This is the life!

HONZA GOT BAPTIZED! He is probably the happiest kid you have ever met. He smiles ear to ear and he just can't stop he is so happy. We tried to get him to stop smiling after he was baptized he told us "to nejde" it doesnt work. He went on to tell us how he feels like he has just been plugged into a light socket. He is just so full of energy and so happy not to mention he is glowing! Sunday we ran into him getting off the metro so we chatted on our way out and as we rounded the corner there was a lady memeber in front of us walking alone caring a bag in each hand, he stopped chatting with us and ran to catch her and took her bags and started chatting with her. During sacrament meeting he bore his testimony and it was so sweet. I was initially shocked because he didnt' have a huge smile. But as he spoke you could see and hear the reverence and respect as he spoke of the covenants he had just made with God. He was struggling not to cry but was so grateful for his testimony and the wonderful memebers. AHH!!! After church we all went to the Mendenhalls for dinner and they asked all of us where we see ourselves in 5 years. Honza was first and he said, I hope to have started my own family, and gone on a mission. He is 20 years old and just amazing, we love that kid! We committed him to write down his baptismal experience so he would always remember how he felt and he texted us that night to tell us he had written it down and he said I will never forget these wonderful feelings. We taught him about the Priesthood monday and commited him to talk to the branch president about it. Well the next day or so he told us he called and texted him and has a meeting before church on sunday and is so excited to get the priesthood so he can help and serve more. He is so amazing! One last story about him. We taught him about missionary work and told him how we wanted him to start teaching with us. He was so excited. When we talked about how the elders kept asking us if he could teach with him yet you could see his eyes well with tears with the knowledge and excitement of being able to help in this work. He is spectacular. It is just so great to see these people change and grow. On sunday Ivan (baptized a month ago) was listening to another member, convert of almost a year, talk about struggles he was having and without missing a beat he said, have you ever thought of getting a priesthood blessing, I know they can really help. It is just so neat to see these boys support and help eachother. Ivan has been answering lots of his friends questions about the church and inviting them to activities it is so neat. We have praised him for doing missionary work but he doesn't see it as missionary work. It is so neat to see him grow.

I heard that Constantin (my good buddy from cbud and Romania who was baptized a while back) is being quite the missionary. Not only his wife was baptized but there are already 5 more! His son as well as some nieces and other family members. It is so amazing how this work really is spreading! I love it! 

Jakub, the kid we gave a building tour to last week, is amazing! He met with us and loved the restoration, he came to the first two hours of church and he has lots of good questions and is just really sharp. He talked about how he doesnt have much time to read in the scriptures, just 15-20 minutes every day. It is really neat to see how the Lord truly does prepare people and how we as missionaries are able to share little things to help them find out the truth for themselves. It is so great. 

We had a leadership council and that was AWESOME! We got through the required planning and everything and then after lunch had 3 hours to just sit together and learn about Jesus. What an amazing blessing that was, to build that relationship even stronger and come to understand who He really was and how we can truly become like Him. To find those attributes in what He did. President McConkie knows the background and customs and everything from that time frame really well and it was just so amazing how much more is in each of those parables that Jesus tells, it is such an amazing thing to learn and grow from. I want to study that more, I just dont have time for that now. Miracles are everywhere around and it is just so neat to be a missionary at this time, especially in the Czech Republic, I know this is where I am supposed to be and even more so that I NEED to be here. I love this place, these people and this work with all my heart, it is such a blessing to be here building the kingdom of God one day at a time. Just look around and you too will find ways to be a missionary, pray to see them and you will receive it. 

S Laskou, 

Sestra Hicken

Honza!!!! He got baptized this week! He showed up looking so sharp!

Dinner at the Mendenhalls with Ivan Honza and Ary. So much fun!

My comp and i

a Stalin hide out/place where they all met. On top of it used to be a huge statue of Stalin and his followers - it was opened for public for the first time in 20+ years and is only open a few days.

information about that second world war. what was happening in at that time cezechoslovakia, hungary, germany and poland.

double baptism Honza and Jiri

Picnic in the park this afternoon with some of the elders and Marketa

Marketa and us at a beautiful look out in prague

Honza and Elder Cowley

Honza was so excited! After the picture he said, I grew there for a minute cause he threw his arms around us and was on his tipy toes, it was funny, what do you do with him.

Ivan and all the sisters that taught him. He was baptized a month ago, the Saturday before I came to Prague.

I may or may not live at Babylon