahold of us. What ended up happening was he asked his roommate who was headed home to look us up and send us a text so that we would know where he was. I am so grateful for the good man who stayed true to his word and gave us the information so we could find him. They did testing on him and found that he has internal bleeding. I don't know a lot about that, but it must not be too serious because they let him out and just have a few different appointments through out the month that he needs to come to. I fear that my prayers have been answered, for the past month or so I kept praying that Stanislav would be supported by the branch and that he would build strong relationships with everyone. Well, since going to the hospital and everything, the branch has really taken him in and supported him. They have been so good let him stay at peoples homes temporarily while he tried to find some where to live. He didn't have money or anything and they worked together to get him a phone so that he could at least have a way to be contacted and just so many things that they are doing for him, it is such a blessing! At the same time it is really hard for us because he is in Jicin and we can't meet with him and help him and be there for him, we are just on the phone. So we have to trust the elders and the members and let them take care of him and support him physically and spiritually...I think this is kind of how a mother feels when her child goes off to college, you want so badly to be there to help them and celebrate with them but you just can't be. 

I have learned so much from this whole experience. The baptism falling through truly was a blessing in disguise because of many reasons, I will name just a few: 

*Even though Plzen came all the way with an investigator for a baptism, their investigator received something she really needed, the understanding of how the spirit feels for her, the spirit was so strong in that testimony meeting. 

*The knowledge that I can do more than I think I can, when things are tough, rely on the Lord and so much more can be done, He truly is there to help us and support us. 

*Everyone who was there at that meeting was strengthened and many still ask about Stanislav and how he is doing, so many people love him and are worried about him. 

*The branch was able to serve him, to get to know Stanislav better. To see the strength of his testimony and desire to do exactly what God wants. His relationships with everyone there are ten times stronger than they were just a week ago. It is amazing! 

*If we hadn't gone searching for Stanislav saturday morning at the hospital in Mlada Boleslav, we wouldn't have met Alla who later this week met us on the street and apologized for giving us bad instructions and then when we brought up the gospel go so happy and wants to talk more. She was so happy she gave each of us two hugs! She is such a sweetheart. (the events that led up to the timing of meeting her, both times was miraculous- the Lords timing is AMAZING!) 

    -We wouldn't have been able to meet a lot of other people becuase of where the Lord had placed us. 

*I learned more how the Lord feels when we stumble, are unable to make that precious covenant of baptism with God or even not making it to church, keeping that covenant. He turly loves us so much, He cries with us and just wants what is best for us! 

The list goes on but I am truly grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission, it is one of the biggest growing experiences ever, especially this past week! 

Yesterday we arrived in Jicin to go to church and there Stanislav was sitting at the bus stop waiting for us. He was so happy to see us but we were happier to see him. He began talking about how he had been talking to a lady at the bus stop about the gospel while he waited for us. Evidentally she lost her husband a few years back. Stanisalv is such an inspiration to me. He know this gospel is ture, he wants everyone else to know it so he is already sharing it with other people and he isn't even a member yet! He went on to talk about how he spent the night at Mireks and they were up past one talking about the gospel. 

During sacrament meeting they announced that Stanislav would be having his baptism on thursday and they said we are so excited. Then Stanislav smiled and said, not as excited as I am! He went on to say, I told the missionaries they could just baptize me outside there is a creek out there, but they told me it wouldn't be good for my health. (He didn't share his rebuttle but when we told him that he said Jesus and Joseph were baptized outside!) He is hilarious, I just love that man. He bore his testimony in sacrament meeting and in sunday school we taught all about prophets and we hadn't ever really taught him too much about prophets, but he somehow knows it all. He was just telling us everything and asking little details. The members are amazed at what he knows, and so are we! He was getting down on himself saying he doesn't know enough because he doesn't know the church history and the life of Joseph Smith. He was telling us the year the church was founded and all sorts of stuff and asked us why we hadn't taught him this stuff yet. He is really excited to get a doctorine and covenants, he can't wait! He is so wonderful! 

We talked to him on the phone later and he was reading though the ward bulletin asking us questions. When he got to the list of birthdays he started reading the names saying, I don't know any of these people (he talks to everyone at church and knows most of them by name), why don't they come to church, don't they know the covenants they have made, don't they know how important it is? Why are there different people at church each week? He was asking us what we were going to do to help them come back. It is so amazing how much he know, how much he really understands! We told him that we knew he would never be less active and his response was you have no idea what that means to me, thank you so much! He talked about how the 10 of january his life was changed. He brings it up all the time, that is the day that we met him. He talks about how he knows it was part of Gods plan and he tells us that we are the lights in his life. It is so amazing to see how strong he is, spiritually especially. I learn so much from him and his example. He is going to go so far! I can't wait to see what he will do. He had a meeting with the branch president and asked him if he could clean up the church yard and make it look better. He has great plans for the landscaping. He is so excited to get a calling to do home teaching and to serve! It is such a blessing to know him. 

When he talks about getting mugged he doesn't look at saying if I hadn't learned about the gospel it wouldn't have happened. Instead he looks at it and says, I don't want to even imagine where I would be right now if I hadn't have had the gospel when this happened. He is so strong and recognizes the strength and support he recieves from the Lord everyday. He recognizes the importance of serving and letting others serve you. Last night on the phone we asked him if we could do anything for him. His immediate response was yes. THen he stumbled for what we could do but said, you can pray for me and gave us specific things to pray for. Then he immediately said and I pray for you everyday. I hope to one day be just like Stanislav. He is such an example to me, showing me what I should be doing. He is going to be such a strength and help to this branch. He is ready to give his all. May we strive each day to be more concecrated to the Lord. I know that it is worth it, I know that this is where I am supposed to be right now and I am so grateful to be here! Pray for missionary opportunities, the Lord will give them to you, I promise! I love you! 

Sestra Hicken 

I would add a picture of us with Stanislav at the hospital but i forgot my camera cord.